SOUTH CAROLINA at VANDY
What it means to LSU: We play USC but we don’t play Vandy. This is an easy call. Always root for the team you are going to play to win so it will help the ol’ strength of schedule.
Why I will watch: Vandy looked surprisingly feisty in its opening game blowout. Is this for real? USC’s quarterbacks were truly terrible, but they did win the game by 34 points and the defense looked good.
What I expect: USC’s quarterbacks to progress from cover-your-eyes awful to merely bad or maybe even mediocre. Vandy plays teams tough, especially when the talent gap isn’t too massive, but playing tough is different than actually winning. Though Vandy DID beat USC last year.
SOUTHERN MISS at AUBURN
What it means to LSU: To see if Auburn’s new offense works against a team with a defense that has a pulse.
Why I will watch: USM is no slouch and is capable of pulling the upset. Visions of USF are stuck in my head, and that makes me happy.
What I expect: Auburn’s offense to struggle. A team doesn’t magically transform from a power running team to the spread overnight. Auburn’s fans should be just as worried about their QB’s as we are about our LSU’s. However, that’s a long way from predicting USM will pull an upset.
OLE MISS at WAKE
What it means to LSU: A chance to point and laugh at the ACC if one of our worst teams beats one of their best. Not that it isn’t funny Wake is one of the best teams in the ACC.
Why I will watch: Jim Grobe. I’m one of his biggest fans and I love how his teams play solid, fundamental football despite usually being on the short end of the stick in talent. They will not beat themselves.
What I expect: Ole Miss looked good in week one, and I expect that to continue. But beating Memphis and beating Wake are two totally different things.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN at GEORGIA
What it means to LSU: Style points in the polls. UGa struggled even more than LSU in week one against an inferior opponent.
Why I will watch: To see how good Lefevour is.
What I expect: UGa to look mortal again, but sttill win by a large margin. And in November, for no one to give two craps about how much they beat CMU by.
NORFOLK STATE at KENTUCKY
What it means to LSU: A chance to learn more about Norfolk, Virginia.
Why I will watch: On the off chance I will hear a local refer to their town as “No-fuck”.
What I expect: Not to watch.
UL-MONROE at ARKANSAS
What it means to LSU: What is more important, state pride or conference pride?
Why I will watch: Dude, Arkansas barely won last week. This could be a massive upset brewing.
What I expect: Another near miss. Arkansas is vulnerable, but come on, they still should beat ULM, right? Right?