No. 20 Oklahoma beat No. 14 Tennessee 33-27 in the first of many SEC "elimination games" in Week 10.
The Sooners (7-2, 3-2 SEC) took advantage of several Tennessee (6-3, 3-3 SEC) miscues, and Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer silenced Neyland Stadium with a huge second half. Mateer finished 19 of 29 for 159 yards and an interception - but he added 80 rushing yards and a game-clinching 1-yard TD with 1:44 remaining.
Oklahoma - which suffered losses to No. 7 Ole Miss and No. 20 Texas - kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive. The Vols suffered a third loss, which is going to make a second straight playoff run under Josh Heupel next to impossible with four weeks remaining in the regular season.
How did the Sooners beat the Volunteers? What does the SEC championship and playoff race look like now?
MORE: Where do Texas, Vanderbilt stand after Longhorns win over Vandy?
Oklahoma led 16-10 at halftime with the help of three first-half turnovers by Tennessee. The Sooners scored 13 points off those miscues. That included a 71-yard fumble return for a touchdown by R Mason Thomas. Joey Aguilar - who finished 29 of 45 for 393 yards and three TDs - threw two first-half interceptions that led to the other six Oklahoma points.
Tennessee retook a 17-16 lead on a 54-yard TD pass from Joey Aguilar to Braylon Staley with 11:52 left in the third quarter. Then, Oklahoma had a turnover when Xavier Robinson fumbled at the Tennessee 10-yard line, which was recovered by Eldress Farooq. Robinson atoned with a 4-yard TD run that put the Sooners up 23-17 with 2:03 left in the third quarter.
Tate Sandell added a 55-yard field goal with 11:05 remaining to give the Sooners a 26-17 lead.
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.
The SEC enters Week 11 with eight teams that have two losses or less. Here is how those teams fit in the SEC standings:
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 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)
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.
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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.
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. 15) and Texas A&M (Nov. 28).
MORE: Breaking down Arch Manning's big day against Vanderbilt
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.
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 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.