If you’re anything like me, a weekend without Tennessee football means a full Saturday of channel-flipping through the vast college football slate from my living room couch this weekend – maybe I’ll even feel adventurous enough to venture outside to the patio setup.
Josh Heupel’s fifth-ranked Volunteers have their first of two open dates this weekend as they head into their break with a 4-0 record and a pair of Top 25 wins. The Vols are one of six conference teams with a 1-0 SEC record but are only one of two with a 1-0 conference record and a 4-0 overall record (Missouri).
While Tennessee won’t be in action this weekend, the SEC will still have 11 conference teams in action with five SEC matchups and one Top 4 showdown.
ESPN’s College GameDay crew will be in Tuscaloosa, AL, on Saturday morning in anticipation of the Top 4 clash between No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama at 7:30 p.m. ET from Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Tide and Bulldogs are familiar postseason foes but rarely meet each other in the regular season, much less a late September matchup.
The last time Alabama and Georgia squared off in the regular season was in October of the COVID-shortened 2020 season and the last time the two squared off in September was in 2008. This game has massive early-season implications as one will remain undefeated in the Top 5 and the other will be working to catch up. Alabama has dominated this matchup, eight wins in their last nine matchups, but we’ll see if the departure of Nick Saban opens up some mental clarity for Kirby Smart’s group.
Kentucky travels to No. 6 Ole Miss to kick off the SEC slate on Saturday at Noon ET as the Wildcats look to give another Top 5 program a run for their money, this time on the road. A Kentucky win over Ole Miss might sting for the Tennessee fanbase but a Rebels loss would give the Vols some key early-season breathing room in the SEC standings with Ole Miss’s favorable schedule this season.
The afternoon slate features three ranked SEC teams in action against unranked foes from the conference. No. 24 Texas A&M and Arkansas will clash in AT&T Stadium in Dallas, TX, for a rivalry matchup at 3:30 p.m. ET, the same time as kickoff between No. 21 Oklahoma and Auburn from Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, AL.
No. 1 Texas, meanwhile, will host the quickly-sliding Mississippi State Bulldogs at 4:15 p.m. ET in Texas Memorial Stadium from Austin, TX.
The main event contest between Alabama and Georgia will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC while No. 14 LSU hosts South Alabama in the final conference game of the day at 7:45 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
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Here’s a look at some of the best college football games during Tennessee’s open date this weekend:
Week 5 College Football Games (All Times ET)
Saturday
Kentucky (2-2, 0-2 SEC) at No. 6 Ole Miss (4-0, 0-0 SEC)
- 12:00 p.m. on ABC
No. 20 Oklahoma State (3-1, 0-1 B12) at No. 23 Kansas State (3-1, 0-1 B12)
- 12:00 p.m. on ESPN
No. 15 Louisville (3-0) at No. 16 Notre Dame (3-1)
- 3:30 p.m. on Peacock
No. 21 Oklahoma (3-1, 0-1 SEC) at Auburn (2-2, 0-1 SEC)
- 3:30 p.m. on ABC
Arkansas (3-1, 1-0 SEC) at No. 24 Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0 SEC) [AT&T Stadium, Dallas, TX]
- 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
Colorado (3-1, 1-0 B12) at UCF (3-0, 1-0 B12)
- 3:30 p.m. on FOX
Mississippi State (1-3, 0-1 SEC) at No. 1 Texas (4-0, 0-0 SEC)
- 4:15 p.m. on SEC Network
No. 2 Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC) at No. 4 Alabama (3-0, 0-0 SEC)
- 7:30 p.m. on ABC
No. 19 Illinois (4-0, 1-0 B10) at No. 9 Penn State (3-0, 0-0 B10)
- 7:30 p.m. on NBC
South Alabama (2-2) at No. 14 LSU (3-1, 1-0 SEC)
- 7:45 p.m. on SEC Network
Arizona (2-1, 0-0 B12) at No. 10 Utah (4-0, 1-0 B12)
- 10:15 p.m. on ESPN
No. 8 Oregon (3-0, 0-0 B10) at UCLA (1-2, 0-1 B10)
- 11:00 p.m. on FOX
