B&S week 4: game by game previews

Two postponements, but the rest of the slate forges ahead. The game of the year thus far in Tuscaloosa, plus a sneaky good noon matchup with Auburn and South Carolina.

By: Bossman Slim, The Waco Kid

Photo: Brad McClenny, AP

Coronavirus can’t stop us. Two postponed games, but the rest of the SEC games roll on. We’ve got the biggest game yet of the college football season, let alone the SEC, when Alabama takes on Georgia on Saturday night. Auburn and South Carolina is also intriguing…and we’ve got an upset pick for you 😤.

Let’s dig in.

Early Games

#15 Auburn at South Carolina- 12:00 PM ET on ESPN (Auburn -7.5) 

We’ll have a more in-depth preview of this one later today because we can’t wait for this game and want to dig in deep. Going by ranking, this one looks obvious. But digging just below the surface, this is one where Auburn could finally run out of luck. 

After escaping in Jordan-Hare last week against Arkansas with some help from the refs, Auburn looks to make a statement that they are for real and not a fluke. Bo Nix needs to up his game, but this South Carolina team can play some defense. They’re third in the country in stopping teams on third down, while Auburn is struggling on 3rd down, converting on just 40%. Carolina QB Collin Hill has thrown for nearly 700 yards and three touchdowns on the year, and RB Kevin Harris exploded last week for 171 and two TDs. 

We’re liking South Carolina in an upset. Check back later today for our in-depth preview and score prediction.

Kentucky at #18 Tennessee - 12:00 PM ET on SEC Network (Tennessee -4.5)

Photo: Mark Cornelison, UK Athletics

This will be a fun one. After having praise heaped on their offensive line in the first few weeks, including from yours truly, the Georgia Bulldogs defense tore them to shreds. Tennessee rushed for -1 yard against that defensive front. Yikes. Nice of you to come back to Athens, Cade Mays! After two weeks of solid play from Jarrett Gaurantano, including some decent throws in the first half against Georgia, the QB is facing questions about his starting job. Questions that have dogged him for years only grew louder in Knoxville this week after the second half goose egg against UGA. Pro Football Focus dropped Gaurantano to 13th out of 14 QBs in their weekly rankings. But all of that can change in a week - just ask Kellen Mond.

Kentucky finally has some momentum after their 24-2 win over Mississippi State. After shooting themselves repeatedly in the foot against Auburn in week one, then giving the game to Ole Miss in week two due to boneheaded mistakes, Kentucky finally put one together four quarters. Before last week’s game, the Kentucky defense ranked dead last in pass efficiency defense and near the bottom in multiple other categories on defense. I guess that happens when you play the #LaneTrain. But you would think Leach could replicate some of Lane’s magic, right? Wrong. Mississippi State made it look like Kentucky had Ed Reed, Deion Sanders, Richard Sherman, and Ray Lewis all playing for their defense. Kentucky’s defense is not that good - Bo Nix threw three TD passes against them for goodness sake. The defense bailed Kentucky out last week. It was an anomaly.

With that said...give us the Wildcats. The secondary can affect Gaurantano, and we love Coach Stoops. Terry Wilson and the ‘Cats offense needs to pick it up, because this offense has been terrible for 3-straight games. But we’ll take Kentucky in a close one - I guess.       

Kentucky 24

#18 Tennessee 23

Bossman Slim

Midday Games

Ole Miss at Arkansas - 3:30 PM ET on SEC Network (Ole Miss -1.5)

Arkansas and Ole Miss are both coming off of what their programs would like to label as quality losses. PSA: there are no such things as quality losses. Ole Miss gave up 63 points and 723 total yards to an Alabama team that was firing on all cylinders, falling by a score of 63-48. Ole Miss has now given up at least 41 points in each of their first three games. #LaneTrain has the Rebels scoring at will but is supported by a defense that makes the Big 12 defensive units of the early 2010s look like the ‘85 Chicago Bears. 

Arkansas played Auburn a very close game but ultimately lost to the officiating crew, 30-28. A controversial call all but secured the Tigers a win over the Hogs in the waning seconds of the game, when Bo Nix tried to spike the ball but couldn’t even do that right. The Razorbacks should have never been in that position to begin with. With a little under three minutes left in the game, Auburn missed a field goal attempt and turned the ball over to Arkansas who had a 28-27 lead. For some reason “offensive guru” Kendal Briles thought it best to run the ball on first, second, and third down even though Auburn had all three timeouts left (leave it to a former Big 12 coach to screw things up). Why you wouldn’t try to pass the ball, get a first down, and end the game is a question above my pay grade. Both teams will try to redeem themselves and get back on track towards a mediocre season with a win this weekend. 

The #LaneTrain will roll through Fayetteville slowing only to take in the scenery of the Ozarks. Arkansas has an underrated team that will surprise many and upset a few teams but is built to compete in close games. Ole Miss will immediately come out of the corner looking for that knockout punch. Expect the Rebels to make those little piggys squeal on defense. Arkansas will score, especially with the return of Rakeem Boyd, but it will not be enough to topple the Rebs.

Ole Miss  45

Arkansas 38

The Waco Kid

#11 Texas A&M at Mississippi State - 4:00 PM ET on ESPN (Texas A&M -5.5)

The Aggies are riding high after skinning the top 5 Gators in College Station last week behind the play of surprisingly crisp play of Kellen Mond. Meanwhile, Leach’s Pirate Ship in Starkville has run into troubled waters the past two weeks after shocking the defending National Champs. Turnovers have killed the Air Raid attack, making KJ Costello’s Heisman candidacy look like a comet - and boy that one burned out fast. There are rumblings that the Bulldogs could start Freshman Will Rogers at QB, but we aren’t so sure. Leach also warned of a possible roster purge after the terrible loss to Kentucky, but no further word on that yet. Sounds like the rest of the merry band of Bulldogs didn’t fully buy in even after looting the Tiger booty in Baton Rouge. 

Morale has not improved, so bad pirate memes continue. Costello has this week to walk back from the plank.

The blueprint is there for A&M - play some soft zones and try to jump a few routes with these turnover-prone QBs. On paper, the Aggies should win this one - but Leach had their number when he was in the Big 12, going 7-3 against the Aggies during his tenure at Texas Tech. But this is a different A&M team, and we expect them to build on their momentum from last week. Mississippi State will score, but A&M has too many weapons on offense to lose to the Bulldogs.

#11 Texas A&M 35

Mississippi State 24 

Bossman Slim

Late Game

#3 Georgia at #2 Alabama - 8:00 PM ET CBS (Alabama -4.5)

Dave in Tuscaloosa put together a masterful preview of the best game of the college football season thus far, which you can read here. We’ve taken out a short excerpt to give you a biscuit crumb, but be sure to head over and check out the full-throttle preview.

“Can the much-celebrated Dawg defense, giving up a mere 12 points per game so far, slow down Quarterback Mac and the Crimson and White attack (averaging 51 points per game...wow) enough for Bennett and company to score enough points to win?  

It should be a close game, with both defenses finding their footing early until the offenses start to roll. If it comes down to the offenses, we’ve got to side with Jones and company, and in a close and entertaining contest, Bama’s defense plays with a giant chip on their shoulders and makes just enough stops to allow the offense to pull away late in a fun thriller...and a preview to a possible rematch in the SEC Championship game in December.”

#2 Alabama 34

#3 Georgia 30

Postponed

This week saw the first real complications from COVID for the SEC. Two games were postponed, including an important matchup between LSU and Florida and the game of the week, Missouri and Vanderbilt. Both games have tentatively been rescheduled for December 12.

Looking forward to another great SEC football Saturday. COVID AIN’T PLAYED NOBODY PAWWWLLL! 

Another fun Saturday of SEC Football ahead. Chirp us on Twitter and sign up for the newsletter.