B&S Week 9 game-by-game previews
Can Tennessee keep rollin’? Does Ole Miss get back on track against A&M? Week 9 on tap.
By: The Waco Kid, The Hammer, Bossman Slim
Can Kentucky slow down Hendon Hooker and the Vols and pull off the improbable upset? (Photo: USA Today)
Man, I can’t believe we are already in week 9. It’s the last weekend in October and now is when the real contenders begin to show out. As Brian Kelly said last weekend, “October is for pretenders. November is for contenders.” As big of a dweeb as Kelly is, that’s a cool quote. And it's spot on. Big games as always this weekend and we’ll start to see who the real contenders are.
Picks-wise, we had another tough week last weekend. Time is quickly running out for any of us to get to .500 but we’ll keep trying damn it. The real question is can The Hammer or the Waco Kid catch Bossman on the straight-up leaderboard? Based on how many toss-up games there are this weekend, maybe it happens. Let’s dig into the matchups.
Arkansas at Auburn - 12:00 ET on SEC Network (Arkansas -3.5)
Bossman Slim: Hammer and Waco aren’t catching me. That’s a fact. As for Arkansas-Auburn…is there any magic left in Jordan-Hare? Can Bryan Harsin pull off an improbable upset? I’ve been saying it for weeks, Arkansas is a different team with KJ Jefferson. A shoulder injury has apparently been nagging him, but even if he’s at just 90%, I don’t think Auburn can beat this Razorbacks team. Auburn has the worst rush defense in the SEC right now, giving up 204 yards per game. Expect the Razorbacks to run all over Auburn at will with Rocket Sanders and Jefferson. The Hogs defense is absolutely susceptible, and I expect Auburn to be able to run a little bit on Arkansas, but I still haven’t seen enough consistency from the QBs to think they can exploit this weak secondary. Hogs to cover.
Arkansas 38
Auburn 28
The Hammer: With KJ Jefferson on the field, Arkansas is the better team here. The Hogs are coming off a big win on the road at BYU and have had a bye week to rest up before heading to Auburn, AL. I think we are finally starting to see some cracks in the Auburn foundation as several players have left the program and entered the transfer portal. I know the Tigers play on the field hasn't been good, but I’ve been impressed with how this team continues to fight and play hard. I think Bryan Harson deserves some credit for that given the circumstances he’s been forced to coach under. However, at some point it's going to come crashing down and it could be this weekend. I don’t see Auburn winning this one and yet another home loss could be the end for Harsin. We’ll see, but regardless of whether Harsin gets canned, they aren’t winning this ballgame.
Arkansas 42
Auburn 28
The Waco Kid: Arkansas reaped the benefits of having KJ Jefferson back under center the last time they took the field against BYU. The Razorbacks had begun a tumultuous fall after winning the first three games of the season. They seem to have broken that fall in the matchup against the Cougars. Now they look to make it two straight wins when they head to Jordan-Hare this weekend to take on a struggling Auburn Tigers team. AU has beaten some pretty awful teams to get to their 3-4 record and even those wins were far from impressive, the best of which was a 3-point win over cross-conference competitor Missouri. This team is far from the Tigers of days past that used to roam the plains preying on anything that stumbled into their territory, especially little piggies. Now they will be lucky if those Hogs show a little mercy on them in front of a home crowd. Freshman QB Robby Ashford will have to show up in a big way and Tank Bigsby will have to have another outing like he did against Ole Miss just to keep this game close. And in my opinion, Arkansas has a better defense than they faced against Mississippi. My guess is that Jefferson and Sanders will run rampant through the Plains to the tune of 300 yards and 4 scores on the ground, hardly allowing the Auburn offense any time to mount together sustained drives. Arky covers and wins by at least two scores.
Arkansas 38
Auburn 17
Florida vs #1 Georgia - 3:30 ET on CBS (UGA -23.5)
Bossman Slim: Georgia has the best defense in the SEC, which does not bode well for Florida with their middling offense. The only way Florida has a chance to win this game is if Anthony Richardson can get some chunk plays in the passing game downfield to take the pressure off the run game. Georgia is going to spy on Richardson all day and load the box, daring him to beat them through the air. With the body of work we have so far and essentially one good passing performance from Richardson and playing the 4th best defense in the country, I don’t think we will see him all of the sudden look like Joe Montana. I don’t see Florida being able to get the offense going enough to keep up with Georgia’s offense, who will score points on the SEC’s 12th-ranked defense. It is a rivalry game and the old adage about rivalry games? Throw everything out the window. BUT NOT IN THIS ONE. Georgia, big.
#1 Georgia 46
Florida 21
The Hammer: Billy Napier is about to get a taste of what every SEC East team has been force-fed for the last 5 years: Dawgs. Georgia is the king of the SEC East, and Florida is their biggest rival. For these reasons, I think Kirby will keep his dawgs unchained and run Florida out of the stadium. He wants to send a message to Napier and Florida in his first year that y’all have a long way to go. Florida runs the football really well, averaging over 200 yards rushing per game, but Georgia will shut that down. That means Anthony Richardson will be called upon to beat the Dawgs throwing the ball and he’s just not there yet as a passer. On the other side of the ball. Florida isn't very good at defending the run, and when UGA can run the ball, that’s when Monken gets really creative. I think Stetson “Tombstone” Bennett will have a really good game here is his final cocktail party and the Dawgs win big.
#1 Georgia 38
Florida 14
The Waco Kid: Even Florida fans know how this weekend is going to end up. But hey if you are traveling from Gainesville or Tampa or other parts of the Sunshine State, Jacksonville might be a nice little vacation for the weekend. Too bad the Jags are playing in London or fans could catch two Florida team losses over the weekend. The battle for the Florida-Georgia line is a lot like the musical group named after this territory. Florida is the poser while Georgia does all the hard work and takes care of business. I mean have you ever heard them play, the Florida side of the line sits there and pretends to be relevant just like the football team will against the Dawgs. No offense to Gator fans but UGA seems like the real deal again this year and not many teams are going to slow them down or even put up a good fight. I at least think UF has the chance to make this into a competitive game throughout three quarters. All that really needs to happen is Anthony Richardson will have to play like he did against Utah to start out the season. He will also have to sit back in the pocket against a nasty defense and take some hits while delivering well-placed passes. He is certainly capable of doing these things you just never know which Richardson is going to show up to play. For the Gators to win this game every little thing will have to go right. They will have to win the coin toss, the wind will have to shift every quarter to be behind their backs, Stetson Bennett will have to get injured, and Kirby Smart will have to miss the ride to Jacksonville if UF has a shot in hell at a win. One of these things might go their way and it certainly won’t have to do with Bennett or Smart, but rather dumb luck. Saying that the red and black will not cover but will control this whole game between the whistles.
#1 Georgia 41
Florida 20
Missouri at #25 South Carolina - 4:00 ET on SEC Network (USC -4)
Bossman Slim: The clowns below me think this is a game to pick up against me. They are wrong. You will always remember the day you almost caught Bossman Slim. If this was in the other Columbia, maybe we could have a discussion. But we are in Columbia, South Carolina, the land of Sandstorm and intimidating ‘Cocks. South Carolina just plays better when they’re within the friendly confines of Williams-Brice. In Shane Beamer’s short tenure in Columbia, the Gamecocks are 9-2 at home and 2-6 on the road. That spells trouble for Eli Drinkwitz and this struggling Mizzou team. If I was a star on the Chinese spy app Tik Tok, I’d say that Williams-Brice is “bussin’” but both these teams are “mid.” Mizzou has a good defense but terrible offense. South Carolina isn’t a world-beater on offense but they seemed to have turned a corner in the last four weeks and Marshawn Lloyd has emerged as a problem out of the backfield. I like the Gamecocks to win in a close, bare-knuckle brawl at the end.
#25 South Carolina 27
Missouri 24
The Hammer: For no other reason outside of vibes, I’m taking Mizzou here. The Tigers have been really close in all their losses and I just think they are due. South Carolina has won 4 straight games and is coming off a big, emotional win over Texas A&M. Perfect letdown spot. In order to win, Mizzou will need to get Luther Burden the ball a bunch and Brady Cook has to take care of the football. South Carolina is really bad offensively so unless Missouri helps them out with turnovers or non-offensive touchdowns like A&M did, I’m not sure how much the Gamecocks can score. Give me Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers to pull off the surprising upset at South Carolina
Missouri 20
#25 South Carolina 17
The Waco Kid: I really hate that South Carolina was able to beat Texas A&M last weekend. The Gamecocks tried to hand the Aggies a W and still sent Jimbo packing with another loss in the books. Once again we saw turnovers by Spencer Rattler and the offense and to be honest, I am kind of tired of talking about it. I just want one game where I can compliment USC on a job well done but the only one pulling their weight for this program seems to be Shane Beamer. Beamer has proven he deserves to be an SEC coach and is no longer just riding the coattails of his father, Virginia Tech's all-time great head coach, Frank Beamer. He somehow has a mediocre team beating opposing competition they shouldn’t even be in the game with. His demeanor and ease with which he commands this team is something to be admired (and studied by other coaches). Still, this program is not quite there yet. While they sit at 5-2, the majority of those wins have come against nobody teams. This past weekend’s win is one of two that are program-defining wins that could begin to turn the ‘Cocks back into East competitors, the other being a victory over Kentucky. Mizzou did what they had to last weekend and beat Vanderbilt, just barely, but still a win over an SEC team is better than a win over almost any other conference in the nation. I’m torn about which way to go, on one hand, you have a Mizzou team that forced #1 UGA to make mistakes and take the game down to the wire. On the other, you have a USC team that is rolling through their competition. Do you take the hot hand or go with a defense that can create turnovers against the best in the nation playing a QB that is turnover prone? I’m taking the Tigers!!!!!!! Missouri is going to take the win by three points and send those dirty roosters back to the hen house where they can find another basket to put their eggs in. Perhaps “basket”ball.
Missouri 23
#25 South Carolina 20
#19 Kentucky at #3 Tennessee - 7:00 ET on ESPN (UT -12.5)
Bossman Slim: I’m pumped for this game. Kentucky’s solid defense against this Harlem Globetrotters offense of Tennessee. Can the Vols make Kentucky’s stout defense look like the Washington Generals? I don’t think it will be that bad, but I don’t think Kentucky can stop the Vols, especially with Cedric Tillman back. Double Cedric? Here’s Jalin Hyatt coming at you. Double Hyatt? Here’s Cedric Tillman and Bru McCoy. Good luck! Even with a good Kentucky defense and the Wildcats offense likely trying to slow this game down, Tennessee can score in the blink of an eye. Look out though, this is a classic look-ahead matchup as the Vols have Georgia looming next week. Kentucky will be able to move the ball against this defense, but the Wildcats offense is turnover prone, with 11 turnovers in 7 games. Levis has 5 INTs in those 7 games, while Tennessee is +5 in turnover margin. Against Tennessee, you can’t turn the ball over because they will make you pay. I expect 1-2 turnovers out of Kentucky and the Vols to pull away mid-3rd quarter.
#3 Tennessee 41
#19 Kentucky 27
The Hammer: This is the game of the weekend in my mind. Kentucky has been good this season with the exception of the one game where Will Levis didn’t play. Tennessee has been sensational, of course. This is a game that I see Kentucky keeping closer than some may think. I don’t see the Wildcats winning here, but Mark Stoops does a great job of making other teams play Kentucky’s game. The Wildcat defense is stout and should give the Vols high-powered offense some trouble. If Kentucky can run the football consistently, this game will be really close late in the 4th quarter. The Wildcats have to use the run game to control the clock and keep Tennessee off the field. In the end, though, the Vols have too much firepower, especially with Cedric Tillman coming back from injury, for Kentucky to keep pace. I’ll take the Vols to win but Tennessee to cover.
#3 Tennessee 38
#19 Kentucky 27
The Waco Kid: Three weeks ago this may have been the second of three top-ten matchups that Tennessee played in less than a month’s span. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they lost two back-to-back games against Ole Miss and South Carolina, catapulting them out of the top ten all the way down to #19. Still, this would usually be no easy feat for the Vols but there is something about this 2022 team that just feels different. There’s electricity in the air that surrounds Knoxville every Saturday and that electricity has been turning to lightning every time the competition steps foot into Neyland Stadium. I expect nothing different this weekend. The orange-and-white defense could certainly use some tweaking but with the way Hendon Hooker, Jabari Small, and Jalin Hyatt have been able to score, there really isn’t much use for a defensive unit. This potent offense can outscore the best of them and continue to prove that week after week. I would be thoroughly surprised if New York is not overrun with checkered orange come December when the Heisman Trophy presentation takes place. This weekend should be a fun one to watch. Both offenses can light up a scoreboard in the opening minutes of the game and I expect nothing less. It may not have the atmosphere of the next weekend in Athens but it will be up there. Will Levis and Chris Rodriguez will have too many points to keep up with to make this close in the 4th. While Hooker and Co. will not lose a step on offense and put up another 40+ points on the UK defense.
#3 Tennessee 48
#19 Kentucky 33
#15 Ole Miss at Texas A&M - 7:30 ET on SEC Network (Miss -2.5)
Bossman Slim: I’m living on a prayer. There is zero reason to believe that A&M can get it together on offense enough to get a win. But I woke up feeling dangerous, and the Aggies are gonna get this bread. A&M hasn’t had a home game since ‘Nam and the 12th Man sold this game out even with a team that’s 3-4. That’s some dedication. According to rumors, Connor Weigman will get the start for the Aggies as Jimbo Fisher looks to get his young gun some experience heading into next year. The key to this game is that Aggie defensive front against this Ole Miss rushing attack. A&M’s defensive line has been banged up all year (the whole team has, really) so it depends on who is healthy. I expect a four-man front from the Aggies, and I expect them to do everything they can to stop that rushing attack and dare Jaxson Dart to beat them through the air. The Aggies strength is their secondary. They give up yards, but they make plays and they shut it down in the red zone. On the other side, Ole Miss needs to get pressure on Weigman, which they shouldn’t have much trouble with. The Aggies are without three starters on the O-line, a line that has been porous already. So don’t expect the backups to do much better. Everything points to Ole Miss in this game, but sometimes that’s where the upsets come from. Give me the Aggies to make it ugly and win by a hair.
Texas A&M 27
#15 Ole Miss 26
The Hammer: I think we say this every week now, but this is basically a must-win for Texas A&M. Rumors have been swirling out of College Station this weekend with most of them seeming to be untrue, but the suspension of three true freshmen is indeed true. Times are tough in Aggieland and winning games will help steady the ship. More losses and the entire team could unravel and hit the transfer portal. Despite this being a must-win for A&M, I like Ole Miss. I simply don’t trust the Aggie offense. This game will play out like most of A&M’s others games: sloppy, defensive battle, and A&M ultimately makes too many mistakes and loses a close game. The Rebs should be able to run the ball against a below-average run defense so unless A&M can bow up and stop the ground attack, I don’t see how they outscore Ole Miss. It’s been reported that true freshman Connor Wiegman will get the start for A&M, so perhaps he gives their offense a spark, but I’ll believe that when I see it. The problem with A&M’s offense isn’t the QB, its the offensive line and Jimbo’s scheme. At this point, I can’t trust A&M to score more than 24 points and that is something I trust Lane Kiffin to do.
#15 Ole Miss 27
Texas A&M 23
The Waco Kid: Texas A&M may be the best at having the worst offense in the SEC. They cover it up by playing the Alabamas of the world close games but the losses to teams like South Carolina, show the Aggies true colors. They are a pig in lipstick, you can hide it behind pretty colors but at the end of the day, it’s still an oinker. Ole Miss suffered their first loss of the season last week when they traveled to Death Valley to take on an LSU team that had found its identity. Not only did they show the true purple and geauxld but also exposed the Rebels for what they are…. A defensively poor football team whose potent offense sputters at the sight of competition that can actually pay their head and rub their belly at the same time. We all knew this was coming for Kiffin and the boys, we just were not sure what week they would begin their decline. Lucky for me I picked LSU to cover and do so handily against a Mississippi team that has not overly impressed throughout the season. A&M will have to give their defense some rest throughout the game if they have any chance at victory. That means offensively they must move the ball, sustain long drives, and actually score in the red zone which is a tall order for this squad. I’m tired of seeing Haynes King be less than subpar, I don’t care if he is a freshman, throw Weigman in there and see if he can light the fire. If not, what harm has been done? As of now he still has games to burn before he loses his redshirt and the Junction Boys are in dire need of a turnaround. I think the maroon and white get back on the track in College Station during this contest and begin to ride that train into a mediocre bowl game to end their season on a high note. Hell, the Texas Bowl is sounding real nice to Jimbo at this point. Ags by 12.
Texas A&M 32
#15 Ole Miss 20