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Alabama visits No. 16 Mississippi State in a key SEC matchup. Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, and Kentucky face tough tests in an exciting 2026 college football weekend.
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer leads his team into a crucial SEC road game at No. 16 Mississippi State on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as part of an exciting college football weekend that features three top-25 matchups.
Alabama vs Mississippi State Preview
Alabama has remained perfect through the early stages of the season. The Crimson Tide did struggle in the first half of eventual wins against Kentucky and Florida, but blew South Carolina out of Bryant-Denny Stadium last weekend.
Regardless, the Crimson Tide should expect to be tested on the road at No. 16 Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are probably the best all-around team that Alabama has faced to this point.
Quarterback Kamario Taylor is proving himself each week. Most recently, Taylor led Mississippi State past No. 19 Missouri, throwing for 360 yards with 3 touchdowns to 1 interception. He has thrown at least 3 touchdown passes in every game while committing just 2 turnovers.
The Bulldogs have home-field advantage and confidence in a potentially high-scoring SEC matchup. This is one of Mississippi State's most important games in Starkville in recent years.
Florida Looks to Stay Perfect
Jon Sumrall has done an impressive job in the opening month of his tenure with the Gators. Florida is 4-0, going from unranked to the top-10 after beating Auburn on the road and handling No. 4 Ole Miss in Gainesville.
With everyone patting the Gators on the back for a week, the team is now away from home and facing a Missouri squad that is coming off a close loss to Mississippi State. It is the perfect opportunity for a letdown game, which Florida has avoided so far.
This will come down to strength on strength. The Gators want to pound the rock behind star running back Jadan Baugh. Meanwhile, the Tigers are only giving up 100.3 rushing yards per game.
Tennessee Hosts Auburn
Tennessee came up just short of upsetting No. 1 Texas last week. The defensive effort was commendable, but the offense could not find any sort of rhythm, as freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon struggled in his first big game.
The Volunteers remain in Knoxville to host the Auburn Tigers, who are led by first-year head coach Alex Golesh. Last season at USF, Golesh went 2-1 against ranked opponents and beat Florida on the road. He has the same quarterback with him at Auburn who helped him pull off those upsets.
Byrum Brown is a dynamic signal-caller, but he will have to cut down on the turnovers to lead the Tigers to a win over Tennessee. He has thrown 6 touchdowns to 5 interceptions, after only tossing 7 picks during all of the 2025 season. If he can protect the ball and make plays on the ground, Auburn will be in a position to win.
Kentucky Faces South Carolina Challenge
How quickly the tide shifts. From unranked to upset alert in 2 weeks. September was a fun month for new Kentucky head coach Will Stein, as the Wildcats took down No. 9 Texas A&M on the road. The program is quickly picking up the attention of the country.
However, it might be too early to anoint Kentucky as a contender in the SEC. The Wildcats lost to Alabama 45-17, and were outscored 32-0 in the second half. Plus, the signature victory against the Aggies does not look as great now, with Texas A&M dropping out of the rankings entirely following another loss.
Kentucky is on the road to face South Carolina, which is in the news for the wrong reasons. Head coach Shane Beamer suspended star defender Dylan Stewart indefinitely after a confrontation on the sideline in the loss to Alabama.
The Gamecocks are going to pull off an emotionally charged victory, or Beamer is going to get closer to packing his bags. While South Carolina did not stand much of a chance against the Crimson Tide, it was relatively competitive in a home loss to Mississippi State.
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Alabama Crimson Tide Mississippi State Bulldogs Kalen Deboer Kamario Taylor Florida Gators Tennessee Volunteers Kentucky Wildcats
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