ESPN’s latest FPI update after Week 7 brought a little bit of everything to the SEC: some teams slid after ugly losses, a few bounced back, and the top of the league still looks crowded with contenders.
Georgia remains No. 1 in the SEC FPI even after losing to Auburn, while Alabama and Texas also stayed near the top despite back-to-back turbulence for the Crimson Tide and another rough week for the Longhorns. Florida surged back into the mix after beating Texas on the road, Auburn jumped after its win over Georgia, and Tennessee kept pushing its case with a convincing victory over Alabama.
At the bottom, Vanderbilt sits in last after falling 31-21 to Arkansas at home. Jared Curtis went 19-of-31 for 274 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in the loss, and the Commodores now head to Kentucky.
Arkansas is next in the league hierarchy, with a 2.2 FPI, a national rank of 58 and a projected 4-8 finish. The Razorbacks beat Vanderbilt 31-21 to move to 3-4, getting a strong day from KJ Jackson, who completed 21 of 31 passes for 251 yards while adding 58 rushing yards and a score on 11 carries.
Mississippi State checks in at No. 14 with an FPI of 9.1, a national ranking of 38 and a projected 7-5 record. The Bulldogs were missing Kamario Taylor and Fluff Bothwell in a 31-0 loss to LSU, and nothing went right in that one. They’ll need a response at home against Oklahoma this weekend if they want to keep their CFP hopes alive.
South Carolina sits 13th at 11.6, with a national rank of 29 and a projected 6-6 finish. The Gamecocks were idle after their bye, coming off a convincing win over Florida. Now they host Tennessee, and the direction of the season could swing either way from here.
Missouri is 12th in the SEC FPI at 12.3, ranked 27th nationally and projected to go 7-5. The Tigers were hammered 31-3 by Ole Miss, and the rest of the schedule is no gift: Texas, Georgia, Kentucky and Oklahoma are still ahead, with Arkansas in two weeks.
Kentucky is one of the more intriguing teams in the updated metrics. The Wildcats are 11th in the SEC FPI at 12.7 and projected to win at least nine games. At 6-1, they’ve got real momentum, but the road is lined with ranked conference opponents - Tennessee, Florida and Missouri - plus rivalry game against Louisville to finish.
Oklahoma lands just ahead of Kentucky at No. 10, despite losing head-to-head. The Sooners have a 13.3 FPI, are ranked 22nd nationally and are projected to go 6-6. John Mateer struggled in the loss to Kentucky, throwing three interceptions.
Auburn made one of the biggest jumps after stunning Georgia 27-24, landing ninth in the SEC FPI at 13.4. Alex Golesh’s team refused to quit, and Byrum Brown delivered with 150 passing yards, a touchdown, 115 rushing yards and another score.
Texas A&M is eighth with a 13.5 FPI, ranked 20th nationally and projected to finish 6-6. The Aggies handled Citadel 41-0 in a quiet non-conference tune-up, but the next challenge is much bigger: Alabama on the road.
Florida sits seventh with a 14.3 FPI, a national rank of 19 and a projected 8-4 record. The Gators snapped their two-game skid with a 27-24 road win over Texas, and now they get Georgia on Halloween.
Tennessee is up to No. 6 with an 18.1 FPI, ranked 12th nationally and projected to go 9-3. The Vols beat Alabama 26-10 at home and are suddenly looking like a team with a real path back to the CFP. Kentucky and LSU remain on the schedule, and 10 wins is still on the table.
Ole Miss checks in fifth at 18.8, with a national rank of 11 and a projected 9-3 mark. The Rebels came out of their bye and rolled Missouri 31-3, and the schedule still has plenty of teeth with Texas, Auburn, Georgia, Oklahoma, Wofford and Mississippi State left after this weekend’s trip to Austin.
LSU is fourth at 23.0, ranked eighth nationally and projected to finish 8-4. The Tigers shut out Mississippi State 31-0, and their November slate is loaded with Alabama, Texas and Tennessee.
Texas is third in the SEC FPI at 23.6, ranked seventh nationally. The Longhorns took another damaging loss, and Arch Manning’s struggles are drawing plenty of attention, with KJ Lacey getting mentioned as a possible replacement. Steve Sarkisian’s team gets Ole Miss next.
Alabama is second at 24.2, with a national rank of 6 and a projected 9-3 finish. The Crimson Tide dropped their second straight game in a 26-10 loss to Tennessee, and the margin for error is getting thin. Keelon Russell went 19-of-29 for 147 yards and two interceptions, while Daniel Hill led the rushing attack with 34 yards.
Georgia remains first in the SEC FPI at 26.7, ranked third nationally and projected to go 11-1. The Bulldogs are still viewed as a national title contender despite the loss to Auburn, though Gunner Stockton’s three turnovers stood out on Saturday. After a bye, Georgia gets ready for Florida, Ole Miss and Missouri in a brutal stretch.
In Other News...
Jake Nawrot Looks Like Exactly What Will Stein Wants At Kentucky
Will Stein wasted little time laying out the traits he wants to build around at Kentucky, and the early recruiting picture fits that vision. The new Wildcats coach made it clear that quarterback accuracy and mental toughness will matter, and that is exactly the kind of profile Jake Nawrot brings to the conversation after completing more than 70% of his passes without throwing an interception during his high school season.
Nawrot is one piece of a broader offensive push that could keep gaining momentum for Kentucky. The Wildcats are also being projected as the favorite to land 4-star offensive tackle John Paul Carrico, a highly regarded in-state prospect, which would give Stein a chance to pair quarterback efficiency with added protection up front. For a staff trying to establish its identity quickly, those two names say plenty about the direction Kentucky wants to head. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys 6-1 Surge Just Sparked A New Will Stein Debate
Will Steins decision to gamble on fourth down late against Oklahoma fit the larger confidence around Kentucky right now, and it helped preserve a 21-13 win that pushed the Wildcats to 6-1 and kept them in the AP Top 25 conversation. The coach said he appreciated the way his team backed the call, a small detail that says plenty about where this group is at the moment: playing with enough belief to stay aggressive when the moment gets tight.
Kentuckys rise has also opened the door to a fresh debate around Stein and how much freedom he wants to give his offense in the biggest spots. With Vanderbilt next, he made clear the Wildcats cannot afford to coast on the Oklahoma result, stressing that there is still work to do and room to improve. For a team that has climbed this far this fast, the next step is learning how to handle the expectation that comes with it. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Surprise Rise Just Put Will Stein In A New Spotlight
Will Stein arrived at Kentucky with the kind of first-year pressure that usually comes with rebuilding expectations, not national praise. Instead, the former Oregon offensive coordinator has guided the Wildcats into one of the best openings the program has seen in more than a century, and the steady climb has started to pull in outside attention as Kentucky keeps collecting wins in different ways.
The latest glow around Stein comes from the same place the Wildcats momentum does: results that have turned close games into proof points, from overtime finishes to the comeback against Oklahoma. With Kentucky suddenly sitting in the playoff discussion by ESPN FPI ratings, the question now is how long this surge can keep reshaping the conversation around a coach who was supposed to be writing a much quieter first chapter in Lexington. [Read more 🡒]