SEC teams, including Oklahoma, were a perfect 16-0 in Week 1 of the 2026 college football season, which wasn't a huge surprise given the overall weakness of the opening week schedule.
There were several Week 1 matchups involving SEC teams, however, of a more competitive nature that helped answer some preseason questions and concerns. For example, Ole Miss-Louisville was a battle between two top-25 teams. And Auburn-Baylor and LSU-Clemson were contests pairing Power Four teams.
No. 9 Ole Miss held on for a 41-38 opening-game win over No. 24 Louisville in Nashville, and a two-point conversion try by Baylor in overtime against Auburn came up inches short of the goal line as Auburn survived 17-16.
The most impressive SEC win in Week 1 was delivered by LSU. The 11th-ranked Tigers, who finished the 2025 campaign with an overall record of 7-6, rolled up 644 yards of offense in burying a good but far-from-great and unranked Clemson team 51-10. The LSU victory in Lane Kiffin's debut was the best win of any team in the top 25 to start the season.
Other than that, the Week 2 SEC Power Rankings are not markedly different from the projected order of finish this season, as voted on in the annual SEC Preseason Media Poll by the media representatives who cover the conference and its 16 teams.
Week 2 SEC Power Rankings
No. 3 Georgia opened the season with a resounding 63-3 win over a greatly overmatched Tennessee State. The 2025 SEC champion and 2006 favorite is up to No. 2 this week in the AP Top 25 Poll and should pick up a second win against Western Kentucky this weekend. Georgia hosts Oklahoma in Week 4.
Texas may be the most talented team in the SEC, and the Longhorns face a huge challenge when they host No. 1 Ohio State in Week 2, which will tell us a lot about quarterback Arch Manning and the Longhorns. Texas was No. 2 in the SEC Preseason Media Poll. Texas rolled over Texas State 59-7 in Week 1.
The Lane Kiffin era at LSU began with a dominant 51-10 win over Clemson. This LSU team is one definitely to be reckoned with in the 2026 season, with Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt at quarterback. Projected to finish fifth in the SEC Preseason Media Poll. The Tigers host Louisiana Tech in Week 2 before going on the road to face Ole Miss in the SEC opener for both teams in Week 3.
The Aggies overwhelmed Missouri State 50-0 in Week 1, but the competition will ramp up considerably this weekend when the Aggies entertain Arizona State, a 70-7 winner over Morgan State. A&M, ranked No. 10 in the AP Top 25 this week, was projected to finish fourth in the SEC this season.
Oklahoma began the 2026 season with a 51-0 shutout over UTEP. The Sooners begin a brutal four-game stretch that will take them to Michigan, Georgia and the Red River Rivalry game in Dallas against Texas over the next month. All three of those teams were ranked in the AP Top 25 to begin the season.
Oklahoma was projected to finish seventh in the SEC in 2026.
Ole Miss is one of six SEC schools with a new head coach this season. Former defensive coordinator Pete Golding takes over for Lane Kiffin, who is now at LSU. The Rebels had one of the more difficult matchups in Week 1 vs. No. 24 Louisville in Nashville. Ninth-ranked Ole Miss defeated Louisville 41-38.
The Rebels will have it a bit easier this week, hosting Charlotte.
Ole Miss advanced to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff last season and was projected to finish third in the SEC standings this season.
Alabama is one of several SEC teams with new starting quarterbacks this season. Sophomore Keelon Russell is the next in line at the QB position for the Crimson Tide, and he led Alabama to a 48-10 win over East Carolina this past weekend. Ranked 12th in the country this week, the Crimson Tide open SEC play on Saturday at Kentucky.
Alabama was projected to finish sixth in the SEC this season.
Florida, with a new head coach in Jon Sumrall and a new starting quarterback in Aaron Philo, opened the 2026 season with a convincing 66-21 victory over Florida Atlantic. The Gators will host Campbell in Week 2 before opening up SEC play at Auburn the following week.
Florida was 4-8 in 2025 and finished a tie for 11th in the SEC, but is expected to be better this season. The Gators were projected to finish ninth in the SEC this season.
Freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon accounted for five touchdowns in his Tennessee debut as the Volunteers stormed to a 56-9 season-opening home victory over outgunned and undermanned Furman. The Volunteers are up to No. 18 this week in the AP poll, but will get more of a challenge this weekend at Georgia Tech.
Tennessee was picked to finish eighth in the SEC in 2026.
Missouri was projected to finish 10th in the SEC this season, and that is where the Tigers stand in our initial SEC Power Rankings for 2026. The Tigers, ranked 23rd this week in the AP Top 25, made easy work of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 54-14, in Week 1 and move on this week to a renewal of their Border War Showdown against intrastate rival Kansas, itself a big winner, 51-6 over Long Island, in its season opener.
South Carolina opened the 2026 season with a 57-0 whitewash of Kent State and is expected to take care of business again this week when it hosts Towson. We'll probably have to wait until Week 3, when the Gamecocks host Mississippi State, to get our first true read on what we might expect this season from South Carolina, picked to finish 11th in the conference standings this season .
With new head coach Will Stein at the helm, Kentucky awarded him with a 45-13 victory over Youngstown State last weekend in his inaugural game in Lexington. The celebration is likely to be short-lived, however, as the Wildcats play host to No. 12 Alabama this week.
We're likely to learn a lot more about both of these teams after this weekend. Both Kentucky and Alabama are piloted by new quarterbacks this season. Kentucky finished tied for 11th in the SEC last season and was projected 14th this season.
Auburn is another SEC team with a new head coach this season, with Alex Golesh taking over for Hugh Freeze. The Tigers had to really work for it, but they were able to survive a 17-16 win over Baylor in Week 1. This week, they host 1-0 Southern Mississippi out of the Sun Belt Conference before beginning conference play with a home date vs. Florida the following week.
Mississippi State had it relatively easy in cruising to a 62-13 Week 1 victory over Louisiana-Monroe, but it will be a lot more challenging this week with the Bulldogs going on the road to play at Minnesota, a big winner itself in Week 1, 59-7 over Eastern Illinois. Former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby is in his third season as head coach at Mississippi State.
Vanderbilt is coming off of a 10-3 season and a tie for fifth place in the SEC in 2025, but the Commodores are expected to take a step back this season. Vandy got off to a good start with a 28-9 win against Austin Peay in its season opener last weekend, and the Commodores should be able to continue their winning ways this weekend at home against Delaware.
Arkansas did not win a single conference game a year ago, and the projection for the Razorbacks didn't get much better this time around. Arkansas did prevail in its 2026 season opener with a 31-14 victory over North Alabama. The Hogs will get a reality check this weekend, however, when they take to the road to face No. 20 Utah, and the competition ramps up even further in Week 3 when reigning SEC champion Georgia comes calling in Fayetteville.
Add us as a preferred source on Google