Week 2 Record: (9-3)
Overall: (17-8)
The SEC rebounded with big wins over non-conference opponents in Week Two. Arkansas upset No. 15 TCU while Tennessee blasted Virginia Tech by 21 points in college football’s biggest game ever. The SEC now has eight ranked teams, more than any other Power Five conference.
Ohio at No. 15 Tennessee (12 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Tennessee made a statement in their win against Virginia Tech. The Volunteers appear to be back on track after receiving heavy criticism for their week one performance.
Quarterback Joshua Dobbs and running back Jalen Hurd combined for 205 yards on the ground in the win against the Hokies. The passing game is not where the Vols need it to be at this point. Dobbs failed to reach 100 yards passing but took advantage of five VT turnovers to account for five touchdowns.
The Ohio Bobcats will depend on their strong running game to pick up yards. The Bobcats amassed 329 rushing yards against Kansas last week and is led by junior running back Dorian Brown. Quarterback Greg Windham is also a very efficient runner and could cause problems for an unstable Tennessee run defense.
The Volunteers must avoid giving up big runs. If they can stop the big plays, the defense should hold up against the Bobcats.
The Pick: Tennessee 56 Ohio 24
Tennessee needs to avoid another slow start. The Vols have been outscored in the first quarter 21-3 this season. This week they will get touchdowns on the board in the first quarter and breeze to a 3-0 start before opening up conference play.
Vanderbilt at Georgia Tech (12:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network Extra)
Do not rejoice, Vanderbilt fans. Despite putting up 47 points against Middle Tennessee State, the Commodores were still out-gained.
Ralph Webb is certainly in prime condition, rushing for 211 yards in the win. Webb will see most of the touches this week. For the offense to score points they must win the battle at the line of scrimmage and create holes for Webb to run through.
The passing game is still a work in progress to say the least. Kyle Shurmur was streaky and barely reached the 100-yard passing mark. Vanderbilt cannot continue to be one-dimensional and must find an offensive balance.
This week will be an opportunity for Shurmur and the Commodores to overcome their early passing struggles. The Georgia Tech defense has been average at best through two weeks and struggled to get Mercer off the field on third and fourth down.
Georgia Tech runs the triple-option and will be challenging for Vanderbilt’s veteran defense.
The Pick: Georgia Tech 24 Vanderbilt 17
The Commodores are overall too one-dimensional to beat the Yellow Jackets. Webb is likely to keep Vandy in the game, but Georgia Tech will find just enough answers to get the win.
No. 1 Alabama at No. 19 Ole Miss (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
Oxford is host to a huge battle between SEC West foes this week. The winner of this game should be the favorite to make it to Atlanta in December for the SEC Championship game.
Alabama looks fairly dominant through their first two games, despite Nick Saban’s displeasure after last week’s win.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts continues to look like the right guy for the job and was able to get star receiver Calvin Ridley involved in the action a week ago. Ridley will be a much needed target for the freshman quarterback and will look to exploit the Ole Miss secondary.
The Rebels defense looked good against the triple-option attack of Wofford, but it still remains to be seen whether they have corrected their issues from the opener against Florida State.
If they have not fixed the secondary, Ridley and the Tide will have a big day on offense.
The Pick: Alabama 34 Ole Miss 18
The depth of Alabama’s receivers will be too much for an overhauled Ole Miss secondary. Ridley will total over 100 yards receiving and help the Crimson Tide avenge their only loss from a season ago.
East Carolina at South Carolina (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
South Carolina is set to open their home schedule with East Carolina. This will be the Gamecocks' first non-conference opponent, having gone 1-1 on the road against SEC competition.
The Gamecocks must tackle better than a week ago. The defensive scheme didn't appear to be far off, but a lack of fundamentals led to big plays. The run defense has big improvements to make and must return to wrapping up the ball carrier instead of diving and lunging at them.
South Carolina must also get better play from the offensive line that allowed four sacks last week. They must create more holes for the running backs after rushing for just 34 yards last week.
The offense should have more success against an East Carolina defense that allowed 7.9 yards per play in a win over NC State.
Quarterback Philip Nelson will look to his numerous weapons at receiver to find the holes in the Gamecock secondary. If the Pirates are able to improve their rushing attack, they could be poised for back-to-back road victories over teams from Power Five conferences.
The Pick: South Carolina 30 East Carolina 28
Brandon McIlwain will see the most playing time for the Gamecocks at quarterback and will expand the rushing game. A.J. Turner will have a better game on the ground, and the Gamecocks will manage a close victory.
New Mexico State at Kentucky (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
The streak lives on. Kentucky has now dropped 30 straight games to Florida and is 0-2 this season.
Kentucky played absolutely horribly against the Gators. Drew Barker was 2-10 for just 10 yards and three interceptions, while the team's rushing attack only managed 2.8 yards per carry.
Overall, the Wildcats need to improve across the board. The defense gave up over 500 yards and for the second game this season allowed over 40 points.
New Mexico State enters Lexington off an upset of rival New Mexico. The Aggies have a balanced attack led by quarterback Tyler Rogers. Despite the win they gave up over 200 yards rushing to the Lobos.
Kentucky will have to use running backs Stanley Boom Williams and JoJo Kemp to take advantage of the Aggies run defense. Williams appeared to be the best offensive player last week and will be a key to the success of the offense.
The secondary will have to step up big after two poor performances. If the defense can improve and get more pressure on the quarterback, the Wildcats could get their first win against the Aggies.
The Pick: Kentucky 38 New Mexico State 27
Barker will regain his rhythm and the Wildcat secondary will make the proper adjustments to hold off the Aggies and give Kentucky their first win of the season.
No. 17 Texas A&M at Auburn (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Trevor Knight has Texas A&M looking like a serious contender for the SEC West. The Aggies are red-hot heading into conference play after a 2-0 start.
Knight has used his talented receiving core well, and Christian Kirk has been the primary playmaker. The rushing game has been just as good, and Knight has proved to be a dual threat alongside running backs Kendall Bussey and Keith Ford.
The Aggies defense, anchored by Myles Garrett, has only given up 78.5 rushing yards per game and will be challenged against Auburn’s backfield.
The Tigers rushed for an astounding 462 yards last week. To get past Texas A&M, they will depend on Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson, who both rushed for over 100 yards against Arkansas State.
Sean White appeared to solidify his role as the starting quarterback with a solid performance last week against the Red Wolves. The Aggie defense will be a much tougher challenge. For Auburn to win, White must continue to be efficient and challenge the Aggies secondary.
The Pick: Texas A&M 38 Auburn 20
Texas A&M will use Knight to power past Auburn on the road. The strong D-line of the Aggies will be enough to force Auburn to depend on big plays from White, who has yet to prove his reliability in big games.
Mississippi State at No. 20 LSU (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Dan Mullen and Mississippi State picked up a huge win in their conference opener against South Carolina.
Nick Fitzgerald got the surprise start and locked up his position with an impressive performance. Fitzgerald set a new school record for rushing yards by a quarterback and gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 start in the conference.
Fitzgerald probably will not break another school record this week against the LSU defense but must play well to keep the Bulldogs in the game.
The Mississippi State defense showed signs of improvement last week and virtually eliminated South Carolina’s running game. With Leonard Fournette carrying the pigskin for LSU, the Bulldogs will need another solid performance from their D.
As for the Tigers, Fournette appears to be the only playmaker on offense. Brandon Harris was benched against Jacksonville State after struggling against the FCS opponent. Danny Etling replaced Harris and showed a little good and a little bad.
LSU has a tough run defense and should be able to slow down Fitzgerald on the ground. If LSU can put pressure on Fitzgerald it could be a long day for the Bulldogs.
The Pick: LSU 27 Mississippi State 13
The Tigers defense will be a much tougher test for Mississippi State this week. Throw into the equation a hostile Death Valley at night and it is not a winning combination for the Bulldogs.
No. 16 Georgia at Missouri (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Nicholls State nearly stunned Athens last week. Georgia escaped the Colonels with a two-point victory that felt like a loss. The Bulldogs coughed the ball up twice and struggled to run the ball by their standards.
Jacob Eason is still learning the offense and will take time to fully develop into the passer Kirby Smart wants him to be. The offense will rely on Nick Chubb to take the pressure off of the freshman. Chubb averaged four yards per carry a week ago and will look to overpower the Missouri D-line.
The secondary had some missed assignments last week that could have led to big plays if the Colonels could have connected. Those lapses on defense must be avoided against Drew Lock and the Tigers offense that broke out against Eastern Michigan.
Lock threw for 450 yards against the Eagles in a 61-21 rout. The Georgia defense will be a much larger challenge but has the potential to yield the occasional big play.
If the Missouri offense can avoid turnovers and connect on some deep balls, this game will likely be decided in the fourth quarter.
The Pick: Georgia 34 Missouri 21
Last week exposed some weaknesses of the Bulldogs. The secondary should be more secure and Chubb should rush for 100 yards. Eason will look more relaxed under center and could catch a break if Tigers cornerback Aarion Pention has to sit out due to a sprained shoulder.
North Texas at No. 23 Florida (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Florida is rolling into this one after crushing Kentucky. The Gators managed to produce over 500 yards of offense for the first time since their season opener in 2015.
They dominated both sides of the football and were in total control all game long. Luke Del Rio tore up the Wildcat secondary and should do the same against North Texas this week.
Antonio Callaway is a huge weapon for Del Rio and will look for some long balls against the outmatched Mean Green defense.
Lamical Perine was also a force on the ground, as the Gators' offensive line had their way with Kentucky. Perine will go up against a pair of tough linebackers for North Texas in Courtney Finney and Fred Scott, who are the Mean Green’s leading tacklers.
The Florida defense is definitely one of the best in the nation — as always —and will be tough for North Texas to conquer. This should be a small challenge for Florida and a tune-up for a huge matchup at Tennessee next week.
The Pick: Florida 45 North Texas 7
If the Gators struggle at all this week it will be a surprise. For the first time since early last season it appears the offense is well balanced and high-powered.
Texas State at No. 24 Arkansas (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
The Razorbacks pulled off a dramatic double-overtime upset of TCU last week. It appears the Hogs are finally ready to compete again in the SEC West.
Austin Allen and the rest of the Arkansas offense did an excellent job of not turning the ball over against the Horned Frogs. To keep winning, the Hogs must continue to win the turnover margin.
Rawleigh Williams III has been a force on the ground for the Razorbacks and will provide big problems for Texas State, which has struggled on defense this season.
Arkansas will face the Bobcats air attack this week and will look to play well all four quarters after blowing a fourth-quarter lead against TCU. Texas State will challenge the Razorback secondary and stick to a pass-heavy game plan.
Bret Bielema and Arkansas appear to have made large improvements from last season and should be able to use their size and strength to exploit the Texas State defense. If Arkansas is truly ready to compete for the SEC West crown, this game should be like a scrimmage.
If we see another performance similar to the one in their opener against Louisiana Tech, this could turn into another mediocre season for the Hogs.
The Pick: Arkansas 49 Texas State 17
Williams will have another impressive performance and Allen will continue to take care of the football. Keon Hatcher will be the Razorbacks' leading receiver and pull in a couple of touchdowns. The defense will still have a few holes in the secondary, allowing the Bobcats to put up some points.