No. 6 Tennessee at No. 11 Georgia
Saturday, Nov. 16 — Sanford Stadium — Athens, Georgia
6:30 p.m. on ABC
Tennessee trampled over the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Week 11, racking up 452 yards of total offense and chewing up a majority of the game clock en route to a 33-14 victory. Meanwhile, the Georgia Bulldogs lost their first game to a team not named Alabama for the first time since 2020, after they were dominated by now-No. 10 Ole Miss, 28-10.
This is not the same breed of Bulldogs Georgia fans have come to expect under coach Kirby Smart, as their dreams of reaching the SEC Championship game and College Football Playoff are waning. However, Volunteer redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Leamaleava is in for a rude awakening when he steps out of concussion protocol and onto the field in Sanford Stadium to take on a revenge hungry gang of Bulldogs. Coach Smart, let the Dogs out!
Prediction: Georgia 24, Tennessee 21
No. 24 Missouri at No. 23 South Carolina
Saturday, Nov. 16 — Williams-Brice Stadium — Columbia, South Carolina
3:15 p.m. on SEC Network
The pitiful pussycats, a.k.a. the Missouri Tigers, narrowly defeated the lowly Oklahoma Sooners, 30-23 in Week 11. South Carolina finds itself in the midst of a three-game winning streak with wins over Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks’ defense is surely licking its chops thinking about the possibility of facing the Tigers’ backup under center.
Missouri has two elite pass catchers in senior wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. and junior WR Luther Burden III. However, they fail to properly utilize their talent without an efficient passer to get them the ball.
South Carolina and Missouri both possess stubborn defenses allowing just 17.6 and 18.4 points per game, respectively. Despite their similar rankings, these two programs have drastically different levels of momentum. South Carolina is going to pound them till the sun don’t shine.
Prediction: South Carolina 42, Missouri 17
No. 3 Texas at Arkansas
Saturday, Nov. 16 — Razorback Stadium — Fayetteville, Arkansas
11 a.m. on ABC
Texas embarrassed the Florida Gators in Week 11, 49-17 — which doesn’t say much as the Gators have been the punching bag of the SEC this season. Arkansas used its bye week to recover from the beating it suffered at the hands of Ole Miss in Week 10 and prepare for coach Steve Sarkisian’s eccentric offense.
The Longhorns’ most impressive win came against the overperforming 6-4 Vanderbilt Commodores. Texas has the talent necessary to make a run in the College Football Playoff, but it has still yet to defeat an elite program. The Razorbacks will need to dominate the time of possession, to keep the Longhorns offense off the field for as long as possible if they want to send the boys in Burnt Orange home with a loss. Longhorns, the eyes of Texas are upon you, don’t disappoint!
Prediction: Texas 35, Arkansas 16
No. 21 LSU at Florida
Saturday, Nov. 16 — Ben Hill Griffin Stadium — Gainesville, Florida
2:30 p.m. on ABC
The Tigers were mauled by the Crimson Tide in Week 11, 42-13 — further proving that the LSU defense has no answer when it faces an athlete under center. The Gators and their third-string QB got bombarded by the Texas Longhorns, 49-17. Needless to say, both of these programs are in desperate need of a win.
The hopes of the boys in Blue and Orange depend solely on if freshman QB DJ Lagway is healthy enough to suit up. LSU just needs to execute the small things when it arrives in “The Swamp”. Redshirt Junior QB Garrett Nussmeier needs to pick things back up in order to save the Tigers’ season and his NFL Draft stock. Like Lana Del Rey’s husband, these Bayou Bengals know all about Gators, including how to beat them on the football field.
Prediction: LSU 31, Florida 21
