ATHENS - When the dust settled on another wild Saturday in the SEC, Georgia was the last unbeaten team left standing in conference play.
That alone would have been enough to make the Bulldogs the headline act. But Kirby Smart’s team did it the hard way, walking into Alabama with three of its top playmakers missing and leaving with a 20-17 win over what had been one of the hottest programs in the country.
The finish was powered by the kind of second-half defensive squeeze Georgia has built its reputation on. Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell got plenty of attention, and for good reason, but the Bulldogs took control after halftime and gave up just three points over the final two quarters after trailing 14-10 at the break.
The result nudged a few numbers in Smart’s favor, too. Kalen DeBoer is now 22-2 when his FBS teams have led at halftime and 21-7 against AP Top 25 opponents. Smart, meanwhile, is 96-1 when his team gives up 20 points or fewer and 26-11 against Top 10 teams.
Georgia’s offense wasn’t flashy, but it didn’t need to be. Gunner Stockton brought steady quarterback play, and coordinator Mike Bobo deserves his share of credit for an attack built around a strong line and a group of skill players that still looks like it’s growing into itself. London Humphreys, Jaden Reddell, Talyn Taylor and Dwight Phillips Jr. were all mentioned as emerging pieces, but not yet the kind of dynamic threats that force defenses to panic every snap.
That’s why the Bulldogs’ title case still runs through Stockton. He was 9-of-10 passing for 104 yards on third downs, and Georgia will need that kind of calm efficiency to keep this thing rolling. The line has to stay together, the young skill talent has to keep developing, and the offense has to do just enough while the defense handles the heavy lifting.
And right now, that defense looks ready for anything. Chris Cole and KJ Bolden are leading a unit that already appears capable of carrying a championship run, so long as the offense keeps putting up a moderate number of points and stays away from turnovers.
Elsewhere in the SEC, the league’s playoff picture took a beating.
Texas, which had been No. 1, went down. LSU, one of the teams eyeing the CFP field, suffered a shocking loss to Kentucky. Texas A&M kept sliding, adding to what has become a puzzling stretch under coach Mike Elko.
That chaos created a new SEC stock market of sorts, and some teams are suddenly rising fast.
Missouri is one of them. Eli Drinkwitz has shed the upbeat public persona and is coaching with a sharper edge this season, a tone that seems to suit the Tigers just fine with former Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons running the offense. Missouri’s trip to Ole Miss now carries real College Football Playoff implications for both sides.
Ole Miss, for its part, looked like a team that found its footing again after that startling loss to Florida two Saturdays ago. A bye week helped, and the Rebels responded by crushing Vanderbilt 52-17. Trinidad Chambliss has become even more dangerous now that Kewan Lacy is back in the mix.
Kentucky is climbing, too. The Wildcats pulled off another one-score stunner, this time taking down Top 10 LSU in overtime with a 2-point conversion.
That came one week after they beat South Carolina by the same 35-34 margin in the same fashion. Kentucky is now No. 15 in the AP Top 25, its highest ranking since the 2022 season, and it heads to Oklahoma on Saturday.
Not everyone is trending up. Florida’s momentum has flattened out after a 45-17 loss at Missouri on Oct. 3 and a more startling 38-19 home defeat to a South Carolina team that had been fading.
The Gators have dropped from No. 8 in the AP poll all the way out of the rankings, and now they go to play at No. 7 Texas.
Texas A&M is in even rougher shape. The Aggies have lost three of their last four, and their 27-6 defeat at Missouri all but knocked them out of CFP contention.
In Other News...
Georgias Win Was Just Overshadowed By An Ugly Alabama Tunnel Incident
Georgias 20-17 win over Alabama had plenty of football to unpack, from a strong rushing performance led by Dwight Phillips Jr. and Bo Walker to Gunner Stocktons work through the air. But the scene that lingered after the final whistle had nothing to do with the scoreboard. Near the stadium tunnel, Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson was confronted by an Alabama fan in an ugly postgame incident that quickly drew attention beyond the usual chaos of a big SEC night.
Reporter Reggie Chatman Jr. captured the exchange on video, calling it an unusual moment as the fan physically attacked Wilson by slapping and shoving his helmet. Witnesses said the fan also used a racially degrading term during the encounter, turning what should have been a hard-fought rivalry win into a jarring flashpoint. For Georgia, the victory still counts, but the aftermath was a reminder that the line between passion and misconduct can disappear in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Smart Leak Puts Georgia's Biggest Win In A Different Light
The win over Alabama already had the feel of one of Georgias defining moments of the season, but the aftermath turned a private football setting into a public talking point. Two videos that reportedly show Kirby Smart speaking to the team before and after the game began circulating on social media, and both clips appear to have been recorded without anyones knowledge. Their authenticity has not been confirmed, but the release itself was a surprise given the private nature of the messages.
For Georgia, the larger issue is not what was said so much as how it became public in the first place. Coaches guard those pregame and postgame moments closely because they are meant for the locker room, not the timeline, and the appearance of secret recordings adds an uncomfortable layer to a victory that should have been remembered for the result on the field. The Bulldogs are left with a big win still fresh in the record book, even as the focus shifts to how and why those videos surfaced at all. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Had To Leave Tuscaloosa Like No Winning Team Should
Georgias trip out of Tuscaloosa came with an ugly scene after the win over Alabama, one that had little to do with football and everything to do with the emotions that can spill over when a big game turns. As the Bulldogs were leaving the field, some Alabama fans threw bottles and cans toward Georgia players and staff, forcing the visiting sideline to think about safety on the way off rather than the celebration in front of them.
Georgia coaches responded by telling players to keep their helmets on as they exited, a reminder of how quickly a postgame moment can turn tense after a heavyweight matchup. No injuries were reported, but the episode added a sour edge to an otherwise significant road victory, and it left Georgia heading home with one more thing to remember from Tuscaloosa beyond the result itself. [Read more 🡒]