Week 7 Record: (4-2)
Overall: (51-14)
Alabama proved to be in a class of its own with a blowout victory over Tennessee on the road. Vanderbilt pulled off the upset over Georgia while Florida dominated Missouri, leaving the SEC East race between the Volunteers and the Gators. The SEC West race reaches its peak this week with three ranked matchups, highlighted by the heavyweight clash of Texas A&M and Alabama.
Teams with a bye week: Florida, Georgia, Tennessee.
UMass at South Carolina (12 p.m., SEC Network)
South Carolina is set to return from its bye week by hosting UMass on Saturday. The Gamecocks hope to break their current three-game losing streak with an improved offense against the Minutemen.
Many questions surround the quarterback position as the battle wages on between Perry Orth, Brandon McIlwain and now Jake Bentley. Orth played the entire game two weeks ago against Georgia and posted a solid 288 yards passing. McIlwain has struggled in his time on the field this season, while Bentley has seen an increase in reps at practice this week.
The Gamecocks need to improve their running game behind either A.J. Turner or Rico Dowdle. The Minutemen have the unfortunate claim to one of the nation's worst defenses and gave up nearly 700 yards to Louisiana Tech last week. If the Gamecocks are ever going to improve on offense, this will be the week it happens.
The South Carolina secondary has been a much-improved group in 2016. The Gamecocks rank 14th in the FBS and second in the SEC in passing yards allowed per game. However, the weakness of the defense comes in the run game, where they rank dead last in the SEC and were demolished by Georgia in their latest showing.
UMass will need its backfield to have a big game against the Gamecocks and should feed tailback Marquis Young many carries in order to compete on the road.
The Pick: South Carolina 34, UMass 14
The Gamecocks' offense should find more success against UMass. On defense, the secondary will lock down the Minutemen receivers, allowing defensive lineman Darius English to disrupt the UMass backfield.
No. 6 Texas A&M at No. 1 Alabama (3:30 p.m., CBS)
Texas A&M was fortunate enough to enjoy its bye week before now facing Alabama in an SEC West showdown on Saturday. The Aggies' extra week of preparation should help them manage fatigue as the game progresses.
Trevor Knight will need to utilize his talented receiving core led by Christian Kirk to exploit the Alabama secondary. The Aggies will likely need to depend on the passing game as the Tide have the top-ranked rushing defense in the nation. Pulling off the upset will require a balanced attack from the Aggies, and Trayveon Williams must have a solid day on the ground.
The key for the Texas A&M defense will be to stop Alabama’s dynamic quarterback Jalen Hurts. Defensive lineman Myles Garrett will play a big role in disrupting the Alabama offense and will likely draw double teams for most of the game.
The Alabama offense hopes to keep rolling like it did a week ago against Tennessee. The Tide posted 438 yards on the ground and were driven by big game from Hurts and the running back duo of Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough against the Vols. They will look to their offensive line to dominate the trenches and keep the ball on the ground to beat the Aggies.
The Pick: Alabama 37, Texas A&M 32
If Alabama gets another non-offensive touchdown this week they will be hard to beat. The defense will once again step up and shut down the Aggies high-powered rushing attack to remain undefeated.
Middle Tennessee at Missouri (4 p.m., SEC Network)
Missouri returns home limping after a brutal beatdown on the road against Florida.
The Drew Lock we saw in the early part of the season has seemingly disappeared, and so has the Tigers' offense. Lock struggled mightily against the Gators, completing only four passes. He and the Missouri offense must get back on track against the Blue Raiders and will need to establish a running game with their freshman back Damarea Crockett.
The Missouri defense will be faced with a tough task in stopping Middle Tennessee quarterback Brent Stockstill. The Blue Raiders have a top-five passing offense and will look to find the holes in the Tigers' secondary. Running back I’Tavius Mathers needs to succeed in the running game to give the Blue Raiders a balanced attack.
The Middle Tennessee defense will need to force turnovers and get big plays from their special teams. If the Blue Raiders win the turnover battle, they have a real shot at beating the Tigers.
The Pick: Missouri 38, Middle Tennessee 27
Crockett played well against Florida and will continue his success this week. Lock will regain enough confidence to push Missouri past Middle Tennessee.
No. 17 Arkansas at No. 21 Auburn (6 p.m., ESPN)
Arkansas takes to the road to face Auburn after a big win over Ole Miss.
Austin Allen threw for three touchdowns in the upset last week and will need a similar performance against Auburn. Rawleigh Williams III is coming off a brilliant game against the Rebels and will face a tough Auburn defensive line led by Carl Lawson. For the Razorbacks to beat the Tigers, the offensive line must win the battle in the trenches to give Allen time to throw and allow Williams holes to run through.
Arkansas’ defense will need to shift gears from last week’s game against Ole Miss. The Rebels' attack is centered on quarterback Chad Kelly and the passing game, but Auburn features an explosive running game led by Kerryon Johnson.
Johnson plays against the Razorbacks after getting dinged up a bit last week against Ole Miss. Kamryn Pettway has also proved to be a force in the Tigers' backfield and will challenge the Arkansas defense.
Auburn’s defense has been surprisingly stingy in the passing game, yielding just a shade below 200 yards per game. Putting pressure on Allen and stopping Williams will be the Hogs' main goal on Saturday.
The Pick: Arkansas 35, Auburn 24
The Razorbacks' offense is clicking on all cylinders and will be too much for Auburn’s defense to handle. While Arkansas’ defense hasn’t been great, they will be able to step up and make enough plays to contain the Tigers' backfield.
Mississippi State at Kentucky (7:30 p.m., SEC Network)
Mississippi State suffered a bitter road loss to BYU in double overtime last Friday.
Despite the loss, there were a few signs of improvement for the Bulldogs. Nick Fitzgerald was able to hit a few big plays including a 44-yard touchdown pass to receiver Keith Mixon. Running back Aeris Williams stepped up in the absence of Brandon Holloway and managed a decent game against the Cougars last week. Holloway is questionable for the matchup against Kentucky, so Williams will need to be ready to put in a solid performance.
The Bulldogs' defense held the Cougars' offense in check for most of the game last Friday. This week, the unit is faced with the task of stopping Kentucky’s deep backfield.
The Wildcats use four different running backs regularly and will be able to keep fresh legs on the field for most of the game. Quarterback Stephen Johnson will need to improve on his performance from two weeks ago against Vanderbilt, where he threw just 49 yards.
On defense, the Wildcats have made massive strides since early in the season. Shutting down Fitzgerald and forcing Mississippi State to turn to the run game is essential for the Wildcats to get the victory.
The Pick: Mississippi State 30, Kentucky 21
The Bulldogs' defense will shut down the Kentucky pass attack en route to a road win in Lexington, Kentucky. Fitzgerald’s dual-threat ability will separate the Bulldogs late in the game.
Tennessee State at Vanderbilt (7:30 p.m., ESPNU)
Vanderbilt was dominated by Georgia a week ago, and the offense appeared to be even worse than in previous weeks. However, the Commodores managed to outscore the Bulldogs 17-16 in an upset victory.
Special teams boosted the Commodores to the win over Georgia and will need to do the same in the coming weeks to keep winning. Ralph Webb continues to be the workhorse as Kyle Shurmur has been unable to get the passing game going. Webb was Vanderbilt’s leading rusher and receiver last week and is poised for a big game against Tennessee State.
Vanderbilt’s defense has been the stronghold for the team. This week, they will look to contain Tennessee State’s offense, which is led by quarterback Ronald Butler.
Butler and the Tigers will look for a way to overcome the Commodores size and athleticism and pull of the FCS-over-FBS upset.
The Pick: Vanderbilt 24, Tennessee State 17
The Commodores aren’t going to blow anyone off the field. Tennessee State’s defense has a shot at making this game very interesting in the fourth quarter.
No. 23 Ole Miss at No. 25 LSU (9 p.m., ESPN)
Ole Miss is looking to rebound after a tough loss to Arkansas a week ago. The Rebels will enter perhaps the most hostile environment in the country Saturday night as they travel to Death Valley for a night game against LSU.
Quarterback Chad Kelly is hoping for a better performance against the Tigers than he had last week. Kelly’s completion rate against Arkansas was under 50 percent for the first time this season.
However, Kelly was not entirely to blame for the loss. The Rebels once again failed to establish a decent running game behind Akeem Judd. In fact, Kelly led the team in rushing with 89 yards and two touchdowns. LSU will once again make it tough for the Rebels to run the ball against their physical defense.
The LSU defense has been stellar all season long. The group ranks fourth in the FBS and second in the SEC in scoring defense. Their game plan is take away the pass and force the Rebels to beat them on the ground.
The Tigers expect to get Leonard Fournette back this week. His return would only reinforce a dynamic backfield that has excelled through the play of Derrius Guice.
The Pick: LSU 33, Ole Miss 24
The home field advantage will aid LSU in another victory. Danny Etling will continue to be efficient and let the backfield carry the Tigers' offense.