One week is in the books for the SEC, and the conference went 16-0 on opening weekend. It’s the first time since 1997 that no one in the conference lost to open the season. Florida had a cakewalk of a game, while some others had to go down to the wire.
So let’s take a peek at how the nine SEC opponents Florida will play this weekend fared as we start to get an idea of how difficult Florida’s schedule might actually be in 2026.
All of Florida’s SEC opponents won in Week One
Auburn beats Baylor 17-16
This was not an impressive game for either side. We chronicled the struggles of DJ Lagway and how he was essentially the same Lagway we saw in a Florida uniform last year. But Auburn’s offense, which is supposed to be the calling card for Alex Golesh, wasn’t much better. Auburn QB Byrum Brown had three interceptions of his own, and he ran the ball 21 times for just 27 yards.
Florida fans should feel more encouraged about its Week Three matchup.
Ole Miss beats Louisville 41-38
Probably the best game on the entire weekend, Ole Miss started out slow on offense, and it looked like the magic of Lane Kiffin was gone. But then Trinidad Chambliss kicked into gear and finished the night with 336 yards passing and three touchdowns as he led Ole Miss to a walk-off field goal.
It’s tough to evaluate from a Florida perspective because two of the touchdowns from Ole Miss came after special teams miscues from Louisville and their defense looked like Florida could put up 45 points of their own.
Missouri beats Arkansas Pine Bluff 54-14
Not much to see here, as Missouri was a 55.5 point favorite prior to the game. One-time Gator commit Austin Simmons did look good and went 17 of 19 for 252 yards and four touchdowns in a half of work.
This was classic Missouri beating up on a terrible team.
South Carolina beats Kent State 57-0
One of the reasons why South Carolina didn’t break things open until later in the second half is that almost all of their drives took seven or more plays. After punting on their first drive, the Gamecocks scored touchdowns on their next eight drives.
But nothing felt explosive, so it’s worth noting moving forward,
Texas beats Texas State 59-7
Texas State was a respectable enough Sun Belt team last year before jumping to the new-look Pac-12 this year, so Texas fans probably feel encouraged. Arch Manning was 20 for 27, for 205 yards and four touchdowns. The only notable thing is that Texas's ground game was hit or miss, and Texas State actually outgained Texas on the ground.
We will know a lot more about Texas next week after they face Ohio State.
Georgia beats Tennessee State 63-3
Tennessee State was 2-10 in the FCS last year, so this is the type of result we would expect any top-ten team to have. If looking for a positive, Georgia was forced to punt at one point, unlike Florida.
We’ll know more about Georgia after their Week Four showdown against Oklahoma.
Oklahoma beats UTEP 51-0
Speaking of the Sooners, they took on a terrible Conference USA team (UTEP went 2-10 last year) and didn’t punt until the 4th quarter, when it was 51-0 already. UTEP’s first couple of drives did have a bit of success, but Oklahoma’s defense held them in the end to just 198 yards of offense.
Of note, John Mateer was just 11 of 17, though he did rack up 225 yards in those 11 completions for three touchdowns.
Kentucky beats Youngstown State 45-13
Considering Youngstown State is a respectable FCS program, the spread for this one was just 22.5, so Kentucky did defy expectations there. The Wildcats had touchdowns on their first five drives. Kenny Minchey was 18 for 27 for 301 yards and CJ Baxter had two touchdowns on the ground.
Like South Carolina, the most notable part of Kentucky’s offense is that while effective, it wasn’t explosive. Worth noting as they navigate the season.
Vanderbilt beats Austin Peay 28-9
By far the least impressive showing from an SEC opponent Florida will face this year. Austin Peay is a decent FCS program, but there was very little here to instill confidence that Vanderbilt is going to keep things rolling in 2026. The Commodores were held to under 400 yards of offense and committed nine penalties on the afternoon.
If Florida had to play Vanderbilt this week, the Gators would be 28.5-point favorites.
Add us as a preferred source on Google