ATHENS — The plots have thickened, from the top to the bottom of a historically good start to the season for the SEC.

Teams from the Southeastern Conference occupy six of the top seven spots in the AP Top 25 poll for the first time in history, with Georgia holding the No. 1 spot and Texas No. 2.

Coach Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs have won 41-straight regular-season games entering into their game at Kentucky on Saturday night, rolling FCS Tennessee Tech 48-3.

Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns scored a decisive 31-12 win at Michigan last Saturday ended the 23-game home win streak defending national champ Michigan brought into last Saturday’s game in Ann Arbor.

Tennessee, meanwhile, continued its torrid start to the season with a surprisingly easy 51-10 romp over previously No. 23-ranked North Carolina State in its neutral site game in Charlotte, N.C.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in the SEC was watching South Carolina — a team that survived an FCS game with Old Dominion, 23-19 opening week — blasted Kentucky in Lexington by a 31-6 count.

There were struggles in the Heart of Dixie.

Alabama limped into the fourth quarter in Tuscaloosa holding a slight 14-13 lead over South Florida before pulling away for a 42-16.

Auburn, in its second-year under Hugh Freeze, suffered a discouraging 21-14 loss at Jordan-Hare to a Cal program it beat on the road last season.

The matchups wouldn’t appear to be quite as spicy this week, with just two SEC games holding a single-digit betting line.

But with the transfer-heavy rosters of today’s game settling in — or perhaps, breaking apart — the biggest surprise would be no surprises.

Alabama (-16) at Wisconsin, Noon., Fox

The Pick: Alabama 37, Wisconsin 20

LSU (-7) at South Carolina, Noon, ABC

The Pick: LSU 34, South Carolina 17

Boston College at Missouri (-16), 12:45 p.m., SEC Network

The Pick: Missouri 31, Boston College 28

Tulane at Oklahoma (13.5), 3:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2

The Pick: Oklahoma 29, Tulane 16

Texas A&M (-3.5) at Florida, 3:30 p.m. ABC

The Pick: Texas A&M 30, Florida 20

UAB at Arkansas (-24.5), 4:15 p.m., SEC Network

The Pick: Arkansas 31, UAB 20

Ole Miss (-23.5) at Wake Forest, 6:30 p.m., The CW Network

The Pick: Ole Miss 41, Wake Forest 17

UTSA at Texas (-35.5), 7 p.m., ESPN

The Pick: Texas 38, UTSA 20

Vanderbilt (-10.5) at Georgia State, 7 p.m., ESPN-Plus

The Pick: Vanderbilt 36, Georgia State 20

New Mexico at Auburn (-28), 7:30 p.m., ESPN2 / ESPNU

The Pick: Auburn 51, New Mexico 21

Toledo at Mississippi State (-11.5), 7:30 p.m., ESPN2, ESPNU

The Pick: Mississippi State 41, Toledo 20

Georgia (-24) at Kentucky, 7:30 p.m., ABC

The Pick: Georgia 38, Kentucky 10

Kent State at Tennessee (-48.5), 7:45 p.m, SEC Network

The Pick: Tennessee 63, Kent State 10