SEC this week: Sooners look to stay hot vs. Hardy and Mizzou; Vandy fights to stay in playoff mix

Things to watch this week in the Southeastern Conference:

Game of the week

No. 23 Missouri (7-3, 3-3 SEC) at No. 8 Oklahoma (8-2, 4-2), Saturday, noon ET (ABC)

Oklahoma, riding high after beating Alabama and getting back in mix for the 12-team playoff, needs to avoid a potential trap game here.

Missouri bounced back from consecutive losses with a 49-27 win against Mississippi State. Running back Ahmad Hardy was a big reason, rushing for 300 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries; he now tops the FBS with 1,346 rushing yards. Freshman quarterback Matt Zollers found the end zone twice.

A year ago, defensive end Zion Young’s late fumble return for a touchdown carried Mizzou to a 30-23 win.

The undercard

Kentucky (5-5, 2-5) at No. 12 Vanderbilt (8-2, 4-2), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Vanderbilt is one of several SEC teams with playoff hopes and is was ranked No. 14 in the latest CFP release. A win against Kentucky is mandatory but Vandy also could use some outside help. Kentucky is coming off a 42-10 win against Tennessee Tech and has won three in a row.

Impact players

-– Eli Bowen’s 87-yard pick-six in the first quarter set the tone for Oklahoma, which went on to snap Alabama’s eight-game winning streak. Bowen also notched a season-high five solo tackles in the 23-21 win.

-– Running back Kewan Lacy rushed for a career-high 224 yards and three touchdowns, helping Ole Miss to a 34-24 win against Florida. Lacy’s rushing yards were the most by any Rebel since 2010 (Brandon Bolden, 228 yards vs. Fresno State).

-– Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton accounted for five touchdowns, leading the Bulldogs to a 35-10 win over Texas. Stockton completed 24 of 29 passes for 229 yards and four touchdowns. He added 29 yards and a score on the ground. Georgia moved up to No. 4 in CFP and AP rankings.

Inside the numbers

Oklahoma’s defense leads the country in tackles for loss and is the only FBS team averaging double-digits per game (10.2). … South Carolina’s defense has forced a conference-high 20 turnovers, including 11 interceptions. …Texas A&M’s offensive line has allowed the fewest sacks in the conference (10). … Ole Miss RB Kewan Lacy is tied for first in the FBS with 19 total touchdowns. … Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell II leads the SEC in receiving yards (873) and receiving touchdowns (8).

Playoff picture

While Georgia moved up to No. 4 in the CFP rankings, Texas A&M held steady at No. 3 and Ole Miss is No. 6. Oklahoma’s postseason chances improved dramatically after beating Alabama, elevating the Sooners to No. 8. Alabama slid from No. 4 to No. 10. No. 14 Vanderbilt is the first SEC team out of the 12-team bracket, and Texas dropped to No. 17 after its third loss of the season.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football