The best college football game for each week in September
By Austin Lloyd
Week 5: South Carolina at Tennessee (Sep. 30)
Here we have another shocker, as the latest installment of the Gamecocks-Volunteers series was easily the most lopsided of the 2022 games referenced today, with SC’s victory being decided by a whopping 25 points (second place was Pittsburgh’s seven-point win over West Virginia).
With that said, what makes this matchup so special that it’s the top dog for Week 5? The answer can actually be seen quite clearly once we look at both how much it meant last year and how much it means this year.
The 2022-23 Volunteers finished their stretch at a very strong 11-2, with their only losses being to the Georgia Bulldogs and, of course, the Gamecocks. When considering just how great the Dawgs were, along with the Vols playing them as well as they did in Athens, it’s safe to say that the loss to South Carolina could have very much cost them a spot in the CFP.
This season, Tennessee is set to host the Gamecocks in what will be a crucial rematch, headlined by elite matchups at the head coach (Josh Heupel/Shane Beamer) and quarterback (Joe Milton/Spencer Rattler) positions. Beyond that, the Volunteers have dates with the Alabama Crimson Tide—a team they beat last year—and the aforementioned Bulldogs—whom they also host.
Those two on their own are enough to show that Tennessee’s 2023 slate is far from a kind one and that any playoff path the Vols could have run far deeper than just beating South Carolina. But even with that fact in mind, their doing so would check a box that last year’s squad couldn’t.
Depending on how well they’d perform in the weeks that follow, the victory could go on to greatly alter the SEC’s postseason impact. When a game has the potential to hold that kind of influence on the best conference in college football, it deserves to be recognized for such.
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As I said earlier, August will always be known as the month when CFB returns, but it’s the September games that give the first true impression of what it’s all about. These pairings prove that beyond the shadow of a doubt, and it leaves us fans thinking that the season couldn’t possibly get here fast enough.