Last week was a little rough, but I was still able to salvage and stay over .500 for the ninth consecutive week!
Week Nine Record: 4-3
2021 Season Record: 65-25
The SEC is back in full swing this weekend! Let's brace ourselves for week 10 and get into some picks!
Missouri @ #1 Georgia (-39)
You read the spread correctly, as Vegas places the line in the Bulldogs favor by over five touchdowns (and PAT's). Missouri has a tough task ahead, if the Tigers want to pull off the impossible. While it would be a crazy shakeup in the SEC East, I don't see this upset happening Saturday.
The Pick: Georgia 48 Missouri 13
Liberty @ #16 Ole Miss (-9.5)
Hugh Freeze returns to Oxford to face his former employer, Ole Miss. This game features two of the most dynamic quarterbacks at the FBS level, in Malik Smith for Liberty and Matt Corral for Ole Miss. Liberty has just one victory over a top 10 FBS team, which came against then #9 Coastal Carolina in a bowl game last season. The Rebels offense has been thin on playmakers, as three of the Ole Miss receivers were ruled out due to injury in a loss against a ranked Auburn team last week.
Ole Miss will have to rack up points in a game that has the potential to turn into a track meet. Liberty has played above average on the defensive side of the ball, but the Flames have yet to face an offense of this caliber, even with the injuries that will impact the Rebels. I like Ole Miss in this game, but Liberty might make things intriguing at least for a little while. A lot points will be scored, and usually these types of game result in an odd score tally at the end.
The Pick: Ole Miss 41 Liberty 29
#13 Auburn @ #14 Texas A&M (-4.5)
The 3:30 p.m. SEC "game of the week" will be an interesting SEC West battle on CBS this Saturday. Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies had an amazing October, blowing out SEC East opponents South Carolina and Missouri by a combined score of 79-28, with both games being non-competitive before the completion of the first half. The Aggies also upset then #1 Alabama at home on October 9th. What looked like a tough season in 2021 in an early-season win at Colorado has blossomed into a fine campaign for Fisher and the Aggies.
Auburn, however, has also found its stride as of late. The Tigers have won two straight games against top 25 teams, beating then #17 Arkansas and then #10 Ole Miss last week. Both of these squads feature two of the best running backs in the SEC, with the Tank Bigsby and Isaiah Spiller having good seasons for Auburn and Texas A&M, respectively. The two factors that will impact this game the most will be which team can make a play late and which team will have the most success running the football. Ultimately, the Aggies come out on top, in what could be a fun, competitive game that comes down to a few big plays.
The Pick: Texas A&M 31 Auburn 30
#17 Mississippi State @ Arkansas (-4.5)
Vegas has taken a likening to the -4.5 point spread for the home teams in this game and the matchup between Auburn and Texas A&M. This game brings us a talented Mississippi State offense that averages over 370 passing yards per game this year against an Arkansas defense that has allowed an average well under 200 yards per game through the air against opponents this season.
Mike Leach and the Bulldogs took a big step forward last weekend, getting a huge home win over a top 15 Kentucky team that has been a tough opponents for teams all season. For Arkansas, that big win against Texas A&M in late September seems like an awful long time ago, with the Razorbacks dropping three straight games against conference opponents. This looks like it will be another fun game to watch this Saturday!
The Pick: Arkansas 27 Mississippi State 23
LSU @ #2 Alabama (-28.5)
This game is usually the biggest SEC West matchup of the season, but this year feels a little different after LSU officials announced that the school would be parting ways with head coach Ed Orgeron at the end of this season. Alabama is doing everything possible to make sure that it makes the cut to get into the College Football Playoff, after being upset at the beginning of October in College Station by Texas A&M.
Nick Saban understands the importance of this week's game against his former employer. Alabama has too many weapons on both sides of the ball, and while the spread is a bit exaggerated, the Crimson Tide will be looking to score some style points with the CFP Committee.
The Pick: Alabama 41 LSU 17
Tennessee (-1) @ #18 Kentucky
This game features two of the more underrated quarterbacks in the SEC that don't get enough praise. Hendon Hooker has helped the Tennessee offense find a spark in 2021, and the Vols have been competitive even in losses. Kentucky quarterback Will Levis has been at the helm of a much improved Wildcats offense in 2021. Both of these teams are coming off of back-to-back conference losses, and it will be interesting to see how the solid Kentucky defense will play against the whirlwind tempo of the Tennessee offense. Like my Arkansas pick earlier, I have to side with the good defense, but this game will be yet another competitive contest that will be decided late in the 4th quarter.
The Pick: Kentucky 28 Tennessee 27
Florida (-18) @ South Carolina
Florida will be able to put last week's blowout 34-7 loss against Georgia last week in the rearview mirror, as the Gators travel to Columbia, South Carolina to play the Gamecocks. The night game atmosphere at Williams-Brice will benefit the Gamecocks, but South Carolina will likely have to turn to third string quarterback Jason Brown on Saturday. Brown showed flashes of mobility and potential with a couple successful drives in an non-competitive loss at Texas A&M two weeks ago.
It is uncertain who will lead the Florida offense in this game, but I'm certain that the Gamecocks will get a fair share of both Gator quarterbacks, Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson. South Carolina has played surprisingly well on the defensive side of the ball in 2021, but the Gamecocks will have to find a way to score points if there is a shot at knocking off Dan Mullen's Gators.
The Pick: Florida 31 South Carolina 20
Plus 3 Games of Week 10
Clemson (-4) @ Lousiville
Louisville goes into this game looking for its first victory against Clemson after joining the ACC seven years ago. The Cardinals will need a top-notch performance from running back Malik Cunningham to wear down the Clemson defense, which will not happen.
The Pick: Clemson 23 Louisville 21
Army vs. Air Force (-2.5)
This game will decide which of these two teams will win the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy at a neutral venue, which is the first time that Army and Air Force have played each other at a venue that wasn't either of the two team's home stadium. This year's game, along with the contest next season, will be play in Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Both teams average under 100 yards passing per game this season, but both squads have a quarterback that is efficient in the passing game when faced with longer down and distances.
Watching the Service Academy rivalry games is always neat, and the neutral site factor coupled with the bragging rights this game presents add significant interest to this contest. This game will be decided by which team will be able to get its' defense off the field on third down, as neither team likes to get behind the chains on offense. I like Air Force in this game due to the Falcons solid fundamentals on both sides of the ball.
The Pick: Air Force 31 Army 28
Penn State (-10) @ Maryland
The winner of this game will become bowl eligible, as both these teams come into Saturday desperate for a conference victory. Maryland has showed a high-flying offense at times, but the Terrapins have also suffered a couple blowout losses due to turnovers and errors on both sides of the ball. Penn State will end a two-game losing streak by forcing Terrapins quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa into some key mistakes.
The Pick: Penn State 35 Maryland 24
As always, thanks for reading my picks this week! If you enjoyed reading, please share my picks, so I can dedicate more time to generating content. I'm truly blessed to have readers that take time to enjoy and share my picks each week, and I have an absolute blast writing these predictions each week.
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Thanks everyone! Have fun with all this week's slate of exciting football!
