Texas A&M currently sits atop the SEC with Alabama.

Because both teams are the only undefeated teams in the conference, the path to the SEC Championship is clear. Win and in. Each program now controls its own destiny. 

For the Aggies, scoreboard watching is not the top priority in a season that has been the best since 1994. However, the other teams in the SEC still have a significant impact on what could happen if the Aggies were to drop one of their games, because then a bunch of tiebreaker scenarios come into play. 

Regardless, these are the pair of games that A&M should have its eyes on this Saturday. 

Eli Drinkwitz celebrates after Auburn win.

Oct 18, 2025; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz celebrates after his team beat the Auburn Tigers in overtime at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images / John Reed-Imagn Images

After A&M finishes its game against LSU, the bye week comes at a great time due to the trip Elko and Co. have to take to Columbia, Missouri, to battle coach Eli Drinkwitz’s program. 

Missouri is in the clump of teams with one loss in the SEC, fighting for its playoff life. The same goes for Vanderbilt, which is sitting at one loss after losing to Alabama a week ago. The winner of this game likely has a shot at making the playoffs, while the other will likely be watching from the outside, questioning what went wrong in a season when playoff aspirations were in reach. 

The Aggies can look at this matchup in two ways. The first is that if the Tigers win, the stakes in two weeks will be massive if it comes down to tiebreakers in the SEC, because one loss could shift the whole picture. On the other hand, if the Commodores win, the conversation revolves around coach Clark Lea possibly punching his program a ticket to the title game, potentially against the Aggies. 

Not many media outlets had both programs making deep runs late in the season, and College Gameday having its show in Nashville, Tennessee, for this contest. It’s happening. With two high-caliber quarterbacks under center, this game should come down to which one makes better decisions and has its playmakers step up in the biggest game of the season for both teams. 

Missouri senior QB Beau Pribula has a ton of pressure on his plate to pull off the road victory for a program that fell short of expectations last season after the hot start. Nothing has changed with a fanbase hungry for a deep run. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt QB Daniel Pavia has been one of the biggest college football surprises of the season and has shown his skill set is worthy of Heisman Trophy conversations. 

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin throws the football.

Oct 18, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin throws the ball prior to the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Here’s another matchup that could determine who is the contender versus the pretender in the SEC. This contest has a ton at stake, with both teams currently sitting in the top 15 in the AP Poll. The winner of this game likely makes its case to the College Football Playoff Committee that it is deserving of a playoff berth based on what it has produced on its resume. 

Ole Miss currently has Lane Kiffin, whose name has been in the hat of coaches who could move to take a better position with another SEC program. Whether this is a distraction to his roster is yet to be determined, but it could quietly be an issue within the locker room. 

As for Oklahoma, coach Brent Venables is hoping that his team can bounce back from the ugly loss against the Texas Longhorns and rebound with a much-needed win, with junior QB John Mateer struggling after his injury sidelined him early in the season. 

Before the loss at Georgia, Ole Miss was tied for the best record in the SEC with A&M. Now, QB Trinidad Chambliss needs to have his strongest road game performance of the season to keep Ole Miss in contention for a ticket to a championship game and playoff bid. Whoever wins this game could be another date A&M could see in the SEC Championship Game, since neither team is on the regular-season schedule.