The SEC proved to have a bounce-back week after a roller coaster start to the 2025 college football season.
The big winner in the SEC in Week 2 was No. 24 Oklahoma, as John Mateer, Brent Venables and the Sooners defeated No. 13 Michigan and Bryce Underwood 24-13 for their first top 25 ranked win of the season. Mateer was impressive in the heralded quarterback duel, completing 21 of 34 passes for 270 yards and one touchdown to an interception in the win, adding 74 yards and two more scores on the ground.
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While it may not be enough to spur the Bulldogs into the top 25, Mississippi State’s 24-20 win over No. 10 Arizona State in Starkville, Mississippi, may have been the biggest upset of the week. Jeff Lebby’s Bulldogs, coming off a 2-10 mark in his first season in Starkville, jumped out to a 17-0 lead before needing a 58-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds left to put the Sun Devils away for good, 24-20.
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Elsewhere, Missouri gutted out a 42-31 home win against Kansas in the first Border War rivalry game since 2011. The Tigers‘ win over the Jayhawks should have Eli Drinkwitz’s squad move into the top 25 after being the unofficial No. 28 team in the country in last week’s US LBM Coaches Poll.
No. 20 Alabama and Kalen DeBoer quieted the outside noise — for at least a week — with a commanding 73-0 shutout of Louisiana-Monroe without star receiver Ryan Williams, who was out with a concussion. No. 11 South Carolina and No. 17 Tennessee both up wins to move to 2-0 on the season, while No. 15 Florida was upset by USF 18-16, a loss that appears to have reheated Billy Napier’s seat in Gainesville.
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Elsewhere, SEC conference play began in Lexington, Kentucky with No. 14 Ole Miss pulling out a 30-23 win against Kentucky thanks to a 17-point second quarter performance. The Wildcats have now lost seven consecutive SEC games dating back to last season, and are 2-13 in their last 15 SEC games, a timespan that goes back to Oct. 7 of 2023.
Here’s a look at how those games are reflected in the Week 3 US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 rankings:
College football rankings for Week 3
This section will be updated once the US LBM Coaches Poll is released
AP Top 25
This section will be updated once the AP Top 25 poll is released
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: College football rankings: SEC in updated Coaches Poll, AP Top 25