One eye-catching overtime win. One dangerously close call. One ripple-creating defeat. And a bunch of blowouts, with one that said more than the others.
Mizzou’s upcoming SEC opponents posted a range of results in their respective season openers. If a College Football Playoff appearance is going to become a reality for the Tigers, keeping tabs on the opposition matters more than ever before. First impressions aren’t everything, but they’re not nothing.
Let’s review what we learned:
Vanderbilt: In a surprising twist, the Commodores made the loudest opening SEC statement. Their 34-27 overtime home win against Virginia Tech suggested Mizzou’s SEC opener could be tougher than expected.
Vandy coach Clark Lea overhauled his roster this offseason, adding more than 50 new players and bringing in respected offensive mind Jerry Kill as an analyst. Initial feedback was encouraging. After coughing up a 17-point lead and missing what could have been a game-winning field goal, Vanderbilt rallied to win in OT in front of a home crowd populated heavily by Virginia Tech fans.
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New Vandy quarterback Diego Pavia, a transfer from New Mexico State, where he started under Kill as head coach, was just named SEC offensive player of the week. He completed 75% of his passes for 190 yards and two TDs. He also ran for 100-plus yards, including the game-winning TD in OT. He’s got some play-making swagger, and his new team feeds off it.
Vandy’s defense, which Lea now coordinates, posted four sacks and a pick. Virginia Tech was favored by nearly 14 points. Impressive debut, Dores.
Texas A&M: The Mike Elko era began with a gritty but unsuccessful showing at home, where a crazed Kyle Field crowd watched their No. 20 (but not for long?) Aggies score just one touchdown and fizzle late in A&M’s 23-13 loss to No. 7 Notre Dame. The Aggies looked vulnerable against the run as Notre Dame chewed up nearly 200 rushing yards.
Bigger problem: A&M QB Connor Weigman disappointed. He completed 12 of 30 passes for 100 yards against Notre Dame’s strong secondary and also threw two interceptions on a night his defense created none. It will not help Mizzou’s strength-of-schedule concern if the Aggies are unranked when they host Mizzou for its first road trip of the season.
For now, A&M’s home-game atmosphere remains better than its team.
Auburn: What stood out most from Auburn’s 73-3 thrashing of FCS opponent Alabama A&M was returning starting quarterback Payton Thorne’s ability to show off an improved receiving group that added seven new faces this offseason. Big, explosive gains in the passing game were the result. Five different Auburn receivers had receptions of 40-plus yards, including freshmen Malcom Simmons and Perry Thompson, plus Penn State transfer Keandre Lambert-Smith.
Auburn’s 451 passing yards in the easy win marked a program high since 2014. Defenses beware. You don’t have to be in the Hugh Freeze fan club to know he’s going to come up with ways to score.
Alabama: Kalen DeBoer’s new-hire honeymoon continued despite some glitches in college football’s new helmet communications gear and a pregame shoulder injury to starting offensive lineman Kaydn Proctor. No. 5 Alabama mauled Western Kentucky 63-0.
Returning starting QB Jalen Milroe, who was the lead catalyst in 600 yards of total offense, is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. Bama’s defense, which allowed only 145 yards of offense, looked fast and mean as it created two turnovers and secured the team’ first shutout since 2022. Bama’s starters sat most of the second half.
From his new spot on the TV set, Nick Saban probably nodded in approval.
Oklahoma: Former five-star recruit Jackson Arnold has gone from Sooners backup to starter, and it appears he has a new favorite target. He threw three of his four touchdown passes to Purdue transfer receiver Deion Burks in No. 16 Oklahoma’s 51-3 thrashing of Temple.
More impressive? The Sooners defense had six sacks and forced six turnovers, four on fumbles OU recovered. Pretty good debut for new OU defensive coordinator Zac Alley.
SEC newcomer Texas has made the most noise. What if Oklahoma is just as good, if not better?
South Carolina: College football guru Phil Steele’s ranking of overlooked teams had me convinced the Gamecocks could be ripe for a breakthrough in Year 4 of Shane Beamer ball. Maybe that’s still true, but a 23-19 close-call home win against Old Dominion stirred serious concerns.
Old Dominion tied the game in the first and third quarters and even took a fourth-quarter lead before South Carolina scored the game-winning touchdown with fewer than seven minutes left.
It gets worse. The only two touchdowns South Carolina scored came after the Gamecocks recovered fumbles less than 10 yards from the end zone.
Freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers looked, well, like a freshman. He completed 10 of 23 passes, took four sacks and overthrew multiple passes. Beamer bemoaned his team’s blocking, dropped passes, penalties and mental breakdowns.
Perhaps most concerning was the tame performance of the offensive line. Old Dominion had 10 — 10! — tackles for loss. No other SEC team allowed more in Game 1.
Beamer looked stressed in his post-game TV interview. For good reason.
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs turned 35 unanswered points to start the game into a cruise-control 56-7 blitz of FCS opponent Eastern Kentucky in new coach Jeff Lebby’s debut. Lebby promised high-octane offense and fast tempo. Against an overmatched opponent that had one of the FCS’ worst defenses last season, his Bulldogs delivered.
Making his first MSU start, Baylor transfer quarterback Blake Shapen threw for three touchdowns and ran for another. MSU scored on a blocked punt and a pick-six. An all-around impressive showing before a more telling trip to Arizona State.
Arkansas: Of all the season-opening SEC blowouts, this one was the most legitimately encouraging for that team and its fans. Sam Pittman’s seat seems to be the hottest in the SEC, so any sign of struggle against Arkansas-Pine Bluff would have caused message-board meltdowns, like the ones Florida fans are having after their Gators got embarrassed by Miami at home.
Instead, the Razorbacks poured it on to the point of overkill in a 70-0 win that marked Bobby Petrino’s first game back as offensive coordinator. Petrino’s offense scored on every single possession.
Boise State transfer quarterback Taylen Green and Utah transfer running back Ja’Quinden Jackson can play. Green threw for 229 yards and ran for 88 more while accounting for four touchdowns. Jackson turned eight carries into 101 yards and two scores. And neither played in the second half.
Anyone else wondering if Petrino is the Arkansas head coach by the time Mizzou faces the Hogs?