The third week of the season is in the books and Alabama looks like they could need a strength of schedule boost in early December to get a shot at a national championship. This week, conference wins by LSU and Georgia could be overshadowed by another bad loss by Bret Bielema and the Razorbacks. The Crimson Tide look to get back on track this week, along with
Week 1: Wisconsin – Win vs. Troy 28-3
The Badgers made easy work of Troy behind another solid performance by Joel Stave. The senior was 13 for 17 passing for 202 yards and a touchdown. Wisconsin finishes up their non-conference play this weekend.
Next week: Hawaii, 7:00 pm CST, BTN
Week 2: Middle Tennessee State – Win vs. Charlotte 73-14
Brent Stockstill threw five touchdown passes and only four incompletions in a massive bounce back game for the Blue Raiders. The team also ran for 316 yards and four touchdowns with the final score coming on a pick-six.
Next week: at Illinois, 3:00 pm CST, ESPNN
Week 3: Ole Miss – Win at Alabama 43-37
Next week: Vanderbilt, 6:00 pm CST, ESPNU
Week 4: Louisiana Monroe – BYE
The Warhawks were off last week in their preparation for a trip to Tuscaloosa. They’ll get an angry Tide team but could become a challenge with a strong passing attack lead by freshman quarterback Garrett Smith.
Next week: at Alabama, 3:00 pm CST, SECN
Week 5: at Georgia – Win vs. South Carolina 52-20
The Bulldogs had their most impressive win of the season in Athens this past week with a huge performance by quarterback Greyson Lambert. He completed 24 of his 25 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns. Malcolm Mitchell looked back to his old self, catching eight passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. Nick Chubb continued his Heisman campaign with a 159-yard, two-touchdown performance.
Next week: Southern, 11:00 am CST, SECN
Week 6: Arkansas – Loss vs. Texas Tech 24-35
The Razorbacks had another disappointing Saturday at home. The defense was in shambles against a decent quarterback in Patrick Mahomes. The positive to take from the game is that they got back to the true Bielema identity, running the ball 43 times while only passing it 21 times.
Next week: vs. Texas A&M in Dallas, 6:00 pm CST, ESPN
Week 7: at Texas A&M – Win vs. Nevada 44-27
Kyle Allen had another big day with the help of receivers Josh Reynolds and Christian Kirk. There are still some questions on the defensive side of the ball but get a chance at a big win to start conference play.
Next week: vs. Arkansas in Dallas, 6:00 pm CST, ESPN
Week 8: Tennessee – Win vs. Western Carolina 55-10
The Volunteers bounced back from their first loss against a poor Western Carolina team. The offense didn’t need a huge day for anyone, with scoring coming from everyone on the field. Tennessee’s touchdowns came from a kick return, a punt return, three passes and two rushes.
Next week: at Florida, 2:30 pm CST, CBS
Week 10: LSU – Win vs. Auburn 45-21
Back-to-back SEC West wins to open the season for these Tigers and they look very impressive. Brandon Harris had a much better start against Auburn this time around but the real story was Heisman frontrunner Leonard Fournette. The sophomore running back ran for 228 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 12.0 yards per carry.
Next week: at Syracuse, 11:00 am CST, ESPN
Week 11: at Mississippi State – Win vs. Northwestern State 62-13
The Bulldog offense used a balanced attack to blowout their cupcake on Saturday. They gained 647 yards offense without any player other than Dak Prescott getting more than nine touches. Prescott only had to complete 10 of his 11 passes and rushed five times for 281 total yards before being pulled for the backups.
Next week: at Auburn, 6:30 pm CST, ESPN
Week 12: Charleston Southern – Loss at Troy 16-44
The Pirates became less one-dimensional on offense and won behind a strong defensive performance lead by an 87-yard interception return for a touchdown by Lorenzo Mathis.
Next week: at Citadel, 5:00 pm CST, ESPN3
Week 13: at Auburn – Loss at LSU 21-45
The Tigers have had enough with their problems and are making a change at quarterback this week with Jeremy Johnson exiting and Sean White entering. Auburn’s offense may not be the only problem after seeing a horrendous tackling performance against LSU.
Next week: Mississippi State, 6:30 pm CST, ESPN
Caleb Turrentine is a contributor at Touchdown Alabama Magazine. Follow him on Twitter, @CalebTurrentine.
