Biscuits & SEC Week 13 game-by-game previews 2024
Week 13 could turn into trap week with intriguing games from noon to night.
By: Bossman, Hammer
The final two weeks of the season are upon us, and there’s a ton still to play for. This week can be seen as trap week because rivalry week is right around the corner and there’s some “sleepy” games that could end up being interesting, like Ole Miss at Florida, Alabama at Oklahoma, and Texas A&M at Auburn. Eat your Wheaties, it should be a fun Week 13.
Here’s how the crew fared in Week 12:
Waco Kid extended his lead against the spread, while Hammer extended his lead in the straight-up column. It’ll be a fun ride to the finish as everyone is within range of a win with bowl and playoff season still to go.
Let’s hit the previews.
Bossman: The stretch run of the season is when you want to be hitting your stride, and it looks like Ole Miss is doing just that. Since their nail-biter loss to LSU, the Rebs have won three straight, including the impressive win over Georgia. The offense feels like it’s found some firmer footing as well in recent weeks, and coming off a bye with Florida’s DJ Lagway set to play but still nursing injury, I think Ole Miss is able to win and cover here. I expect this absurdly talented front seven for the Rebs to create havoc in the Florida backfield against a limited Lagway.
#9 Ole Miss 37
Florida 16
Hammer: Florida is a different team with DJ Lagway, and this game is in The Swamp. But Ole Miss is playing too good of football to drop this game. Lagway’s legs still seem to be limited from his hamstring injury and I expect the Ole Miss front seven to be pressuring him all game. The Gator defense is also very vulnerable in the secondary and Jaxson Dart is getting his favorite target back in Tre Harris. Rebs are rolling right now and get the job done.
#9 Ole Miss 34
Florida 17
Waco Kid:
#9 Ole Miss 42
Florida 24
Bossman: Upset watch? Not happening. Another home game in Austin for the Longhorns against a down Kentucky team, I’ll take Texas. You have one of the best defenses in the country in Texas going up against one of the worst offenses in the SEC. I don’t see Brock Vandagriff finding much against this Horns defense. However, this line is a little much for me to take the Horns against the spread. Kentucky’s defense is middling, but they give up an average of just 19 points a game. I’ll take Texas to get a comfortable win, but Kentucky barely covers.
#3 Texas 34
Kentucky 16
Hammer: Kentucky is a bad football team this year. The Brock Vandagriff experiment has been a disappointment and the Wildcats struggle in many areas of the game. It seems like a blowout is coming in this one. That said, Kentucky has played their best opponents tough this year. In three games against top 10 opponents, Kentucky beat Ole Miss on the road, lost to Georgia by one at home, and lost to Tennessee by 10 in Neyland. Not too bad. I just don’t see it happening in this one. Texas has too many weapons and the Longhorns defense is very good. Give me Texas to take out another SEC bottom dweller.
#3 Texas 35
Kentucky 13
Waco Kid:
Kentucky 31
#3 Texas 24
Bossman: A few weeks ago, it looked like Mississippi State was starting to figure a few things out, and Michael Van Buren had it looking like the Bulldogs could jump up and get someone. Well, then they got the absolute tar beat out of them by Arkansas and Tennessee laid the wood on them too. It’s looking bleak for an SEC win in Starkville this season. I can’t believe Mizzou is still ranked, and I don’t think they’re a very good team this year. However, they have some fight in them, and with Brady Cook’s leadership, I don’t see the Tigers dropping this one to Mississippi State. Give me Mizzou to win and cover.
#23 Missouri 34
Mississippi State 24
Hammer: God bless the Mizzou and Mississippi State fans who watch this game. This game could be fun and entertaining, but it won’t be pretty. Mizzou is scrappy and they play hard, but they aren’t very good. And Mississippi State is very bad. The worst team in the SEC by far this season. That said, if Mississippi State is going to win a conference game this season, Mizzou is a team they could get. After a close, emotional loss on the road at South Carolina last week, traveling to a sleepy Starkville seems like an obvious letdown spot for Missouri. But Eli Drinkwitz and senior QB Brady Cook will have the team ready enough to get the win, but I’ll take the home underdog to cover.
#23 Missouri 34
Mississippi State 27
Waco Kid:
#23 Missouri 35
Mississippi State 10
Bossman: Since the loss to Tennessee, Alabama has seemingly righted the ship with three straight blowout wins, two of those being top-25 wins. Oklahoma’s season has continued to spiral, as they’ve lost four straight SEC games and four out of five. I think Oklahoma will be in wounded animal mode, looking to prove something, and I also don’t think Alabama’s defensive front is aggressive enough to exploit OU’s biggest weakness on the offensive line. The Sooners also have a solid defense, giving up just 109 rushing yards a game. Alabama has too much firepower for OU to pull off the upset, but I think they get a gritty cover here.
#7 Alabama 34
Oklahoma 24
Hammer: There is a small voice deep in the recesses of my mind that is telling me Oklahoma can rise up from the ashes of a burned season and make this a game. But it’s too faint to actually listen to. The Tide are rolling and should handle Oklahoma with ease here. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Oklahoma Memorial Stadium half-empty by the fourth quarter. Jalen Milroe and the Tide offense is rolling and Oklahoma’s offense is still incapable of doing anything of note. Roll Tide.
#7 Alabama 34
Oklahoma 14
Waco Kid:
#7 Alabama 41
Oklahoma 17
Bossman: Scary spot here for the Aggies. Most are writing Auburn off because of their record, but with the home-field advantage at night, and the history of this series being split dead even since A&M joined the SEC, Auburn has a real shot to knock off the Aggies who could be looking ahead to Texas. Auburn hasn’t played awful football this season, they just have a built-in self-destruct button like MI6 in a James Bond film. It’s also a tough spot for a young QB in Marcel Reed, who is a special talent but still has plenty to prove in the passing game. Expect Auburn to load the box and force the Aggies to beat them through the air. While I think Auburn matches up well here, that self-destruct button is why I’m going with A&M. The Aggies are more talented than Auburn, and the defense has been solid in forcing interceptions this season…and that’s the Tigers Achilles heel. The Aggies force a couple of turnovers in this one and grind out a tough win on the road.
#15 Texas A&M 27
Auburn 23
Hammer: Everyone has been talking about this matchup all week. It’s a tough spot for Texas A&M, and everyone has let them know how tough it is. Jordan-Hare at night against a rested Auburn team coming off a blowout win over UL Monroe. The Aggies are rested too, though. A bye week followed by an easy win over New Mexico State has been the Aggies' last two weeks. I think Mike Elko’s team is ready for the test here. My gut feeling for this game hinges on the expectation that Payton Thorne and Auburn will turn the ball over. I like A&M’s front seven and secondary to force a few Auburn turnovers in this one and help seal the win.
#15 Texas A&M 27
Auburn 20
Waco Kid:
#15 Texas A&M 41
Auburn 17
Bossman: Oh my…this is not the Vanderbilt of old, and this is not the LSU of yesteryear. The Commodores have a real shot to win this one, and if they do…? Let’s wait to see if they can pull it off, but if they do it would be Defcon 1 in Baton Rouge. The Tigers are reeling sitting at 6-4, their season essentially lost in terms of expectations. You can also bet that the Commodores will be walking in with some swagger, fully expecting to win this game. I’ve been hammering this all week, but I think it’s imperative that LSU gets off to a fast start. If they don’t get up on Vandy early, Vanderbilt could drag them into the mud playing ball control, and we could easily see a scenario where it’s 10-10 at halftime and a dogfight to the finish. The joker breaks the pool stick, only one walks out alive in hand-to-hand combat. I think LSU wins this one because of their talent on the outside and Garrett Nussmeier is able to get the ball to the playmakers enough to get past Vandy, but I expect it to be a knife fight to the finish.
LSU 28
Vanderbilt 24
Hammer: LSU can’t lose this game, right? I mean, if they lose to Vandy what happens? Is Brian Kelly safe? Will Baton Rouge still be standing by Monday? It would be catastrophic to lose at home to Vandy in this situation. Coming off three consecutive losses and a huge decommitment this past week, LSU needs a win in the worst way. I like the Vandy offense in this situation though. Their ball control offense and unique option-style rushing attack should work well against a Tigers defense that can’t stop the run to save their life. And Diego Pavia is the perfect type of QB to lead a team into a hostile environment. If LSU starts this game slow, I would expect boos to rain down from Death Valley and the fans to show their displeasure. All that said, I think LSU finds a way to win here. They have to find a way to win. I don’t think it will be pretty and no Tiger fan will feel great about it once it’s done, but they cannot lose this game. Nussmeier will make just enough plays in the end to squeak out a hard-fought win.
LSU 27
Vandy 24
Waco Kid:
LSU 28
Vanderbilt 17
