SEC Predictions for this week
on 2024-09-05 06:25 AM
By Jason Pattyson
FAYETTEVILLE — Week one went well for the SEC overall. They had the most 60-plus point victories in a week in league history, with five by Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Florida and South Carolina are searching for answers, and Vanderbilt shocked us all with a solid win against Virginia Tech. Last week, I was 10-5-1 against the spread and 14-2 outright.
Five games this week feature no betting lines, which should spell for an easy weekend for most. It was historic for the conference, but it came at the hands of plenty of cupcakes; the average win was by 48 points, there were six shutouts, five wins were by 60 points, and three were by 70 points or more.
No. 3 Texas -6 at No. 10 Michigan
This, by far, will be the game on every college football fan’s must-see list in this week-two tilt and the first top-10 matchup of the season. Senior Quarterback Quinn Ewers was efficient and connected with six different receivers two or more times in the Longhorn’s second-largest opening-day victory in 100 years. Michigan looked flat against Fresno State in the Big House with a pedestrian 30-10 win. The Maze and Blue took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter before scoring 14 unanswered points to secure the win. Michigan is 11-3 at home when College Gameday is on campus. Texas’s defense should have its way with the Michigan offense, leading some to claim this is the best Texas team since 2003. Horns win big and can be seen on Fox at 11 a.m.
Texas – 44
Michigan – 6
No. 14 Tennessee -7 at No. 24 NC State
The Volunteers roll into Raleigh fresh from a 66-point beatdown of UT-Chattanooga and the coronation of freshman Nico Iamaleava. He was darn near perfect, 22-28, passing for 314 yards and three scores. The Wolfpack will have their hands full after struggling for three quarters against Western Carolina before finally taking the lead early in the fourth quarter. It could be a bad day for the Wolfpack if the Tennessee offense continues its dominance. The Duke’s Mayo Classic will air on ABC and ESPN Plus at 6:30 p.m.
Tennessee – 42
NC State – 13
No. 4 Alabama -31 vs. USF
The three-headed monster of Quarterback Jalen Milroe, Running Back Justice Haynes, and Wide Receiver Ryan Williams accounted for all of the Tide’s explosive plays last week. Haynes carried the ball four times for 102 yards and a touchdown. Williams caught two passes from Milroe for 139 yards and two scores; he’s only 17 folks. Going to be a long day for the Bulls of South Florida, and head coach Alex Golesh ran past Bethune-Cookman 49-3 last week. They will have their hands full with the Tide, and this won’t be competitive after the first quarter, two weeks in a row for Alabama. You can watch the game on ESPN at 6 p.m.
USF – 6
No. 4 Alabama – 56
No. 9 Mizzou -34 vs. Buffalo
The Tigers cruised to an easy week one victory, blanking Murray St. This week will be another rinse-and-repeat victory over the Bulls. Buffalo scored an easy win over Lafayette, but they are heading into a buzzsaw at Memorial Stadium Saturday night at 6 p.m. in Columbia, Mo., on ESPN Plus and SEC Plus.
Buffalo – 7
No. 9 Missouri – 52
No. 15 Oklahoma -28 vs. Houston
The Sooners are struggling in the wide receiver room, which was the deepest part of the team heading into fall camp. Now, they are down three of their top four playmakers, with Jayden Gibson, Nic Anderson, and Jalil Farooq all out. So, the youngsters will have to grow up fast for the Sooners to have a balanced attack on Saturday against Houston and head coach Willie Fritz. The Cougars dropped the opener to Barry Odom and UNLV 27-7, so they will need a near-perfect performance to escape Norman with a victory and get back on track Saturday at 6:45 p.m. on the SEC Network.
Houston – 10
No. 15 Oklahoma – 44
No. 1 Georgia vs. Tennessee Tech
There is no line for this game and for good dang reason. The Bulldogs had their way with Clemson and what was thought to be an improved Tiger team from a year ago. Senior Quarterback Carson Beck looked like he was in mid-season form picking apart the Tiger defense. Tennessee Tech will be hard-pressed to find much success against the stingy Georgia defense. Dawgs roll big between the hedges at Sanford Stadium, and the game can be seen on SEC Plus/ESPN Plus at 1 p.m.
Tennessee Tech – 0
Georgia – 63
Auburn -13 vs. California
This poses an intriguing matchup in terms of the scheme. Cal DC Peter Sirmon runs a complex scheme that features only two down-linemen. Hugh Freeze and company will adjust to this, and it may be a steady diet of Jarquez Hunter and company. The Tigers racked up 73 points and 628 yards of offense, while the Golden Bears eeked out a 31-13 win against UC Davis. The offensive explosion may not be there this weekend, and Auburn gets the job done, but it won’t be pretty. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
California – 10
Auburn – 27
South Carolina at Kentucky -8.5
Gamecock head coach Shane Beemer nor anyone at Williams-Brice Stadium was prepared for the tussle Old Dominion gave them in their narrow 23-19 win. Freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers had difficulty through the air, but his legs kept SC out of the loss column with a three-yard run late in the fourth quarter. Kentucky rolled against Southern Miss in a rain-shortened game that almost never happened. Kroger Field will be loud and ready to deep fry the gamecocks in the Commonwealth, and Mark Stoops and company should make quick work of SC; you can watch it all unfold on ABC at 2:30 p.m.
South Carolina – 9
Kentucky – 31
Florida vs. Samford
The Gators are still reeling from the stinging loss to the hands of the Caines last week. Head Coach Billy Napier was less than happy to answer any questions regarding his future with the program on the Wednesday conference call. Florida gets it together this week and takes care of the bulldogs of Samford, but they host Texas A&M in week 3. Napier and company are safe.. for now. Samford has a history of making lopsided games on paper close; ask Arkansas.
Samford – 13
Florida – 27
Mississippi St at Arizona State -4
The Cowbells head west and will try to flood Mountain America Stadium with their menacing ring against the newest member of the Big 12, the Arizona State Sun Devils. ASU thumped up on Wyoming last week 48-10, and this week, they face Jeff Lebby and a revamped Bulldog offense. They cruised to a 56-7 win over Eastern Kentucky behind transfer quarterback Blake Shapen. He lit up the secondary for three scores on 15-20 passing and 247 yards. Arizona St. will need some luck, just like the opening series last week when Zyrus Fiaseu had a pick-6 less than a minute into the game for ASU to stay with the Bulldog offense. Miss State passes a big test and leaves the dessert behind victorious. It can be seen on ESPN at 9 p.m. in a late one.
Mississippi State – 28
Arizona St. – 17
Ole Miss -38 vs. Middle Tennessee State
Lane Kiffin could have called the second half of the 76-0 rout of Furman last Saturday from the Grove, and the offense would have still had no problem finding the endzone. This week, there is a test for MTSU to hold the Rebs to under 70 points. Last week, the Blue Raiders snuck by Tennessee Tech 32-25 with some late-game heroics, taking the lead with 16 seconds left for the win. Rebels early and often in this one, but they try not to look ahead to their first road test against Wake Forest in week 3, Reb’s and Raiders kickoff at 3:15 p.m. on the SEC Network.
MTSU – 6
Ole Miss – 63
Vanderbilt vs. Alcorn State
The Commodores shocked the college football world by not only beating Virginia Tech but also controlling most of the game. The Hokies had a hard time putting together any sort of offense until the third quarter. Alcorn ST. got whipped by Trent Dilfer and the Dragons of UAB, and it will be more of the same when they travel to Nashville. Vandy gets closer to a bowl birth, their first since 2012 under James Franklin. You can see it on ESPNU at 6:30 p.m.
Alcorn St. – 3
Vanderbilt – 34
Texas A&M vs. McNeese St.
The Aggies look to rebound after losing a heartbreaker at home to the Fighting Irish. After the Aggies let the victory slip from their grasp, there are many more questions than answers. TX A&M head coach Mike Elko and company look to bounce back in a big way and take care of business Saturday morning at 11:45 on the SEC Network.
McNeese St. – 0
Texas A&M – 58
LSU vs. Nichols
The last time we saw Biran Kelly, he was beating his fist on a table post-game of their seven-point loss to USC. The Tigers tied it up with 1:47 left in the fourth quarter, but Woody Marks punched it in from 13 yards out with eight seconds left for the win. Kelly was more frustrated about the lack of finishing than the overall effort. What better way to wash away a heartbreaker than hosting an FCS school? John Emery is out with a torn ACL for the season so that the Tiger rush attack will be a focal point. The effort will be there, and the Tigers will air it out to take some of that focus off the run; theTigers win big and can be seen on SEC Plus/ESPN Plus at 6:30 p.m.
Nichols St. – 6
LSU – 62
Arkansas at No. 16 Oklahoma State -9
Arkansas lit the scoreboard up last week against an undersized UAPB team that might be the worst team in college football with a 70-0 victory. Oklahoma State and Mike Gundy rolled to an easy home opening win against the top-ranked FCS school, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits 44-20. Junior Running Back Ollie Gordon, the 2023 Doak Walker winner, had a mediocre day with 126 yards on 28 carries and three scores. Arkansas will have to try to contain the run if they want to have a chance on the road. This will be the first major test for both teams, which happens to be on the national stage Saturday morning at 11 a.m. on ABC.
Otis Kirk – Arkansas 45-34
Dudley Dawson – Oklahoma State 28-17
Jerry Meadows – Arkansas 37-23
Drake Priddy – Arkansas 34-27
John James – Arkansas 26-24
Jason Pattyson – Oklahoma State 31-28
(Last updated: 2024-09-05 06:25 AM)