LSU-Auburn and Florida-Tennessee kick off SEC race
Two Southeastern Conference contenders will take giant steps toward division titles today.
No. 5 LSU plays at No. 14 Auburn in a game matching SEC West favorites. Meanwhile, in Knoxville, Tenn., the annual early season meeting between No. 11 Florida and No. 13 Tennessee will give the winner a headstart in the East.
Today’s games will be the SEC openers for all but Auburn. Clearly, it’s too early for the winners to start making plans for the conference title game – Georgia will have much to say about which teams end up in Atlanta – but there’s no doubting the importance of these matchups.
Recent history suggests Auburn-LSU could be a letdown. The last six meetings have been decided by at least 12 points. Last season, LSU won 31-7 in Death Valley.
The Vols-Gators series has been dominated by road teams lately. In four straight meetings, the visitor has gone home with a victory.
.
| The lineup | Time | TV |
| No. 1 Southern Cal at BYU | ||
| Pick: USC 42-10 | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| No. 2 Oklahoma vs. Oregon | ||
| Pick: OU 52-28 | 12:30 | ABC |
| No. 3 Georgia vs. Marshall | ||
| Pick: Georgia 38-14 | 10 | None |
| No. 4 Miami vs. Louisiana Tech | ||
| Pick: Miami 48-14 | 10 | None |
| No. 5 LSU at No. 14 Auburn | ||
| Pick: Auburn 17-12 | 12:30 | CBS |
| No. 21 Maryland at No. 7 West Va. | ||
| Pick: West Va. 33-28 | 9 a.m. | ESPN2 |
| No. 8 Florida St. vs. UAB | ||
| Pick: Florida St. 30-3 | 3:30 | ESPN2 |
| No. 9 Ohio St. at N.C. State | ||
| Pick: N.C. St. 23-21 | 12:30 | None |
| No. 11 Florida at No. 13 Tennessee | ||
| Pick: Florida 14-10 | 5 p.m. | CBS |
| No. 12 Virginia vs. Akron | ||
| Pick: Virginia 45-10 | Noon | None |
| No. 15 Utah at Utah St. | ||
| Pick: Utah 44-16 | 4 p.m. | None |
| No. 16 Iowa at Arizona St. | ||
| Pick: ASU 23-21 | 7 p.m. | None |
| No. 17 Michigan vs. San Diego St. | ||
| Pick: Michigan 27-10 | 9 a.m. | ESPN |
| No. 19 Fresno St. vs. Portland St. | ||
| Pick: Fresno St. 48-7 | 7 p.m. | None |
| No. 20 Wisconsin at Arizona | ||
| Pick: Wis. 22-14 | 1 p.m. | FSN |
| No. 22 Minnesota at Colorado St. | ||
| Pick: Minn. 34-33 | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| No. 23 Boise St. at UTEP | ||
| Pick: BSU 53-16 | 6 p.m. | None |
| No. 25 Memphis at Arkansas St. | ||
| Pick: UM 52-12 | 4 p.m. | None |