The SEC didn’t just get through opening weekend. It ran the table.
Ole Miss’ 41-38 win over Louisville on Sunday night put the finishing touch on a perfect 16-0 start to the 2026 season, giving the league its first 16-0 opening weekend in conference history. It’s also the first time the SEC has swept opening weekend since 1997.
First time for the SEC to sweep opening weekend since 1997 and first time to go 16-0. SEC begins 2026 season 3-0 vs. A4 competition, only one of which was played at home
- Chuck Dunlap 🏈 (@SEC_Chuck) September 7, 2026
Three of those 16 wins came against Power 4 opponents, and the biggest spotlight game turned into the most lopsided result. LSU handled Clemson 51-10 on Saturday night after a two-hour delay, turning an early 3-0 deficit into a runaway by scoring 31 straight first-half points. Lane Kiffin’s team never looked back.
Auburn also had to sweat one out in Atlanta. The Tigers held off Baylor by stopping a 2-point conversion attempt with 9 seconds left in regulation, giving Alex Golesh his first win on The Plains.
Then Ole Miss closed the weekend with the kind of finish that made the whole league’s perfect start official, edging Louisville in Nashville in a 41-38 thriller.
Week 2 won’t allow for another clean sweep, since Alabama and Kentucky are set to play each other. But 15-1 is still in play, and if the SEC gets there, the argument over the nation’s top conference gets a lot harder to have.
In Other News...
LSUs Ex-Pro Fight Just Ran Into A Bigger Roster Problem
LSUs roster picture got a lot tighter this week after the Tigers added injured players Aidan Anding and Gabriel Reliford to the official list, bringing the program to the NCAA limit of 105. For a team already juggling roster management and outside scrutiny, the move matters because it leaves no immediate room to add former NFL players DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris, even as the program continues sorting through the broader mess.
The situation has also spilled well beyond the depth chart. The SEC has threatened penalties and even a vote to expel LSU over its efforts to bring in the ex-professionals, while legal action involving LSU officials and the conference is still moving forward. Lane Kiffin has publicly backed the idea of signing Wright and Harris, saying he believed both were deserving of fifth seasons, but for now the Tigers are stuck with a roster logjam and no clear answer on what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Made A Roster Decision Fans Never Expected Under SEC Pressure
LSUs roster crunch got a lot more complicated after the Tigers added Gabriel Reliford and Aidan Anding to their 105-player roster, a move that quickly closed the door on two former NFL contract signees, DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris. The decision comes in the middle of a broader fight that has put the program in an uncomfortable spotlight, with the SEC taking a hard line on athletes who previously signed professional contracts and LSU pushing back on that interpretation.
The timing matters because this is not just a depth-chart issue, but a conference-level dispute that already escalated into an amended lawsuit threatening LSUs standing in the SEC. For now, the Tigers have chosen to move forward with two non-former professional players instead of opening those spots to Wright and Harris, leaving the bigger question unresolved as the legal and conference pressure continues to build. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Faces Mounting SEC Pressure In Fight That Could Force A Response
LSUs roster decision has turned into a broader SEC headache, with the conference now pressing the school over a move that brought former NFL players back into college football. Tony Clayton, who represents DaeQuan Wright and Zxavaian Harris, publicly took aim at commissioner Greg Sankey after LSU declined to roster his clients and instead added two injured players, a sequence that has only added fuel to an already tangled dispute.
The conference has threatened to expel LSU for violating bylaws that bar former professional players from returning to college, and the matter has spilled into federal court with the SEC, NCAA and LSU all caught in the legal crosscurrents. Lane Kiffin has denied orchestrating the players return, but he has backed them legally, leaving LSU in the middle of a fight that is no longer just about a depth chart and could end up forcing a response from the conference office. [Read more 🡒]