Week 9 Preview: Could Ole Miss put Jimbo in semi-serious trouble?
It’s a quiet schedule this week, with just five SEC games this week.
One game – that was usually one of the brightest parts of the SEC calendar but has recently lost its luster – is Georgia v Florida/The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party – is now expected to be an ass-kicking.
There’s only one ranked match-up (No.19 Kentucky at No.3 Tennessee), while No.15 Ole Miss’ trip to Texas A&M might well be one of the most interesting games on the schedule.
The reason why? A loss to Ole Miss puts Texas A&M at a truly terrible 3-5 – which is not something that college football thought would happen in 2022. Honestly, most of us expected them to fight for a play-off place. Right now, there seems to be very little fight.
Anyway, here’s a preview the most interesting games of Week 9
- No.15 Ole Miss (-1 1/2 O/U 55) at Texas A&M: If Texas A&M hadn’t been so bloody awful in the first quarter of the game against South Carolina, they probably would have beaten a not-wonderful Gamecocks team. A&M had 398 total yards of offense compared to Carolina’s 286. The only difference in the game was an horrific first quarter where they handed the Gamecocks a 17-0 lead. Devon Achane continued to go off, and Evan Stewart is going to go pro after the 2024 season. In Ole Miss’ case, the Rebels hadn’t been great in a while, and things came to Earth when LSU blew past them to win 45-20 – although they could have gone up 27-20 had it not been for an incredible interception by Joe Foucha. This week though, Ole Miss won’t be facing a great quarterback. Neither Haynes King or Connor Weighman are very good. Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart is a step above them, but the ball’s always going to go to Achane or Stewart…and can anyone stop them? This one’s going to be fun. Prediction: A classic in the Texas boonies. Texas A&M 31, Ole Miss 29.
- No.19 Kentucky at No.3 Tennessee (-12, O/U 61): It seems like months that we’ve been saying ‘I wonder what this Tennessee offense would be like if Cedric Tillman was playing?’. Well kids, Cedric Tillman’s back, and he’ll fit right into what is the second-best passing offense in college football and the second-highest scoring one, too. Kentucky’s No.14 nationally in passing defense, giving up just 4 housers to the pass all season long. They don’t intercept the ball very much (6), and give up 178.3 yards/game. The problem for Kentucky is that they haven’t faced an offense like this this year. And Kentucky is unlikely to be able to get into a shoot-out with the Vols this year, since their passing game has been bad and their running game has been even worse – although this will be vastly improved with Chris Rodriguez back on the team. Oh, and their special teams are AWFUL. Their average punt goes 39.9 yards. They are 69% from field goal range. But where Kentucky could squeeze Tennessee, and the over/under of 61 is that they keep the ball for 34 minutes a game. Prediction: Tennessee wins. Eventually. Tennessee 35, Kentucky 21.
- Arkansas (-3 1/2 O/U 60.5) at Auburn: How good is Arkansas’ win at BYU? After the Mormons got hammered by the Cockolds of Liberty, it’s fairly obvious that the Razorbacks win wasn’t as great as we thought it would be. The news for Arkansas is that they face an Auburn team that is below-medicore in both offense (80th) and defense (81st). Even with a stupendous running back like Tank Bigsby, Auburn’s offensive line is so bad that Bigsby can’t hit the holes quick enough. Of course, Arkansas doesn’t have the world’s most wonderful defense, but does anyone expect TJ Finley or Robbie Ashford to exploit it? On the other hand, KJ Jefferson’s an excellent quarterback and now back to full health. Oh, and Raheim Sanders might be the best running back in Fayetteville since Darren McFadden. Prediction: Sanders and Jefferson run away in what could be Bryan Harsin’s last game. Arkansas 31, Auburn 21.
- Missouri at No.25 South Carolina (-3 1/2 O/U 45): Missouri is not very good. We know this because they squeaked by Vanderbilt on Saturday night, and Vanderbilt’s the SEC’s worst (albeit improved!) team. South Carolina might have beaten Texas A&M on Saturday, but if we’re honest, there are still plenty of holes in the Gamecocks. Spencer Rattler has been medicore in the SEC, ranking 7th in pass completions (124) and first in interceptions (8). But the great thing for South Carolina – and the reason why they will win – is that Missouri QB Brady Cook is terrible. He ranks second to Rattler in interceptions, and 10th in total yards, despite being 6th in pass completions. The biggest highlight might be Luther Burden, and whether the Tigers continue to work out that maybe he’s their best prospect of victory. Prediction: South Carolina wins pretty easily after an awkward start. South Carolina 24, Missouri 14.
- No.1 Georgia (-22 O/U 56 1/2) v Florida (Cocktail Party in Jacksonville): No-one in their right mind is expecting Florida – who have one of college football’s worst defenses (109th) – to stop Georgia. Despite Georgia playing down to opponents sometimes, they will definitely be up for Florida. Stetson Bennett should have his way all day long – especially with how good Brock Bowers is. Anthony Richardson continues to be one of the most disappointing QBs in football after his dynamite first game. Prediction: The only ones really intrigued to the end of this game will be those betting the over/under. Georgia 51, Florida 10.