1. What will Texas do when Quinn Ewers returns?
With Quinn Ewers sidelined with an oblique injury, Arch Manning got his first start this past weekend in the easy 51-3 victory over Louisiana-Monroe. Manning showed flashes of brilliance with the deep ball, but did throw two interceptions in the game.
Head Coach Steve Sarkisian has not said if Ewers will be able to return next week for Texas' SEC opener against struggling Mississippi State, meaning Manning could get another start. After MSU, Texas has a bye before playing Oklahoma and Georgia the following two weeks.
The smart move, in my not-at-all humble opinion, would be to let Manning play against MSU, since MSU does not pose much of a threat (no offense) and give Ewers two more weeks to recover. When he is able to return, Ewers should be the unquestioned starter. But what happens if he struggles against Oklahoma or Georgia? If Arch Manning impresses against MSU next week, could Ewers be given a short leash moving forward?
Every fanbases' favorite player is the backup Quarterback, and Texas fans are no different. It could be an interesting October for Longhorn Nation.
1. What is Auburn's game plan moving forward?
Auburn Head Coach Hugh Freeze seems to have a bit of a mess on his hand following the War Tiger Eagle's 24-14 home loss to Arkansas. Hank Brown made his first start of the season and went on to throw 3 first half INTs, leading to his subsequent benching for the second half. "Hank Brown" is just too generic a name for a QB in the SEC, and no I will not explain further.
Payton Thorne, a way less generic name, came on in relief just one week after he was benched against Cal. He threw two touchdowns and moved the ball around, but he also threw a costly interception. His lack of accuracy has been a Thorne in the coaching staff's side, so to speak.
So what does Auburn do now? Their next two games are at home against Oklahoma and on the road against Georgia. Coach Freeze doesn't know who to trust under center and now has to figure that out against two of the toughest defenses in the conference. The level of confidence in that QB room has to be at an all-time low.
Auburn could very likely be sitting with a 2-4 record during the bye week, with a future schedule that features three additional ranked opponents. Hugh Freeze may soon supplant Billy Napier for hottest hot seat in the SEC.
3. Is Tennessee the most complete team in the SEC?
After weeks of lighting up the world with their high-powered offense, Tennessee showed against Oklahoma that their defense is another strength. Sure, Oklahoma's offense looked putrid most of the night, so much so that they benched their starting QB.
But also give credit to Tennessee for the way they dominated the line of scrimmage. They rotate as good as anybody up front, staying fresh and fast all night.
The Tennessee offense was held to a season low 25 points, but they also went ultra-conservative in the second half trying to hold onto their lead. It is a different world when Tennessee can win a big game scoring only 25 points.
We'll learn more about the Vols as their schedule toughens up with games against Alabama and Georgia, but right now they look as complete as any team in the country.
4. What happened to Amelia Earhart?
Four weeks into the college football season and we still find ourselves wondering what happened to Amelia Earhart. There is still plenty of time left in the season, but it seems unlikely that we will have an answer for this question by year end.
5. How good is Ole Miss?
With one of the softest schedules in the country so far, it is hard to gauge where Ole Miss is as a team right now. They are leading the country in scoring and are tied with Texas for fewest points per game allowed, but are yet to face a competent team.
That will start to change this weekend when they host Kentucky, who came within a point of defeating top-ranked Georgia. If Ole Miss is able to continue its dominance and do to the Cats what the Dawgs could not, then the country will have to start taking the fighting Kiffins seriously.
Until then, it is fair to wonder just how good the Rebels really are.
5. Is Vanderbilt not terrible?
This feels weird to say about a team who is two weeks removed from a loss to Georgia State, but Vanderbilt did just take top-10 ranked Missouri to overtime on the road. With a win against Virginia Tech already under their belt, Vanderbilt has impressed more than expected.
Now I will not take things too far and say that they are going to take down any contenders this year, but they have at least shown that they are no longer a walk-over on the schedule. Clark Lea has his boys playing tough and smart, which should be the case given Vanderbilt's academic reputation.