The Southern Line
Novig pricesGeorgia Falls to No. 5, Alabama to No. 13 as Week 8 AP Poll Reshuffles the SEC
After losses to Auburn and Tennessee, Georgia slides to No. 5 and Alabama to No. 13 in the Week 8 AP Top 25, with Tennessee up to No. 11.
The SEC no longer holds the top spot in the AP Top 25. Georgia fell from No. 1 to No. 5 in the Week 8 poll after a 27-24 home loss to unranked Auburn, SB Nation reported. Miami moved up to No. 1 and BYU to No. 2. It is the first time the Hurricanes have topped the poll since 2002, and ESPN reported they got 40 of the 70 first-place votes.
ESPN called it the first weekend in the poll's 90-year history in which five of the top seven teams lost. Two of those losses came inside the conference. Auburn kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired in Athens to beat Georgia, according to NBC Sports, which also said quarterback Gunner Stockton turned the ball over three times. Alabama lost 26-10 at Tennessee and dropped from No. 6 to No. 13. That was the Tide's second straight loss, after a 20-17 defeat to Georgia. The Volunteers moved up to No. 11 at 6-1. Their only loss is 20-17 to Texas.
Georgia still received 1,382 points to stay in the top five, per CBS Sports. Other SEC teams in the poll are Ole Miss at No. 7, Kentucky at No. 12, LSU at No. 18, Texas at No. 19, Florida at No. 20 and Missouri at No. 22. Florida is new to the poll this week. Mississippi State dropped out after a 56-23 home loss to Alabama the week before. Auburn won in Athens but is still unranked at 4-2, with 61 points in the others-receiving-votes group. Its other loss was 44-39 to Florida.
What it means for Saturday
Georgia has a bye this week. SB Nation noted the Bulldogs have two weeks to fix things before they face No. 20 Florida in Jacksonville on October 31.
Auburn plays its second straight ranked opponent when No. 18 LSU visits Saturday on ABC. The Tigers' win over Georgia has not changed how the market sees this game. LSU is favored at -285 on Novig, and Auburn is +270. The spreads vary by a full point across the 12 venues on our board. Novig has LSU -8.5, Hard Rock Bet offers LSU at -7.5, and Pinnacle has Auburn at +9. The total is about 50.
Alabama hosts Texas A&M, also on ABC, and is a heavy favorite despite the two losses. Novig has the Tide at -567 to win outright, and Kalshi has the best price on them at -564. The spread is Alabama -14.5 on Novig. Texas A&M's best number is +15.5 at Hard Rock Bet, and Novig has the Aggies at +14.5 (full board). The Tide scored at least 45 points in each of their first five games. They have scored 17 and 10 in the two losses.
No. 11 Tennessee is the underdog at South Carolina on ESPN, coming off three straight wins. South Carolina is favored at -122 on Novig to win outright, and Tennessee is +117. Novig's spread is the Gamecocks -2.5, and BetRivers has the best price at -2. The 11 venues on the board have the total at 50.5 to 51. South Carolina's most recent result was a 49-18 loss at Alabama in September.