Five SEC quarterbacks to watch in Week 1

College football's opening week brings plenty of opportunities for the SEC's signal callers to have statement games. Week 1 brings an odd combination of cupcake matchups that will see starters on the sideline early and competitive games that will require everyone's best efforts. Here's a rundown of five SEC signal-callers to watch in Week 1 action.

Arch Manning, Texas

Sure, Manning did start two games in 2024 due to injury to Quinn Ewers. Sure, he got a fair amount of playing time in blowouts. But Arch Manning has thrown a dozen passes against power conference opponents heading into his matchup with defending champion Ohio State. This is the proving ground for one of the top QB prospects in recent memory, and for the Texas and the SEC to re-assert dominance over the Big Ten. Not only is it must-see football, it'll be a statement game for Manning.

Ty Simpson, Alabama

In an era of instant gratification, Simpson has bided his time and earned Alabama's QB1 spot. He's thrown just 50 passes in three seasons with the Tide and has yet to throw a collegiate touchdown. But given Alabama's offensive sluggishness in 2024, the Tide will look to make a statement against Florida State in the opener. Simpson's reign as the trigger man for DeBoer's Alabama 2.0 is likely to begin with a bang.

Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

The incumbent passing leader of the SEC has a big showdown with Clemson to open the season. Last year, Nussmeier threw for 4,052 yards and 29 scores for LSU. He never passed for under 233 yards and that was in an easy blowout win over Arkansas. Meanwhile, Clemson, despite playing well down the stretch, allowed over 300 passing yards in two of its last five games.

LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

South Carolina saw tremendous improvement as last season went and Sellers was a big part of it. In Carolina's six-game winning streak to end the regular season, Sellers threw for over 200 yards four times and over 300 yards twice. He also added a pair of 100+ yard rushing games in that run. Virginia Tech, Carolina's week 1 foe, allowed 216 passing yards per game and 147 rushing yards per game last season. In a competitive battle, Sellers will likely stake a big claim on his Heisman Trophy candidacy in Week 1.

Austin Simmons, Ole Miss

While there are other SEC QBs who have more important Game 1s (Auburn's Jackson Arnold jumps to mind, although it's an open question how that will go), Simmons might have the biggest day. Lane Kiffin's Rebels are trying to establish themselves as CFP contenders amid some expectations of a bit of a backslide. Meanwhile, recent early season games for Lane Kiffin's Rebels have yielded high scores-- seven 50+ point games in the first four weeks of the last four seasons. New QB Simmons will be the beneficiary of a big day for the Ole Miss attack.