The SEC’s grasp on the top position in college football has either slipped away or is hanging tenuously. After three straight seasons of CFP titles going to Big Ten squads, even long-time SEC believers are questioning the league heading into 2026. Which is why a handful of key games could set the stage for the SEC’s return to the top of college football– or create more CFP chaos. ESPN’s Bill Connelly named his top five SEC games of 2026, and we’ll take a stab at explaining why each is a must-see. (And note, all rankings are based on the preseason coaches’ poll).
9/26- No. 8 Texas A&M at No. 13 LSU
It’ll be the first road trip of the year for the Aggies and likely their first real test. Kellen Mond and a strong A&M squad will face an LSU team that will either be climbing the rankings or facing a crisis of condience off a trip to Lane Kiffin’s former address of Ole Miss the weekend before.
A season ago, LSU hosted A&M as a slight underdog with a chance to save a sliding season and instead lost 49-25. Thus began a series of events that sent Brian Kelly away and brought in Lane Kiffin. The winner of this Week 4 battle is likely a major factor in the College Football Playoff.
10/10- No. 3 Georgia at No. 11 Alabama
Once upon a time, Alabama was the great white whale that Kirby Smart couldn’t overcome when it mattered. But a national title win over the Tide later, everything changed. Nick Saban left toward, but Kalen DeBoer started 2-0 against Smart and UGA after last year’s Week 4 win over the Bulldogs.
But then Georgia wrecked Alabama in the SEC title game by a three-score margin and seems to be back atop the rivalry. But with a pair of disappointing CFP losses in the last two seasons, Georgia has something to prove and a win in Tuscaloosa would be a leg up in the SEC race.
11/7- No. 3 Georgia at No. 10 Ole Miss
Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs appear twice on the list of five biggest SEC games of 2026. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Speaking of ugly losses that need avenged, Georgia likely has circled this other road trip. The Rebels picked up the biggest win for their program in eons with a 39-34 Playoff victory over Georgia last season. Georgia also stumbled against the Rebels the last time they were in Oxford by a 28-10 count back in 2024. Playoff intrigue abounds.
11/14- No. 4 Texas at No. 13 LSU
Surely, no list of pivotal SEC games could fail to include Texas? A season after being the preseason No. 1, the Longhorns might be better suited to be hunters than to be the hunted. Texas doesn’t really have a rough road trip until the last three weeks of the season, so Arch Manning’s chance to show what he’s made of could well be in the Bayou. Texas hasn’t been to LSU since 1953, so don’t look to history for insights here!
11/27- No. 4 Texas at No. 8 Texas A&M
Just in case rivalry week is slipping for some (Clemson/South Carolina, FSU/Florida), this one will take care of that issue. Texas has won the last three games in this series and last season’s upset of the Aggies in Austin ruined a perfect regular season. It’s hard to NOT imagine these two teams still being in the thick of the Playoff hunt at the end of the regular season.
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