The must-watch game of the weekend – and potentially the season – is this Saturday's meeting between No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Tennessee. The top two teams in college football collide at 3:30 PM ET on CBS In what might just be a preview of a College Football Playoff match-up.
Led by quarterback Hendon Hooker (2,338 passing yards with 21 touchdowns and one interception), Tennessee has already played (and beaten) a top-five team this season when they beat then No. 3 Alabama three weeks ago.
Hooker will be tested against the SEC’s top-ranked defense that will be backed by a tough home crowd in Athens. The Bulldogs are allowing just 10.5 points per game. For what it is worth, the Volunteers are tops in the conference averaging 49.4 points per game.
Count this non-conference game as pretty high up on the intrigue meter. No. 23 Liberty travels to play an inconsistent if still dangerous Arkansas team that would love to get a third-straight win (4:00 PM ET, SEC Network).
The Razorbacks’ streak comes after three straight losses to ranked teams; Arkansas hasn’t beaten a ranked team since their season opening win against then No. 23 Cincinnati. Arkansas sophomore running back Raheim Sanders (1,041 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns) isn’t generating national headlines (yet) but he is having a really strong season that is getting plenty of respect around the SEC.
It takes plenty to get us switched off from No. 6 Alabama at No. 15 LSU (7:00 PM ET, ESPN), but that old intrigue meter is beginning to register again. Texas at No. 13 Kansas State is a really fascinating meeting in the Big 12 (7:00 PM ET, FS1). This game is a bit under the radar but could be a good one.
A year ago, Texas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 22-17 home win in their regular season finale against Kansas State.
If Kansas State can get their run game going (the Wildcats lead the Big 12 in rushing, paced by 908 rushing yards from Deuce Vaughn), then they can get this important conference win. The Longhorns come in off a bye week with wins in three of their last four games and has been overall solid against the run this year.
A win would make Texas bowl eligible after failing to make the postseason a year ago.