BY MAURA CAREY
Things to watch this week in the Southeastern Conference:
Game of the week
No. 5 Ole Miss (6-0, 3-0 SEC) at No. 9 Georgia (5-1, 3-1), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Georgia bounced back from a Week 5 loss to Alabama with a 20-10 win against Auburn but the Bulldogs have looked sluggish at times. A win against Ole Miss would help in the SEC title race and burnish their College Football Playoff resume.
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has been a pleasant surprise in Austin Simmons’ absence, leading the Rebels to four straight wins and becoming the first SEC player in over 30 years to throw for at least 300 yards and run for at least 50 in three consecutive games. Chambliss had an off week in a 24-21 win against Washington State that was far from the standard the Rebels have set this season.
The teams last met in November 2024, and Ole Miss beat Georgia 28-10. Georgia leads the series 33-14-1.
The undercard
No. 11 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC) at No. 6 Alabama (5-1, 3-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Alabama’s stretch of ranked SEC opponents continues. The Crimson Tide have climbed up the national title contenders list with wins over Georgia, Vanderbilt and Missouri. Facing the SEC’s top offense is the next test for Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide.
Tennessee’s offense has been rolling under quarterback Joey Aguilar, who has thrown for an SEC-high 1,680 yards and a second-best 14 touchdowns. The Vols escaped Arkansas with a win thanks to a standout performance by running back DeSean Bishop, who rushed for 146 yards and a score.
Tennessee won last year’s game 24-17 while Alabama leads the series 60-38-8.
Impact players
— Texas DB Malik Muhammad helped the Longhorns to their biggest win of the season with two interceptions and a pass deflection against Oklahoma. Muhammad’s second interception in the second quarter allowed Texas to have back-to-back possessions before and after halftime.
— Georgia LB CJ Allen has been a disruptive presence, ranking second in the SEC with 46 tackles and recording three sacks, three pass deflections and two forced fumbles through six games. Allen had a standout game against Auburn, notching 10 tackles, a sack, a pass deflection and forcing a game-changing fumble
Behind the numbers
The Southeast Conference has a .705 win percentage this year with a 67-28 overall record. Ole Miss and No. 4 Texas A&M are undefeated heading into Week 8. … South Carolina has the lowest-performing offense, averaging 310 yards of offense per game, 217.8 yards less than conference leader Tennessee. … Oklahoma’s defense holds opponents to a conference-low 211.2 yards per game. … Arkansas allows an average of 435 yards per game, the most in the SEC. … Tennessee kicker Max Gilbert leads the conference in points with 64. Ole Miss kicker Lucas Carneiro is second with 58. … Missouri RB Ahmad Hardy and Vanderbilt WR Sedrick Alexander are tied with 54 points, the most of any skill position.
