Week nine presents us with perhaps our best non-conference slate of the season. As always, our schedule has good matchups from both the SEC East and the SEC West. Here's our standings going into this week's action:
Griff: 72-21
Keister: 71-22
Godsey: 70-23
Here's our picks for week nine's action:
Kentucky vs. Missouri
Keister: The Kentucky offense looks to be finally finding some balance, and Saturday the Wildcats will use confidence-building performance from last week to keep things clicking and gain another conference win on the road.
The Pick: Kentucky 27 Missouri 23
Godsey: Kentucky is playing better football right now. Missouri is on a 3-game skid, and Missouri will drop another at home.
The Pick: Kentucky 28 Missouri 27
Griff: Kentucky will establish the run early and get one win away from bowl eligibility. A win here eases the pressure for Mark Stoops as the Wildcats’ head coach.
The Pick: Kentucky 31 Missouri 27
(14) Florida vs. Georgia
Keister: The Bulldogs will look far better on offense than the past few weeks, but it won't be enough to last through the contest against Florida's stingy defense. Florida will play turnover free football and get the victory in Jacksonville.
The Pick: Florida 38 Georgia 24
Godsey: This will be a better game than some people think. Georgia really needs to get this win and try to turn the season around. It also means a lot to Florida, a win in Jacksonville will give the Gators a little more merit to their ranking and keep the Gators one SEC game over Tennessee in the East. I can’t imagine Georgia dropping two home games back to back, but I think that’s where they’re headed.
The Pick: Florida 34 Georgia 27
Griff: The Gators meet the Bulldogs in Jacksonville for the two teams’ annual rivalry game. Both teams should be well rested after coming off of a bye week. Florida will control the line of the scrimmage on defense and make the Bulldogs depend on freshman Jacob Eason’s arm. Georgia will have to be able to run the football in order to win this game, but that’s not going to happen against the Gators stingy defense.
The Pick: Florida 26 Georgia 13
Samford vs. Mississippi State
Keister: Samford comes into this game as a top 25 FCS team and will score some points on Mississippi State. In the end, however, Mississippi State will have too much size and depth in this game. Superfan "Stingray" from the SEC Network will be able to breathe easy with a Bulldog victory.
The Pick: Mississippi State 37 Samford 28
Godsey: Normally, this game would be a piece of cake and wouldn’t really be worth mentioning. This year however, Bulldog fans should be on their toes. Mississippi State has already lost to one team from Alabama that was “supposed” to be beat. Even though Samford is a FCS school, the other Bulldogs are 6-1 and very talented. Samford won't beat the Bulldogs from the SEC West, but I am waiting until the game ends before scratching a “W” in the win column.
The Pick: Mississippi State 34 Samford 31
Griff: This is a must win game for Dan Mullen. Even though this year is a rebuilding year for Mississippi State, this season has been far less successful than the Bulldogs fans have hoped for. Mississippi State wins this game, but Samford will put up some points. I wouldn’t be surprised if this game was very close or even tied at halftime.
The Pick: Mississippi State 45 Samford 20
(15) Auburn vs. Ole Miss
Keister: The Rebels woes against the run continue in Oxford Saturday against an Auburn ground attack that's led by bruiser Kamryn Pettaway has a big day en route to another big conference win.
The Pick: Auburn 34 Ole Miss 23
Godsey: These two teams are at opposite points of their seasons right now. For Auburn, a big win on the road will show any doubters that the Tigers are for real. For the Rebels, it’s not so bright. Ole Miss is at a point where another loss would spiral the season out of control. It’s not going to get easier either, so a win here gives them a good shot at a bowl game. This game will come down to who runs the ball better. Ole Miss doesn’t have a defense strong enough to stop Auburn's rushing attack and when the Tigers get momentum, it’s running downhill from there.
The Pick: Auburn 41 Ole Miss 24
Griff: The Tigers have really found an identity on offense by running the football. Auburn is averaging over 300 yards rushing per contest, which is the third-best total in the FBS. The Tigers running game will earn Auburn its fifth-straight victory against Ole Miss, who allowed Leonard Fournette to rush for over 280 yards last weekend.
The Pick: Auburn 41 Ole Miss 28
(18) Tennessee vs. South Carolina
Keister: The Gamecocks will be fired up and inspired with new quarterback Jake Bentley taking the snaps. South Carolina will be the unfortunate victim of Tennessee's frustration, and the Vols get back on the winning track with a dominating performance from both sides of the ball.
The Pick: Tennessee 40 South Carolina 20
Godsey: South Carolina had a breath of fresh air from freshman quarterback Jake Bentley last week. Right now, other quarterbacks that are Bentley's age are gearing up for their county rival or fighting for a spot in the state playoffs. Bentley will be trying to lead his team against the number 18 team in the FBS. He obviously has talent, probably because he grew up playing ball within 10 minutes of Auburn, but I don’t think a win will be the outcome this time. Tennessee can’t drop another SEC game if they want a shot at Atlanta. The Vols will get it done and keep praying Florida loses.
The Pick: Tennessee 38 South Carolina 17
Griff: This has been a competitive series the last few seasons, and South Carolina will make this interesting in the first half. Tennessee has seemed to sleepwalk through the first half of almost every game this season, and Will Muschamp’s squad will take advantage of that. Once the break is over though, Josh Dobbs and Jalen Hurd will take control of the game and give Tennessee another conference win.
The Pick: Tennessee 38 South Carolina 20
New Mexico State vs. (9) Texas A&M
Keister: Aggies roll versus an inferior opponent.
The Pick: Texas A&M 47 New Mexico State 17
Godsey: The ESPN Football Power Index give the Aggies of New Mexico a .5% chance of beating A&M, I concur.
The Pick: Texas A&M 50 New Mexico State 17
Griff: The Aggies will get a chance to release a lot of frustration from a disappointing loss last week to Alabama.
The Pick: Texas A&M 58 New Mexico State 6
(4) Washington vs. (17) Utah
Keister: The Huskies offense led by emerging Heisman Trophy candidate Jake Browning won’t slow down any this weekend. This game will be close for maybe a quarter.
The Pick: Washington 45 Utah 23
Godsey: This is arguably the toughest test for the Huskies so far. Some would say Stanford was the test, but that final score says otherwise. This is a big game though, and could prove to be huge for the Huskies later on when it’s time to discuss playoff spots. Washington will get it done on the road, but it’ll be a close game.
The Pick: Washington 34 Utah 31
Griff: The Huskies will use running back Myles Gaskin to control the pace of this game. Washington will have just too much talent for the Utes to pull the upset.
The Pick: Washington 38 Utah 24
(7) Nebraska vs. (11) Wisconsin
Keister: The Badgers get the Huskers at home in what'll be a “hit em’ in the mouth slugfest” with consistent defensive play and a big break late in the game. Wisconsin gets the win in Camp Randall
The Pick: Wisconsin 20 Nebraska 16
Godsey: Is an undefeated Nebraska team better than a two-loss Wisconsin team? I’m going to have to say no. Wisconsin is a very good team and even with two losses, one of the best in the country. This being a home game against a rival team, they will pull it off and end Nebraska’s undefeated season.
The Pick: Wisconsin 28 Nebraska 24
Griff: Nebraska goes into Camp Randall with an undefeated record, but not many people are talking about the Huskers. A win here would go a long way for the Nebraska program, but the Wisconsin defense will be too much for the Nebraska offense along with the home crowd.
The Pick: Wisconsin 31 Nebraska 24
(3) Clemson vs. (12) Florida State
Keister: The Seminoles have struggled against every elite quarterback so far, and Saturday will be no different. Lack of answers for the Clemson offensive weapons, and the inability to keep the Tigers defensive front seven from disrupting the backfield will give the Tigers the win.
The Pick: Clemson 41 Florida 27
Godsey: I will give Florida State an edge since the game is in Tallahassee, but Clemson has came on strong and played well the last few weeks. Clemson is a tested team and have passed all tests. After they beat Florida State, the Tigers will have my stamp of approval.
The Pick: Clemson 35 Florida State 27
Griff: The Tigers travel into Tallahassee looking to maintain an undefeated record. Florida State will be looking for a signature win to push its way back into the top 10. The Clemson defense will have to prevent Florida State running back Dalvin Cook from having a big game, and the Tigers are up to the task. DeShaun Watson and the Clemson offense will clean up the turnovers and get a huge win on the road.
The Pick: Clemson 38 Florida State 30
As always, thanks for reading! Be sure to follow the blog on Twitter @GSL_SECPlus3 and follow Griff on Twitter @griffaldo.
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