Welcome back to “This Week In The SEC” where it just means more. Each week I will give a little preview of what it is to come.

Game of the Week: #3 Clemson Tigers vs #5 Georgia Bulldogs

This is easily the biggest matchup in Week 1 of college football. Georgia takes on fellow top five opponent in Clemson in Charlotte. Both teams feel good about who they have at quarterback. JT Daniels took over at Georgia midway through the 2020 season, while at Clemson, DJ Uiagalelei steps in for first overall pick, Trevor Lawrence.

There should be plenty of talent on the field as these two schools see themselves at the top of recruiting rankings year in and year out. According to 247 Sports, both Clemson and Georgia have fielded top five recruiting classes the past years.

Which team puts it all together and comes away with victory could vault to the top of the polls. Meanwhile, the loser will not be out of the National Championship hunt to the early season (quality) loss.

Player to Watch: Kearis Jackson, Georgia

The Georgia passing game will be called upon in their early season matchup with Clemson. As mentioned, JT Daniels will be the trigger man for the Bulldogs. However, he will be without several receiving options Georgia was relying on. Receiver George Pickens went down with an ACL injury, receiver Arik Gilbert (incoming transfer from LSU) is AWOL, and tight end Darnell Washington is out with a foot injury. That puts a burden on receiver Kearis Jackson to be Daniels’s go-to guy. Jackson had a nice 2020 season in which he hauled in 36 passes for 514 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Jackson is also coming off a minor knee operation, but all indications are he is good to go for Saturday.

Upset Alert: Kent State Golden Flashes @ Texas A&M Aggies

Don’t sleep on the Golden Flashes! Quarterback Dustin Crum is back to lead an offense that led the nation in yards per game in 2020. Crum completed 73.5% of his passes and averaged 10.5 yards per attempt. Kent State also returns eight other offensive starters.

Could they sneak up an overconfident Texas A&M squad?

Haynes King is making his first start for the Aggies. King is talented, but you never know what a quarterback will do in his first start.

I am going to keep an eye on this one.

Woodshed Alert: UL-Monroe Warhawks @ Kentucky Wildcats

UL-Monroe is coming off a winless 2020 season. Saturday, they enter Lexington as 31-point underdogs. I do not see things getting better for the Warhawks as they face off against Kentucky. Look for Kentucky quarterback Will Levis to have a big debut in new offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s offense. Also look for Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez to stack up yards against the hapless Warhawks.

Hot Seat – Ed Orgeron, LSU

No coach in the SEC is facing the pressure Ed Orgeron is at LSU. After an undefeated 2019 season capped off with a National Championship, things sputtered in 2020. The Tigers were able to put together back to back wins to finish 5-5. However, at LSU, the expectation is far greater.

Orgeron spent the offseason righting his wrongs from the previous offseason. Daronte Jones takes over for Bo Pelini as defensive coordinator and looks to improve a porous LSU defense from a season ago. Offensively, Jake Peetz is the new offensive coordinator after coaching with former LSU passing game coordinator Joe Brady on the Carolina Panthers staff. Peetz will look to recreate what Brady did in creating a record-setting LSU offense.

Orgeron leads LSU into the Rose Bowl to face UCLA, which will be his first time coaching in Los Angeles since being passed over for the USC job in 2013. Now heavily implanted as the Tigers’ head man, can he renew the stability and confidence of 2019?

OUTTA HERE!