A tumultuous season continues to give the Predictions Dept. fits, as unexpected results in both the Georgia-Texas and South Carolina-Oklahoma games last week torpedoed our record. This week, LSU-Texas A&M is the headliner by ranking, but Missouri-Alabama has everyone’s attention just to try to figure out what’s going to happen to the Crimson Tide next.
Last Week’s Record: 5-3 (62.5%)
Season Record: 63-18 (77.8%)
ARKANSAS at MISSISSIPPI STATE
The Bulldogs are starting to find their offensive legs, but defensively the Bulldogs can’t keep opponents off the scoreboard. Arkansas has been erratic week-to-week, at times seemingly able to knock off anyone, and at other times, vulnerable to all comers. The Razorbacks go on the road this week to Starkville, which gives the Bulldogs a fighting chance, but not if they can’t figure out a Hog defense that hasn’t been all that bad in most weeks. These are two teams that are beginning to look like they are on the upswing, but neither is consistent enough to bet a large sum on. Take the better defensive team here.
Arkansas 34
Mississippi St. 27
MISSOURI at ALABAMA
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AUBURN at KENTUCKY
We’ve been about as inconsistent picking Kentucky games as we have been picking Vanderbilt games. Kentucky’s defense, which had been its one reliable calling card on the season, completely melted down against Florida last week. This needs to be a rebound week for Mark Stoops’ team, which on the whole, has underachieved in 2024. Auburn again had victory in its hands against Missouri, then found a way to blow an 11-point lead and let Mizzou come back late in the game. This is a game that, were it in Auburn, we’d feel pretty good about the Tigers’ chances. But both teams need to answer for last week’s sins, and Kentucky is both the home team and has more left to play for.
Kentucky 24
Auburn 20
LOUISIANA STATE at TEXAS A&M
The Aggies are defense-centric and hold the home-field advantage in this game, but LSU’s defense is starting to find a few things it can work with and have the superior offense, especially quarterback play. Texas A&M doesn’t have many tough games on its schedule this year but this is certainly one of them. LSU had no trouble on the road at Arkansas last week against a good defense; the biggest thing the Tigers have to avoid is looking ahead to the Alabama game in two weeks. If Texas A&M gets good quarterback play, the Aggies will probably win this one, but truly good quarterback play isn’t the betting favorite when the Aggies are involved. Can LSU pull off two big road wins in a row?
LSU 31
Texas A&M 21
OKLAHOMA at MISSISSIPPI
Oklahoma fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell this week on the heels of several disappointing performances. This week, the Sooners have to face a pretty good defensive team in Ole Miss that also has a solid quarterback and a potentially explosive offense in general. Oklahoma’s inaugural foray into the SEC hasn’t gone nearly as smoothly as the Sooners hoped, and this game is the equivalent of walking through a minefield, given all the off-field distractions around the Sooner program at the moment. Head coach Brent Venables’ job isn’t secure beyond 2024, either, and the Sooners have to respond in the right way. They just needed an easier opponent to do it against.
Ole Miss 34
Oklahoma 17
TEXAS at VANDERBILT
This is a now a battle of ranked teams. Let that one sink in a minute. It’s also going to be one of the biggest fish-out-of-water stories of the year, as Texas and its fans get their first taste of a Nashville “crowd” while trying to stop QB Diego Pavia. We’ve undersold Vanderbilt several times this year, but even our most optimistic take here can’t see a way for the Commodores to be able to score enough to match Texas’ offensive firepower, nor do we see the Commodore defense being able to hold Texas to a low output. Vanderbilt is ranked this week; it might turn out to be a one-week engagement.
Texas 40
Vanderbilt 17
IDLE: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee
Follow Jess Nicholas on X at @TideFansJessN