While the week’s talk has been focused on Louisville, the SEC has a chance this week to shift the spotlight and regain their footing as the nation’s best conference (if you believe they’ve lost that ground). Four of the matchups noted in this week’s What to Watch come from the SEC and several are key to the SEC East race, which appears to be wide open. While this week’s slate of games isn’t as good as last week, there’s still a ton to check out in this week’s What to Watch:
Game of the week:
No. 17 Arkansas at No. 10 Texas A&M. 9 p.m. ET
Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen is just the fourth quarterback in Arkansas history to go 3-0 in his first three starts, but maintaining that winning streak will be tough against a Texas A&M defensive front that is one of the best in the country.
Ends Daeshon Hall and Myles Garrett have three sacks and seven quarterback hurries between them, but overall, the Aggies are the No. 9 defense with 12 sacks. The Arkansas offensive line has had a little trouble keeping opposing teams out of the backfield with six sacks allowed and the Razorbacks haven’t faced a defense as tough as the Aggies.
On the other side, A&M quarterback Trevor Knight, an Oklahoma transfer, has been steady. He’s thrown for 830 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for 151 yards and three scores. He’s been better than many expected and has kept the Aggies moving at 42.3 points per game.
Expect this game to be a mid-scoring contest that’s close into the fourth quarter.
Game to watch:
No. 19 Florida at No. 14 Tennessee, 3:30 p.m.
Florida is looking for 12 consecutive wins against Tennessee, but it will have to do it with a backup quarterback after starter Luke Del Rio was injured against North Texas. Austin Appleby was 2-9 as a starter at Purdue, but hopes to fare better with the Gators, who are jockeying for position in a wide-open SEC East. But this game won’t be so much about the Florida offense as it will be about the Florida defense.
The Gators have held their first three opponents to fewer than 130 yards of total offense and lead the country allowing just 4.7 points per game. They’ve also racked up a nation-leading 16 sacks for a loss of 112 yards, which will put pressure on an already challenged Tennessee offensive line. The Vols have allowed seven sacks this season and the line was been pushed back over and over by Ohio last week. Moreover, the Vols three-headed backfield of quarterback Josh Dobbs and running backs Alvin Kamara and Jalen Hurd have yet to become the dominant offensive force many thought they would be.
The other issue for Tennessee in this game will be the loss of cornerback Cameron Sutton, who suffered a broken ankle against Ohio. Without him in the lineup, receiver Antonio Callaway might be in line for a big game.
Also check out…
No. 11 Wisconsin at No. 8 Michigan State, 3:30 ET
Michigan State is feeling pretty good after beating a ranked Notre Dame team while Wisconsin has been inconsistent offensively, which has prompted a change at quarterback just three games into the season.
Alex Hornibrook will start in place of Bart Houston. The same Bart Houston that led the Badgers to a win against LSU in Lambeau Field, but who managed to throw for just 91 yards against Georgia State. Hornibrook has led the Badgers to five touchdowns in nine drives this season, the same amount Houston led the Badgers to in 28 drives. Wisconsin also could be without running back Corey Clement, who missed last week’s game with an injured ankle. The Badgers averaged less than four yards per carry with him on the sideline.
Meanwhile, the Michigan State defense looked dominant at times against Notre Dame. While Michigan State did allow 28 points, the Spartans forced three turnovers and held the Irish rushing attack to 57 yards on 25 carries.
Channel surf through…
No. 12 Georgia at No. 23 Ole Miss, noon ET — Can Ole Miss finally finish a game? That will be the question after the Rebels gave away 20-point leads to Florida State and Alabama that led to losses. Similarly, Georgia hasn’t exactly been impressive on the way to its 3-0 record with close wins against Nichols State and Missouri.
Pitt at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m. ET — This is a sneaky good game that could provide a lot of offensive fireworks. The Pitt running game should have success against a North Carolina front seven that is allowing 226.7 rushing yards per game. North Carolina likes to play up-tempo and score fast, which should make this game a back-and-forth affair.
No. 18 LSU at Auburn, 6 p.m. — Will this game determine which of these coaches is looking for a job next season? Maybe, but it won’t be just because of this game. LSU looked good early against Mississippi State, but then allowed the Bulldogs to creep back into the game, which created close result. Auburn’s offense has been pretty terrible all year, but the defense should keep this one a low-scoring contest.
Oklahoma State at No. 16 Baylor, 7:30 p.m. ET — The Big 12’s chances at a spot in the College Football Playoff are likely long gone, but that doesn’t mean the conference isn’t fun to watch. Unsurprisingly, Baylor has one of the nation’s best defenses after playing three overmatched opponents, but will be in for a wakeup call when Oklahoma State and its 44.3 points per game roll into town.
No. 7 Stanford at UCLA, 8 p.m. ET — Christian McCaffrey lit UCLA up last season with a school-record 243 rushing yards and 369 all-purpose yards and while the UCLA front is better this season, no one has been successful in slowing McCaffrey down this year. Stanford has won eight straight against the Bruins by an average of 18 points per game.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
