One of the biggest annual matchups in the conference is set for Tuscaloosa in what could be in the eye of a literal hurricane. Georgia-Alabama is just one ranked matchup in the conference this week along with some juicy matchups like Red River and more. Here’s one thing we want to see from every SEC team in Week 6.
Alabama (vs Georgia): Can you change the narrative…again
Besides the Big Ten’s “dominance” there’s no bigger prisoner of the moment mentality than the group that thinks Alabama doesn’t still own Georgia. The SEC Championship game was bad, but so was Kalen DeBoer going into Athens and beating Kirby Smart for a second straight regular season game. What does the narrative become when Alabama beats them for a third time in four games?
Arkansas (vs Tennessee): Nothing
I will not expound on that.
Florida (vs South Carolina): Jon Sumrall in a bounce back spot
We’ve gotten to see several firsts this year for first-year coach Jon Sumrall. His first game as head coach, his first big road game (at Auburn), his first big game (vs Ole Miss), and last week was his first game after a big win where everyone was patting his team on the back. Now, we get to see our first bounce back game after a disappointing loss. Sumrall has said all the right things this week, but will he put it on South Carolina? Probably. Everyone else has.
Georgia (at Alabama): Will we get SEC championship UGA or regular season UGA vs Alabama?
Watching Georgia play football is like drinking coke out of a glass bottle, or being at a bar that allows cigs inside. There’s something beautiful and non-modern about it and its simplicity. This Georgia offense is constantly criticized by its own fans about the lack of excitement and creativity. That will most likely change this weekend. They’ll be able to take several shots deep against a Bama defense that has really struggled at not giving up big plays. Will the Dawgs’ defense be able to shut down this year’s Alabama offense though, that’s the biggest question.
Kentucky (vs. LSU): Joe Sloan revenge game
LSU fans blame a lot of the previous tenure’s failures on previous head coach Brian Kelly. But, when that horse has been beaten enough, the next filly they shift their attention to is Joe Sloan. The former LSU offensive coordinator has helped get Kentucky off to a good start along with first-year head coach Will Stein. Can he have some success against a familiar face in Blake Baker?
LSU (at Kentucky): No turnovers from Sam Leavitt, and a road win
LSU has been awesome on both sides of the ball, and quarterback Sam Leavitt has been much better with his accuracy over the last two games. He’s completing 76.1% of his passes since the Ole Miss loss. Can he finally have a game without a turnover? That’s a much bigger question for Leavitt who leads the SEC in picks with seven in just five games.
Missouri (vs. Texas A&M): Bury the Aggies
Texas A&M has had Missouri’s number against head coach Eli Drinkwitz. The Aggies have won three games by a combined 73 points in their three games against the Tigers. Drinkwitz kept the receipts of the naysayers after the Florida game. Missouri is favored in this game, and they have a chance to do something besides just beat the Aggies. They have the opportunity to end their season and chances of making the CFP. Those chances were pretty much already gone, but Saturday buries A&M.
Oklahoma (vs Texas): Function on offense
Function. Because that’s the opposite of dysfunction, and that’s the best way to describe this Sooners offense right now.
Ole Miss (at Vanderbilt): Cover the spread
Just like Sumrall, this will be Pete Golding’s first opportunity to coach a game immediately following a loss. Ole Miss has a trip to Vanderbilt for a classic Jefferson Pilot matchup in the year 2026. Can the Rebels get the defense corrected after the Florida game, and can they go on the road and dominate a lesser opponent from start to finish? The answer to those questions should all be yes, but covering the spread would be a huge plus for yours truly because (spoiler alert!) it’s my lock of the week.
South Carolina (at Florida): Cover literally anyone in the secondary, and give up less than 40 points.
What a horrible start to the season for a South Carolina team, and roster, with so much promise. The Gamecocks rank last in the SEC in ppg allowed at 41.7 and 14th in passing yards allowed at 298.3. There’s nothing that leads you to believe that South Carolina can hang with Florida, but making an improvement on the back end of the defense would at least be a nice change of pace.
Tennessee (at Arkansas): An answer at quarterback
I always say this about poker: You don’t want good cards, you want easy decisions. Tennessee doesn’t need a great game at quarterback to beat Arkansas. They do need to have a definitive answer of who is going to take the majority of snaps moving forward, especially with Alabama coming to town next week.
Texas (vs Oklahoma): A statement win like last year
Last year felt like a reminder of who big brother is (supposed to be) in this rivalry from Texas. This year the Longhorns come into this game the No. 1 ranked team in the country, but still have struggles that many thought would be absent with a $50 million roster. Saturday should be a win, but Texas needs a statement win over their rival who they’re only a 7.5 point favorite over.
Texas A&M (at Missouri): The Aggies to shut down something besides Arkansas and video streamers
If you missed it, good. It’s one of the dumbest Gen-Z things I’ve seen in awhile, and as someone who runs social media for this company – that is saying something. A twitch streamer got sideline passes for Texas A&M’s game against Arkansas, and tried to just waltz into the locker room after the win. Head coach Mike Elko wasn’t having it, nor should he have.
Vanderbilt (vs Ole Miss): Jared Curtis not being “injured”
A lot of Vanderbilt fans felt frustrated with Jared Curtis’ inability to go against Georgia last week. It wouldn’t have mattered either way, but the optics weren’t great for a guy who was committed to Georgia for two years. Is he going to be better for their home game against Ole Miss? He needs to be if they want to keep it close.
