The last weekend of September is here, and with it comes that first real hint of fall in Alabama. After the heat and the weather chaos in Tuscaloosa and Auburn last weekend, it feels like the state is finally inching toward something a little more manageable. It also means the SEC calendar is tightening its grip.
Conference games already carry that do-or-die feel, and the league’s nine-game slate is wasting no time making teams live with the consequences. It’s barely October, and the pressure is already loud.
South Carolina at Alabama is one of the stranger matchups on the board because of how ugly the recent meetings have been. The Gamecocks pushed Alabama as hard as they could over the last two seasons and still walked away with losses both times.
The 27-25 Tide win two years ago was a mess, with the home team nearly handing it away. Then Alabama had to rally in Columbia last year to escape with a 29-22 win over a South Carolina team that finished 4-8.
That collapse helped put Shane Beamer in a tough spot, and a 41-34 loss to Mississippi State only turned up the heat. South Carolina has already moved on from Mike Shula as offensive coordinator, so the list of easy fixes is getting shorter.
A road win over Alabama would be exactly the kind of lift Beamer and a program that has spent too long in the middle could use. LaNorris Sellers was supposed to be a breakout player last year, but that never took off.
The Gamecocks also have Dylan Stewart, an edge rusher who has had success against Alabama before, and he’s listed as probable for Saturday. South Carolina will need a lot from that side of the ball to matter.
The pick: Alabama 35, South Carolina 21.
Vanderbilt at Auburn brings its own odd history. Auburn’s recent trouble against the Commodores was enough to swing the all-time series in Vanderbilt’s favor, 23-23. That’s a bizarre sentence to type, but here we are.
A lot has changed since the last meeting. The teams played right after Hugh Freeze’s firing last year, which lined up with Auburn’s offensive spark. The Tigers came out of that strange stretch with momentum despite an overtime loss, and they had just scored 38 points against Vanderbilt after putting up only 3 in a loss to Kentucky.
Diego Pavia is no longer around to torment Auburn, but Vanderbilt is still unbeaten at 3-0. The Commodores opened with a 28-9 win over Austin Peay, slipped by Delaware 35-26, and then got the kind of break that only college football can provide in a 35-31 win over NC State. Five-star freshman quarterback Jarad Curtis is a boom-or-bust arm, and he showed both sides last week with three touchdown passes and two interceptions against the Wolfpack.
Auburn needs Byrum Brown and its offense to deliver a cleaner afternoon. The passing game has been uneven, and the USF transfer has five touchdown passes and four interceptions so far.
The Tigers also know what’s waiting after this: trips to Tennessee, Georgia and Mississippi. The schedule isn’t easing up.
The pick: Auburn 23, Vanderbilt 19.
It may not be pretty, but Auburn does not need pretty. If the Tigers’ secondary can make life difficult for Curtis, they should get enough stops to even their SEC record at 1-1.
The rest of the SEC slate is packed with ranked matchups and a few games that could get weird fast.
No. 1 Texas at No.
14 Tennessee at 11 a.m. CT on ABC is a strong quarterback matchup, but Arch Manning’s experience gives the Longhorns the edge.
The pick: Texas in a close one.
Oklahoma at No. 2 Georgia at 2:30 p.m.
CT on ESPN looks far less competitive after the Sooners’ offense again came up fraudulent. Georgia is nearly a two-touchdown favorite because Oklahoma may not score much.
The pick: Georgia by those two touchdowns.
No. 4 Mississippi at No.
21 Florida at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC might be the most interesting game of the day.
Pete Golding’s group has to handle success, and so does Jon Sumrall’s. Florida left Auburn with enough momentum to enter the rankings and become favored over the No. 4 team in the country.
The pick: Mississippi because Trinidad Chambliss is elite.
No. 23 Texas A&M at No.
10 LSU at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC is wild because one preseason playoff pick will already have a second loss before October.
Texas A&M was exposed by Kentucky last week, and both teams have questions at quarterback. The pick: LSU in a close one.
No. 19 Missouri at No.
24 Mississippi State at 6:45 p.m. CT on SEC Network has real momentum behind the Bulldogs, who have gone from 15th in the preseason SEC media poll to No. 24 in the AP poll.
Kamario Taylor has been the breakout name, and the cowbells should help. The pick: Mississippi State stays perfect with Alabama coming to town next week.
There are a few other games worth circling. Indiana gets its first crack at a Power 4 opponent this season when Northwestern arrives with a 2-0 record Friday night at 7 p.m.
CT on Fox. No.
17 Iowa and No. 18 Michigan meet in a ranked Big Ten game at 2:30 p.m.
CT on CBS. No.
20 Oregon and No. 12 USC face off in Los Angeles at 6:30 p.m.
CT on NBC, with both teams still trying to prove something after uneven showings. Oregon has to answer for the Oklahoma State fiasco, and USC struggled with lowly Rutgers last week.
Clemson at Cal Friday night at 9:30 p.m. CT on ESPN has its own sicko appeal.
And on a more personal note, this week’s reader recognition goes to Tom Babington of Montgomery, a loyal emailer who passed away recently at 85. His notes will be missed.
Also worth a shoutout is Karen Johns, whom I met at the Alabama-FSU game. She’s a softball coaching legend and the wife of former Alabama football standout Bobby Johns, the All-American defensive back and Alabama Sports Hall of Famer.
In Other News...
Auburn Homecoming Brings One Gameday Change Fans Need To Know
Auburn has started laying out its plans for Homecoming 2026, and the schedule should feel familiar to anyone who has spent a fall weekend around campus. The celebration will include a parade through downtown Auburn and a pep rally on Samford Lawn, giving the Tigers a full slate of traditions leading into Saturdays game.
The biggest game-day change for fans, though, comes from a necessary absence rather than a new attraction. The pregame flyover has been canceled because of military personnel deployment, while Auburn Athletics is also adjusting stadium operations around construction at Jordan-Hare Stadium with additional metal detectors, new entry points and earlier gate opening times aimed at making the lines move more smoothly. [Read more 🡒]
Bo Jackson Adds Another Honor To Auburns Unmatched Legacy
Bo Jacksons legacy will grow again this fall, when the Auburn icon is honored with the Louisville Sluggers Living Legend Award on Nov. 13 at the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. Jackson becomes the 18th recipient of the award and only the second former Auburn Tiger to receive it, adding another line to a career already defined by rare two-sport greatness.
Jackson remains one of the most recognizable figures in college sports history, a star whose fame stretched from Auburn to Major League Baseball and the NFL. He was an MLB All-Star in 1989 and won the Heisman Trophy in 1985, and this latest recognition serves as another reminder of how deeply his name is woven into Auburns unmatched athletic legacy. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Is Making Another Jordan-Hare Change Fans Will Notice Saturday
Ahead of Auburns Week 4 home game against Vanderbilt, the school is making another noticeable change around Jordan-Hare Stadium, this one aimed at how fans move through the building on Saturdays. Auburn Athletics said it is adjusting several game-day operations to improve pedestrian flow, including reconfiguring concession stands, relocating medical carts and adding more way-finding signage for supporters making their way to their seats.
The other pieces are just as focused on easing the crush around the stadium. Temporary vendors are being removed from congested spots, law enforcement presence is being increased and fans with certain lower-level tickets are being directed to use specific ramps and seating routes. It is the kind of behind-the-scenes tweak Auburn hopes will matter most when the crowd starts arriving and the pressure points at Jordan-Hare begin to show. [Read more 🡒]