What to Watch, Week 3: Let the SEC West carnage begin

Two weeks into the college season it’s becoming increasingly difficult to separate the contenders from the pretenders.

But this week should help.

On Saturday, there are four matchups between Top 25 teams and two of those matchups are within the SEC conference.

Here’s what to what heading into Week 3:

Game of the week
No. 15 Ole Miss at No. 2 Alabama, 9:15 p.m. ET
It’s time to find out whether Ole Miss is for real or a product of its soft schedule.

The Rebels became the first SEC team to score at least 73 points in back-to-back games, but those points came against UT-Martin and Fresno State. Traveling to Alabama creates a much different challenge that the Rebels must topple if it wants to make a run for the SEC West title.

Leading Ole Miss is quarterback Chad Kelly, who split time in the season opener before claiming the starting role outright against Fresno State. Kelly has thrown for 557 yards and six touchdowns with just one interception.

Meanwhile, Alabama is still trying to find a steady quarterback between Jacob Coker and Cooper Bateman. Luckily for the Tide, the running game and defense have carried them to easy wins through the first couple games of the year.

This will be the first real test for both teams and go a long way in determining the team to beat in the SEC West.

Game to watch
No. 14 Georgia Tech at No. 8 Notre Dame, Sat., 3:30 p.m. ET
This game was circled on a lot of calendars at the beginning of the year, but the excitement around it has been tempered just a bit with the injury to Notre Dame starting quarterback Malik Zaire.

However, all eyes will be on the Notre Dame defense as it tries to stop Georgia Tech’s triple option offense. It’s important to note that the Notre Dame defense has allowed more than 330 rushing yards to Navy, a team that also runs the triple option, in each of their last two contests. This will be a monumental test for the Irish defense and for new starting quarterback DeShone Kizer against a GT defense that has allowed just 16 points this season.

Georgia Tech is a 2.5-point favorite, but this could easily be a trap game. The Yellow Jackets have played well in their opening two games this year, but they haven’t faced a team as good as Notre Dame. This game will go a long way in determining whether Georgia Tech is as good as advertised and whether it’s a legitimate contender not only for the ACC title, but for the College Football Playoff.

Also check out…
No. 19 BYU at No. 10 UCLA, 10:30 p.m. ET
BYU has been livin’ on a prayer in each of its first two contests, but it’s going to face a much more difficult task in trying to work its magic against UCLA.

BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum has been in the spotlight after orchestrating two come-from-behind victories that have been sealed with Hail Mary touchdown passes in the waning seconds. However, BYU’s good luck can’t and won’t last forever, and it’s going to have a tough task keeping up with a UCLA offense that has been rolling along in its first two games this season. Moreover, the UCLA defense has allowed just 294 total passing yards in win against Virginia and UNLV. BYU is averaging 344 passing yards against Nebraska and Boise State.

The BYU running game also has struggled to get going averaging 3.1 yards per rush. That will put more pressure on Mangum, especially since his passing defense is allowing 308 yards in the air, a number that UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen will attempt to exploit.

BYU has not beaten a top 10 teams since knocking out No. 3 Oklahoma in AT&T Stadium in Arlington in 2009. Coach Bronco Mendenhall is 1-5 in games against top 10 opponents.

Channel surf through…
No. 18 Auburn at No. 13 LSU, 3:30 p.m. ET: Another key SEC Wes clash and an important game for an Auburn team that has struggled in its first two contests this season. Can QB Jeremy Johnson prove he’s a legit top-tier quarterback against one of the nations toughest defenses?

South Carolina at No. 7 Georgia, 6 p.m. ET: The Gamecocks have fallen on some hard times with a loss to Kentucky and the loss of starting quarterback Connor Mitch. Going to Athens is no easy task and neither is controlling that Georgia running game. However, it’s difficult to rule out South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, especially on the road when his back is against the wall.

Cal at Texas, 7:30 p.m. ET: It’s amazing that Cal is a 6.5-road favorite against Texas, but this is the state of the Texas program. While it’s easy to see this game being high scoring, this game could be a sloppy mess of nerves and inept play. This game is worth watching simply to see which Texas team will show up — the one that dominated Rice or the one that struggled against Notre Dame — and whether has really taken a step forward under coach Sonny Dykes.

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