Week One
LSU – The Tigers all-in approach to the season opener paid off. The Geaux Tigers out muscled and out quarterbacked Clemson and settled the Death Valley debate for at least a year. Garrett Nussmeier hit eight different receivers. The LSU defense held Clemson to 262 yards and only 32 on the ground. Clemson might have returned to Clemsoning form but LSU is a resounding 1-0.
Clemson was 155-11 when leading at halftime under Dabo Swinney
Make that 155-12 after the Fighting Tigers of LSU came to town pic.twitter.com/LnUxGZi7hi
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) September 1, 2025
Georgia – The Bulldogs might miss Carson Beck less than Hannah Cavender. Gunnar Stockton ran for two and threw for two. Zachariah Branch can score from anywhere at anytime. Georgia didn’t sack any of Marshall’s three quarterbacks, but the defense was up to standards.
Gunner coming down the track 🚂#GoDawgs | @GunnerStockton pic.twitter.com/atAMG8bYK6
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) August 31, 2025
Ole Miss – Too bad the Manning’s couldn’t have put Lane Kiffin on the sidelines in Columbus. It might have looked a lot different. All the talk about Austin Simmons might be right. Kiffin is a force in the portal, quarterback whisperer and dead pan comic all in one. The rush defense needs to be a little better but who cares when your offense runs rampant. Revenge week on deck where the Rebs’ should appropriately dunk on UK in the shadow of Rupp Arena.
Trey got HOPS 🐰#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/THTqEp81Ec
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) August 31, 2025
Texas – Was Arch or Sark more responsible for completely sabotaging the Manning for Heisman candidacy? The correct answer is C. All of the above. The Longhorns defense played well enough to make this one a mulligan in the national championship chase. Gainesville and Dallas did just get more interesting. This pass had all the zip of a six day old Lone Star draft
BIA ‼️@Jr2Maine | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/tJyXcvsN1L
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 30, 2025
South Carolina – Not all running quarterbacks are created equal. LaNorris Sellers is a straight predator. Virginia Tech simply couldn’t tackle him. Sellers either outran angles or just simply scared defenders into not trying. Dylan Stewart is the defensive version of Sellers, straight freak.
Playmaker. pic.twitter.com/IlEgGZKIZ8
— South Carolina Football (@GamecockFB) September 1, 2025
Auburn – Jack-Son-Arn-Old. No lack of confidence for him in Waco. And Auburn has got dudes. All over the field. How long can he last running the football in the SEC before someone knocks the mustache off of him?
First of many @RayshawnPleasa1 🔥💨
Your @Allstate Good Hands 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/zH8mrpjIvM
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) August 30, 2025
Alabama – Whew. One of the talking season’s biggest idiots turned into Nostradamus. Tommy Castellanos called his shot and then flipped the bat into the Bama dugout. The football gods are permitting the likes of Vanderbilt and a quarterback with a career 33-19 touchdown to interception ratio to run wild on Kalen DeBoer’s team. Oh yeah, Florida State also ran wild to the tune of 230 yards on the ground. Where’s the panic button?
Florida – The Long Island Sharks. Now that is an appropriate nickname. LIU got a big check to open the season at Florida. Floor passes to see the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium crowd sing I won’t back down. Long Island ran 42 offensive plays and only 11 of them were passes! Can you say get out of town fast with the check? The Gators are the SEC version of a bid day pledge. That was fun, now they get to clean the house against the nation’s toughest schedule.
Tennessee – Nico’s not our problem any more! The 45-26 victory over Syracuse was nice. Trip to Atlanta for the massive and ravenous fan base and a rocking chair win. But the real celebration started seven hours later when the reviled transfer quarterback led UCLA to a beatdown from Utah. This team wasn’t built around the quarterback last year. Why is everyone making such a big deal about his departure?
Oklahoma – New quarterback. Check. Same offense everywhere else. Check. John Mateer is awesome. Will anyone step up to help? And who is deciding what running backs play? Looks like the draw for the Kentucky Derby. I think 92 players got in on defense. Still solid on that side of the ball. Michigan not fantastic either in week one. Saturday should be fun!
Texas A&M – Offense? The Aggies looked legit. Marcel Read threw it well and NC State transfer KC Concepcion seems like he can be an undersized pest to everyone on the schedule. Defense? Still waiting for that. UTSA ran for 200+, including 177 from Robert Henry Jr., who proved he can get it done against an SEC defense. Hello paycheck and portal, the real MVP of this game.
Missouri – After a cursory glance at the box score against Central Arkansas, Missouri might jump right to the top of the league standings. Running back Ahmad Hardy is just as good at Mizzou as he was at UL-Monroe. Sam Horn and Beau Pribula had been fighting for the starting quarterback job. Horn gets hurt on his first snap and Pribula gets to audition against the UCA Bears defense. Advantage Pribula. The football version of the Border War is all of a sudden better than the basketball version.
Arkansas – All our receivers leave in the portal? No problem. We still have Taylen Green. 332 through the air to go with six touchdowns and light situational rushing. Charlotte transfer O’Mega Blake is already in the all name hall of fame. He gave the Alabama A&M the O’ face after 7 catches for 122 yards and a touchdown. One more scrimmage before Green takes on the heavy lifting against an incredibly difficult schedule.
Welcome to Arkansas, O'Mega Blake pic.twitter.com/GI9aS9uY8R
— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) August 30, 2025
Vanderbilt – I’ve never been to Charleston, South Carolina. I hear it’s fantastic. My buddy Matt Roberts is the AD at Charleston University. That’s not who played at Vanderbilt on Saturday. That was Charleston Southern. Anyway, Vandy beat them like they were Vandy. Diego Pavia is the most interesting player in the SEC. He and the Commodores coasted to a 45-3 conquest. Buckle up Virginia Tech, not going to be a lot easier this week.
Mississippi State – Jeff Lebby can coach. The Bulldogs looked like a real offensive football team with Blake Shapen at quarterback. Brennan Thompson caught seven passes for 92 yards and Shapen threw to ten different receivers in the 34-17 win at Southern Miss. Next step? Beat Big 12 champ Arizona State in Starkville. I can hear the cowbells now.
Kentucky – Oh boy. Kentucky escaped the off-season’s trendy upset pick by holding off MAC favorite Toledo. You can also say, Toledo held off any semblance of a passing game from Kentucky. Portal quarterback Zach Calzada was 10 of 23 for 85 yards and a pick. He did run 10 times for 14 yards. Where are the wins on this schedule?
