No. 20 Ole Miss @ Mississippi State
Thursday, Nov. 24 — Vaught-Hemingway Stadium — Oxford, Miss.
6 p.m. on ESPN
This Thanksgiving matchup may just end up being the best of the entire SEC slate. On offense, Mississippi State is going to depend on its short passing game and Ole Miss will try to run the football. The winner will likely be whoever is able to get stops on the defensive end. While it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Bulldogs pull out the victory, expect the Rebels’ ability to run the football to shorten the game and ultimately pull out the victory.
Prediction: Ole Miss 34, Mississippi State 31
Auburn @ No. 8 Alabama
Saturday, Nov. 26 — Bryant-Denny Stadium — Tuscaloosa, Ala.
2:30 p.m. on CBS
This matchup always seems to be close no matter how bad either team may be. Just last year, Auburn gave Alabama all they could handle and even pushed them to overtime. This year, Alabama’s team is not as talented as years past and is only ranked inside the top 10 because of great play from junior quarterback Bryce Young. Auburn seems to have new life under interim coach Carnell Williams. The key for Auburn in this matchup will be its ability to run the football. For Alabama, they’re going to need Bryce Young to continue to play like he’s the future No. 1 overall pick for the Houston Texans. Expect Auburn to stick around and for Alabama to pull away towards the end of the fourth behind more magic from Young.
Prediction: Alabama 31, Auburn 21
South Carolina @ No. 9 Clemson
Saturday, Nov. 26 — Memorial Stadium — Clemson, S.C.
11 a.m. on ABC
Before South Carolina’s blowout victory against Tennessee, most probably expected this upcoming matchup to probably be an easy one for Clemson. South Carolina’s offense looked great against Tennessee, but Clemson’s defense is the strength of this team. South Carolina will have to put together another great performance for the Gamecocks to have a chance to come out of Death Valley with a victory. In this game, expect things to go differently for South Carolina. The Clemson offense will probably continue to struggle, but that shouldn’t change the outcome.
Prediction: Clemson 27, South Carolina 14
Georgia Tech @ No. 1 Georgia
Saturday, Nov. 26 — Sanford Stadium — Athens, Ga.
11 a.m. on ESPN
Throughout the season, Georgia has looked like the best team in the country. Currently, Georgia is 11-0 and scheduled to play No. 6 LSU in the SEC Championship on Saturday, Dec. 3, in Atlanta. As long as Georgia wins one of its next two games, they are assured a spot in the College Football Playoff. In its rivalry game against Georgia, expect the Bulldogs to win comfortably. While Georgia Tech is coming off of an impressive victory against North Carolina, Georgia is a different animal. The real question is whether or not Georgia Tech will score more than 10 points because Georgia’s defense has played great all season.
Prediction: Georgia 38, Georgia Tech 7
