Nobody will accuse Week 1 of the college football season of being the most competitive slate of the season. Regardless, it’s difficult for every team in a conference to start things off on the right foot. The SEC, though, pulled off the feat.
With Ole Miss‘ 41-38 victory over Louisville on Sunday night, the SEC moved to a perfect 16-0 to open the 2026 campaign.
Among those 16 victories were three wins in Power 4 matchups. The least dramatic of those triumphs came in the game with the most anticipation, as LSU throttled Clemson 51-10 following a two-hour delay on Saturday night. Lane Kiffin‘s team trailed 3-0 after an early turnover, then ripped off 31 unanswered first-half points and coasted the rest of the way.
Prior to the Death Valley showdown, another set of Tigers pulled victory from the jaws of defeat in Atlanta. Auburn stopped Baylor on a 2-point conversion attempt with just 9 seconds remaining in regulation to get Alex Golesh his first win on The Plains.
Last, but certainly not least, came the Rebels’ thrilling win in Nashville over the Cardinals.
It’s impossible for the SEC to go 16-0 again in Week 2 because Alabama and Kentucky play one another. However, 15-1 remains on the table. If the SEC were to pull that off, its status as the top conference in the sport wouldn’t really be up for debate.
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