SEC picks including Hogs, LSU

By Jason Pattyson

FAYETTEVILLE — We got to see the first-ever SEC version of the Red River Rivalry, although it was about what we all expected. Texas and OU are a combined 17-3 in games after the Shootout in the last ten years. If that holds true, Georgia and South Carolina are officially on notice. College Gameday will be in Austin, and Vandy pulled off another huge win and needs two more wins to be Bowl eligible. 

After an off week, it’s back to the grind. Overall at the midway point of the season, the Hogville staff prediction breakdowns go a little like this: Otis Kirk – 3-3, Dudley Dawson 3-3, Jerry Meadows 4-2, John James 3-3, Drake Priddy 2-4, Jason Pattyson 3-3. So let’s get into it. 

No. 1 Texas (6-0, 2-0) – 5 vs. No. 5 Georgia (5-1, 3-1)

College Gameday will be at the biggest game on the college slate for this weekend in week 8. Texas leads the series 4-1, last played in the 2019 Sugar Bowl with the Longhorns winning 28-21. Texas is coming off an easy 31-point victory over OU, and Georgia has quietly won in some close games that, on paper, should have been blowouts. They are averaging 31.5 PPG on offense and giving up 24 PPG in SEC play. If you didn’t know better, Georgia was more of a pretender than a contender.  Despite all that, Kirby Smart and company are primed for a possible upsetting the top team in the nation. The only key is that they must lead more than 13 seconds of the game if they want to win. Texas is 8-2 over the last ten years after the rivalry game against OU. We know what the Bulldogs bring to the table after being tested over the previous month in league play, but this will be the first true test for Texas and a polite welcome to the SEC schedule. Texas knows the days of the Big 12 and letting your guard down in a down week are over. Texas should come out on top, but it will be the most physical game they have played this year. The biggest question is whether they can win and stay healthy on both sides of the ball at 6:30 p.m. ABC. 

Georgia – 28

Texas -  31

No. 7 Alabama (5-1, 2-1) – 3 at No.11 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1) 

The winner gets the cigar and a year’s worth of bragging across state lines this Saturday. This is not the Alabama we are used to seeing: close wins at home to a team with a freshman quarterback or defense with more questions than answers. Tennessee is home again after barely beating Florida at home in what should have been a cakewalk. Don’t be fooled; the Vols defense is legit, but the offense has been shell-shocked after the OU game. Nico Iamaleava looks like a freshman after three games in the SEC, averaging 15/25, 170 yards, and 232 yards in the three games before that through the air. The Vols ground game has slowed considerably from 336 ypg to 156 ypg in three SEC games. OU, Arkansas, and Florida’s defenses had the Vols number on offense. If Tide fans want to start believing in Kalen DeBoer and co-coordinators Maurice Linguist and Colin Hitschler’s defensive ideals, then stopping the run this Saturday is an excellent way of getting the fanbase back on board, 2:30 p.m. ABC.

Alabama -  38

Tennessee – 17

Vanderbilt (4-2, 2-1) – 26 vs Ball State (2-4)

When was the last time you can remember the Vanderbilt Commodores, a 26-point favorite in football? Neither can I. No one in college football is on a bigger high than the Commodores. Consecutive wins over Bama at home and on the road at Kentucky have them firmly in the driver’s seat to make a bowl, the first since 2018. They edged out a win against a team that just beat Ole Miss on the road. Clark Lea has the Anchor Down fan base, and some others in the SEC think this team is not easy out. Quarterback Diego Pavia is the underdog darling of the SEC through 7 weeks. He leads the team in passing and rushing and has accounted for 12 of the team’s 22 touchdowns. Vandy is well on its way to a bowl appearance, the first since 2018, and if they want to reach the six-win mark, they will have to do it with Texas, South Carolina, and Tennessee at home and Auburn and LSU on the road. One thing to remember is that this cannot be another Georgia State debacle, or all the momentum will be lost. The game can be seen on SEC Plus at 6 p.m.

Ball State – 3

Vanderbilt – 31

No. 19 Missouri (5-1, 1-1) – 4.5 vs. Auburn (2-4, 0-3) 

Mizzou rolls into town fresh off a road win at Massachusetts, a break the Tigers needed after getting rolled up by Texas A&M 41-10. These two teams have taken different directions since the last meeting in 2022. Mizzou has piled up the wins, going 20-8 in that period. But Auburn has not found its footing; a new coach in Hugh Freeze, and the program is 10-16 in that period. Freeze is on the hook for an 8-10 record. Auburn got a week off to lick its wounds after getting handled by Georgia on the road, and Mizzou played a lot of second-string guys in its rout. Auburn’s home woes continue giving up 150 ypg on the ground in league play, and with the power running game of the Tigers from the north, averaging 172 ypg in the last three games, it will be no easy task. Freeze and company are in jeopardy of a three-game league home losing streak, and this will be a chance for Auburn to cover but not win outright, 11 a.m. ESPN

Auburn – 17

Missouri – 34

Oklahoma (4-2, 1-2) – 1.5 vs South Carolina (3-3, 1-3) 

This is the first-ever meeting between these two teams as the gamecocks travel to Norman, Ok, in week 8. Both teams are coming off tough losses in week 7. OU gave up 34 unanswered to Texas in a rout, and South Carolina missed a 2-point conversion and nearly sent Tide fans into a 5-alarm panic.  The Sooners are ready to forget the butt-whipping in Dallas last week and are 9-1 in the previous ten years after the Red River Rivalry. SC is finding its way with a .500 record led by freshman signal caller LaNorris Sellers. OU is getting healthier after most of their receiver’s room has been decimated with injuries. Four are listed as out,  and a big-play receiver could be available with a questionable designation for Saturday. 11:45 SEC Network 

South Carolina – 24

Oklahoma – 30

No. 14 Texas A&M (5-1, 3-0) – 16 at Mississippi State (1-5, 0-3)

The Aggies are coming off of a bye, and it must have felt good to be dominating Mizzou in every facet of the game. They have another chance to do just that with a trip to Cowbell U. The Bulldogs have a tall order facing the SEC standings leader halfway through the season. State went to Sanford Stadium, gave Georgia all they could handle, and came up 10 points short in a 41-31 loss. If the Bulldogs want a chance in the fourth quarter, they must keep Connor Weigman in check; he made a big comeback in the win over Mizzou. As Weigman goes, so does the Aggie offense. Le’Veon Moss has rushed for 100 yards in 3 games this year and is eyeing a Bulldog defense that is dead last in rush defense in the SEC, allowing 201 YPG. Aggies gonna Aggie and suffocate the Bulldog’s offense on the road at 3:15 p.m. SEC Network. 

Texas A&M – 27

Mississippi State – 10

Florida (3-3, 1-2) vs Kentucky (3-3, 1-3) -1.5

At the start of the season, if you asked SEC fans their thoughts on this game, most would have thought the Gators would be looking for a new coach and the Wildcats would be in line for an 8th straight bowl game. Florida is a different team than they were against Miami, and despite all the detractors, Billy Napier has the locker room believing in themselves, possibly even AD Scott Stricklin.  The focus of the game should be on the field, which has the potential to be an excellent football game, but the focus seems to be on everything but the game itself. Kentucky inches closer to another bowl, but if they stumble and Florida escapes with a win, a path to six wins for the Wildcats is still firmly in their control. Cat scratch fever takes care of the Gators and sends them limping into a bye week before the World’s Largest Cocktail Party against Georgia, 6:45 p.m. SEC Network. 

Florida – 27

Kentucky – 20

No. 8 LSU (5-1, 2-0) at Arkansas (4-2, 2-1)

Finally, a rivalry with a team that the other state doesn’t like and a series that has deep meaning; this looks like another one of those times where LSU comes into town and has a lot to play for, and the Hogs are ready to burst that bubble and propel them into a better bowl scenario. Taylen Green is healthy for the Razorbacks and is a full go, according to head coach Sam Pittman announced on the Wednesday SEC Media teleconference. Malachi Singleton is ready if that injury bug pops up again. Brian Kelly knows they will have to prepare for both signal callers, which has put stress on a defense that has let teams back into games this year. They had to play catch-up with Ole Miss all but 27 seconds last week before tying it up late in the fourth quarter and winning in overtime. So here are the Hogville selections for week 8; the game can be seen at 6 p.m. on ESPN. 

Otis Kirk / 24-21 Arkansas

Dudley Dawson / 24-17 LSU

John James / 31-27 Arkansas

Jerry Meadows / 27-13 Arkansas

Drake Priddy / 27-24 Arkansas

Jason Pattyson / 20-13 LSU