Week 6 was by far the most unpredictable week of SEC action thus far. No. 1 Texas was vanquished by archrival Oklahoma; Georgia and Alabama put on another classic battle between the sides; And Kentucky, somehow, someway, won by one point in overtime for a second consecutive week.
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 eight-game slate. Each reporter earns a point for a correct pick and three bonus points if they predict the score accurately.
Here’s a look at the current standings from Weeks 1-6.
1: Curan Ahern - 65
T2: Ava DiCecca - 55
T2: Max Bernstein - 55
4: Riley Orovitz - 54
Now, here are the picks for all eight Week 7 SEC bouts, including three matchups between ranked sides.
Florida (4-2) at No. 7 Texas (4-1)
Both Florida and Texas will look to rebound from disappointing losses when they meet Saturday in Austin. The Gators have dropped two straight after starting 4-0, falling 45-17 at Missouri before suffering a 38-19 home loss to South Carolina. Texas, meanwhile, suffered its first defeat of the season in a 27-24 thriller against Oklahoma, losing on a last-second field goal. The Longhorns and Gators have split their first two meetings as SEC foes, with the home team winning both. Texas dominated Florida 49-17 in 2024, but the Gators responded with a 29-21 upset victory last season.
DiCecca: Texas 38, Florida 31
Bernstein: Texas 31, Florida 17
Ahern: Texas 35, Florida 20
Orovitz: Texas 42, Florida 24
No. 16 Mississippi State (4-1) at No. 22 LSU (4-2)
LSU will return to Death Valley on Saturday looking to get back on track after suffering a stunning 35-34 overtime loss at Kentucky. The Tigers will face a Mississippi State squad that enters the matchup fresh off a bye week, having last played in a 56-23 defeat to Alabama. The Bulldogs have struggled mightily in Baton Rouge, winning just twice there since 1992. LSU has won three straight meetings against Mississippi State, including a dominant 51-14 victory in 2023.
DiCecca: LSU 35, Mississippi State 27
Bernstein: LSU 34, Mississippi State 24
Ahern: LSU 31, Mississippi State 23
Orovitz: LSU 28, Mississippi State 21
The Citadel (2-4) at Texas A&M (3-3)
Texas A&M will get a much-needed break from SEC competition Saturday when it welcomes FCS opponent The Citadel to Kyle Field. The Aggies have lost three of their last four games, most recently suffering a 27-6 defeat at No. 14 Missouri in which they managed just 146 yards of total offense. The Citadel has endured struggles of its own, dropping four of its first six games, including a 34-16 home loss to East Tennessee State on Saturday.
DiCecca: Texas A&M 42, The Citadel 6
Bernstein: Texas A&M 41, The Citadel 10
Ahern: Texas A&M 45, The Citadel 0
Orovitz: Texas A&M 48, The Citadel 3
Auburn (3-2) at No. 1 Georgia (6-0)
One of college football's oldest rivalries will be renewed Saturday when top-ranked Georgia hosts Auburn in Athens. The Bulldogs are fresh off their biggest victory of the season, a 20-17 road win over then-No. 6 Alabama. Auburn, meanwhile, enters the matchup coming off a bye week following its 24-14 loss at Tennessee. Georgia has dominated the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry in recent years, winning nine consecutive home meetings dating back to 2005 and 12 of the last 13 overall.
DiCecca: Georgia 34, Auburn 17
Bernstein: Georgia 35, Auburn 13
Ahern: Georgia 38, Auburn 14
Orovitz: Georgia 35, Auburn 10
No. 6 Alabama (5-1) at No. 14 Tennessee (5-1)
The Third Saturday in October rivalry returns to Knoxville. The Crimson Tide suffered their first loss of the season Saturday, falling 20-17 at home to Georgia after scoring at least 45 points in each of their first five games. Tennessee, meanwhile, narrowly escaped Arkansas with a 24-17 victory behind a late touchdown from running back DeSean Bishop. Alabama has dominated the rivalry historically, winning 17 of the last 19 meetings, but Tennessee has won the last two games at Neyland Stadium, including a 24-17 upset in 2024.
DiCecca: Alabama 38, Tennessee 30
Bernstein: Alabama 34, Tennessee 20
Ahern: Alabama 31, Tennessee 21
Orovitz: Alabama 28, Tennessee 21
No. 13 Missouri (5-1) at No. 9 Ole Miss (4-1)
Missouri visits Ole Miss for the first time since 2013. The Tigers have won three straight games, including back-to-back victories over Florida and Texas A&M by a combined 49 points. Ole Miss, meanwhile, bounced back from its blowout loss to Florida with a dominant 52-17 road victory against Vanderbilt. Missouri has historically dominated this series, winning six consecutive meetings. The Rebels' lone victory over the Tigers came in 1974.
DiCecca: Ole Miss 34, Missouri 30
Bernstein: Ole Miss 31, Missouri 27
Ahern: Ole Miss 35, Missouri 24
Orovitz: Ole Miss 38, Missouri 34
Arkansas (2-4) at Vanderbilt (3-3)
A pair of struggling SEC programs will meet in Nashville on Saturday as Vanderbilt looks to snap a three-game losing streak against Arkansas. The Commodores have fallen to Auburn, Georgia and Ole Miss in consecutive weeks, most recently suffering a 52-17 home defeat to the Rebels. Arkansas has dropped four of its last five games, although the Razorbacks gave Tennessee a close game Saturday in a 24-17 loss. The programs haven't met since 2018, when Vanderbilt cruised to a 45-31 victory in Fayetteville.
DiCecca: Vanderbilt 21, Arkansas 17
Bernstein: Vanderbilt 30, Arkansas 20
Ahern: Vanderbilt 27, Arkansas 21
Orovitz: Vanderbilt 24, Arkansas 10
No. 15 Kentucky (5-1) at Oklahoma (3-2)
Kentucky will head to Norman riding a four-game winning streak after pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the SEC season over LSU in overtime. Oklahoma enters the matchup with momentum of its own after knocking off previously unbeaten Texas 27-24 in the Red River Rivalry. The Sooners and Wildcats haven't met since 1982 and will face each other as SEC opponents for the first time. Oklahoma leads the all-time series 2-1, with Kentucky's lone victory coming in the 1951 Sugar Bowl.
DiCecca: Oklahoma 24, Kentucky 21
Bernstein: Oklahoma 27, Kentucky 20
Ahern: Kentucky 24, Oklahoma 21
Orovitz: Kentucky 21, Oklahoma 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.
