It’s Decision Week! Both Georgia and Alabmaa have crucial match-ups and if both win we are almost certainly guaranteed a Georgia/Alabama showdown in Atlanta. Meanwhile, at the bottom of the conference we have a knife fight breaking out for bowl eligibility. Lets sort it out and see where we stand as we head into the final month of season.
1. Georgia 8-0 (5-0)
Georgia came out of their bye without Brock Bowers and proceeded to dominate Florida 43-20. The game was over at HT with Beck throwing for 315 yards and 2 TD. It appears Ladd McConkey is finally fully healthy and ready to carry some of the Bowers load (though he is obviously not the same physical freak that Bowers is) as he caught 6 balls for 135 yards and 1 TD.
Georgia will now get ready for the 14th ranked Missouri Tigers to come to Athens. The game is 3:30pm ET game on CBS and it will be Georgia’s first opportunity to pick up a top 25 win and secure their place in the SEC Championship Game.
2. Alabama 7-1 (5-0)
Alabama was off this week and will now welcome LSU to Bryant-Denny Stadium. Winning this likely wraps up the SEC West for the Tide. The game kicks off at 7:45pm ET on CBS.
3. Ole Miss 7-1 (4-1)
The 10th ranked Rebels manhandled Vanderbilt at home 33-7. Quinshon Judkins led the way with 124 yards and 2 TD on the ground. The Rebels are kind of just hanging around waiting for Alabama to slip up.
Ole Miss will welcome a desperate Texas A&M to Oxford this Saturday. It’s a noon kickoff on ESPN.
4. LSU 6-2 (4-1)
The Tigers were off this week as they prepare for a road game with Alabama. Brian Kelly can still get LSU back in the SEC Championship Game but he’ll need a big road win here.
5. Missouri 7-1 (3-1)
Missouri rested this week and now head to Athens for a chance at the SEC East crown.
6. Tennessee 6-2 (3-2)
The 19th ranked Volunteers went up to Lexington and left with a 33-27 win. As a team they rushed for 253 yards and Joe Milton was allowed to stay comfortable. The most impressive thing was the Tennessee defense completely shutting down one of the best RB in the SEC in Ray Davis and forcing Kentucky to try and win the game through the air.
Up next Tennessee welcomes a hapless UConn team to Neyland. The game kicks off at noon ET on the SECN.
7. Texas A&M 5-3 (3-2)
The Aggies won a game they had to when they beat South Carolina at home 30-17. The Aggie defense did most of the work as they completely shut-down the South Carolina offense holding them to 33 yards rushing and sacking Spencer Rattler 4 times. Offensively, the Aggies managed the game after exploding for 21 points in the 2nd quarter.
Texas A&M will now head on the road and take on 10th ranked Ole Miss.
8. Kentucky 5-3 (2-3)
Kentucky pulls off a rare feat and moves up in the rankings after a loss. They managed this by losing close and having everyone around them get blown out. Devin Leary had his best game as a Wildcat throwing for 372 yards and 2 TD but Kentucky’s inability to run the ball cost them. There were also some questionable coaching decisions, but the defense has totally cratered from what we’re used to seeing with a Mark Stoops team.
Up next Kentucky heads to Starkville where they haven’t won since 2008. It’s a must-win for Kentucky and Mark Stoops. The game kicks off at 7:30pm ET on the SECN.
9. Florida 5-3 (3-2)
Florida was feeling good going into their rivalry game with Georgia and reality quickly smacked them in the face. The Gators scored on their opening possession and then allowed 36 straight Georgia points. They were dominated in all phases of the game but they did put up some garbage time stats to make the score look closer. I was not fooled, this was an ass-kicking.
Florida will now host an Arkansas program that is in total chaos. The game kicks off at noon ET on ESPN2.
10. Auburn 4-4 (1-4)
Auburn got their first SEC win beating Mississippi State 27-13. Jarquez Hunter rushed for 144 yards and Auburn found a passing game (which probably says more about Mississippi State than it does about Auburn). Payton Thorne was an efficient 20/26 for 230 yards and 3 TD.
The scheduling Gods have smiled on the Uncle Baby Billy Freeman of CFB as the Tigers now get to play Vandy on the road. The game kicks off at 4pm ET on the SECN.
11. Arkansas 2-6 (0-5)
The good news is Arkansas didn’t lose this week. The program is still in limbo after a brutal loss to Mississippi State a few weeks ago. I still think this team is ok but they were handed an absolutely brutal schedule. I just don’t know what to expect, wouldn’t shock me if Arkansas beats Florida in Gainesville this week. Nor would it shock me if they lose by three scores.
12 South Carolina 2-6 (1-5)
The Gamecocks lost on the road to Texas A&M 30-17. Spencer Rattler was roughed up and ineffective and there was no running game to speak of. The OL continues to be a travesty and the defense isn’t much better.
South Carolina will now step out of SEC play at the perfect time and welcome a surprisingly frisky Jacksonville State led by Rich Rodriguez. Media darling Shane Beamer is now desperate to salvage what was once a promising season. The game kicks off at noon ET on ESPNU.
13. Mississippi State 4-4 (1-4)
First year HC Zach Arnett had a big chance to build some momentum with a pretty meh Auburn team this past weekend. Instead the Bulldogs fell in a 24-3 hole at HT and just don’t have the weapons to pull themselves out of that. They allowed a woeful passing offense to find life and now their season is on life-support.
The good news is they have a reeling Kentucky coming into town knowing the Wildcats haven’t won in Starkville since 2008. A bowl game would be a significant win for this program after the tragic passing of Mike Leach and they’ll need to win this one to make it happen.
14. Vanderbilt 2-7 (0-5)
Vanderbilt came off their bye week and lost to 10th ranked Ole Miss 33-7. It was sad performance from Vandy as they could only muster 60 passing yards. The Commodores had been competing but just seemed resigned to running out the clock in the 2nd half hoping to avoid an embarrassing scoreline.
Vanderbilt will welcome Auburn to Nashville this weekend, and in theory it’s a winnable game. In reality, it’s probably not.
