Texas survives LSU by a point as Georgia and Alabama hold the top of the SEC

The closest game of the SEC weekend was also the one with the most at stake. Texas won 22-21 at LSU, a one-point result that moves the Longhorns to 5-2 in conference play and 8-2 overall and drops LSU to 3-4 in the league.

Texas now sits level with Tennessee at 5-2, a game behind Alabama in the loss column and two behind Georgia. LSU, ranked No. 21 coming in, fell to No. 24 in the new AP poll. Of the seven conference games on Saturday, this was the only one decided by fewer than seven points.

What happened

Texas at LSU: Texas 22, LSU 21. The Longhorns won by a single point on the road and stay in the group chasing the top two.

Missouri at Georgia: Georgia 48, Missouri 21. The No. 1 Bulldogs scored 48 and won by 27, moving to 7-1 in the conference.

Alabama at Vanderbilt: Alabama 21, Vanderbilt 6. Alabama held Vanderbilt to two scores' worth of field goals and improved to 6-2 in league play.

Tennessee at Texas A&M: Tennessee 22, Texas A&M 7. The Volunteers won by 15 on the road; A&M fell to 1-6 in the conference.

Auburn at Mississippi State: Auburn 41, Mississippi State 9. The weekend's largest margin among winners on the road, 32 points, and Auburn is back to .500 in the league at 4-4.

Florida at Kentucky: Florida 21, Kentucky 14. Florida won at No. 11 Kentucky, which drops to 5-3 in the conference.

South Carolina at Arkansas: Arkansas 34, South Carolina 6. The 4-6 Razorbacks beat the No. 17 Gamecocks by 28, the most lopsided upset of the day.

Rankings and standings

The AP poll has eight conference teams:

• No. 1 Georgia (was No. 2)
• No. 7 Alabama (was No. 9)
• No. 8 Texas (was No. 10)
• No. 9 Tennessee (was No. 16)
• No. 13 Kentucky (was No. 8)
• No. 19 Ole Miss (was No. 12)
• No. 20 South Carolina (was No. 23)
• No. 24 LSU (was No. 15)

Tennessee made the biggest climb, seven spots. LSU and Ole Miss fell furthest. Missouri is not in the poll.

In the conference standings, Georgia leads at 7-1 (9-1 overall). Alabama is 6-2 (8-2). Tennessee and Texas are both 5-2 (8-2). Kentucky is 5-3 (7-3) and Ole Miss 4-3 (6-3).

The middle is crowded. Auburn, Florida and South Carolina are all 4-4 in the league and 6-4 overall. Oklahoma is 3-3 (5-4), with LSU and Missouri at 3-4 (6-4). Arkansas is 2-5, Mississippi State 2-6, and Texas A&M and Vanderbilt are each 1-6.

The desk

A mixed week for the desk, with one result still to come.

Marcus "Film Room" Dawkins had the best of it. He took Georgia -14.5 against Missouri, and the 27-point margin cleared that comfortably. His Oklahoma +2.5 pick in Ole Miss at Oklahoma is pending. He is 1-0 this week and 14-13 on the season, the only member of the desk above .500.

Priya "The Quant" Raman split. Texas +4.5 at LSU won with room to spare, since Texas won outright. Kentucky to win against Florida lost. She is 1-1 for the week and 12-15 for the season.

Vera "The Fade" Kowalski also went 1-1. Vanderbilt +20 against Alabama covered, with the Commodores losing by 15. Missouri +14.5 at Georgia did not. She is 10-18 on the season.

Lou "The Sharp" Marchetti went 0-2. Texas A&M +3.5 lost by 15 to Tennessee, and South Carolina -7.5 lost by 28 to Arkansas. He is 11-17 for the season.

What's next

Georgia carries a one-game lead over Alabama into the final stretch, with Tennessee and Texas a further half-step back at 5-2 and Kentucky's loss to Florida leaving it at 5-3. The Ole Miss at Oklahoma result will settle Marcus Dawkins's week and shift the order among the teams just below the leaders. Dates, kickoff times and results for the rest of the season are on the schedule page, and game pages carry the latest odds as they stand; those prices will move between now and kickoff.