B&S Week 7 game-by-game previews 2023
Another week of SEC on SEC violence. Bring it on.
By: Bossman Slim, Hammer
Neyland Stadium will be rocking at 3:30 ET when the Vols take on Texas A&M.
We’ve got a slate chock full of SEC games this week. Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and we have some desperate teams out there that need a win in the worst way.
Before we dive in, let’s check in on how the crew has fared through six weeks:
Hammer took over the leaderboard last week after Bossman went heavy on the upsets and got burned.
Let’s make some picks.
Bossman Slim: Snooze. The noon slate this week has a few slightly interesting games, but this is not one of them. Georgia is rounding into form after dismantling Kentucky limb for limb, while Vanderbilt is the wounded gazelle being hunted by a lion. And there’s no escaping the beatdown coming their way. The last time Georgia lost to Vanderbilt was in 2016. Since that game, the average margin of victory for the Bulldogs has been 40 and Vanderbilt has been outscored 200-33. Tomorrow will be no different. AJ Swann may or may not be available, which means it’s likely Ken Seals manning the helm of a ship taking on water with a 30-foot swell on the horizon. Georgia smothers and covers.
#1 Georgia 52
Vanderbilt 7
Hammer: I have remained steadfast in my prediction that Vandy would not win an SEC game this fall. Unfortunately for Vandy fans, they have been even worse than I thought. It’s been easy to stick to my guns because Vanderbilt keeps losing big. Through seven games, the Commodores are 2-5 overall and they have lost five in a row. They have yet to keep a game within two scores against a Power 5 opponent. It’s not good in Nashville right now, and Georgia seems to have found their rhythm. Carson Beck is playing great football for the Dawgs, and although this Georgia team might not be quite as good as the 2022 or 2021 teams, they are dang good. Georgia rolls this weekend and the Dawgs will take over Nashville.
#1 Georgia 42
Vanderbilt 9
Waco Kid:
#1 Georgia 45
Vanderbilt 10
Bossman Slim: If the Hogs haven’t been led to the slaughter yet, they will be this weekend. Arkansas limps into their showdown on the road at Alabama needing a win badly. Meanwhile, the Tide are riding high and gaining confidence after their hard-fought win over Texas A&M in Kyle Field last week. Alabama’s defense looks like some of the vaunted units of the past, employing the boa constrictor method on opponents. Their pass rush overwhelmed the Aggies last week, causing havoc all day. A&M’s offensive line is decent, while Arkansas’s has left much to be desired all season, giving up 23 sacks and 47 TFLs. Not great, Bob. We all saw what A&M’s defensive line did to this Arkansas front (7 sacks, 15 TFLs, the most from an Arkansas line since 2001), and I expect more of the same from this stout Bama front. Give me the Tide, but Arkansas covers.
#11 Alabama 31
Arkansas 17
Hammer: Poor Arkansas. The Hogs are down bad right now after losing four games in a row, and now they have to play Alabama on the road. Things are getting testy in Fayetteville for Sam Pittman and despite the fact that the Hogs are three-score underdogs, fans want wins. It ain’t coming this weekend though. Alabama looks like they have figured some things out offensively and their defense is one of the best in the entire country. Jalen Milroe had a career day last weekend against Texas A&M and the Aggies have a much better defense than Arkansas. Milroe is far from a finished product but it's clear that Tommy Rees has had a better plan for him the last few weeks, once he was solidified as the starter. I expect Alabama to be able to run the ball in this one and find a decent rhythm offensively. On defense, Alabama’s front seven is going to manhandle a weak Razorback offensive line and KJ Jefferson will be running for his life again. Given the size of the number, I think Arkansas can cover but the result of this one will never be in doubt.
#11 Alabama 34
Arkansas 17
Waco Kid:
#11 Alabama 38
Arkansas 24
Bossman Slim: I think Texas A&M only plays in toss-up games. With the talent on the roster, the Aggies can beat anyone on any given Saturday, but they have some fatal flaws, which is why Vegas consistently puts their games at 3 points or fewer margins. People have been talking about it all week, the matchup here is strength on strength. A&M boasts the top rush defense in the SEC, giving up just 84 yards per game on the ground, while Tennessee has the top rushing offense in the conference putting up 235 YPG behind Jaylen Wright, Jabari Small, and Dylan Sampson. I expect A&M to load the box and make Joe Milton beat them with his arm. That was their plan against A&M, and Jalen Milroe was able to take advantage of mismatches in the secondary. Can Joe Milton do the same? A matchup that hasn’t been given as much attention is Tennessee’s defensive front vs. this A&M O-line. I think the Vols, who have 22 sacks this season, will be able to affect Max Johnson for much of the day. I expect a nail-biter in Neyland, but I’m taking the Aggies in a close one. They’re due for a top-25 road win.
Texas A&M 27
#19 Tennessee 24
Hammer: This is the most impactful game on the slate this weekend. Tennessee needs a win to stay in the SEC East hunt, and with games against Alabama and Georgia looming, the Vols need to get a win at home here. Meanwhile, Texas A&M has a lot of external factors working against them here. They are reeling after the home loss to Alabama and have to take their show on the road to 100,000 screaming Vol fans with Tennessee coming off a bye. Not to mention that Texas A&M has lost seven straight road games. If this game was played 10 times on a neutral field, I think the Aggies would win a majority of them, but that’s not how college football works. I simply don’t trust this Aggie team to go into a hostile environment and beat a good team. I expect it to be close and the A&M front seven will keep them in this game, but we’ve seen this movie so many times before. The Aggies will be in a tight game and shoot themselves in the foot with untimely penalties and turnovers. The Vols front seven will be able to take advantage of a leaky A&M offensive line and should be in Max Johnson’s face all afternoon, hence why I’m worried about A&M turning the ball over. Plus, Joe Milton can take advantage of the A&M secondary. Milton is not nearly as accurate and deadly as Hendon Hooker, but Josh Heupel will dial up a handful of shot plays and I don’t think A&M will be able to cover. All Milton needs to do is connect on one or two of those big-shot plays and the Vols will get out with a hard-fought, close win.
#19 Tennessee 24
Texas A&M 23
Waco Kid:
#19 Tennessee 38
Texas A&M 45
Bossman Slim: Vegas is favoring the Gamecocks because of Sandstorm. Spencer Rattler has been getting plenty of hype for his play this season, even though he’s been behind the worst offensive line in the SEC. Graham Mertz has quietly been one of the more consistent QBs in the conference, even if it hasn’t translated to as many wins as Gators fans have hoped for. With the steady play of Mertz and the Gators defense, I like Florida in this game. The only time Florida has been gashed this year was against Kentucky, who ran all over the Gators two weeks ago. That won’t happen this week, as the Gamecocks are the worst rushing team in the SEC, which means it will once again be on the shoulders of Spencer Rattler, who will be without Juice Wells for the third straight week. On offense, the Gators are licking their chops with Trevor Etienne back in the lineup and a South Carolina rush defense that is near the bottom of the barrel. I think Graham Mertz and co. hit a few big plays and Trevor Etienne/Montrell Johnson have over 150 yards as the Gators win by a TD.
Florida 31
South Carolina 24
Hammer: I don't know what to do with this game. At first, the line made me think the wrong team was favored. I know it’s at home, but does anyone trust South Carolina to cover a spread against an SEC team? I don’t….but at the same time, Florida has been horrendous on the road under Billy Napier. They got punked by Utah without a QB and Kentucky made their defense look like Swiss cheese in their only two true road games this year. The Gamecocks are coming off a bye as well, so they’ve been preparing for the Gators since the end of September. I think Florida is probably the better team here, but I’ll ride with a desperate Gamecock team at home. I’m going to need some Spencer Rattler heroics to pull it out, but he’s more than capable. Plus, I don’t trust Florida to play a clean game on the road like I said. I’ll take South Carolina to win a close one but I hate it.
South Carolina 27
Florida 24
Waco Kid:
South Carolina 56
Florida 35
Bossman Slim: LSU’s defense is terrible, but lucky for them, Auburn’s offense is one dimensional. Auburn is coming off a bye week so they’ll be rested, but this Auburn team is not going into Death Valley at night and coming out with a win. LSU’s offense is just too good right now and can outscore just about anyone in the country. The worry for them is being outscored, but this Auburn team doesn’t have the horses to do that. I expect Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers, and Brian Thomas Jr. to have their typical field day, and Auburn is just not a team that is built to play from behind or outscore opponents. I’ll take the Bayou Bengals to cover.
#22 LSU 45
Auburn 28
Hammer: I’m still unsure of what to make of LSU as a team, but I feel confident I know what their offense can do. I’m also confident that Auburn isn’t very good. LSU has one of the worst secondaries in the country, but Auburn can’t throw the football. Their only offense is running with both QBs and running backs. I think they can move the ball decently well in this game, just like they did against Georgia but it won’t be enough. I respect Auburn’s defense and know how hard it is to keep playing solid football when your offense is abysmal. They won’t be able to keep up with LSU for four quarters though. Jayden Daniels is playing too well right now to lose a home game to Auburn, and there are too many weapons on the Bayou Bengal offense. I’m taking LSU to win and cover.
#22 LSU 34
Auburn 21
Waco Kid:
#22 LSU 45
Auburn 31
Bossman Slim: My Mizzou upset pick of LSU didn’t hit last week…but it was darn close. The Tigers went punch for punch with LSU until the final minutes, ultimately shooting themselves in the foot. That doesn’t mean I’ve lost faith in my pick that Mizzou would finish above .500 and climb the pack in the SEC East. In fact, I have more faith than ever that this is a solid team. Kentucky, I’m not as sure about. The puzzling struggles of Devin Leary continue to be a concern, so much so that Mark Stoops has been openly questioning his QB which is a rare sight. Mizzou will be ready for a bounce-back game and I think they’ll do everything in their power to take away the threat of Ray Davis and make Leary prove that he can live up to his offseason hype. Kentucky has weapons on the outside, but they’ve been criminally underutilized this season, and I don’t think they can do enough to beat a Mizzou offense that is red-hot. Give me the Gold and Black to pick up a big win on the road.
Missouri 38
#24 Kentucky 31
Hammer: Put up or shut up weekend for both of these teams. Last weekend they were both 5-0 with big-time games on the docket. Mizzou lost a heartbreaking shootout at home to LSU and Kentucky got blown up into oblivion on the road at Georgia. The Wildcats got embarrassed last weekend and thankfully get to come back home to Lexington to lick their wounds this week. If this game was in Colombia, I would take Mizzou. But similar to what I said about A&M, losing a heartbreaker at home and then going on the road to a hostile environment is tough to do. I really like this Mizzou team and what Eli Dirnkwitz has done so far this year, but are they all of the sudden a team I trust to get a win on the road in this situation? No, they aren’t. All Kentucky needs to do is get Ray Davis going and they will win. It can’t be left up to Devin Leary cause he doesn’t have it right now. He used to have it at NC State but he ain’t got it now. The Wildcats are a running team and I think they can run it with just enough success to find a win here, but it's going to be close.
#24 Kentucky 34
Missouri 31
Waco Kid:
#24 Kentucky 20
Missouri 17