College football is officially back after an exciting first weekend. SEC schools went a combined 13-3 in the first week with Florida, LSU, and Texas A&M losing to ranked non-conference foes.
Georgia earned the conferences only ranked win of the weekend in dominating #14 ranked Clemson, while Vanderbilt earned the biggest upset win in their thrilling overtime defeat of Virginia Tech.
We now get to sit down and welcome conference games back as South Carolina and Kentucky will face off in the first SEC game of the season. Texas and Tennessee both face difficult non-conference games against ranked opponents and will try to show that the SEC really does mean more.
Biggest week two games featuring SEC teams
(3) Texas at (10) Michigan
The biggest game in the country this week will take place when third ranked Texas travlels to Ann Arbor to take on the defending champion Michigan Wolverines in the Big House.
ESPN's College GameDay will be on hand for the 11 o'clock local kick, as will the Texas oil money, private jet brigade. The Longhorns impressed in their 52-0 drubbing of overmatched Colorado State, while Michigan's 30-10 win over Fresno State inspired little confidence when the Wolverines led 16-10 in the fourth quarter.
Texas will need quarterback Quinn Ewers to be sharp in this one as Michigan is typically tough against the run. Ewers was consistent and accurate in week 1, doing well to get the ball in the hands of new playmakers Ryan Wingo and Isaiah Bond. The Longhorn running game should take step back this week after running for 190 yards against a weaker opponent.
The Michigan defense is led by stars Mason Graham on the defensive line and Will Johnson at Corner, both of whom expect to be first-round draft picks next year. The battle of Johnson vs Bond (Isaiah Bond) on the outside should be must-watch TV. If Graham is able to generate pressure from the inside and Johnson is able to shut down one side of the field, the Texas offense could struggle.
Speaking of struggling offenses -- the Wolverine offense, led by walk-on Quarterback Davis Warren, failed to eclipse the 150 yard mark against Fresno State in week 1. Warren posted a quarterback rating of 33.0 in his first start, and star running back Donovan Edwards was held to just 27 yards on 11 carries. Texas' secondary struggled last season, but Michigan might not have the tools to test if they have improved.
I expect this to be a slow, low-scoring, drag-em-out type of game, especially with Michigan trying to keep the ball on the ground as much as possible. Texas should look to get the ball into their playmakers' hands early with screens and sweeps and force Michigan to play from behind. At the end, I see Texas' defense stifling the one-dimensional Michigan offense, and Quinn Ewers and Company making just enough plays to lead to a 23-10 win.
(14) Tennessee vs. (24) NC State
This matchup looked a lot spicier before NC State struggled against Western Carolina last week, even trailing going into the fourth quarter. Three fourth quarter touchdowns helped the Wolfpack put the game away, but now they face a Tennessee squad coming off a nice 69-3 win in week one.
Even though Tennessee impressed in week one, it came against a completely overmatched Chattanooga team, so it is difficult to take too much away from it. Tennessee was bigger, stronger, and faster at every position, so an outcome like that is not surprising. This week should offer a stronger test and will help shape expectations for the Volunteers going forward.
Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava will look to continue to impress after opening the season throwing for 314 yards and three touchdowns. Overall, the Volunteers posted over 700 yards on offense while holding Chattanooga to 227 yards.
NC State is led by Grayson McCall, who transferred in after a record-setting career at Coastal Carolina. He has thrown for over 10,000 yards in his extended career, but he is also a threat on the ground and will oftentimes McCall his own number for a QB run.
The Tennessee defense, led by star James Pierce Jr., will have to be disciplined in their approach to stopping McCall. The atmosphere in Charlotte for this night game should be electric, especially if Tennessee comes out firing on offense.
Look for both teams to ride that energy early on and trade blows, before the Tennessee offense becomes too much for the Wolfpack, leading to a 42-21 Tennessee victory,
South Carolina at Kentucky
The first SEC conference game is here as South Carolina and the fighting Beamers head to Lexington to battle Sparky Mark Stoops and his Kentucky Wildcats. Both teams are 1-0, but not for long (after this game, neither team will be 1-0).
South Carolina is coming off a sketchy 4-point win against Old Dominion, scoring the game-winning touchdown with six minutes left in the game. New starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers struggled all night, completing just 10/23 passes for 114 yards and no scores. He did add 68 yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground, so it wasn't all completely putrid.
On the other hand we have Kentucky, who shut out Southern Miss 31-0 in a game that was stopped in the third quarter due to lightening. quarterback Brock Vandagriff, a transfer from the Georgia Bulldogs, had just over 200 total yards and 3 scores on the day. The Wildcats defense stymied the Southern Miss offense to the tune of 131 total yards. Yikes.
Expect South Carolina to be sharper on the offensive side of the ball this week, but the Kentucky defense will be sharper. South Carolina struggles to get anything going on offense in a tough environment, and the Kentucky running game comes alive in the second half to lead to an easy victory to temporarily put Kentucky atop the SEC standings.
Cal at Auburn
Another classic SEC vs ACC matchup will take place this weekend when California, obviously a member of the conference based on the Atlantic Coast, travels to the plains to take on the Freezing Tigers of Auburn (their head coach's last name is Freeze).
This is the second all-time meeting between the programs after they played the first leg of the home-and-home last season, a 14-10 Auburn victory. Both teams are 1-0, coming off wins against UC-Davis and Alabama A&M, respectively.
Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne was sharp in the season debut, throwing for over 300 yards and 4 scores. The highly anticipated debut of the freshmen wide receiver's at Auburn was also a good one as Cam Coleman, Perry Thompson, and Malcolm Simmons all scored through the air.
We weren't able to learn much about either team in week 1 due to the competition, so this will be a true test for both. I expect Auburn's athleticism to be on fully display in front of the home crowd, propelling them to a 31-14 victory.
Arkansas at (16) Oklahoma State
Arkansas Head Coach Sam Pittman finds himself squarely on the hot seat after disappointing 2022 and 2023 seasons. After an easy 70-0 win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff to start the year, the Hogs now travel to Stillwater to battle Ollie Gordon II and a powerful Oklahoma State team.
Boise State transfer quarterbackTaylen Green was sharp for the Razorbacks in his debut, throwing for 229 yards and two touchdowns while adding 88 yards and two additional scores on the ground. He brings a true duel-threat aspect to the game after rushing for over 1,000 yards in his final two seasons in Boise.
Ollie Gordon II, the defending Doak Walker Award winner, picked up where he left off last season by rushing for 126 yards and 3 touchdowns in week 1 against South Dakota State. He now faces an Arkansas defense that allowed only 7 rushing yards in the season debut.
Even with coach Pittman fighting for his life, I do not see Arkansas having the offensive prowess to win this game. Their run defense should hold up for a half while selling out to stop Gordon II, but eventually the Cowboys rushing attack will be too much. I see Oklahoma State getting a lead early in the second half and leaning on the run game to bleed the clock en route to a 14-point victory.
Mississippi State at Arizona State
Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby faces his first test as boss man of the Bulldogs when they travel to steamy Tempe and battle the 1-0 Arizona State Sun Devils. This will be quite the culture clash between the cowbells and the party desert school.
Mississippi State (henceforth referred to as MSU for typing efficiency purposes) got off to a strong start in week 1 against Eastern Kentucky to the tune of a 56-7 victory. MSU has five top-15 ranked teams on its schedule this year, so any shot at bowl eligibility might have to include a win this week.
MSU QB Blake Shapen, who transferred in from Baylor this offseason, was sharp in his debut for the Bulldogs in throwing for three scores and rushing for another. He was also the team's leading rusher in week one with 44 yards on seven carries.
Arizona State is coming off an impressive 48-7 win over Wyoming in the school's first game as a member of the Big 12 conference, which still feels weird to say. The Sun Devils were kickstarted by their defense scoring on a pick-six on just the second play of the game.
This will be a telling game for both programs as they go through their transitions. MSU wants to show that they have turned things around in the Jeff Lebby era, while Arizona State wants to prove that they are a factor in the Big 12 race and earn the program's first victory over an SEC school.
A prediction for this game is tough since there is so much unknown from both teams, but I lean to predict Arizona State in this one. New head coaches typically struggle in their first road game, especially when it is 103 degrees as is expected here.
The Cupcake Parties
The remainder of the SEC teams are looking to feast on some sweet cupcakes this weekend. Oklahoma's matchup against Houston looked somewhat intriguing initially before Houston lost by 20 to UNLV in week one. Oklahoma will be playing the program's first game on the SEC Network. Welcome to the show.
Florida, Texas A&M, and LSU look to rebound from week one losses and should be able to do so comfortably given the competition. Vanderbilt, coming off a shocking upset win over Virginia Tech, looks to carry their momentum against Alcorn State.
Top-10 SEC powers Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss, and Missouri are all hoping to have their starters pulled by halftime as 30+ point favorites.
It feels good to have college football back, and lets not take any of it for granted. Enjoy the weekend and be the best football fan you can be.