Before Week 9 of college football, sports writers for The Daily Mississippian chose their picks for the weekend’s matchups.
Oklahoma @ Ole Miss: 31-21 Ole Miss wins (Luke Dunavant)
Coming off of a bye week, the Rebels need to win out in order to have a chance to make the playoffs. Quarterback Jaxson Dart leads the SEC in passing yards with 2,384 yards on the season. The Rebels have a very explosive offense and can score from almost anywhere on the field.
Linebacker Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr., has racked 46 tackles and two-and-a-half sacks this year. In a twist of preseason predictions, the Rebel defense is the strongest part of the team, allowing Head Coach Lane Kiffin to be as aggressive as he wants.
Oklahoma will look to bounce back after getting humiliated by South Carolina, with a final score of 35-9. Quarterback Jackson Arnold is back at the starting position after being benched earlier in the season, throwing for 225 yards and a touchdown against the Gamecocks.
The Sooners defense is not the problem, as they sacked quarterback LaNorris Sellers six times and held him to under 200 yards passing. The reason the defense falters is the amount of field time they get, stemming from costly offensive turnovers.
The Rebels opened up as 18.5 point favorites, according to Brad Logan. If the Sooners can fix some of their problems on offense, they can pose a big threat to the Rebels. While the game probably will not be the blowout that some expect, the Rebels should be able to pull the win off.
Mizzou @ Alabama: 28-24 Alabama wins (Charles Hausman)
Currently ranked No. 21, the Missouri Tigers will travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to face No. 15 Alabama. The Tigers come into the matchup after a 21-17 win over unranked Auburn, while the Tide recently suffered their second loss on the season with a final score of 24-17 to No. 11 Tennessee.
Mizzou will focus heavily on their dominant run game. The primary ball carrier is running back Nate Noel, with Marcus Carroll as his counterpart. Together, the two have combined for 824 rushing yards this season.
Quarterback Brady Cook has also been impressive through the air, with 1,545 passing yards. Head Coach Eli Drinkwitz has found comfort in Cook throwing shorter passes, which has worked well in their offensive attack.
After a tough loss to Tennessee, Alabama will look to regroup and focus on the next competition. Quarterback Jalen Milroe made a couple of big mistakes in the last game and will need to stay calm and collected against this Mizzou defense if they want to secure a rebound win.
LSU @ Texas A&M: 49-42 Texas A&M wins (Lily Green)
The LSU Tigers will travel to College Station, Texas to play the Texas A&M Aggies on Kyle Field. The Tigers and the Aggies are the only two remaining SEC teams that are undefeated in conference play.
The Tigers are coming off a 34-10 road win over Arkansas, where quarterback Garrett Nussmeier recorded 233 passing yards. LSU running back Caden Durham also put up three touchdowns and 101 rushing yards.
Additionally, the Aggies are coming off a 34-24 road win against Mississippi State. Despite the win, Texas A&M looked a bit shaky in this game, as quarterback Conner Weigman threw two interceptions. However, Weigman rallied to total 217 passing yards and a touchdown in their road win over the Bulldogs.
According to analytics, the Aggies are slightly favored over the Tigers and have an almost 53% chance of winning. Furthermore, Texas A&M will have home-field advantage, while this will be LSU’s second road game in a row.
Auburn @ Kentucky: 27-20 Kentucky wins (Ian Sparks)
Both teams are coming off of Week 8 losses. Auburn led 17-6 going into the fourth quarter at No. 19 Missouri but ultimately crumbled as Mizzou scored 15 unanswered points to win 21-17.
In a 48-20 defeat by Florida, Kentucky lost in a not-so-similar fashion. Since they beat Ole Miss, they have lost back-to-back games against Vanderbilt and Florida.
With that in mind, Kentucky should bounce back at home to reach a 4-4 overall record. Even when winning, Auburn has not looked like a team to be confident in all year.
Florida State @ Miami: 37-15 Miami wins (Nate Donohue)
“Any given Saturday” is the saying, but this one is about as close to a sure thing as you will find. Miami is 7-0, coming off a hard-fought finish in Louisville against a talented Cardinals team that has underperformed this season.
Florida State has done nothing but disappoint this season. Journeyman quarterback DJ Uigalelei has, once again, failed to fit into the offensive system and was benched against SMU a few weeks ago. Freshman Brock Glenn struggled this past week against Duke, throwing only nine completions and two interceptions.
Quarterback Cam Ward is a frontrunner in the Heisman race, and Miami is ranked No. 6 in the country, so this is a game the Hurricanes should win.
Arkansas @ Mississippi State: 35-15 Arkansas wins (Dylan Liggett)
Mississippi State has fallen to 1-6 on the season after a loss to Texas A&M, and while their true freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. has proved a diamond in the rough, the Bulldogs showed promise in their games against Georgia and Texas.
However, that will not be enough to overcome Arkansas and its explosive offense led by quarterback Taylen Green and running back Ja’Quinden Jackson.
The Razorbacks maintain a phenomenal defense — something Mississippi State lacks. A few weeks prior, Arkansas shut down Tennessee’s high flying offense in their 19-14 win at home. It would be something of a miracle if Mississippi State was to find a win against the Razorbacks on Saturday.
Notre Dame @ Navy: 38-35 Navy wins (Wilson Engeriser)
In a top 25 matchup, No. 12 Notre Dame and No. 25 Navy will meet for 97th time at MetLife Stadium in Rutherford, N.J. Notre Dame is attempting to prove that they still belong among the top teams in the nation, while Navy is battling to prove themselves as a playoff contender.
One of the best storylines so far this season has been the service academies exceeding expectations. Navy has been an offensive masterclass this season, averaging 44.8 points per game, good for fourth in the nation.
The Irish have been on and off this season, winning several of their games by only one or two scores. They suffered a 16-14 loss against Northern Illinois, which is the only stain on their schedule so far. They are led by transfer quarterback Riley Leonard who has a good arm but also records almost as many rushing yards as starting running back Jeremiyah Love.
It is difficult to think that Navy will win, but it is also hard to root against them.
