The SEC’s 2026 season opens Thursday, and the first wave of games brings a full slate of predictions to chew on before the league’s bigger tests start stacking up.
The opening act begins in Columbia, Missouri, where No. 25 Missouri hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday at Memorial Stadium.
Nolan Analytics has the Tigers rolling to a 54-6 win. Later that night, No.
9 Oklahoma gets its first crack at the season against UTEP in Norman, and the prediction model calls for a 39-7 Sooners victory.
Saturday adds another round of SEC teams to the board. No.
18 Tennessee opens at Neyland Stadium against Furman, which started its season Aug. 27 with a 20-3 win over Anderson University at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina. Nolan Analytics sees Tennessee taking care of business, 54-10.
The rest of the Week 1 projections follow a familiar theme: SEC teams expected to handle their nonconference matchups, with one notable exception in Atlanta. Auburn’s meeting with Baylor is the tightest call on the slate, with the Tigers projected to win 32-24.
Here’s how Nolan Analytics sees the opening week shaking out:
Missouri 54, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 6
Oklahoma 39, UTEP 7
Alabama 37, East Carolina 14
South Carolina 44, Kent State 7
Kentucky 35, Youngstown State 20
Georgia 40, Tennessee State 9
Texas 38, Texas State 19
Tennessee 54, Furman 10
Auburn 32, Baylor 24
Arkansas 42, North Alabama 14
Texas A&M 40, Missouri State 16
Vanderbilt 41, Austin Peay 16
LSU 27, Clemson 21
Mississippi State 33, UL Monroe 20
Florida 39, FAU 16
Ole Miss 30, Louisville 23
The Week 1 calendar also stretches into Sept. 6 for Ole Miss, which faces Louisville at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. The Rebels are projected to win that one, 30-23.
The full 2026 SEC schedule gives a clear look at what’s ahead after the opener. Alabama’s league slate includes trips to Kentucky, Mississippi State, Tennessee, LSU and Vanderbilt, plus home dates with Florida State, South Carolina, Georgia, Texas A&M, Chattanooga and Auburn. Arkansas opens with North Alabama before visiting Utah and later gets Georgia, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Auburn, South Carolina, Texas and LSU.
Auburn’s schedule includes Baylor in Atlanta, Southern Miss, Florida, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Samford and Alabama. Florida opens with Florida Atlantic, then Campbell, Auburn, Ole Miss, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas, Georgia in Atlanta, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Florida State.
Georgia’s path includes Tennessee State, Western Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Auburn, Florida in Atlanta, Ole Miss, Missouri, South Carolina and Georgia Tech. Mississippi State opens with ULM, then Minnesota and South Carolina before games with Missouri, Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Tennessee Tech and Ole Miss.
Missouri starts with Arkansas-Pine Bluff, then Kansas, Troy, Mississippi State, Florida, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Texas, Georgia, Kentucky and Oklahoma. Ole Miss opens with Louisville in Nashville, then Charlotte, LSU, Florida, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Texas, Auburn, Georgia, Oklahoma, Wofford and Mississippi State.
Tennessee opens with Furman, then Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State, Texas, Auburn, Arkansas, Alabama, South Carolina, Kentucky, Texas A&M, LSU and Vanderbilt. Texas A&M begins with Missouri State, Arizona State, Kentucky, LSU, Arkansas, Missouri, The Citadel, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Texas.
Vanderbilt’s schedule starts with Austin Peay, Delaware and North Carolina State before Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee.
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When Tennessee turned over so much of its roster through the portal, the next step was always going to be seeing where all those former Volunteers landed. A sizable chunk stayed in the Power Four, and a notable number remained in the SEC, which is part of what makes the offseason so oddly familiar around Knoxville. The programs departures are scattered across the country now, and for Tennessee fans, the connections do not disappear just because the jerseys changed.
Peyton Lewis added another layer to that familiar feeling by showing up in a Week Zero game for Virginia, a reminder that the portal rarely keeps old ties at a distance for long. For Tennessee, the broader picture is bigger than any single move, with former players popping up in places that can feel a little awkward when the new season starts and old opponents suddenly include faces that once wore orange. [Read more 🡒]
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Tennessee Is Already Chasing A Massive Lineman For Its Future
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George-Taylors reaction to the Tennessee offer was part of the story, but the bigger takeaway for Vols fans is how aggressively the staff is approaching future line prospects this far out. Recruiting for players still years away from signing day is all about getting in early and staying present, and Tennessee appears to have done just that, with more developments expected as his recruitment continues to build. [Read more 🡒]