It's Only SEC (but I like it....)
GEORGE SOMERVILLE – THE TOUCHDOWN’s
SEC CORRESPONDENT
Week two
It’s Week Two of the schedule, and we have already hit conference matchups – wait, what! In this first year of a nine-game conference schedule, SEC play has come quicker than ever before.
Add in Texas playing against Ohio State & a Border War rivalry game, it’s another spectacular week of College football.
But still, and yet again, courtroom drama continues to dominate the headlines. So despite me falsely promising no more courtroom drama here, it is the lede again.
But let’s see what other nonsense we can talk about this week. Here are this week’s headlines.
this weeks sec Stories
LSU at war with the SEC
Baton Rouge, LA
Callin’ Baton Rouge
So here we are back in Baton Rouge. Again. And I don’t think this will be the last chapter in this particular book.
If you read last week’s column, and I hope you did, we were left on a knife’s edge with the ex-pro players getting the go-ahead to enrol back in college. However, at the same time, the SEC had launched a counter lawsuit directed at LSU for colluding with the players to manufacture their way back into a playing capacity in college.
That’s where we were last week. Since then, LSU has submitted its full roster as required to the SEC. The roster does not include either of the two players named in the lawsuit or any ex-pro for that matter. LSU sent a letter to SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey outlining in brief the actions LSU had taken, albeit with no detail about why those players remained off the roster. As you might expect with this particular circus, the letter was leaked, and you will see it at the top of this section.
Pushing the envelope
We can speculate why LSU took matters to the precipice only to step back at the last minute. And you might be forgiven for thinking that would be the end of the matter. But it’s not.
The fact that LSU pushed the envelope has not gone down well with other SEC Schools. Aside from the SEC’s lawsuit scheduled to be heard in an Alabama court on Thursday, the SEC had also scheduled a meeting of all Principals – SEC Officials, Presidents, Athletic Directors and University Principals for this week.
According to several outlets, including ESPN and The Athletic, sources from SEC schools authorised to speak but to remain anonymous spoke of the anger aimed towards LSU over their actions, which other SEC schools viewed as bringing the game into disrepute.
And that anger had become so visible that SEC officials were talking about a motion and vote to expel LSU from the SEC. Now that’s a headline.
The Vote
With news of the players being left off the roster, it was no great surprise that the motion filed by the SEC was not heard in court in Alabama on Thursday and has been continued. That is, postponed.
A meeting of the SEC Presidents & Chancellors was held on Thursday via Zoom. No vote was held on the removal of LSU from the conference. However, the SEC issued the following statement.
“The presidents and chancellors of the Southeastern Conference met Thursday by videoconference to discuss recent matters involving conference expectations and responsibilities,” the league said. “Those discussions will continue as the conference and its member universities work toward an appropriate resolution.”
Has this situation gone away? Well, yes, in the short term. But it has been obvious that the behaviour of LSU, its officials, the State’s elected officials and the rhetoric they have used has ruffled more than a few feathers Down South. Has it gone away completely? Unlikely. It feels like this will continue to simmer until some point in the future.
A Border war before a trip across the pond
Lawrence, KS
Rock Chalk
Last season we saw the return of the “Border War” rivalry between Missouri and Kansas. The game, which is one of the most underrated rivalries in college football, had not been played for 14 years before it made its return in 2025.
Last season, the game lived up to its reputation with Missouri edging out the Jayhawks 42-31 in a nail-biter in Columbia.
This game had been played for 93 consecutive seasons from 1919 until 2011, when it went on a hiatus until last season.
This year, the game will be played in Lawrence, KS, and afterwards the Jayhawks will board a plane to leave for London to play in the inaugural Union Jack Classic game at Wembley next Saturday.
In a departure for this column, I spoke to Kansas Head football coach Lance Leipold about the return of the Border War game and what it meant to Kansas and their fans.
“one thing I didn’t understand completely when I accepted this job now approaching six seasons ago that the rivalry between these two States, these two Universities is pretty intense even more so than with our in-State rival, Kansas State.
There’s a lot of history and it was great to re-introduce that. It was a great environment down there last year. I thought our team played hard, played well but unfortunately at the end we couldn’t convert on a drive and get a stop when we needed to.
I think our players who are returning understand the intensity of this rivalry and the importance of it.
I would say that a game of that magnitude could be good for us before we board the plane because it keeps us grounded here before we get caught looking ahead to a trip of this length and of course the game and the experience of playing at Wembley”
M-i-z
Mizzou have not crossed the border to play in Kansas for 21 years now, and it has been 26 years since they last won in Lawrence. It will be another 5 years until this game reappears on the schedule and 6 before it’s back in Lawrence.
Tigers Head Coach Eli Drinkwitz was asked about the hype that surrounds this rivalry game, but he was keen to play down that aspect.
“This week really, for us, is not really about that,” Drinkwitz told local reporters midweek.
“Our guys want to play, but we got to make sure that we understand how to execute on the road. I’m way more concerned with handling noise and handling travel — playing on a Friday night — I’m way more concerned about that than whether or not our guys want to play in the game.”
In fairly typical Drink style, he continued….
“There’s not going to be this magic new ‘Rocky’ speech that comes up before the game, and our guys get amped up because of the past history,” Drinkwitz added.
You can watch the game on DAZN from 1.00am on Saturday morning.
Eyes of Texas are upon you
Austin, TX
As the song goes, “the eyes of Texas are upon you,” and all eyes in the college football world will be in the direction of Austin, TX, this Saturday.
The Ohio State Buckeyes roll into town in the second game of a doubleheader, which the Buckeyes won last year in Columbus. It’s fair to say that if the Longhorns have aspirations to win a National Championship this season, then a win in Austin is a must.
With a game of this magnitude, the media attention is huge. ESPN’s College Gameday has announced it will be on campus, and the game is already billed as the standout from the Week 2 schedule. It’s a blockbuster, and it’s a primetime game on ABC/ESPN.
It’s a pressure cooker of a game, but Longhorns Head Football Coach Steve Sarkisian isn’t letting the pressure get to him or his team
“It’s not about what this game “means” in retrospect. The team has 10 other games within its packed schedule to contribute to the resume”. Sarkisian told local media on Monday.
“Instead, as a competitor, it is about the excitement of getting to play the No. 1 team in the country. It is about the thrill of competition and the opportunity for the Longhorns to put themselves in front of a noisy home crowd and perform under the pressure of a game”.
Sark explained that while the pressure is there to win, he can’t and won’t allow this game to be the singular focus of a Longhorns season-defining moment. Even though it might end up being one.
“I’m not so consumed with what the end result might be,” Sarkisian said. “You know, four months down the road, we’ve got other games to go play that can contribute one way or the other to our success that we have in the season. What I am excited about is, as a competitor, and for our team, the locker room and building full of competitors that we have is that we get an opportunity to go against the best.”
The game is being billed as the matchup between two great quarterbacks – Julian Sayin and Arch Manning.
Sark talked bout the development of both quarterbacks since last year, when they first faced off against each other.
“You see the level of confidence that both guys are playing with. I think what you notice is the presence in the pocket” Sarkisian said.
“I think you notice their confidence to use their legs, you saw Julian do it last week [when] he tucked it and scored a touchdown. I just think the confidence both guys deliver the ball with, you can see the trust in timing. Pretty drastic difference of the two players now the second time around going up against one another. Should be pretty high-level quarterback play on Saturday.”
The Grove
Oxford, MS
The Grove on the Ole Miss Campus has a reputation second to none as the Tailgating epicentre of college football. The Tailgates are legendary and off the charts. Everyone knows this.
The Ole Miss NIL collective, aptly named The Grove Collective, likes to lean into this party reputation and no more so than with their latest mercantile offering.
Yes, folks, if you too want to party like it’s Oxford, Mississippi, then you can do so with The Grove’s very own bourbon! And why not? Mississippi is in the heart of bourbon land, and this seems like the perfect offering to catch the attention of students, fans and frankly anyone else visiting the US’s greatest college town.
Somehow I think there will be a lot more visitors to Oxford, MS from this side of the pond and a few bottles of this making their way back across the Atlantic!
Week two schedule
Across the SEC
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
Missouri (1-0, 0-0 SEC) at Kansas (1-0)
Series: MIZ leads, 59-54-9
7 p.m. CT • FOX
Last: MIZ, 42- 31 (2025 at Columbia)
Lawrence, Kan. • David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium (52,530)
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
Oklahoma (1-0, 0-0 SEC) at Michigan (1-0)
Series: OU leads, 2-0
11 a.m. CT • FOX
Last: OU, 24-13 (2025 in Oklahoma)
Ann Arbor, Mich. • Michigan Stadium (107,601)
Arizona State (1-0) at Texas A&M (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Series: TAMU leads, 1-0
11 a.m. CT • ABC
Last: TAMU, 38-17 (2015 at Houston/NRG Stadium)
Bryan – College Station, Texas • Kyle Field (102,733)
Western Kentucky (0-1) at Georgia (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Series: UGA leads, 1-0
12:45 p.m. ET • SEC Network
Athens, Ga. • Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium (93,033)
Alabama (1-0, 0-0 SEC) at Kentucky (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Series: ALA leads 39-2-1
3:30 p.m. ET • ABC
Last: UA, 49-21 (2023 at Lexington)
Lexington, Ky. • Kroger Field (61,000)
Mississippi State (1-0, 0-0 SEC) at Minnesota (1-0)
Series: First Meeting
2:30 p.m. CT • CBS
Minneapolis, Minn. • Huntington Bank Stadium (50,805)
Delaware (1-0) at Vanderbilt (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Series: First Meeting
3:15 p.m. CT • SEC Network
Nashville, Tenn. • FirstBank Stadium (35,000)
Campbell (2-0) at Florida (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Series: First Meeting
5:30 p.m. ET • SEC Network+
Gainesville, Fla. • Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (88,548)
Towson (0-2) at South Carolina (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Series: First Meeting
7 p.m. ET • SEC Network+
Columbia, S.C. • Williams-Brice Stadium (77,559)
Tennessee (1-0, 0-0 SEC) at Georgia Tech (0-1)
Series: UT leads, 25-17-2
7 p.m. ET • ESPN
Last: UT, 42-21 OT (2017 at Atlanta/Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
Atlanta, Ga. • Bobby Dodd Stadium (51,913)
Louisiana Tech (1-0) at LSU (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Series: LSU leads, 20-2
6:30 p.m. CT • SEC Network+
Baton Rouge, La. • Tiger Stadium (102,321)
Ohio State (1-0) at Texas (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Series: OSU leads, 3-2
6:30 p.m. CT • ABC
Last: OSU, 14-7 (2025 at Columbus)
Austin, Texas • Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (100,119)
Southern Miss (1-0) at Auburn (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Series: AU leads, 18-5
6:45 p.m. CT • SEC Network
Auburn, Ala. • Jordan-Hare Stadium (88,043)
Charlotte (0-1) at Ole Miss (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Series: First Meeting
6:45 p.m. CT • ESPNU
Oxford, Miss. • Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (64,038)
Arkansas (1-0, 0-0 SEC) at Utah (1-0)
Series: First Meeting
9:15 p.m. CT • ESPN
Salt Lake City, Utah • Rice–Eccles Stadium (51,444)
GEORGE SOMERVILLE
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WRITER
GEORGE IS A LONG STANDING FANATIC OF LIFE AND FOOTBALL IN THE DEEP SOUTH AND WRITES HIS WEEKLY COLUMN CALLED “IT’S ONLY SEC” FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. HE IS ALSO CO-HOST AND ONE THIRD OF THE COLLEGE CHAPS PODCAST, THE UK’S FIRST PODCAST DEDICATED TO THE COLLEGE GAME.
