SEC+3: Week 11 Picks

A nice slate of games is upon us on the week 11 schedule. Let's check out the standings going into this week's picks:

Griff: 89-24
Keister: 85-29
Godsey: 84-28

Here's our picks for week 11's action:

Mississippi State vs. (1) Alabama

Keister: After the huge upset in Starkville last week, the Bulldogs will be brought back to reality by a defense that has talent comparable to the 2001 Miami Hurricanes defense. An inability to run the ball against Alabama or stop the Crimson Tide offense will create a long day for Mississippi State.

The Pick: Alabama 40 Mississippi State 14

Godsey: Even though the Bulldogs pulled the upset last week, Mississippi State won't have enough gas to keep up with Alabama. With the game being in Tuscaloosa, Alabama wins this easily.

The Pick: Alabama 34 Mississippi State 13

Griff: Mississippi State got a nice spark with a big upset victory over Texas A&M last weekend. To get a second upset in as many week, the Bulldogs will need quarterback Nick Fitzgerald to have a good day running the football. Alabama’s defense is playing on another level right now, and that will be too much for the Mississippi State offense to overcome.

The Pick: Alabama 38 Mississippi State 6

South Carolina vs. Florida

Keister: Freshman quarterback Jake Bentley has been nothing short of impressive, and that's a trend that will continue Saturday. The emergence of a balanced offense with the running ability of running back Rico Dowdle will keep the Gamecocks this one. Will Muschamp goes into the Swamp and gets his second signature victory in his first year as head coach for South Carolina

The Pick: South Carolina 27 Florida 20

Godsey: The loss to Arkansas dumped Florida out of the rankings and the Gators will be looking edge their way back into the top 25. Florida is catching a hot South Carolina that features a really young quarterback that seems to have the Gamecocks firing on all cylinders. Combine that and the fact that the Gators will be without quarterback Luke Del Rio, and you have disaster brewing for Florida. I’m calling an upset.

The Pick: South Carolina 27 Florida 24

Griff: Freshman quarterback Jake Bentley has provided the Gamecocks offense with a major spark and led South Carolina to three-straight wins. This will be his first game on the road in the SEC, and Will Muschamp returns to Gainesville for the first time since being Florida’s head coach. The Gators defense will give Bentley some trouble, but the Gamecocks will surprise everybody watching and pull off a stunning upset.

The Pick: South Carolina 23 Florida 21

Kentucky vs. Tennessee

Keister: With all the turmoil surrounding the Vols, Tennessee still has the easiest route to grab the SEC East in a home contest against a Wildcat team who suffered a heartbreaker at home last week. The Vols will get back to complimentary football with all phases of its game meshing well. The ability to pressure the quarterback and create mismatches in the offensive game plan will enable the Vols to cruise in the second half.

The Pick: Tennessee 33 Kentucky 24

Godsey:  This is a tough game to call. Kentucky has been hot until a last second field goal by Georgia put the Wildcats down on their home field. The Vols were on a three-game skid before throttling Tennessee Tech. For the Vols, it was fortunate to have a tune-up game last week, or things would be getting out of hand for Butch Jones. I think he will have his boys ready and focused and even though they are down a running back, it’s likely they’re better off now.
The Pick: Tennessee 35 Kentucky 28

Griff: This is an important game for Butch Jones and the Vols. The Tennessee defense will need to stop a Kentucky rushing attack that’s been giving opponents fits, and Mark Stoops has turned the Wildcats into one of the better teams in the SEC East. Tennessee will play an inspired game and give the crowd in Knoxville something to cheer about.

The Pick: Tennessee 31 Kentucky 21

(9) Auburn vs. Georgia

Keister: Georgia will come out playing inspired and sharp early being at home and may build a 10 to 14 point lead, but the lack of consistency in each phase of the game combined with a powerful Auburn rushing attack will sustain long, spirit-breaking drives that will leave the Bulldogs disappointed at home Saturday.

The Pick: Auburn 31 Georgia 23

Godsey: There was quite a scare down on the Plains last week. Auburn quarterback Sean White didn’t start due to injury, and it definitely had an impact on both sides of the ball. The offense was slow, which in turn wore down the defense. But after a touchdown by White early in the second half things felt different. He will be ready to go this week, and the Tigers will give Georgia more than than the Bulldogs can handle.

The Pick: Auburn 38 Georgia 17

Griff: Auburn survived a scare at home against Vanderbilt last weekend, but the Tigers will get back to business in Sanford Stadium against a Georgia team that’s on the ropes. Auburn will make the Bulldogs offense one-dimensional by stopping the run and make Jacob Eason throw the ball, which will spell disaster for Georgia.

The Pick: Auburn 28 Georgia 13

Vanderbilt vs. Missouri

Keister: The snake-bit Commodores will benefit from a Mizzou team that has packed it in and saved its legs for the postseason banquet dance. Coach Mason will finally get a win after victories seemed so elusive in a few close games this year. it won't be left up to chance that big "W" for the Vandy nation in Columbia. 

The Pick: Vanderbilt 34 Mizzou 20

Godsey: Vanderbilt doesn’t seem to be getting much love. After watching them first-hand, I must say that they’re not a bad team. They’ve just had problems closing games out but I am sure they will be able to do so this week.

The Pick: Vanderbilt 24 Missouri 20

Griff: Vanderbilt comes into this game as four-point underdogs, and I’m not quite sure why the bookies in Las Vegas continue to give Missouri points at home. The Commodores will limit Missouri’s possessions by effectively running the football with Ralph Webb, and Vanderbilt comes out of Columbia, Missouri with a conference win.

The Pick: Vanderbilt 21 Missouri 17

(24) LSU vs. (25) Arkansas

Keister: The Razorbacks are coming off a huge win at home, and the Tigers come off falling short in a hard fought defensive battle in Baton Rouge. Austin Allen has been getting rocked all year behind center for the Hogs, and Saturday will be no different. That, coupled with Arkansas using up its one good performance from the defense give the Bayou Bengals the edge in this SEC West showdown.

The Pick: LSU 24 Arkansas 20 

Godsey: It's another rivalry game for LSU, and my biggest concern with the Tigers is how beat down will LSU be after last week’s game against Alabama. Judging the two teams by what I’ve seen, LSU should be able to put the Hogs down pretty easily. If the running game is healthy, Leonard Fournette and friends will gash the Arkansas defense similar to what Auburn did.

The Pick: LSU 34 Arkansas 20

Griff: This game will determine how these team’s will finish coming down the stretch of the schedule. LSU played a tough game against the top team in the country last week but still came up short. Arkansas dismantled Florida at home. Leonard Fournette will have a big day running the ball, and the Tigers will come out on top with a big win.

The Pick: LSU 27 Arkansas 23

Ole Miss vs. (8) Texas A&M

Keister: A battle of backup quarterbacks will be interesting for both team's fan bases. A look into the future of both programs. Top to bottom talent minus a quarterback makes me have to take the Aggies.   With its leader Trevor Knight sidelined with an injury, Texas A&M will play an inspired game and get the win at home.

The Pick: Texas A&M 37 Ole Miss 20

Godsey: Wow, where to start. Both teams have been hit hard by injury in the worst way possible. I would say that Ole Miss is sitting better at the quarterback position right now, but the Aggies have a lot of weapons on that offense.

The Pick: Texas A&M 30 Ole Miss 20

Griff: Last week was a tough week for each of these teams, after both teams lost starting quarterbacks for the rest of season with injuries. The Ole Miss defense has been suspect at times this season, and that will be the case Saturday. Texas A&M wins a big, confidence-building game at home.

The Pick: Texas A&M 34 Ole Miss 20

Pitt vs. (2) Clemson

Keister: The running game and physical style of Pitt will give the Tigers fits early on. After last week's execution on defense, it's hard for me to see an inconsistent Panthers team hanging around for too long this late in the season in Death Valley. Regardless of how much or how long Deshaun Watson plays, the Tigers roll in this one.

The Pick: Clemson 38 Pitt 23

Godsey: No upset for Pitt here.

The Pick: Clemson 36 Pitt 20

Griff: Clemson, like last week, will get off to a hot start, and DeShaun Watson needs a sharp game to separate himself from the crowd of people from Lamar Jackson in the Heisman Trophy race. Pitt will put some points on the board, but Clemson will win this game by at least two touchdowns.

The Pick: Clemson 48 Pitt 26

(20) Southern Cal vs. (4) Washington

Keister: Heisman Trophy candidate Jake Browning isn't gonna pull the old PAC-12 usual blunder for his Huskies like the conference heavyweights usually like to do in the late season. There's the Huskies and there's the rest of those teams out there on the west coast. The Huskies continue to show why it's the only contender in the conference Saturday. 

The Pick: Washington 45 Southern Cal  22

Godsey: I have to go with the Huskies here. Washington holds off the Trojans' upset attempt.

The Pick: Washington 37 Southern Cal 24

Griff: Washington gets a test this weekend against the red-hot Trojans at home. This game will be one of the better games in the PAC-12 this season, but Washington has too much talent on both sides of the ball for Southern Cal to pull the upset.

The Pick: Washington 38 Southern Cal 28

(16) West Virginia vs. Texas

Keister: Texas has been surging in the late season, and the Longhorns will keep that train rollin' Saturday. Neither team will be able to stop each other's offense, but the Texas power running game led by running back D'Onta Foreman will give the Longhorns the second big win of the season.

The Pick: Texas 44 West Virginia 38

Godsey: West Virginia is catching Texas at a time that will make the Longhorns a difficult team to handle. In a game that could easily go either way, I'll take West Virginia.

The Pick: West Virginia 37 Texas 31

Griff: West Virginia is the one team in the Big 12 that plays efficient defense, and the Mountaineers have allowed just under 150 yards per game. The Mountaineers will have to limit the Texas running game, and that will give West Virginia the edge in this game.

The Pick: West Virginia 35 Texas 27

As always, thanks for reading! In case you missed the podcast Thursday, you can listen to it by pressing play in the link below. Be sure to follow the blog on Twitter @SEC_Plus3 and Griff @griffaldo. You can also follow the co-host of the podcast, Justin Hall, @justinBHall.