This Week in the SEC: Week 10
Some of you may remember last week when I picked Ole Miss over LSU. People that know me were very surprised by this because I rarely pick against my Tigers. I tried to not be bias, and at the same time pick the clear favorite…but I couldn’t handle it. I changed my pick 5 minutes before kick-off.
Fortunately, I was right, and witnessed one of the great games in the LSU-Ole Miss rivalry. Now being 8-1 in my Game of the Week picks this year (If you are nice and count my tweet), I have some pressure on me to keep getting my picks right. I break down a top-10 matchup, but first, let’s take a look at the Power Rankings.
Week 10 SEC Power Rankings:
1) Mississippi State (4-0, 7-0)
Last week rank: 1
Last week: W 45-31 at 8) Kentucky
This week: vs 9) Arkansas
Dan Mullen called Lexington a “tough place to play.” Not sure if he knew they were playing football.
2) Alabama (4-1, 7-1)
Last week rank: 3
Last week: W 34-20 at 11) Tennessee
This week: Bye Week
Tennessee thought they may have had a chance against Bama, then they saw Amari Cooper run out of the tunnel.
3) Georgia (4-1, 7-1)
Last week rank: 4
Last week: Bye Week
This week: vs 13) Florida (in Jacksonville)
The Georgia-Florida game is usually close. Won’t be this year.
4) LSU (3-2, 7-2)
Last week rank: 6
Last week: W 10-7 vs 2) Ole Miss
This week: Bye Week
I never thought LSU would storm the field after beating Ole Miss.
5) Auburn (3-1, 6-1)
Last week rank: 5
Last week: W 42-35
This week: at 6) Ole Miss
Auburn won a thriller against South Carolina. That would have sounded better last year.
6) Ole Miss (4-1, 7-1)
Last week rank: 2
Last week: L 10-7 at 6) LSU
This week: vs 5) Auburn
Hugh Freeze had some Les Miles clock management at the end of that game.
7) Missouri (3-1, 6-2)
Last week rank: 7
Last week: W 24-14 vs 14) Vanderbilt
This week: vs 8) Kentucky
Missouri surprisingly is still in the mix for the SEC East. Very surprisingly.
8) Kentucky (2-3, 5-3)
Last week rank: 8
Last week: L 45-31 vs 1) Mississippi State
This week: at 7) Missouri
John Calipari needs to teach Kentucky’s football team how to play defense.
9) Arkansas (0-4, 4-4)
Last week rank: 10
Last week: W 45-17 vs UAB
This week: at 1) Mississippi State
350-pound offensive lineman Sebastian Tretola threw a TD pass in Arkansas’ win. He now has a 480.4 passer rating…highest in the SEC.
10) South Carolina (2-4, 4-4)
Last week rank: 9
Last week: L 42-35 vs 5) Auburn
This week: vs 12) Tennessee
South Carolina gave it all they had on Saturday. And still lost.
11) Texas A&M (2-3, 5-3)
Last week rank: 11
Last week: Bye
This week: vs UL-Monroe
A&M fans are saying that it can’t get any worse…but imagine if they lost to UL-Monroe.
12) Tennessee (0-4, 3-5)
Last week rank: 12
Last week: L 34-20 vs 3) Alabama
This week: at 10) South Carolina
Butch Jones still has a winless SEC record, but keep being optimistic he’s your next great coach Knoxville! (Or, you know, you don’t have to)
13) Florida (2-3, 3-3)
Last week rank: 13
Last week: L vs Bye Week
This week: vs Georgia (In Jacksonville)
Yes, that’s a typo, Florida didn’t lose to Bye Week. They forfeited instead.
14) Vanderbilt (0-5, 2-6)
Last week rank: 14
Last week: L 24-14 at 7) Missouri
This week: vs Old Dominion
Vandy is going to have to play the game of their lives to beat Old Dominion.
Game of the Week
#4 Auburn at #7 Ole Miss
Saturday, 6:00 CT, ESPN
This game was supposed to be a battle of top-5 teams, until Ole Miss was upset at the hands of LSU in Death Valley. That doesn’t make this game any less significant though, as there are SEC West and possible playoff implications on the line. I break down Auburn-Ole Miss in Game of the Week.
The Breakdown:
Ole Miss looked unbeatable coming into Tiger Stadium, and not many gave LSU a shot. Bo Wallace looked rattled the whole game, and he even admitted he was. He just couldn’t get the offense moving. Neither could their running back I’Tavius Mathers, who only rushed for just 35 on the ground. The Rebels were averaging 35 points per game coming in, and they only put up 7 on LSU. Look for major improvement in offensive production from Ole Miss on Saturday.
Auburn’s offense has looked flawless this season, as they have put up at least 40 points on three of the four SEC teams they’ve played. The only team they couldn’t do that to? The number one team in the nation, Mississippi State. The Tigers are averaging 281 rushing yards per game, and have been a nightmare for opposing defensive lines. However, they haven’t faced the “Landsharks” yet, and that will be the best defense they will face this season. The Rebels D did have trouble containing Leonard Fournette and the LSU backfield last week though, so we’ll see if how they fare against the explosive Cameron Artis-Payne this time around.
Prediction:
Ole Miss will be determined to get back in the win category after last week’s performance. Bo Wallace should go back to being “Good Bo” again and I think he will have a big day against an Auburn defense that gave up 402 passing yards last week against South Carolina. I expect this to be a close game to the very end, and Ole Miss is going to want this one. This may be the best offense that the Landsharks play this year, but I think they will do just fine if they can stop the read-option. I’m picking Ole Miss in a tight one.
Score: #7 Ole Miss 27, Auburn 23
Other Games to Watch:
Florida vs #9 Georgia
Kentucky at Missouri
Arkansas at #1 Mississippi State
Upset Alert:
Kentucky over Missouri
Old Dominion over Vanderbilt (If you consider that an upset)
Twitter: @WScottCSM
