Gators and Wildcats open SEC play, Volunteers look for upset
Central Florida at No. 20 Missouri
This game makes for an extremely intriguing matchup. Over the course of two weeks, the Tigers have steamrolled the likes of South Dakota State and Toledo, averaged 447 yards per game and 43.5 points, running their offensive scheme like clockwork. Their defense, especially after suffering the loss of SEC defensive player of the year Michael Sam to the NFL and returning only four starters has been suspect. Against two extremely mediocre opponents, the Tigers have allowed an average of 388 yards a game and haven’t looked like a cohesive unit. The Tigers are just the team we thought they would be: an offensively strong team with an efficient dual-threat quarterback in Mauk and a young defense that would probably struggle early in the year. UCF, on the other hand, is a bit more mysterious. After putting together the greatest conglomerate of talent in the history of Central Flordai’s program and winning the 2014 Tositos Fiesta Bowl, many expect the Knights to take a significant step back. But after a second loss against a formidable Penn State team in Ireland, no one really knows where the Knights stack up. One game on the road against a ranked SEC team should be enough to determine that.
Kentucky at Florida
Remember the Florida Gators who ended the 2013 season on a seven-game losing streak and missed a bowl game for the first time since 1990? They’re the same Gators who lost to an FCS opponent and couldn’t figure out which team they were supposed to block? Well, forget about it because this Gator team is light-years better than the impersonators who donned the blue and orange last year. The Kentucky Wildcats, who haven’t won an SEC game since 2011, were nice enough be the sacrificial lamb in Florida’s first step back towards conference relevance. In fact, even in the midst of all the turmoil the Gators faced last season, they still had no problem dismantling the Wildcats 24-7 on their own field. This game at “The Swamp” should be a walk in the park for Florida.
Tennessee at No. 4 Oklahoma
If you’re looking for an upset in this non-conference bout, kindly look elsewhere. The Tennessee Volunteers have been college football’s perennial C- student ever since Eric Ainge took off his shoulder pads for the last time back in 2007. Since that year, the Vols haven’t been able to put together one season with more than seven wins, though they’ve been a stunning model of consistency, winning at least 5 games in all of those seasons. In other words, they never seem to have what it takes to compete in the SEC anymore, but they also never fold completely. However, the first two games for the Vols this year have been extremely positive. Justin Worley looks like a changed man at quarterback, Marquez North is developing into the dominant receiver we all knew he was capable of being, and the Vols have won handily in both contests. But while the Tennessee fans are all celebrating and singing Rocky Top, the Oklahoma Sooners are preparing to give them a shellacking at Memorial Stadium Saturday. The Sooners, led by upstart quarterback Trevor Knight, possess a dominating offense and an extremely capable defense, both of which have goals of reaching the first College Football Playoff. While Tennessee might attain the winning season they so desperately desire, they won’t get any help from this game.