It’s a light slate for the SEC this weekend, and three teams are on a bye. Still there are some big games on the horizon with potential playoff implications, especially in Starkville. Here’s one thing we want to see from every SEC team on Saturday.
Alabama (at Mississippi State) – A good start on the road
The last road game for Alabama was at Kentucky in Week 2. It seemed like offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb did everything in his power to not get his quarterback Keelon Russell off to a good start in that game. After one series he had taken a sack, thrown an interception, and Alabama was down 7-0. That can’t happen against a team like Mississippi State.
Arkansas (at Texas A&M) – An upset
It’s been nearly two years since Arkansas beat a ranked opponent. It won’t be easy in College Station. Well, maybe it won’t. It certainly was for Kentucky a few weeks ago. Arkansas is coming off an actually impressive win
Auburn (at Tennessee) – Protect the quarterback and score some points
Auburn’s offense ranks 11th in yards per play (5.8 ypp) and 13th in scoring offense (30.0). They also rank dead last in sacks allowed with 14 through four games. That’s not great news considering they’re going up against a Tennessee team that is tied for first in the league with 19 sacks.
Florida (at Missouri) – Aaron Philo to not be a game manager
That is not an indictment of Philo’s play so far. He’s been incredible to start the season. But, teams will start trying to take away running back Jadan Baugh as much as possible to make Florida play left handed. That’s a dangerous game with the other offensive talent the Gators have. That starts with Philo who will be facing a defense that has given up the second most passing TDs of any SEC team so far this season.
Georgia (vs Vanderbilt) – No turnovers
Georgia has been one of the best teams in the conference at forcing turnovers, and their nine so far through four games are tied for the league lead. But last week they turned the ball over twice, and also had the same amount against Western Kentucky. That won’t be a big deal against Vanderbilt, but it will be against Alabama next week. Georgia is -5 in turnover margin in its last three games against Alabama in the last three years.
Kentucky (at South Carolina) – A fast start
Kentucky finds themselves ranked for the first time in quite some time, and it seems they are ahead of schedule in the head coach Will Stein era. The first half against Texas A&M was only 7-7 at the half, and last week against South Alabama they struggled to separate themselves in the first 30 minutes as well. It seems like this South Carolina team is wobbly, and opening up an early lead could bury the Gamecocks and potentially their entire season.
LSU (vs McNeese St) – Landen Clark
We talked about this at length before the season, over the last two years 13 of 16 SEC teams had a backup quarterback start at least one game for them because of injuries. It’s unclear how healthy starter Sam Leavitt is, or even how much he’ll play. But, Clark getting some significant reps is nothing but a positive, especially against a team like McNeese.
Mississippi State (vs Alabama) – Better play in the secondary
Mississippi State ranks dead last in the SEC in pass yards allowed with 249 per game. Alabama’s run game has improved, but the passing game is its bread and butter. The Bulldogs will need to force some turnovers, and do a much better job at defending the big play if they want a chance at beating a top ten Alabama team.
Missouri (vs. Florida) – A reason for the ranking
Missouri is 1-9 against ranked teams in the last 10 games. Their close loss a week ago was enough to keep them ranked in the top 25 over teams like Wake Forest, who went on the road and beat a top 16 Louisville team. Missouri can quiet all the doubters with a win this weekend over a Florida team that people are starting to think could be a playoff contender.
South Carolina (vs Kentucky) – A convincing win
A win isn’t enough right now for South Carolina and head coach Shane Beamer. South Carolina needs a win more than anything, but a 20-17 nail biter against Kentucky will not cool the hotseat at all. South Carolina needs to make people believe again. At least for another week.
Tennessee (vs Auburn) – Protect the quarterback
The Vols allowed 10 sacks against Texas. Auburn hasn’t had a ton of production in terms of sacks this season, but after last week, they don’t need a repeat performance where their true freshman quarterback will start seeing ghosts.
Texas A&M (vs Arkansas) – The run game
I don’t think I can bear to watch the quarterback play in this game. Here’s to hoping there are plenty of handoffs.
Vanderbilt (at Georgia) – Some defense
The staple of Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea was supposed to be better defense, and while the Commodores haven’t exactly been a top-ranked defense in the SEC the last few years, they need to be a little better to help their young quarterback. The offense is currently ranked 14th in the SEC in scoring, and the defense will need to keep Georgia out of the end zone if they have any chance of keeping this close.
