SEC: LSU-Auburn ‘highlights’ a pretty bad slate

This week’s SEC isn’t week. It’s simply bad.

Zero Top 25 match-ups. One Top 10 team. Two slaughters on the menu. A game between two also-rans in their respective divisions, and one game between teams that will be fighting it out for second place in their divisions. And one featuring teams that will fight it out for fourth and fifth. And the batshit crazy one involving LSU and Auburn.

But we’ll do as best we can.

  1. Auburn at No.22 LSU (-11): The best thing about this game is that it’s going to be at night, which means the crowd will be louder, drunker, and probably more willing to stay around than they would in the heat of the day. LSU’s defense still remains laughable, which could mean that we see some fun by Hugh Freeze like he did against Georgia, while it’s going to be Jayden Daniels v Auburn on the other side. The game’s going to be fun, if a little ugly. PREDICTION: LSU 37, Auburn 31
  2.  Texas A&M at Tennessee (-3): Texas A&M is now going to be an also-ran in the SEC West, while Tennessee will be doing the same in the East. Joe Milton hasn’t been anything but ordinary for the Vols (he’s ranked below-average in almost every category in the SEC, including pass completion percentage, passing yards and pass efficiency rating), and his best wide receiver, Bru McCoy, is done for the year. So it’s unlikely he’ll punish a Texas secondary that’s still liable to give up the big play. On the other hand, A&M has no running game, so you can expect Tennessee to stick a bunch of people deep and try and test Max Johnson. PREDICTION: Texas A&M 35, Tennessee 31.
  3.  Missouri at No.24 Kentucky (-2.5): The defense that Brady Cook’s going to pass to (Luther Burden, Theo Wease and Mookie Carter) are going to be a whole better than the one LSU one faced — and a lot better than the team that was trounced by UGA. Kentucky’s not wonderful against the pass, which should play in Missouri’s hands. Kentucky will need to get Ray Davis going and take up some clock. PREDICTION: Missouri with a very mild upset. Close game though. Missouri 28, Kentucky 25
  4.  Florida at South Carolina (-2): Spencer Rattler should get a lot of time to hit his receivers against a passing defense ranking 80th against FBS Power 5 opponents. If his offensive line doesn’t get plundered by Gator pressure. Carolina is pretty good against the run – something that Florida’s going to use – but bad at stopping people getting into the red zone via it (118th v FBS Power 5 teams in rushing TDs allowed (10). PREDICTION: South Carolina in a rather turgid affair. Carolina 24, Florida 17.
  5.  Arkansas at No.11 Alabama (-19.5): Arkansas’ offense is atrocious. It is last in the SEC in yards (and 113th in CFB) – not helped by a dreadful offensive line that’s given up 23 in-conference sacks this year. We like KJ Jefferson as a quarterback, but this team’s simply not good enough. But despite their awful offensive line (26 sacks allowed), Jalen Milroe is beginning to find some life. But this Alabama team is built on the run, and run is what they will do. All over the Razorbacks. PREDICTION: Alabama 41, Arkansas 17
  6.  No.1 Georgia (-32.5) at Vanderbilt: LOL. PREDICTION: Georgia 51, Vanderbilt 6.
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