The first week of the season was a mixed bag for the SEC. The conference went 6-6 in non-conference games that included:
* Good wins by Alabama (over USC), Georgia (over North Carolina) and Texas A&M (over UCLA).
* A conference win (South Carolina over Vanderbilt).
* Ugly wins by Tennessee (over Appalachian State), Florida (over UMass) and Arkansas (over Louisiana Tech).
* Hard-fought losses by Auburn (to Clemson) and Ole Miss (to Florida State).
* Ugly losses by Mississippi State (to South Alabama), Kentucky (to Southern Miss) and Missouri (to West Virginia).