Week 7 has the feel of a danger zone for ranked teams, and the warning lights are flashing for more than a few of them.
After six top-25 teams were upset in Week 6 - the third straight weekend with at least five ranked losses - the chaos already has plenty of momentum. Oklahoma’s stunning comeback over No.
1 Texas at the Cotton Bowl headlined the damage, and No. 10 LSU, No.
16 Florida and No. 25 Pittsburgh also got knocked off by unranked opponents.
Texas is right back in the spotlight here, and for all the wrong reasons. The Longhorns just dropped a 27-24 decision to Oklahoma after Arch Manning threw two questionable interceptions in the fourth quarter, and the same kind of volatility has made Texas hard to trust.
When Manning is locked in, he looks like one of the best quarterbacks in the country. But the off stretches keep showing up, and that inconsistency makes it difficult to buy Texas as a legitimate championship team, even with that early-season win over Ohio State.
The offense hasn’t topped 24 points against a P4 opponent, and Florida has the kind of scoring ability that can make things uncomfortable if Texas doesn’t get moving.
Ole Miss is another team that has to stay sharp. The Rebels look back on track after their stumble in Gainesville, and the BYE week clearly helped.
They rolled past Vanderbilt 52-17 last time out, but Missouri is a different kind of problem. The Tigers have cleaned up a shaky start and have put together two eye-opening wins, hammering No.
8 Florida and blowing out Texas A&M. Missouri’s only loss came on the road, and right now this team looks like one of the SEC’s most dangerous groups.
UCLA has turned into one of the more unpredictable stories of the season under Bob Chesney. The Bruins entered the year as an underdog and now find themselves in upset-candidate territory after going into Oregon and beating the Ducks last weekend.
The catch is that they lost starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava in the process. Wisconsin, meanwhile, comes in hot with four straight wins, including a road victory over ranked Penn State.
The Badgers have the chance to hand UCLA its first loss of the season.
Oklahoma is back in the mix too, and not just because of what happened against Texas. The Sooners have some momentum and, despite an unexpectedly rough start, still have the talent to hang in the SEC if John Mateer can get going.
Kentucky is technically the underdog in this matchup, but the Wildcats are the ranked team while Oklahoma is not. Will Stein’s group is 5-1, with the only loss coming against Alabama, though two straight overtime wins have shown just how thin the margins have been.
LSU has its own trouble spot to navigate. Mississippi State may not be favored, but the Bulldogs could still make this more uncomfortable than people expect after downgrading star quarterback Kamario Taylor from questionable to doubtful.
Taylor is dealing with a lower-body injury suffered in the loss to Alabama. LSU, for its part, is coming off that overtime defeat at Kentucky and already has two losses in six games.
That kind of start can create questions inside a locker room. Still, the Tigers have been dominant in their four home games, and Lane Kiffin may have his team ready to answer back in Baton Rouge.
SMU’s season has been messy enough that nothing should be taken for granted. The Mustangs are 4-1, but they’ve had to survive plenty of turbulence along the way.
They escaped Florida State on Labor Day, then were beaten by Louisville by double digits. Since then, things have stayed tight: they trailed Missouri State by double digits before rallying, then had to grind out a narrow win over Boston College.
Virginia has been just as odd in its own way. The Cavaliers were overwhelmed by Florida State, nearly fell apart against Syracuse, and then fought back from a 17-7 deficit.
The rushing attack has been solid enough, and if Beau Pribula gives SMU a lift, this one could turn into another fight.
In Other News...
Kentuckys Defense Turned A Slugfest Into A First-Place SEC Statement
The kind of win Kentucky has been waiting for all season came in the form of a rugged, defense-first slog against Oklahoma, and it left the Wildcats sitting at 6-1 and tied for first place in the SEC. In a game where every possession felt magnified, Kentuckys defense repeatedly flipped the field and gave the offense just enough margin to work with, while Kenny Minchey supplied two touchdown passes to keep the Wildcats in control.
Jordan Castell delivered the back-breaking moment with a game-clinching interception returned for a touchdown, but the pressure up front mattered just as much. MiQuise Humphrey-Grace helped set the tone with a key pass deflection and sacks, the sort of disruptive work that made Oklahomas offense fight for everything and turned a tense conference matchup into a statement win for Kentucky. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Faces A Brutal Oklahoma Mismatch In First SEC Meeting
Kentuckys first SEC trip to Oklahoma brings a fresh conference matchup with an obvious contrast in styles. The Sooners have built one of the nations stingiest defenses, sitting near the top of several efficiency categories, while their offense has had a much tougher time getting traction, especially on the ground and in the red zone. For the Wildcats, that makes ball security and field position even more important than usual, especially with Kentucky leading the SEC in turnover margin.
The third-down battle may tell the story of how this one unfolds. Oklahomas defense has been excellent in getting off the field, while Kentuckys offense has had more trouble extending drives, a combination that can quickly tilt a game toward the team that can force the other into mistakes. Since the SEC expanded in 2024, this is the first meeting between the programs, and Kentucky walks into it with a clear challenge: find a way to create enough offense against a defense that has made life miserable for almost everyone else. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Bowl Hopes Run Through A Very Strange Oklahoma Story
Oklahomas week leading into Kentucky has already taken on a strange edge, and it goes beyond the usual crossover chatter for a late-season matchup. Brent Venables recent contract extension became a talking point not just because of the security it brings, but because part of the guaranteed money is routed through a personal LLC with the unusual name of Jimmy Greenbeans, a nickname tied to his days as a scout team quarterback.
The backstory only adds to the oddness of the setup, since Venables created the alter ego during preseason practices after taking over the scout team quarterback role. For Kentucky, the more immediate football concern is Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, whose turnover issues have become part of the scouting report heading into the game, and whose mistakes could matter plenty in a matchup with bowl implications hanging around the Wildcats. [Read more 🡒]