Week seven of our picks has arrived! Last week was a tough for both myself and Mr. Keister, as we went 5-4 and 4-5 with our picks respectively in a thrilling week of upsets. That puts me at 55-17 overall for the year and ties Keister and me at a record of 22-8 picking head-to-head.
So now that we are locked up going into this week, here's our week seven picks:
(13) Georgia vs. (23) Missouri
Keister: Missouri has great athletic defensive ends, but dive and isolation runs through the middle will prevent them from being very effective against the Georgia running game. Look for Mizzou to build an early lead at home to start, but by the end of the third quarter the momentum will be tipping heavily towards the Bulldogs!
The Pick: Georgia 35 Missouri 24
Griff: The absence of Todd Gurley due to suspension will put the magnifying glass on quarterback Hutson Mason, allowing the country to see that he's not far behind Florida's Jeff Driskell for being the worst quarterback in the SEC. Unlike Driskell, however, Mason's backfield will be able to bail him out in a tight SEC East contest.
The Pick: Georgia 26 Missouri 23
UL-Monroe vs. Kentucky
Keister: Short and sweet: Wildcats handle the Warhawks in Commonwealth Stadium!
The Pick: Kentucky 38 UL Monroe 10
Griff: The Wildcats kept hanging around against South Carolina last week, and they took advantage of some huge miscues to win the game. Even if Kentucky comes out sloppy after a huge win, the Wildcats will be able to handle their weaker competition from the Sun Belt.
The Pick: Kentucky 33 UL Monroe 18
(2) Auburn vs. (3) Mississippi State
Keister: I'm not predicting another decisive victory over a big time opponent for the folks in Starkville this weekend, however, facing the most physical defense they played against all season will throw Nick Marshall and crew off a bit! This will be a shootout with the last possession coming out victorious, and the ability to chew more clock edges out a win for Dak Prescott and the Bulldog offense.
The Pick: Mississippi State 34 Auburn 30
Griff: Starkville's going to be pumped up, as the Bulldogs will try to pass their third difficult test within their division already this season. Auburn's putting together another magical run, and the Tigers will shock the Mississippi State faithful with their physical style. This one will be a dandy, and the only drawback will be having to watch this game on CBS!
The Pick: Auburn 41 Mississippi State 35
Chattanooga vs. Tennessee
Keister: The Vols will look unimpressive against the sure pick for the Southern Conference Championship!
The Pick: Tennessee 24 Chattanooga 17
Griff: Tennessee will try to prove that there's some offense in Knoxville and will attempt to improve on the baseball score they posted against the Gators last week.
The Pick: Tennessee 31 Chattanooga 20
(7) Alabama vs. Arkansas
Keister: Arkansas is the trendy pick as a team to upset a division power, and that will come to question after this weekend. Don't be surprised to see the pass attempts be at a all-season low for Kiffin's offense.
The Pick: Alabama 38 Arkansas 13
Griff: Alabama was absolutely stunned by the athleticism they encountered in Oxford last weekend, and I guarantee you that the Tide's coaching staff addressed playing much more physical this week during practice. The Razorbacks' rushing attack will be primed to attack, but Alabama's defense will prevail, unlike last weekend.
The Pick: Alabama 35 Arkansas 20
Charleston Southern vs. Vanderbilt
Keister: The Commodores will sink the Buccaneers perfection ship!
The Pick: Vanderbilt 38 Charleston Southern 3
Griff: There's not much explaining to do here, and the Commodores have to be hungry against this FCS team in the middle of a trying SEC schedule.
The Pick: Vanderbilt 45 Charleston Southern 16
LSU vs. Florida
Keister: My faith in the Bayou Bengals was shaken after my questionable upset pick I called for last week against Auburn. The good news is that they aren't playing against an offense with nearly as much depth or the quarterback play that Tigers have!
The Pick: LSU 28 Florida 17
Griff: How weird is it looking at this matchup with neither team being ranked? LSU and Florida will come out pounding the rock, and the Tigers grab a win by winning the line of scrimmage on Saturday.
The Pick: LSU 22 Florida 13
(3) Ole Miss vs. (14) Texas A&M
Keister: I would usually jump right on A&M in a rebound game at home, but this isn't the typical Ole Miss squad that has let fans down in years past. The victory in Oxford last weekend should've proved that to a degree, and the Rebels prove it even more by maintaining a championship-like composure in the home of the twelfth man Saturday.
The Pick: Ole Miss 30 Texas A&M 21
Griff: Ole Miss has one of the most athletic teams in the SEC, but Kevin Sumlin's team isn't ready to throw in the towel this season yet. Expect the Aggies to come out amped up for this matchup, and Kenny Hill makes up for the tough loss to Mississippi State in front of a loud crowd in College Station.
The Pick: Texas A&M 34 Ole Miss 28
(9) TCU vs. (5) Baylor
Keister: This is a matchup of two coaches that are very undervalued and under-appreciated the college football. They've both stuck to doing things the way they want it done, and it's safe to say both teams' production can't be argued! I think Bryce Petty and the up-tempo attack of Baylor are slowed for a large part of the contest in Waco, Texas. Petty and the highly athletic weapons at his disposal edge out a hard hitting TCU squad.
The Pick: Baylor 27 TCU 21
Griff: TCU's going to be the surprise team out of the wide open Big 12, and the Horned Frogs work their magic for the second straight week against a top five team.
The Pick: TCU 36 Baylor 31
Louisville vs. Clemson
Keister: While Bobby Petrino hardly lacks confidence, some of his players that have excelled this season start to second guess themselves at a point in this ACC contest. If the Tigers were headed to Atlanta the following weekend, fans might have had a reason to worry, but Clemson will give full attention to this Louisville team Saturday.
The Pick: Clemson 41 Louisville 30
Griff: The Cardinals' only chance in this game would be to put Charlie Strong on the red eye flight into Greenville. Clemson doesn't look back against a Louisville team that's slightly overrated.
The Pick: Clemson 45 Louisville 35
(12) Oregon vs. (18) UCLA
Keister: Mark Harmon as Jethro Gibbs gives a pre-game speech for his alma-mater and former team. The former quarterback inspires the current Bruins' standout to prove that he too, belongs on primetime Television!
The Pick: UCLA 37 Oregon 28
Griff: Both teams are overrated at this point, and one can't help but to think that Brett Hundley's health is an issue for the UCLA offense. Oregon recovers from being clipped by Arizona last week, but the Ducks need to address some issues on defense before I can take them seriously.
The Pick: Oregon 38 UCLA 36
As always thanks for reading this week! We hope you enjoyed this week's edition of SEC + 3! Be sure to follow Griff on twitter @griffaldo!
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