The guts of the SEC schedule have arrived.
Other than Ole Miss’s easy nonconference game with Washington State, Saturday features all league action, with nobody a bigger underdog than +11.5 or so.
This is the college football that fans wait for during the spring and summer. So what’s worth watching? That’s our department. 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, shutting off your phone, and to quote the legend, Lane Kiffin, the ones worth getting your popcorn ready:
No. 8 Alabama at No. 14 Missouri (Noon ET, ABC)
A strengthening Alabama team against an underrated Missouri team? Arguably the SEC’s top passer (Ty Simpson) against the SEC’s top rusher (Ahmad Hardy)? Alabama going on the road in a competitive environment? Missouri finally having its (sorry, no pun intended) “show me” game? This is must-see stuff. It’s not a game that’s determinative for either team in the CFP, but the winner gets a significant boost and the loser will have to be careful the rest of the way.
No. 6 Oklahoma vs. Texas (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
The big network picked the right games this week. Before the season, if the narrative had been that when this game happened, a 5-0 top-10 team with a Heisman candidate QB would battle a 3-2 team with an underwhelming QB, everybody would have assumed that the teams were the opposite of who they are. There’s plenty on the line here — the health of John Mateer versus the legacy of Arch Manning. Oklahoma‘s solid Playoff chance vs. Texas‘s fading shot (a third loss could be fatal). But despite everything above, the Horns are a slim favorite at the Cotton Bowl. Did we mention that it’s a rivalry game?
4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not quite as electric as the 5-star games, but still great quality college football.
No. 10 Georgia at Auburn (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry comes at a time when there are questions about both teams. Georgia seems to have recovered from its loss to Alabama, but still seems to be grinding out the season like a fancy European sportscar being forced to go 25 mph on a country lane. Auburn started strong, but a third loss would ruin the energy around the program and would put Hugh Freeze squarely on the hot seat. Georgia is a very mild road favorite, which feels about right. Somebody’s season could get derailed here, and if that’s not quite as exciting as the season-making games above, it’s still plenty to watch.
Florida at No. 5 Texas A&M (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
This would be a 3-star game except for last week. Florida, under Billy Napier, has a remarkable talent for emerging from its coffin and dragging down another quality foe. The Gators did it to Texas a week ago and a 2-game sweep of the Texas schools would give a new narrative to Florida’s troubled season. That said, the Texas A&M Aggies have seemed generally immune to bad luck or boogeymen. They’re favored by a score, but Florida’s annual resurrection narrative adds intrigue.
3 stars ⭐⭐⭐
A game with some intriguing aspects, but generally not as competitive or interesting as those above.
South Carolina vs. No. 11 LSU (7:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
LSU, much like Georgia, has seemed to sort of putter through its season. Garrett Nussmeier hasn’t quite been on the Manning level of disappointment, but it’s safe to assume LSU folks aren’t thrilled either. South Carolina has that brutal schedule that could grind the team down… unless it starts upsetting superior teams. LSU is favored by 9.5, so the upset isn’t super likely here, but there’s enough of a possibility of another Nussmeier struggle to watch. Bonus for LaNorris Sellers continuing to make his case as one of the top NFL Draft QB prospects here.
2 stars ⭐⭐
Mostly reserved for quality teams in deeply mediocre matchups.
Arkansas vs. No. 12 Tennessee (4:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Bobby Petrino is back running things in Fayetteville, but unless he’s walking on water, Tennessee will likely gash a mediocre Arkansas defense. The possibility for a Taylen Green/Joey Aguilar shootout is there, but Arkansas is seemingly outmanned here, which is why the Hogs are the SEC’s biggest underdog this week at +11.5. The guess here is that this feels like a motorcycle wreck gone wrong for Petrino.
1 star ⭐
Only for the diehards:
Washington State vs. No. 4 Ole Miss (12:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Not much to learn here. The Ole Miss Rebels are a 31.5-point favorite and don’t seem prone to struggle in these sorts of games. The continued performance of Trinidad Chambliss is worth watching, but the first quarter will probably be enough to get the picture on that front.
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.
