October has arrived, bringing with it cooler temps, shorter days—and a harsh reality for the SEC: Barely a month into the season, only three teams in the conference remain nationally relevant. Alabama is the best team in the country, and Georgia and Auburn both appear to be Top 10 material. Everybody else in the league—with the exception of Florida and Texas A&M—stinks.
It’s a crowded conference slate this week, but Georgia should handle Vanderbilt and the Kentucky/Missouri game seems about as inconsequential as it gets. Let’s tackle the other four.
Last week’s record: 4-0
Season record to date: 15-5
Saturday, October 7
LSU (3-2, 0-1)) at Florida (3-1, 3-0)
Is it possible that LSU could dismiss a coach mid-season for the second year in a row? Probably not, but Ed Orgeron could certainly use a win in Gainesville. Meanwhile, the Gators are quietly off to a 3-0 start in conference play; a win Saturday would virtually guarantee that the Georgia game at month’s end will once again decide the SEC East.
The Pick: Florida 20 LSU 14
Arkansas (2-2, 0-1)) at South Carolina (3-2, 1-2)
South Carolina has sputtered after a strong start, and the offense is in dire straits without Deebo Samuel. Still, this one is at home, and Jake Bentley is pretty good.
The Pick: South Carolina 24 Arkansas 21
Alabama (5-0, 2-0) at Texas A&M (4-1, 2-0)
It’s a couple of weeks earlier than usual, but the Aggies’ annual late-season swoon may be about to begin. [A road trip to Florida follows this one.] True freshman quarterback Kellen Mond is an athlete, Christian Kirk is the most dynamic player in the SEC and…ahh, who are we kidding? You know where this is headed.
The Pick: Alabama 41 Texas A&M 17
Ole Miss (2-2, 0-1) at Auburn (4-1, 2-0)
Auburn’s defense has allowed 14 points or less in every game thus far and in 12 of 18 games dating back to the start of last season. Coordinator Kevin Steele deserves a lot of credit for getting the most out of a talented unit.
On the other side of the ball, an Auburn offense that reached train-wreck status against Clemson has now scored a total of 100 points in its first two SEC games, with Jarrett Stidham completing 79 percent of his passes and averaging an absurd 14.6 yards per attempt. Those numbers shouldn’t take a hit against an Ole Miss defense that was barely there in Tuscaloosa.
The Pick: Auburn 37 Ole Miss 17
