Things to watch this week in the Southeastern Conference:
Game of the week
No. 1 Texas (3-0) at No. 14 Tennessee (3-0), Saturday, noon ET (ABC)
The SEC gantlet begins for two of the conference’s top teams at Neyland Stadium. For Tennessee freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon, it’s about as difficult an introduction to conference play as he could get. At least he’s playing at home.
Texas has had the tougher tests so far, beating then-No. 1 Ohio State in a gutsy Week 2 comeback victory and is a 5-point favorite.
Brandon has led Tennessee to three straight wins while throwing for 552 yards, six touchdowns, zero interceptions and three rushing scores. Longhorns star Arch Manning may not be playing at a Heisman-level yet, but he’s shown flashes throwing for 661 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions as he returns to the stomping grounds of his famous uncle, Peyton.
The undercard
No. 23 Texas A&M (2-1, 0-1 SEC) at No. 10 LSU (2-1, 0-1), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
This one could be a season-defining moment for either team. The loser falls to 0-2 in SEC play, not a terrific scenario when it comes to College Football Playoff aspirations.
Texas A&M is coming off a home upset loss to Kentucky, while LSU stumbled late on the road in a loss to Ole Miss.
Aggies standouts Marcel Reed and Mario Craver struggled against Kentucky, leaving questions about how the offense will fare against one of the top defenses in LSU. The Tigers are 8-point favorites.
Impact players
— Trinidad Chambliss: The Ole Miss quarterback showed up against rival LSU, throwing for 363 yards and two touchdowns. He ran the ball in for the game-winning touchdown, too, burnishing his Heisman credentials. Next up for No. 4 Ole Miss is a visit to No. 21 Florida.
— Sam Greene: The Kentucky linebacker came up big several times in the 31-21 win over Texas A&M. He had six tackles, including one-half for a loss, an interception and a fourth-down stop for a turnover on downs.
— Kamario Taylor: The sophomore Mississippi State quarterback continues to impress, leading the Bulldogs back from a 16-0 deficit to an impressive 41-34 win against South Carolina with a 251-yard, four-touchdown performance. The 24th-ranked Bulldogs host No. 19 Missouri in another clash of SEC unbeatens.
A look at the numbers
Mississippi State (544.7) and Florida (544.3) are 1-2 for the most yards per game in the conference. … Oklahoma has held opponents to the fewest points per game (7.7). … Ole Miss and Chambliss average 330.7 passing yards per game, exactly 30 yards more than Taylor, the next-closest quarterback. … LSU has a conference-high 14 sacks, six of them by Princewill Umanmielen. …. Kentucky’s Jordan Castell is tied for the SEC lead in tackles (29) and interceptions (2). … Ole Miss WR Deuce Alexander has a conference-high 295 receiving yards. Mississippi State’s Anthony Evans III has 294.
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