After week four in the college football season, the SEC picture will be a little clearer. There are some pretty big in-conference matchups and one giant out of conference matchup that could change the landscape of the SEC. This week, three out of the seven games featuring SEC teams pit unbeatens against each other. Two of them are conference games. Here are my previews and predictions for this weeks games:
Georgia Bulldogs vs. Mississippi Rebels
Georgia is one of two SEC teams to have a strength of schedule in the top 25 in the nation. They’ve come away from three games with a 1-2 record. Ole Miss comes into this game with an identical record. The difference is, the Rebels have lost to two mediocre teams (although I’m starting to give Vanderbilt a lot more credit. They could be a surprise team this year). The Dawgs with Aaron Murray at quarterback and Isaiah Crowell toting the rock should be able to put up some points against an Ole MIss team that quite frankly isn’t very good. Georgia’s better than their record says and they pick up a win to get to .500 on the season. In the battle of the hottest seats in the SEC, Mark Richt prevails and the Houston Nutt watch is on. Bulldogs over Rebels, 42-24.
#14 Arkansas Razorbacks vs. #3 Alabama Crimson Tide
This game should be a dandy. Arkansas had Alabama on the ropes last year with a 20-7 lead in the second half only to lose the game 24-20. The Razorbacks are my sleeper team in the SEC West this season and can seemingly score at will. It’s strength versus strength in this matchup with the Hogs offense going up against the Tide’s defense. Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson is the real deal and has a plethora of NFL caliber receivers to throw to in Jarius Wright, Greg Childs, and Joe Adams (who also is a special teams star). Running back Ronnie Wingo is coming off a 100 yard rushing game with three touchdowns. The Crimson Tide’s achilles heal is turnovers. They’ve turned the ball over way too much and it will catch up to them in one of these games. But Trent Richardson has already rushed for over 300 yards and eight touchdowns this season. As long as the Crimson Tide feed the ball to Richardson and Eddie Lacey, they can control the game better so QB A.J. McCarron just has to make smart game management decisions. This is Bobby Petrino’s best defense he’s had while he’s been in Fayetteville, however, their best defender DE Jake Bequette is not going to play Saturday. That and the home crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium are the difference. Alabama over Arkansas, 28-24.
Florida Atlantic Owls vs. Auburn Tigers
Florida Atlantic certainly has had a pretty tough schedule so far. They opened the season against Florida, then traveled to Michigan State. Now, in their third game, they play the defending national champs who are coming off their first loss in 17 games. The Owls don’t have the offensive firepower that Auburn has faced in their first three games and the Tigers can still put points up on the board. Auburn gets back on track with this game and wins handedly, something they haven’t been able to do all season. Tiegers over Owls, 45-14.
#15 Florida Gators vs. Kentucky Wildcats
This game will go into more depth here. Bottom line: Both defenses are pretty good. Florida’s offense is way better than Kentucky’s. This is a good tuneup game for the Gators before they host Alabama next week. Gators over Wildcats, 42-6.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State has had a pretty difficult schedule to begin the season and are in a 0-2 hole in conference play. But this MSU Bulldog team is very talented, especially on offense. Louisiana Tech is 95th in the nation in points allowed and they haven’t even played a BCS school. Their offense is a tad better, coming in at 48th in the country. This game evens up Miss St.’s record and gives them confidence going forward to be competitive and tough in SEC play. Bulldogs of Mississippi State over Louisiana Tech, 56-17.
Vanderbilt Commodores vs. #12 South Carolina Gamecocks
Believe it or not, this is one of those games that features unbeatens. The Commodores have a new swagger and attitude under first year head coach James Franklin. I really like the direction they’re moving in and as the season goes along, they’re only going to get better. Franklin’s background is on the offensive side of the ball and while they’ve definitely improved in that department, they’re still a long way from where they want to be. Meanwhile, South Carolina has been giving up tons of points on defense, but luckily with Stephen Garcia at the helm and Marcus Lattimore running like there’s no tomorrow, they’ve been able to outscore the competition. Lattimore is already over halfway to 1,000 rushing yards and is coming off a 246 yard game. If the ‘Cocks keep the ball in Lattimore’s hands and out of Garcia’s, then they should win this game pretty easily. Otherwise, Vandy’s opportunistic defense, with their 12 takeaways on the season, could present a big headache for Steve Spurrier and USC. The ‘Dores are legit and will be bowl eligible, but there’s just too much talent on the Gamecocks team. South Carolina wins the game, but it’ll be closer than you think, 38-34.
#2 Louisiana State Tigers vs. #16 West Virginia Mountaineers
This preview and prediction goes out to a friend of mine and loyal reader Dan Walker. Walker grew up in Morgantown and told me to be careful who I choose for this game. That being said, has any preseason top five team ever played this tough of a September? LSU has played number three (at the time) Oregon on a neutral site in Dallas, Northwestern State at home (only gimme game), number 25 (at the time) Mississippi State in Starkville, and now 16th ranked West Virginia on their home turf. Once again, this game puts strength versus strength. The Tigers defense is legitimate. All you have to do is watch last week’s game against Mississippi State just to see how dominating they can be in a hostile environment. QB Jarrett Lee has made plays when he needs to and the running game has been solid for the Bayou Bengals. Personally, I don’t think any team in the nation has looked better than LSU. That being said, the Mountaineers have one of the most prolific offenses in the country with QB Geno Smith at the helm and speedster Tavon Austin catching balls. West Virginia’s defense has struggled at times, giving up 31 points last week to Maryland and dazing through the first quarter of the Norfolk State game when they were down 12-10 at the half. But then their offense kicked in and the Mountaineers ended up winning 55-12. This game will be fun to watch. Dan, I know it’s your birthday today, but LSU’s defense is just too nasty. Their offense should do just enough to beat the West Virginia in Morgantown. When Les Miles was asked earlier this week why their playing West Virginia, he said, “I honestly have no clue.” But the Bayou Bengals will be prepared and take care of the Mountaineers, 24-21.
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