Four SEC teams will take the field tonight to begin the 2014 season, and each will look to start its season on a high note with an opening night victory.

But, of course, not everyone will put forth a memorable performance tonight. Some players and teams may shine bright on the big stage, but others may falter, leaving something to be desired.

Here are three candidates to burst onto the national scene and three more candidates to bust on opening night:

Booms

  1. Mike Davis: Davis is in early consideration for the Heisman Trophy, and is poised to have a monster night against a Texas A&M defense with more holes than Swiss cheese. The Gamecocks have won 18 home games in a row dating back to 2011, and Davis ran for nearly 1,200 yards at 5.8 yards per carry last season. The Aggies’ defense, meanwhile, allowed its opponents to rush for more than 2,800 yards in 2013. The numbers speak for themselves. The Gamecocks should feed Davis the ball regularly tonight, and the star back could rush for more than 150 yards at Williams-Brice.
  2. Bo Wallace: Wallace is the SEC’s most veteran quarterback, and he’ll oppose a Boise State defense that finished toward the bottom of the nation in pass defense a season ago. However, the Broncos secondary was much worse statistically when playing away from Boise’s blue turf, and BSU lost its best pass rusher from a year ago in Demarcus Lawrence. Wallace should have plenty of time to get comfortable in the pocket and find his collection of weapons for big gains down the field.
  3. Derek Mason: The new Vanderbilt head coach should shine in his first game as James Franklin’s replacement against a Temple squad that struggled throughout the 2013 season. Mason has instilled his own culture in the Commodores program, and all reports out of Nashville indicate the team has bought into his message. Vandy should come flying out of the gates against a clearly inferior opponent, out-classing the Owls all night long.

Busts

  1. Kenny Hill: Hill will begin his career as Texas A&M’s starting quarterback under some difficult circumstances. Not only will he have to replace A&M legend Johnny Manziel under center, but he’ll have to make his first start on the road against a top-10 team with an 18-game home winning streak under its belt. Allen may show flashes of his potential throughout the game, but it will be difficult for him to keep up with USC on the scoreboard, especially if Davis can control time of possession through the Gamecocks’ rushing attack.
  2. Texas A&M defense: The A&M defense was absolutely atrocious in 2013, and it showed no signs of significant improvement during spring practice or training camp earlier this month. Playing on the road against one of the top running backs in the nation will test the Aggies defense early, and until it proves otherwise, the expectation will be for the defense to fail that test. If the Gamecocks score on their first drive tonight, things could fall apart fast for an A&M defense that no longer has a Manziel-led offense to keep up on the scoreboard.
  3. Ole Miss linebackers: Ole Miss will have to face one of the nation’s premier running backs in Boise State’s Jay Ajayi, and will do so without starting linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche, who is suspended for tonight’s game. The Rebels have the top-end talent at the position in DT Shackelford and Serderius Bryant, but could lack depth without Nkemdiche. If Bryant and Shackelford begin to look tired in the second half, Ajayi could make them pay in a big way.