Week 8 Record: (4-3)
Overall: (55-17)
Alabama yet again proved its dominance by dismantling Texas A&M last week. With the Crimson Tide on a bye week, the focus turns to Jacksonville, where Florida and Georgia square off in a crucial SEC East matchup on Saturday. Auburn will look to keep rolling after its blowout win of Arkansas as it travels to Oxford, Mississippi, to take on Ole Miss.
Teams with a bye week: Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, Vanderbilt
Kentucky at Missouri (12 p.m., SEC Network)
Kentucky looks to ride the momentum from its dramatic victory over Mississippi State into Columbia, Missouri, where it faces the struggling Missouri Tigers.
Austin MacGinnis nailed a 51-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Wildcats to the victory. He connected on four of his five attempts last week, and his performance will be crucial to getting a road win over Missouri.
The Wildcats’ offense has evolved into a well-rounded, balanced attack as the season has progressed. Backup quarterback Stephen Johnson played better a week ago, while Stanley “Boom” Williams and Benjamin Snell Jr. have carried the load on the ground. The Wildcats will likely put up big numbers against a Missouri defense that was torched by Middle Tennessee last week.
The UK defense has certainly made improvements since week one but struggled to contain Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald a week ago. Now they are tasked with stopping Missouri quarterback Drew Lock.
Lock and the Tigers’ offense showed off their explosiveness last week, with over 600 total yards against the Blue Raiders. Running back Damarea Crockett will look to expose the Kentucky defense and build off his four-touchdown performance a week ago.
The Pick: Kentucky 36 Missouri 27
Kentucky will overpower Missouri's defense on all fronts. The Wildcats' backfield led by Williams will be too much for the brittle Tigers’ defense.
Florida vs. Georgia (Jacksonville, Florida) (3:30 p.m., CBS)
Both teams are coming off bye weeks and should be well rested in this classic SEC East rivalry showdown.
Florida is hoping the bye week will allow quarterback Luke Del Rio to return to form. Del Rio tossed three interceptions against Missouri two weeks ago and must take better care of the football for Florida to capitalize on their scoring opportunities. The Gators will need running backs Jordan Scarlett and Lamical Perine to continue running the ball well against Georgia.
The Gators defense should be considered elite, ranking second in the nation in both scoring defense and total defense. Neutralizing Nick Chubb’s presence in the run game and forcing Jacob Eason to throw the ball against their lockdown secondary is key to getting a win on Saturday.
This will be the toughest defense Georgia has faced all season, and the Bulldogs need Eason to perform well to have a chance. Chubb and Sony Michel will need to find success on the ground and help the Bulldogs win the time of possession battle to wear down the Gators’ defense.
Putting pressure on Del Rio is essential for the Bulldogs’ defense. Winning the turnover margin and forcing Florida to depend on the running game could lead to a Georgia win in Jacksonville.
The Pick: Florida 28 Georgia 14
The Florida defense is strong enough to carry the Gators to a win. Eason hasn’t exactly been a prolific passer this season and will be harassed by the Gators’ stingy defense.
Samford at Mississippi State (3:30 p.m., SEC Network)
Mississippi State can’t afford to sleep on Samford this weekend. The FCS team from Homewood, Alabama is 6-1 on the season and enters Starkville, Mississippi, eyeing the upset.
Following a last-second loss to Kentucky a week ago, the Bulldogs are in desperate need of a win. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald has continued to find success on the ground but needs to make a bigger impact in the passing game. The Bulldogs are still searching for answers in their running game outside of Fitzgerald, and hope to find some answers this week.
The Bulldogs’ usually stout defense was exploited by Kentucky. The group needs to rebound this week and is faced with an explosive passing attack from Samford. Shutting down quarterback Devlin Hodges is the main focus for the Bulldogs in this one, as the Samford running attack has struggled this season.
Samford will need a brilliant defensive performance to upset the Bulldogs on Saturday. Keeping Fitzgerald contained and forcing him to throw the ball is Samford’s only hope in this one.
The Pick: Mississippi State 34 Samford 21
Mississippi State has already been upset at home by South Alabama and won’t let Samford do the same. Chalk another win up for FBS teams over lesser FCS opponents.
No. 15 Auburn at Ole Miss (7:15 p.m., SEC Network)
Auburn absolutely obliterated Arkansas a week ago, accumulating a total of 543 rushing yards in the win.
The Tigers’ ground game has been dynamic all season long and will look for another spectacular performance against Ole Miss. Kerryon Johnson and Kamryn Pettway are the main threats out of the backfield and will challenge the Ole Miss defense all game long. Quarterback Sean White needs to continue to play his role as game manager and let the running game carry the load.
Defensive lineman Carl Lawson will lead the Auburn defense and look to put pressure on Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly.
Kelly is looking for a bounce-back week after his offense was shut out in the second half against LSU last Saturday. The Rebels once again failed to receive support from their running backs with their only ground threat coming on runs by Kelly.
The Ole Miss defense has struggled against the run this season and will need to find some way to limit the Auburn rushing game. Forcing Sean Kelly to throw the ball more is key for a Rebel victory.
The Rebels must improve both their rushing offense and rushing defense if they are going to turn their season around.
The Pick: Auburn 38 Ole Miss 26
Auburn will continue to pound the ball on the ground and pick up the road win against Ole Miss. The Rebels 2016 season continues to bring much disappointment.
No. 18 Tennessee at South Carolina (7:15 p.m., ESPN2)
Tennessee enters off its bye week and two tough losses to SEC West foes. The Volunteers are plagued with injuries on both sides of the ball and hope the bye week has provided time for the younger players to prepare for South Carolina.
Joshua Dobbs struggled to throw the ball against the Alabama defense in his last outing and will need an improved performance against the Gamecocks, whose pass defense is the strength of their team. Running back Jalen Hurd has to get going on the ground with backup Alvin Kamara out with a knee injury.
The Volunteers' defense has been hit with numerous injures and needs to play better than they did against the Crimson Tide.
South Carolina is hoping freshman quarterback Jake Bentley can be the difference maker for its struggling offense. Bentley made his debut last week against UMass and turned a few heads with his performance. He will need help from his backfield to upset the Vols as Rico Dowdle, A.J. Turner, and David Williams will likely split reps for the Gamecocks.
The Gamecocks’ defense has to stop Dobbs from making plays with his feet and force him to beat them through the air.
The Pick: South Carolina 24 Tennessee 20
South Carolina will take advantage of Tennessee’s injuries and hold its offense in check for much of the game. Bentley will demonstrate his dual-threat capabilities against the Volunteer defense in a huge win for the Gamecocks.
New Mexico State at No. 9 Texas A&M (7:30 p.m., ESPNU)
In a battle of the two Aggies, New Mexico State looks to upset Texas A&M in College Station on Saturday.
Texas A&M enters off a tough loss to Alabama last week, where Trevor Knight struggled against the Crimson Tide defense. Knight and the Aggies offense should recover against a New Mexico State defense that is giving up over 40 points per game and ranks 125th in the FBS in scoring defense.
Myles Garrett will look to dominate the New Mexico State offensive line and wreak havoc in the backfield. The Aggies from the SEC will need to keep the Aggies from the Sun Belt from finding a rhythm on offense.
New Mexico State has struggled to score points but has been able to move the football. They have been plagued by 14 turnovers this season. To beat Texas A&M, they must win the turnover margin and score touchdowns instead of field goals.
The Pick: Texas A&M 57 New Mexico State 16
Texas A&M has too much talent for New Mexico State to handle. Knight will return to form in a blowout win for the Aggies.