After another exhilarating week of college football action, headlined this time by Texas’ thrilling 24-23 comeback win over Ohio State, The Alligator’s Florida football beat reporters, Ava DiCecca, Max Bernstein, Curan Ahern and Riley Orovitz, are back to make picks for this week’s 11-game slate.
A reminder of how scoring works: Each reporter earns a point for a correct winner pick and three bonus points if they predict the score accurately.
Here’s a look at the standings as they currently lie.
T1: Ava DiCecca - 31
T1: Curan Ahern - 31
2: Riley Orovitz - 30
3: Max Bernstein - 29
Now, here are the picks for all the Week 3 SEC bouts, including five SEC matchups and multiple grudge matches.
No. 2 Georgia (2-0) at Arkansas (1-1)
While the Bulldogs are no longer the highest-ranked SEC team, they cruised to a 70-20 win over Western Kentucky in Week 2. UGA scored touchdowns on all of its first seven drives. Arkansas, meanwhile, was crushed by then-No. 20 Utah 43-10 on the road. Georgia is 6-0 all-time at Arkansas, and the Bulldogs have also won 11 straight SEC openers.
DiCecca: Georgia 48, Arkansas 10
Bernstein: Georgia 37, Arkansas 14
Ahern: Georgia 45, Arkansas 17
Orovitz: Georgia 45. Arkansas 13
NC State (1-1) at Vanderbilt (2-0)
Clark Lea’s Commodores have started 2-0 for the fifth straight season, but only defeated Delaware 35-26. NC State, meanwhile, bounced back from a Week 1 loss with a 73-0 rout over Richmond. Vanderbilt leads this series 2-1, but the Wolfpack won the most recent meeting in 2016. This matchup will be the first start for Vandy true freshman QB Jared Curtis.
DiCecca: Vanderbilt 31, NC State 28
Bernstein: Vanderbilt 31, NC State 24
Ahern: Vanderbilt 24, NC State 21
Orovitz: Vanderbilt 28, NC State 17
Florida State (1-1) at No. 10 Alabama (2-0)
Fresh off a dominant 45-17 win over Kentucky in the first SEC contest of the season, Alabama returns to Bryant-Denny Stadium to look to avenge its 31-17 season-opening loss to the Seminoles last season. FSU, meanwhile, is coming off a bye week after splitting its opening two games. This is the first time the Crimson Tide are hosting the Seminoles since 1974.
DiCecca: Alabama 45, Florida State 17
Bernstein: Alabama 35, Florida State 10
Ahern: Alabama 41, Florida State 10
Orovitz: Alabama 38, Florida State 13
Kentucky (1-1) at No. 9 Texas A&M (2-0)
For just the second time in SEC play and for the fourth time in history, Kentucky and Texas A&M face off. The Aggies won the only other meeting in 2018. The Wildcats are fresh off the 45-17 home loss to Alabama, while Texas A&M pulled away to defeat Arizona State 48-20. Texas A&M has won its last three SEC openers, while Kentucky has won six of its last 10.
DiCecca: Texas A&M 42, Kentucky 13
Bernstein: Texas A&M 34, Kentucky 13
Ahern: Texas A&M 35, Kentucky 14
Orovitz: Texas A&M 38, Kentucky 17
Mississippi State (2-0) at South Carolina (2-0)
Both of these SEC squads have been utterly dominant to begin the 2026 season. Mississippi State outscored UL Monroe and Minnesota by a combined 100-26, while South Carolina outpaced Kent State and Samford by a combined 103-9. The Gamecocks have won five straight games at home against the Bulldogs and have taken eight of the last nine games in this series.
DiCecca: South Carolina 28, Mississippi State 24
Bernstein: Mississippi State 31, South Carolina 28
Ahern: Mississippi State 31, South Carolina 24
Orovitz: South Carolina 24, Mississippi State 21
Troy (2-0) at No. 20 Missouri (2-0)
Missouri continued its blazing hot start to the 2026 season with a 38-21 road win over arch-rival Kansas, led by the excellent play of QB Austin Simmons. Troy, meanwhile, has started 2-0 for the first time since 2013 after wins over Sam Houston State and Alabama State. Missouri leads this series 3-1 and has won its last six games against Sun Belt Conference opponents.
DiCecca: Missouri 31, Troy 7
Bernstein: Missouri 38, Troy 9
Ahern: Missouri 38, Troy 10
Orovitz: Missouri 28, Troy 3
Florida (2-0) at Auburn (2-0)
For the first time since 2011, Florida heads to Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Gators are coming off their first 2-0 start since 2021, while Auburn started 2-0 for the second straight season. While Auburn head coach Alex Golesh led USF to a win over UF in The Swamp last season, his Bulls lost 45-10 in their only matchup against Jon Sumrall’s Tulane. The Tigers have lost their last three SEC openers, while the Gators have won six of their last 10 road openers.
DiCecca: Florida 31, Auburn 27
Bernstein: Florida 27, Auburn 20
Ahern: Florida 27, Auburn 23
Orovitz: Florida 28, Auburn 24
No. 7 LSU (2-0) at No. 8 Ole Miss (2-0)
After one of the most dramatic coaching sagas in recent history, Lane Kiffin returns to Oxford for one of the most anticipated games of the entire 2026 season. LSU continued its strong start to 2026 with a 45-14 win over Louisiana Tech, while Ole Miss dismantled Charlotte 41-9. All-time, the Tigers lead this series 64-43-1, but the home team has won the last seven games in this rivalry.
DiCecca: LSU 42, Ole Miss 38
Bernstein: Ole Miss 34, LSU 31
Ahern: LSU 31, Ole Miss 27
Orovitz: LSU 38, Ole Miss 31
New Mexico (2-0) at No. 24 Oklahoma (1-1)
The Sooners could not tame the Wolverines Saturday, falling 17-10 and tumbling down the top 25 rankings. Now, Oklahoma returns to Norman to face one of the top Group of 5 teams in the nation, New Mexico. The Lobos have started 2-0, outscoring their opponents 108-14 thus far. However, New Mexico has lost its last 11 road openers and has never beaten an SEC program.
DiCecca: Oklahoma 24, New Mexico 6
Bernstein: Oklahoma 31, New Mexico 13
Ahern: Oklahoma 34, New Mexico 14
Orovitz: Oklahoma 35, New Mexico 7
Kennesaw State (1-1) at No. 15 Tennessee (2-0)
After taking care of business in Atlanta with a 45-24 win over Georgia Tech, Josh Huepel’s 2-0 Volunteers return home to host CUSA squad Kennesaw State. Last season’s CUSA champs were upset 31-17 at home by Georgia State in Week 2. The Owls are also coached by former Vols’ RB coach Jerry Mack. Tennessee has won its last 22 games against CUSA opponents.
DiCecca: Tennessee 37, Kennesaw State 7
Bernstein: Tennessee 48, Kennesaw State 7
Ahern: Tennessee 49, Kennesaw State 10
Orovitz: Tennessee 49, Kennesaw State 7
UTSA (2-0) at No. 1 Texas (2-0)
Texas earned its spot as the nation’s No. 1 team after vanquishing top-ranked Ohio State 24-23 in Austin. Now, the Longhorns stay at home to face in-state opponent UTSA. Jeff Traylor’s Roadrunners have gone bowling in each of his six seasons with the program and looked destined to do so again after another strong start. Texas leads this series 2-0 all-time.
DiCecca: Texas 48, UTSA 10
Bernstein: Texas 38, UTSA 17
Ahern: Texas 42, UTSA 17
Orovitz: Texas 45, UTSA 14
Contact Ava DiCecca at adicecca@alligator.org. Follow her on X at @avadicecca24.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @maxbernstein23.
Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @CuranAhern.
Contact Riley Orovitz at rorovitz@alligator.org. Follow her on X at @rileyorovitz.
Ava DiCecca is a senior sports and media journalism student and a Fall 2026 sports editor and football beat reporter. Now in her fifth semester with The Alligator, she previously served as the Summer 2026 assistant sports editor, Spring 2026 sports editor, Gators volleyball beat reporter and an enterprise writer. In her free time, she watches Boston sports (Brad Marchand we still love you).
Max Bernstein is a fourth-year sports and media journalism major and sports management minor. This Fall, he is a Sports Editor and a Florida Gators and Jacksonville Jaguars reporter at The Alligator. Now in his ninth semester with The Alligator, Max previously served in roles including Digital Managing Editor, Sports Editor, Assistant Sports Editor and Football Reporter. He has also made appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. In the rare moments Max isn't working, he's usually with his girlfriend Reese, watching sports with his fraternity brothers or missing his family and his two cats.
Curan is a senior sports journalism student in his sixth semester at The Alligator. He is currently a sports editor and football beat reporter for the Gators and the Jaguars. He previously served as a men's tennis and sports enterprise reporter, and he is pursuing a public relations minor.
Riley is a junior sports journalism student and a Fall 2026 sports editor and Gators football beat reporter. Currently in her third semester with The Alligator, she has previously covered Gators swim & dive and Gators gymnastics. She is an avid South Florida sports fan and enjoys playing/following all sports in her free time.
