Last Week’s Record: 8-1 (88.9%)
Season’s Record: 44-8 (84.6%)
Aside from watching Arkansas do Arkansas things against Memphis – remember our comment about mid-tier SEC teams going on the road to Memphis and losing? Yeah, we should have heeded our own advice – the Predictions Dept. had a solid Week 4 to get itself close to the 85-percent mark again. This week, Alabama-Georgia is the absolute headliner and will be previewed in its own article, but it’s a solid slate of games overall with Auburn-Texas A&M and LSU-Ole Miss being worthy alternates if you need a distraction.
NOTRE DAME at ARKANSAS
This is low-key a good matchup, covered up by the sting of Arkansas’ loss last week on the road against Memphis. The reason it could be close is suddenly, Notre Dame’s defense doesn’t look very special, and if there’s anything Arkansas can do, it’s score points. Notre Dame finally broke into the win column last week, but it was a win over Purdue, nothing special there … and the score was 56-30. There’s no way Purdue should have kept pinging the scoreboard like that, although for Notre Dame it was at least evidence that the Fighting Irish offense has some punch to it. If Arkansas was looking past Memphis to Notre Dame, that’s understandable to some extent, but if the Hogs somehow find a way to pull this upset, the Memphis loss may wind up being one of the costliest losses in recent Razorback history.
Notre Dame 38
Arkansas 31
ALABAMA at GEORGIA
See our extended preview!
AUBURN at TEXAS A&M
Auburn probably overachieved on the road last week, as the Tiger passing game remains inconsistent and the run defense needs improvement. The closeness of the score was particularly puzzling given how Oklahoma’s defensive front carved up the Auburn offensive line. Texas A&M doesn’t have that kind of presence on defense, but the Aggies have a more balanced offense and if this Auburn team is anything like most post-Terry Bowden Auburn teams, in-season momentum is a huge thing and once the first loss (Oklahoma) happens, subsequent losses tend to start piling up. Auburn has looked better to us so far, overall, than most observers predicted in the preseason, but if the Oklahoma loss sowed any seeds of doubt among the team or staff, this could be the week the boulder really begins rolling downhill over the Tigers’ heads.
Texas A&M 30
Auburn 24
KENTUCKY at SOUTH CAROLINA
Our preseason concerns about South Carolina are beginning to come to fruition, and it is imperative that the Gamecocks bounce back at home against one of the few SEC teams we believe they’re clearly better than. Kentucky was off last week after a decent win over overmatched Eastern Michigan the week before. Kentucky’s running game has been better than expected, but the Kentucky defense has some holes in it. South Carolina’s defense should be solid enough to contain what has, to this point, been mostly a one-dimensional Wildcat attack; the question is what will the day hold for South Carolina’s offense if Kentucky is able to make some fairly basic defensive adjustments. The problem for USC isn’t QB LaNorris Sellers; it’s the dearth of weapons around him.
South Carolina 27
Kentucky 17
LOUISIANA STATE at MISSISSIPPI
Is LSU a top-five team? Probably not, but the Tigers have taken care of business so far and Ole Miss is displaying the same week-to-week wobbling that most of Lane Kiffin’s Rebel programs have demonstrated. Ole Miss was on last week, taking care of a fairly dangerous mid-tier Tulane team with ease. Now comes the real test: Can the Rebels slow down the Tiger passing attack long enough to put up more points? LSU’s running game continues to struggle – 111th overall, next to last in the SEC – and while QB Garrett Nussmeier has been solid, he hasn’t been dynamic yet. The Tiger defense has looked sharp, but of the four teams LSU has played, the best offense belongs to an anemic Clemson program. We’re ready for some fireworks out of this matchup.
Ole Miss 34
LSU 31
TENNESSEE at MISSISSIPPI STATE
No, the Bulldogs aren’t ready for a game of this caliber yet. But if Tennessee completely falls asleep at the wheel, it could get a little scary for the Volunteers. Tennessee’s defense has been leaking oil all season, and the one thing the Bulldogs can do is score points through the air. Tennessee’s offensive staff tends to have its most serious problems when opponents hang around longer than expected, and that’s a definite possibility here. Tennessee needs to build a quick lead and snuff out the emotion. Otherwise, it could be a long day.
Tennessee 44
Mississippi St. 28
MASSACHUSETTS at MISSOURI
UMass has big losses to Temple and Iowa and a 27-26 loss to some outfit named Bryant. But watch out, Missouri, the Minutemen are coming off a bye week. “Bye” is exactly what Missouri will be saying to UMass in this one.
Missouri 52
UMass 0
UTAH STATE at VANDERBILT
The Commodores successfully atoned for last year’s inexplicable loss to Georgia State and now will line up against a rebuilding Utah State team. We thought Utah State would put up a better fight three weeks ago against Texas A&M, when the Aggies lost by a score of 44-22. However, since then Bronco Mendenhall’s new team has put up wins over Air Force and McNeese. Improvements are coming, but Vanderbilt looks legit and probably won’t be prone to the upset here. If nothing else, this game will serve as somewhat of a way to compare the Vanderbilt and Texas A&M programs at this point in the season.
Vanderbilt 41
Utah State 21
IDLE: Florida, Texas, Oklahoma
Follow Jess Nicholas on X at @TideFansJessN