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...
Auburns Offensive Line Faces An Early Test Fans Cant Ignore
Auburn spent its season opener at Baylor sorting through the kind of offensive line issues that tend to linger if they are not cleaned up quickly. The staff rotated multiple players at guard, and the shuffling showed up in the ground game, leaving the Tigers with some obvious work to do before the season settles into a rhythm.
Alex Golesh said he liked the way the group has responded to coaching and kept working, which matters with Southern Mississippi next on the schedule. The official depth chart still shows several players in the mix at guard, so Auburn is clearly trying to find the right combination without letting the early-season uncertainty spill into another week. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Fans Just Got A Reminder What Saraland Keeps Producing
SEC Media Days gave Auburn fans one more reminder of the talent pipeline coming out of Saraland, where Alabama wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams took time to praise former teammate DeShawn Spencer and credit the work ethic that developed during their high school days. It was the kind of comment that fits neatly with what Saraland has built under coach Jeff Kelly, a program that has turned itself into a steady source of college and pro players and takes obvious pride in that lineage.
Kelly folded Coleman-Williams words into Saralands pregame video, which already features highlights of former Spartans now playing in college and the NFL. The video, produced by Saraland graduate Jeremy Haney, plays before home games and serves as another reminder of how tightly the school ties its current team to the players who came before it, with Spencer and Coleman-Williams just the latest names to keep that reputation alive. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Tried To Ease One Big Fear About Losing A Home Game
Auburns decision to shift its 2026 football season opener against Baylor from Jordan-Hare Stadium to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta raised a familiar worry around town: what happens when a home date disappears from the fall calendar? The move, part of the Aflac Kickoff, leaves the Tigers with six home games, and it immediately prompted questions about the economic ripple effect for a city that leans heavily on game-day traffic.
Auburn athletics has since tried to ease that concern by pointing to a broader picture of how the city benefits when big events come to town. The school released a report comparing the impact of the Baylor game change with past football dates, and city officials have already cited the international soccer friendly between Argentina and Iceland in Auburn as proof that the local economy can absorb and even benefit from major events beyond football, with Camp War Eagle also helping shape hotel occupancy during that week. [Read more 🡒]