It's Only SEC (but I like it....)
GEORGE SOMERVILLE – THE TOUCHDOWN’s
SEC CORRESPONDENT
Week Eight
Live from Auburn
In this, Week 8 of the SEC football season, I am on the road in the heart of the Southeastern Conference footprint.
I am in Auburn, AL, to watch the LSU Tigers play the Auburn Tigers.
So it’s no great surprise that my lede and some other stories are focused on this very intriguing matchup. A game which carries significantly more weight than it did this time last week. A stunning and wholly unexpected Auburn win over the #1-ranked team in the country, Georgia, last week has all eyes on Alex Golesh and his team this week. But more on that later.
As is always the case in this conference, there is plenty to talk about in the lead-up to this week’s slate of games.
Let’s see what nonsense we can talk about this week. Here are this week’s headlines.
this weeks sec Stories
Live from Auburn
Auburn, AL
Auburn Believes Again
What a difference one kick can make.
Auburn welcomes LSU to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday with renewed belief after Alex McPherson’s dramatic field goal secured a 27–24 victory over then-No. 1 Georgia. Suddenly, a fixture that already promised plenty has acquired another level of interest.
For (Auburn) Tigers Head Coach Alex Golesh, the challenge is turning that emotional high into a belief within his team that they push on from here. Beating Georgia provides Golesh evidence of what his team can achieve. Backing it up against LSU gives Auburn supporters further reason to believe his programme is moving forward. And believe me when I say that his fan base needs belief.
There was substance behind the celebrations in Athens. Auburn recovered from a 14–0 deficit, demonstrating resilience against the country’s top-ranked team. Auburn’s young defense found enough answers when it mattered.
LSU, meanwhile, arrives ranked No. 18 and encouraged by its shutout victory over Mississippi State. The (LSU) Tigers are quietly building momentum of their own, making this a real test for Auburn.
Jordan-Hare Stadium will be full even for an 11am CT kickoff. This is where the (Auburn) Tigers come into their own. The atmosphere will be loud and raucous – an environment that the (LSU) Tigers are familiar with, albeit they usually have the partisan home crowd on their side. Make no mistake, Auburn fans will be keen to give their team a loud and enthusiastic return home.
On the road
The television cameras will be there too. SEC Nation comes to Auburn, with Paul Finebaum joining the show on Saturday after hosting his own show on campus on Friday. Marty & McGee will also be part of the weekend’s attractions.
And it’s not only the SEC Network which will be there with them as I’ll be on campus and live from Auburn for the game, bringing you the build-up, atmosphere and stories from the Plains. As opening stops on an SEC road trip go, this promises something special.
Auburn has given its supporters a moment to treasure. Now comes the opportunity to show how much that victory can change.
Some comebacks mean more
Auburn, AL
Back in July, Alex McPherson was asked about the moment every kicker prepares for: the game on the line, seconds remaining, everything resting on one swing of the leg.
“For me, a game-winner, I really try and treat it as any other kick,” McPherson explained at SEC Media Days back in July.
On Saturday in Athens, he delivered.
McPherson’s 34-yard field goal as time expired handed Auburn a stunning 27–24 victory over No. 1 Georgia. This was the Tigers’ first win over the Bulldogs since 2017 and their first in Athens since 2005. Their kicker had a moment that meant considerably more than three points.
To understand why, let’s go back to 2024.
When health matters more
McPherson had begun feeling unwell the previous December. An April colonoscopy revealed ulcerative colitis, and by late July his condition required hospitalisation. He lost 55 pounds, dropping to just 110 pounds. A player whose job depended upon strength and precision was struggling with his health.
He appeared in only one game that season. In December, surgery removed his large intestine, beginning another demanding stage of his recovery.
There would be further adversity. Before the 2025 campaign, McPherson received a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease and lost another 30 pounds. His doctors and Auburn’s athletic training staff developed a new treatment plan, helping him return to competition.
a remarkable recovery
Amazingly, McPherson finished that regular season with 20 field goals and received the Orange Bowl–FWAA Courage Award. Simply playing again represented an achievement. Becoming a dependable match-winner made his return remarkable.
By this summer, McPherson was talking about having his strength back and enjoying kicking as he had before becoming ill. Watching his Media Days interview alongside Saturday’s winning kick brings those words into sharp focus.
The composure he described in July became the finish Auburn needed in October.
We spend plenty of time discussing pressure in college football. Rankings, rivalries and results can make every Saturday feel like a verdict.
McPherson’s journey offers some perspective.
Before he could help Auburn beat Georgia, he had to recover enough to play again. That took treatment, surgery, patience and persistence through repeated setbacks.
Thirty-four yards completed the winning drive. Getting there had taken so much more.
Arch Support Wearing Thin?
Austin, TX
There are few places where a vote of confidence comes with more scrutiny than Texas. Just ask Arch Manning.
After consecutive defeats to Oklahoma and Florida, Steve Sarkisian’s handling of his quarterback has become a story in its own right. Following the 27–24 loss to the Gators, Sarkisian refused to exclude a quarterback change from his review: “Everything means everything.” Suddenly, college football’s most scrutinised surname has yet more question marks hanging over it.
By Monday, Sarkisian confirmed Manning remains his starter – for the time being. But the endorsement carried a warning: “I need to see a better version of Arch Manning.” He also demanded improvement from others on the offense, an important qualification amid suggestions his quarterback was being singled out.
Nevertheless, the optics for Sarkisian and Manning are not for the first time this season unwelcome and clumsy. While much of the early season chatter was around Manning’s form, now the media focus has turned to the play calling. This Texas offense is struggling. So how much responsibility belongs to the quarterback, and how much belongs to the head coach calling the plays?
Finebaum calls out sark
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum has made his position clear. Speaking on The Matt Barrie Show, Finebaum said, “It’s embarrassing what you’ve done to Arch Manning.” said The Mouth from the South about Sarkisian’s handling of the whole situation. His criticism placed Sarkisian’s management and play-calling firmly under the spotlight alongside Manning’s performances.
Sarkisian describes his approach as a mixture of encouragement and honesty: “Sometimes that’s patting him on the back. Sometimes that’s tough love.” Quite why Sarkisian feels the need to deliver the message so publicly inevitably invites interpretation.
Whether this is the motivational push Manning needs or another burden on an already heavily scrutinised player remains to be seen. But the pressure cuts both ways. Texas needs better quarterback play; Sarkisian must also show that his coaching gives Manning the best chance to deliver it.
Quite simply, Texas needs to overcome Ole Miss this weekend. A third straight defeat sparks a crisis in Austin.
the cats are back
Lexington, KY
While Texas and Alabama wrestle with uncomfortable questions and pressure mounting, something rather more enjoyable is happening in Lexington. Kentucky is winning football games. Lots of them.
Under first-year head coach Will Stein, the Wildcats enter Week 8 ranked No. 12 in the Nation, sitting 6–1 overall and sharing the top of the SEC standings with Georgia at 4–1. In a conference consumed by the troubles of its traditional heavyweights, Kentucky deserves considerably more attention.
But there is no fluke here. Kentucky’s earned this the hard way. Since September’s defeat to Alabama, Kentucky has won five straight, including road victories at Texas A&M, South Carolina and Oklahoma. Consecutive 35–34 overtime wins against the Gamecocks and LSU demonstrated Stein’s team’s resilience. Last Saturday’s 21–13 success in Norman supplied another statement. The Cats travel well.
Stein credits the daily work behind the results.
“Our process, I think, makes us different,” he said. “How we operate on a day-by-day basis” said Stein midweek.
Stein identifies the victory in College Station as the moment his players began to see their preparation translate into belief.
Kentucky’s confidence, especially on defense is building fast. Kentucky intercepted Oklahoma four times and leads the SEC in turnover margin at plus-11. Winning close games, especially in the SEC, becomes considerably easier when your defense keeps returning the football.
Next comes Vanderbilt, and Stein is resisting any temptation to look beyond Saturday.
“I don’t think any of us in this room or this organization need to be fooled by any type of record,” he warned.
Vanderbilt won last year’s meeting 45–17 and has taken three of the last four encounters.
The challenge now is handling expectations. Kentucky has moved from an intriguing early-season story to a team with something significant to protect.
Picked to finish 14th in the SEC by the media back in July, Kentucky enters Week 8 tied atop the conference standings. Will Stein’s Wildcats appear to have misplaced the script.
Tennessee, Florida, Missouri and Louisville still await, and there is plenty left to prove, but Lexington has earned the right to dream.
Someone tell the rest of the SEC. The Cats are back!
SEC Schedule : week 8
Across the SEC
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24
LSU (5-2, 2-2 SEC) at Auburn (4-2, 2-2 SEC)
Series: LSU leads, 30-24-1
11 a.m. CT • ABC
Last: LSU, 48-18 (2023 at Baton Rouge)
Auburn, Ala. • Jordan-Hare Stadium (88,043)
Texas A&M (4-3, 1-3 SEC) at Alabama (5-2, 3-2 SEC)
Series: ALA leads, 13-3
2:30 p.m. CT • ABC
Last: ALA, 26-20 (2023 at College Station)
Tuscaloosa, Ala. • Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium (100,077)
Oklahoma (3-3, 1-2 SEC) at Mississippi State (4-2, 2-2 SEC)
Series: First Meeting
2:30 p.m. CT • SEC Network
Starkville, Miss. • Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field (60,311)
Tennessee (6-1, 3-1 SEC) at South Carolina (3-3, 1-3 SEC)
Series: TN leads, 27-11-2
3:30 p.m. ET • ESPN
Last: TN, 41-20 (2023 at Knoxville)
Columbia, S.C. • Williams-Brice Stadium (77,559)
Ole Miss (5-1, 3-1 SEC) at Texas (4-2, 1-2 SEC)
Series: TX leads, 6-1
6:30 p.m. CT • ABC
Last: UM, 44-23 (2013 at Austin)
Austin, Texas • Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (100,119)
Vanderbilt (3-4, 0-4 SEC) at Kentucky (6-1, 4-1 SEC)
Series: UK leads, 48-45-4
7:30 p.m. ET • SEC Network
Last: VU, 45-17 (2025 at Nashville)
Lexington, Ky. • Kroger Field (61,000)
Open Dates:
Arkansas (3-4, 1-3 SEC);
Florida (5-2, 3-2 SEC);
Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC);
Missouri (5-2, 2-2 SEC).
GEORGE SOMERVILLE
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WRITER
GEORGE IS A LONG STANDING FANATIC OF LIFE AND FOOTBALL IN THE DEEP SOUTH AND WRITES HIS WEEKLY COLUMN CALLED “IT’S ONLY SEC” FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. HE IS ALSO CO-HOST AND ONE THIRD OF THE COLLEGE CHAPS PODCAST, THE UK’S FIRST PODCAST DEDICATED TO THE COLLEGE GAME.
