WEEK 9: Texas. Georgia. Austin. 7pm. Watch.

Every week seems to bring along a Top 5 match-up, and this week will be the same when No.1 Texas hosts No.5 Georgia in Austin.

Thanks to the TV people, the game won’t be played in the life-obliterating early-to-middle-of-the-afternoon Texas heat (unlike the Texas – Oklahoma game, in which the stadium concessions people ran out of water by half-time), but instead as the sun comes down over DKR.

And we can’t wait.

Elsewhere, No.7 Alabama goes to No.11 Tennessee in the annual ‘Third Saturday In October’ match-up, Arkansas go to No.8 LSU, Auburn goes to No.19 Missouri, Oklahoma hosts South Carolina, Mississippi State hosts 14 Texas A&M, and everybody’s Sudden Football Darling Vanderbilt plays Ball State in Nashville. Oh, and there’s Kentucky- Florida, live from The Swamp.

So here’s our preview:

1. No.5 Georgia at No.1 Texas (-5): Whether Texas wins this game is all on the shoulders of one Quin Ewers, who was inconsistent at the start of last week’s Red River Shoot-Out. He’ll have to be mistake-free at the start of this one (and so will his offensive line) – even as Georgia brings in the thunder. Also, we will know if Texas can actually step up in the Big Game. For all the talk of wins over Michigan and Oklahoma, both teams are bad teams. Georgia – who lost to Alabama thanks to a freak wide receiver at the end of a game they brought back from the dead – is going to be a whole step-up for the Longhorns. It’s in this game that they’ll feel that they are less deep at running back, and that their wide receiving corps is going to have be great. On the other hand, Georgia has been on the struggle bus since their loss against Alabama, with very unimpressive wins over Auburn and Mississippi State, which more about grinding out the results than pleasing the Committee. Texas – who is phenomenal defensively- is going to test Georgia’s running game all the way through this one. PREDICTION: This one is going to be a war. Georgia 38, Texas 31
2.  No.8 LSU (-2.5) at Arkansas: Arkansas’ last game was a brilliant defensive performance against Tennessee, where they gave Nico no room whatsoever, and stopped the Vols at every turn. LSU on the other, were able to muck it up convincingly against Lane Kiffin and win the game in overtime, restricting Rebs QB Jaxson Dart to 284 yards passing – his worst passing performance of the year in terms of yards, getting sacked, and yards per attempts. It was quite a show. Arkansas will try and muck it against Garrett Nussmeier, who is running an offense that is still not really sure what it’s identity is. Whatever happens, it’s working and LSU is unbeaten in the SEC. However – and this is the X Factor that affected Tennesee – is going to be the crowd noise. It was off the hook at Razorback Stadium a couple of weeks ago, and it’ll be the same on Saturday night. PREDICTION: Arkansas with the shocker. Arkansas 35, LSU 33.
3.  No.7 Alabama at No.11 Tennessee: The Third Saturday In October is one of the South’s oldest rivalries, but the word ‘rivalry’ feels a little lost, bearing in mind Tennessee only one once between 2007 and 2023. This year, we don’t know what to expect. Alabama should have lost to South Carolina, and Tennessee should have lost to Florida. Both sides are simply not good at the moment, with their star quarterbacks getting increasingly found out and the defenses looking a little more suspect – particularly on the Alabama side. It’s going to be the 3.30pm ET game, so expect it to be noisy and hot, but the atmosphere might be the only thing going for this one. PREDICTION: Alabama 28, Tennessee 23 in a game that should be for fans, not neutrals.
4. Ball State at Vanderbilt (-27): Because it’s the first in some years that Vanderbilt has won three in a row. Ball State is 2-4 this season, but the fact that they squeaked by an awful Kent State should fill Commodores fans with confidence. PREDICTION: Vanderbilt 45, Ball State 7.
5.  Kentucky at Florida (-1.5): As the schedule goes, this and Florida State will be the two wins on the schedule. The rest is a gauntlet. It’s obvious that Billy Napier’s team want to play for their coach. That was evident in the Tennessee game — which they should have one. One gaffe on the UT 1-yard line denied them at least a field goal, and there were numerous others too – including going 0-for-2 on 4th down. Oh, and the kicker was that DJ Lagway is now going to have to lead his team from this point onwards not Graham Mertz blew out his ACL in overtime at Neyland. On the Kentucky side, we can promise one thing: It’s not going to be very pretty. Because with Kentucky, it never is. PREDICTION: Florida 28, Kentucky 21
6.  South Carolina (-1) at Oklahoma: If you like defensive battles, this way well be the one for you. South Carolina and Oklahoma have both got to the quarterbacks with frequency (both have 19 sacks each), and although OU is coming off a butt-kicking by Texas, it’s defense has been pretty sturdy otherwise, with the secondary grabbing six INTs (to South Carolina’s 8). Offensively, it’s goiung to be a tale of who’s going to improve. South Carolina’s is better than OU’s, but then again, Oklahoma’s is 126th in the country in total yards. PREDICTION: South Carolina comes out with the win in a tight, unexciting one. South Carolina 18, Oklahoma 15.
7.  Auburn at No.19 Missouri (-4): The measure of what bettors think of how good this Missouri team is is that the open was -10 and now it’s -4. Missouri showed how bad they were against Texas A&M, and fine against UMass, who are the dregs of college football. This week they play a poor Auburn team, who don’t have an identity in offense – simply because of their poor quarterback (Payton Thorne). Watch for Auburn to push Jarquez Hunter to his limits against a front that was run over by the Aggies. We watch with interest, but it ain’t gonna be great. PREDICTION: Missouri 31, Auburn 21.
8.  No.14 Texas A&M (-18) at Mississippi State: Mississippi State is the worst team in the SEC, and it would an incredible game if they played Florida State to see who was the worst team in Power-4. Severely underrated Texas A&M is on a roll – the Aggies and Texas are the unbeaten teams in the SEC – and a win here – combined with a Texas loss, will have them a game ahead in their race for Atlanta. PREDICTION: Texas A&M with the thumping. Texas A&M 45, Mississippi State 13.