A new SEC season starts taking shape in Week 2, and the schedule finally gives us some real games to chew on.
Alabama’s trip to Kentucky opens the league’s conference slate, while Auburn gets a chance to settle in at home against Southern Miss. Beyond those two, the weekend is loaded with matchups that should tell us plenty about where a few contenders stand, from Texas-Ohio State to Oklahoma-Michigan.
The Alabama-Kentucky game brings a little bit of everything. It’s the first intra-conference game in the SEC’s nine-game schedule, and the series history is lopsided in a big way: the teams have met 42 times, and Kentucky has won only twice, including once in 1922.
Still, Lexington has some juice this week thanks to first-year head coach Will Stein, the former Louisville quarterback who has brought a loud, energetic edge to the program. He has stirred up Wildcat fans with a big personality and the promise of a more exciting future, even going so far as to encourage foul mouths and smuggled booze for Saturday’s matchup with Alabama.
On the field, Kentucky still has work to do, but the crowd at 3:30 p.m. local time could make things interesting for Keelon Russell in his first road start. Alabama also has a situation worth monitoring: right guard Michael Carroll, its best offensive lineman, was listed as doubtful on the initial availability report.
That matters for a reworked offensive line heading into a tougher setting than Bryant-Denny. Even so, the talent gap still points the same direction.
The pick: Alabama 28, Kentucky 17
Auburn’s setup is a little different. The Tigers effectively moved their preseason game into Week 2, and now Southern Miss comes to Jordan-Hare Stadium for Alex Golesh’s debut there. It’s a cleaner chance for Auburn to keep sorting itself out after the 17-16 win over Baylor.
Byrum Brown will get another shot to find his rhythm. He delivered the game-winning touchdown in Atlanta with a physical run, but the passing game was messy, and three interceptions are the kind of thing that need to be cleaned up fast with Florida coming next week.
Southern Miss arrives after a 49-3 win over Alcorn State, but this is a different level of test. Auburn should use the night to smooth out the rough edges before SEC play tightens the screws.
The pick: Auburn 45, Southern Miss 9
The rest of the weekend has plenty of intrigue, too, and a lot of it centers on SEC teams. Missouri’s Friday night trip to Kansas is a tricky assignment against a border rival, especially on the road.
Ohio State at Texas is the marquee game nationally, with Arch Manning squarely in the spotlight. Arizona State at Texas A&M gives us a non-conference meeting between two teams that have already spent time in a 12-team playoff.
Oklahoma’s trip to Michigan feels lopsided after what happened to the Wolverines against Western Michigan. Tennessee’s visit to Georgia Tech will test freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon in a tough environment.
And Western Kentucky’s trip to Georgia comes with a nod to the Hilltoppers’ journalism school.
There are other games worth noting, too. Rutgers and Boston College meet Friday night in the 13th annual Red Bandana game honoring 9/11 hero Welles Crowther.
Indiana hosts Howard after opening its title defense with a win over North Texas. Memphis and Boise State could have playoff implications in the Group of 6 race.
Week 2 has a better feel than the opener, and this time the menu is packed with games that matter.
In Other News...
Alabama Faces One Concern That Could Keep Kentucky Hanging Around
Alabama should still have the better roster when it meets Kentucky, but this matchup has drawn a little more attention than a typical SEC favorite-versus-underdog game. Kentuckys new coach, Will Stein, adds a fresh variable, and the latest round of predictions from Kentucky Sports Radio reflected that unease, with six of nine writers picking the Wildcats to spring an upset.
The Tides talent edge is obvious enough, and the expectation remains that Alabama comes out on top. Even so, there is one area worth watching closely: the offensive line and how well it protects the quarterback. If that part of the operation wobbles, Kentucky could hang around longer than Alabama would like, and the margin may end up looking a lot tighter than most Tide fans are used to. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas First SEC Road Test Carries Pressure Tide Fans Can Feel
Alabamas first SEC road trip of the season brings the kind of early pressure that can shape a conference race before October fully settles in. Kentucky is waiting in Lexington, and the matchup has all the usual trim of a league opener on the road: a hostile setting, an opponent with nothing to lose, and a Tide team trying to avoid letting one game turn into an unwanted narrative.
The curiosity around this one has only grown because of a recent College Football 27 simulation that imagined the Wildcats finding real trouble for Alabama, a reminder of how quickly the conversation can shift when a high-profile SEC test goes sideways. It is still just a video game projection, of course, but it adds a little extra edge to a game already carrying weight for Alabama fans who know these early conference trips often say plenty about where a season is headed. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Is Pushing A College Sports Fight Alabama Fans Should Watch
Nick Saban has been back in the middle of the college sports conversation, this time pushing for federal legislation that could reshape how name, image and likeness works across the country. The former Alabama coach has publicly backed the Protect College Sports Act, a bill in the U.S. Senate sponsored by Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell that is aimed at bringing some order to a system many coaches and administrators see as increasingly fragmented.
The measure would set a national standard for NIL rights, along with rules tied to earnings, transfers and revenue sharing, and it also includes a limited antitrust exemption for the NCAA and conferences. Deion Sanders has joined Saban in supporting it, and the Senate could take up the bill after the August recess, though its path through Congress still looks uncertain if it stalls in the House. [Read more 🡒]