SEC Football Week 3 Breakdown
The conference landscape is doing anything but shaping up early on. Sure South Carolina beat Georgia but the Bulldogs proved they may be a force in conference play this year as they kept it close and were certainly able to move the ball and score on the Gamecocks. Perhaps this game said more about Boise State than it did either SEC team. Meanwhile, Auburn pulled a mini upset over Mississippi State, just tightening an already bunched SEC middle.
Thursday, September 15
3rd ranked LSU vs. Mississippi State
As mentioned, this Miss. State squad lost a shootout against Auburn a week ago. They put up over 500 total yards and 30+ points yet ended on the short end of the stick. Offense will be much harder to come by against an LSU team who lives by their defense. This is a tough matchup for the Bulldogs, especially coming off a hard fought conference loss, yet losing again here puts them behind the eight ball as far as the SEC standings go, giving them two losses to fellow SEC West foes.
Other notable matchups:
Saturday September 17
Auburn vs. Clemson
The Auburn Tigers are coming off a great high. They squeaked out a win in week one versus Utah State. Then, they battle to a conference win against Mississippi State in week two. Now, as it appears as though the offense is coming together and hitting their stride behind Michael Dyer and Onterio McCalebb, a tough non-conference opponent plays host. It would be easy to get tripped up by the Clemson Tigers here, a talented team that has routinely underachieved both nationally and in the ACC, but if Auburn keeps eking out wins, a huge drop-off from last year may have been premature to predict.
Saturday September 17
15th ranked Florida vs. Tennessee
This classic SEC East matchup has all the nostalgia of a drive-in movie. Indeed it seems like an awesome idea, being able to drive right up to a projection screen and watch in the comfort of your own vehicle, until you remember there’s no leg room or concessions counter or restroom in your car. Florida and Tennessee seems like an awesome matchup until you realize neither team has been elite in a few years.
Games of no particular note or significance whatsoever:
Saturday September 17
Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt
Georgia vs. Coastal Carolina
10th ranked South Carolina vs. Navy
Kentucky vs. Louisville
14th ranked Arkansas vs. Troy
1st ranked Alabama vs. North Texas
A couple remaining thoughts on the rest of these games: Expect another SEC sweep in games versus out of conference opponents. Navy makes for an interesting opponent against South Carolina though just because very few teams play like the Midshipmen. Albeit early in the season, Navy has scored 40 points in each of their games and is averaging 400 rushing yards per game, an offense Marcus Lattimore must be jealous of.
