Conference play kicked into high gear this week with narrow wins and ranked matchups, making for an entertaining Saturday. As it’s about halfway through the season and prime time for midterms for Vanderbilt students, The Hustler is using this week to grade all 16 teams on their midterms — and the scores are a mixed bag.
1. Alabama (5-1, 3-0 SEC)
Midterm grade: A
Alabama notched its third-straight ranked win of the season on Saturday, defeating then-No. 14 Missouri by a narrow score of 27-24. Quarterback Ty Simpson threw for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns, and the Crimson Tide defense had two interceptions on the day — one of them on Missouri’s final drive. Despite the early loss to a Florida State team that now appears weaker than expected, Alabama has proven itself against many opponents in the top 25 — it certainly deserves an A.
Alabama will host Tennessee on Saturday for the Crimson Tide’s fourth-straight ranked matchup of the season.
2. Ole Miss (6-0, 3-0)
Midterm grade: A-
What should have been an easy win for Ole Miss nearly went awry this weekend as the Rebels defeated Washington State by a hair, 24-21. The Cougars matched the Rebels in every capacity offensively and had 218 passing yards to Ole Miss’s 253. Washington State even had possession for a cumulative five minutes longer than the Rebels. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (253 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Washington State’s Zevi Eckhaus (218 yards, 2 touchdowns) had comparable games, taking the 60 minutes down to the wire. Ole Miss has a solid record but has played against less challenging teams — to improve its grade to an A, it must show its mettle against tougher opponents.
Ole Miss needs to put the pedal to the medal if it wants to keep its undefeated streak going, as it heads to Athens, Georgia, this weekend for a ranked matchup at the Bulldogs’ house.
3. Texas A&M (6-0, 3-0)
Midterm grade: A-
Texas A&M has had some luck in terms of schedule difficulty. The past three games, the Aggies have defeated Florida, Mississippi State and Auburn, and will continue their streak of unranked conference matchups next week at Arkansas. That being said, the team’s performance hasn’t wavered. Texas A&M completely dominated the rush game on Saturday, pushing it to a 34-17 win. Defensively, the Aggies held the Gators to just 1-of-10 on third down and recovered two fumbles to help secure the win. Similar to Ole Miss, Texas A&M deserves credit where credit is due for an undefeated record — but its wins have not been against the grittiest SEC teams, yielding them an A-.
The Aggies will face a tough three-game road test, starting with the Arkansas Razorbacks.
4. Georgia (5-1, 3-1)
Midterm grade: B+
Georgia pulled off a solid win against Auburn on the Tigers’ home turf, snagging the 20-10 win. After being down 10-3 at the half, the Bulldogs pulled it together, holding Auburn scoreless in the second half. After starting with only 78 total offensive yards in the first half, quarterback Gunner Stockton stepped up, going 17-of-24 for 158 yards in the second. The Tiger, Georgia, native also led the team with 26 rushing yards. Linebacker CJ Allen led the defensive charge with 10 tackles, with the team stifling Auburn’s offense to just 40 yards in the second half. Georgia is undoubtedly a good team, but its loss to Alabama and tight finish at Auburn bring the team’s grade down to a B+.
Georgia will have the eyes of the nation on it this weekend, as Athens hosts ESPN’s College GameDay and its first top-10 matchup of the season versus Ole Miss.
5. LSU (5-1, 2-1)
Midterm grade: B
Similar to Georgia, LSU also notched a 20-10 win on Saturday — this time on homecoming weekend versus South Carolina. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier racked up 254 yards and 2 touchdowns but also threw two interceptions. Trey ‘Dez Green led the receiving corps — snagging 8 receptions for 119 yards and a score — and became the first tight end for the Tigers with more than 100 yards in a game since 1994. LSU’s ranking is still high in the AP poll, but it’s only narrowly beaten teams that shouldn’t be keeping up with it — quality wins will bring its grade up.
As the saying goes, defense wins championships, and that certainly seems to be the case for LSU this season; in every win, the Tigers have held their opponents to 10 points or fewer. They’ll attempt to do the same this weekend on West End against the Vanderbilt Commodores, who sit as -2.5-point favorites.
6. Tennessee (5-1, 2-1)
Midterm grade: B+
There seemed to be a theme of narrow wins against worse teams this weekend, as Tennessee barely held on to defeat Arkansas, 34-31. Two late touchdowns put the Razorbacks in contention until the very end, but the Volunteers managed to run down the clock to hold on to a victory. Running back Desean Bishop was a standout on offense, averaging 10.4 yards per carry in his career-best performance. Tennessee’s defense also deserves credit for holding off the Razorbacks, forcing four fumbles and recovering three. The Volunteers’ 44-41 loss to Georgia in September was also tightly contested, and there’s no denying that they are legitimate contenders in the SEC. However, a ranked win would bring Tennessee to the A-range.
Arkansas, despite being in the penultimate spot in The Hustler’s power rankings, held its own at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee’s momentum going into this week’s rivalry matchup against No. 6 Alabama is shaky at best.
7. Missouri (5-1, 1-1)
Midterm grade: B+
Missouri fell to Alabama, 27-24, for its first loss of the season. A key interception by the Crimson Tide prevented a potential game-winning final drive, stopping the Tigers’ late-game rally and snapping their 15-game home winning streak. Despite the loss, quarterback Beau Pribula played well, leading the team in passing and rushing yards with three total touchdowns. Third-down conversions got the best of the Tigers, though, as they went 1-for-11 compared to Alabama’s 6-for-15. Missouri took Alabama down to the wire in its first ranked matchup of the season, but will need to notch more conference wins to earn an A.
Missouri will look to get back to its winning ways at Jordan-Hare Stadium this Saturday in a Tigers vs. Tigers matchup at Auburn.
8. Texas (4-2, 1-1)
Midterm grade: B
Texas stomped on Oklahoma, 23-6, in an upset that put the Longhorns back in the AP Top 25 and dropped the Sooners eight places to No. 14. This marks the first time the Longhorns have held a top-10 opponent without a touchdown since 1979. Quarterback Arch Manning, who’s been underwhelming in 2025, seemed to settle in against Oklahoma with a season-best 166 passing yards on 21-for-27 attempts and a touchdown. Notably, Manning went 11-for-12 on third down while the Longhorns also dominated on the ground with 136 rushing yards to the Sooners’ 48. The win this weekend brought Texas’ midterm grade up — otherwise, the team’s shaky start would have lowered it.
Texas will look to notch another win against Kentucky this weekend after its strong showing against Oklahoma.
9. Oklahoma (5-1, 1-1)
Midterm grade: B+
The Red River Rivalry shook things up last week as the historic enemies battled in Dallas. No. 6 Oklahoma broke its undefeated streak, dropping the game to unranked Texas by a score of 23-6. Oklahoma was favored in this game after Texas’s loss to Florida, which dropped it all the way out of the AP Top 25. Quarterback John Mateer did not have his best game of the season, throwing three interceptions and having a completion percentage of just 53%. The rest of the Sooners failed to find the end zone, as Oklahoma’s only points on the board were scored by kicker Tate Sandall and his two field goals. Oklahoma’s defense could not stop Texas’s electric offense once it finally found its groove within the Cotton Bowl. With a strong start to the season but a little slip-up this past week, Oklahoma scored a B+ on its midterm.
Oklahoma now travels to South Carolina with the hope of securing another conference win.
10. Vanderbilt (5-1, 1-1)
Midterm grade: A
Vanderbilt had a bye during Week 7 as it geared up to face its next opponent, LSU, this weekend. After a tough loss to Alabama, the ‘Dores hope to regain the respect built in the early season and prove they can beat big opponents. During the game in Tuscaloosa two weeks ago, quarterback Diego Pavia’s normal rushing strength was well controlled by Alabama’s defense, while much of the receiving corps had trouble catching the ball. On its midterm, Vanderbilt earned itself an A, as it has defied many preseason expectations and proved that it is no longer the punching bag of the SEC.
Vanderbilt plays LSU at home on Saturday, hoping to pull off another victory against a top-10 team.
11. Auburn (3-3, 0-3)
Midterm grade: C
Auburn lost to Georgia last week by a score of 20-10. Quarterback Jackson Arnold was well contained by the Bulldogs’ defense, finishing with 137 passing yards and one rushing touchdown. Auburn’s downfall in this game was penalties. It lost 103 yards over 11 penalties, leaving the team consistently behind the chains. This was compounded by a goal-line fumble. Without these blunders, Auburn may have been able to pull off the upset. Overall, this game was closer than predicted. Auburn’s middle-of-the-pack performance earned it a C on its midterm.
Auburn has a bye week as it prepares to take on No. 16 Missouri the following week.
12. Mississippi State (4-2, 0-2)
Midterm grade: B-
Mississippi State did not play this past weekend, getting some rest after its 31-9 loss to Texas A&M last week. The Bulldogs have been playing better than expected, as they have kept a winning record, only losing to Tennessee and Texas A&M. They put up a good fight in their Week 6 game versus the Volunteers, taking them all the way to overtime before losing by a touchdown. This team is showing flashes of the ability to rise in the rankings but has not made the full transition yet. This good effort and quality of play deserved a B- midterm grade in The Hustler’s gradebook.
Mississippi State travels to The Swamp this week, striving to increase its winning record and come back from its two-game losing streak.
13. South Carolina (3-3, 1-3)
Midterm grade: D-
South Carolina dropped a two-score game versus No. 10 LSU this past week, 20-10. The game was an interesting match, as neither team had its best day. LaNorris Sellers threw one interception while Nussmeier threw two. Each team fumbled the ball once, causing stark momentum shifts throughout the game. Matthew Fuller had South Carolina’s only touchdown, rushing 72 yards into the end zone. The Gamecocks’ offensive line allowed for five sacks on Sellers, a persistent weakness this season. That’s not the only issue for the team, though, as Sellers only has a completion rate of 55% on the season. South Carolina came into the season with College Football Playoff expectations but has not come close to fulfilling those, causing it to get a grade of a D- for its midterm.
South Carolina will be welcoming Oklahoma into Williams-Brice Stadium, looking to get back on track and above .500.
14. Florida (2-4, 1-2)
Midterm grade: D
Florida was unable to keep its winning streak alive after an exciting upset over Texas, losing to No. 5 Texas A&M, 34-17. Quarterback DJ Lagway had a solid game, throwing 245 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. His offensive line struggled to contain the explosive Aggies’ pass rush, allowing three sacks on Lagway. The Gators’ efficiency on third downs was a serious issue, with the team converting on just 1-of-10 attempts. Dallas Wilson and Amir Jackson found their footing in the end zone after making big grabs, but it was not enough to keep up with A&M’s electric offense. The Gators had two fumbles, losing momentum and costing them possible points. While this team does have a losing record, the upset against Texas earns the team bonus points and a passing grade, locking in a D for the midterm.
Florida is now preparing for its game against Mississippi State on Saturday in The Swamp.
15. Arkansas (2-4, 0-2)
Midterm grade: D+
Arkansas has a brutal schedule this season, and the Razorbacks lost their fourth game of the year against Tennessee with a close score of 34-31. They almost pulled off the upset, but three fumbles by the team caused losses of valuable possessions. Quarterback Taylen Green gathered 256 yards and a rushing touchdown, with Mike Washington Jr. adding another. Kameran Shanks and Rohan Jones made crucial catches in the end zone to put points on the board and keep this game close.
Even with all this, Arkansas was still unable to pull off the win. These close scores, but rare wins, have earned it a D+ on its midterm as the effort is there but not the execution.
Arkansas faces another ranked team as it battles No. 4 Texas A&M at home next Saturday with hopes of finally pulling off the upset.
16. Kentucky (2-3, 0-3)
Midterm grade: F
Kentucky had a bye week to recover from its loss to Georgia during Week 6. The outlook for Kentucky’s team is bleak, as its only wins have come over FCS team Murray State and low-level FBS team Eastern Michigan. With the team struggling as much as it is, Kentucky has sadly failed to pass its midterm and, while unlikely, will hopefully turn the season around in the second half and gain some meaningful wins.
Kentucky faces Texas at home on Saturday, looking to gain its first SEC win.
