B&S Week 13 game-by-game previews 2023
It’s here. Rivalry Week. The final week of the regular season. It all comes down to this weekend. Will we get chaos? I sure hope so. We need some shakeup at the top of the polls and rivalry week has that kind of potential. While the country sits at home and watches copious amounts of football between eating Thanksgiving food and napping, the players, coaches, and teams will be laying it all on the line. It’s bittersweet that it’s the final week of the regular season, but it’s also my favorite week of the season. Good food, family, friends, and the most heated rivals going at it for three consecutive days in college football. The pinnacle has arrived, soak it in.
With so many big-time games this weekend, it's possible there will be some big movement on the picks leaderboard but the only crown still up for grabs is likely the straight-up race between Bossman and the Hammer. May the best man win. For The Waco Kid, better luck next year.
Thursday
Bossman Slim: On paper, Mississippi State stands no chance against a top #15 Ole Miss team while they have criminally underperformed this season. But this is the Egg Bowl, one of those games in college football lore where you just have to throw everything out the window because the weirdest things can happen. It’s also in Starkvegas at night, which is worth a few points for the Bulldogs. In years past, we’ve seen some nasty rain impact the game, but for this one, it looks like it will be a crisp 60 degrees and clear. Will Rogers is back for the Bulldogs, which also helps. Here’s the problem. Mississippi State’s defense is atrocious, and they have an interim coach leading them against a head coach who has had his team in the top 10 at some point during the season for three straight years. I don’t think you need to get too far in the weeds on this one. Mississippi State is down considerably, even with Will Rogers back and healthy, while Ole Miss is surging. The Rebels win and cover, getting Kiffin to his second 10-win season in three years.
#12 Ole Miss 45
Mississippi State 21
Hammer: Am I missing something here? Why is the line just 9.5? Sure I know it’s in Starkville and I know it’s a rivalry game, but unless Ole Miss lays a complete egg (pun intended) this game shouldn't be close. Mississippi State is not a good team, fired their coach and have been blown out in the majority of their conference games this year. I guess Ole Miss might be down after the loss to Georgia a few weeks ago but I’m not buying into that. I think Lane Kiffin will have this team ready to roll, vying for their tenth win. I expect Jaxson Dart and Quinshon Judkins will both have big games as the Rebs cake walk to a dub. All they need to do is start fast and Mississippi State will crumble.
#12 Ole Miss 35
Mississippi State 17
The Waco Kid:
#12 Ole Miss 42
Mississippi State 17
Friday
Bossman Slim: Another game that could be interesting, but the odds are on it being a blowout. Arkansas loves Sam Pittman, but the team is on the verge of checking out if they haven’t already. The team isn’t going bowling, and they can only play spoiler to rival Mizzou, who will be going to a solid bowl game, it just depends on which one. Win, and you likely are locked into a New Year's Six bowl. Lose, and you fall to tier three. I think Arkansas will be up for this game, but it won’t be enough. Cody “Shredder,” Brady Cook and Luther Burden are too much to handle for this Razorbacks defense who gave up 48 to freakin’ Auburn. I see a blowout coming, though Arkansas hangs around for a half before Mizzou finishes them off.
#9 Missouri 38
Arkansas 20
Hammer: Although Arkansas fans see themselves as far superior to Missouri for some reason, the Tigers have dominated this series since joining the SEC. Since 2014, Missouri has beaten Arkansas in the “Battle Line” (weak name) rivalry seven out of nine times. They dominate Arkansas and that won’t change this weekend. Arkansas basically mailed it in weeks ago against Mississippi State when they lost 7-3 at home. Sure, they rebounded off the bye week to take down Florida in The Swamp but then followed it up by getting blown out at home to an Auburn team that just lost 31-10 to New Mexico State. It’s been a disastrous year in Fayetteville and the Hogs are ready to be done. Missouri, on the other hand, is having an incredible season and will finish the regular season with 10 wins if they can get the dub on Friday. They will. Brady Cook, Cody Schrader, and Luther Burden are going to eviscerate the Razorbacks weak defense. I know Sam Pittman is coming back for another year next year, but I think they get blown out and end the season on a really bad note.
#9 Missouri 41
Arkansas 17
The Waco Kid:
Arkansas 24
#9 Missouri 21
Saturday
Bossman Slim: Last year, LSU had locked up a berth in the SEC Championship game before playing a 4-7 Texas A&M team in College Station, and it looked like the Tigers could waltz to a ten win regular season and shore things up before their matchup with mighty Georgia. Instead, the Aggies put on a show, as freshman third-string QB Conner Weigman burst onto the scene and blew out the Tigers by two touchdowns, 38-23. Weigman has been injured since Week 4, and the Aggies are again on their third-string QB heading into this week’s rivalry game, and now they’ve fired Jimbo Fisher as well. On the Tigers sideline, they aren’t going to be playing for an SEC title this year, but they are playing to solidify Jayden Daniels Heisman chances. Texas A&M is one of the better defenses that LSU has faced this year, and the Tigers have struggled against the better defenses they’ve faced such as Alabama and Florida State to begin the year. The Aggies do have a fatal weakness, though, that gets covered up by their stellar defensive line: the secondary. If Jayden Daniels can get the ball out quickly and keep the Aggies honest in scramble drills, the Tigers should be able to do whatever they want on offense. I think that’s exactly what will happen. LSU’s defense also has multiple fatal flaws, and I think the Aggies will be able to score, but with a third-string QB making his third college start, I don’t think they have enough firepower to keep up with the Tigers. LSU wins and covers to lock up Jayden Daniels’ Heisman.
#15 LSU 38
Texas A&M 24
Hammer: Last year, an SEC West champion LSU played a terrible 4-7 A&M team with a true freshman QB and got beat soundly, 38-23. Could we see a similar outcome this year? No, I don’t see it. The Aggies are limping into this game with their third-string QB and just two weeks after Jimbo Fisher was fired. They are currently 7-4, so a far better team than last year but the odds are stacked against them here. This game is in Baton Rouge and LSU has Jayden Daniels squarely in the Heisman race. If he wins this game and puts up big numbers, which is certainly possible against this A&M secondary, then the Heisman is likely his. Aside from what is on the line for Daniels, Malik Nabers just needs 144 yards to become LSU’s all-time leading receiver. The players and staff at LSU are fully aware of this stuff and I expect them to really try to run it up on A&M. Now, the Aggie defense is still salty, especially up front. I think they could give LSU’s offense some fits and keep this game in check, but ultimately there are too many weapons for LSU and A&M won’t be able to keep pace with their third-string QB making his first road start.
#15 LSU 42
Texas A&M 31
The Waco Kid:
Texas A&M 42
#15 LSU 37
Bossman Slim: O’ Brother, where art thou offense? Kentucky’s offense has been anemic for much of the year, scoring just 24.8 PPG in SEC play. If you add in the Akron, Eastern Kentucky, and Ball State games, their average jumps just three points to 27.7 PPG, good for 10th in the SEC. That’s not what Wildcat fans expected at the start of the year with a loaded receiver room and Devin Leary and Ray Davis transferring in. While many expected Kentucky to be an 8-4 or 9-3 type team, they seemed destined for a disappointing 6-6 season. Arch-rival Louisville, on the other hand, is experiencing one of the best one-year turnarounds in recent memory under favored son Jeff Brohm. Ex-Louisville coach Scott Satterfield left for Cincinnati in the offseason after having the Cardinals at a middling 8-5 and with two losing seasons in the two years prior. Brohm has taken that so-so Cardinals team and turned them into a 10-1 top-10 contender who has a chance to win the ACC. I just don’t trust Kentucky this year, especially against a Louisville defense that is second in the ACC and only gives up 18.4 PPG. Give me the Cardinals, but Kentucky covers.
#10 Louisville 28
Kentucky 23
Hammer: Hand up, I really haven’t watched much Louisville football this season. They have somehow managed to make it to 10-1 at this point (dang ACC schedule), but are they actually any good? I’m not convinced. Problem is, I have watched Kentucky and I know they aren’t very good. But guess what? I’m calling for chaos against my better judgment. Kentucky is coming off a poor performance against South Carolina and expecting them to go on the road against a top 10 team and win is foolish. But this is college football and it's rivalry week. I think Kentucky can match up with Louisville physically, and I think Leary finishes with a strong game. I know Ray Davis will be playing his tail off and I think he will make a big impact in this one. I’m riding with the Wildcats to cover and pull off a shocking upset.
Kentucky 30
#10 Louisville 27
The Waco Kid:
#10 Louisville 35
Kentucky 24
Bossman Slim: I would love to say I have hope for this one to be a great game, but I’m not sipping the Barner Kool-Aid this year. I know that Bryan Harsin (sorry for mentioning He Who Must Not Be Named, Auburn fans) had a dismal Auburn team take Bryce Young and the #3 Tide to the wire in 2021 at Jordan-Hare, but I don’t think this team will be able to do much against a Crimson Tide team that has really come on in recent weeks. In games against dual-threat QBs this year, Auburn has had a lot of difficulty, allowing Jayden Daniels to go off and Jaxson Dart to have a day as well. I think that makes the outlook for Jalen Milroe and this Alabama offense “green lights” as Matthew McConaughey would say. Alabama, big.
#8 Alabama 44
Auburn 17
Hammer: I know about the history of this rivalry and having wild things happen when the game takes place at Jordan-Hare. That ain’t happening this year though. Auburn losing to New Mexico State by 21 points last weekend might not have been the best thing for Bama, who knows but even if Auburn comes out with their hair on fire, they won’t be able to hang in this one. The Alabama defense is too good. Payton Thorne and Auburn won’t be able to move the ball consistently enough. Jarquez Hunter has been playing good football (outside of the NMSU game) but good luck trying to run on Alabama. On the other side, Jalen Milroe has figured it out. He is playing great football and the Alabama offense is as explosive as any outfit in the country. Matchup-wise, Auburn is very susceptible to explosive plays so I think we’ll see Jalen Milroe and the Alabama wideouts get loose here. Bama rolls and covers.
#8 Alabama 38
Auburn 13
The Waco Kid:
#8 Alabama 48
Auburn 20
Bossman Slim: Broken record here, Vanderbilt is bad. Very bad. I want Clark Lea to get this thing going, but it’s going to take another year at the very least to see improvement. Tennessee isn’t a great football team either, and their top 25 ranking is a bit suspect, but they are talented. The Vols are hobbled by injuries, but it won’t matter as Tennessee’s talent is just too much for Vanderbilt to handle.
#21 Tennessee 38
Vanderbilt 17
Hammer: At this point of the season, I’m sick of even having to preview a game involving Vandy. They are going to lose to Tennessee and go winless in the SEC this year. For Tennessee, just be thankful that you get to play Vanderbilt every year and take care of business after a disappointing finish to the season.
#21 Tennessee 42
Vanderbilt 14
The Waco Kid:
#21 Tennessee 38
Vanderbilt 10
Bossman Slim: This one should be fun. Really sad to see Jordan Travis go down last week after he was having a solid season for the Seminoles, as well as Graham Mertz for the Gators. I feel for them, but in football, it’s next man up. That pits Florida’s Max Brown against FSU’s Tate Rodemaker, two relative unknowns to this point. To me, with two wildcards at QB who have seen very limited snaps, that tosses this ballgame up in the air. Florida State has playoff implications on the line, while Florida is just looking to spoil a rivals’ season, notch a top 5 win, and get some recruiting momentum. This is my issue with picking the UF upset: the FSU defense is statistically the best Florida has faced all year save Georgia. That does not bode well for a young QB to pop up and get a win. I think this FSU defense does enough to keep the Gators offense in check and the ‘Noles offense scrapes by, saving their shot at the College Football Playoff.
#5 Florida State 26
Florida 17
Hammer: This game is going to be interesting. Sadly, both teams will be without their starting QBs as Jordan Travis suffered a horrific leg injury a week ago and Graham Mertz fractured his collarbone. So we get to see former three-star Max Brown make his first start for Florida and another former three-star in Tate Rodemaker start for FSU. Rodemaker is a redshirt junior and has seen far more playing time in mop-up and injury relief duty over the years than Brown. My question is how big will the impact of losing Travis be on FSU? Obviously, they will miss his playmaking ability, but he was the unquestioned leader of that team. When the heart and soul get injured like that, sometimes teams will crumble. Having to go play a rivalry game in The Swamp a week later seems like the perfect place for a big-time letdown. If Mertz was playing, I think I’d pick Florida to win this outright, but I simply can’t trust Max Brown yet. The Gators play much better at home than on the road and this place will be rocking for a night game against FSU. I like the Gators to play hard, physical, and keep it close but I don’t think Brown will be able to do enough for the Gators to pull out the win. I’ll take FSU in a close one.
#5 Florida State 24
Florida 21
The Waco Kid:
Florida 28
#5 Florida State 24
Bossman Slim: This hasn’t been a rivalry for sometime, though I know that Yellow Jackets fans and folks in Georgia will still say the juice is there for this to be a rivalry (except for the results on the field). This one has been seriously lopsided since 1990, with Georgia leading the series in that timeframe 25-7. The Dawgs have also won five straight. That won’t change this weekend. Georgia has too much firepower and although GT is improved, they have no shot in this game.
#1 Georgia 41
Georgia Tech 20
Hammer: Just like Tennessee, Georgia should be very thankful every Thanksgiving that they get to play Georgia Tech during rivalry week. This will be yet another blowout in this lopsided rivalry. Not going to waste much time on it. The Dawgs are playing great football and will wreck the poor old Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech.
#1 Georgia 42
Georgia Tech 17
The Waco Kid:
#1 Georgia 48
Georgia Tech 13
Bossman Slim: Gamecocks fans have been talking a lot smack on Twitter, still high on their own supply after knocking off their heated rival last year in Memorial Stadium. This year, they get “Climpson” in Williams-Brice in a night game, the Gamecocks specialty. I mean, did you see that unedited intro video they put out last week? A work of art. Check it out below. Here’s the deal: I think Clemson is the better team and they're out for revenge. The Tigers have worked their way back into the top 25 after some head-scratching losses earlier in the year. Clemson has won three straight, two of those against top 25 teams, and held all three of those teams under 23 points. Clemson is going to score against this South Carolina defense, so the Gamecocks need to be able to keep up and get just enough stops to win. The Tigers rank second in the ACC in picks, and I think they get 1-2 turnovers that are the difference in the game. At the end of the day, I think this Clemson team has steadied themselves after taking a few shots to the face earlier this year, while South Carolina still has holes all over the field. If the Gamecocks are to win, it’s going to be behind a heroic effort from Spencer Rattler and Xavier Legette, but give me the Tigers.
#24 Clemson 30
South Carolina 21
Hammer: South Carolina won this game last year and comes into this matchup on a three-game win streak. In a disappointing year in Columbia, closing the year on a four-game win streak and beating arch-rival Clemson would restore the good vibes for Shane Beamer. Ain’t gonna happen though. Dabo called his shot a few weeks ago and screamed after the Tiger’s win over Notre Dame that “If Clemson's a stock, you better buy all you freaking can buy right now.” Including the Notre Dame win, Dabo’s team has won three in a row and is playing better football than they did early in the year. They still have a lot of talent although things haven’t broken their way and they have been incredibly mistake prone. Those mistakes could rear their ugly head again here in a hostile Williams-Brice stadium, but I trust the Clemson defense to keep Spencer Rattler and the Gamecocks under wraps for the most part. I also think Clemson will be able to run the ball effectively here and control the game. I’ll take Clemson to exact their revenge for last season’s loss.
#24 Clemson 31
South Carolina 21
The Waco Kid:
#24 Clemson 38
South Carolina 34