The Daily Mississippian sports editors and writers took a look around this week’s SEC football games to make their predictions on winners, yardage and more.
Kentucky vs. Georgia – James Minzesheimer
Kentucky, a team that has been a bit of an enigma this season, has had a rough start to the year. One thing that has helped carry Kentucky is its defense. If the defense plays well enough and can limit Georgia to single digits like they did against Mississippi State and Tennessee, then the Wildcats will definitely win this game. However, Georgia’s offense led by former scout team quarterback Stetson Bennett has been impressive to watch. I predict Kentucky’s defense will not hold, and the offense will not find its footing against this stacked Georgia defense.
Georgia 45, Kentucky 24
LSU vs. Auburn – James Minzesheimer
Although the defending national champions have looked like a shell of themselves this season, the LSU Tigers have shown that they can be lethal on offense at times. Both teams are coming off of wins, but the Auburn Tigers won a game they arguably should have lost. Meanwhile,LSU trounced a South Carolina team that upset Auburn only two weeks ago. For that reason alone, I think LSU will beat Auburn.
LSU 52, Auburn 24
Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt CST – Kelby Zendejas
Look, I know Ole Miss hasn’t done too well lately. However, I think the defense will finally catch a break against Vanderbilt this weekend. Considering the fact that Vandy has been out for a couple of weeks due to a bye week and COVID-19 cases, they’ll either be ready to play or be stuck in the mud. I think the Ole Miss offense will be fun to watch in this game, and if it puts points on the board early, the rusty Commodores won’t keep up. I’ll stay true to the Rebels and say Ole Miss takes this win easily.
Ole Miss 42, Vanderbilt 17
Mississippi State vs. Alabama – Riley Comden
Alabama will dominate in the matchup against Mississippi State this weekend. Alabama’s
offense has been on fire and has proven to be unstoppable week after week. I have to give Mississippi State credit for taking down reigning national champs LSU in the first game of the season, but MSU has not won a game since. The Bulldogs stand no chance against the Crimson Tide’s offense. Alabama will take home the win.
Alabama 54, Mississippi St 14
Texas A&M vs. Arkansas – Ruby Draayer
I just can’t bring myself to choose A&M for anything. They are always expected to be good, and they just aren’t. They are the ultimate “this will be the year” team, but it is never their year. Arkansas has also proven itself this year, despite having an incredibly difficult schedule. Selfishly, I hope Arkansas has a good year to make their win over Ole Miss an easier pill to swallow for the Rebels fans. At the same time, Arkansas quarterback Felipe Franks is terrible. So, it will be a close one, but Arkansas comes out on top.
Arkansas 31, Texas A&M 28
Florida vs. Missouri 6:30 CST – Barrett Freeman
After starting the season 0-2, Missouri is coming off of a pair of impressive wins against LSU and Kentucky. Meanwhile, Florida continues to struggle with COVID-19 problems. Last week, the Missouri game against LSU was postponed, and this week, at least seven players have tested positive or opted out. The week before, Florida fell in a nail-biter against Texas A&M.
Both teams have a lot on the line. As the Florida Gators continue to keep their eyes on the conference championship in December, Missouri is looking to stay in the hunt. The consistency of Florida quarterback Kyle Trask will be the X-factor in the game. In three outings this season, he has mostly been spot-on, and if he continues to play like he has, he’ll give the well-rested Gators the edge over Missouri. The Tigers’ defense is good, as we saw last week in their dominant performance against Kentucky, but it is not great enough to contain an explosive Florida offense.
Florida, 42 Missouri 25
