Things to watch this week in the Southeastern Conference:
No. 6 Alabama (5-1, 3-1 SEC) at No. 14 Tennessee (5-1, 3-1), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
The latest edition of the third Saturday in October rivalry shapes up as a good one between teams with identical records. Tennessee’s lone loss came in a close one at home against then-No. 1 Texas. Alabama is coming off a loss of its own, a 20-17 defeat from new No. 1 Georgia.
Coach Kalen DeBoer is 6-0 coming off a loss at Alabama, but a trip to Neyland Stadium is no easy feat. Alabama is also without leading receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams and may be missing center Racin Delgatty – not an ideal formula when facing a Vols team that leads the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in sacks (25). Five of those sacks and 22 pressures belong to Xavier Gilliam.
It’s also a matchup that could feature two of the most exciting young SEC quarterbacks in Tennessee freshman Faizon Brandon and Alabama sophomore Keelon Russell, whose team is favored by 8.5 points. Brandon is questionable after missing much of the last two games with a shoulder injury.
No. 13 Missouri (5-1, 3-1) at No. 9 Ole Miss (4-1, 2-1), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
The stakes are high for two teams with one loss and playoff aspirations. Mizzou quarterback Austin Simmons was at Ole Miss for three seasons – including a redshirt year – before losing his job to Trinidad Chambliss while injured last season.
Simmons has been a pleasant surprise for Mizzou fans this year, leading the Tigers steadily up the AP Top 25. Running back Jamal Roberts has also impressed, taking full control of Missouri's run game while standout Ahmad Hardy recovers from a gunshot wound, amassing 828 rushing yards and eight scores.
The Rebels also pose a threat in the run game with Kewan Lacy approaching his second game back after a shoulder injury. The Lacy-Chambliss duo has proven to be a hard one to halt, and Deuce Alexander has 503 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
Ole Miss is a 6-point favorite at home.
-– LaNorris Sellers: The South Carolina quarterback led the charge in a 38-19 upset at Florida with 299 total yards and five touchdowns.
–- Peyton Bowen: The safety had seven tackles and a 42-yard pick-6 to help Oklahoma to a potentially season-saving 27-24 defeat of Texas.
–- Joseph Jonah-Ajonye: The Georgia defensive tackle had two tackles, a sack and a forced fumble while helping hold Alabama to 6-of-13 third-down conversions in a 20-17 win.
The SEC has nine ranked teams in the AP Top 25: Georgia (1), Alabama (6), Texas (7), Ole Miss (9), Missouri (13), Tennessee (14), Kentucky (15), Mississippi State (16) and LSU (22). … LSU tops the SEC with 524 yards per game on offense while also holding opponents to a conference-low 249.6 yards per game. … Georgia leads the conference in points per game (46.2) and third-down conversion percentage (55%). … Oklahoma’s defense has fared the best on third downs, stopping 77% of attempts. … Missouri has several players atop the national leaderboards. Nicholas Rodriguez is tied for an FBS-high 63 tackles, Roberts ranks second with 828 rushing yards, Daeden Hopkins’ five sacks ties for the third-most nationally and Cayden Lee is fifth in the FBS with 616 receiving yards.
Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here.
Georgia running back Dwight Phillips Jr. (20) high-fives running back Bo Walker (24) after scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Vanderbilt, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Police on Tuesday charged a driver with intentionally causing serious injury to an Australian federal lawmaker who is in critical condition after being struck by a car in an apparent escalation in political violence that has shocked the nation.
Helen Haines, a 65-year-old independent politician, was in hospital in critical but stable condition after being struck by a car outside her office in the city of Wangaratta, in Victoria state, on Monday in what police alleged was a “targeted” incident.
Brendan Nugent, from nearby Tarrawingee, was charged with intentionally causing serious injury, dangerous driving causing serious injury and causing harm to a federal official, police said in a statement on Tuesday.
Nugent has been in police custody since shortly after Haines was injured and a crowd of bystanders subdued him. He will appear in a Wangaratta court on Wednesday, when he could potentially be released on bail.
His father, Rod Nugent, released a statement Tuesday describing Haines as a “deeply respected, valued and much-loved member of our local community.”
“Helen has been our friend for more than 20 years and what happened to her yesterday is devastating and unfathomable,” the father said, adding that he would cooperate with police.
The incident shocked Australians as political violence is rare here and politicians have always been accessible to the public. Most lawmakers are not accompanied by security officers and go about their work and personal lives on their own.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he phoned local barber Ricky Jefferies, who had run from his store to help members of the public detain the suspect, to thank him on Tuesday for intervening.
“It’s a reminder that at the worst of times, we see the best of the Australian character,” Albanese said in Melbourne.
Jefferies earlier told reporters he searched the driver’s pockets and removed a knife. Police confirmed a knife had been found. Jefferies also said he did not consider himself a hero.
“It was crazy,” he said. “A lot of people got involved immediately and they didn't even check for danger. They just ran to help.”
Haines’s family released a statement expressing thanks for the “swift assistance of bystanders” as well as health workers and police.
Haines, who was first elected to Parliament in 2019 and had been reelected twice since, was initially taken to a hospital in Wangaratta, a city of 30,000 people. She was airlifted later on Monday to a hospital in the state capital, Melbourne, 236 kilometers (147 miles) away.
The Alfred Hospital didn't respond Tuesday to a request for comment on media reports that Haines had had a leg amputated.
Albanese announced on Monday that the national counterterrorism team was investigating, incorporating police and intelligence agencies. Police have since said the incident appears to be isolated.
“This wasn’t an accident. There was a deliberate act, it would appear. We don’t know what the motivation is,” he said.
Recent data has shown that threats of political violence have grown in Australia. The head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation spy agency, Mike Burgess, on Tuesday reiterated an earlier warning that politically motivated violence was a top security concern, along with espionage and foreign interference.
Police reported in 2025 that threats against parliamentarians had doubled over the past three years. Official data showed more than 1,000 such threats against politicians in the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
Albanese and lawmakers from across the political spectrum spoke to media outlets Tuesday, urging their colleagues, reporters and the public to turn down the heat in increasingly fractious political debates. Many also said they hoped Australia’s easygoing culture of approachable politicians wouldn’t change.
Haines was not known for polarizing views. The daughter of dairy farmers and mother of three was a nurse, midwife and academic before entering politics, and advocated for rural health matters. She was initially elected in 2019 with a campaign focused on health equity, rural prosperity and climate action.
Albanese said eyewitnesses had reported the suspect passed Haines in his SUV as she stood by the trunk of her parked car. The SUV then turned and came back before the driver allegedly drove into the politician, the prime minister said.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told Australian Broadcasting Corp. that the driver allegedly reversed and struck Haines a second time, pinning her against her car, after initially hitting her.
One of the bystanders who came to Haines' assistance, Cody Lepoidevin, told reporters he thought he was witnessing a hit-and-run when the SUV backed away after she was first struck.
But instead of fleeing the scene, Lepoidevin said the driver “then reversed and drove back into her.”
Elsewhere in the world, authorities have warned of growing threats to lawmakers. The United States has seen a rise in political violence over the past decade.
That includes the 2022 hammer assault on the husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, in California; the 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally during his presidential campaign, as well as another on the president at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in April; and the assassinations in 2025 of a Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband, and of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk in Utah.
In Britain, killings of politicians have also prompted bolstered security. Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist, while Conservative David Amess was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the militant Islamic State group.
In July, the former British politician and reality TV contestant Ann Widdecombe was found beaten to death with a hammer at her home. A man has been charged with murder and terrorism-related offenses.
Graham-McLay reported from Wellington, New Zealand.
A church sign advertising a vigil for independent member of parliament Helen Haines at the Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral in Wangaratta, Australia, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (James Ross/AAP Image via AP)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, second right, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, third left, Victorian Premier Ben Carroll, Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police Mike Bush, left, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett, obscured, and Victorian Police Minister Paul Edbrooke, right, hold a meeting following the attack on federal independent member of parliament, Helen Haines in Wangaratta, at the Commonwealth Offices in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (Con Chronis/AAP Image via AP)
Tributes and flowers are placed outside the electoral office for independent member of parliament Helen Haines in Wangaratta, Australia, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (James Ross/AAPImage via AP)
People line up to light a candle during a vigil for independent federal member of parliament, Helen Haines at the Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral in Wangaratta, Australia, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (James Ross/AAP Image via AP)
A woman delivers flowers at the electoral office of independent member of parliament, Helen Haines, in Wangaratta, Australia, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (James Ross/AAP Image via AP)
