Auburn at No. 9 Ole Miss: Lars Andersen
Final Score Prediction: Ole Miss 24, Auburn 17
For a bowl-bound Rebels squad looking to continue its dominance, a wild-card team like the Auburn Tigers signals a worrisome week for Ole Miss coaches.
Auburn, a disappointing 3-3 on the season and 1-2 against FBS opponents, has a habit of ruining the dreams of teams bound for a stellar season. They pushed an SEC champion Alabama squad to four overtimes last season and were one of only two teams to defeat the Rebels during the regular season. The other was Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide.
So far this season, neither of Auburn’s signal callers have broken 1,000 passing yards, in stark contrast to Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart’s 1,300 yards this season. On the ground, they have Tank Bigsby as the main threat, with 345 yards so far this season, compared to Quinshon Judkins’ 581 yards and Zach Evans’ 469 yards. Overall, it doesn’t seem like there are many areas in which Auburn is superior to the Rebels. On the ground and through the air, I predict a barrage, but it’s just as likely that Ole Miss lets their foot off the gas and lets the game get close. I predict a 24-17 thriller in Oxford, keeping the Rebels undefeated through seven weeks.
No. 3 Alabama at No. 6 Tennessee: Cameron Larkin
Final Score Prediction: Alabama 31, Tennessee 21
The Crimson Tide rolls into this game undefeated, but the powerhouse football program barely survived a Texas A&M team at home last week. So now, Saban’s team has to travel to one of the loudest stadiums in college football, Neyland Stadium, and try to put the pieces of its national championship puzzle back in place.
On the other hand, Tennessee comes into this game with a Top-25 win over LSU. But, more impressively, the Vols grabbed this win in Baton Rouge in front of a sold-out crowd. Quarterback Hendon Hooker looks as good as any player in the nation, and he will bring that unwavering confidence into the game against Alabama.
We have seen cracks in Alabama that have never been apparent in years past: They are playing close games, turning the ball over and are penalty magnets in 2022. However, all of Alabama’s struggles against A&M can disappear with one simple change: Bryce Young coming back from an injury that kept him out of the A&M game.
If Young plays, which I assume he will as he was day-to-day this week, the Crimson Tide will come out of Neyland 7-0, but if Jalen Milroe is the starter again, Tennessee’s offense will be too much for the freshman quarterback to match.
No. 10 Penn State at No. 5 Michigan: Owen Pustell
Final Score Prediction: Michigan 35, Penn State 17
Despite dropping one spot in the AP poll this week, Michigan enters this game as one of the best teams in the country. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been lights out for the Wolverines, as he is completing 78% of his passes and has a 9:1 touchdown to interception ratio on the season. Look for Michigan to open up the playbook and take some deep shots as opposed to the more conservative ground game they have been running with so far this season. The Wolverine pass rush should also be a huge factor. Michigan currently has the fifth most sacks in the country, just two sacks out of first place.
Penn State enters this game after narrowly beating a weak Northwestern squad 17-7. Offensively, the Nittany Lions rely heavily on true freshman running back Nick Singleton, who leads the team in rushing and averages over seven yards a carry. Penn State will likely lean on the rushing attack to take the edge off of the Michigan pass rush. This game could end up as a classic Big Ten ground n’ pound matchup if the passing offenses can’t get going.
No. 16 Mississippi State at No. 22 Kentucky: Caleb Harris
Final Score Prediction: Mississippi State 30, Kentucky 17
The Bulldogs are coming off two back-to-back blowout wins, including a home victory over Arkansas last week. Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach’s air raid offense has proven to be successful in the SEC and has helped quarterback Will Rogers put up some impressive numbers that include breaking an SEC record for pass completions in a single career.
The pressure is not on Leach’s squad but on Mark Stoops’ Kentucky squad, a team that was ranked in the Top 10 just two weeks ago before dropping two games, a last-minute loss to Ole Miss in Oxford and a bigger upset loss against South Carolina at home. Last week, Kentucky did not play starting quarterback Will Levis due to an injury. The Wildcats need to get back to how they were playing early in the season, or it can get ugly for Kentucky quickly.
