The 11-game Week 3 SEC slate was the most unpredictable one yet. Texas A&M was vanquished by unranked Kentucky at home; Florida and Ole Miss picked up emotional rivalry game victories; and Vanderbilt beat NC State in one of the most unforgettable finishes to any football game in recent memory. Now, 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 nine-game slate.
A quick 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. That three-point bonus came into effect for the first time this past Saturday, when Ahern correctly predicted that Georgia would defeat Arkansas 45-17.
Here’s a look at the standings as they currently lie.
1: Curan Ahern - 42
T2: Ava DiCecca - 38
T2: Max Bernstein - 38
4: Riley Orovitz - 37
Now, here are the picks for all the Week 4 SEC bouts, including seven SEC matchups, four of which are ranked teams facing off.
No. 1 Texas (3-0) at No. 14 Tennessee (3-0)
College Gameday (and Texas for the very first time) heads to Knoxville, Tennessee, for a top-15 SEC bout between the Longhorns and Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Texas was efficient, but not dominant, in a 30-6 win over UTSA, while Tennessee ran for 268 yards in a 42-9 win over Kennesaw State. Texas leads this all-time series 2-1 (1951, ‘53 and ‘69 Cotton Bowls). This game is also notable as Arch Manning plays at the school where his uncle, Peyton, is a Hall of Famer.
DiCecca: Texas 38, Tennessee 31
Bernstein: Tennessee 27, Texas 24
Ahern: Texas 31, Tennessee 27
Orovitz: Tennessee 35, Texas 31
South Alabama (2-1) at Kentucky (2-1)
The biggest upset of the 2026 SEC season so far came at Kyle Field on Saturday, when Will Stein’s Kentucky team defeated Texas A&M 31-21. Now, the Wildcats head home for a contest against Sun Belt squad South Alabama. The Jaguars are coming off a 41-36 home victory over Ohio. These two programs have never faced off, but Kentucky has won its last five matchups against teams from the SBC.
DiCecca: Kentucky 34, South Alabama 14
Bernstein: Kentucky 35, South Alabama 20
Ahern: Kentucky 41, South Alabama 17
Orovitz: Kentucky 32, South Alabama 10
Oklahoma (2-1) at No. 2 Georgia (3-0)
For only the second time ever (and first time in SEC play), Oklahoma and Georgia will face off. The Sooners, who were fresh off a 17-10 road loss to Michigan the week prior, struggled to a 14-6 home win over New Mexico. Georgia, meanwhile, had no problem in their SEC road opener, thrashing Arkansas 45-17 behind 254 rushing yards. Last year, UGA lost its SEC home opener to Alabama, but before that, it had won five of those contests in a row.
DiCecca: Georgia 31, Oklahoma 20
Bernstein: Georgia 27, Oklahoma 10
Ahern: Georgia 35, Oklahoma 13
Orovitz: Georgia 28, Oklahoma 14
No. 4 Ole Miss (3-0) at No. 21 Florida (3-0)
This will be a good one. Ole Miss and Florida enter Saturday’s bout at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium fresh off emotional victories; the Rebels beat Lane Kiffin’s LSU 32-24 at home, while UF traveled to Jordan-Hare Stadium and vanquished Auburn 44-39. Now, the two teams battle for the third consecutive season, with a 1-1 split in those games. The last time this game was in Gainesville, UF stunned then-No. 9 Ole Miss 24-17 as 13-point underdogs. This overall series is tied 13-13-1 all-time.
DiCecca: Florida 41, Ole Miss 34
Bernstein: Florida 34, Ole Miss 31
Ahern: Florida 38, Ole Miss 35
Orovitz: Ole Miss 42, Florida 38
Vanderbilt (3-0) at Auburn (2-1)
On Saturday, Vanderbilt defeated NC State 35-31 in one of the most stunning ends to a game in NCAA history, forcing a fumble in the end zone just as time expired. Auburn, meanwhile, fell at home 44-39 in the aforementioned game against UF. From 1978-2007, the Tigers won 13 straight games in this series, but since then, the Commodores have won four of the last six. Vanderbilt has also won the last two contests between the sides.
DiCecca: Auburn 38, Vanderbilt 28
Bernstein: Auburn 31, Vanderbilt 23
Ahern: Auburn 34, Vanderbilt 24
Orovitz: Auburn 25, Vanderbilt 21
South Carolina (2-1) at No. 8 Alabama (3-0)
While this series has been dominated by one side, the contests between South Carolina and Alabama have produced some of the most memorable SEC bouts in recent memory. The Crimson Tide have won 13 of the 17 games in this series, including the last three, but the two most recent contests had a combined score of 56-47. This past weekend, South Carolina fell at home, 41-34, to Mississippi State, while Alabama survived Florida State 50-36 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
DiCecca: Alabama 38, South Carolina 24
Bernstein: Alabama 35, South Carolina 23
Ahern: Alabama 41, South Carolina 27
Orovitz: Alabama 32, South Carolina 21
No. 23 Texas A&M (2-1) at No. 10 LSU (2-1)
The only SEC game this week that features two teams coming off losses, both Texas A&M and LSU will look to bounce back after defeats. Before last season’s contest, LSU had won the last eight straight games at Tiger Stadium, but the Aggies crushed the Tigers 49-25. Texas A&M has also won three of the last four games in this series after dropping nine of the previous 11 games between the sides.
DiCecca: LSU 28, Texas A&M 27
Bernstein: LSU 30, Texas A&M 23
Ahern: LSU 24, Texas A&M 17
Orovitz: LSU 28, Texas A&M 21
No. 19 Missouri (3-0) at No. 24 Mississippi State (3-0)
Many did not see this as a ranked contest headed into this season, but this game has plenty of stakes. Missouri had its worst performance of the season yet, but still defeated Troy 27-17 at home. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs, behind another elite performance from QB Kamario Taylor, won 41-34 as underdogs against South Carolina. In the last two games in this series, Missouri has won by a combined score of 78-47.
DiCecca: Missouri 30, Mississippi State 27
Bernstein: Mississippi State 34, Missouri 24
Ahern: Mississippi State 31, Missouri 24
Orovitz: Mississippi State 24, Missouri 18
Tulsa (3-0) at Arkansas (1-2)
When an SEC squad hosts a Group of 5 team at home, the result is usually not in doubt (unless you are 2025 Florida). But Tulsa’s start to the 2026 season, paired with Arkansas’ struggles, has made this game a must-watch. The Golden Hurricane has stormed to a 3-0 start, including a 24-10 win over Oklahoma State. Arkansas, meanwhile, has lost two consecutive games by a combined score of 88-27. These two teams faced off every season from 1957 to 1990, and Arkansas leads the series 54-16-3.
DiCecca: Arkansas 27, Tulsa 24
Bernstein: Arkansas 23, Tulsa 16
Ahern: Arkansas 28, Tulsa 17
Orovitz: Arkansas 24, Tulsa 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.
