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SEC Football: Which teams are on upset alert in Week 1?

By Chris Schultz

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Will the SEC go 14-0 in the to open the 2015 regular season?

And they’re off. Opening week is finally here for college football and starting this Thursday night, teams from the SEC and all other conferences get the season kicked off. The anticipation is over and every football team starts with a clean slate with the goal of making it to the College Football Playoff.

Expectations are high, but in week one, anything can happen. In fact, we should all expect the unexpected having only practice and scrimmages as a glimpse into the future. The question is, who from the SEC will find themselves on the wrong side of the scoreboard this weekend?

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As it stands today, only one team from the SEC comes in as the underdog according to Las Vegas and that’s Vanderbilt. The Commodores open their season on Thursday night against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. WKU, out of Conference USA, comes to Nashville with an explosive offense led by quarterback and dark horse Heisman candidate Brandon Doughty. For head coach Derek Mason, this will serve as an early test to a defense that he has taken control of.

Also playing on Thursday night is the South Carolina Gamecocks who host the North Carolina Tar Heels in a battle of the Carolinas. Steve Spurrier’s football team has been plagued by the injury bug during camp this preseason. Wide receivers Shaq Davidson and Jared Washington are sidelined with a torn ligament and broken leg .

Steve Spurrier will have to rely heavily on the multi-talented junior playmaker Pharoh Cooper for some added offense. Although the Tar Heels return 17 starters from last season, the Gamecocks should have enough firepower on offense and defensive prowess to avoid being upset by Larry Fedora’s crew.

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    • Speaking of upset, three SEC West teams, Alabama, Auburn and Texas A&M, face formidable opponents this Saturday. The Auburn Tigers travel to Atlanta to take on Bobby Petrino’s Louisville Cardinals where new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will have his hands full trying to stop the Cards from entering the end zone.

    The 2015 Crimson Tide, under head coach Nick Saban, will look to form its own identity with question marks still at the quarterback position. No. 3 Alabama has no easy task taking on No. 20 Wisconsin when they meet this Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

    The most intriguing matchup of the weekend involves No. 15 Arizona State against Texas A&M. There still remains a lot of uncertainty on just what type of team Kevin Sumlin will have this season with so much youth and John Chavis taking over the defense.

    One of the early preseason favorites in the Pac-12, the Sun Devils are more than confident heading into this game under fourth year head coach Todd Graham. Graham has led Arizona State to back-to-back 10-win seasons and looks to be the first to lead the Devils to a victory over an SEC football team. This marks the first meeting between the two programs.

    Georgia, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, LSU, Florida, and Mississippi State open their seasons against mid-major schools or FCS programs where they are heavily favored to win, but nothing is for certain in college football.

    Could a younger Mississippi State team led by Dak Prescott avoid a surprise on the road against Southern Mississippi? Will Kentucky’s promising offense fall flat against the Ragin Cajuns of Louisiana Lafayette, winners of four straight bowl games? Anything is possible in Week One, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

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