This weekend started with 10 ranked teams, and the SEC is already looking different. Kentucky, Florida, and Mississippi State are looking pretty good after being bottom dwellers a year ago. Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss might not be the top 10 teams we thought they would be. In the 2025 season, the Kentucky Wildcats finished September 2-2 after losses to Ole Miss and South Carolina.
Those were their only conference losses at that point. Now this season, they are three-and-one after a great conference win over Texas A&M last weekend. The Florida Gators were 1-3 after Week 4 in the 2025 season. Now they are 4-0 after a huge win over Ole Miss. Florida is now 38 points shy of their total season output from a year ago.
Photo Cred: SEC
Both Florida and Kentucky have new coaching staff. The Will Stein era for Kentucky looks good so far. John Summerall is the new head coach for the Florida Gators, replacing Billy Napier. Florida has looked like a brand-new team. Young coaches and quarterbacks look good for these teams so far. The portal and NIL have also leveled the playing field and allow teams to make quick turnarounds. For Kentucky and Florida, these strong starts are especially exciting for two programs that are often known more for basketball than football.
Mississippi State is another team to watch. The Bulldogs are 4-0 under Jeff Lebby in his second year as head coach. However, they were also 4-0 after Week 4 last season. They went on to win only one more game during the regular season. Mississippi State must prove this year’s start is different from last year’s.
Photo Cred: FBS Schedule
Meanwhile, Oklahoma and Texas A&M are 2-2. Oklahoma just came off a rough loss to Georgia, and Texas A&M lost against LSU. Looking back on last year, the Aggies and the Sooners were 4-0 after Week 4. This season is a negative change from where they stood a year ago. Ole Miss had an exciting home win against LSU in Week 3, then suffered a tough loss to Florida.
Ole Miss took a step back from its start last season. The Rebels were 4-0 after Week 4 in 2025, while they are 3-1 this season. They are ranked 6th in the SEC and still prove themselves and bounce back after their bye week this week. The competitive Southeastern Conference is always changing, and that’s what makes every week more entertaining to watch.
With October approaching, it will be interesting to see whether teams can hold up throughout the season. It will also be interesting to see which teams can turn their season around. The best conference in the sport always brings us the thrills.
