SEC Week 3 Preview — The Season is Just Getting Warmed Up

Despite starting 2-0, Missouri has not received much attention this season. The Tigers will likely be facing its toughest opponent of the season thus far in Central Florida on Saturday. UCF had a bye week following a 26-24 loss to Penn State in week one and questions at the quarterback position continue. Justin Holman seems to be the favorite for the Knights.

On the other end, Missouri is thriving behind quarterback Maty Mauk, who threw for over 300 yards and five touchdowns in last Saturday's win. Even though Mauk and the Tigers are the favorites, do not sleep on UCF. An extra week of preparation can do wonders for any team.

Tune into this game if you are interested in watching two struggling teams search for their first win. James Franklin built Vanderbilt into a respectable team in the SEC, but after an embarrassing week one loss to Temple and a blowout loss to Ole Miss, all that respect went down the drain. Derek Mason will eventually find a way to win with the Commodores, but this season is already a lost cause.

Massachusetts is in the same boat, but it's worth mentioning that the Minutemen only lost to Colorado by three last week. However, Vanderbilt can win this game if they find a quarterback and actually stick with him for 60 minutes. If Mason does not get his first win, he may become the new Ellis Johnson.

Arkansas has already proven that they are a much better team than last season. The Razorbacks suffered a tough loss to Auburn, but what the final score does not reveal is that the game was actually tied at halftime.

Arkansas followed up that loss up with a 73-7 win over Nicholls State. Quarterback Brandon Allen has proven that he can pass, the ground game is intact, and the Razorbacks are looking good to get a big win over Texas Tech.

Narrow victories over Central Arkansas and UTEP make this game equally as important for Texas Tech. They will need to rely on the pass-first offense to keep Arkansas on its toes. This game could easily end up being the most exciting non-conference game of the season.

Georgia and South Carolina square off this week in what will be a very important game in the race for the SEC East division. If the Bulldogs win, they are one step closer to Atlanta. If South Carolina wins, they are back in the hunt after an embarrassing week one loss to Texas A&M.

The Bulldogs had an extra week to prepare for this matchup and roll into Columbia with all of the momentum. Running back Todd Gurley finished with 298 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns in a week one win over Clemson. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks are struggling on defense and losing Connor Shaw to graduation hurt more than expected. Still, there is a reason this is the game of the week. Steve Spurrier knows his team is sinking, and a win this weekend will be a lifesaver.

Ole Miss is ranked in the top 25, but they have not yet impressed anyone. Beating Louisiana-Lafayette by a large margin might help get rid of those unimpressive feelings some people have towards the Rebels, but the Ragin' Cajuns don't have nearly as much talent as they've did in recent years

Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace, the most experienced QB in the SEC, has enough talent around him to compete in the West despite the high level of difficulty. If Wallace and the Rebels fail to have an impressive win this weekend, then some serious adjustments will be made before they hit the heart of their SEC schedule.

Mississippi State is not the only team from the state of Mississippi that thinks it can compete in the SEC West. The receiving trio of Jameon Lewis, De'Runnya Wilson, and Robert Johnson along with quarterback Dak Prescott feel they have something to say about that. The Bulldogs are 2-0, but they got everything they wanted plus more from UAB last week. Does that mean traveling to Mobile to take on South Alabama spells an upset? Probably not, but the Jaguars did get an extra week of preparation for this game. Mississippi State should put this one away and begin looking ahead to next week's game in Baton Rouge.

There are still more questions than answers regarding Alabama this season. Blake Sims leads the quarterback race, and if Jacob Coker does not make some improvement, Sims will remain the starter. The defense also has few concerns, but some of these concerns can be ironed out in games like this.

The Golden Eagles have only won two out of their last 26 games. That defense will not be able to slow down T.J. Yeldon or Amari Cooper, and defensive worries will be non-existent against this weak opponent.

The Tigers started rolling in the fourth quarter two weeks ago against Wisconsin and they have not stopped. LSU beat Sam Houston State 56-0 last week and now move on to in-state opponent Louisiana- Monroe.

The Warhawks are also undefeated with wins over Wake Forest and Idaho. While a win is a win, both victories were by just seven points. This leads you to think that the Warhawks do not have a chance, and that statement is accurate. LSU is still working behind some inexperience with quarterback Anthony Jennings, so it would be fair to say that an upset is possible but not likely. The defense will not allow many points and the Tigers will get the win.

Florida and Kentucky both have something in common: they are looking for a bounce back year, and both teams have gotten off to a good start. This SEC matchup is not Georgia-South Carolina, but this could turn out to be a very good game. The Gators racked up 65 points in their first win against Eastern Michigan. Kentucky has already matched last year's win total in just their first two games. The Wildcats have made strides under Mark Stoops, but will it be enough to pull an upset in 'The Swamp'? It is highly unlikely. Florida is not as injury plagued as last season, and so far, they have made significant improvements on offense under new coordinator Kurt Roper. Kentucky will need a big game from quarterback Patrick Towles if they want to score points on Florida. Just don't underestimate the Wildcats.

Tennessee easily has the toughest non-conference game out of the entire SEC this week. The Vols have the daunting task of trying to take down Oklahoma in Norman.

Can they pull the gigantic upset? To have a chance, they'll have to slow down the Sooners who are averaging 50 points per game under quarterback Trevor Knight. This will also be Oklahoma's first real test even if it is against a team that is trying to get back on the map.

The Vols obviously need a big game from quarterback Justin Worley and the offense, but they also need players like linebacker A.J. Johnson to minimize the Sooners on offense. This is one to tune into this weekend.

Rice missed its lone opportunity to beat Texas A&M last season when the Aggies played the first half without Johnny Manziel. The Owls are one of the best teams from Conference USA, but even the top teams from the SEC will struggle to beat A&M. The Aggies had to replace Johnny Football, but that hasn't stopped them from scoring over 60 points per game.

Rice will struggle with quarterback Kenny Hill and his slew of top-notch wide receivers. The Owls will attempt to attack A&M's defense and make this a high scoring affair. Honestly, that will likely not be enough. If you are a fan of blowout victories, feel free to watch this game on Saturday night.