When has rivalry week in the SEC not lived up to the billing? Outside of a few blowouts, we watched underdogs impact or nearly impact the championship hopes of their arch-rivals with major upsets or near misses. One SEC team played with fire and almost saw its college football playoff spot disappear.

Before we flip over to the SEC Championship next Saturday, let’s break down the key stat or performance from each Week 14 SEC matchup that highlights why teams won or lost.

Alabama – 27-20 win at Auburn

Alabama was 3-for-3 on fourth downs, all converted by quarterback Ty Simpson, including the game-winning touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Another spooky Iron Bowl for the Crimson Tide at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn overcame a 17-0 deficit to tie the game at 20 in the fourth quarter. Simpson and Alabama’s passing game struggled for most of the game (54% completion percentage for 122 yards). Still, Simpson was clutch in the end when his third fourth down conversion of the game – a touchdown pass between two Auburn defenders to wide receiver Isaiah Horton – ultimately sealed the victory and a ticket back to the SEC Championship game.

Arkansas – 31-17 loss to Missouri

Arkansas was held to a season-low 246 yards of total offense, including a season-low 61 yards rushing. The Razorbacks’ offense was shut out in the second half as Missouri pulled away to beat Arkansas in the Battle Line Rivalry for the fourth-straight season. It’s disappointing that an offense averaging 454.8 yards per game and allowing the Razorbacks to remain competitive in most SEC games this season ended the season on such a dud performance.

Auburn – 27-20 loss to No. 10 Alabama

Auburn dropped eight passes, along with finishing -2 in turnover margin. Coaches often reiterate that the margin for error in winning and losing against quality opponents is in the little things. All of Auburn’s losses in 2025 came by 10 points or less. This year’s Iron Bowl was another example of how the little things – a multitude of mistakes – cost Auburn its first win over Alabama since 2019. Along with the dropped passes and costly turnovers, Auburn was called for 10 penalties for 84 yards, including an illegal formation call that overturned a touchdown before halftime.

Florida – 40-21 win over Florida State

The Gators rushed for a season-high 272 yards on six yards per carry. Running back Jadan Baugh is unquestionably a priority for new Florida head coach Jon Sumrall, who was introduced Monday. The sophomore back crushed the Seminoles with 266 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. The Gators never trailed against Florida State and were able to use their powerful running game to control the clock (34 minutes).

Georgia – 16-9 win over No. 23 Georgia Tech (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)

Georgia’s defense had seven tackles for loss. The difference a year can make. The outcome of this year’s “Clean Old Fashioned Hate” was the same — a close Georgia victory — but the game bore little resemblance to 2024. The teams combined for nine touchdowns in last year’s eight-overtime thriller. This time, the only touchdown came on a seven-yard pass from Gunner Stockton to Zachariah Branch in the second quarter to give Georgia a 10–3 lead. Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King, who produced more than 500 yards of offense and five touchdowns last year, was limited to 220 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Georgia’s defense kept him off balance throughout and repeatedly shut down promising Yellow Jacket drives.

Kentucky – 41-0 loss at Louisville

Kentucky had 140 total yards on offense and averaged 2.7 yards per play. After Kentucky won three straight games, which included wins over Auburn and Florida, I thought head coach Mark Stoops had saved his job for another season, given the turnaround and the saturated job market. I was wrong as Stoops was fired on Sunday. I don’t think Stoops could afford losing to Louisville and missing a bowl game and keep his job for 2026, but he certainly wasn’t surviving a non-competitive shutout loss at the hands of the program’s archrival. This was by far Kentucky’s worst offensive game of the season. The Cardinals used their run game to hold the time of possession by 13 minutes.

LSU – 17-13 loss at No. 8 Oklahoma

LSU went 2-for-14 on third down. The Tigers’ offense struggled from the start (66 total first-half yards and four three-and-outs) and could never gain momentum, unlike Oklahoma, which was able to recover from three John Mateer interceptions. LSU was unable to convert a 3rd & 5 and then a 4th & 2 to keep its final drive alive.

Mississippi State – 38-19 loss to No. 7 Ole Miss

Mississippi State struggled all game against the pass, allowing 359 yards and 10.6 yards per completion. The Bulldogs were competitive in one-score defeats to Tennessee, Texas (both in overtime), and Florida. November was rough for Mississippi State as the team lost its final three games by an average of 20 points. Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss shredded the Bulldogs’ secondary for four touchdowns. Head coach Jeff Lebby has a lot to fix on a defense that finished 95th in scoring.

Missouri – 31-17 win at Arkansas

Missouri rushed for 322 yards, the second 300+ rushing performance from the Tigers. Missouri’s defense played a great game. The Razorbacks managed only two drives that went more than 26 yards. However, the Tigers’ offense deserves the most recognition for its dominant rushing attack. Running backs Ahmad Hardy and Jamal Roberts each rushed for over 100 yards. Hardy scored a touchdown on a 57-yard run in the third quarter that gave Missouri the lead for good.

Oklahoma – 17-13 win over LSU

Sooners QB John Mateer threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns. I struggled to find the right stat or player performance that truly encapsulates why Oklahoma beat LSU. The defense won this game for the Sooners (held LSU to 198 total yards), but in an effort not to copy and paste what I wrote for why LSU lost, I want to highlight Mateer, who was able to rebound after throwing three interceptions to put his defense in position to hold the lead. Mateer accounted for 345 of Oklahoma’s 398 total yards of offense. The Sooners’ QB has an edge to him that could be unlocked in the playoffs, but his poor decision-making at times is likely to cost Oklahoma against better competition if not corrected.

Ole Miss – 38-19 win over Mississippi State

Rebels gained 545 total yards – season-high against SEC opponents. Ole Miss played like a team gearing up for a playoff run and not one with uncertainty surrounding its head coach. We all know by now that Lane Kiffin is headed to one of the Rebels’ archrivals in LSU. My gut tells me that Trinidad Chambliss believed his head coach was moving on, too. But nothing phased the star QB in the Egg Bowl, who has been one of the great stories of this season as he threw for 359 yards and a season-high four touchdowns. The Rebels added another 186 yards on the ground and played a turnover-free game.

South Carolina – 28-14 loss to Clemson

South Carolina turned the football over four times, including a pick-6. One of the more disappointing teams in the SEC this season is South Carolina. The Gamecocks were looking to break through after a 9-4 2024 season. The breakthrough didn’t happen in large part because the offense never got its footing. For perspective, South Carolina’s 422 total yards against Clemson is the team’s second-best offensive performance of the season and its best against a power conference opponent. Shane Beamer will be in one of the hottest seats to start next season.

Tennessee – 45-24 loss to No. 14 Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt scored on its first four possessions of the second half and outscored Tennessee 24-3 in the second half. This game started as a blow-for-blows fight with the Commodores tying Tennessee at 21 with a touchdown pass from Diego Pavia before halftime. That TD would start an onslaught of scoring and long drives for the Vanderbilt offense. Tennessee only had one third-quarter possession and was held to 142 total second-half yards.

Texas – 27-17 win over No. 3 Texas A&M

The Longhorns rushed for 218 yards (season-high against SEC opponents) and two touchdowns. Texas got its first 100-yard rusher of the season as running back Quintrevion Wisner rushed for 155 yards. Wisner had long runs of 48 and 30 yards that either set up points or helped ice the game late. As noted in previous weeks, Texas has struggled since SEC play to run the ball. The Longhorns had rushed for 100 yards or less (low of 23) in the previous five games.

Texas A&M – 27-17 loss at No. 16 Texas

Texas A&M punted or turned the ball over on six of its seven second-half possessions. The Aggies’ 10-3 halftime lead vanished quickly in the third quarter. Texas scored 10 points, and the Aggies punted on all three of their possessions, gaining only 30 total yards. Everything snowballed from there as Texas took a 27-17 lead with seven minutes left in the game, and Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed threw two interceptions to put to rest any hope of a comeback. The Aggies’ loss at Texas secured a spot in the SEC Championship Game for Georgia. Texas A&M’s offense has to clean up mistakes if it hopes to compete in the College Football Playoff.

Vanderbilt – 45-24 win at No. 19 Tennessee

Vanderbilt exploded for 579 yards of total offense, including a season-high 314 yards rushing. Diego Pavia is the most valuable player in the country, and he continued to cement his Heisman candidacy by leading his team to a runaway victory over Tennessee in Knoxville – the Commodores’ first win in the rivalry since 2018. Pavia threw for 268 yards, a touchdown, and ran for 165 yards and another score. Vanderbilt’s defense played a huge role by stuffing Tennessee in the second half, but the story of this game is an offense that scored 45 points in three-straight wins.

By Jake Thigpen (@Jake_Thigpen)