There’s no such thing as a thin Saturday slate. Those who believe there are quiet Saturdays without intrigue are fools.
OK, that’s a slight lie. I won’t put lipstick on a pig here. Week 4 in the SEC doesn’t appear to be particularly deep. After all, there are only 3 Power Conference games.
To be fair, the SEC already had 12 Power Conference games in nonconference play, which included a 10-2 mark. There are still 6 more of those matchups, but 4 of them won’t happen until Rivalry Week. None of them are happening this weekend.
But intrigue, Week 4 does not lack. Here are some early thoughts on each of the 10 SEC contests:
Arkansas vs. Memphis — We’ve officially reached “must win” territory for Sam Pittman
I don’t know if this is a true stat, but I feel like 100% of SEC coaches on the hot seat who lose to Group of 5 teams get fired that season. We’ll let Billy Napier be our case study. For Pittman, beating one of the top Group of 5 teams feels like an absolute must if he wants to make his case for a Year 7 in Fayetteville. Fortunately for Arkansas, it has Taylen Green and Memphis doesn’t. That’s perhaps why the Hogs are nearly a touchdown favorite on the road. Memphis hasn’t faced a quarterback like Green, who currently is tied for the FBS lead with 11 touchdown passes and is No. 1 among FBS quarterbacks with 307 rushing yards. He’ll be tasked with picking up a pivotal victory for his coach.
UAB vs. No. 15 Tennessee — I’d want to continue this passing game momentum in a big way
As tempting as it would be for the Vols to come out with a ground-heavy approach early, I’d want to continue to get Joey Aguilar reps with these pass-catchers, So far, he’s been one of the biggest revelations in all of college football along with former Tulane transfer Chris Brazzell II, who is tied for the FBS lead with 5 receiving scores (he had 2 in his first season at Tennessee in 2024). That chemistry with his pass catchers can continue to improve in a game like this as a 40.5-point home favorite. This is the type of matchup that Josh Heupel can have a pass-heavy opening script and then turn to the backfield, as well as Jake Merklinger for the majority of the second half.
No. 22 Auburn vs. No. 11 Oklahoma — Brent Venables should have the entire playbook on flustering Jackson Arnold … right?
It’s going to be a massive reunion game for both Venables and Arnold. We know the stakes/storylines. For Venables, you can’t let Arnold come into your building looking like a new man. Not after the way that last year played out. Whether he admits it or not, there were plenty of days in which Venables watched Oklahoma‘s defense get the better of Arnold. One would think that he’ll have the right ways to confuse the Auburn quarterback in his return to Norman, especially with how dominant the Sooners have been on that side of the ball. Among FBS teams who played at least 3 games, OU ranks No. 1 with just 3.48 yards/play allowed.
I’d expect to see plenty of Arnold’s legs after he had 11 missed tackles forced against Baylor in Week 1, and when he does air it out, he’ll likely want to test Oklahoma true freshman corner Courtland Guillory, who has been excellent with just 2 catches allowed on 10 targets. For all the talk about his turnover issues, Arnold hasn’t thrown an interception or even a turnover-worthy pass (via PFF) in an Auburn uniform yet. If that’s still the case by day’s end, Arnold will have a good chance of getting the last laugh on Venables. A juicy chess match awaits.
Tulane vs. No. 13 Ole Miss — So … another serving of Trinidad Chambliss?
I don’t want to assume anything after Austin Simmons was considered the emergency quarterback against Arkansas after he suffered an ankle injury late against Kentucky. That opened the door for Chambliss to have himself a whale of an opener in his first career start at the FBS level. The former Division II national champ looked more poise than Simmons, who had 2 interceptions in the first quarter of each of his first 2 games. Simmons also left Saturday’s game after re-aggravating that ankle, which clouded his status for Week 4. Early indications would suggest that Chambliss will have another go at the starting lineup against an elite defensive mind in Jon Sumrall, who already led Tulane to a pair of wins vs. Power Conference teams this year. But as we know with Lane Kiffin, assuming anything with his depth chart is a foolish endeavor.
Northern Illinois vs. Mississippi State — The Huskies entered the year ranked dead last in FBS in percentage of returning production
Yeah, No. 136 out of 136 in percentage of returning production. That’s a bit of a comforting thought for Mississippi State fans who might wonder about the squad who went into Notre Dame and handed the Irish their only regular season loss last year. Dare I say, that inexperience shows. A 19-17 thriller against FCS Holy Cross in the opener wasn’t exactly a statement start, and losing to a lost Maryland squad by double digits wasn’t a sign that NIU is the team that shocked the world in 2024. This is the type of matchup that Jeff Lebby‘s Year 2 offense should feast on, especially after averaging 6.8 yards/play in the first 3 games.
South Carolina vs. No. 23 Mizzou — My, how the tables have turned
As recently as 2 weeks ago, South Carolina had one of the best quarterbacks in America and Mizzou had someone who had never started a game vs. FBS competition. Fast forward to Week 4, and it’s a completely different story. LaNorris Sellers left Saturday’s loss to Vanderbilt with a head injury after an underwhelming start, while Beau Pribula looked like one of the best quarterbacks in America in his first 3 games. Will Sellers return? And if he does, will Saturday be a breakout performance after a slow start with Mike Shula as the new OC? It’s hard to imagine any scenario in which South Carolina survives on the road as nearly a 2-touchdown underdog without the best version of Sellers. Perhaps of equal significance for South Carolina will be finding some defensive answers for the Pribula-Ahmad Hardy duo after Vanderbilt put up 31 points on Clayton White’s unit at Williams-Brice Stadium. It’ll be a steep climb for the Gamecocks.
Florida vs. No. 4 Miami (FL) — Can DJ Lagway move past his most alarming performance to date?
Against LSU, Lagway had a 5-interception game that actually felt worse. How bad was it? PFF charted Lagway for 7 turnover-worthy plays at LSU. That’s as many as Lagway had all of last season. To call it a “nightmare” showing would be an understatement. In another road game vs. a top-5 team, will that version of Lagway come out? Or will we see the version of Lagway who impressed down the stretch in 2024? Lagway left his 2024 matchup with Carson Beck after suffering a hamstring injury, but to that point in the game, he outplayed the former Georgia quarterback, who was in the midst of a turnover-heavy stretch of his own at the time. Take that for what it is. Beck has new surroundings in Miami, and he appears to be thriving with them. Is it possible that a reunion with the Florida defense can halt that momentum? It’s certainly in play, but that’ll only matter if Lagway stops turning the ball over at such an alarming rate.
Georgia State vs. No. 20 Vanderbilt — Revenge game!
If you had told anyone after Georgia State’s comeback win vs. Vandy last year that the Dores would finish with a winning record and be in the AP Top 25 for the rematch a year later, you would’ve been laughed out of the room. Vandy has flipped the script with a pair of blowout victories on the road against Virginia Tech and South Carolina. As much talk as Diego Pavia gets, it’s been the defensive improvement that’s been at the root of Vandy’s 2025 emergence. Clark Lea’s squad allowed 4.2 yards per play and in the second half this season, they allowed a total of just 3 points en route to a 3-0 start. It’s a different team than the one that collapsed at Georgia State last year. A 4-touchdown spread suggests revenge will be had on Saturday night in Nashville.
Southeast Louisiana vs. No. 3 LSU — Brian Kelly doesn’t want to talk about offensive struggles? Then go score some points in the easiest matchup of the year
What a crazy concept, right? Kelly can defend the low-scoring game plan that it took to beat Clemson and Florida. What he can’t defend is if his offense has an extremely Louisiana Tech-like offensive showing against SE Louisiana. If there was ever a time to figure out the ground game, this is it. An FCS foe who allowed 24 points to Louisiana Tech should make for an ideal time for LSU to finally … score 24 points. There’s gotta be some urgency to get some positive offensive vibes for the gauntlet that awaits. It’s not just getting the ground attack some momentum. Garrett Nussmeier made a couple atypically casual throws in that Florida game. A dominant first half would be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Bayou Bengals.
Sam Houston vs. No. 8 Texas — Is it too early to say “if not now, then when for Arch Manning in 2025?”
Notice I said “in 2025.” I didn’t say forever. I just mean that if Manning can’t light up Sam Houston, I’m not gonna hold my breath on him being an All-SEC quarterback this year. That’s fair, right? After Manning struggled against UTEP, he and the Texas offense heard the boos. They’ll hear the boos again if they can’t score on a defense that allowed a minimum of 37 points en route to an 0-3 start. Steve Sarkisian needs to put together an ideal opening script and give Manning some big throwing windows. If offense is hard to come by in a matchup like this, there won’t be a whole lot of optimism for that unit to figure things out against solid defenses like Florida and Oklahoma away from home.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.
