We have made it to week three in college football. The season is starting to get into swing as more and more teams hit conference play. Week two was a fantastic week filled with great games and huge upsets. Which teams need to bounce back and which ones are looking to continue their momentum this week?
#5. Ole Miss 20 @ Georgia Tech
2:30 CT, September 17, 2022, on ABC
This game will be a good barometer for both these teams. Georgia Tech will have a quality SEC opponent coming into Atlanta to give Tech a good idea of how well it can stand up to such an opponent, while Ole Miss will be playing its first road game of the season against a power five Tech team. Usually this would be a direct assault on the Georgia Tech defense with Lane Kiffin’s offense coming to town, but Ole Miss is still trying to get that offense humming amid quarterback problems. Jaxson Dart had a less than inspiring performance in week one, and Luke Altmyer sustained an injury in week two, but should be able to play this weekend. The Rebels will need to use this road test to try and solidify that position before reaching SEC play.
#4. Penn State 22 @ Auburn
2:30 CT, September 17, 2022, on CBS
The beginning of this home and home series last year was must-see TV from Penn State, but this year the Nittany Lions travel to what is supposed to be an “Orange Out” at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn coach, Brian Harsin is looking for a statement, top-25 victory on his home field after an offseason filled with scrutiny, including a potential ousting attempt from Auburn boosters. This would be a huge win for this Auburn football team. Not only would they get revenge for a nail-biter they lost last year, but they would start the season 3-0. Penn State will also be looking to improve to 3-0 and add an SEC road victory to their name. If they want to keep up with the other top teams in the Big 10, this is a win they need to secure in the plains.
#3. Georgia 1 @ South Carolina
11:00 CT, September 17, 2022, on ESPN
Georgia is the number one team in the country, and so far, they have played like it. In week one they beat down an Oregon team that was supposed to challenge them, and in week two, they completely shut out Samford. Coming off a national championship season, Kirby Smart and co. look primed and ready for a run at a repeat. Shane Beamer and his Gamecocks have exuded confidence this week despite a longer list of questionable players for this weekend’s matchup than Gamecock fans would like. Beamer has said that he doesn’t want to hear about this being a “shock the world” type of game for SC. He and his team believe that they have just as good a shot at besting the Bulldogs in Columbia this week as anyone else in the country would. Will Georgia survive the Sandstorm?
#2. Mississippi State @ LSU
5:00 CT, September 17, 2022, on ESPN
This SEC West matchup is huge for both these teams as they both open SEC play. State has come out of the gates on fire and scored 88 points in their first two games led by QB Will Rodgers at the helm of this Mike Leach offense. While it is no easy task going into Tiger Stadium with no sun to protect you from the prowling Bayou Bengals, this could be their best chance to get a win before a grueling stretch of their schedule where they face Texas A&M, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Alabama consecutively in that order. Arkansas seems to be their main competition for the chase of the Crimson Tide in the SEC West and to be undefeated going into that matchup would be a huge confidence boost. The Tigers on the other hand are off to a rough start under new head coach Brian Kelly. After a demoralizing loss in non-conference play to Florida State in week one, starting SEC play 1-0 could be just the confidence boost LSU needs to get the season turned around. Special things happen in Tiger Stadium when the lights come on and the moon comes out. Maybe some home cooking will do the Tigers some good.
#1. Miami 13 @ Texas A&M 24
8:00 CT, September 17, 2022, on ESPN
This is one of the premiere non-conference matchups of the season. Due to A&M’s loss to Appalachian State last week, this just became much more of a “must-win” for The Aggies. A&M Quarterback Haynes King threw for only 97 yards going 13/20 through the air. Some of those missed connections would’ve been game changing completions. They cannot afford multiple non-conference losses if they want to achieve the lofty standards set by the fans and Jimbo Fisher’s expensive contract. At this point in his A&M career his record isn’t much different from previous coach Kevin Sumlin. He needs to regain some momentum this week against the Hurricanes. We’ll see what adjustments Fisher and the Aggies made this week in practice on Saturday night. Across the field, Mario Cristobal has the Canes on the fast track back to relevance. A ranked win over an SEC opponent will be a nice addition to the resume, and will only boost the recruiting prowess of a staff that has been on fire.
