Ad Disclosure
If Week 1 was the fall down, Week 2 was the calm down.
After seven teams dropped opening week games for the first time since 1992, the SEC bounced back and checked off all the boxes against the overmatched visitors they were supposed to pound — well, except for the guys from Athens, but Georgia is still 2-0 and dreaming big.
Now to Week 3 we go. There’s only 10 games, but four are SEC battles, a sign that the meat of the conference crunch is inching ever closer.
Ohio at Tennessee, noon: After rallying to beat Virginia Tech before a record crowd at Bristol Motor Speedway, the Volunteers will probably feel like they’re playing in a sandbox at little, old Neyland Stadium. The first go-around at Neyland didn’t go so well in that season-opening overtime escape over Appalachian State, so Butch Jones’ team will have plenty of motivation to do it much better this time.
But the Bobcats from the scrappy Mid-American Conference won’t be intimidated, coming off a road victory against a Power Five program. Yes, it was Kansas, but it was still a Power Five road win. Ohio is led by Frank Solich, who used to coach in big games at Nebraska among the Sea of Red, so he won’t sweat trying to get his troops to hang tough in the Sea of Orange.
The big thing here for the Vols: ultimate focus. That’s the challenge for Tennessee in this matchup that comes between the Battle at Bristol and the home showdown with Florida.
Vanderbilt at Georgia Tech, 12:30 p.m.: This game is all about Vandy’s defense trying to slow down Justin Thomas’ legs.
If the Commodores can keep Thomas and his vaunted triple option ground gang from taking over, then it has a chance to turn the contest over to Ralph Webb, who ran for a career-high 211 yards last week and is the sort of weapon that burns clocks and wins games on the road. If Thomas even comes close to outgaining Webb on the ground, then Vandy can pretty much forget pulling off the upset.
Alabama at Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m.: This has become one of “those games.” With the Rebels’ status rising under Hugh Freeze, this annual September clash between provides one of the first forks in the road of the SEC season.
This has become a battle between the team that “has it” and the team that “wants it.” The Rebels have won two straight against the Tide, but that hasn’t translated into an SEC West title.
Ole Miss hopes this year will be the same — and different. It wants that SEC West crown at the end, but Saturday’s national TV showdown in Oxford is all about what’s between the ears. Do the Rebels have the mental toughness to believe their advantage at quarterback with Chad Kelly and the home crowd can carry them to an unheard of third consecutive win over Nick Saban.
Bama is surely equipped to win this game, but it looks like it will have a quarterback in true freshman Jalen Hurts who’ll be making the first road start.
And you just know that Kelly the confident senior wants no part of losing to Hurts the freshman, at home, with Ole Miss’ season hanging in the balance.
East Carolina at South Carolina, 4 p.m.: The Gamecocks struggled to score in their Week 2 loss at Mississippi State, just like they did in the opener against Vanderbilt. The difference was that 13 points was good enough against Vandy but 14 wasn’t against a hungry Bulldogs team in Starkville.
Now the Gamecocks finally get to play in front of the crazies at Williams-Brice, but the Pirates will hardly be an easy conquest. The team from the American Athletic Conference that boasts sixth-ranked Houston is coming into Columbia with a 2-0 record, having just beaten a Power Five team in North Carolina State. In fact, the Pirates have now won six in a row against ACC opponents.
Still, they did give up 497 yards to the so-so Wolfpack. If ever the Gamecocks offense that was held to 243 yards against Mississippi State is going to produce, this would seem to be the week. But who will be under center for the home opener? Perry Orth, who was terrible in the first half last week? Or Brandon McIlwain, who gave the offense some life in the second half with two TD passes?
That’ll be something to watch closely this week.
New Mexico State at Kentucky, 4 p.m.: Not exactly a matchup that jumps out and grabs you in the middle of September, is it? But for Kentucky, this one means everything. If it doesn’t come together this week against New Mexico State, which has allowed 38 and 31 points to UTEP and New Mexico, respectively, then Kentucky can pretty much forget about its pursuit of six wins and bowl eligibility.
Texas A&M at Auburn, 7 p.m.: The Aggies have gone from unranked to 17th in the country and riding high in just two weeks of football. The riveting Week 1 overtime upset of UCLA showed Texas A&M could have success. The 67-0 rout of Prairie View last week showed the Aggies could handle success.
Now comes a trip to Jordan-Hare for a primetime, national TV clash with a sneaky Tigers team that nearly took down Clemson on the same field in Week 1. This will be the Aggies’ first road game, which is definitely worth noting. The 12th Man won’t be there this time if adversity strikes Saturday night.
And the Tigers are feeling a whole lot better about their offense and musical chairs quarterback situation after Sean White’s dominant performance in Week 2, though it was Arkansas State. Had White played the whole game against Clemson, Auburn just might have pulled the upset. White will likely get that chance in a showdown with red-hot Trevor Knight and the Aggies.
Mississippi State at LSU, 7 p.m.: This SEC West slugfest in Baton Rouge will feature what Tigers fans hope is the continuation of the Danny Etling phenomenon that was on display Saturday night on the same field against Jacksonville State. Etling replaced Brandon Harris on LSU’s third possession, much to the delight of the Tigers faithful, and gave the offense life that it never had against Wisconsin.
Les Miles isn’t ready to name Etling the starter just yet, but you would think the Purdue transfer will get his shot from the opening kickoff against the Bulldogs.
Nick Fitzgerald gave Mississippi State’s offense similar life, setting a school record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 195 in the victory over South Carolina. But facing the Gamecocks at home isn’t facing the Tigers in Death Valley in the SEC opener, as LSU sets out to really start showing why it was a popular preseason pick to win the conference.
Georgia at Missouri, 7:30 p.m.: After such an emotional win over North Carolina in Week 1, Georgia did the escape act last week in barely avoiding an embarrassing home loss to Nicholls. And the Bulldogs paid the price in the polls, dropping from ninth to 16th in the AP poll and ninth to 13th in the coaches’ poll.
How good are the Bulldogs? They are a bit of a mystery right now, full of talent but a team with a freshman quarterback in Jacob Eason who one day might be the savior but right now is just a guy learning on the job while he makes mistakes and shares time with Greyson Lambert.
This is Drew Lock’s chance to show last week’s 61-point outburst that included five TD passes didn’t just happen because it was Eastern Michigan.
Georgia beat Missouri 10-9 last year in Athens. It could be 10-9 midway through the first quarter this time around under the lights in Columbia.
North Texas at Florida, 7:30 p.m.: Yes, the Gators are supposed to beat Kentucky. It’s part of their DNA after three decades. But Luke Del Rio’s coming-out party against the Wildcats was the Gators’ most prolific passing performance in an SEC game in 12 years. This Saturday night, Del Rio, suddenly armed with a ton of momentum, can add another strong performance to take with him to Knoxville for the Week 4 showdown with Tennessee.
The Mean Green gave up 34 points at home to SMU in its opener before beating Bethune-Cookman last week, so Del Rio should be able to have his way again.
Texas State at Arkansas, 7:30 p.m.: Bret Bielema’s bunch showed incredible resilience in pulling off that double-overtime victory at TCU, snapping the Horned Frog’s 14-game home winning streak. It was quite the leap from barely surviving at home against Louisiana Tech in the opener, and the Razorbacks were rewarded in both polls with No. 24 rankings.
This week’s job is simple against overmatched Texas State: Don’t let that feel-good wave of emotion run dry with an average, bored performance, with a visit from Texas A&M looming next week.
Getting his guys up for the Bobcats will be a different kind of challenge for Bielema than winning in raucous Fort Worth was. But Bielema, with the glory of his biggest victory at Arkansas still ringing in his ears, should be able to handle it.
Cory Nightingale, a sports copy editor at the Miami Herald, lives for Saturdays. He especially enjoys the pageantry, tradition and history of SEC football.
