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Want to know how the SEC will turn out week-by-week before it happens? Don't we all. So we hooked up the closest thing college football fans have to a time machine and will simulate each week of the season using EA's NCAA Football '13. Please keep in mind that it's all in good fun and we're not saying this is how it actually will happen. Though that would be pretty cool and a little bit eery.
It's Week 2 of the college football season and things are already starting to go haywire. The Top 2 teams in the nation go down this week -- and one of them is from the SEC. Missouri and Texas A&M make their SEC debuts with very different results. And one Eastern Division also-ran is taking also-ran-dom to a whole new level.
SCORES
GEORGIA 42, MISSOURI 21
Welcome to the SEC, Tigers. Of course, the game here is probably not accounting for any suspensions in the Dawgs' backfield, since those players aren't even technically in the game. Wink, wink. Or the loss of Isaiah Crowell, perhaps -- Georgia rushes for 281 yards and five touchdowns on 61 carries, putting the ball in the air just 16 times. Missouri also relies primarily on the run, rushing 32 times but having just 108 yards to show for it. In the end, the Tigers have just 248 yards to show for their first conference game.
TEXAS A&M 31, FLORIDA 14
The Aggies have a better first SEC outing, getting a 21-0 lead by halftime and then coasting the rest of the way. A&M completes just 19 of 42 passes -- which, given the quarterback situation, is not entirely out of the question -- for 242 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Aggies also rush for 205 yards and two scores. Florida puts up just 219 yards of total offense, which probably isn't helped by the four interceptions.
WASHINGTON 30, LSU 21
When did Jordan Jefferson get an extra year of eligibility? The Bayou Bengals complete just nine of 26 pass attempts, and gain a respectable 155 yards on 34 carries, but can't stop the Huskies offense from ringing up 471 yards of total offense, including 175 on the ground on 44 carries. The Baton Rouge faithful are likely already restless by halftime, when Washington has a 20-7 lead.
AUBURN 27, MISSISSIPPI STATE 17
Auburn never really puts this game away, but it also never looks back after taking a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. The Western Division Bulldogs actually outgain the Tigers by a 397-338 margin, but two turnovers and a mediocre day in the red zone (three trips yield 10 points) pretty much wipes out that advantage.
NORTHWESTERN 35, VANDERBILT 14
This is hardly the most embarrassing upset of the day -- read on -- but it pretty much derails the thoughts of a big second year for James Franklin (VU). The Wildcats churn out 536 yards of total offense and limit Vanderbilt to just 241 en route to the win. The Commodores are now 0-2.
KENT STATE 20, KENTUCKY 10
Call it the Gary Regional Memorial Football Game. There's no sign of 21 overtimes or anything, but the Flashes score 20 points in the second and third quarters to stun the Wildcats and likely make Joker Phillips' seat glow in the dark.
OTHER SCORES
Tennessee 45, FCS Southeast (Georgia State) 10
Alabama 21, Western Kentucky 3
Ole Miss 17, UTEP 10
Arkansas 70, La-Monroe 10
South Carolina 42, ECU 18
CONFERENCE STANDINGS
EAST | WEST | ||
Georgia | 1-0 | Auburn | 1-0 |
South Carolina | 1-0 | Texas A&M | 1-0 |
Kentucky | 0-0 | Alabama | 0-0 |
Tennessee | 0-0 | Arkansas | 0-0 |
Florida | 0-1 | LSU | 0-0 |
Missouri | 0-1 | Ole Miss | 0-0 |
Vanderbilt | 0-1 | Mississippi State | 0-1 |
TOP 25
1 Oregon
2 Oklahoma
3 Georgia
4 Michigan
5 Arkansas
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7 Alabama
9 South Carolina
12 LSU
19 Auburn
ORV: Texas A&M (would be 27)
Earlier: Week 1