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SEC Power Rankings after Week 3: Texas on top, Mississippi State to the basement

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SEC Power Rankings after Week 3: Texas on top, Mississippi State to the basement


We’re a quarter of the way through the 2024 SEC football season, this past Saturday’s results have led to some shuffling at the top and bottom of SEC power rankings.

How have the power rankings changed after Week 3 of the season?

1. Texas Longhorns (up from 2)

Is there a QB controversy in Austin?! Maybe, but what isn’t a controversy is whether or not the Horns should be #1. They absolutely should after a 3-0 start featuring three blowout wins, including dismantling Michigan in Ann Arbor. They’ve been the nation’s most impressive team so far.

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2. Georgia Bulldogs (down from 1)

The Bulldogs are not without flaws. UGA was fortunate to walk out of Lexington a winner, but it was by no means a great performance for the presumed title favorites. No need to panic. Kirby Smart’s title-winning teams had games like this one. But for now, they fall to second in the power rankings.

3. Ole Miss Rebels

Are the Rebels for real? Probably, but it’s impossible to know because they still haven’t played anyone with a pulse. That won’t change this Saturday either. But they demolishing the teams they have played, so that’s good enough to have them here.

4. Alabama Crimson Tide (up from 5)

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Alabama’s response to struggling for 3+ quarters at home with USF was to dominate Wisconsin on the road. Pretty good, if you ask me. Granted USF may literally be a better team than the Badgers, but this was an impressive win for the Tide nonetheless.

5. Tennessee Volunteers (down from 4)

Leading 65-0 at the half to then win 71-0 is insane. The Vols have a death machine look to them. But like Ole Miss, we don’t have the greatest idea of how good they truly are. That will change this Saturday though after Josh Heupel takes his team on the road to face his alma mater and former employer in Norman.

6. Missouri Tigers

Mizzou got its first test of the season with Boston College, and while it was by no means a cakewalk, they got the win. They’re not quite as flashy as the team ahead of them, but the Tigers still look to be a complete team capable of being one of the league’s best.

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7. Oklahoma Sooners

Last week I said OU was in this spot by default because despite not looking particularly impressive, I didn’t know who I could have ahead of them. Yeah well copy and paste that to this week. The Sooners beat Tulane. The Sooners are 3-0. I don’t know that the Sooners are good.

8. LSU Tigers

Luck seemed to be on the Tigers side (and water is wet) in their win at South Carolina. After getting down 17-0, seemingly everything broke in their favor, and they got an exciting win. The defense is still a massive problem, and the offense is somewhat disjointed. But LSU is a solid team.

9. Texas A&M Aggies

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Does Florida suck? Absolutely. Was it still a good sign that the Aggies went on the road and wiped the floor with them while dealing with a weather delay? Of course! Marcel Reed may be the ultimate answer for A&M at QB. A Collin Klein offense needs a QB who can run, and he provides that.

10. South Carolina Gamecocks (up from 13)

You almost had it, Gamecocks. You almost had it. That was a heartbreaking loss for South Carolina against the Tigers. You’re dominating the game, but then your QB gets hurt, officiating takes an unfortunate turn, and you miss a game-tying FG at the end of regulation. Painful. But even with the loss, this team clearly is good enough to make some minor noise.

11. Arkansas Razorbacks (down from 10)

Things were looking iffy for a minute there in Fayetteville, but the Hogs managed to get the win over UAB. Crisis averted. Now, can Arkansas be feisty enough to spring some upsets in SEC play?

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12. Auburn Tigers (down from 11)

Congrats to Auburn for not losing to a G5 team from the state of New Mexico for the second-straight year. We’ll just ignore that you only led by four at the half and instead focus on the 45-19 final score. Is Hank Brown the savior at QB? Probably not, but he can’t be any worse than what AU had before.

13. Kentucky Wildcats (up from 16)

Despite another loss and 1-2 start, I’ve moved the Cats up from the cellar. They were right there with Georgia, and South Carolina doesn’t look like an awful loss (even though it was a home blowout). This team certainly isn’t great, but they aren’t horrible.

14. Vanderbilt Commodores (down from 12)

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Oh, Vandy. Just when I thought you had something special brewing, you go and lose to Georgia State. That’s a real shame. But at least you’ve still got that win over Virginia Tech to prop you above the true disaster programs of the SEC.

15. Florida Gators

Graham Mertz? DJ Lagway? Doesn’t matter. The Gators are awful. Getting torched at home by the backup QB for a Texas A&M offense that looked totally incompetent to start the year is a crystal clear sign that the end is near for Billy Napier in Gainesville. But can his team at least beat #16 in my rankings?

16. Mississippi State Bulldogs

You know what losing by 24 points at home to a MAC team gets you? Last place. Mississippi State looks like the worst team in the SEC. They look like arguably the worst P4 team in the country. It’s only fitting that the Bulldogs and Gators get to subject fans to a matchup between each other this coming Saturday.

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Austin, TX

Austin, TX venue Emo’s on the move again, AEG to take over the building

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Austin, TX venue Emo’s on the move again, AEG to take over the building


Emo’s in Austin is on the move again. 

After more than a decade at 2015 E. Riverside Drive (following the original Red River-era venue closing in 2011), Emo’s current Riverside space will be taken over by AEG Presents when the lease ends later this year. The Los Angeles, CA-based company will assume operations in January 2027 and plans to reopen the building under a new name in early 2027 following upgrades, renovations and a full rebrand.

AEG are also opening a new 4,000-cap venue nearby next spring as part of the River Park mixed-use development in southeast Austin.

C3 Presents, who reopened Emo’s at the Riverside location, say this isn’t the end of Emo’s — they’re working on a new home and plan to move the venue back to downtown Austin, with more updates to come.

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AEG Presents Vice President Robin Phillips shared the following:

There’s like no weirdness or any bad blood or anything. It just, you know, new lease and they’ll [Emo’s] go do something great. They have been important to the Austin music scene, so I have a lot of respect for them.

But I don’t think the Austin music scene or legacy is limited to one name. I know people will remember the original Emo’s and this Emo’s as, you know, both great venues… And I don’t think Austin’s music scene is just a name, it’s the artists, in my opinion.

 

A C3 spokesperson added:

Emo’s has a long history in Austin and we’ve been working behind the scenes for some time on a new home for this venue. After we wrap up at this venue in December, we will focus our efforts on our new location.

 

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Emo’s gave the following statement to Austin local news KXAN:

We’re grateful for all of the fans and artists who’ve shaped Emo’s to what it is today: a community of like-minded people who love live music. We have a vision for our future and will be moving into a new building downtown that celebrates our punk rock roots with the new amenities that fans are looking for from a venue. We’ll continue to share updates on the next chapter for Emo’s on social media.





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Austin, TX

Highly pathogenic virus found in herd of Texas dairy cows

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Highly pathogenic virus found in herd of Texas dairy cows


State and federal agriculture officials said highly pathogenic avian flu has been found in a herd of dairy cows in Texas.

What we know:

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Officials said the H5N1 virus was confirmed with laboratory tests in late May after cows at an unspecified farm became sick and milk production dropped. The dairy has since been quarantined and an investigation is underway.

This is the first case of avian flu in a Texas dairy herd this year, officials said.

What they’re saying:

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“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is confident that pasteurization is effective at inactivating H5N1, and that the commercial, pasteurized milk supply is safe,” officials at the Texas Animal Health Commission said in a statement.

A dairy cow is seen at a farm on June 1, 2026.

A dairy cow is seen at a farm on June 1, 2026. (Tim Evans/Bloomberg / Getty Images)

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Dig deeper:

H5N1 has a high rate of severe disease and death in animals that become infected.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk to the general public from avian flu is low. Some sporadic human infections have been reported around the world since 1997. There have been no known cases of person-to-person spreading of avian flu.

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The Source: Information in this story came from the Texas Animal Health Commission, the USDA, the FDA and the CDC.

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Austin, TX

New Texas law tightens rules for autonomous vehicle companies, including Waymo

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New Texas law tightens rules for autonomous vehicle companies, including Waymo


Self-driving cars have become a common sight on Austin streets, but a new Texas law is adding tougher requirements for the companies behind the wheelless vehicles.

Senate Bill 2807 imposes stricter rules on autonomous vehicle companies operating in the state, including state authorization, emergency response plans for law enforcement, and a public portal where residents can verify operators and file safety complaints.

The changes come as Austin continues to track incidents involving autonomous vehicles. The city’s autonomous vehicle dashboard shows 75 incidents in 2026, including a collision, eight near misses, and seven incidents of ignoring police direction.

Attorney Drew Gibbs, a partner at Slingshot Law, said one crash involved a Waymo vehicle.

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“There was a T-bone collision. A pretty serious T-bone collision where a Waymo just crashed into the side of my client’s vehicle,” Gibbs said.

ALSO| Waymo files voluntary software recall over flooded-lane risks on high-speed roads

KEYE

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One of the incidents of ignoring police direction happened during the mass shooting on West Sixth Street back in March, when three people died, and 15 others were injured.

Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock said autonomous vehicles can struggle in unusual situations.

“It didn’t impede on anything in the moment, but it’s not necessarily uncommon where these vehicles don’t quite know how to deal with these one-off scenarios,” Bullock said.

The new law requires autonomous vehicle companies to be authorized by the state, to provide an emergency response plan for law enforcement, and to participate in a public-facing portal that allows the public to verify operators and submit safety complaints.

Kara Kockelman, a professor of transportation and engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, welcomed the added oversight.

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“I’m glad that the state is taking this a bit more seriously now,” she said. “It’s important not to just let others slip in without kind of meeting those basic minimums.”

Bullock said the emergency planning requirement may not make a major difference in fast-moving situations. Asked how impactful it is to have a fully laid out emergency response plan, Bullock said, “These plans are great, but it takes time to work through all of those versus the immediacy of having someone behind the wheel.”

The four autonomous vehicle companies operating in Austin — Waymo, Zoox, AV-Ride, and Tesla — are all state-authorized.

The Texas DMV said an autonomous vehicle company can lose its authorization to operate in Texas if the agency deems the vehicles are operating in a way that endangers public safety.

Waymo was contacted for comment, but had not responded.

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