SEC Viewer’s Guide: Week 3
Week 3 should provide plenty of intrigue and excitement as conference play ramps up.
The Southeastern Conference gained national headlines after posting a 12-1 record against non-conference opponents and putting 10 teams in the AP Top 25 after the opening week.
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Then Week 2 happened, which resulted in three of those teams losing and dropping out of the polls (No. 18 Arkansas lost to Toledo 14-12; No. 23 Tennessee lost to No. 19 Oklahoma 31-24; No. 25 Mississippi State lost to No. 14 LSU 21-19).
Week 3 should offer just as much drama; the Auburn-LSU, South Carolina-Georgia, Florida-Kentucky, and Ole Miss-Alabama games all could potentially have postseason implications.
Without further ado, let’s kickoff your college football Saturday with a Week 3 SEC itinerary composed by your friends at Southbound and Down — enjoy!
9 AM ET
College GameDay, ESPN
Brew some coffee and start your day of nonstop college football watching with Rece Davis and the GameDay crew.
This week’s episode will be on the University of Alabama campus in anticipation of the top-15 battle between the No. 15 Ole Miss Rebels and the second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.
We all remember the show that covered this match-up last year live from the Grove in Oxford — which featured guest picker Katy Perry. Lee Corso selected the Crimson Tide to beat the Rebels in 2014, much to Ms. Perry’s dismay.
Being in Tuscaloosa this time around, I’d imagine Big Al will be the Sunshine Scooter’s headgear selection yet again.
Noon ET
Connecticut at No. 22 Missouri, ESPN
Both Connecticut and Missouri enter this game undefeated, but neither have looked overwhelmingly impressive thus far. Through two outings, Tigers quarterback Maty Mauk’s stat line reads: 28-of-58 passes (48 percent) for 329 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. Mauk will need to be more careful with the football and use this last tuneup game to develop some consistency before Mizzou begins SEC play next week against Kentucky.
Vegas favors Missouri by 23 points, but expect a much closer result if Mauk and Co. continue to struggle offensively.
Nevada at No. 17 Texas A&M, SEC Network
Kevin Sumlin’s Aggies have arguably looked like the best team in the SEC West through the first two weeks of the season. In last week’s meeting with an inferior Ball State squad, quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray combined to go 19-of-27 passing for 191 yards and four touchdowns en route to a 56-23 shellacking.
There won’t be any surprises here; Texas A&M will make light of Nevada before opening its conference schedule against Arkansas next week.
3:30 PM ET
No. 18 Auburn at No. 13 LSU, CBS
Both teams are coming off of narrow wins last week. Though, LSU’s road win over a then-ranked Mississippi State looks more respectable than Auburn’s 27-20 scare against FCS foe Jacksonville State on the Plains.
The Bayou Bengals may have home-field advantage and boast a Heisman hopeful in Leonard Fournette, but Auburn has defensive coordinator Will Muschamp — who prepares his defenses particularly well for one-dimensional offenses. This one’s a toss-up; I like the Tigers (see what I did there?).
4 PM ET
Northwestern State at Mississippi State, SEC Network
After last week’s heartbreaking home loss to LSU, Mississippi State gets Northwestern State in a match-up that should be considered nothing more than a glorified bye. Northwestern State dropped its first two games by a combined score of 78-37. The Bulldogs will rebound by routing the Demons at home.
Austin Peay at Vanderbilt, SEC Network
The Commodores may be improved defensively, but the offense has had trouble moving the football — especially inside their opponents’ 20-yard line. Those red zone woes should dissipate this week against a lowly Austin Peay team.
Vandy gets a much-needed confidence boost offensively and notches its first win of the 2015 season.
6 PM ET
South Carolina at No. 7 Georgia, ESPN
South Carolina handed last year’s highly-touted Georgia team its first loss of the season. This year, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Gamecocks stay within two scores of the Bulldogs.
Live Feed
Betsided
Carolina comes off its second consecutive loss to Kentucky. In addition, starting quarterback Connor Mitch is out with a separated shoulder.
There’s just no way South Carolina can keep pace with UGA’s Nick Chubb-led offense.
7 PM ET
Texas Tech at Arkansas, ESPN2
Holy Toledo! What happened to Arkansas last week?
The Hogs totaled 515 yards of offense, had just a single turnover, and punted the ball once all game — and still only managed to score 12 points against the Toledo Rockets. Quarterback Brandon Allen and the rest of the Arkansas offense will need to find a way to reach the end zone this week if the Razorbacks are to beat Texas Tech.
Western Carolina at Tennessee, ESPNU
For Tennessee, the Catamounts of Western Carolina couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.
The Vols look to put last week behind them after squandering a 17-3 halftime lead to the Sooners. Expect a stockpile of yards and points as Tennessee prepares for its brawl with the division rival Florida Gators next week.
7:30 PM ET
Florida at Kentucky, SEC Network
While much of the Southeast will be fixated on the Auburn-LSU and Ole Miss-Alabama match-ups this Saturday, Florida will be taking a trip up to Lexington to face an improved Kentucky team in what promises to be an exciting rematch.
Fans remember last year’s triple-overtime thriller in Gainesville — a game that Kentucky felt it should’ve won in the first overtime period. Can the Wildcats avenge last year’s controversial 36-30 loss in the Swamp, or will the Gators extend their winning streak to 29 against the Big Blue Nation?
9:15 PM ET
No. 15 Ole Miss at No. 2 Alabama, ESPN
The final SEC game of the night gets a late start, but you’ll want to stay up for its entirety.
We knew the Rebels’ defense was stout, but the offense has been nearly unstoppable in its first two games.
Can Ole Miss continue its offensive success against one of the best defensive fronts in the conference? And — perhaps more importantly — can the “Landshark” defense contain SEC MVP Derrick Henry, who’s rushed for 243 yards and six touchdowns in Alabama’s two lopsided season-opening wins?
Next: SEC Football (Coordinator Battles): Final Round
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