There are two certainties about the SEC West heading into Week 4.
No. 1 Alabama will be one of two undefeated teams in the division unless Kent State pulls off the miracle of all miracles. That’s an easy first one.
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The second is we’ll find out who the other undefeated team in the SEC West is — the one that might pose the best challenge for the Crimson Tide — when No. 10 Texas A&M and No. 17 Arkansas meet at AT&T Stadium in a battle of 3-0 teams.
This is a gotta-have-it game if you want to get a clean shot at the Tide later.
“That’s a phenomenal matchup in Jerry World,” SEC Network analyst Jesse Palmer told Sporting News. “It’s been a fun game over the years. What we’re finding out is the SEC is wide-open, and we’re trying to find out which team it might be who can try to take the Crimson Tide down.”
Palmer said No. 18 LSU will also have its say, but the matchup between the Razorbacks and Aggies is so intriguing for several reasons.
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Texas A&M hasn’t lost to Arkansas (4-0) since joining the SEC. The Aggies have won the last two meetings by a touchdown each at Jerry World. QB Trevor Knight can throw to four different receivers who average more than 40 yards per game.
This has been a good start for A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, who was considered to be on the hot seat prior to the start of the season.
“I’ve been so impressed with Texas A&M,” Palmer said. “Trevor Knight has handled (offensive coordinator) Noel Mazzone’s offense early this year. There are so many playmakers at receiver.”
Trevor Knight (Getty Images)
Then there’s Arkansas, which has an impressive victory in hand against TCU and gets Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU and Florida at home. A win against the Aggies could unlock so many bigger things in 2016 for Bret Bielema.
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“Arkansas has played Alabama extremely tough,” Palmer said. “They’ve been able to match the Crimson Tide’s physicality.”
Which team would have a better a shot at the Tide?
We’ll find out in October. Nick Saban is 9-0 against Arkansas, but the last road trip produced a 14-13 nail-biter in 2014.
Texas A&M beat Alabama with Johnny Manziel in 2012, but the Tide have outscored the Aggies 100-23 the last two meetings and this year's game is in Tuscaloosa. Could Knight pull off another upset?
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To get there, though, the Aggies and Razorbacks have to go through each other. Palmer is right. Jerry World is a perfect place for the play-in game.We’re about to find out who really wants 'Bama in the SEC West.
Strike a pose
Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers can be a difference-maker just about anywhere on the field. In the Wolverines’ 45-28 win over Colorado on Saturday, it happened to be in the return game.
Peppers had six returns between kickoffs and punts, and he averaged 30 yards on those touches. The last two led to points. A 55-yard kickoff return set up a TD and Peppers did it himself with a 54-yard punt return for a score. He’s averaging 21.6 yards per kickoff return and 40.5 yards per punt return this season.
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“He can get up to full speed probably in three steps,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said on the Big Ten teleconference Tuesday. “That’s fast. Three, four steps, which is unique. He likes to get vertical, but he’s also got the ability to circle the defense because of his speed.
“He’s tough to bring down. He breaks tackles and is elusive,” Harbaugh added. “It’s everything you want from a punt returner. He makes good decisions.”
He did all of those things in the return against the Buffaloes, which is worth another look.
Is it a stretch to call Peppers the best returner in college football heading into the Big Ten opener against Penn State? No, it’s not.
Coach on the spot
Butch Jones. There’s not much to say. Tennessee needs to break its 11-game losing streak to Florida at Neyland Stadium on Saturday. Jones can roll with the “one game doesn’t define a season” mantra, but a victory here would define what has been a start-and-stop season for the Volunteers.
Make no mistake, beating the Gators this weekend is everything. To Jones’ point, the Vols wouldn’t be able to celebrate that victory for too long. Tennessee has road games against Georgia and Texas A&M before Alabama comes in for what could be the Game of the Year.
A win over the Gators makes that possible.
Group of 5 focus
Which Group of 5 school has the most victories since 2013? Boise State? Nope. Houston? Nope. Northern Illinois? Nope.
The answer is Marshall. The Thundering Herd are 34-9 in that stretch, just a half-game behind Oregon for the seventh-best record in the FBS. Marshall has a chance to display that ability at home against No. 3 Louisville this week. The Herald-Dispatch reports the Cardinals are tied for highest-ranked team to visit Marshall, with No. 3 West Virginia in 2007 being the other.
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The Herd (1-1) have offense as usual. Sophomore QB Chase Litton has thrown for 722 yards and 10 TDs through two games. Marshall averages 50.0 points per game, but it allowed 65 points and 524 points in a loss to Akron on Sept. 17.
Saturday's game against Lamar Jackson and Co. promises to be a shootout; how long can Marshall keep up the pace?
Pick one
Which 1-2 SEC West coach/school needs a win more on Saturday? Is it No. 23 Ole Miss or Auburn?
We’ll answer that right away. It’s not Ole Miss. Sure, the Rebels could be off to a 1-3 start with a loss to No. 12 Georgia on Saturday. Yes, the NCAA is still sniffing around and that 1-3 start would essentially mean a missed opportunity for a team that had the best quarterback in the SEC in Chad Kelly.
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No, the pressure is on Auburn and Gus Malzahn when No. 18 LSU visits Jordan-Hare Stadium. That would drop the Tigers to 1-3, which would be worse than last season’s 2-2 start.
Malzahn emphasized “close games” at SEC Media Days in July. So far, the Tigers are 0-2 in one-score games. A win here would take some heat off Malzahn and put the heat on another familiar face.
LSU coach Les Miles needs this win just as much.
Think about it . . .
Army’s record of 56.0 points per game in a single season, set way back in 1944, is a Holy Grail of sorts. It’s amazing that the record has stood the test time in an era of prolific spread offenses.
Glenn Davis, Doc Blanchard and the Black Knights dominated college football in '44. (AP Photo)
According to StatsPass.com, five teams have averaged more than 50 points per game in the past 20 years: Baylor in 2013 (52.4), Florida State in 2013 (51.6), Louisiana Tech in 2012 (51.5), Oklahoma in 2008 (51.1) and Texas in 2005 (50.2). Right behind those five is Louisville's 2004 team, which averaged 49.8 points.
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That was the second season of Bobby Petrino’s first stint with the Cardinals. Spring forward to this year, and Louisville leads the FBS with 65.0 points per game through three weeks. For fun, let’s say it plays 14 games this season. It would have to average 53.5 points per game the rest of the season to tie that record.
Army set a bar that is almost impossible to clear.
Other teams averaging 50 or more points this season are Texas Tech (61.0), Ohio State (56.7), Michigan (53.0), Miami (Fla.) (53.0) and Marshall (50.0).
