ESPN’s latest FPI update after Week 9 brought a fresh round of movement across the SEC, and the top of the league is crowded with teams still hanging around the College Football Playoff picture.
Georgia sits alone at No. 1 in the conference rankings, and ESPN’s numbers have the Bulldogs projected to finish the regular season at 11 wins. That makes this weekend’s matchup with Ole Miss a major test, even if the Bulldogs remain the league’s highest-rated team in the model.
Right behind them, LSU checks in at No. 2 in the SEC FPI and No. 5 nationally with an FPI of 24.7 and a projected 9-3 finish. The Tigers’ showdown with Alabama looms large, and a win there would send a loud message about what they can still do in the stretch run. After that, LSU still has Texas, Tennessee and Arkansas ahead.
Alabama comes in at No. 3 in the conference, with an FPI of 24.0, a national rank of 7 and a projected 9-3 record. The Crimson Tide head to Baton Rouge for one of the weekend’s biggest games, and a victory could help them climb even higher in next week’s update.
Texas is next at No. 4 in the SEC FPI, ahead of Ole Miss thanks to the head-to-head edge. The Longhorns are projected at 9-3 and have Missouri, LSU, Arkansas and Texas A&M still on the schedule, giving them plenty of chances to strengthen their case.
Ole Miss rounds out the top five after a 45-15 win over Auburn. The Rebels are still in the CFP conversation with two losses, and their home game against Georgia could end up shaping the rest of their season.
Tennessee sits at No. 6 despite last week’s loss to South Carolina. ESPN’s model still has the Vols projected for eight wins, and they’ll try to back that up when they host Kentucky this weekend.
Missouri is seventh in the SEC FPI and remains one of the league’s more interesting teams. The Tigers have a path to shake up the conference if they can string together wins against Texas, Georgia, Kentucky and Oklahoma, or even take three of the four.
Florida comes in at No. 8 after bouncing back from a win over Texas in Austin with a loss to Georgia. Jon Sumrall’s first year would still mark a clear step forward if the Gators finish 8-4, and a win over Kentucky in a couple of weeks could push them up in the rankings.
Texas A&M is ninth in the SEC FPI, sitting at 23 in the metric, 13.8 nationally and a projected 6-6 record. The Aggies are 4-4 right now, a sharp drop from last year’s 11-1 regular season, and they’ll face South Carolina this weekend.
South Carolina is right behind them at No. 10 after winning a couple of games to get back into the mix. The Gamecocks are 5-3 and projected to finish 2-2 over their final four, keeping Shane Beamer’s team in the conversation.
Kentucky lands at No. 11, which is a strange spot for a team that’s 7-1 and ranked in the AP top 10. ESPN’s projection has the Wildcats going just 2-2 the rest of the way, with Tennessee, Florida, Missouri and Louisville still on the schedule.
Oklahoma checks in at No. 12 in the SEC FPI while still sitting inside the national top 30. The Sooners fired OC Ben Arbuckle, and they head to Florida next, so the next few days could tell us plenty about whether their slide continues.
Auburn is 13th in the conference rankings at FPI 9.6, national rank 37 and a projected 6-6 finish. The Tigers have dropped since beating Georgia a few weeks ago, and they need two wins from Arkansas, Mississippi State, Samford and Alabama to get back to the postseason. Auburn and Mississippi State also meet on November 14.
Mississippi State is 14th in the SEC FPI and still rated higher nationally, but the loss of QB Kamario Taylor for the rest of the season is a major blow. Jeff Lebby may still have a path to a bowl game thanks to a lighter November slate.
Arkansas is 15th after getting blown out by Missouri, 34-10. The Razorbacks already own the head-to-head edge over Vanderbilt, but with Auburn, South Carolina, Texas and LSU left, the rest of the year looks rough.
Vanderbilt remains at the bottom of the SEC FPI at No. 16 with an FPI of 0.3, a national rank of 71 and a projected 4-8 record. The Commodores were on a bye in Week 9 and, at 3-5, are projected to pick up just one more win against a November slate that includes Mississippi State, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee.
In Other News...
Kentucky's CFP Path Just Got More Complicated Than Wildcats Fans Realize
Kentuckys spot at No. 6 in the first College Football Playoff rankings gave the Wildcats a strong early perch, but it also came with a reminder that the committees math is rarely simple. Alabama landed one spot ahead at No. 5 even with two losses, and CFP committee chair Hunter Yurachek pointed to the Crimson Tides wins over ranked opponents, including Kentucky and Mississippi State, as part of the explanation for that placement.
The wrinkle for Kentucky fans is that the committee does not use head-to-head results when comparing teams in different ranking pods, which can reshape how the field is viewed from week to week. It also helped determine Tennessees spot relative to Alabama, a detail that underscores how much more complicated Kentuckys path can become once the rankings start sorting teams beyond the obvious win-loss record. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Has A Real Shot To Flip This Five-Star Recruitment
AJ Williams is set to spend the weekend on Kentuckys campus, and that alone makes this a notable development in a recruitment that has already drawn plenty of attention. The five-star prospect, now in the 2027 class after reclassifying, has been through a busy process with several other visits already on the books and a top 10 list in hand, but Kentucky has emerged as a newer name in the mix at an important stage.
For the Wildcats, this is the kind of official visit that can change the tone of a pursuit quickly if the fit feels right. Williams is expected to keep taking more trips before making a final decision, so Kentucky still has work to do, but getting him in Lexington now gives the staff a real chance to make a lasting impression while the race remains open. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Just Landed A Huge Chance With Mark Pope's Next Target
A major recruiting weekend is shaping up in Lexington, as five-star prospect AJ Williams is set to take an official visit to Kentucky, according to a 247Sports report. For Mark Pope and his staff, it is another chance to make a strong impression on one of the most coveted players in the class, while also building on an early 2027 foundation that already includes commitments from Cherif Millogo and Ryan Hampton.
Pope has been clear about the way Kentucky wants to handle the recruiting process, stressing a disciplined approach and confidence in where the program stands right now. Bringing Williams in for an official visit gives the Wildcats a valuable opportunity to keep that momentum going, and it adds another layer of intrigue to a class that is already starting to take shape. [Read more 🡒]