After an opening week, which featured 14 out-of-conference games, we finally have some SEC games on the schedule in Week 2.

Six teams will begin conference play this week, and we’ll break down how each of the three games could impact the SEC championship picture for this season.

Still yet, eight teams will be playing non-conference opponents this week.

Though the games will not weigh on the outcome of the SEC divisional race, we can still learn things about the championship picture from the performance in those games.

For example, the Tennessee vs. Oklahoma game could give us an indication of just how serious the Vols’ SEC East title bid will be in 2015.

Here are some things we can learn about the SEC championship picture from the conference games in Week 2:

SEC WEST

  • LSU at Mississippi State: While the outcome of this one game cannot eliminate either of these teams from the SEC West race, it is obvious that the winner of this game is going to be in a much better position going forward than the loser. With seven teams that have a serious argument to be considered a contender, I suspect that most of the early SEC West games will have that type of a feel to them. LSU is the one team that we haven’t seen on the field in 2015, aside from a brief appearance against McNeese State before canceling the game due to inclement weather. So just getting a look at whether their passing game is more effective this season and a peek at the direction of the defense under new coordinator Kevin Steele will help us shape our opinion of the Tigers’ chances at a trip to Atlanta this season. As for Mississippi State, this is the Bulldogs’ opportunity to prove the preseason prognosticators wrong, and again insert themselves into the discussion about an SEC championship.

SEC EAST

  • Kentucky at South Carolina: Week 2 is probably too early to call anything an elimination game, but that could very well be what this game proves out to be in the SEC East race. Kentucky, which is expected to be improved in 2015 but has been picked sixth in the division, has to have this game if it is going to be considered a candidate for the East title. The Wildcats must prove they can win conference games on the road, and this one (aside from a November trip to Vandebilt), is probably as good of an opportunity as they are going to see. The Gamecocks have a much more serious argument to be considered a contender in the SEC East based on their performance during the Spurrier era, but a loss to Kentucky would certainly put a major dent in their campaign this year.
  • Georgia at Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt is no serious threat to contend for the SEC East, but the Commodores do have the capability of playing spoiler for a team in the divisional hunt on any given Saturday. View them as that 14-seed in the NCAA basketball tournament. They’re no threat to actually win the thing, but the percentages say that there is a chance that they ruin someone’s season every now and then. Interestingly enough, they did that exact thing to Georgia in 2013 (as well as several others during a two-year stretch in which the Commodores went 9-7 in SEC play). But James Franklin is long gone, and Derek Mason has yet to claim a conference victory as head coach at Vanderbilt. So while Georgia, which is the overwhelming SEC East favorite, should have little problem getting its conference season off to a 1-0 start on Saturday, there is just enough chance that something goes wrong that we need to be eyeing this game.