Joel Klatt isn’t ready to hand the SEC’s No. 2 spot to anybody with confidence, and that uncertainty says plenty about where the conference stands heading into November.
Klatt said Georgia remains the team he trusts most in the league, even with the loss to Auburn. After that, though, he sees a mess. On his show, he made it clear he doesn’t have a clean answer for who belongs right behind the Bulldogs.
“We’re about to be in November… [and] I have no idea who I trust in this league,” Klatt said on his show. “I think Georgia’s the best team in the SEC, even though they lost to Auburn.
Who’s the second-best team? Ceiling-wise, it’s probably Texas.
Consistency-wise, it’s probably Kentucky.”
That split tells the story. Texas has the bigger high-end profile, with impressive wins that stand up against anyone in the conference.
Kentucky, meanwhile, has only one loss and brings the steadier résumé. Through Week 8, Klatt sees both schools as legitimate contenders for that second-best label, depending on what you value more.
He also floated another name with LSU. Klatt pointed to the Tigers as a team that could work its way into that conversation, especially with Texas coming to Baton Rouge.
“Who do I think [the SEC’s second-best team] going to be? LSU?”
Klatt asked. “They get Texas at home… we’ll see if LSU can [win] that.”
Before LSU can even get to that matchup with the Longhorns, it has Alabama in front of it in Week 10. The Crimson Tide and Tigers are set for a 3:30 p.m.
ET kickoff on Nov. 7.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Just Won A Huge In-State Recruiting Battle
Ole Miss landed a major in-state recruiting win when Mitchell Turner, one of Mississippis top prospects and a four-star defensive lineman, announced he is officially committed to the Rebels and has closed his recruitment. Turner had drawn plenty of interest and kept looking at his options, including a visit to Alabama, but he ultimately settled back on the program closest to home, giving Ole Miss a significant addition on the defensive front.
For a Rebels staff trying to keep elite local talent from drifting elsewhere, this kind of commitment carries extra weight. Turners standing as a nationally ranked prospect only raises the stakes, and his upcoming appearance in the 2026 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game will give everyone another look at what Ole Miss is adding as it continues to build around the states best players. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Could Get A Timely Boost Up Front Vs Auburn
Ole Miss got through the Texas game without a sack allowed, but the offensive line still had to work around a key absence at right tackle. Terez Davis left that game with an injury and was held out as a precaution, a development that mattered even in a performance where the pass protection held up and the running game was not as sharp.
Pete Golding said Davis is expected back for the Auburn matchup, which would be a welcome bit of stability up front for a line trying to keep building on its pass-protection success. His return would also give the Rebels another piece to lean on as they look to find more balance on offense and avoid making that side of the ball do extra work. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Landed In A Postseason Picture Fans Will Debate
With the postseason picture still taking shape, ESPNs latest bowl projections have started to map out where the SECs top teams could land if the season ended right now. Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach updated their matchups across the conference, and the list includes the familiar heavyweights along with the rest of the leagues crowded middle, all of it tied to current rankings and how teams have performed to this point.
For Ole Miss fans, the interest is less about the certainty of any one destination and more about the range of possibilities still in play. Projections this early are always fluid, especially with so many SEC teams still sorting themselves out, but they do offer a useful snapshot of how the Rebels fit into a postseason race that could keep shifting right up to the end of the regular season. [Read more 🡒]