SEC+3: Week Three

Our first week with some big time conference matchups in the SEC. Here's our week three picks:


Connecticut vs. (22) Missouri

Godsey: Missouri showed resilience in their game against Arkansas State last week. The Tigers turned the ball over three times but also forced three turnovers. Missouri should get past the Huskies if they can minimize mistakes.

The Pick: Missouri 31 Connecticut 17

Griff: The Tigers will continue to be sloppy, but Maty Mauk and co. find a way to get the job done yet again this week. 

The Pick: Missouri 24 Connecticut 16

Nevada vs. (17) Texas A&M

Godsey: I like this A&M team this year. I think they are very fast and dynamic. They take on a Wolfpack team that was routed last week and left with some exposed weaknesses. I think the Aggies will use that to their advantage this week and pound the defense with their ground game. Don't be surprised if A&M walks out with over 300 yards on the ground.

The Pick: Texas A&M 42 Nevada 14

Griff: I also like how fast A&M has played this year, and honestly, I think they're a team that's still just getting dialed in. Hopefully we get to see more of super-freshman Kyler Murray this week, and the Aggies will rout the Wolfpack.

The Pick: Texas A&M 49 Nevada 21

(18) Auburn vs. (13) LSU

Godsey: This one makes me very nervous as an Auburn fan. Can Gus Malzahn get this team together and restore faith to the Tiger Nation? They escaped a very good FCS school at home, while LSU came away with a last second road win in Starkville, Mississippi. Both teams bring a good rushing offense, though I'd have to give the nod to Leonard Fournette and LSU. Auburn will be without starting DB Josh Holsey who is out for the season with a torn ACL. That hurts an already struggling secondary. I have to go with LSU here.

The Pick: LSU 31 Auburn 20

Griff: Luckily for Auburn, Will Muschamp was able to scheme LSU just fine when Florida faced them in 2012. That being said, it's a tall task to contain Leonard Fournette, who's one of the best, if not the best, running back in the conference. I think last week's close win over Jacksonville State was a fluke performance where Auburn let themselves get into trouble early. That won't happen this week, and the Tigers (Auburn ones) come out of Death Valley with a huge SEC West "W."

The Pick: Auburn 24 LSU 23

Northwestern State vs. Mississippi State

Godsey: The Bulldogs get a tune-up game this week after a hard fought loss to LSU. The Demons defense has given up 798 yards on the ground, that's just after 2 games! I believe it's safe to say that the Bulldogs will make quick work of the Demons, despite last Saturday's debacle across the SEC.  

The Pick: Mississippi State 38 Northwestern State 0

Griff: The Bulldogs will try to get things back on track, after a tough home-loss against LSU last week had to have left a bad taste in their mouth. Dak Prescott will be chilling on the bench by the end of the third quarter in this contest.

The Pick: Mississippi State 51 Northwester State 10

Austin Peay vs. Vanderbilt

Godsey: Both teams come into this game at 0-2 and looking to build some momentum before the next conference game. Vanderbilt should win this game easily provided they take advantage of scoring opportunities.  

The Pick: Vanderbilt 38 Austin Peay 3

Griff: I think Vandy showed us some improvement against Georgia last week, and this game will give them a chance to fine-tune their offense a lot more. 

The Pick: Vanderbilt 31 Austin Peay 14

South Carolina vs. (7) Georgia

Godsey: South Carolina would like to erase last Saturday's game against Kentucky from memory. They'll take on a tough Georgia team with a dangerous rushing attack.  The Gamecocks are without Conner Mitch but have a very capable backup in Perry Orth. Georgia gave up almost 300 yards in the air against Vanderbilt. South Carolina will have to attack the secondary and avoid turnovers. The Gamecocks appear to be soft up front in their defense, and I think they will have a very long day trying to contain Georgia RB Nick Chubb. I believe that will be the difference in this one. Georgia will pound the inside and grind the tempo of the game to their pace.

The Pick: Georgia 38 South Carolina 21

Griff: The Gamecocks' first half doomed them last week, and they'll have to come out of the gate much quicker against Georgia. These games are always hard-hitting, fun and emotional for both teams. The HBC pulls out all stops and tricks, and like he's done four of the past five years, finds a way to beat the Bulldogs.

The Pick: South Carolina 21 Georgia 20

Texas Tech vs. Arkansas

Godsey: I believe that for the Razorbacks, this will be a much harder game than what people think. On paper, both teams are very similar. You know the old saying, "Defense wins ballgames." That will be the truth in this one. The Red Raiders give up a lot of yards on the ground and the Hogs will have to take advantage of that if they want to get above 500. On that note, however, I think the Red Raiders return to Texas victorious.

The Pick: Texas Tech 34 Arkansas 27

Griff: The Razorbacks will make the most of their opportunities in the red zone this week, and Arkansas' quarterback Brandon Allen will throw for another 300 against the Red Raiders. Hogs rebound after a poor showing against Toledo last week.

The Pick: Arkansas 28 Texas Tech 17

Western Carolina vs. Tennessee

Godsey: The Volunteers try to rebound from a heartbreaker last week as they tune-up against Western Carolina. Tennesse wins big in this one.

The Pick: Tennessee 41 Western Carolina 10

Griff: Western Carolina couldn't have picked a worse week to travel to Knoxville.

The Pick: Tennessee 56 Western Carolina 3

Florida vs. Kentucky

Godsey: Both teams are coming in off wins although I'd say one was more impressive than the other. I believe that Kentucky will be ready for this one and it's going to be loud in Lexington. Florida has 2 very talented QBs in Treon Harris and Will Grief, though I expect to see more of Grier. If Grief can March the offense down the field once or twice and score, it will take the crowd out of the game. I like Florida to win a close one on the road.

The Pick: Florida 31 Kentucky 27

Griff: Kentucky almost gave away their first SEC road win in six years in the second half against South Carolina. The Wildcats have done a great job of starting games off fast, but they've found trouble trying to close them out, even though they're sitting 2-0. Kentucky is better than Florida right now, as weird as that is to say for me. I like the Cats here, and they'll be sitting 2-0 in conference play after this week.

The Pick: Kentucky 28 Florida 24

(15) Ole Miss vs. (2) Alabama

Godsey: This is my SEC game of the week. The Rebels are scoring more than 73 points a game so far this season. I don't believe they'll reach half of that against the Tide though. The Alabama defense is good, but not as good in previous years. The same can be said about the efficiency of the offense. Tide is good enough, however,  on both sides of the ball to win the game. 

The Pick: Alabama 27 Ole Miss 21

Griff: This week, we find out exactly how explosive the Ole Miss offense is with Chad Kelly running the show. The Alabama running game will be able to dictate the tempo of the game, and Derrick Henry's big day turns into an Alabama SEC West win.

The Pick: Alabama 34 Ole Miss 32

(11) Clemson vs. Louisville

Godsey: Clemson should be on alert this week. Louisville can be really dangerous if they play consistent. But I don't think the Cardinal offensive line will hold up and that will cause mistakes and turnovers. Yes, Louisville is dangerous "IF" they play well. But that's a really big "IF."

The Pick: Clemson 37 Louisville 24

Griff: This game was a lot more intriguing until Louisville lost to Houston last weekend. Clemson goes up to their place and wears the Cardinals out. It'll be that simple if the Tigers are able to play up to their standards on Thursday.

The Pick: Clemson 35 Louisville 14

(14) Georgia Tech vs. (8) Notre Dame

Godsey: If you like smash mouth football, this is going to be the game to watch. Both teams feature run-first offenses, however the Irish are short a tailback and a quarterback. We all know about the Georgia Tech spread-option offense and what it can do. Everyone they've played has known about it, but no one has stopped it yet. Traditionally, Notre Dame has trouble with these kinds of looks, so the Irish will have a major problem stopping the Yellow Jackets. I'll take Georgia Tech.

The Pick: Georgia Tech 31 Notre Dame 21

Griff: Georgia Tech goes to South Bend an engineers a big "W" that will leave a lot of Irish fans scratching their heads.

The Pick: Georgia Tech 42 Notre Dame 27

(19) BYU vs. (10) UCLA

Godsey: Both of these teams are on a roll. BYU has topped both Nebraska and Boise State so far. They'll have to play near perfect defense and limit turnovers to beat UCLA. The Bruins will have to slow down the air attack and out pressure on the QB. They also need to pray that it doesn't come down to a hail mary. I'll give the nod to the Bruins, but this game's going to be closer than people think.

The Pick: UCLA 35 BYU 27

Griff: What an emotional roller coaster it has been for BYU already this season! The Cougars have persevered through two games already, so why not a third? Give me the Cougars, as they'll become the story of the season after a win this weekend.

The Pick: BYU 25 UCLA 24

As always, thanks for reading! Be sure to follow Griff on Twitter @griffaldo for his updated work!