Week 3 in the SEC West
In the offseason I wrote a handful of posts about how good the SEC West should be in 2015. About how even the division was and how good it was. It was incredible to think how awesome the regular season would be with such great teams, and the 21 West vs. West games would be the most compelling in all of college football.
In Week 1 I looked to be right with Auburn, Alabama and Texas A&M all winning handily over power five opponents and all seven teams were ranked in the top 25. Then in Week 2 Auburn escaped Jacksonville State in overtime (they should have lost if not for some crucial JSU mistakes) and Arkansas loses to Toledo. I don’t want to jump the gun on anyone after only two weeks, but it’s going to be nearly impossible to repair the damage of Week 2 in terms of crowning the 2015 SEC West the greatest division of all time – something I thought could happen this summer.
We did have the first West vs. West game of the year, however, and it was a good one. LSU 21, Mississippi State 19….game ending on a missed field goal. If there are 20 more down-to-the-wire games like that in our future it’s still going to be a great year regardless of how the division is viewed historically.
Major Questions for Week 3
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- College football schedule week 4: 3 must-watch under-the-radar games
- M&WN Staff – Week 3 SEC Picks and Best Bets
- Mississippi State football film study: Why did MSU’s defense fail vs. LSU?
- SEC football standings after Mississippi State football steamrolled by LSU Tigers
- College Football Schedule Week 3: Under the Radar Games to Watch
1. Why can’t Auburn, Arkansas and Mississippi State run the ball?
These are three teams that absolutely pride themselves on their rushing attacks but are having a tough time early on this year. MSU has somewhat of an excuse playing against LSU, but still 43 yards won’t cut it.
2. Is Ole Miss’ offense the real deal?
The Rebels scored 70+ points in back-to-back games for the first time in SEC history. It was against inferior competition but was impressive nonetheless. And they did it without preseason All-American Laremy Tunsil. We know their defense will be excellent, if the offense is as well we could be looking at a CFB Playoff contender.
3. Is Jake Coker and/or Cooper Bateman ready for the SEC?
Alabama’s QB play has been in question all offseason and through the first two weeks of the season. They play Ole Miss this week so some of those poor throws could really cost them if it continues. Last year Lane Kiffin had a mobile QB and all-everything wide receiver but he doesn’t this year.
4. Will LSU have to throw the ball to beat Auburn?
Auburn looked really bad against Jacksonville State, and defense was a major contributor. That stellar D Will Muschamp was supposed to bring has yet to show up, and this week they lost a CB to a season-ending injury and DE Carl Lawson’s return is in question. LSU only attempted 14 passes against MSU because Leonard Fournette is a freak that cannot be stopped. If LSU can run at will (no pun intended) at home it won’t be good for Aubie.
5. Will Arkansas beat Texas Tech?
Who is this Arkansas team? Last week they were in the top 20, gearing up with a few warm-up games before hitting their schedule that included eight ranked teams. Then they lose to Toledo. What are they going to do in those eight SEC games? This week they host Texas Tech who is an average power five team, it will be interesting to see how they perform.
SEC West Schedule
#17 Texas A&M (-34) vs. Nevada; 11:00 on SEC Network
#18 Auburn at #14 LSU (-6.5); 2:30 on CBS
Mississippi State vs. Northwestern State; 3:00 on SEC Network
Arkansas (-11.5) vs. Texas Tech; 6:00 on ESPN2
#15 Ole Miss at #2 Alabama (-6.5); 8:15 on ESPN