“The Week Ahead” is our weekly Monday piece, covering any relevant news from the weekend and taking a first look at all the games coming up this weekend.
Week 1 News
Not like that, LSU. The SEC’s undefeated first weekend is no more. LSU lost 24-23 to Florida State in an absolutely wild game on Sunday night. Down 24-17, the Tigers muffed a punt with 2:30 to play, but Florida State fumbled at the LSU 1 with 1:24 left. LSU then proceeded to drive 99 yards and score a touchdown as time expired, only to have the PAT blocked. Mike Norvell, in his third season, got a desperately-needed win, but it was a bad look for Brian Kelly, who became the first LSU coach since Gerry DiNardo to lose his first game. No LSU coach wants to be compared to Gerry DiNardo. LSU’s offense was mostly dysfunctional all night, and the former Hogs played no role: Joe Foucha is serving an academic suspension from issues apparently related to the transfer of credits from Arkansas to LSU, while Greg Brooks was injured early in the game and did not return.
No word on Hog injuries. We are expecting an update sometime Monday on the extent of injuries to Jalen Catalon, Myles Slusher, and others who left the Cincinnati game and did not return. Slusher’s injury looked severe, but Sam Pittman said after the game that he thinks Slusher will be fine, but he didn’t know about Catalon or Isaiah Nichols. Catalon’s injury appeared to be upper body, so you worry about rotator cuff or something that could keep him out for several games. He was briefly in a sling during the game but was out of it by game’s end. Ideally at least one of them is available for Saturday’s showdown with Spencer Rattler and an improved Gamecock passing game.
Week 2 in the SEC
Samford at Georgia, UCA at Ole Miss, Southern at LSU. You can probably skip these.
Appalachian State at Texas A&M. App State lost 63-61 to North Carolina despite scoring 40 points in the fourth quarter alone. The Aggies are still working on their offense, which was uninspiring in the opener against Sam Houston.
Wake Forest at Vanderbilt. Vandy is 2-0! They did not look great against Elon, but 2-0 is 2-0. The Demon Deacons are ranked 22nd and are 8.5-point favorites, which seems low until you remember that starting Wake QB Sam Hartman is injured. This would be a nice win for Clark Lea.
San Jose State at Auburn. Auburn’s not good, but SJSU isn’t going to expose them.
Watch These
South Carolina at Arkansas (Saturday, 11 am, ESPN). The Hogs opened as 8.5-point favorites but the line has quickly moved to just 7.5, possibly due to concerns with injuries in the Razorback secondary. Our EV+ model says the Hogs are 8.2 points better on a neutral field. We’ll meet the Gamecocks on Tuesday and then have a full advanced stats preview on Thursday.
Alabama at Texas (Saturday, 11 am, FOX). Is Texas BACK? It is essential that both ESPN (Gameday is in Austin) and FOX (broadcasting the game) at least discuss the possibility, since they need viewers and things to talk about. If the Longhorns come anywhere near covering the 20.5-point spread, that will be a nice moral victory for Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorn faithful.
Missouri at Kansas State (Saturday, 11 am, ESPN2). The Wildcats are a touchdown favorite. Mizzou looked decent in their opener against Louisiana Tech, although they still have question marks on both sides of the ball. It will be tricky for Mizzou to make a bowl if they lose this one.
Tennessee at Pitt (Saturday, 2:30 pm, ABC). The Vols are a touchdown favorite on the road against the 17th-ranked team. Interesting. Tennessee’s offense puts up insane numbers against bad defenses. Pitt’s defense isn’t great, but it has a pulse. Take the Vols seriously if they win.
Kentucky at Florida (Saturday, 6 pm, ESPN). Florida wants to prove that its win over Utah means the Gators are back. Kentucky wants to prove that its here to stay as an SEC East power. Lots on the line here.
Mississippi State at Arizona (Saturday, 10 pm, FS1). This is an intriguing late-night matchup in the desert. Mississippi State drilled Memphis as expected, but Arizona — who has been terrible for the last few years — upended San Diego State with surprising ease in Week 1. It would be disappointing if the Bulldogs lose, but there’s no shame if the Wildcats keep it close.