Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
By Alondra Villarreal
We’ve officially hit the midpoint of the season. Teams are starting to separate, and the cream is rising to the top. Let’s take a look at what’s going down this weekend.
Two Underdogs Fighting For The Top
Who ever thought we’d get an interesting storyline between Missouri and Vanderbilt? I did not, but here we are.
This marks the first time these two programs will face off as ranked opponents. College Gameday is headed to Nashville for the first time since 2008. Both teams are sitting right in the middle of the SEC standings and that’s a perfect reflection of where each program is headed: upward, but still fighting for respect.
If you listen to me on Off the Bench or read any of these columns, you already know I’ve been running a full-blown Vanderbilt propaganda campaign, but I think we can all admit that Diego Pavia is very entertaining. This is a tough, physical Vandy team that ran all over LSU’s defense last week, and play with an edge that is easy to root for.
Missouri fits that scrappy underdog mold, too. Under Eli Drinkwitz, they’ve been steadily building a real identity. Even after losing to Alabama, who’s starting to look like the clear SEC powerhouse again, the Tigers are having a strong season.
Missouri leads the all-time series 10–3, but they’ll walk into Nashville as underdogs. These two teams feel like mirror images. Both love to run the ball. Both play physical, gritty football. Both have just one loss, and both losses are to Alabama.
So, who’s better? We’re about to find out. Missouri needs this win to quiet the “fraud” talk and prove their schedule wasn’t just soft. Vanderbilt needs it to show that their rise isn’t a fluke. Both are looking to make their mark, let’s see who makes it Nashville.
Battle of the Bad
Auburn vs. Arkansas is truly the Battle of the Bad. Both teams sit near the bottom of the SEC, both are still searching for their first conference win, and someone has to get one this weekend.
Auburn has been in some real dogfights but just can’t seem to close. Meanwhile, Bobby Petrino has Arkansas scrapping. Taylen Green has shown flashes at quarterback, and the Hogs have given both Texas A&M and Tennessee some trouble in recent weeks.
It all comes down to this: who’s going to fight harder and finally finish a game? Somebody’s getting their first SEC win, but who? If Auburn loses, do we start asking if it’s time to move on from Hugh Freeze? And if Arkansas wins, is Bobby Petrino officially back?
Chance of Rain in Death Valley
They say it never rains in Death Valley, but there is both a literal and figurative high chance of rain in Baton Rouge on Saturday.
LSU and Texas A&M have plenty of history, from that absurd seven-overtime thriller in 2018 to Joe Burrow’s revenge game the following year on his way to a national title. Usually, the home team wins in this series.
This season, a struggling LSU team will host a red hot Aggie team. Everyone keeps waiting for Texas A&M to fold, but even with some cracks showing last week against Arkansas, they continue to look like one of the SEC’s most complete teams. Meanwhile, I haven’t seen enough out of LSU to inspire confidence, and I can’t bring myself to believe they will win on Saturday.
I was born into a deep-rooted hatred for the Aggies, thanks to my Longhorn fan dad, but even I can’t convince myself that A&M is going to collapse. Mike Elko has this program trending up, and Marcel Reed is exactly the kind of quarterback that gives LSU’s defense fits.
Usually, Death Valley provides the advantage. This time, I’m not sure it will.
