SEC previews and predictions: Week 7

By Jess Nicholas, TideFans.com Editor-In-Chief

Oct. 12, 2011

Last week’s record: 6-0 (100.0%)

Season record: 46-5 (90.2%)

The Predictions Dept. had a perfect week, raising the season average above the magical 90-percent mark. This week, Florida and Auburn battle in a game that will decide whose season effectively ends first, while Tennessee tries to exact revenge upon LSU for the way the 2010 game concluded.

FLORIDA at AUBURN

Auburn gets an assist from an unlikely source in this game – cross-state rival Alabama – as neither John Brantley nor Jeff Driskel is expected to play for Florida. The Gators hope Driskel will recover enough to keep them from having to use Jacoby Brissett under center again, but alas, it’s likely not to be. If Florida were fully healthy, Auburn would be in big trouble here. The Tigers are coming off a devastating loss to Arkansas that has fans and coaches pointing in multiple directions over the future of the offense and the quarterback position. Whichever team loses this game can essentially count its season over. Auburn already knows it won’t repeat as national title winners, and a loss here pretty much sinks its conference title hopes as well. Florida might not even post a winning record if this game goes the wrong way. Basically, it comes down to who is least poor. And for now, that’s Auburn.

Auburn                  26

Florida                   20

ALABAMA at MISSISSIPPI

See our extended preview!

GEORGIA at VANDERBILT

The Bulldogs had better beware, because this is just the kind of game that has given Georgia fits in recent years under Mark Richt. Things are going well for the Bulldogs right now: four straight wins, right back into the thick of things in the SEC East and the team is playing with even emotions. But Vanderbilt is hungry, and provided the Commodores play with the same level of focus and enthusiasm they have shown up to this point, this becomes a heck of a trap game for Georgia, which has rival Florida coming up after a bye week. Vandy’s offense, though, just doesn’t appear to function well enough to keep up for very long. Look for a close game early, but for Georgia to pull away late, much the same as Alabama did last week.

Georgia                 31

Vanderbilt                14

SOUTH CAROLINA at MISSISSIPPI STATE

The Gamecocks have been dealing with plenty of offseason drama, much of it either the direct or indirect fault of head coach Steve Spurrier. After making curious and unnecessary comments about the state of Kentucky’s football team following a blowout win this week, Spurrier finally had seen enough of QB Stephen Garcia and dismissed him from the team. It’s obviously an easier decision to make when his backup, Connor Shaw, has just finished putting up 300-plus yards on the Wildcats. Then, Spurrier lit into a reporter for a comment made months ago, and of course all this comes a week after a mystifying loss to Auburn and just a few weeks after NCAA troubles cropped up. On the other sideline, Mississippi State, which is easily the league’s most disappointing team relative to preseason expectations, looks positively bedrock by comparison. The Bulldogs’ problem, however, is that the offense has no spark, thanks in large part to a line that isn’t holding up its end of the deal.

South Carolina                27

Mississippi St.                17

LOUISIANA STATE at TENNESSEE

Last year’s LSU-Tennessee game was much closer than it ever should have been and ended with a sequence of calls that, had there been some clowns and a bear on a bike present, would have made an excellent circus. This year’s game won’t be nearly as close. Tennessee lost QB Tyler Bray for a month to a hand injury suffered last week against Georgia, and LSU didn’t need that kind of help in the first place. It’s possible that Les Miles could mistakenly eat some Neyland Stadium grass that Smokey had recently watered and end up going into convulsions on the sideline, thereby distracting his defense, but failing that, the Bayou Bengals will roll all day long.

LSU                        37

Tennessee                12

IDLE: Kentucky, Arkansas