They supposed to be SEC?! Conference falls on its face in football Week 1. Now what?
Remember that meme where a Western Kentucky player looks to a camera during a 2011 game against Kentucky and says, "They supposed to be SEC!" with a delighted grin of mockery?
That line came to mind in Week 1, when three SEC teams went down against ranked opponents.
Utah crushed Florida. North Carolina destroyed South Carolina. Florida State picked apart LSU.
They supposed to be SEC?
The nation's preeminent conference got cut down to size.
On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams recap the SEC's stumble out of the blocks.
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Four ranked SEC teams – Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas A&M – dispatched of meek opponents without issue. But, in the marquee games, the SEC fell flat.
TOPPMEYER: Brian Kelly calls LSU football a 'total failure' after loss to FSU. No argument here
ADAMS: Why SEC West could become a three-team race. Welcome back, Bobby Petrino
A review of the woes:
∎ No. 8 Florida State 45, No. 5 LSU 24: The Tigers were 0 for 3 in critical fourth-down plays, and their defense looked gassed as they got gashed after halftime. FSU star Jordan Travis outplayed LSU's Jayden Daniels. FSU's wide receivers were better than LSU's. The Tigers got whipped at the line of scrimmage. Harold Perkins became a ghost in his new position, inside linebacker. Brian Kelly dubbed it "a total failure" from LSU, from himself to his staff to his players. Yep.
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∎ No. 20 North Carolina 31, South Carolina 17: Get Spencer Rattler into an ice bath. UNC sacked South Carolina's quarterback nine times. The Gamecocks' long-term offensive line woes show no signs of resolution, and mounting injuries exposed depth concerns for USC. Considering the Gamecocks' stiff schedule, their outlook looks daunting.
∎ No. 14 Utah 24, Florida 11: Expectations were lagging for Billy Napier's second season, and the Gators still failed to meet the modest bar in the opener. Florida played like a poorly coached team, with penalties galore and special teams gaffes aplenty. Florida's offensive line got shredded, its backfield shriveled up, and the defense looked slow. This could be an ugly season for UF.
Later in the episode
Toppmeyer and Adams offer their sizzle and fizzle of the week.
Toppmeyer's sizzle: Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart. Lane Kiffin brought in two talented transfer quarterbacks, but Dart battled to retain the starting job. Against FCS Mercer, Dart completed his first 11 passes en route to 334 passing yards. Credit him for rising to the challenge of a deeper quarterback competition.
Toppmeyer's fizzle: Florida. No need to say more.
Adams' sizzle: Texas A&M QB Conner Weigman. He threw for five touchdowns in a rout of New Mexico, and my already lofty outlook for the Aggies soars.
Adams' fizzle: LSU. All that preseason hype, only to fall on its face once kickoff arrived.
Week 2 picks!
Picks against the spread:
Texas at Alabama (-7.5)
Toppmeyer: Texas; Adams: Alabama
Texas A&M (-4) at Miami
Toppmeyer: Texas A&M; Adams: Texas A&M
Ole Miss (-6) at Tulane
Toppmeyer: Ole Miss; Adams: Ole Miss
Auburn (-6.5) at California
Toppmeyer: Cal; Adams: Auburn
Lock of the week
Toppmeyer: Kent State at Arkansas (-37.5); Adams: Stanford at Southern Cal (-29.5)
Season records
Toppmeyer (3-1); Adams (2-2).
Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's SEC Columnist. John Adams is the senior columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. You can subscribe to their podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, or check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: They supposed to be SEC? LSU, Florida, South Carolina part of Week 1 dud
