By: Cole Mantell (@LightningDragon)
Non-conference play is finished, conference play is upon us, and this season is starting to heat up. The SEC finished non-conference play with some great games and close matchups. Let’s dive into another awesome week of SEC and CFSL play.
Auburn Takes Down A&M
The Tigers may no longer be on a winning streak, but that doesn’t mean they can’t beat any team in the CFSL still. Texas A&M entered this game against Auburn in some real trouble. They started their season 0-2 and faced some tough competition non-conference. That’s what happens when you go to a National Championship game. Texas A&M maybe 0-3 after this loss, but don’t let that fool you. The Aggies played Auburn tough, and it took a stellar defensive performance from the Tigers to survive a 4th quarter push from Texas A&M.
So far, all three of Auburn’s games this season have been one-score games. This includes the 37-30 loss to Florida State in Week 1, which broke the Tigers’ 16-game regular season winning streak. In the CFSL, every streak has to end at some point. For Auburn, while their regular season winning ways had a speedbump in Week 1, we’ve seen a bit of toughness and grit from the Tigers since that loss. In two games against the two participants in last season’s National Championship, Auburn won both games. They only allowed 28 and then 22 points on defense. Sophomore SS Rashaud Watson has emerged as a leader on defense, leading the team in tackles. He had 17 in the two wins for Auburn over the last two weeks. Contributions from veterans and newer stars like Watson are what make Auburn dangerous.
The SEC is a very different conference compared to last season. Auburn has done extremely well in one-score games, as evidenced by their 2-1 record so far. But entering SEC play, they’ll find a much more competitive conference compared to last season. That starts with rival Alabama, now 3-0. The Iron Bowl in Week 8 looms large, and that’s before we talk about other teams in the conference that have a lot to prove. One thing is certain. If things continue like this, the Iron Bowl in Week 8 might not just decide the SEC. It could decide the #1 seed in the country.
Wildcat Heartbreak Continues
I talked about Kentucky last week, and I was right to predict Kentucky again as a possible game of the week. For new Kentucky AD Noah Johnson, the tragedy continues. He has proven more than capable of continuing to field awesome offenses. But so far, the biggest difference between Kentucky and a team like Alabama or Auburn in the SEC has been simply some terrible, no-good football luck. Take this latest edition of Heartbreak for example. Kentucky contended all day with a Top 10 team in Ohio State. Both offenses traded blows in a high-profile offensive showcase. I’d argue Kentucky had a pretty good game plan, especially given Ohio State QB Jaylen Tyree’s pedigree.
But it all ended in overtime. On a pick-six. Walk off for Ohio State. While it easily is one of the best CFSL plays so far this season, that’s little solace to a Kentucky team now reeling at 0-3. Kentucky QB TJ Cunnington is my runaway player pick for Offensive Player of the Year if the season ends today. He has over 400 more passing yards than the 2nd best QB in the CFSL. And yet, despite all that offense, it’s wild plays undoing progress in Lexington.
This luck has to change at some point. And Kentucky had a very difficult non-conference schedule given their position last season. Still, heading into SEC play, the room for error is now zero for Kentucky. Games against the likes of Alabama and Auburn loom, no easier than the ones they just played against Colorado and Ohio State. If they can reverse their luck, break some curses, and play cleaner football, they’ll have a shot.
Tennessee The 3rd Best SEC Team?
Look, I’ve talked a lot about Tennessee already. Overreacting to early season standings is a CFSL writers’ tradition. The fact remains simple. There are three SEC teams with a positive point differential after non-conference play. 3-0 Alabama, likely next week’s #1 or #2 ranked team, sits at +79. Auburn, with their close wins over tough opponents, sits at +5. And third, at 2-1, is Tennessee at +2?
By the way, the last time Tennessee had two wins in a season was Season 12. Even if Tennessee loses every game from the rest of the season on out (which I would bet doesn’t happen), this season is a success in terms of Tennessee’s progress. But what about the wider CFSL? Tennessee for so long has been a punchline. Heck, I’ve even doubted them a few times myself in this article series. But the simple fact remains. Tennessee went out and beat a pretty good West Virginia team soundly 34-29.
Tennessee will have to do more it seems to get on the wider CFSL radar. That starts with getting some SEC wins, something the Volunteers have a dreadful record of since returning to the CFSL. Their first massive test is in a rivalry game this week against Alabama. Tennessee will be a heavy underdog against maybe the best Alabama team ever under AD David Ware. What better time to make a statement, even if it isn’t a win? Tennessee has to break out at some point to convince us. Why not now? One more stat for the road to keep an eye on, no matter the result this week in Tuscaloosa.
The last time Tennessee had more than 3 wins in a regular season? Season 4, when they won 9 games.
Players Who Stood Out This Week
Another shout out to Kentucky QB TJ Cunnington, my pick for CFSL Offensive Player of the Year so far. He had another monster performance, throwing over 450 passing yards in the loss to Ohio State. He will get some wins for his team at some point soon. Cunnington’s teammate, senior HB Cole Marks, rushed for 4 rushing TDs as well against Ohio State, providing badly needed rushing support.
In the WR ranks, Tennessee WR Nico Dennis sits at 4 receiving touchdowns this season, catching two in two straight weeks. He sits tied for second in the CFSL in receiving touchdowns. He was a three-star recruit too.
On defense, two guys from the SEC are tied for the CFSL tackle lead. We’ve talked about Georgia SS Nic Lee. He’s joined this week in the race by Kentucky FS Jarred Kline. Both sit at 31 tackles on the season this week. Alabama FS Shelby Ware is now tied for 3rd in the CFSL with 4 PDs. He’s a defensive name to keep an eye on as well.
SEC Results Week 3
Auburn beats Texas A&M, 27-22
Kentucky falls to Ohio State, 47-41
Georgia falls to North Carolina, 48-10
Florida falls to Virginia Tech, 51-35
Alabama beats LSU, 44-27
Tennessee beats WVU, 34-29
SEC Schedule Week 4
Tuesday, January 28th
Georgia vs Kentucky (6:30 PM, YouTube)
Auburn vs Florida (8:30 PM, Twitch)
Wednesday, January 29th
Tennessee vs Alabama (6:30 PM, YouTube)
Potential SEC Game of the Week
I’ll shout out Georgia vs Kentucky, the battle of two 0-3 teams who shouldn’t be 0-3. But I alluded to my choice already earlier in the article. Tennessee vs Alabama carries more weight than almost any other time in the history of this rivalry matchup. For Alabama, it is a rivalry warmup for Week 8 against an upstart Tennessee to open SEC play. For Tennessee, it is an ultimate test of just how real these Volunteers are as playoff contenders. Alabama has won all six previous matchups. Tennessee once again will be heavy underdogs. But put simply, if Tennessee can make this a game, maybe even win? Talk about a real shift in how Tennessee could be viewed around the CFSL.
