SEC+3: Week Six Picks

 

Week six is here! Here's how last week went, followed by this year's overall record:

Week Five Record: 9-2

2021 Record: 41-14

Let's get into this week's picks!

#13 Arkansas @ #17 Ole Miss (-5.5)

This is one of several big conference games this week. In fact, each SEC team playing this week, outside of Missouri (hosting North Texas) and Mississippi State (Bye), will play a conference game. I've always been one to pick a good defense over a good offense. Arkansas is coming off a disappointing showing at Georgia last week, and Sam Pittman's team is looking for a nice rebound win to get the 2021 season back on track. Ole Miss will have to really step up on defense, and prevent the Razorbacks ground game from getting into gear. Ultimately, the running game and defense is what gets Arkansas back on track, and the big win puts last week's shutout in Athens in the rearview mirror.

The pick: Arkansas 35 Ole Miss 24

Vanderbilt @ #20 Florida (-39)

Brace for impact, Vanderbilt fans. The bottom is coming.

The pick: Florida 52 Vanderbilt 6

South Carolina @ Tennessee (-10.5)

The Vols 62-24 win against Missouri last week was a great boost of confidence for Tennessee. South Carolina will really need to clean up penalties and find creative ways to run the football. If the Gamecocks can find a way to give young quarterback Luke Doty some time to throw the football, then South Carolina might have a chance. Tennessee will be breaking out the classing Halloween uniforms this weekend, which bring bad memories of 2009 back into the minds of many South Carolina fans. While I don't think things will get that bad, Tennessee still has a chance to win this game big.

The pick: Tennessee 31 South Carolina 21

#2 Georgia (-15.5) @ #18 Auburn

"Good ol' Fashion Hate" is back for this rivalry's 2021 installment. This year's edition will be at Jordan-Hare Stadium. In my mind, Georgia and Alabama are in a different tier than the rest of the college football's contenders. Auburn found a way to get a big win in Baton Rouge last weekend, and Bo Nix was able to make some phenomenal plays with his feet to create time to throw to his receivers down field. He won't be able to do that against Georgia, as the Bulldogs defense runs on a different gear. I see Georgia stopping everything that Auburn tries on offense, but maybe the Tigers can be a little more creative than the rest of the offensive game plans against Georgia that we've seen so far this year.

The pick: Georgia 38 Auburn 13

North Texas @ Missouri (-19)

Missouri will try to bounce back after the thumping handed to the Tigers by Tennessee last weekend. North Texas will make this game a little closer than people think, and there's a chance for a lot of points to be scored in this game. 

The pick: Missouri 41 North Texas 28

LSU @ #16 Kentucky (-3)

Mark Stoops continues to make a case to win Coach of the Year in the SEC, as his Wildcats are currently sitting at 5-0. LSU comes into Lexington hungry for a conference victory, but Kentucky has proven to be one of the more solid defensive units in the SEC East. Yes, you read that correctly. I believe the Wildcats win a physical conference game that will come down to the wire in the fourth quarter. 

The pick: Kentucky 27 LSU 23

#1 Alabama (-18) @ Texas A&M

Texas A&M is struggling through a lot of injuries in 2021. Not time to panic yet in College Station, but this season is looking like a wash. The Aggies will have a chance to use this season as a "proving year" to see who will lead Texas A&M to a successful 2022 season. The Alabama 38-run rule is in effect in this one.

The pick: Alabama 38 Texas A&M 17

"Plus Three" Games for Week Six

#6 Oklahoma (-3) vs. #21 Texas - Cotton Bowl - Dallas, TX

One of two College Football Playoff "shake up" games in my "plus three" games this week. 

The pick: Texas 35 Oklahoma 31

#4 Penn State @ #3 Iowa (-1.5)

"Shake up" game number two on our list, this game impacts how the Big 10 standings will end up finishing for 2021. 

The pick: Iowa 20 Penn State 17

#19 Wake Forest @ Syracuse

I put this game on the "plus three" this week so I could give a shoutout to Wake Forest. I think Wake Forest and Pittsburgh are the two best teams in the ACC at the moment.

The pick: Wake Forest 35 Syracuse 21

As always, thanks for reading this week! I hope everybody has an awesome, safe weekend and enjoys all of the week six action!

SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #7

We are just one week away from South Carolina versus Vanderbilt next Thursday night in Nashville! Our countdown continues with two players that dominated the SEC East while playing for their respective schools.


Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina

Believe it or not, Clowney actually finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting after the 2012 season. His 47 tackles for loss are third all-time in SEC history, and his 24 sacks are the sixth-best in SEC history. Always recognized for his freakish talent, Clowney was the first overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and was a consensus All-American in 2012. Many people remember Clowney's tremendous hit against Michigan that helped South Carolina to an Outback Bowl victory:




Danny Wuerffel, QB, Florida

Another Steve Spurrier product, Wuerffel won the Ole Ball Coach a National Title in 1996. He also won plenty of recognition during his career at Florida. He was the Heisman Trophy winner in 1996, along with winning the SEC Player of the Year in 1995 and 1996. He was also the 1996 Maxwell Award winner. Check out Wuerffel's touchdown pass to Chris Doering that gave the Gators a big victory against Kentucky in 1993 with 17 seconds left on the clock:




Just seven days left until kickoff, folks! Be sure to follow us on Twitter @GSL_SECPlus3 and @griffaldo. You can also follow the blog by clicking the "follow" button in the upper righthand corner of your screen. If you missed any of the countdown, you find each post by clicking the links on the right side of the page. As always, thanks for reading!

SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #12

Just 12 days remain until South Carolina and Vanderbilt square off in Nashville on Sept. 1. Here's our countdown for #12:

Derek Abney, WR, Kentucky

Abney is one of the best kick returners to ever play in the SEC. In his career, he returned six punts for touchdowns and two kickoffs for touchdowns. Abney was an electric player and was a 2002 Consensus All-American. Here's a video of Abney returning a kickoff against Florida for a 101-yard touchdown in 2002:

Chris Leak, QB, Florida

Chris Leak put up tremendous numbers at Florida from 2003 to 2006. He's third all-time in career passing yardage in the SEC and led the Gators to a 2006 National Championship over Ohio State. Leak's 88 touchdown passes are the fourth-most in the SEC. Here are some of Leak's best highlights from his career as a Gator:



Be sure to follow us on Twitter @GSL_SECPlus3 and @griffaldo by clicking the user names and pressing the "follow" button. You can also follow the blog by pressing the "follow" button in upper righthand corner of your screen. If you missed any of our countdown, you can find it by clicking on the links below:

SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #19
SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #18
SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #17
SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #16
SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #15
SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #14
SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #13

SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #15

15 days separate us from the SEC opener between South Carolina and Vanderbilt in Nashville. Today's countdown pays homage to two of the conferences most popular quarterbacks:

Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State

Prescott terrorized SEC defenses from 2012 to 2015. In his four years in Starkville, Prescott scored 111 total touchdowns, which is the fourth-most total in SEC history. His 316 completions in 2015 were the most of any SEC quarterback. Check out some Prescott's best highlights in this video made by YouTube user Lucas Productions:





Tim Tebow, QB, Florida

Perhaps one the most loved or most hated quarterbacks in SEC history, Tebow showed football fans a shade of competitiveness that's rarely, if at all, matched. Tebow was the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, a two-time Maxwell Award recipient and the 2007 Associated Press Player of the Year.

Tebow's career passing efficiency rating of 170.8 still stands as the best in SEC history. His 145 touchdowns in his career as a Gator also are the most in SEC history. Despite receiving the most first place votes for the 2008 Heisman Trophy, Tebow fell short of both Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy for the award, which would have made him only the second player to ever win the award twice.

Check out some of Tebow's best highlights in a video made by Stevenson Bone below:




Be sure to follow us on Twitter @GSL_SECPlus3 and @griffaldo by clicking the user name and pressing the "follow" button for continued updates and links. If you missed a day of our countdown, you can find it by clicking the links below:

SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #19
SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #18
SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #17
SEC+3's Countdown to Kickoff: #16