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There’s not much left to talk about across the league, except for Thursday’s wild openers in Nashville and Knoxville — and nobody could have predicted those headlines. But that doesn’t stop us from predicting Sunday morning headlines in your local paper.
More than half of this week’s SEC games match Power 5 teams and many of those draw national attention from a neutral site. This is how they will be settled.
Here are our headline predictions for Week 1:
South Alabama at Mississippi State: Dak who? Fitzgerald coasts in opener
The heir apparent to Dak Prescott, Nick Fitzgerald, takes the reins and reassures the fan base after a sub-par spring. Fitzgerald finds a friendly target in Fred Ross, and puts to rest the notion of a two-QB system.
Missouri at West Virginia: Mountaineers raid Odom’s opener
Dana Holgorsen, in his sixth season but on the hot seat, uses his Air Raid offense to make his old coach, Hal Mumme, proud. Skyler Howard, who passed for 532 yards and five TDs in the Cactus Bowl, leads the way. Drew Lock, after a 2-6 season last year, shows promise, but leaves chances on the table for new coach Barry Odom.
UCLA at Texas A&M: Aggies send Bruins into the Knight
Oklahoma transfer Trevor Knight makes Aggie fans forget the quarterback drama that tainted last season and marked the start of the offseason. The Bruins enter on a four-game winning streak in season openers, but that ends as Knight outduels Josh Rosen.
LSU vs. Wisconsin: Fournette leaps back into Heisman lead
On the Green Bay turf of Lambeau Field, Leonard Fournette gives the NFL a glimpse of what’s to come on Sundays as a restart of a Heisman campaign for the second straight season. Wisconsin, meanwhile, thinks twice about scheduling SEC opponents after losses to LSU and Alabama in 2014 and ’15.
Louisiana Tech at Arkansas: Latest Allen leads Hogs over Dogs
The Razorbacks historically romp in season openers, and this one is no different. They make the wise guys in Vegas look smart with a four-touchdown romp. Entering with limited experience, Austin Allen develops some confidence after just three pass attempts last season. While Skip Holtz has improved the Bulldogs, having just nine returning starters makes this one a tall order.
Georgia vs. North Carolina: Dome sweet Dome for Kirby
The former Alabama defensive coordinator who coached in plenty of games in the Georgia Dome with the Crimson Tide, opens his tenure as head coach at his alma mater and uses a two-quarterback system to knock off the Tar Heels. Greyson Lambert starts, but star freshman Jacob Eason throws a couple of highlight-reel TD passes to stoke the fan base.
Southern Mississippi at Kentucky: Big Blue barks for Drew
Drew Barker starts his first campaign under center hoping to live up to the home state hype he developed in high school, and showed glimpses of last season. With a healthy Stanley “Boom” Williams at his side, and an expanded role for tight end C.J. Conrad, the Wildcats pull away from the pesky Eagles. Southern Miss is no stranger to SEC opponents, but an upset is too early for first-year coach Jay Hopson.
Massachusetts at Florida: Gators halt Minutemen
The Gators also historically roll in season openers, and this one is no different. While the Minutemen flirted with a couple of upsets of Temple and Notre Dame last season, they don’t stand a chance against the Florida defense. And while new starter Luke Del Rio shows glimpses of growing pains, he does enough to make a stress-free second half.
Southern Cal at Alabama: New faces, same results
Neutral site games, not unlike championships, are a recent way of life for the Crimson Tide, and this one adds to that string. While Damien Harris, Bo Scarborough, Cooper Bateman and Blake Barnett have their share of highlights, it was Reuben Foster and Tim Williams who really made life difficult for Max Browne Jr. and company.
Clemson at Auburn: Deshaun dazzles on the Plains
Heisman frontrunner Deshaun Watson, who considered Auburn, picks up from his memorable 2015 season with a performance that keeps him in the national discussion of Heisman contenders and top NFL draft picks. Sean White, while familiar with adversity given injuries last year, proves his worth after a somewhat surprising pick out of a three-man QB race.
Ole Miss vs. Florida State: Rebs Cooked by Noles
(Technically, this will be Tuesday’s headline because they play Monday night in Orlando.) Dalvin Cook takes the air out of the ball and limits the Rebels offense and Chad Kelly by keeping them on the sideline for much of the game. While plenty of attention is on Deondre Francois’ start, and comparisons to Jameis Winston, it’s Cook, who builds on the 2,699 yards and 27 TDs of the last two seasons, who plays the key role.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
