Separation Saturday has come and gone. Now there are three weeks left in the regular season and the last ditch effort for a few teams to make the College Football Playoff is underway. Nothing can compare to the incredible schedule from a week ago, but there are still some big matchups in Week 11 to look forward to.
Here’s one thing we want to see from every SEC team this Saturday.
Alabama (at Vanderbilt): Growth from 2024
People didn’t expect Alabama to be here, but nevertheless they are here. Alabama has also been in this very scenario under head coach Kalen DeBoer in 2024, and it ended very poorly. A week after a big, unexpected win they head to Vanderbilt with a 92% chance to make the CFP. Those hopes crashed and burned after a loss to Vanderbilt in 2024, and DeBoer can’t afford for that to happen again. Interestingly enough the line has dropped four points already in favor of Vanderbilt from 19.5 to 15.5.
Arkansas (vs South Carolina): Catch Carolina sleeping?
South Carolina is one of the hottest teams in the conference after four straight wins. The Gamecocks head to Fayetteville in a classic trap game scenario with a home showdown against Georgia on deck. Arkansas has been bad for most of the season, but they did almost beat Tennessee at home in October, and they looked much better than expected against Auburn this week.
Auburn (at Mississippi State): Some defense for a change
It’s hard to fathom how bad this Auburn defense has been under defensive coordinator DJ Durkin this year. The Tigers are dead last in total yards per game allowed and are the only team in the SEC that has allowed over 400 yards per game. Mississippi State’s offense hasn’t looked great since Kamario Taylor went down, and this is a really good opportunity for the defense to fix some things as they head down the final quarter stretch of the season.
Florida (at Kentucky): The offense to look like it did before the bye week
Most teams get better after the bye week. That has not been the case for Florida. The Gators offense scored at least 17 points in every game prior to the week off. Since then, they have scored 15 points combined against Georgia and Oklahoma, both of which were blowout losses.
Georgia (vs Missouri): The team on a mission
Last year Alabama became the first team in the history of the conference to win four consecutive games in four consecutive weeks against teams ranked at the time of playing them. Georgia is in the middle of a similar stretch and through two games they’re 2-0 winning those games by a combined score of 69-15.
Kentucky (at Florida): Get up off the mat
Kentucky has been a great feel-good story this year in college football. Head coach Will Stein has been extremely likable almost universally. Last week’s loss against Tennessee was a bring-you-back-down to reality moment for a team that’s seen nearly only success so far this season. The good news is that 10-2 and a spot in the playoff is still on the table. That starts with a win over a Florida team that has proven to be very beatable over the last few weeks.
LSU (vs Texas): Be better in the red zone
What happened last weekend was shocking from LSU. The Tigers lead the SEC, and are third in the country, in red zone trips with 49. However, they rank just ninth in the SEC in scoring percentage at 85.71%. In their three trips inside the 10-yard line against Alabama, they managed to only walk away with three points. Texas’ defense leads the SEC yards per play allowed at just 4.13. Moving the ball against the Longhorns will be tough, and they’ll need to capitalize on opportunities when, or if, they get inside the 20.
Mississippi State (vs Auburn): Fluff Bothwell to be Jadan Baugh
Bothwell is back for the Bulldogs and was able to play the entire game against Vanderbilt a week ago. He didn’t have a big game with just 14 carries and 50 yards. This Saturday he may have a chance to drastically improve those numbers. He’s facing an Auburn team that ranks 15th in the SEC in rushing yards per game allowed, and was gashed by another big name SEC back in Week 3 when Jadan Baugh had 26 carries for 162 yards and three touchdowns against the Tigers.
Missouri (at Georgia): Become an agent of chaos
It feels like the only thing we know for certain in the SEC this season is that Georgia is the clear-cut best team in the conference and could be the No. 1 seed in the 12-team playoff. But, every November brings chaos. Few things would be more chaotic and throw a wrench into the plans everyone feels are nearly set in stone when it comes to the Dawgs, than a Missouri win. They’ve played Georgia teams close throughout the years.
Oklahoma (vs Ole Miss): More offense with Jason Witten and John Mateer
What a refreshing sight last Saturday was for Oklahoma fans. And fans who enjoy decent offense for that matter. Oklahoma went into the Swamp and bludgeoned Florida with a 23-7 win. What was most impressive was that their offense looked like it finally wasn’t inept. They have a really good opportunity to do that once again this weekend against an Ole Miss defense that is not stout by any means.
Ole Miss (at Oklahoma): Keep their playoff hopes alive
It’s wild that so many people are so hellbent on explaining how LSU’s playoff hopes are still alive, but everyone seems to forget that so are Ole Miss’ if they both finish 9-3. Ole Miss would have the tiebreaker because of their head-to-head win. One of the biggest things going for Ole Miss that few other teams in the SEC also have going for it is that their schedule gets easier, not harder, in November. The Rebels have the second-easiest remaining strength of schedule at No. 54 nationally.
South Carolina (at Arkansas): Blast Arkansas
The story is cute and fun right now. If South Carolina wins out there are some metrics that have South Carolina with as high as an 84% chance to make the CFP. Last week’s struggle win against Texas A&M should’ve been expected with the Aggies coming off a bye week and their roster getting healthier. This week they need to send a message. The message should be clear that this win streak is not a fluke, and that they aren’t going to limp into this game against Georgia in two weeks.
Tennessee (at Texas A&M): A clearer picture at quarterback
The old saying that if you have two quarterbacks then you have none doesn’t seem to apply to Tennessee. Yet. Even the plan is to use both quarterbacks in high-leverage situations then that’s fine as long as it works. Tennessee is still a potential playoff team if they can win out. They’ll need more consistency at the quarterback position to do so.
Texas (at LSU): A clearer playoff picture
It seems like a foregone conclusion that the SEC is barreling towards a 9-3 log jam of teams. Texas has a chance to clear up that picture a bit if they can win in Death Valley this weekend.
Texas A&M (vs Tennessee): The offensive surge continues
Surge may be a bit of a leap. However, the offense has gotten much better over the last few weeks. They’ll need their best effort against a Tennessee defense that has seen one of the best statistical turnarounds in the SEC in recent memory.
Vanderbilt (vs Alabama): 2024 Deja Vu
Beat Bama. Again. It would be even funnier this time around.
