DM Sports Desk
No. 9 Alabama at No. 11 Ole Miss: Ian Sparks
Prediction: Ole Miss 35, Alabama 31
This weekend’s matchup against the Crimson Tide is the biggest of the year for the Rebels, who need to win to keep their SEC West hopes alive. ESPN gives Ole Miss a 6.5% chance to win the SEC West, a large dropoff from LSU’s 87.5%. As of Tuesday night, Alabama is a 12-point favorite to win Saturday’s contest.
Ole Miss is coming off a much needed bye week as injuries have plagued the Rebels in the past few weeks. As was evident in the game against Texas A&M, Zach Evans was pivotal to the Rebels’ rushing success by giving head coach Lane Kiffin the ability to efficiently swap him and Quinshon Judkins to keep the defense in constant disarray. As for quarterback Jaxson Dart, he has progressed at a fast rate and has looked better with each game this year. Facing Bama’s less- than-elite secondary, Dart could have a big game at Vaught-Hemingway on Saturday.
That being said, this is still Alabama. There will be many former five-star recruits on the field coached by the greatest to ever do it at the college level. Bryce Young is a very good quarterback at this level and can flip a game in an instant with his arm. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs can tote the rock at a level like Evans does for Ole Miss, so there are no deficiencies talent-wise.
But, I like the Rebs in this one. With the majority of the team healthy and rested, playing in front of an electric atmosphere will spur Ole Miss to take the victory. I’m not entirely sold on Alabama even with Young and Gibbs, because as a whole this isn’t the disciplined team that we’re used to seeing from head coach Nick Saban.
No. 7 LSU at Arkansas: Aidan Gallardo
Final Score Prediction: LSU 34, Arkansas 27
What a storybook season it has been for the LSU Tigers. After losing to Florida State in Week 1 and Tennessee a few weeks later, it looked like this season was in the can for LSU. Fast forward a few weeks later and the Tigers have knocked off Ole Miss and Alabama. WHAT? Am I reading that correctly? You’re telling me that LSU is in the driver’s seat in the SEC West with a chance to make the College Football Playoff? What a job head coach Brian Kelly has done with his squad. He outcoached Kiffin. He outcoached Saban. It’s remarkable how resilient the Tigers have been this year. Now the question is if they can continue the course and not let their victory over Alabama distract them from a pretty good Arkansas team.
Arkansas has had its fair share of troubles this season. The Razorbacks, 4-3, are coming off a devastating loss to Liberty last week. Quarterback K.J. Jefferson struggled and threw two interceptions, the offense couldn’t really get it going and whenever it came to third down, the Razorbacks hardly converted. If the offense can’t get it together, especially when the Tigers roll into town, it might get ugly quick. Arkansas does have a solid defense, but I think that LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels will be too much for the Razorbacks to handle.
No. 4 TCU at No. 18 Texas: Owen Pustell
Final Score prediction: TCU 34, Texas 31
The battle for Texas rages on Saturday with the Horned Frogs traveling to Austin to take on the Longhorns. With the emergence of head coach Sonny Dykes and the unprecedented success of quarterback Max Duggan, TCU has been on fire this year. The strength of this team rests in the offense with Duggan and company averaging more than 43 points per game. Duggan has a clear-cut No. 1 receiver in Quentin Johnston, who leads the team in receiving with 650 yards and presents a physical mismatch with any cornerback. Look for Duggan to lean on Johnston to make contested catches against a Texas secondary that is allowing almost 260 passing yards a game. Defensively, the most important member of the secondary might be Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson. Though short, Tomlinson is great in coverage and feisty in run support. He may be the best person to cover Texas receiver Xavier Worthy, who is going to be the fastest player on the field come Saturday.
Texas’s Bijan Robinson is an NFL player stuck in college due to eligibility. The junior running back has terrorized defenses for all three years of his collegiate career, and TCU will need to play out of their minds to stop him. Robinson is averaging almost six yards per carry, has scored 14 touchdowns and is a legitimate receiving threat out of the backfield. If TCU can’t stop the run, it will put a lot of pressure on Duggan and the offense. And the weapons do not end there for Texas. Worthy has proven to be one of the fastest and most dynamic players in the country. His connection with quarterback Quinn Ewers has the potential to be legendary, if they can stay on the same page. Look for Texas to set up deep shots to Worthy using Robinson and the run game.
No. 1 Georgia at Mississippi State: Cameron Larkin
Final Score Prediction: Georgia 45, Mississippi State 13
The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs travel to Starkville to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Coming off its impressive win against Tennessee, Georgia is set up for greatness, but the Bulldogs from Athens have to focus on winning out to achieve their goals.
It is scary that Georgia lost nearly all of its defensive starters to the NFL draft last year and still has one of the best defenses in the nation, but what is even scarier is the fact that the offense has finally caught up to the defense. Georgia has weapons all over the field: Brock Bowers, Darnell Washington and Ladd McConkey, just to name a few. Not to mention quarterback Stetson Bennett is coming into his own as the games go on.
Mississippi State has a passing attack that could give Georgia some fits and a serviceable defense that head coach Kirby Smart should not overlook. Quarterback Will Rogers is a force to be reckoned with on the offensive side of the ball, and coupled with head coach Mike Leach’s air-raid scheme, Mississippi State could shock the world.
However, Georgia is a different kind of Bulldog. There is no way Smart will let his guys slip up in Starkville after that massive win against the Vols. This Georgia team has a mix of championship DNA and straight-up talent, and its sheer force will be too much for the Mississippi State Bulldogs to overcome.
