Despite all of the telltale signs — chilly weather, SEC rivalry games, a bowl full of leftover Halloween candy, and split screens with NBA action — I’m still finding it hard to believe we’ve already arrived in the month of November.
And since we’re getting to the season where most of the country is going to be coated with snow, it’s only appropriate that we kick off the Week 10 Awards column with a man whose last name is “Freeze.”
Biggest Loser of the Weekend: Hugh Freeze
First it was Billy Napier, then it was Brian Kelly, and now, for the third-straight week, a traditional SEC powerhouse has decided to move on from their head coach, as the Auburn Tigers put an end to the tenure of head coach Hugh Freeze following an absolutely gross 10-3 home loss at the hands of the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night. Frankly, following that loss to Kentucky, this was the right time to say “Don’t let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya” to Freeze, who had accumulated just a 15-19 record since becoming the head coach of the Tigers in 2023.
It continues a downward spiral for the Auburn Tigers, who haven’t had a winning season since the COVID year… the last year of of Gus Malzahn’s run with the school, in which the Tigers finished with a winning record in each of those seasons.
Auburn is now the latest Power 4 program to have a head coaching vacancy heading into the 2026 offseason, joining Florida, LSU, Penn State, UCLA, Arkansas, Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech.
Biggest Winner of the Weekend: Arch Manning
Now that was the Arch Manning we’ve been waiting for 2 months to see! In a 34-31 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores — a game that the Texas Longhorns needed in order to stay alive in the College Football Playoff race — Manning became the first player in program history to throw for 300 yards, 3 touchdowns and complete 75% of his passes against a top-10 opponent. That’s right. Vince Young never did it. Colt McCoy didn’t either. And neither did Quinn Ewers, Sam Ehlinger, Chris Simms or anyone else who has ever suited up for the Longhorns.
I’m not going to sit here and suggest that Arch Manning is suddenly the can’t-miss prospect he was considered to be before the season began. We need to see this over a bigger sample size before I’m ready to have that conversation again. Hell, if Manning does this at Georgia in 2 weeks, then maybe we could get that conversation rolling again. But at the very least, this was a solid sign of growth compared to where Arch was at the start of the year.
“I think he’s grown up,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said after the win, per Dave Wilson of ESPN.com. “He just looks so much more mature. He looks so much more poised. He looks so much more confident, and he’s got a lot more trust in those guys around him.”
SEC Player of the Year Ballot
- Ty Simpson (QB, Alabama) – 2,184 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, 1 interception, 67.8% completion, 2 rushing yards
- Marcel Reed (QB, Texas A&M) – 1,972 passing yards, 17 passing touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 61.4% completion, 349 rushing yards, 6 rushing touchdowns
- Diego Pavia (QB, Vanderbilt) – 2,063 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 69.2% completion, 501 rushing yards, 6 rushing touchdowns
- Trinidad Chambliss (QB, Ole Miss) – 2,023 passing yards, 10 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 60.6% completion, 435 rushing yards, 6 rushing touchdowns
- Arch Manning (QB, Texas) – 2,123 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 62.7% completion, 203 rushing yards, 6 rushing touchdowns
SEC Power Poll
I have 2 major shake-ups to announce for this week’s SEC Power Poll. First, the Tennessee Volunteers have been knocked out of the Power Poll, because remember, we’re talking about championship equity here, and with 3 losses, there’s really no scenario where the Vols can make the field. With that said, I made a mistake dropping the Missouri Tigers out of consideration. I did so because quarterback Beau Pribula suffered an ankle dislocation and it’s unlikely he’ll be returning any time soon, but mathematically, Missouri isn’t out of the field.
Therefore, I’d like to amend that mistake by reintroducing the 2-loss Tigers to the Power Poll this week, because if Mizzou runs the table — which would include wins over Texas A&M and Oklahoma — it could absolutely make the 12-team Playoff field.
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Texas Longhorns
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Vanderbilt Commodores
- Missouri Tigers
Play of the Weekend: Chauncey Bowens puts Georgia ahead for good against Florida
The Gators gave the Bulldogs are much tougher test than I expected they would, but the end result was the same… Georgia came away with the win at the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, thanks in large part to a late-4th quarter scamper from Chauncey Bowens, a redshirt freshman who originally committed to stay in-state and play for the Florida Gators before flipping his commitment to Georgia.
Biggest News Outside of the SEC
- A pair of unbeatens suffer their first defeat, as unranked Navy took a 31-17 L at the hands of North Texas, and Georgia Tech – like the Miami Hurricanes did on Saturday afternoon – found out how difficult it can be to win on the road in conference play. We’re now down to 4 undefeated teams… Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M and BYU, and looking ahead to Week 11, all 4 of these teams will be on the road this Saturday.
- At this point, what else can we say about the Miami Hurricanes? After a loss on the road to SMU, it’s feeling like Mario Cristobal is on the fast-track to become the James Franklin of the South, only games in November are his kryptonite, not top-5 opponents. And boy, imagine my embarrassment, because it was only 3 weeks ago when I advised y’all to bet the over on 11.5 wins for the Hurricanes this season.
- Staying in the ACC, now the Virginia Cavaliers, not a misprint, are the only remaining program with a perfect record in conference games, and then there’s a logjam of 5 schools — Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Louisville, SMU and Duke — that are either 5-1 or 4-1 in ACC play, which sets us up for a truly wild final month of action in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
- That aforementioned road test for BYU this Saturday? It’s in Lubbock against Texas Tech, and thanks to the Cougars and Red Raiders, the Big 12 has 2 teams ranked in the top 10 for the first time in 2 years.
- I’d like to send a special congratulations to the Kennesaw State Owls, who currently sit atop Conference USA and have earned a berth to a bowl game in the program’s first season of bowl eligibility.
One Big Question Heading Into Week 11: What is the first CFP Top 12 going to look like?
Personally, I’m not a fan of the College Football Playoff committee announcing their current field a month ahead of time, just as I’m not a fan of the College Basketball’s Selection Committee doing the same early in February. I prefer the mystery, but with that said, I’m obligated to make my own set of predictions for the first rankings of the season, so here goes:
1. Ohio State Buckeyes
2. Indiana Hoosiers
3. Texas A&M Aggies
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
5. Georgia Bulldogs
6. Ole Miss Rebels
7. BYU Cougars
8. Oregon Ducks
9. Texas Tech Red Raiders
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
11. Virginia Cavaliers
12. Memphis Tigers
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13. Texas Longhorns
14. Oklahoma Sooners
15. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
16. Vanderbilt Commodores
