By Jess Nicholas
TideFans.com Editor-In-Chief
Oct. 4, 2017
Last week’s record: 7-1 (87.5%)
Season record: 46-6 (88.5%)
It shouldn’t take Columbo to figure out which game the Predictions Dept. missed last week. Troy made nearly everyone choke on their jambalaya with a 24-21 upset of LSU that threatens to end the Ed Orgeron era in Baton Rouge before it ever really gets started. This week, only two games are really worth watching: Alabama-Texas A&M, and LSU trying to bounce back against a Florida team that just keeps marching along in zombie-like fashion despite a rash of players lost to both injury and off-field issues.
LOUISIANA STATE at FLORIDA
Who’s going to start at quarterback for Florida? Will the Gators even have enough players to field certain positions? Does it matter? Probably not. LSU walked right up to the jurisdictional line of Dumpster Fire Territory this past Saturday, kicked the door open and firmly took up residence inside like a squatter trying to run a AirBNB scam. Ed Orgeron made things worse by going to an open microphone, calling out both coordinators, revealing he didn’t know who his starting running back was (not to mention why he wasn’t in the game at a crucial moment), and generally acting just like the guy who got canned at Ole Miss roughly a decade ago for impersonating a head coach without a license. But is Florida any better? The Gators managed to get by Vanderbilt, but Florida is down 17 players this week – that’s almost a one-year death penalty in recruiting terms – and just when the Gators thought they had the quarterback situation nailed down, a shoulder injury means Luke Del Rio is one of the 17. If Florida-Georgia is the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, Florida-LSU is the World’s Largest Outdoor Tribute to Nurse Ratched.
Florida 20
LSU 17
ALABAMA at TEXAS A&M
See our extended preview!
GEORGIA at VANDERBILT
The Bulldogs want revenge for last year’s debilitating loss in Athens, and they’re going to get it. The Commodores simply don’t have it in them at the moment, although Vandy gets kudos for bouncing back from a 59-0 loss to Alabama to at least make the Florida game last week relatively competitive. If there are any similarities between Georgia and Alabama, we may find out this week. If the Bulldogs unexpectedly find themselves in a tough spot here, it may be proof Georgia still needs seasoning before hoping to challenge Alabama for the conference title.
Georgia 38
Vanderbilt 10
MISSOURI at KENTUCKY
As expected, Kentucky had trouble with Eastern Michigan last week (the score was 23-20; we predicted 24-20), but who better to work out troubles against than the SEC’s designated whipping boy for 2017. Missouri has not just fallen in its last three games, it has looked completely inept, especially on defense. Kentucky remains an up-and-down program that can’t make up its mind between being on the brink of becoming a contender, or simply a step ahead of history – which is not a promising harbinger for Wildcat football. About the only way Missouri can hope to come out the victor in this game is if Kentucky tries to half-effort its way into its bye week next Saturday.
Kentucky 37
Missouri 21
ARKANSAS at SOUTH CAROLINA
Each team has a couple of heartbreakers on its schedule already, but what this should really come down to is whether South Carolina can leverage the home-field advantage to help its offense get going. If South Carolina can put anything at all together on offense, its defense is good enough to keep Arkansas bottled up. The problem here is the Gamecocks rank 122nd in rushing offense and 106th in total offense. Arkansas isn’t threatening to dominate anyone (71st in total offense), but the Razorbacks at least have a running game it can fall back upon. Is that enough to make up for the mileage this week? Probably not.
South Carolina 23
Arkansas 20
MISSISSIPPI at AUBURN
Auburn is getting better with each week, while Ole Miss is getting better at quitting. These two programs are headed hard in opposite directions, with the Rebels all but planning for mass transfers at year end, especially if the NCAA follows through with real teeth in its Infractions Committee response. Auburn still has questions on offense – the running back group is thin and lacks dynamic ability; the quarterback position now has a major depth concern to go with typical concerns regarding a developing starter – but the Tiger defense is simply too strong here. Look for Ole Miss to be sick of the state of Alabama very shortly.
Auburn 37
Ole Miss 20
IDLE: Tennessee, Mississippi State
Follow Jess Nicholas on Twitter at @TideFansJessN
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