Ole Miss @ Arkansas: (21-10 Ole Miss wins) (Dylan Liggett)
Ole Miss rebounded after a rough first half to beat Oklahoma at home 26-14. The Rebels have struggled on offense since the beginning of SEC play against Kentucky, and need to win the rest of their games this season to have a shot at making the playoffs.
The Rebels have weapons on offense, namely in wide receivers Tre Harris and Juice Wells, quarterback Jaxson Dart and tight-end Caden Prieskorn. Harris, however, remains questionable on the Ole Miss injury report leading up to Saturday’s game.
The real power on Ole Miss’s team comes from the Rebels defense, led by linebackers Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr. and TJ Dottery. The Rebels also boast one of the best defensive lines in the country fronted by Walter Nolen, Princely Umanmielen and JJ Pegues.
If the Rebels want to win on Saturday, the defense will have to be as staunch as ever against a particularly potent Arkansas offensive, and the Rebels’ offense will have to finally find some footing.
Arkansas boasts an electric win over No. 7 Tennessee in Week 6 and a blowout victory over Mississippi State last weekend. Led by quarterback Taylen Green and with weapons in running back Ja’Quinden Jackson and wide receiver Andrew Armstrong, Arkansas has one of the most dynamic offenses in the SEC.
The key to an Arkansas victory, much like their win over Tennessee, will be to shut down a struggling Ole Miss offense. The Razorbacks are facing one of the best defenses in the nation, so don’t expect a high scoring game, but if they can lock down Harris and pressure Dart, then the Razorbacks might pull off an upset against Ole Miss at home.
With that being said, the Rebels boast the overall better team and have a lot more to lose with a loss in Fayetteville, so expect the Rebels to come out firing on all cylinders and prepared for a dog fight.
Florida v. Georgia: (31-13 Georgia wins) (Delaney Smith)
Both the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs are coming off byes in Week 9. However, in Week 8, these teams dominated.
The Gators put up a whopping 48 points against Kentucky in Gainesville, allowing 28 themselves. Starting quarterback Graham Mertz ended his college career against Tennessee in Week 7, as freshman DJ Lagway stepped into the starting role. Lagway went 259 yards with an interception. Runningback Jadan Baugh found the end zone five times rushing for 106 yards.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs upset No. 1 Texas 30-15 in Austin. Quarterback Carson Beck struggled, throwing three interceptions and zero touchdowns. Georgia was led by former Gator Trevor Etienne who had three touchdowns rushing for 87 yards.
These two teams will meet at a neutral site in Jacksonville, Fla. at EverBank Stadium.
Even though Carson Beck was not at his peak last game, the Bulldogs will bounce back and overpower Florida in their home state.
Vanderbilt @ Auburn: (28-17 Vanderbilt wins) (Luke Dunavant)
Vanderbilt has emerged as the Cinderella team this season following their 40-35 win over then-ranked No. 1 Alabama. The Commodores Quarterback Diego Pavia has been one of the best transfers in the entirety of college football. So far this season, he’s recorded 1,534 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions. Vanderbilt’s offense as a whole has been incredible, as tight end Eli Stowers has 496 yards and three touchdowns, which leads the team.
The Vanderbilt defense has been impressive as well, as they have 18 sacks and eight interceptions as a team. The leader for the Commodores defense is linebacker Nicholas Rinaldi, with four sacks. All eight picks are credited to different players.
For the Auburn Tigers, this season has not met their expectations. After losing his starting quarterback job earlier in the season, quarterback Payton Thorne has been inconsistent. He has 1,586 yards, with 12 touchdowns to seven interceptions. Running back Jarquez Hunter leads the Tiger offense, with 863 yards and five touchdowns to his name.
Auburn’s defense has been decent, their main problem has been spending too much time on the field. As a group, they’ve recorded 20 sacks and six interceptions, defensive lineman Keldric Faulk leads the defense in sacks, with seven this season. Cornerback Kayin Lee leads the team with two interceptions.
The Commodores are 5-3 overall while Auburn is 3-5. Even after their close loss to the Texas Longhorns, Vanderbilt has been one of the most surprising teams of the 2024 campaign and should be able to take care of business against the Tigers.
Ohio State @ Penn State: (31-28 Ohio State wins) (Wilson Engeriser)
Ohio State will take on Penn State in a ranked Top 5 matchup that has playoff implications and will help decide the Big 10 championship. Both teams stand in the top 4 of the Big 10 standings.
Penn State is undefeated this year, despite having several close calls. Their offense relies on Drew Allar at quarterback and a two-headed monster of running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton.
Ohio State’s one blemish this year was a 1 point loss to No. 1 Oregon 32-31. This past week they also survived an upset scare against Nebraska, winning 21-17. Ohio State is led by quarterback Will Howard and a running back duo of Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson.
Ohio State will face Penn State at 11 a.m. in Happy Valley, and the game will be broadcasted on FOX Sports.
Louisville @ Clemson: (37-35 Louisville wins) (Nate Donohue)
Louisville comes into this game as double-digit underdogs. The Cardinals have lost three of their last five and just managed to edge Boston College this past Friday.
The Cardinals, however, should not be taken lightly. All three of their losses were one-score games, and two came at the hands of Miami and Notre Dame, both AP Top 10 teams. Quarterback Tyler Shough has thrown for over 330 yards in the past two games, and wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks is averaging nearly 100 yards per game. In terms of scoring, Louisville can keep up with anyone in the ACC.
Defeating Clemson will be no easy feat. The Tigers have won their last six games by at least two scores. Quarterback Cade Klubnik ranks just behind Miami’s Cam Ward in total QBR in the ACC. This game will be a shootout, but ultimately, the Cardinals will find the clutch plays they lacked in their three losses, and pull out an ACC win..
USC @ Washington: (28-15 USC wins) (Charles Hausman)
USC v. Washington will be a rematch from the former Pac-12 powerhouses. The last time these two teams met, it was a high-scoring game with the final score being 52-42, Huskies victory. Both teams are 4-4 and are looking to get that fifth win on the schedule. The Trojans and Huskies will both look to the air as their primary attack.
Following a big loss to Indiana, in front of ESPN’s College Gameday, the Huskies will look to bounce back and find a conference win against an unranked USC. Washington has struggled this season and the once national championship-contending football team might not even make a bowl game.
The Trojans have hit a rough patch this season and are looking to get back on track. The Big 10 teams have been giving the Trojans a hard time, but the Pac-12 rematch will pave a path for USC to get back on track.
