Both the SEC and College Football Playoff races should gain plenty of clarity in Week 9 of the 2025 season. The Southeast’s premier college football conference is home to three ranked matchups on Saturday, each with major implications on the national landscape.
Two league contenders and Ole Miss and Oklahoma are set to face off in a contest that could decide either’s conference championship game fate. No. 10 Vanderbilt looks to stay hot against a No. 15 Missouri team that it has not won against since 2019.
No. 20 LSU highlights the evening slate as it tries to keep its season alive against No. 3 Texas A&M, which is one of just six remaining unbeaten teams. Outside of the SEC, there are a few playoff contenders that have to deal with major road tests this weekend.
Here’s a look at the Week 9 games that matter in the playoff race, and what it means for both teams involved.
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David Cobb
No. 8 Ole Miss at No. 13 Oklahoma
Ole Miss was knocked from the hall of unbeatens with Week 8’s loss to No. 5 Georgia. Now the Rebels look to rebound with a very tough test. Ole Miss has lost its last nine road games against AP-ranked power conference opponents. The Rebels also haven’t lost back-to-back games since 2022. They’re 5-0 after a loss over the last three seasons. While a loss here wouldn’t tank their season, it would eliminate any margin for error down the stretch.
Oklahoma, on the other hand, is 9-1 in its last 10 home games against AP-ranked opponents. The Sooners need all the wins they can get at this point, especially if they’re playing inside the friendly confines of Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Saturday starts a gauntlet of five-straight ranked opponents for the Sooners. Two of those games are on the road against a pair of top-20 opponents in No. 17 Tennessee and No. 4 Alabama. With a loss against then-unranked Texas already on its ledger, the Sooners have to be near-perfect over the last month and change. That means not fumbling home-field advantage.
No. 15 Missouri at No. 10 Vanderbilt
Missouri travels to play a very scrappy and very good Vanderbilt team in just its second road game of the season. The Tigers’ star has faded a bit in recent weeks, as they suffered their first loss of the year to Alabama and then struggled on the road against a rudderless Auburn team. Still, Missouri ranks top-10 nationally in both total offense and total defense, with the upside to beat any team in the SEC. This does feel like a must-win for its playoff outlook as, without it, the Tigers may not have the record to make the cut among an expected glut of two-loss Power Four teams.
Vanderbilt has already built a very strong ledger in its favor. The Commodores boast multiple wins against top-15 teams for the first time in program history, and they’re going for a third on Saturday. They have yet to lose at home and they’ve attained their highest ranking in 78 years. Even with a Week 9 loss, they’ll be in good standing for a potential playoff berth with further opportunities to impress the selection committee against beatable teams like No. 22 Texas and No. 17 Tennessee down the line.
No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 20 LSU
In spite of the lofty ranking next to its name, it still feels like Texas A&M is flying under the radar. Perhaps that’s because this is its first game against a ranked opponent in over a month. It’s true that the Aggies have benefitted from a relatively light SEC schedule thus far — especially in comparison to what it could be — but there’s plenty of merit in taking care of business amid an extremely chaotic season. The fact that Texas A&M is still undefeated also means that it can get by with a loss this weekend, especially since it’s on the road.
Every week from this point forward is LSU’s last gasp. The Tigers entered the season with legitimate SEC and national title hopes. Now they’re barely hanging on as a ranked team. Few results look better to the committee than a win against a top-three foe, though, and LSU can get right back on track Saturday. Any loss between now and the last weekend in November will officially bury those preseason hopes.
Dark Horse Game of the Week
No. 18 South Florida at Memphis
South Florida, quietly, has one of the best résumés in college football. The Bulls currently rank 13th in ESPN’s strength of record metric, ahead of the likes of Texas Tech, Texas, Michigan and LSU. They were the first team to earn consecutive ranked wins this season when they started the year 2-0, and their only loss thus far came on the road against top-10 Miami. Winning the American Conference would put them in pole position for a playoff bid, but there’s still a long — and difficult — path to that point.
Memphis represents one of the largest remaining road blocks. The Tigers looked to be building their own case for the playoff amid a 6-0 start to the year and an appearance in the AP Top 25. Then they suffered a disastrous loss to a UAB team that fired former coach Trent Dilfer on Oct. 12. It’s going to be hard to overcome that, though ranked wins heal most wounds. Memphis is still a good team and it could put itself right back in the thick of the American Conference scramble with a win.
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