From an upset in Gainesville to a blowout in Starkville, here are the SEC’s best in Week 3.
Once conference play begins in the Southeastern Conference, typically, the cream rises. The best teams, whether it be Alabama or Georgia or someone else, get into the flow of the season and establish the power structure of the conference.
We’re only one week into SEC conference play, but the opening Saturday seemed to have the opposite effect. Georgia trailed by double digits to South Carolina at halftime. Florida took down Tennessee, who entered the game No. 9 in the Coaches Poll, by two scores. LSU rebounded from their opening loss with a second straight blowout.
Here are the conference’s standout players from the Week 3 slate.
In a week without a ranked matchup in the Southeastern Conference, the Gators and Volunteers look to set the trajectory of their seasons.
College Sports Wire’s SEC Game to Watch last week was Texas at Alabama, and it absolutely lived up to the billing. After 816 yards of total offense and a pair of turnovers, the Longhorns put the Tide away behind a 21-point fourth quarter to vault up to No. 6 in the Coaches Poll.
There’s not a marquee matchup quite like that one on the conference’s slate for Week 3. In fact, there isn’t a game with two ranked teams on the schedule at all. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t intriguing matchups to be found and questions to be answered about some of the conference’s top programs. How will No. 1 Georgia‘s offense fare in quarterback Carson Beck’s first start against a Power 5 program? How will the Crimson Tide respond to their home loss?
But before any of those, an old-fashioned SEC East rivalry that got a little more interesting last weekend catches our eye.
Checking in on the SEC and their loaded group of premier pass catchers for the 2023 campaign.
In our final look at wide receivers at the Power Five level, we preview the group of pass catchers from the SEC.
Jalin Hyatt, Kayshon Boutte, Malik Heath, and Jonathan Mingo are at the next level. It is time for a new group of leading pass catchers to make their mark on the conference and college football.
Despite so many talented players leaving for the next level, the conference is still loaded at the position. They added yet another big-time pass catcher on Saturday when former UTSA Roadrunner Zakhari Franklin committed to play for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss. He joins former Louisiana Tech wideout Tre Harris on a team chock full of transfers on that side of the ball including former Oklahoma State QB Spencer Sanders.
As the start of the 2023 season draws near, we power rank the top wide receivers in the SEC.
Only one SEC school doesn’t meet the new scheduling rules for the 2023 season.
The SEC will look quite a bit different when we kick off the 2024 college football season on Aug. 31. No longer will you see SEC West vs SEC East. Divisions are now a thing of the past. The league will officially expand to 16 teams with the additions of the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns.
On Thursday we discovered that the SEC will stick with the eight-game and four-game nonconference schedules. However, they will revisit these rules for the 2025 season.
The only stipulation to the 2024 schedule is that each team must schedule at least one Power Five nonconference opponent. There won’t be any loading up on FCS and bottom-tier Group of Five teams.
With a full year between now and the start of the season, we dive into each of the 16 team’s schedules in 2024. Which school isn’t compliant with the new rules?
Which teams ranked highly in the post-spring SP+ rankings from Bill Connelly?
Determining which teams are among the best isn’t an exact science but there are key factors that go into the through process. ESPN pulls back the current a bit with their rankings. At least you get some idea as to what are the top factors.
Bill Connelly revealed his SP+ rankings on Thursday. His rankings take returning production, recent recruiting, and recent history into account for these rankings.
Teams just outside the top 10
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Oregon Ducks:
Dan Lanning and the Ducks missed out on the top 10 by 0.1 points in the SP+ rankings. They have the No. 4 offense but the No. 42 defense for the upcoming season. Bo Nix is looking for another huge year as he opted to return to college for a fifth season over going to the NFL.
Get more Oregon news, analysis, and opinions on Ducks Wire
Clemson Tigers:
Clemson is a team that has owned the ACC over the years but the rise of Florida State and North Carolina could challenge their supremacy in 2023. Clemson returns the No. 21 offense and the No. 11 defense. The defense features a linebacker duo that just might be the best in the nation.
Get more Clemson news, analysis, and opinions on Clemson Wire
Oklahoma Sooners:
The Sooners are coming off a down year after finishing 6-7 with a loss to Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl. However, they do return the No. 6 offense led by quarterback Dillon Gabriel. The defense ranks No. 37 in the country and they need to get that side of the ball rolling. Of the seven losses, five game by one possession. Win a couple of those games, and their season looks a lot better.
Get more Oklahoma news, analysis, and opinions on Sooners Wire
Notre Dame Fighting Irish:
The Fighting Irish had plenty of ups and downs in year one of the Marcus Freeman era. They got a big win in the offseason when Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman committed to play for the Golden Domers. Avoiding losses to teams the caliber of Stanford and Marshall are key for the Irish’s return to the CFP discussion.
The Aggies are a team that have the talent, they just need to get results on the field. According to SP+, Texas A&M has the No. 2 returning defense in the country. Second-year quarterback Conner Weigman needs to bring the offense up a bit.
Get more Texas A&M news, analysis, and opinions on Aggies Wire
Wisconsin Badgers:
A new era is set to begin in Madison with former Ohio State linebacker and head coach Luke Fickell now running the show. He brought in an “Air Raid” offense with Phil Longo and SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai. They will join forces with one of the top Big Ten running backs, Braelon Allen.
Get more Wisconsin news, analysis, and opinions on Badgers Wire
You can view the full list from ESPN (subscription required). As far as the top 10 teams, we broke each one down.
Who is our top quarterback following spring ball? We break it down after a lot of movement at the position in the SEC.
In our final power conference quarterback ranking, we take a long look at the SEC.
No more Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, Will Levis, Hendon Hooker, or Stetson Bennett. Each player was selected in the 2023 NFL draft and now begins their journey at the professional level.
There are some new faces joining the fray in the SEC. Transfers from the ACC, Big Ten, and Notre Dame should make impacts during the 2023 season.
While we have familiar faces in new places, the top of our rankings is dominated by three starters from a season ago. We begin in Fayetteville, Arkansas, as the team returns their quarterback for a fifth season with the Hogs.
A look at which teams return the most passing production in the SEC for 2023.
We finally get to take a look at the returning passers in the SEC. The conference has produced four-straight national champions and six of the nine champions since the CFP model was introduced.
Among last year’s passers that have moved on are Bryce Young, Stetson Bennett, Hendon Hooker, Will Levis, and Anthony Richardson. Four of those passers should be taken in the upcoming NFL draft over the first two days.
Going into this year’s group, they will be led once again by Mississippi State Bulldogs gunslinger, Will Rogers. It will look a bit different with a new coordinator running the offense.
Notable names that return include former five-star quarterback Spencer Rattler, KJ Jefferson, and Joe Milton III. We will also see some talented passers who waited their turns at Alabama and Georgia in Jalen Milroe and Carson Beck.
Check out our other top returning quarterbacks in the rest of the Power Five:
These 10 teams could be the top candidates for more expansion/realignment in college athletics.
Who doesn’t love the idea of college expansion?
In 2023 and 2024, the collegiate game will look different. After the moves of the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns to the SEC, the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins to the Big Ten in 2024.
The Big 12 countered with the additions of the BYU Cougars, Central Florida Knights, Cincinnati Bearcats, and Houston Cougars for the 2023 season. We are still waiting to see what moves the Pac-12 will make.
The conference was raided of both Los Angeles-area schools and at one point it seemed like the Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies could be next. The SEC and Big Ten will be at 16 teams each by the time 2024 kicks off with ACC at 14, Big 12 at 12, and the Pac-12 at 10.
We look at 10 schools that could be on the move next if expansion and realignment continue.
The SEC announced the four-day schedule for the conference’s media days in July. The 14 coaches will speak over the four-day period.
The SEC has announced the schedule for when coaches will take the podium during the 2023 SEC media days event. This will be the last time that 14 teams will speak during the four-day span. Starting in 2024 you will be able to add the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns to the schedule.
There are plenty of storylines to follow starting from the first day. On Monday, Jul. 17, we will hear from Brian Kelly and Jimbo Fisher. The latter will likely be addressing how he bounces back in 2023 along with his new offensive coordinator, Bobby Petrino. Kelly will be entering year 2 after securing the SEC West title in his first season on the job.
The second day will feature new Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze and two-time defending national champion head coach Kirby Smart. What does Freeze have in store for his second run in the SEC? Plus who will Smart tab as the next quarterback of the Dawgs with Stetson Bennett heading to the next level?
Nick Saban and Billy Napier will headline day three. Napier will surely be asked questions about the fallout of Jaden Rashada. While the Alabama head coach will have a new quarterback in 2023.
Lane Kiffin and Josh Heupel will close out the four-day event on Friday. When Kiffin is speaking, you better get your popcorn ready.
The game of college baseball is going to look quite different, at least for the SEC. It was announced on Tuesday that there are three new rules being put in place on top of the new run rule. More on that in a moment.
First up we have a between-batters clock that should help speed up the pace of games. There will be a new 30-second clock that will be started following the conclusion of the previous play. Batters will have 30 seconds to get into the batter’s box for the next pitch.
Between Batters Clock: A 30-second timer between hitters shall start at the conclusion of the prior play as indicated by the umpire’s final signal of “safe” or “out”, or other clear indication that the prior play has concluded. Consistent with NCAA pitch clock protocols, the batter shall be alert to the pitcher with 10 seconds or more remaining and the pitcher shall begin the motion to deliver the first pitch of the at-bat prior to the expiration of the 30-second clock.
Keeping the 30-second timer consistent, there is now a limit for a mound visit. However, if it is to evaluate a medical issue, there will be no timer.
Mound Visit Clock: A 30-second timer on a mound visit shall begin when a coach exits the dugout or when a defensive player leaves their position to visit the pitcher’s mound. Unless the coach signals for a pitching change, the coach must leave the mound when (or before) the timer expires. The mound visit clock shall not operate when a doctor or trainer accompanies a coach to evaluate a medical issue. Upon expiration of the 30-second clock, the 20-second NCAA pitch clock shall commence.
The final initiative will involve a pitching change. There will be a timer of two minutes and 20 seconds.
Pitching Change Clock: A 2:30 (2 minutes and 30 seconds) timer on a pitching change shall begin when a new pitcher who is entering the game, either at the start of an inning or as part of a mid-inning pitching change, crosses the warning track (or otherwise leaves the bullpen area if the bullpen is on the playing field). Upon expiration of the clock, the NCAA 20-second pitch clock shall commence.
These new initiatives will begin this season along with the new 10-run rule for conference baseball games. However, in nonconference games, if the opposing coach doesn’t consent to the run rule the game will be played in its entirety.
