Ranking the Best SEC Matchups of Week 3
Though this past weekend was expected to be full of patsies for SEC teams, it was far from it.
Auburn needed overtime to finally dispose of Jacksonville State—that's right, the FCS power Gamecocks—and that was with Jacksonville State shanking a late-game punt to give AU a short field to tie the game in the closing minutes.
At least the Tigers won. Arkansas can't say that after getting shocked by MAC favorite Toledo, which was able to do what its conference brother Bowling Green fell short of the week before: knock off a dark-horse SEC contender and expose it.
Arkansas State and East Carolina provided scary foes for Missouri and Florida, respectively, before those league teams finally scored enough to pull through.
Meanwhile, the two marquee games—Oklahoma vs. Tennessee and LSU vs. Mississippi State—lived up to their billing, with both coming down to the final play.
The Sooners completed a furious comeback win at Neyland Stadium and secured it with a double-overtime interception. Mississippi State couldn't convert a long field goal and lost by two to LSU.
Now, this week should have another three or four games that could turn out to be really good showdowns. There are a few yawners on paper as well.
So, taking into consideration the level of each involved team, national and conference importance, and the competitiveness of the matchup, let's rank this week's games involving SEC teams.
10. Austin Peay at Vanderbilt
1 of 10
Though Vanderbilt has struggled to start the season, the Commodores certainly didn't do anything to embarrass themselves in a 31-14 home loss to Georgia.
After losing to a Western Kentucky team in Week 1 that turned around and handled Louisiana Tech to prove it's a good team, VU racked up 400 total yards against the Bulldogs. Right now, quarterback Johnny McCrary needs to just focus on not throwing interceptions.
The sophomore tossed two picks in the end zone to sink the Commodores against the Hilltoppers. Then, after VU pulled within 24-14 and recovered an onside kick against Georgia, he threw another one that was caught by Jake Ganus in the end zone to end the threat against UGA.
This should almost certainly be VU's first win of the season, and there may not be many more with the schedule the Commodores play. Austin Peay simply isn't good.
The Governors lost 28-7 at home to Mercer to open the season and were dragged by Southern Miss 52-6 this past weekend. The Commodores should win handily, but it still isn't going to be a great matchup for spectators.
9. Western Carolina at Tennessee
2 of 10
After Neyland Stadium provided one of the most fitting atmospheres for a major college football game that you'll see all season in UT's loss to Oklahoma, it'll be a bit quieter this week.
Southern Conference opponent Western Carolina comes to town, and the Vols will be getting a tuneup before a stretch that includes games at Florida, at home against Arkansas and Georgia and on the road against Alabama.
It's doubtful that UT defensive end Curt Maggitt will play after suffering a hip injury against the Sooners, and don't be surprised if some banged-up players such as Jashon Robertson and Todd Kelly Jr. sit out too.
That won't affect this outcome in the slightest.
The Catamounts have some nice offensive players, but they have defensive issues up and down the board, as evidenced by The Citadel piling up 340 rushing yards against them last weekend. Imagine what Jalen Hurd, Joshua Dobbs and Alvin Kamara will do to them.
Tennessee needs to work on throwing the ball downfield and getting some young guys ready to contribute during a stretch where UT will need them.
8. Northwestern State at Mississippi State
3 of 10
The Demons will be an angelic side for a hurting Mississippi State squad that has to rebound from a heartbreaking loss to rival LSU.
Northwestern State is 0-2, having lost to Southeastern Louisiana and then getting blown out by Louisiana-Lafayette this past weekend. The Demons defense has gotten knocked around pretty good in the first two games, and it should be more of the same this week.
Dak Prescott probably had his best passing game as a collegian against a stellar Tigers secondary, completing 34 of 52 passes for 335 yards and a touchdown. De'Runnya Wilson also had a strong game catching the ball.
The Bulldogs have to do a better job of running the football, and they need to work on that and their defense in this game.
It's going to be a one-sided outcome, and MSU just needs to focus on not getting anybody hurt.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Connecticut at Missouri
4 of 10
Missouri looked anything like a ranked opponent in a nail-biting 27-20 win over an Arkansas State team on the road that was throttled by USC.
The New Haven Register's Jim Fuller reported that Mizzou star running back Russell Hansbrough will miss his second consecutive game after being injured in the opener, but that hasn't stopped the Tigers from being heavy favorites on every early line.
Quarterback Maty Mauk and Mizzou are still much faster than anything the Huskies have seen thus far, and even though they are currently 2-0 with narrow wins over Villanova and Army, they were still picked last in the AAC Eastern Division.
Much like was the case last year, UConn can't find any offensive rhythm. In those first two games, the Huskies have averaged just 21 points per game. UConn's offense was terrible last season too, ranking 125th out of 128 FBS teams in scoring offense (15.5 points per game), 126th in total offense (276.3) and 122nd in yards per play (4.5).
Mizzou has its own offensive issues as it searches for any continuity rushing or passing. Hansbrough is truly the team's biggest weapon, and the Tigers miss him greatly.
This likely will be a low-scoring game, and while Mizzou likely will win by a couple of scores, it's doubtful the Tigers get out of single digits on the road in Columbia.
6. Nevada at Texas A&M
5 of 10
Texas A&M has started the season off extremely hot.
Not only is new defensive coordinator John Chavis turning around the Aggies' fortune on that side of the ball, but the real story is how Kyle Allen, freshman receiver Christian Kirk and the A&M offense are blowing through everybody.
Don't expect that to stop this weekend when Nevada comes to town.
Fresh off a 44-20 throttling at the hand of the ranked Arizona Wildcats, Nevada and coach Brian Polian will travel to College Station for what figures to be yet another lopsided outcome. It's a safe bet that Polian's anger-management issues will be put to the test yet again.
He jumped down the throats of officials in the loss to Arizona, prompting some headlines.
"The easy story right now is, 'I'm a hot head,' and I guess I can understand that and tune it out," Polian told the Reno Gazette Journal's Chris Murray. "But I’m incredibly passionate about this job and incredibly passionate about our young people."
What A&M coach Kevin Sumlin is passionate about is recruiting, and the spoils of his work on the trail are evident all over the field. One place is at quarterback where Allen is giving way at times to elite freshman Kyler Murray.
How long can the Aggies go with a two-quarterback system, and how long can everything be hunky-dory in Aggieland? Allen told ESPN.com's Sam Khan Jr.:
"I mean if it helps our offense, it helps our offense. I'm not the offensive guru here. I'm just here to play football and do what the coaches tell me to do, so if Spav and Coach Sumlin think that if we get Kyler in that we can move the ball a little more, let's do it. I'm all for it. I'm not a selfish person. I'm just here to try to help the team win and make some plays.
"
5. Texas Tech at Arkansas
6 of 10
All the talking Arkansas coach Bret Bielema did in the preseason made Saturday's stunning loss to Toledo even more jaw-dropping.
Now, where do the Razorbacks go from here?
They play arguably a much more dangerous team this weekend when a 2-0 Kliff Kingsbury-led Red Raiders' offensive juggernaut comes to Arkansas. Last week, Texas Tech obliterated UTEP 69-20 a week after the Hogs beat the Miners 48-13.
Though some may expect Arkansas to be shell-shocked following a loss to a MAC opponent, senior quarterback Brandon Allen said this scenario is nowhere near the same as a loss to Louisiana-Monroe in 2012 that began the spiral toward a 4-8 season.
"This team is different from that team," Allen told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Bob Holt. "This team's got a lot of leaders on it. This game won't turn into a spiral for the rest of the season. I won't let it. A lot of people on this team won't let it."
If last year's game between these two teams is any indication, there won't be a letdown. The Hogs destroyed Texas Tech last season, running the ball 68 times for 438 yards and scoring 49 points in their demolishing of the Red Raiders.
A thumping like that would be just what the doctor ordered for a stinging loss to the Rockets. But first it has to happen.
4. South Carolina at Georgia
7 of 10
What used to be an annual, barn-burning battle between two SEC East foes looks to be fairly one-sided on paper this year.
As a matter of opinion, it probably isn't going to even be the most intriguing game in the SEC East this week. And it's a slim slate.
Georgia is still the beast of the East, and though the Bulldogs sleepwalked their way to an uninspired win at Vanderbilt, they're still a whole lot better than the Gamecocks, who will be without starting quarterback Connor Mitch for an extended period of time.
While some reports noted Mitch may miss the season with a shoulder injury, ESPN.com's David Ching said it would be four to six weeks. Carolina will turn to former walk-on Perry Orth to take over at quarterback. He looked good in bringing the Gamecocks back against UK, going 13-of-20 for 179 yards and a touchdown.
The Bulldogs have their own struggling quarterback in Greyson Lambert, who didn't complete a pass in the first half against the Commodores (he only attempted five).
The good news for UGA is it doesn't have to throw the ball much with all the star running backs it has. Those guys should have a field day against a Carolina defense that is better from a season ago but still not good.
Lambert told Dawgs247's Jake Rowe of the first-half struggles against VU:
"Our run game was pretty stout all game. They were awesome up front when it comes to the run game and our backs get through the holes and make people miss. Passing game obviously didn’t get going until the third quarter and that's on me. I've just got to execute better through the air in the first half, but I guess a little bit there in the third quarter and fourth quarter we were able to do some stuff through the air that kind of made more balanced.
"
According to Odds Shark, the Dawgs are nearly 17-point favorites in this year's game, so it'll be interesting to see if the Gamecocks can keep it close. If they can't, it may be a long season.
3. Florida at Kentucky
8 of 10
This is going to be an interesting game in Lexington, and don't be surprised if the atmosphere is rocking.
Kentucky is coming off a 26-22 victory over Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks in Williams-Brice Stadium in what was easily the biggest victory of the Mark Stoops era. Teams that go on the road and win in a hostile environment like Columbia are pretty good, even if the Gamecocks are a bit down this year.
UK has some offensive talent and is opportunistic on offense too.
Now, the Wildcats will get to come home to take on a vulnerable Florida team that is 2-0 but wasn't without fault in a narrow 31-24 win over East Carolina in the Swamp.
Though Will Grier looks like he could develop into the future quarterback in Gainesville, the Gators offensive line has holes, and there still aren't many playmakers on that side of the ball to run coach Jim McElwain's offense.
Then, there's that tackling each other stuff that needs to stop as well.
Last season, it took the Gators an overtime session and a couple of Florida-flavored calls to beat Kentucky, and even in a losing deal, that game gave UK confidence. Last week's win over South Carolina did more.
"We know we can play with Florida," Stoops said, according to WDRB.com's Eric Crawford.
Doing so would stop 28 years of Big Blue futility in the series.
2. Auburn at LSU
9 of 10
Oh, how quickly things can change, even when you're 2-0.
A week after an Auburn team considered a College Football Playoff contender disposed of a Louisville team that is suddenly 0-2 after losing to Houston, the Tigers needed overtime to beat FCS power Jacksonville State in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The narrow win still led to a 12-spot plummet from No. 6 to No. 18 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
Meanwhile, quarterback Jeremy Johnson—who was a dark-horse candidate for several preseason awards and on the tips of many national analysts' tongues as a breakout star—has looked completely lost at times, tossing five interceptions in two starts.
There are deep-rooted issues for AU, but all is not lost; a victory in Death Valley could get things on the right track. LSU coach Les Miles isn't reading too much into AU's scare.
"It makes no difference to me whatsoever," Miles said, according to AL.com's Wesley Sinor. "I recognize that they played a very good football team and it has not to do with, you know, what the score was or how it ended, in my opinion. It has to do more with it's a very talented Auburn team and really working hard to be something special, so we respect them."
LSU has its own quarterback issues (as it has for the past several seasons), but the Tigers also have Leonard Fournette, who is turning into the beast everybody knew he'd be. He ran 28 times for 159 yard and three touchdowns in a 21-19 win over Mississippi State.
They needed every single yard.
Also, the vaunted secondary allowed 335 passing yards to a star quarterback in Dak Prescott who is not known for his passing ability.
The 13th-ranked Bayou Bengals have their own issues, so Saturday is going to be an intriguing matchup.
1. Ole Miss at Alabama
10 of 10
Tuscaloosa is going to be rocking on Saturday and ready for payback.
The only problem for No. 2 Alabama is No. 15 Ole Miss looks like it is more than capable of repeating the feat of beating the mighty Crimson Tide.
Even though the Rebels and coach Hugh Freeze were being discussed around college football for their recruiting efforts, a 23-17 win over the Tide in Oxford last year really put the program back on the map.
Remember ESPN's College GameDay festivities? Katy Perry oddly showing up? The pandemonium that reigned after the game? It was college football theatrics at its finest, and the Rebels would love for it to happen again.
As quarterback Chad Kelly told the Associated Press' David Brandt and John Zenor (via the Sun Herald) about the Bama game: "This is where you make the money."
Arguably, there hasn't been a more impressive team in all of college football than Ole Miss. The defense is stout, deep, talented and swarming. Offensively, the graduation of quarterback Bo Wallace gave way to JUCO transfer Kelly, who looks like a special player.
Even though they've played two cupcakes in UT-Martin and Fresno State, the Rebels won 76-3 and 73-21. Freeze told the (Jackson) Clarion-Ledger's Daniel Paulling this week is a different animal.
"We haven’t played the caliber of defense like Alabama," he said. Then, of Bama's front seven, he said: "As talented as I've ever seen. As deep and as talented as I’ve ever seen a defensive squad, and they've had some really good ones."
Even Saban, who grunts and grumbles with the best of them, spoke highly of this game.
Not only is it the game of the week, but it very well may wind up being the biggest game in the SEC all year.
"If you're a great competitor you love to play in games like this," Saban told Brandt and Zenor. "This is certainly going to offer as many challenges as anyone could hope for as a competitor."
All statistics gathered from CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted.
Brad Shepard covers SEC football for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
