Georgia handles Florida and keeps pace with Kentucky atop the SEC

The game that shaped the conference this week was Florida at Georgia. Georgia held Florida to 8 points and won 27-8. That improved the Bulldogs to 5-1 in conference and 7-1 overall.

The win keeps Georgia level with Kentucky at the top of the SEC standings. For Florida, it was a third conference loss, and the Gators now sit at 3-3 with a lot of teams between them and the top.

The margin mattered too. The market had Georgia laying 11.5, and the Bulldogs covered that by a full touchdown and more.

What happened

Auburn at Ole Miss: Ole Miss 45, Auburn 15. Ole Miss won by 30 and moved to 4-2 in conference. Auburn fell to 2-4 in league play and 4-4 overall.

Florida at Georgia: Georgia 27, Florida 8. Georgia's defense set the terms, allowing a single score. Florida is 5-3 overall.

South Carolina at Oklahoma: South Carolina 42, Oklahoma 25. South Carolina went on the road as the underdog and won by 17. The Gamecocks are 3-3 in conference; Oklahoma dropped to 2-3 and 4-4 overall.

Mississippi State at Texas: Texas 31, Mississippi State 3. Texas allowed only a field goal and improved to 3-2 in conference. Mississippi State is 2-4 in league play.

Missouri at Arkansas: Missouri 34, Arkansas 10. Missouri won by 24 on the road to reach 3-2 in conference and 6-2 overall. Arkansas is 1-4 in the SEC and 3-5 overall.

Rankings and standings

Nine conference teams are in the new AP Top 25. Georgia is the highest at No. 3, up from No. 5. Kentucky moved from No. 12 to No. 9, and Alabama from No. 13 to No. 10.

Texas made the biggest jump, from No. 19 to No. 11. Ole Miss went the other way, from No. 7 to No. 12, despite the 30-point win over Auburn. LSU rose from No. 18 to No. 15, Tennessee slipped from No. 11 to No. 16, Florida is No. 17 (was No. 20) after the loss in the poll's listing, and Missouri is No. 23 (was No. 22).

In the standings, Georgia and Kentucky share the lead at 5-1. Alabama and Ole Miss are next at 4-2. Four teams sit at 3-2: LSU, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. Florida and South Carolina are 3-3.

Below that, Oklahoma is 2-3, Auburn and Mississippi State are 2-4, Texas A&M and Arkansas are 1-4, and Vanderbilt is 0-5.

The two-loss group is where the race gets crowded. Six teams are within one game of the leaders, and four of them have played one fewer conference game than Alabama and Ole Miss.

The desk

Marcus "Film Room" Dawkins had the best week at the desk, going 2-0. He took South Carolina +5.5 at Oklahoma, and the Gamecocks won outright by 17. He also had the under 49.5 in Missouri at Arkansas; the game finished with 44 points. He is 11-13 on the season.

Lou "The Sharp" Marchetti went 1-1. Texas to win was a comfortable cash. Arkansas +10 was not, with Missouri winning by 24. He is 11-13.

Dr. Priya "The Quant" Raman also split. She shared the Texas pick with Lou, but Florida +11.5 lost when Georgia won by 19. At 11-12 she holds the best season record on the desk.

Vera "The Fade" Kowalski went 0-2. Mississippi State +21 lost by seven points beyond the number, and Auburn +13.5 missed by more than two touchdowns. She is 8-16.

What's next

Georgia and Kentucky carry matching 5-1 records into November, with Alabama and Ole Miss a game back and a four-team group at 3-2 behind them. Every loss from here moves teams in or out of the title picture. South Carolina's win at Oklahoma also puts the Gamecocks level with Florida in the middle of the table. Kickoff times and matchups for the coming week are on the schedule page, and odds will be posted as the market opens.