Florida opens its Southeastern Conference slate at home on Saturday against Kentucky, but there are other games happening around the country. Week 3 of the College Football season, besides a few decent matchups, is painful folks. It’s the sad truth. While I in no means would recommend you avoid any weekend of college football might I suggest you stick to watching the games I have put for you here. Conveniently enough, they are spread out between noon and 7 p.m.
No. 6 Georgia @ No. 24 South Carolina: Saturday, 3:30pm - CBS: Preseason SEC East favorites Georgia and South Carolina clash in Week 3. Both teams look different than what critics originally predicted at the beginning of the season.
No one saw Texas A&M blowing South Carolina out of the water in the first game of the season, and people were doubtful with some areas of Georgia on both sides of the ball.
But with Georgia’s thrashing of Clemson paired with Todd Gurley’s 293 yard performance, the Bulldogs are one of the new frontrunners to win both the SEC East and the SEC come December.
South Carolina looked underwhelming against East Carolina on Saturday, but running back Mike Davis — a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate — rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns last week in his return from bruised ribs he was nursing in Week 1.
Quarterback Dylan Thompson has been steady under center, having averaged 316 passing yards in two games, but he has thrown an interception in each of his first two games.
If South Carolina’s defense, which ranks 11th out of 14 teams in the SEC in rushing defense, cannot contain Gurley and Georgia’s stable of running backs, the Gamecocks could go from SEC East contender to pretender real quick.
No. 20 Missouri @ UCF: Saturday, 12pm - SEC Network: This UCF team did lose its opener vs Penn State in Ireland, who ironically is the Big Ten’s best shot to make the College Football Playoff, but the Knights return 18 starters from a UCF team that won the Fiesta Bowl in January.
Pair that with the fact that UCF gave South Carolina a 28-25 scare in September at home last year, and the Knights might keep this one close.
Missouri beat head coach Gary Pinkel’s former team, Toledo, convincingly last week on the road, and running back Marcus Murphy is second in all-purpose yards per game in the SEC with 354.
Tennessee @ No. 4 Oklahoma: Saturday, 8pm - ABC: Sooners head coach Bob Stoops gets another chance to beat a team in the SEC on Saturday.
Stoops has been bashing the SEC since seemingly the moment the conference started dominating college football in the last decade and has basked in his takedown of Alabama in last year’s Sugar Bowl all offseason.
The Vols enter the matchup 2-0 and with a lot of young talent in Butch Jones’ second year.
Not to mention they have one of the most physical linebackers in the country in A.J. Johnson, who in two games already has 18 total tackles.
Oklahoma’s strength of schedule is poor, but a surprisingly close game Saturday in Norman, Okla., could have a slight impact when the College Football Playoff committee puts together its Top 25.
Follow Morgan Moriarty on Twitter @morgan_moriarty
UGA's Todd Gurley rushes during Georgia's 45-21 win against Clemson on Aug. 30 in Athens, Ga.
