What's the Fuss?

Watch out for an Appy State-type upset.

Here’s the docket for this week’s SEC games. My picks for Games of the Week are bolded.

All Times Central

Saturday, Sept. 20

Alabama at Arkansas, 11:30 a.m., Raycom - A matchup of two former NFL coaches.

LSU at Auburn, 6:45 p.m., ESPN - This game could have major implications in the SEC and the BCS down the road.

Florida at Tennessee, 2:30 p.m., CBS - Will the Gators roll over the Vols again?

Georgia at Arizona State, 7:13 p.m., ABC - Game of the week, but the air is taken out of it because the Sun Devils aren’t ranked. The Bulldogs never seem to leave the Southeast. Let’s see how they play on the real road.

Vanderbilt at Ole Miss, 6 p.m. - A once bottomfeeder game will now be one of the weekend’s best.

Mississippi State at Georgia Tech, 11 a.m., Raycom - Just a good ole’ interconference battle.

Here’s the docket for this week’s SEC games. My picks for Games of the Week are bolded.

All Times Central

Thursday, Sept. 4
South Carolina at Vanderbilt, 7:30 p.m., ESPN - The Gamecocks are back on Thursday night for the second straight week. Vandy is coming off a nice win over Miami (OH)

Saturday, Sept. 6
Tulane at Alabama, 6:07 p.m., PPV - Can the Crimson Tide keep up their winning ways a week after defeating a Top 10 team?

Louisiana-Monroe at Arkansas (in Little Rock), 6 p.m. - The Razorbacks were scared last week by Western Illinois and ULM upset Alabama last year.

Southern Mississippi at Auburn, 11:30 a.m., Raycom - Auburn rolls out a new quarterback.

Miami (FL) at Florida, 7 p.m., ESPN - Florida hasn’t defeated Miami since 1985.

Central Michigan at Georgia, 2:30 p.m, FSNS - The Bulldogs won and dropped from the polls’ top spot.

Norfolk State at Kentucky, 5 p.m. - This has got to be a joke? Watch out for Kentucky’s defense.

Troy at LSU, 7 p.m. - Postponed until Nov. 15. Thanks, Gustav.

Ole Miss at Wake Forest, 2:30 p.m., ABC - Good early SEC-ACC matchup.

Southeastern Louisiana at Mississippi State, 6 p.m. - Perfect chance for the Bulldogs to win their first game of the season.

Here’s the docket for this week’s SEC games. My picks for Games of the Week are bolded.

All Times Central

Thursday, Aug. 28
N.C. State at South Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN - The Gamecocks will be without last season’s leading rusher Mike Davis for the opener.

Vanderbilt at Miami (OH), 6:30 p.m., ESPNU - A year after Miami helped Vanderbilt out of a scheduling bind, the Commodores return the favor with a trip to Ohio.

Saturday, Aug. 30
No. 24 Alabama vs. No. 9 Clemson in Atlanta, 7 p.m., ABC - A Clemson coach’s joke has gotten out of hand.

Western Illinois at Arkansas, 6 p.m. - Bobby Petrino makes his Arkansas debut.

Louisiana-Monroe at No. 10 Auburn, 6 p.m. - The Tigers unveil a new spread offense.

Hawaii at No. 5 Florida, 11:30 a.m., Raycom - Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow makes his season debut, but the matchup lacks any hype without June Jones and his “system quarterback” comments on the opposing sideline.

Georgia Southern at No. 1 Georgia, 11:30 a.m., PPV - The Dogs start this year’s campaign as the nation’s top-ranked team. Can they hold on to it?

Appalachian State at No. 7 LSU, 4 p.m., ESPN - Appy State upset Michigan in last year’s season opener. Watch out LSU.

Memphis at Ole Miss, 6 p.m. - Houston Nutt makes his Ole Miss debut after moving from Arkansas in this border rivalry.

Mississippi State at Louisiana Tech, 5:45 p.m. - Can the Bulldogs make it another eight-win season? Or better?

Sunday, Aug. 31
Kentucky at Louisville, 2:30 p.m., ESPN - Nothing like Bluegrass football on a Sunday.

Monday, Sept. 1
No. 18 Tennessee at UCLA, 7 p.m., ESPN - This series dates back to the 1960s, Phillip Fulmer said. He loves the cross-country trips for recruiting and exposure purposes.

These three quotes stood out to me as the best during today’s SEC football coaches’ conference call.

Florida coach Urban Meyer on if the Gators would ever play at Hawaii…“No chance the University of Florida will ever go to Hawaii while I’m here. I’ll go visit Hawaii, go look around and hangout there. But we won’t play up there.

“Because there’s no reason for us to. We don’t recruit there. I know what they’re like over on that island and I know what those fans are like.”

New Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino on freshmen playing…
“We had a good fall. We’re excited with the way we practiced in the fall. A lot of freshmen will be playing and a couple of them are starting, so that makes you nervous.”

Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom on expectations levied on the Bulldogs after an eight-win season…“The fans expect us to win the national championship now. I think that’s a little unrealistic at this point.”

Florida’s SEC Championship Game hopes are over now that Tennessee and Georgia won on Saturday.

Here’s a look at the updated SEC East scenarios with a week left to play before the Dec. 1 title game:
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