Week 3 of SEC football brings a few more relevant matchups. The cupcake portion of the schedule is ending and there are several meaty games on the slate for this week.
These rankings are subjective, but also account for league and national impact along with how exciting and how close the games will be. Games are ranked on a 1-to-5 star scale, with 5 being the most watchable game and 1 being the least.
Note that the entire league schedule is on Saturday, so no days will be listed below.
5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The games worth cancelling your plans, faking a cold, and to quote the legendary Lane Kiffin, getting your popcorn ready.
No. 6 Georgia at No. 15 Tennessee (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
The game of Week 3 has Tennessee with a lot more reason to feel viable than in prior seasons. Georgia has won 8 in a row, but it is a largely untested UGA team that is running around 3.5-point favorites in Knoxville. There are plenty of unknowns in this game, but it’s an exciting matchup of a pair of quality teams, both of which have legitimate CFP ambitions.
Florida at No. 3 LSU (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
ABC’s nightcap will keep the excitement level high. Florida badly needs an upset win at the LSU Tigers. The underdog has won in 4 of the last 5 games, including last season, when UF started a run of events that saved Billy Napier‘s job. Do they have another run in them as a 7.5-point underdog or does LSU burnish its CFP plans and put a little oomph into Garrett Nussmeier’s potential Heisman bid?
No. 16 Texas A&M at No. 8 Notre Dame (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)
A trio of 5-star games? There could be 4 or 5, but the 3 we’ve given the nod to are the best of the best. Texas A&M is a mostly untested 2-0 squad while Notre Dame is trying desperately to avoid starting 0-2. The Irish are favored at home by just under a touchdown, but Marcel Reed gives A&M a legitimate chance at pulling this one out.
4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not quite as electric as the 5-star games, but still excellent quality college football.
Vanderbilt at No. 11 South Carolina (7:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
A pair of 2-0 teams and many think Vanderbilt might be better than expected. How many? Well, South Carolina is a 3.5-point home favorite, which tells you that the game would essentially be a pick ’em on a neutral field. Vandy just dropped a much more thorough beating on Virginia Tech in Week 2 than South Carolina did in Week 1. USC’s offensive line has struggled, as the Gamecocks have allowed 6 sacks already, tied for worst in the SEC. Can Vandy create enough havoc on LaNorris Sellers to pull off the upset?
Arkansas at No. 17 Ole Miss (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
A pair of 2-0 teams, with Austin Simmons showing big-play capability but also having 5 turnovers in 2 games. Arkansas badly needs this win to have a bowl-eligible season, and the Hogs are only a 6.5-point dog in Oxford. Taylen Green has big play ability , so the question is whether Arkansas’s offensive line can give him time against the Rebel defense.
3 stars ⭐⭐⭐
A game with some intriguing aspects, but generally not as competitive or interesting as those above.
Wisconsin at No. 19 Alabama (Noon ET, ABC)
Alabama pulled out a Week 2 beatdown on poor UL-Monroe, but a big win would mean more over Wisconsin. This Badger squad isn’t one of the Big Ten’s best, but there’s enough talent here to make things interesting.
2 stars ⭐⭐
Mostly reserved for quality teams in bad matchups.
No. 13 Oklahoma at Temple (Noon ET, ESPN2)
Yes, Oklahoma follows a massive win over Michigan by heading to Philadelphia. Temple is 2-0, but it’s a 23.5-point home underdog in this one. Still, a chance to see John Mateer do his thing.
South Alabama at No. 24 Auburn (12:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
South Alabama has a relatively powerful offense, but probably not enough defense to outlast Auburn. Still, this one might stay close for a quarter or 2 before Jackson Arnold makes enough plays for the 24.5-point favorite to pull away.
Louisiana at No. 25 Missouri (1 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
There’s not even a mainstream telecast for this one, as Mizzou is a 27.5-point favorite. Beau Pribula has been one of the more impressive surprises of the SEC slate so far and he’s the most watchable player here.
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UTEP at No. 7 Texas (4:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Texas gets a nice 2-week break from SEC reality that starts here as a 40.5-point favorite. Arch Manning will get another chance to be impressive, although the one-time favorite in the Heisman race has definitely faded back a step.
1 star ⭐
Only for the diehards.
Eastern Michigan at Kentucky (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Eastern Michigan is 0-2 and must be genuinely awful to be a 25.5-point underdog to a Kentucky team that seems incapable of scoring 26 points in a vacant stadium.
Alcorn State at Mississippi State (6 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
The Bulldogs followed a meaningful win over Arizona State by playing an 0-2 FCS team.
Joe Cox is a columnist for Saturday Down South. He has also written or assisted in writing five books, and his most recent, Almost Perfect (a study of baseball pitchers’ near-miss attempts at perfect games), is available on Amazon or at many local bookstores.
