In the world of SEC football, it’s more or less officially go time. The eras of Southwestern State Typewriting School for the Blind as a nonconference opponent are gone (well, Missouri is playing UMass).
The slate is short but meaningful. These are almost all big games.
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 game worth cancelling your plans, faking a cold, and to quote the legendary Lane Kiffin, the ones worth getting your popcorn ready:
No. 17 Alabama at No. 5 Georgia (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
It should be a fineable offense to have an evening wedding scheduled for Saturday, September 27. That’s how good this will be. Alabama will be playing for something perhaps approaching Kalen DeBoer‘s coaching life. Georgia is looking to make a statement after a relatively quiet offseason. Ty Simpson and Gunner Stockton really go under the microscope for the second time for each. Should be epic.
No. 4 LSU at No. 13 Ole Miss (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Any other week, this would be the national game to watch. LSU has the superior ranking and ceiling, but has been a bit underwhelming. Ole Miss has style points aplenty, but seems to always struggle against the very top teams. And who’s the Rebel QB? They might need both to hang on as the slimmest of home favorites. But who’s not watching this one?
Auburn vs. No. 9 Texas A&M (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Just in case anybody wanted an alternative in the midday slot, here’s this one. Auburn took the loss in the Jackson Arnold return game, but gained valuable experience. A&M might be a touch overrated — it’ll be hard to lean into that Notre Dame win if Arkansas upsets the Irish this weekend. This is a game to determine the ceiling for 2 teams still in the CFP discussion.
4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not quite as electric as the 5-star games, but still excellent quality college football.
No. 22 Notre Dame at Arkansas (Noon ET, ABC)
Arkansas has suffered a season’s worth of near-misses already. Is college football cruel enough to drop a third in its lap? So far, Notre Dame is underachieving its way to a sluggish season. Taylen Green is going to throw for about a bajillion yards, and either the Hogs win and Sam Pittman can exhale or Notre Dame is back in the Playoff mix.
No. 15 Tennessee at Mississippi State (4:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
This has some sneaky potential to be a great game. Starkville is a hard place to play well, and Tennessee generally has that 1 game every year where it just doesn’t quite show up. The Vols will have to be disciplined and might have some genuine issues getting Blake Shapen off the field. UT is the talent favorite, but talent might not mean as much in front of 50,000 cowbells.
3 stars ⭐⭐⭐
A game with some intriguing aspects, but generally not as competitive or interesting as those above.
Kentucky at South Carolina (7:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
I attended my first college football game around this time of year 31 years ago and these same 2 teams played. And the story is basically the same then and now. The winner will probably sneak into a lower-tier bowl. The loser will not. If that story (and a -5.5 line) doesn’t make for a 3-star game, then not much else can. (For the curious: Carolina won 23-9 in 1994.)
One thing is for sure, though — the Gamecock fans will be loud.
Check out our Columbia episode that kicks off the second season of College Town!
2 stars ⭐⭐
Mostly reserved for quality teams in deeply mediocre matchups.
Utah State at No. 18 Vanderbilt (12:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
The good news here is obvious. Vandy used to be in the Utah State role here, the 23.5-point underdog to a top 20 opponent. The 3-1 Aggies lost by 22 to Texas A&M in Week 2, so the Commodores should be fine, albeit likely not with epic viewing.
1 star ⭐
Only for the diehards.
UMass vs. No. 20 Missouri (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Just to prove that not everybody is moving on to competitive football, Mizzou takes on an 0-3 team that lost to an FCS team in Week 2 and is a 43.5-point favorite.
RELATED: Sports betting will be live in Missouri before you know it. Stay up to date with the latest info regarding the upcoming bet365 Missouri bonus.
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.
