Last week’s record: 4-2 (66.7%)
Season record: 59-9 (86.8%)
A ho-hum result for Week 8 notwithstanding, the Predictions Dept. enters the second half of the season with a solid record for the year so far. This week’s slate of games is absolutely highlighted by the Alabama-Tennessee matchup, but Missouri has a chance to continue climbing in the SEC East if it can get past South Carolina in what should be an entertaining game.
SOUTH CAROLINA at MISSOURI
The wheels are off this Gamecock team to some extent. As expected, South Carolina is dealing with defensive deficiencies and so far, a capable offense hasn’t been enough to overcome the hiccups on the other side. Now the Gamecocks get arguably the hottest team in the SEC East, on the road. USC head coach Shane Beamer has taken some heat for what has been perceived as too much deflection in press conferences when answering the questions of how and why things went wrong. It’s clear Beamer thought the Gamecocks would be at least the reverse of its current 2-4 record, but now it looks like South Carolina – picked by many to be the third-best team in the East – might very well miss the postseason.
Missouri 40
South Carolina 31
TENNESSEE at ALABAMA
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MISSISSIPPI STATE at ARKANSAS
Both programs are taking on water but with the game in Arkansas and the Razorbacks being consistently competitive for the entire season, we like the Razorbacks to take Mississippi State here. It’s still up in the air as to whether the Bulldogs are making the right decision by trying to field a more physical offense and remake the roster around it; long-term, it might be the solution, but in the short term, opponents are figuring it out. If Arkansas QB K.J. Jefferson plays like he did against Alabama, this game might not be very close.
Arkansas 34
Mississippi St. 21
MISSISSIPPI at AUBURN
The rebuild at Auburn hasn’t gotten off to a start quick enough to suit Auburn fans, and the complaining seemed to ratchet up this week by a noticeable amount. Auburn doesn’t have the offensive firepower around either of its subpar quarterbacks, but the defense has been better than expected. Now comes news that secondary coach Wesley McGriff will be leaving the Auburn sideline for an indeterminate amount of time. Any game in Jordan-Hare Stadium has the potential to go haywire, but Ole Miss has been steady and consistent enough to suggest it can keep the score out of the Auburn offense’s reach.
Ole Miss 33
Auburn 17
ARMY at LOUISIANA STATE
We’re not really sure how this matchup found its way into the middle of LSU’s season, but Army is coming off a 19-0 shutout loss to Troy and has no chance here. In addition to their offensive struggles, the Black Knights have one of the worst rushing defenses in the country.
LSU 55
Army 7
IDLE: Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M
Follow Jess Nicholas on X at @TideFansJessN