SEC+3: Week Three Picks

Week three is upon us here's the current standings:

Griff: 24-6
Keister: 23-7
Godsey: 22-8

Here are our picks for week three:

Ohio vs. (15) Tennessee

Keister: The Bobcats offense, led by quarterback Greg Windham, is explosive and hard to keep out of the end zone. Ohio will move the ball well and score throughout this game, but the Bobcats won’t be able to stop the Vols from scoring that will lead to a Tennessee victory at home Saturday.

The Pick: Tennessee 34 Ohio 24

Godsey: The Vols showed resilience against Virginia Tech last Saturday and looked more like how we thought they were going to look to start the season. I don’t expect this team to fall off against Ohio, so I’ll take the Vols in this one.

The Pick: Tennessee 41 Ohio 13

Griff: Tennessee finally showed us what this team is capable of last Saturday in Bristol. Ohio has some talent, but that talent won’t be enough to top the Vols in Neyland Saturday.

The Pick: Tennessee 45 Ohio 21

Vanderbilt vs. Georgia Tech

Keister: This game will go back and forth, and neither team will put the ball in the air much. This will make this game physical and likely a low scoring contest. Coach Johnson can game plan for an opponent as good as anyone, and that'll give the Yellow Jackets the edge in Atlanta Saturday.

The Pick: Georgia Tech 24 Vanderbilt 16

Godsey: Vanderbilt looked much better against Middle Tennessee, but the Commodores won’t fair as well against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets had zero 100-plus yard rushers against Mercer, but still racked up over 350 yards on the ground. Vanderbilt is a stiffer opponent, but I’m still going with Georgia Tech in a close game.

The Pick: Georgia Tech 24 Vanderbilt 23

Griff: This game will be a physical test of each team, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was less than 15 to 20 combined pass attempts. The Commodores defense will play with the necessary discipline required to stop the Georgia Tech’s triple option attack.

The Pick: Vanderbilt 20 Georgia Tech 17

(1) Alabama vs. (19) Ole Miss

Keister: The Rebels look to make it three consecutive wins against Coach Saban and the Crimson Tide, but Saban nor his team will let that happen. Turnovers, penalties and missed assignments are all things that will plague Ole Miss in a game that stays close far less time than people would think.

The Pick: Alabama 41 Ole Miss 20

Godsey: It's been a long time since any team has beaten Nick Saban three times in a row. It’s not going to happen this year, though. Saban has one the best defenses he has ever had at Alabama, and his team looks really good on offense. Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly is as good as they come, but the Crimson Tide will be too fast up front and the coverage will be too hard to beat.

The Pick: Alabama 38 Ole Miss 24

Griff: I really do think that Nick Saban’s outburst at Lane Kiffin last Saturday was a tactic to keep his team focused on this matchup. It’s obvious that this game is as important to Saban as any other regular season game outside of the Iron Bowl. I just don’t see the Rebels winning this game for a third year in a row. If Saban gets a chance, he won’t take his foot off the gas.

The Pick: Alabama 45 Ole Miss 23

East Carolina vs. South Carolina

Keister: East Carolina is looking to keep riding the momentum of their big win last weekend, but the crowd at the home opener and a hungry defense looking to atone for last week will prove too much for the Pirates. A late turnover or two will do the visitors in at Williams – Brice.

The Pick: South Carolina 30 East Carolina 17

Godsey: The Gamecocks need a good outing this week. A solid win here could make a difference in how South Carolina plays down the road. This won’t be an easy game for them, though. The Pirates are riding a high from a victory over ACC foe, North Carolina State. They will be fired up, expecting to win and will give the Gamecock defense a hard time. I’m giving Muschamp the benefit of the doubt, and South Carolina pulls it out.

The Pick: South Carolina 34 East Carolina 27

Griff: The Gamecocks will have to avoid a multiple score deficit early, as that what killed them last weekend in Starkville. Coach Muschamp will have his defense ready and hungry for turnovers in his first game at Williams-Brice.

The Pick: South Carolina 27 East Carolina 23

New Mexico State vs. Kentucky

Keister: The Wildcats will relieve themselves of their early season frustrations and earn the first of the season in Lexington Saturday.

The Pick: Kentucky 38 New Mexico State 13

Godsey: Kentucky surprised me last week at Florida, and at times I wondered if the Wildcats showed up. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. This is a make-or-break game, and Kentucky will need a big win to carry over into SEC play. They’ll win, but I don’t know how big it will be.

The Pick: Kentucky 34 New Mexico State 28

Griff: Kentucky absolutely got shelled in Gainesville last weekend. The Wildcats will recover with a win this weekend in Lexington.

The Pick: Kentucky 31 New Mexico State 20

(17) Texas A&M vs. Auburn

Keister: The Aggies pass rush that features two of the most explosive defensive lineman in the country will wreak havoc on the Auburn offensive rhythm, and the Aggie offense will expose mismatches quickly rolling to a big road win for Coach Sumlin’s team.

The Pick: Texas A&M 38 Auburn 23

Godsey: This will be a very good opportunity to erase any lingering doubts about the Auburn offense. The defense will have their hands full against the Aggies, but I think they will be able to make a few stops and put Auburn in a position to win. It seems like the Tigers may have found their identity on offense, so I’m going to go with Auburn at home.

The Pick: Auburn 28 Texas A&M 23

Griff: This game will be an exciting SEC West matchup, and a big win for whomever comes out on top. The Aggies will find a way to pull this one out at Jordan-Hare, though it will be closer than most expect.

The Pick: Texas A&M 27 Auburn 24

Mississippi State vs. (20) LSU

Keister: The showdown in Baton Rouge will see the two teams trading blows throughout the first half, following with the inability to sustain long drives and come up with points. This will do the Bulldogs in, and the Tigers will open up conference play with a win on the backs of their defense and star running back Leornard Fournette.

The Pick: LSU 34 Mississippi State 21

Godsey: Les Miles is still on the hot seat and if LSU drops this game, his tenure there is in serious jeopardy. Tiger running back Leonard Fournette will be suited up this week after some off time due to an ankle injury. Mississippi State has had success so far on defense against the run, but this Saturday will tell us how good defensively they really are. There’s a pretty large spread in LSU's favor, and while I pick them to win, I think it will be closer than people think.

The Pick: LSU 31 Mississippi State 27

Griff: Fournette will have a big game against the Bulldog defense, and Les Miles makes the home crowd happy with a big conference win.

The Pick: LSU 27 Mississippi State 17

North Texas vs. (23) Florida

Keister: Florida looked improved in all areas last week. This trend won't be interrupted this weekend by North Texas. Gators roll big.

The Pick: Florida 52 North Texas 10

Godsey: The Gators flexed their muscles last week in a big way over Kentucky.  I see no reason to think they would stumble this week.

The Pick: Florida 51 North Texas 7

Griff: The Gators second-teamers get a lot of experience this week.

The Pick: Florida 45 North Texas 12

Texas State vs. (24) Arkansas

Keister: The Razorbacks will continue to ride the wave of momentum built by last week’s huge win against TCU.

The Pick: Arkansas 45 Texas State 21

Godsey: After last week's thrilling victory over TCU in overtime, this could easily be a trap game. I don’t think the Bobcats will be able to pull off an upset though, and the Razorbacks will take this one.

The Pick: Arkansas 41 Texas State 17

Griff: Arkansas might come out a bit hungover from a thriller against TCU last weekend, but the Hogs will figure it out and win big.

The Pick: Arkansas 54 Texas State 13

(16) Georgia vs. Missouri

Keister: Mizzou will be the unfortunate victim of the bounce back game for the Bulldogs hungry defense, and aggressive play calling will put this contest away early.

The Pick: Georgia 37 Missouri 13

Godsey: This will be an interesting game, folks. Georgia won last week, but it doesn’t feel like it. Now they’re on the road against a Tiger team that bounced back in huge fashion last week and put up some really big numbers on offense. It’s hard to beat a team that controls the ground, and Georgia will do just that.

The Pick: Georgia 27 Missouri 20

Griff: This game will closer than most people project, but the Bulldogs ability to pound the ball with Nick Chubb will allow them to separate from Mizzou in the fourth quarter.

The Pick: Georgia 38 Missouri 24

(2) Florida State vs. (10) Louisville

Keister: Coach Petrino’s squad will be amped up with one of the more big game atmospheres at Papa John's Stadium in quite some time. The loss of Derwin James will enable the Cardinals to gash the FSU defense a time or two more. In the end, I believe the FSU offense will overwhelm the Cardinals defense for most the contest.

The Pick: Florida State 37 Louisville 23

Godsey:  This should be a really good game. Louisville has put up some gaudy numbers so far, and even though it wasn’t against top 25 teams, I still think they have a lot of firepower. It will be enough to down FSU and make the ACC race a very good one.

The Pick: Louisville 37 Florida State 28

Griff: This will be a great early season ACC matchup where we will see a lot of points. I have to go with Lamar Jackson and the Cardinals at home.

The Pick: Louisville 35 Florida State 34

(12) Michigan State vs. (18) Notre Dame

Keister: Almost always an exciting contest. These teams will be neck-and-neck the whole contest with points coming scarce. Consistent play by quarterback DeShone Kizer give the Irish the edge they need at home Saturday.

The Pick: Notre Dame 23 Michigan State 21

Godsey: For me, this is a difficult game to call. Michigan State has a 28-13 win over Furman that wasn’t even put away until late in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame has already had a slugfest with Texas and a great bounce-back performance against Nevada. With this also being a home game for the Irish, I think they will pull off a win.

The Pick: Notre Dame 24 Michigan State 14

Griff: I won’t be the one to go against the grain here. DeShone Kizer and the Irish offense will be just too explosive for the Spartans.

The Pick: Notre Dame 31 Michigan State 20

(3) Ohio State vs. (14) Oklahoma

Keister: The Sooners were torched in week one by an elite quarterback, and Saturday will prove much the same. The game will serve as a coming out party for some new playmakers on the Buckeye defense, as well.

The Pick: Ohio State 28 Oklahoma 20

Godsey: This is another hard game for me to call. The Buckeyes have annihilated both of their opponents so far, but Oklahoma is not like the others. The Sooners have a much stiffer defense and a top notch offense with a possible Heisman candidate in Baker Mayfield. However, I like the Buckeyes in this game, and I think they’ll get the road win.

The Pick: Ohio State 37 Oklahoma 31

Griff: Urban Meyer seems to always get his team ready for these big games. This will be another example of that.

As always thanks for reading! Be sure to follow us on Twitter @griffaldo and @GSL_SECPlus3.