Week 6 shook up the SEC in a hurry. No. 1 Texas fell to Oklahoma, Georgia and Alabama added another tense chapter to their matchup, and Kentucky pulled off an overtime win by one point for the second week in a row.
With that chaos in the rearview, the Alligator’s Florida football beat reporters - Ava DiCecca, Max Bernstein, Curan Ahern and Riley Orovitz - are back with their Week 7 picks for an eight-game SEC slate that features three ranked matchups. Points are awarded for each correct pick, with three bonus points available for an exact score.
Through six weeks, the standings look like this:
1: Curan Ahern - 65
T2: Ava DiCecca - 55
T2: Max Bernstein - 55
4: Riley Orovitz - 54
Florida (4-2) at No. 7 Texas (4-1)
Florida and Texas both enter Saturday trying to put ugly losses behind them in Austin. The Gators have dropped two straight after opening 4-0, falling 45-17 at Missouri and then 38-19 at home against South Carolina.
Texas just took its first loss of the season, a 27-24 defeat to Oklahoma on a last-second field goal. The two teams have split their first two SEC meetings, and the home team has won both.
Texas rolled to a 49-17 win over Florida in 2024 before the Gators answered with a 29-21 upset last season.
Ahern: Texas 35, Florida 20
Orovitz: Texas 42, Florida 24
No. 16 Mississippi State (4-1) at No. 22 LSU (4-2)
LSU heads back to Death Valley looking to recover from a shocking 35-34 overtime loss at Kentucky. Mississippi State comes in rested after a bye week, with its most recent game ending in a 56-23 loss to Alabama.
The Bulldogs have had almost no success in Baton Rouge, winning there only twice since 1992. LSU has taken the last three meetings, including a 51-14 rout in 2023.
DiCecca: LSU 35, Mississippi State 27
Bernstein: LSU 34, Mississippi State 24
Ahern: LSU 31, Mississippi State 23
The Citadel (2-4) at Texas A&M (3-3)
Texas A&M gets a breather from SEC play Saturday against FCS foe The Citadel at Kyle Field. The Aggies have lost three of their last four, including a 27-6 defeat at No.
14 Missouri that featured just 146 yards of total offense. The Citadel has struggled too, dropping four of six and coming off a 34-16 home loss to East Tennessee State.
DiCecca: Texas A&M 42, The Citadel 6
Bernstein: Texas A&M 41, The Citadel 10
Ahern: Texas A&M 45, The Citadel 0
Orovitz: Texas A&M 48, The Citadel 3
Auburn (3-2) at No. 1 Georgia (6-0)
One of college football’s oldest rivalries returns Saturday when Georgia hosts Auburn in Athens. The Bulldogs are coming off their biggest win of the year, a 20-17 road victory over then-No.
6 Alabama. Auburn enters after a bye week following a 24-14 loss at Tennessee.
Georgia has owned this series at home lately, winning nine straight in Athens dating to 2005 and 12 of the last 13 overall.
DiCecca: Georgia 34, Auburn 17
Bernstein: Georgia 35, Auburn 13
Ahern: Georgia 38, Auburn 14
Orovitz: Georgia 35, Auburn 10
No. 6 Alabama (5-1) at No. 14 Tennessee (5-1)
The Third Saturday in October heads back to Knoxville. Alabama suffered its first loss Saturday, a 20-17 home defeat to Georgia after scoring at least 45 points in each of its first five games.
Tennessee survived Arkansas 24-17 behind a late touchdown from DeSean Bishop. The Crimson Tide have dominated the rivalry overall, winning 17 of the last 19 meetings, but Tennessee has won the last two at Neyland Stadium, including a 24-17 upset in 2024.
DiCecca: Alabama 38, Tennessee 30
Bernstein: Alabama 34, Tennessee 20
Ahern: Alabama 31, Tennessee 21
Orovitz: Alabama 28, Tennessee 21
No. 13 Missouri (5-1) at No. 9 Ole Miss (4-1)
Missouri makes its first trip to Ole Miss since 2013. The Tigers have won three straight, including back-to-back victories over Florida and Texas A&M by a combined 49 points.
Ole Miss bounced back from its loss to Florida with a 52-17 road win at Vanderbilt. Missouri has ruled this series historically, winning six straight meetings.
Ole Miss’ only win over the Tigers came in 1974.
DiCecca: Ole Miss 34, Missouri 30
Bernstein: Ole Miss 31, Missouri 27
Ahern: Ole Miss 35, Missouri 24
Orovitz: Ole Miss 38, Missouri 34
Arkansas (2-4) at Vanderbilt (3-3)
Vanderbilt and Arkansas meet in Nashville in a matchup of teams trying to stop the slide. The Commodores have lost three in a row to Auburn, Georgia and Ole Miss, with the latest a 52-17 home loss to the Rebels.
Arkansas has dropped four of its last five, though it gave Tennessee a fight before falling 24-17. The teams last played in 2018, when Vanderbilt won 45-31 in Fayetteville.
DiCecca: Vanderbilt 21, Arkansas 17
Bernstein: Vanderbilt 30, Arkansas 20
Ahern: Vanderbilt 27, Arkansas 21
Orovitz: Vanderbilt 24, Arkansas 10
No. 15 Kentucky (5-1) at Oklahoma (3-2)
Kentucky brings a four-game winning streak to Norman after its overtime upset of LSU. Oklahoma is riding its own surge after taking down previously unbeaten Texas, 27-24, in the Red River Rivalry.
The Sooners and Wildcats have not met since 1982, and this will be their first matchup as SEC opponents. Oklahoma leads the all-time series 2-1, with Kentucky’s lone win coming in the 1951 Sugar Bowl.
DiCecca: Oklahoma 24, Kentucky 21
Bernstein: Oklahoma 27, Kentucky 20
Ahern: Kentucky 24, Oklahoma 21
Orovitz: Kentucky 21, Oklahoma 14
In Other News...
Florida Fans Just Got A New Reason To Worry About Arch Manning
Arch Manning has been a familiar name in Gainesville for a while, and not just because of the family tree. During a stretch when the Manning family was based nearby in New Orleans, Archie Manning arranged for his grandson to throw footballs at Tulanes stadium with coach Jon Sumralls permission, simply because it was an easy place for the family to work and stay loose. Sumrall, who has spent time at both Tulane and Florida, would occasionally watch those sessions and came away impressed by what he saw.
For Florida fans, the part worth noticing is that Manning is still the Texas quarterback and still looks like the kind of problem defenses dread solving. He is known as a dual-threat player, and Sumralls admiration only reinforces that he is more than a polished passer. When a quarterback can stress a defense with his arm and legs, every future matchup starts to look a little more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas Next Stretch Will Say Everything About Jon Sumralls First Season
Floridas start under Jon Sumrall looked like the sort of opening that can calm a restless fan base, but the mood around the program has shifted quickly after consecutive losses. Paul Finebaum has framed the Gators as one of the SECs biggest mysteries because the early promise has given way to uneven play, leaving the next stretch to serve as a real measure of where the first-year coach has this team headed.
Even with the setbacks, there is still reason to think the foundation could eventually be sturdier than the present record suggests. Finebaum has been confident Sumrall can improve the program over time, and Floridas recruiting momentum, including a commitment from a top 2027 wide receiver, adds another layer of intrigue to a class that already looks strong on paper. [Read more 🡒]
Florida May Be Headed For A Tough QB Call Before Texas
Florida heads into its matchup with No. 7 Texas with the quarterback situation still cloudy, as junior Aaron Philos status is uncertain because of an undisclosed injury. The uncertainty adds another layer to a game that was already going to demand clean execution, and it leaves the Gators with an important decision to monitor as the week moves on.
Jon Sumrall did not flag Philo as a player who might miss the game during his press conference, which at least suggests there is still time for the picture to clear up. On a more encouraging note for Florida, sophomore receiver Vernell Brown III has been practicing as he comes back from a knee injury and is considered likely to play, giving the offense at least one more piece trending in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]