B&S Week 8 game-by-game previews 2023
The Tide are out for revenge, Arkansas looks to break a five game losing streak, and Mizzou can get to 7-1 with a win over South Carolina.
By: Bossman Slim, Hammer
Bryant-Denny Stadium is host to the best game in the SEC this week - an Alabama revenge game vs. Tennessee.
Week 8 is here, and we’ve got some big games on tap that will further shake out the SEC picture. Can Alabama get revenge on Josh Heupel and the Vols on the Third Saturday in October? Can Mizzou stake their claim as the second best team in the East with a win and a Tennessee loss? Will Arkansas finally get a win after five straight losses away from Fayetteville? Lots of questions will be answered after tomorrow.
Here’s how the crew has fared to date:
Bossman gained a game in the Straight Up column last week on Hammer, going 5-1. It’s looking like it will be a tight finish in both columns, just like it was in 2022.
Let’s make some picks.
Bossman Slim: Mississippi State is coming off a bye while Arkansas is reeling from five straight losses and are limping to their final game before their bye week. This game feels like the turning point of Sam Pittman’s tenure at Arkansas. Lose to a 3-3 Mississippi State team at home with a first-year head coach and fans will be ready to move on from the affable ball coach. It just can’t happen. Both teams could be without some key contributors, Will Rogers and Jo’Quavious Marks's status is up in the air as is Dwight McGlothern’s for Arkansas, and Rocket Sanders will not play. If Rogers can’t go, it will be Vanderbilt transfer Mike Wright. I like Arkansas by two scores if that happens, but if Rogers plays I still think Arkansas gets it done. They still have KJ Jefferson behind center, after all, and State is giving up 30 points a game. The Hogs can exploit this weak defense and will do enough on defense to get the W.
Arkansas 35
Mississippi State 26
Hammer: Arkansas is finally playing a game back in Fayetteville for the first time since September 16th when they lost to BYU. Sitting at 2-5, this is a gigantic game for Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks. They need a win in the worst way, and they should be able to take care of business at home against a struggling Mississippi State team. Despite losing five games in a row, Arkansas has been close in each of them other than Texas A&M. They have battled hard but come up short and that team and staff need to see a win ASAP. I like their chances here, but Mississippi State is coming off a bye and won’t be an easy out. I think the difference here is the Arkansas defense against the Bulldog’s offense, which has been really inconsistent in 2023. I don’t trust them to go on the road and execute consistently in this one. The Hogs defense is no juggernaut, but I think they can do enough in this one to come out with a win. You can count on KJ Jefferson and this offense to score close to 30, and that will be enough.
Arkansas 28
Mississippi State 24
The Waco Kid:
Arkansas 34
Mississippi State 20
Bossman Slim: Time for revenge. Never bet against Nick Saban in revenge games, the man simply does not lose them. From 2004-2015, Saban was 17-2 in revenge games. Since 2016, he’s 3-0, which makes him 20-2 since his days at LSU. That is utterly ridiculous. If the Vols still had Hendon Hooker, I might be taking them again this week. But they don’t, and the passing game has struggled to find its footing this year, between misfires from Milton and drops from the wideouts. It showed last week when Texas A&M’s suspect secondary held the Volunteers to just 100 yards passing. Luckily for the Vols, they were able to run all over the Aggies, which was surprising. I think the Vols will get some running lanes against Alabama behind this solid O-line, but it won’t be anywhere in the neighborhood of 232 yards like last week. It’s obvious how you beat this team: take away the run and dare Joe Milton to beat you, because he can’t. A few weeks ago, you would have said the same about Jalen Milroe, but you have to respect his deep ball and he’s started to find a groove in the passing game, if inconsistent. These are two of the best defenses in the conference, so I’m expecting this one to have more punches landed than in a game of MLB Slugfest 2004. At home, with the revenge factor and the edge at QB, give me the Tide, but Tennessee covers.
#11 Alabama 26
#17 Tennessee 19
Hammer: The Third Saturday in October is here, and it's the game of the weekend. Both teams are not the same caliber they were a year ago. They play very differently, at least. Tennessee has been winning with a strong run game and solid defense, especially their nasty front seven. Alabama has been winning with defense and long, explosive pass plays. The Tide have been mostly ineffective in the run game as well as the short to intermediate passing game. Simply put, this won’t be a 52-49 track meet like it was last year. This game will be won in the trenches and if either team scores 30 they should win. To me, this game comes down to Joe Milton. I feel pretty confident in what Jalen Milroe will do. He will hit some shot plays downfield and miss a few open receivers in the short and intermediate game. He’ll probably take his fair share of sacks too. Milton is the key though, because we saw him way out of sync against Texas A&M last week. He was effective in the run game, especially off-script scrambles, but he missed the shot plays downfield that Heupel dialed up. Well, he hit one guy in the hands for a walk-in TD but it was dropped. Aside from that, Milton was inaccurate and ineffective in the passing game. You can’t win on the road in Tuscaloosa with an inaccurate and ineffective QB, especially with how this Tide defense is playing. Whenever they give you an inch, you have to take it and I don’t trust Milton to capitalize on those. I like the Tide to win a close, hard-fought game.
#11 Alabama 27
#17 Tennessee 20
The Waco Kid:
#11 Alabama 42
#17 Tennessee 31
Bossman Slim: Pass that pitcher, I need another DRINKwitz of that Kool-Aid. I’ve been gulping the MIZ lean since the preseason, and I’m still on that juice. As for South Carolina, outside of Spencer Rattler and Xavier Legette, it’s been a season to forget. The Gamecocks now sit at 2-4 and are only ahead of Vanderbilt in the East. The South Carolina offensive line has been poor all season and is dogged by the injury bug, which doesn’t look good in the face of a Mizzou defense that averages close to three sacks a game and nearly six TFLs. I expect the likes of Ty’Ron Hopper and Johnny Walker to get home a couple times in this game and pressure Rattler much of the day. As for the Tigers, they must be licking their chops looking at this Gamecocks defense, which gives up close to 500 yards per game. I expect Brady Cook, Luther Burden and Cody Schraeder to have a field day and light it up. I’ll take Mizzou to win and cover.
#20 Missouri 41
South Carolina 30
Hammer: This game needs to be titled the battle for Columbia. Who is the real Columbia? We’ll find out on Saturday. The real storyline heading into this game is will Shane Beamer be using crutches or just a walking boot for his broken foot? Keep your eyes peeled. In all seriousness, South Carolina is desperate for a win and this seems like the exact kind of game where Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks jump up and pull the upset. Problem is, this ain’t your mother’s Mizzou team. The Tigers are legitimately good this year and losing a home game to a 2-4 South Carolina team seems far-fetched. It’s college football so anything can happen but I’m riding with the Alpha Nerd Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers. Brady Cook and wideouts Luther Burden and Theo Wease should be able to put up yards and points on a weak South Carolina secondary. Graham Mertz just threw for over 400 on this Gamecock team for crying out loud. For South Carolina to escape with a win here, Spencer Rattler will need to be excellent and they’re going to need to force turnovers. Missouri’s defense can be susceptible to the passing attack, so I see Rattler making some plays in this one and keeping the Gamecocks within striking distance. But without forcing multiple turnovers, I don’t see their defense keeping the Tigers in check. I’ll take the home team to win and cover here.
#20 Missouri 42
South Carolina 31
The Waco Kid:
South Carolina 24
#20 Missouri 17
Bossman Slim: Should I go with the upset here…? We saw what Auburn did against Georgia in Jordan-Hare, putting them up against the ropes. Plus, this one is at night so you know the Auburn faithful will be going wild from start to finish. Auburn’s defense isn’t incredible, but they’re also no slouch. The secondary is only giving up 216 yards a game through the air so I don’t expect Ole Miss to smoke the Tigers through the air. However, we saw how this went last week when Auburn faced a dual-threat QB. Jayden Daniels put up 325 yards and three TDs through the air and added 93 yards on 11 carries for 8.5 yards per carry. I think Jaxson Dart will be able to get things going with his legs which will open up the throwing lanes. Dart isn’t Daniels, but he’s a really good QB that many teams in the SEC would love to have. Auburn just doesn’t have the horses on offense yet to keep up with the Rebels, but it could get interesting since it’s at night in Jordan-Hare…in October. We all know the history.
#13 Ole Miss 38
Auburn 21
Hammer: Hugh Freeze has had this game circled ever since he took the Auburn job, right? Does he have some magic saved up or can the aura of Jordan-Hare deliver a thrilling upset? As I said before, it's college football so anything can happen. However, Auburn is not that team this year, pal. Ole Miss is coming off of a bye week and Lane knows how tough this game will be. Auburn plays far better at home so even though Auburn is 3-3 with three straight losses, the Rebels will not overlook Auburn. Plus, Auburn does not have the offense to score enough against good teams without a defensive or special teams score. If the Tigers can manufacture a non-offensive touchdown, they will have a chance. Otherwise, I just don’t see them scoring enough. I do think Auburn has a solid defense and it could give Ole Miss some fits, especially with a raucous crowd behind them. But over the course of four quarters, Ole Miss will find a way to score enough here. Jaxson Dart just needs to take care of the football and the weapons he has at his disposal will take care of the rest. Ole Hugh will have to wait at least another year to exact revenge against his former employer.
#13 Ole Miss 28
Auburn 20
The Waco Kid:
#13 Ole Miss 56
Auburn 35