Unfortunately, there are no mid-week SEC games this time around, so our week is encompassed entirely within the calendar day of Saturday unless a game goes really long. Also, a number of SEC teams are taking a break this week, including Ole Miss. Anyway, the out of conference games of interest to LSU this week:
Washington vs. Idaho: It sure would be embarrassing if Washington followed up its strong performance against us by laying an egg against the Vandals. I bet anything that Poseur listens to "Holiday in Cambodia" in honor of this game being played. Game time is 2:30pm, no television.
Louisiana Tech vs. Navy: I wonder if this one is on CBSCollegeSports. They often show the service academies. The Bulldogs were not as tough against Auburn as a lot of people hoped, and Navy played Ohio State surprisingly well, not going away until a botched two-point conversion led to 2 points for Ohio State late in the game. I would like to see Derek Dooley's team bounce back, but not become so good as to challenge us.
Louisiana-Layette vs. Kansas State: Talk about a step up in competition. The Ragin' Cajuns took on a SWAC team last week, and they get a Big 12 team this week. If their performance against Southern is any indication, they are quite overmatched. Again, no television.
Tulane vs. BYU, ESPN2, 2:30pm: The premier OOC game of specific interest to LSU fans. BYU is coming off a huge win over Oklahoma. Can lowly Tulane take advantage of the potential let-down? ESPN2 is sure glad they got this game now that BYU is getting national attention. If Tulane's performance against Tulsa is any indication, it's going to be very difficult for them.
SEC Matchups After the Jump:
Troy @ Florida, 11:21am, Neuvo Jefferson-Pilot: While I don't think anyone thought Troy would be an even match for Florida, you would have at least put this matchup into the "mildly interesting" pile before the season started. Then the season started, and Troy got manhandled by Bowling Green by a score of 31-13. Bowling Green is not Florida. It's hard to see how Troy can keep up with Florida, which of course pains me to say.
Mississippi State @ Auburn, 6:00pm, Fox Sports Net: Again in an unfortunate turn of events, the televised SEC game in the midafternoon involves Tennessee, who is not among our teams to watch this year, as we do not play them. So, in the midafternoon you can either watch Tulane get pounded by BYU or you can watch Tennessee play UCLA. I'll probably switch back and forth until one or the other is a blowout. This game, Mississippi State versus Auburn, is actually a pretty interesting game. Both teams have new coaching staffs and have installed new and supposedly exciting offenses, both of which put up a lot of yards and points last week. Plus, we play both of these teams, including a tilt in just a couple weeks with Mississippi State. Seeing each of these offenses go up against an SEC defense would be a real learning experience. Unfortunately this game starts at the same time as our game against Vandy, so forget it. Maybe I can catch it on a replay.
South Carolina @ Georgia, 6:00pm, ESPN2: This one is on after the Tulane vs. BYU matchup. Obviously the storyline here is that Georgia has to rebound from a disappointing loss. It will not be simple, as the Gamecocks can really play defense. But so can Georgia, and Georgia can play a little offense too. We don't have any evidence that South Carolina can do that yet. I think Georgia is ripe for another upset, but I'm not sure South Carolina is the team that can do it. Obviously, an 0-2 start would be devastating for the 2009 Georgia team. I would like to see if the USC offensive line can get any kind of a push against the Georgia front seven, which they will need to do in order to have a chance to win. Stephen Garcia will also have to play better against Georgia than he did against NC State. We'll see. Again, unfortunately, this game starts at the same time as LSU's tilt against the Commies. Can't wait to see Rece Davis show us the highlights, as long as we don't miss our own highlights in the process again.
Florida International @ Bama, 6:00pm, no television: Would you believe, FIU did not play in week 1? They chose the opening week of the season for their bye week. That sounds phenomenally stupid. Anyway, nothing to see here.