A Look at Week 5 in the SEC

Week 4 didn't bring much excitement within the SEC. Other than LA Tech taking Mississippi State to overtime, all the games went as expected and weren't that close. My predictions from last week ended up 8-0, which came as a result of there not really being any difficult games to pick other than the non-SEC game I included. LSU throttled another ranked team, and still have all the makings of a national title contender. Alabama looked impressive as well, destroying a quality Arkansas team. It's shaping up to be a heavyweight bout between Alabama and LSU on November 5th.

Now let's take a look at Week 5...

Game of the Week

Will Rainey and the Gators be able
to pull off the upset?

#3 Alabama at #12 Florida (8:00 PM, CBS): This game will really tell us if Florida is the real deal or not. They are undefeated so far, and have looked much more impressive than I thought they would be in their first season under Will Muschamp. It will be interesting to see Florida's dynamic speed in Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps against Alabama's lock down defense. This game being in The Swamp makes it intriguing and definitely increases Florida's chances of pulling the upset. However, Alabama's defense is for real, and they have looked very impressive so far this year. It also helps to have two power backs in Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy that will help turn the time of possession in Alabama's favor. Alabama wins, but it will be their closest game so far this year.
     Prediction: Alabama 24-21

Top Tier Games:

Auburn will have to give Dyer more
carries if they want to have any
chance to win.

Auburn at #10 South Carolina (3:30 PM, CBS): This game will begin a very tough four game stretch for the Auburn Tigers. In the next four weeks they play on the road against South Carolina and Arkansas, home against Florida, and then back on the road to take on LSU. I think most Auburn fans would consider it a victory to come out of that stretch 2-2 and would maybe take being 1-3. Auburn's biggest challenge is going to be trying to stop Marcus Lattimore with their defense that has been porous so far this season. According to Vegas, Auburn is a 10 point underdog. The plausible reason for an Auburn upset is the fact that South Carolina's Stephen Garcia has thrown 7 interceptions in the last 3 games, and that will give any team a chance. However, you know that South Carolina has had this date circled on their calendar for a year after getting beat twice by AU last season including a thrashing in the SEC Championship Game. My heart tells me Auburn, but my head tells me South Carolina. South Carolina wins, but, as Lee Corso would say, it will be closer than the experts think.
     Prediction: South Carolina 34-31


#14 Texas A&M at #18 Arkansas (12:00 PM, ESPN): Both of these teams are coming off their first loss of the season last week. Texas A&M was officially admitted into the SEC this week and so it's a nifty coincidence that they also face an SEC opponent as well. A&M has the same problem this week that they had last week against Oklahoma State, and that's a high powered offense. Arkansas has an elite passing game along with home field advantage, and for those reasons Arkansas will pull out the victory.
     Prediction: Arkansas 31-27


Mississippi State at Georgia (12:00 PM, FSN): Both of these teams have definitely had their struggles this season. Mississippi State had a 1-2 LA Tech team take them to overtime last week and Georgia started off the season with two straight losses. However, Georgia is coming off of two straight wins and is looking to build that momentum with a win over MSU. Although Georgia has had its flaws, they have shown more than Mississippi State this season. Georgia takes the victory at home.
    Prediction: Georgia 28-17

Bonus Non-SEC Game

Wisconsin's Russell Wilson

#8 Nebraska at #7 Wisconsin (8:00 PM, ABC): This game features a top ten matchup between two Big Ten foes. Russell Wilson has fit in perfectly at Wisconsin and has the makings of a potential Heisman candidate. What could have been for Auburn, right? Wisconsin has a very impressive defense that ranks right behind Alabama as the #3 scoring defense in the nation only allowing 8.5 points per game. The defense has looked good and Russell Wilson has jolted the offense this season and has them hitting on all cylinders scoring 48.5 points per game. Wisconsin wins this showdown at Camp Randall Stadium.
    Prediction: Wisconsin 31-21


The Rest
Kentucky at #1 LSU (12:21 PM, SEC Network): LSU 44-7
Buffalo at Tennessee (12:30 PM, CSS): Tennessee 31-10
Ole Miss at Fresno State (9:15 PM, ESPN2): 24-17 Ole Miss
*All Times Eastern


Lucas' Week 4 Record: 8-0
Lucas' Season Record: 33-6