No. 20 Oklahoma beat No. 14 Tennessee 33-27 in the first of many SEC "elimination games" in Week 10.
Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2 SEC) capitalized on multiple errors by Tennessee (6-3, 3-3 SEC), and OU's quarterback John Mateer quieted Neyland Stadium with a dominant second half performance. Mateer completed 19 of 29 passes for 159 yards and threw one interception. He also gained 80 rushing yards and scored the game-sealing 1-yard touchdown with 1:44 left on the clock.
Oklahoma – which experienced defeats against No. 7 Ole Miss and No. 20 Texas — kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive. With a third defeat, the Vols' chances of a second consecutive playoff appearance under Josh Heupel are now slim to none, with only four weeks left in the regular season.
What was the Sooners' path to victory over the Volunteers? How has the SEC championship picture and the playoff race shifted?
MORE: Where do Texas, Vanderbilt stand after Longhorns win over Vandy?
Oklahoma defeats Tennessee
Oklahoma led 16-10 at halftime with the help of three first-half turnovers by Tennessee. The Sooners capitalized on those turnovers, scoring 13 points. R Mason Thomas contributed a 71-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Joey Aguilar, completing 29 of 45 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns, tossed two first-half interceptions that accounted for the other six Oklahoma points.
With 11:52 remaining in the third quarter, Tennessee regained a 17-16 advantage via a 54-yard touchdown pass from Joey Aguilar to Braylon Staley. Oklahoma experienced a turnover when Xavier Robinson fumbled the ball at the Tennessee 10-yard line, and Eldress Farooq recovered it. Robinson atoned with a 4-yard TD run that put the Sooners up 23-17 with 2:03 left in the third quarter.
With 11:05 left on the clock, Tate Sandell kicked a 55-yard field goal, extending the Sooners' lead to 26-17.
Tennessee had multiple chances in the fourth quarter to cut the lead. Aguilar threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-1 from the Oklahoma 37 yard line with 8:11 remaining. Aguilar then threw a 15-yard TD to Mike Matthews with 1:56 remaining to cut the lead to 26-24, but the Sooners recovered the onside kick and a short touchdown run by Mateer helped seal the victory in a wild finish.
Tennessee managed 35 rushing attempts for 63 yards in the loss.
SEC playoff race
The SEC enters Week 11 with eight teams that have two losses or less. Here is how those teams fit in the SEC standings:
| TEAM | OVERALL | CONFERENCE | WEEK 9 |
| No. 3 Texas AM | 8-0 | 5-0 | Bye |
| No. 4 Alabama | 7-1 | 5-0 | Bye |
| No. 7 Ole Miss | 8-1 | 5-1 | Beat South Carolina xx-xx |
| No. 5 Georgia | 7-1 | 5-1 | Beat Florida 24-20 |
| No. 20 Texas | 7-2 | 4-1 | Beat Vanderbilt 34-31 |
| No. 9 Vanderbilt | 7-2 | 3-2 | Lost to Texas 34-31 |
| No. 18 Oklahoma | 7-2 | 3-2 | Beat Tennessee 33-27 |
| No. 19 Missouri | 6-2 | 2-2 | Bye |
Texas A&M ranked 3rd
The Aggies control their destiny under coach Mike Elko in the SEC race heading into Week 11. Texas A&M has home games against Samford and South Carolina – which should help get to the coveted 10-win mark. Road games against No. 19 Missouri (No. 8) and No. 20 Texas (Nov. 28) are the toughest tests left.
Alabama ranked 4th (7-1, 5-0)
Alabama also controls its destiny in the SEC championship race. The Crimson Tide do not have a conference loss, and they resume action against LSU on Nov. 5. The Crimson Tide also have conference games against No. 18 Oklahoma (Nov. 15) and Auburn (Nov. 29)
#7 Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss beat South Carolina 30-14. The Rebels play their next two games at home before the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State, and Lane Kiffin has the program on track for its first CFP appearance.
MORE: Would Lane Kiffin consider offer from Florida?
Georgia ranked fifth
Georgia rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Florida 24-20. The Bulldogs have four SEC wins of 10 points or less, but Kirby Smart still has the Bulldogs on track to make the College Football Playoff. Georgia plays Texas (Nov. 15) and faces No. 8 Georgia Tech (Nov. 28) in the regular-season finale at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Texas (#20, 7-2, 4-1)
The Longhorns should jump in both the AP Poll and CFP rankings after a 34-31 victory against Vanderbilt. Arch Manning passed for 328 yards and three TDs, and Texas is a chaos team down the stretch with dates against Georgia (Nov. And Texas A&M (November. 28).
MORE: Arch Manning's standout performance versus Vanderbilt
Sooners: 18th ranked 7-2
The Sooners have losses to Texas and Alabama, but one advantage the Sooners have in the race down the stretch is a non-conference victory against No. 21 Michigan – the fourth-highest ranked team in the Big Ten. That might show up later.
Vanderbilt ranked ninth
The Commodores rallied with 21 fourth-quarter points in the loss to Texas, and the road losses to Alabama and Texas aren't dealbreakers. The problem is Vanderbilt does not have a signature victory that puts them over the top if the final few spots get crowded. Vanderbilt closes with Auburn, Kentucky and No. 14 Tennessee.
Missouri Tigers ranked 19th
Missouri has two one-score losses against top-10 teams in Alabama and Vanderbilt, and the Week 11 matchup against Texas A&M will determine whether the Tigers can stay in the playoff race. Missouri also plays at Oklahoma on Nov. 22. Every game is an elimination game at this point.