This week's SEC matchups present us with two different games between top 10 teams that will cap off a week that's given us a couple enormous storylines with the suspension of Florida starting quarterback Will Grier and the resignation of the iconic now former-South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier.
This week's slate of games begins tonight with Auburn heading into Lexington to face the Kentucky Wildcats, so without further delay, here's our week seven picks:
Auburn vs. Kentucky
Godsey: Hopefully this will be the third week in a row that Auburn doesn't lose, and yes, that includes the bye week. The Tigers have made improvements on offense but are still lacking the ability to consistently move the ball. The defense has played a little better but still seem willing to give up a lot of yards. Special teams has moved the ball better than the offense has. All this considered, Kentucky is no pushover. They're only loss was to Florida by just five points, but they've struggled the last few games. Auburn will take advantage of the Wildcats' struggles and wins what's a must-win game for this Tiger team.
The Pick: Auburn 28 Kentucky 24
Griff: Nothing like kicking off week seven with a nice East-meets-West matchup between two teams that are both coming off of bye weeks. Kentucky, strangely enough, sits in second-place of the SEC East standings with only the one conference loss to Florida that Godsey mentioned. Auburn comes into this game needing a conference win to boost their confidence going forward this season. This game will be determined by which defense can come up with the most big plays, and this game will be a genuine battle of field position, which will be fun if you like defense. Ultimately Auburn will be able to contain Patrick Towles and the Kentucky offense.
The Pick: Auburn 17 Kentucky 13
(13) Ole Miss vs. Memphis
Godsey: Ole Miss bounced back nicely last week and won the game in the fashion that they should've. The Rebels took the beat down that they were handed from Florida and have moved on. Memphis is an undefeated team with some solid wins but have yet to play a team of the same caliber as Ole Miss. I don't see Memphis winning this game at home.
The Pick: Ole Miss 38 Memphis 20
Griff: The Rebels didn't shock anybody by rocking New Mexico State last weekend, and while Memphis will give Ole Miss a better game, but the Tigers don't have the depth or the offensive firepower to knock off the Rebels.
The Pick: Ole Miss 31 Memphis 13
Louisiana Tech vs. Mississippi State
Godsey: Mississippi State has faded from the spotlight after losses to LSU and Texas A&M. Both teams come into this game with 4-2 records. One of Louisiana Tech's losses was a three-overtime loss to a decent Kansas State team. I think Louisiana Tech has a pretty good squad that will do good in their respective conference, but they won't beat the Bulldogs on their own turf.
The Pick: Mississippi State 37 Louisiana Tech 17
Griff: Mississippi State will get another "touch up" game against Louisiana Tech before they host Kentucky in week eight. Dak Prescott gets to pad his numbers a bit more in this one.
The Pick: Mississippi State 41 Louisiana Tech 20
(10) Alabama vs. (9) Texas A&M
Godsey: I'm really looking forward to this game. I think that if A&M can win this game, they will most likely win the SEC West. However, I believe Alabama has a lot of momentum going for them, and they are firing on all cylinders right now. I do believe Alabama wins this game by at least two touchdowns.
The Pick: Alabama 35 Texas A&M 21
Griff: I really like what John Chavis has done with the Aggies' defensive front, and if A&M can contain Alabama's stud RB Derrick Henry, then I think the Aggies have a legitimate shot at winning this ball game. Chavis can scheme as good as anybody in the country, and I think the A&M defense forces Jake Coker to win this game for the Tide with his arm. I like the Aggies' chances, and with a win, they begin to make a playoff appearance a reality.
The Pick: Texas A&M 31 Alabama 27
Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina
Godsey: Some big changes came down the pipeline this week in Columbia. This game centers on how much the resignation of Steve Spurrier affects the team. They played LSU well at times and if they can show that kind of effort again, I believe they win this game.
The Pick: South Carolina 28 Vanderbilt 24
Griff: Shawn Elliot takes the reigns of a struggling South Carolina team, and this game will determine which of these two teams is indeed the worst in the conference. The Gamecocks will come out playing with a lot of emotion in front of their home crowd as we get our first glimpse of South Carolina post-Spurrier.
The Pick: South Carolina 24 Vanderbilt 13
(8) Florida vs. (7) LSU
Godsey: This is another battle of two top 10 teams, and it should be a good one. The loss of Will Grier will change the way the Florida offense operates. Treon Harris will be back in the picture at quarterback, and he isn't nearly as accurate with his throws. He is more mobile, which makes him a true dual-threat quarterback. We know that Gator defense is pretty good, but can they handle Leonard Fournette? No one has been able to tame the beast so far, and I don't think it'll happen this week in Baton Rouge. LSU takes this game and tightens their grip on the SEC West.
The Pick: LSU 31 Florida 17
Griff: Losing Will Grier really hurts the Gator offense, especially against a defense that plays at the caliber that LSU plays. I could see Florida pulling this off in The Swamp, but it's just not going to happen against Fournette and company in Baton Rouge. Florida will try to execute the same game plan that each one of LSU's opponents have tried to do so far this season: stop Leonard Fournette.
The Pick: LSU 24 Florida 20
Missouri vs. Georgia
Godsey: Well, we've seen that both of these teams might've been overrated, as both have stumbled recently. Georgia suffers another blow with the loss of star running back Nick Chubb. They have proved they can move the ball without him, but holding on to a lead is something they were lacking last week. I believe that Georgia will take this game in Athens, and Bulldogs' fans become Florida fans at least for this week.
The Pick: Georgia 27 Missouri 21
Griff: The Nick Chubb injury was very disheartening to watch. I don't care what team you pull for, it's always depressing to see such a skilled player go down. That being said, Chubb will rehab and all of his professional goals are very attainable still at this point. As for the game, Georgia isn't going to play around with Missouri, especially after the past two weeks.
The Pick: Georgia 35 Missouri 14
(7) Michigan State vs. (12) Michigan
Godsey's Pick: Michigan 31 Michigan State 28
Griff's Pick: Michigan 35 Michigan State 24
Boston College vs. (5) Clemson
Godsey's Pick: Clemson 34 Boston College 17
Griff's Pick: Clemson 42 Boston College 14
Arizona State vs. (4) Utah
Godsey's Pick: Utah 35 Arizona State 24
Griff's Pick: Utah 38 Arizona State 35
As always, thanks for reading! Be sure to follow Griff on Twitter @griffaldo.
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