SEC Football Watch Fest, Week 2

Now that the opening weekend of college football has passed, it is now time to become a little more selective in your viewing procedures on Saturdays. Even if you are like me and could watch anything SEC football, there are always other options.

Some of these game day options are must-see television. Others, however, are a prime time to fire up the grill, make a mandatory phone call or put in a morning shift at work to be free in the evening.

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No need to make those decisions on your own. Southbound and Down has you covered in our new ‘SEC Watch Fest.’ Week 2 offers a few major SEC games. We’ll let you know where to watch, who should watch, other random tidbits and occasionally an alternative.

The Games:

11:00 AM Central Time:

#6 Auburn V Jacksonville State

Where to Watch: SEC Network and WatchESPN

Who should Watch: Diehard Auburn fans who are interested in seeing the backups get some game reps. SEC fans should watch the first quarter to see if Jeremy Johnson’s accuracy issues persist or whether his preseason hype was well-deserved and game one was an anomaly.

Alternative: Oregon State at Michigan in what should be an interesting, if not quality, PAC-12 V BIG 10 matchup.

Watch Fest Rating: Fire up the grill

2.30 PM Central Time

#17 Ole Miss V Fresno State

Where to Watch: ESPN 2 and WatchESPN

Who should Watch: Ole Miss and Alabama fans. The game should not be close but Ole Miss and Alabama fans should be tuned in to find out who the starting quarterback will be and whether Laremy Tunsil is playing. Alabama faces Ole Miss in week 3 and will be hoping Tunsil is still sidelined.

Watch Fest Rating: Enjoy grilled meats while occasionally checking the game’s progress

#10 Georgia at Vanderbilt

Where to Watch: CBS

Who should Watch: Diehard Georgia fans and fans wanting a new defensive coordinator next year. Georgia backups will get playing time in the second half and Mason will be auditioning for 2016 defensive coordinator openings.

Watch Fest Rating: Channel surf and quality nap time

3:00 PM Central Time

#2 Alabama V Middle Tennessee State

Where to Watch: SEC Network and WatchESPN

Who should Watch: Alabama and Ole Miss fans. Alabama fans and Ole Miss game will both be watching for confirmation that Jacob Coker will remain entrenched at quarterback. The kickoffs for their games are only 30 minutes a part, so some channel flipping will occur once both games are blowouts.

Watch Fest Rating: Round 2 on the grill

#18 Arkansas V Toledo

Where to Watch: SEC Network and WatchESPN

Who should Watch: Diehard Arkansas fans that are interested in seeing the backups play in the second half. @ryansummers18 may have suspected an upset here, but I don’t see it. Especially not after week one.

Watch Fest Rating: If Ryan is right and I’m wrong, this will be a glued to your cough game.

5:00 PM Central Time

#19 Oklahoma at #23 Tennessee

Where to Watch: ESPN and WatchESPN

Who Should Watch: College football fans. In one of the best games of the weekend, two precarious Top 25 teams do battle. Unless this game is intensely close, the loser will likely fall from the Top 25 rankings. Tennessee had more preseason hype; Oklahoma has the higher ranking. One fan base will be sorely disappointed; odds are college football fans will be highly entertained.

Watch Fest Rating: Pull out the adult diapers and don’t move from the recliner

6:00 PM Central Time

Ball State at #16 Texas A&M

Where to Watch: ESPNU and WatchESPN

Who should Watch: Whenever a game does not even crack the SEC Network rotation, you know no one cares about it. A&M fans will be intrigued to watch their defense work again and see some subs play. That is about it.

Watch Fest Rating: Check the score occasionally while watching the end of the Tennessee-Oklahoma game

Arkansas State at #21 Missouri

Where to Watch: ESPN 3

Who should Watch: Fans who believe Mizzou should be treated like USC, who demolished Arkansas State in week one. So…no one. Except maybe some Mizzou fans.

Watch Fest Rating: The primary focus in this time slot is Eastern Carolina at Florida…check the score and that’s it

Eastern Carolina at Florida

Where to Watch: ESPN 2 and WatchESPN

Who should Watch: There is no need for an alternate in the 6:00 slot because of this game. While this is a bowl rematch, neither team closely resembles what they were in 2015. Florida is trying to reemerge as a national power and Eastern Carolina is always a quality program, even if they are not a part of a power conference.

Watch Fest Rating: If you just got off work, it is your best bet for a quality game. If you’ve been watching football all day…it’s still your best bet in this time slot for a quality game.

Kentucky at South Carolina

Where to Watch: SEC Network and Watch ESPN

Who should Watch: Fans of the programs involved and the cellar dwellers in the SEC East. Vanderbilt has 7^th locked up, but no spot after that is certain. Kentucky needs this one if they hope to avoid 6^th, South Carolina needs it if they hope to reclaim some of the momentum they lost in 2014.

Watch Fest Rating: Knowing Spurrier and witnessing Kentucky’s near collapse last week, the prediction here is the watch-ability of this game improves dramatically in the 4th quarter. Which is perfect because Florida will have just pulled away.

8:15 PM Central Time

#14 LSU at #25 Mississippi State

Where to Watch: ESPN and Watch ESPN

Who should Watch: In a battle of perennial contender and 2014’s SEC West Cinderella, LSU and Mississippi State play the first all SEC West game of the season. With the level of depth the division is expected to deliver in 2015, this game will be crucial for both teams to remain in contention…and avoid dropping to the cellar early.

Watch Fest Rating: For SEC fans, this game tops Tennessee-Oklahoma as the game of the week. Grab your ribs, beverages and adult diapers. There should be a personal foul for unnecessarily getting up during this game.

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