Questions Ahead of Week 4 of SEC Football

Credit: Auburn University Athletics

By Tucker Harlin

For the sake of record keeping, I should probably be updating you on the results of the questions I’ve been asking each week.

Oklahoma’s offensive line was marginally better against Tulane last weekend, although the Green Wave’s interior defensive linemen created burdensome tasks for the Sooner front. The line is yet to have all its starters healthy, so it likely wasn’t going to figure everything out ahead of Week 4.

As for South Carolina’s defensive line, it started the game strong but let LSU take over as the game progressed.

I asked how Missouri and Alabama would fare against a quality opponent after having played lesser foes in the opening two weekends, and I’d say both of them came out and played well in their respective contests.

Between Conner Weigman and Graham Mertz keeping their job after last week, it would appear the answer is Mertz. Weigman for sure lost his spot to Marcel Reed, but Mertz is still splitting time with D.J. Lagway and could lose his job in the near future.

Anyway, let’s get to the questions I’m asking ahead of Week 4.

CAN JOSH HEUPEL CHANGE HIS NARRATIVE OF FAILURE ON THE ROAD?

Josh Heupel’s tenure has been overwhelmingly positive compared to the four coaches that came through Knoxville between Phillip Fulmer and himself.

That said, significant road wins were largely absent in Heupel’s first three seasons. Aside from the traditional givens of Kentucky and Vanderbilt, the Vols held on to beat Pittsburgh in what wasn’t the strongest of home environments and blew out Missouri and LSU in games that kicked off at 11 AM local time.

Of the seven road losses Tennessee suffered in those three seasons, the 29-16 loss in the swamp last season was the closest margin of defeat. All seven kicked off at 3:30 eastern or later.

The Vols’ trip to Norman is right up there with their game at Georgia in 2022 in terms of national significance.

Like the 2022 Georgia game, College GameDay will be there. On one side, you’re looking at Oklahoma’s first conference game as a member of the SEC, a day Sooner fans have been anticipating for over three years now. On the other side, there’s a quarterback who’s looking to take Tennessee to the next level and a coach who’s on the opposing sideline of his alma mater.

It may sound like an absolute, but Heupel’s homecoming looks an awful lot like a fork in the road in his Tennessee career.

Win and you take an important step in raising your program’s potential. Lose and several doors that you’d like to be open later this season are now shut.

GREEN OR BROWN: WHICH ONE TAKES HIS TEAM HIGHER?

Tennessee at Oklahoma is by far the most intriguing matchup of the weekend, but the contest on the plains has the chance to produce a program defining win for either Auburn or Arkansas.

Both the Razorbacks and Tigers are trotting out first year starters for their programs.

Taylen Green came over from Boise State to run the Arkansas offense. The Hogs ran the ball well in their first three outings, but they fell short in an important road contest at Oklahoma State. The pick six Green threw in the second quarter gave the Pokes life, and a mistake riddled second half destroyed any optimism Arkansas fans had that day.

Auburn suffered a deflating loss to Cal in Week 2, but Hugh Freeze made a change last week by starting Hank Brown over Payton Thorne at quarterback. The Tigers won 45-19 against New Mexico and Brown finished the day with 235 pass yards and four touchdowns.

Early season swing games are critical, and this is certainly no exception. Arkansas has three of the top six in the country and LSU coming to town down the stretch, and it has to travel to Missouri and Arlington to face a resurgent Texas A&M team next week.

Auburn at least has games against Kentucky and Vanderbilt sprinkled into the schedule, but trips to Alabama, Georgia, and Missouri are no joke.

As the great 20th/21st century philosopher Scott Stapp once asked “Can you take me higher?” *insert guitar riff*. Either Green or Brown needs to answer Mr Stapp’s question.

DOES THE BETTER THAN AVERAGE VANDERBILT OR REGULAR VANDERBILT SHOW UP TO MISSOURI?

As a Nashville native I grew up around the tens of Vanderbilt fans that inhabit the mid state. I vividly remember one of them telling me there is “Good Vanderbilt” and “Bad Vanderbilt.”

Good Vanderbilt is your traditional hangaround team that occasionally breaks through against a sleeping opponent but mostly loses close games. Bad Vanderbilt is the kind that loses 23-3 against East Tennessee State.

We’ve mostly seen Good Vanderbilt to start 2024, but Bad Vanderbilt made an appearance in the Commodores’ 36-32 loss at Georgia State.

Many anticipated Georgia State to either be a close win or loss before the start of the season, but a win over what was a highly projected Virginia Tech team and a 55-0 blowout of Alcorn State the following week made it look like Vandy could run away with a win at Turner Field.

The Commodores’ trip to Missouri dwarfs the challenge they faced last week.

Brady Cook and Luther Burden have picked up right where they left off in the Tigers’ win over Boston College and the defense shut down a potent rush attack to slam the door on the Eagles.

The line sits at three touchdowns in favor of Mizzou, and if last year was any indication, Bad Vanderbilt is a snowball effect.

FLORIDA OR MISSISSIPPI STATE: WHO FLOPS HARDER?

This is the question everyone is asking ahead of Florida and Mississippi State’s battle in Davis Wade Stadium. We know both of these teams aren’t any good so the only thing we have left to figure out is which one’s the worst of the two.

Florida’s lack of resolution at quarterback is going to hinder it from any kind of success. There comes a point in time when you have to find your guy and stick with him, and Billy Napier hasn’t done that. It’s the kind of issue that terminates coaches, something a loss to this iteration of Mississippi State would absolutely do.

The Bulldogs have fallen back into the irrelevant state they inhabited prior to Dan Mullen’s arrival, unfortunately due to the death of Mike Leach. Jeff Lebby is trying his hardest to get the Mississippi State program back to where it was from about 2010-2022, but the loss at Arizona State and the blowout loss it suffered to Toledo were full of red flags.

In Tempe, the Bulldogs were whipped by a 346-24 margin on the ground, not necessarily for a lack of effort on the offense’s part. Toledo also held Mississippi State to a low mark on offense, but the bigger concern against the Rockets was the utter lack of pressure it put on the quarterback.

The Gators head into Starkvegas a touchdown favorite, but they have much less optimism about the future of their program than the Bulldogs.

Unlike Florida, Mississippi State has at least launched a rebuild by hiring a new coach in Jeff Lebby. It might be the equivalent of Year 0 for Lebby, but Bulldogs fans can at least hope better days lie ahead.

Florida is now dealing with the harsh reality of swinging and missing on a fourth consecutive football hire, and two of those swings and misses are by current athletics director Scott Stricklin.

Make no mistake, Florida definitely projects as a better team on paper, but lack of motivation can cause a flop if it isn’t careful.