Folks, the 2026 college football season is less than a month away (if you’re playing in Week 0). And in the SEC, there’s only a little bit longer to wait before Mizzou hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday, Sept. 4, to officially kick off the season.
Mizzou-UAPB might not be a game that moves the needle much for you. Even as a Mizzou alum, I’m only excited for that game because it means the start of the Tigers’ season.
But rest assured, there are plenty of solid matchups on the docket for Week 1. That’s what we’re here to discuss today.
Let’s dive into the Week 1 matchups in the SEC and rank them based on how entertaining they should be:
Last Place: Everyone facing FCS schools
These games aren’t going to move the needle for anyone, so I’m not going to spend any time actually ranking them against one another:
- Mizzou vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
- Kentucky vs. Youngstown State
- Georgia vs. Tennessee State
- Tennessee vs. Furman
- Arkansas vs. North Alabama
- Vanderbilt vs. Austin Peay
Those 6 games are tossed aside. All of those SEC programs should roll to easy wins. Fortunately, that still leaves us with 10 matchups that should be slightly more competitive.
10. Mississippi State vs. Louisiana-Monroe
Ahmad Hardy isn’t walking through that door for ULM again anytime soon. Even though Mississippi State won’t be competing for an SEC title this year, this is still a game it should win handily. I am excited to see Kamario Taylor back on the field in Starkville, though.
9. Texas vs. Texas State
Kudos to the Texas Longhorns for playing a smaller in-state school, but this one should not be within 4 scores by the end of the first half. Texas will likely enter the season as a top 5 (and probably top 3) team in the nation. The starters shouldn’t play a single snap in the second half.
But it’s our first look at Cam Coleman in a Texas uniform. We get to see Arch Manning take the field once again. I’m excited for this Texas offense and Week 1 should be a great showcase of all that talent.
8. South Carolina vs. Kent State
This one scores low on my list because Kent State is No. 135 out of 139 FBS teams in the ESPN Football Power Index. (For the record, ULM is dead-last at No. 139.) Even though I think South Carolina will struggle at times this season, this should be a feel-good opening week victory for Shane Beamer and company. If it isn’t a blowout, sound the alarm bells.
7. Texas A&M vs. Missouri State
I guess this game is kind of interesting because of the Bobby Petrino connection? He was the Missouri State head coach from 2020 to 2022 and then took over as Texas A&M‘s offensive coordinator in 2023. Other than that, I’m excited to see what Marcel Reed looks like in Year 3 and if this rebuilt A&M offensive line is Playoff-worthy or not.
According to Kalshi, Texas A&M has a 38% chance to make the Playoff this year. Will the Aggies get the job done? Check out where Kalshi is legal and get started today!
6. Alabama vs. East Carolina
This matchup is higher on my list than some of the other Group of 5 matchups because of the Alabama QB battle. Kalen DeBoer is (presumably) going to have to send a quarterback out for the first offensive snap of the game, and Tide Nation will be waiting to see if it is Keelon Russell or Austin Mack. Fans will also want to see improved offensive line play and signs of a pulse from any running back.
5. Oklahoma vs. UTEP
The Oklahoma Sooners only allowed 19 points in nonconference play last year — 13 to Michigan, 3 to Illinois State, 3 to Temple and 0 to Kent State. John Mateer was in the Heisman Trophy conversation until he hurt his thumb and was never the same. I think Brent Venables and company can go for a 44-0 shutout like they pitched against Kent State last year with the defense the Sooners bring back.
4. Florida vs. FAU
Florida hosting a Group of 5 in-state program didn’t go so well last year, as USF (led by current Auburn QB Byrum Brown and coach Alex Golesh) came into The Swamp and pulled off a stunning 18-16 victory. That loss didn’t look good on Billy Napier’s résumé when it came time to decide what direction to take the program.
Now Jon Sumrall is the head Gator and he can’t avoid the same kind of early season mistake. We’ll see what the new-look Florida squad has to offer in its debut game.
3. Auburn vs. Baylor
Now we get to the real meat of the Week 1 slate. This game will be played in Atlanta and serves as the Auburn debut for the aforementioned tandem of Golesh and Brown. Meanwhile, Baylor coach Dave Aranda is on one of the hottest seats in college football. Baylor will do everything it can to avenge last year’s loss, while Golesh and company will want to start their Auburn tenure off on a high note. I expect Auburn to earn a hard-fought victory in this matchup.
Subscribe to the Saturday Football Newsletter — Get the latest news and updates on your team, your conference, and the college football nation straight to your inbox.
Having trouble seeing the signup form? Some privacy or ad-blocking tools can prevent it from loading. You can subscribe directly here.
2. Ole Miss vs. Louisville
Much like the next game we’ll discuss (which you’ve probably already guessed by now), this matchup in Nashville is between 2 teams with Playoff aspirations this fall. How realistic are those aspirations? Well, this game will go a long way toward showing us. Pete Golding was the star of SEC Media Days, saying all the right things and showing off his winning personality. Now, though, it’s time to win (more) football games. Ole Miss brings back Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy to lead the offense. Louisville has new faces nearly everywhere. This is a game the Rebels need if they want to make it back to the Playoff.
1. LSU vs. Clemson
This is the game of Week 1. Primetime on ABC. The Battle for Death Valley. Oh, and Lane Kiffin‘s debut as the head coach of the LSU Tigers. The stakes couldn’t be higher for either team. Brian Kelly’s squad went to Clemson and won to start last season. Kiffin won’t want his tenure to start with a loss at home. Meanwhile, Dabo Swinney has had a couple of down years with Clemson and will be eager to get his squad to the Playoff. This is appointment viewing, y’all.
Like our coverage? Make SDS a preferred source in your searches!
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
