No. 10 Ole Miss at No. 18 Auburn: Catherine Jeffers
Final Score Prediction: Ole Miss 35, Auburn 24
In every game except this one, I have to root for the Tigers. Born and raised an Auburn fan, I’ve grown up chanting “War Eagle” my whole life. But this week, I am an Auburn hater.
If I have to see Bo Nix running around like a chicken with his head cut off and our defense can’t bring him down, I’m going to scream.
Speaking of our defense, I feel nothing but pride for them after their performance last week. Against the Tigers of LSU, the Landshark defense held them to 17 points and 77 rushing yards, a vast improvement and a very positive sign heading into what will be a tough matchup against Auburn. This should be a beacon of hope because although Auburn’s offense is strong, our top players look to be at their prime of the season.
Linebacker Chance Campbell was awarded the SEC defensive player of the week after recording 10 tackles, a forced fumble and a sack against LSU. My money is on him wrapping up Bo Nix at least twice.
The last time the Rebels went to the Tigers, they lost by six in a thrilling match up. Not this year. It will still be thrilling but Zakoby McClain is no match for Matt Corral and company.
Don’t get me wrong, Jordan-Hare Stadium is one of the tougher environments in college football, but if a Rebel team from 2019 can go into Auburn and almost pull out a win, I don’t have a seed of doubt in this year’s squad.
No. 6 Michigan at No. 8 Michigan State: Owen Pustell
Final Score Prediction: Michigan 35, little brother 24
Inject rivalry football into my veins. This bitter in-state rivalry has been ignited in recent years, with the Spartans winning four of the last five despite being otherwise underwhelming on the field.
This season, both Michigan and Michigan State have surpassed preseason expectations and had dominant 2021 campaigns. The Spartans are led by transfer running back Kenneth Walker, who has rushed for 997 yards in just seven games at an astounding 6.6 yards per carry. The junior running back plays with terrific patience and contact balance, a combination which has been impossible for defenses to stop so far.
On the other side of the field stand Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum. This Wolverine duo has been arguably the best backfield tandem in college football this season, with Hassan Haskins’ intimidating physical presence complemented by Corum’s twitchy and explosive style. With this being a rare top-10 matchup between these rivals, it has been talked about as the biggest game in Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan coaching career, and one of the biggest in the rivalry’s history.
Though it should be a close game, I expect Michigan to win. Their strong defense will give Walker his biggest challenge of the season, and going against a relatively untested Spartan defense, it’s possible this is the week Michigan ignites their passing game. Make no mistake, Saturday will be a hard hitting, run-dominated Big Ten classic.
No. 1 Georgia vs Florida: Aidan Gallardo
Final Score Prediction: Georgia 48, Florida 14
We have arrived at one of the biggest rivalries in all of college football, although this year the game might not be so close.
Held in Jacksonville, the Florida-Georgia rivalry has earned the nickname of the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” because of the tailgating and big crowds that come to represent both schools.
No. 1 Georgia has looked like the most dominant team in all of college football. After an impressive win over then ranked No. 12 Kentucky, the Bulldogs headed into a bye week. They’ll be coming into this game well-rested and with fresh legs. That’s not a good sign for the Gators.
Georgia’s defense has been the best in college football. The Bulldogs rank first in points allowed per game at a mind-boggling number of 6.6. That’s better than other historic defensive teams through five games such as the 2001 Miami Hurricanes (12.4) or the 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide (8.4).
Georgia has already shutout two SEC opponents, Vanderbilt (62-0) and Arkansas (37-0). Holding Arkansas to zero points is an extremely difficult thing to do because the Razorbacks have averaged 32 points per game.
Now let’s head over to the other end of the spectrum. Let’s talk about Florida.
The Gators haven’t played up to the expectations that fans were hoping for. After reaching the SEC Championship last season, Florida hasn’t played at the same level largely due to the fact that they lost several key players to the NFL Draft, including Kyle Trask, Kyle Pitts and Kadarious Toney.
So Florida is in a rebuilding mode of sorts. Although they lost to Alabama by only three points about a month ago, they just haven’t felt like the same Florida team everyone loved last year.
Including the loss to Alabama, the Gators have three losses on the season, the other two being to Kentucky and LSU.
Florida’s offense has been okay. The rushing attack has been incredible, being the second best team in the SEC in terms of rushing yards per game at 254. But the passing game has been questionable.
Quarterback Emory Jones has been sub-par this season. Jones leads the SEC in interceptions with nine so far. This has led head coach Dan Mullen to turn to his backup quarterback, Anthony Richardson, who has clearly been the better of the two. Mullen said that he plans to use both Jones and Richardson against Georgia.
I think this game will be over before halftime. Georgia’s defense is just too good and they’ll be a nightmare against Florida’s lackluster offense.
