Ole Miss vs. South Carolina (Pick ‘em)
JD: Last week, South Carolina barely escaped Williams-Brice Stadium with a win over Tennessee while Ole Miss was at home preparing for this weekend’s game. Ole Miss won’t be able to stop the Gamecock offense and South Carolina has a decent front seven and back end, but I think Ole Miss comes out and scores early and often. Rebs win, 45-21.
BM: Rebs, no contest. 42-31LF: Carolina may be my new home, but Mississippi will always have my heart. I’m counting on Ta’amu and the boys to pull out a few key plays to win 38-31.
LF: Carolina may be my new home, but Mississippi will always have my heart. I’m counting on Ta’amu and the boys to pull out a few key plays to win 38-31.
No. 6 Georgia at No. 11 Kentucky (Georgia, -9.5)
JD: This one is for all the marbles in the SEC East. I don’t think Kentucky’s poor offense will be able to move the ball at all on Georgia through the air, resulting in Benny Snell having to carry the Wildcats to a win. However, Georgia’s defense won’t let that happen. They hold Snell to under 100 and cover the spread with a final score of 34-10.
BM: Barring an unexpected start from Kentucky’s backup quarterback Gunnar Hoak, I think this is the week the magic ends for Kentucky. Benny Snell and this Kentucky defense are truly special, but Turnover Terry is going to struggle mightily against the Dawgs. Georgia win, 28-10.
LF: The Dawgs have been looking good and with the SEC East on the line I think they’ll pull it through. Kentucky’s defense will keep it a close game, though. Wildcats cover, UGA wins 21-14.
No. 12 West Virginia at No. 15 Texas (Texas, -2)
JD: It’s going to be tough for Will Grier and Co. to go into Austin and win, but I believe the Mountaineers are on a mission following their loss to Iowa State two weeks ago. The same could be said for Texas, who is coming off of a three point loss to Oklahoma State. But, I’m not sold on Tom Herman and these Longhorns, especially after the head coach’s outburst last weekend. Mountaineers win outright, 31-24.
BM: Will Grier is an incredibly player to watch and I think he will keep it close, but I just don’t believe the Mountaineers will have it in them to win over the stretch. The Longhorn defense will hang on for a Texas win, 28-24.
LF: Will Grier and his offense will have a couple shining moments, but it won’t be enough to beat Texas at home. It’ll be a close game nonetheless. Longhorns cover and win, 28-24.
No. 5 Michigan at No. 14 Penn State (Michigan, -10.5)
JD: Michigan and former Ole Miss quarterback Shea Patterson have figured it out. The Wolverines haven’t lost since week one at Notre Dame (currently No. 4 in the playoff rankings), and have fielded one of the best defenses in the nation this season. I think Michigan wins, but since the game is being played in Happy Valley, I think Penn State covers, 27-20.
BM: Penn State got a somewhat impressive win over Iowa last week to recover from their slump, but Michigan’s defense is too good for that momentum to carry on. Shea Patterson will hang onto his defense one more time this week and scrape by with a W over a Nittany Lions team that just doesn’t excite me this year. 31-14.
LF: Michigan’s defense and running game are going to give the Wolverines an early lead and make Penn State work for every point. As long as Penn State keeps the mistakes to a minimum, they’ll make sure Michigan doesn’t run away with it. Penn State covers, Michigan wins 21-14.
No. 1 Alabama at No. 4 LSU (Alabama, -14.5)
JD: As is the case with the Georgia and Kentucky, this game featuring Alabama and LSU will certainly decide the representative of the SEC West in the conference championship. Luckily for the Tigers, the game is in Death Valley. Tua Tagovailoa hasn’t played in an SEC environment like Baton Rouge yet and I think this is the game he gets a little rattled early, but I think he calms down in the second half and leads Bama to victory. Alabama wins, LSU covers, 38-24.
BM: In what is sure to be the game of the year besides the National Championship, two all-around absurd teams will battle it out at night in Death Valley. As much as I’m inclined to believe that nobody wins a night game in Tiger Stadium, I do not think there is a team in the country right now that is going to slow down Tua and his offense. It’ll be a bit of a slugfest, but the Crimson Tide will come out on top, 27-20.
LF: As much as I hate to admit it (and hate losing to both these teams. Can we go back to 2015, please?), this is going to be the game of the weekend. LSU’s defense will keep things from getting too out of control, but their offense won’t be able get that W over Bama. Alabama wins and covers 31-14.
