College football Week 4: The SEC kicks off, and LSU's title defense begins
Welcome to Before The Snap, For The Win’s college football show where we’ll break down the sport’s trending storylines, examine each week’s biggest matchups and track the College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy races.
The SEC’s 10-game, conference-only schedule kicks off this weekend in what’s technically Week 4 of the college football season. It’s the third Power 5 conference to play a fall season, following the ACC and Big 12. (The Big Ten plans to start next month.)
Looking like a very different team this year, LSU and coach Ed Orgeron begin their national championship defense with junior quarterback Myles Brennan taking over for now-Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
Brennan saw the field in 2019 in some of LSU’s blowout games, and he threw one touchdown against Texas A&M. He also went 3-for-3 for 39 yards against Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff semifinal game last year.
LSU opens its season against Mississippi State and coach Mike Leach. Although this is Leach’s first season with the Bulldogs, he could have his air-raid offense established with Stanford transfer quarterback K.J. Costello, but he also has one of the country’s best running backs in Kylin Hill.
Here’s a look at the SEC’s opening weekend schedule:
No. 5 Florida at Ole Miss: Noon ET, ESPN
No. 23 Kentucky at No. 8 Auburn: Noon ET, SEC Network
Mississippi State at No. 6 LSU: 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
No. 4 Georgia at Arkansas: 4 p.m. ET, SEC Network
No. 2 Alabama at Missouri: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Vanderbilt at No. 10 Texas A&M: 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network alternate
No. 16 Tennessee at South Carolina: 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network