To recap the non-conference action this weekend entering Saturday night:

1) No. 18 Ole Miss led Boise State just 7-6 after three quarters before rolling to a 35-13 win.
2) Vanderbilt lost to Temple, a two-win team in the American Athletic Conference last season, by 30 points.
3) Kentucky steamed through FCS opponent Tennessee-Martin, 59-14.
4) No. 2 Alabama looked pretty average against a West Virginia team that won just four games last season.
5) Missouri won by 20, but didn’t put away FCS school South Dakota State until the fourth quarter.

It’s not that the SEC has bombed, but it hasn’t exactly dominated either.

The LSU-Wisconsin game probably is the most visible nationally. Georgia-Clemson also featured two ranked teams from power conferences, but didn’t quite match the hype of Tigers-Badgers in Houston.

A win would launch LSU into national hype after the Tigers spent most of the offseason under the radar.

The game has been billed as a backfield royal rumble, pitting LSU’s trifecta against 2,000-yard threat Melvin Gordon and overshadowed-but-good Corey Clement. Each team features a powerful offensive line and may play two quarterbacks.

Will the grass-eating Les Miles get his team back to grinding out wins with a punishing run game and stiff defense? Will Wisconsin spark a potential unbeaten season by slaying an SEC power?

Let’s find out.