SEC Country

The Lane Kiffin era at LSU could not have started much better. The No. 8 LSU Tigers (1-0) demolished the unranked Clemson Tigers (0-1) 51-10 in Baton Rouge. LSU moved into the top 10 after entering the season No. 11. The numbers were almost absurd. LSU produced 644 yards of offense. Clemson managed only 145. The Tigers recorded 38 first downs. Clemson had eight. LSU rushed for 309 yards and converted 11 of 16 third downs. Clemson went 1-for-13.

Ole Miss survived its first test. Now the Rebels have one easy assignment before the game everyone in Oxford has been waiting for. The No. 9 Rebels are 1-0 after beating the No. 24 Louisville Cardinals 41-38 in Nashville. They showed plenty of offensive firepower in the process. They also showed some defensive problems that could become much harder to hide against SEC competition. But first, there is Charlotte. The 49ers visit Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday night.

Week 1 of college football is in the books, and the SEC did not disappoint. 16-0 on the weekend, the SEC starts the season undefeated and sets the tone for what should be a year of chaos within the conference. Most of the opponents were certainly lesser competition, but each team still looked dominant and did what they were supposed to do: win handily. New faces made their debuts in the conference or on different teams. The stars of the conference didn’t disappoint.

Alabama did everything expected of it in Week 1. The No. 13 Crimson Tide overwhelmed East Carolina 48-10 in Tuscaloosa. Keelon Russell accounted for 335 yards and a touchdown. Now, the stakes change. Alabama travels to Lexington on Saturday for its first SEC game of the season against the Kentucky Wildcats. The Crimson Tide opened as a 10.5-point favorite. This is also Russell’s first true road test as Alabama’s starting quarterback.

The first major test of the season arrives quickly for Oklahoma and Michigan. No. 10 Oklahoma travels to Michigan Stadium on Saturday for a noon ET kickoff against No. 16 Michigan. It is a matchup that should provide a far clearer picture of both teams’ College Football Playoff aspirations. The Sooners enter with momentum after thumping UTEP on Friday night in Norman. Michigan enters with questions after a suspicious ‘win’ over in-state foe WMU at the Big House.

The Southeastern Conference wasted little time reminding the rest of college football why it remains the sport’s deepest league. All 16 SEC teams won in Week 1, producing a perfect 16-0 record across the conference. The opening weekend featured plenty of favorable matchups, but the league also collected three Power Four victories and saw several of its highest-profile programs make convincing statements.

Texas did exactly what it needed to do in Week 1. After No. 1 Ohio State opened its season with a 56-3 demolition of Ball State, the No. 5 Longhorns followed with a 59-7 rout of Texas State. Now comes the game that actually matters for playoff implications and much more. Ohio State and Texas meet Saturday night in Austin in the latest chapter of a rapidly developing rivalry. The Buckeyes have won the past two meetings, but neither game was decided easily. Texas gets another chance.

LSU entered Saturday night’s game as favorites, but no one expected the final result. The Tigers of Baton Rouge made it look easy against Clemson, winning 51-10 and starting the season 1-0 in the Lane Kiffin era. The game started over 2 hours late. The delayed kickoff at 9:40 was due to severe weather warnings and heavy rain. Outside of the first possession of the game, where QB Sam Leavitt threw an interception, it was an A+ performance for Kiffin’s debut. LSU only punted twice in the entire game.

Another potentially massive layer in the LSU-NFL players saga. Not only does the idea of former professionals not sit well with the SEC, but with Clemson. According to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellinger, Clemson officials have notified LSU that former NFL players playing on Saturday may breach the game contract between the schools. That said, the game being played itself doesn’t seem to be at risk. For anyone living under a rock, this stems from LSU’s ongoing recruitment of former NFL players.

Week 1 of the College Football season is here, but the games still aren’t the story of the sport. The Lane Kiffin/LSU vs SEC battle just keeps adding more layers to the saga. In a saga in college football that’s seemingly only becoming more hostile, the SEC has taken its stance to a whole new level. On Thursday, On3’s Pete Nakos announced that the SEC is filing a lawsuit against LSU and Lane Kiffin.