If you are a Southeastern Conference football fan whose weekend activities in the fall are determined by what league games are being played, this might be your weekend to plan a getaway with the family (not you, Gator followers, that would be next week, the off-week).
After an early-season conference schedule that brought you South Carolina-Georgia, Tennessee-Florida, Alabama-Arkansas, Florida-Alabama, Alabama-South Carolina and Louisiana State-Florida, among others, can you really get up for a week where the biggest games just might be (drum roll, please…) Arkansas at Auburn and South Carolina at Kentucky?
OK, so we’re a bit spoiled. Imagine being a Boise State supporter. Think those folks wouldn’t love to see teams the caliber of bowl-bound UK somewhere on their WAC schedule?
Gator fans, at least you have a bit of a storyline involved in your game, as former offensive coordinator Dan Mullen will be bringing Mississippi State to town. Boise State has a big conference tilt at San Jose State (2-10 in 2009) this Saturday.
WEEK 7 (Oct. 16)
MISSISSIPPI STATE (2-4, 0-3 SEC) at FLORIDA (5-1, 3-1 SEC)
Breakdown: You wouldn’t know it looking at the record, but Mullen has the Bulldogs moving in a positive direction. With that said, Mississippi State did itself no favors by including the previous week’s opponent, Houston, in its non-conference schedule. That game saw Cougars’ quarterback Case Keenum throw for 405 yards and five touchdowns, damaging the confidence of MSU’s sophomore-heavy secondary with John Brantley and Co. up next. Sadly for the Bulldogs, this one could get ugly. That said, early on it won’t be so bad, as Florida will play its worst half of the season and will enter the locker room ahead just 14-13 after committing three turnovers. However, a spirited halftime talk from coach Urban Meyer will bring out the best in the Gators (and also wake up a surprisingly subdued crowd at The Swamp). And by the time Trey Burton takes over for Brantley midway through the fourth quarter, UF will have scored on every possession of the second half while limiting the Bulldogs to an early third-quarter field goal.
Player of the Game: Florida senior linebacker Brandon Hicks will remind Gator fans of former All-American Brandon Spikes by collecting a team-high 10 tackles with a forced fumble and an interception returned for a touchdown in the first half.
The Pick: Florida 49, Mississippi State 16
ARKANSAS (4-1, 1-1 SEC) at AUBURN (4-2, 1-2 SEC)
Breakdown: Last year’s game in Fayetteville is one Tigers’ fans would love to forget. There, 5-0 Auburn got put in its place with a 44-23 beat-down by the Razorbacks. That was the first of a three-game slide that saw the Tigers exposed as not quite ready to be contenders in the West. For Arkansas, this begins a four-game run of winnable games in SEC play. Auburn, meanwhile, comes in reeling after a home upset loss to Kentucky, and with the Razorbacks and then LSU next on the schedule, the Tigers could find themselves 1-4 in conference play by the time Oct. 24 rolls around. This game actually looks like a bit of a mismatch, as it combines Auburn’s struggling secondary with Arkansas’s potent passing game. This will be the week Hogs’ quarterback Ryan Mallett joins the leaders in the discussion of Heisman candidates.
Player of the Game: Mallett will complete 32 of 41 passes for 389 yards with four touchdowns and one interception to lead the Razorbacks.
The Pick: Arkansas 51, Auburn 28
SOUTH CAROLINA (4-1, 2-1 SEC) at KENTUCKY (5-1, 2-1 SEC)
Breakdown: The Wildcats will enter this game feeling pretty good about themselves, having cracked the Top 25 for the first time all season following a victory at Auburn. South Carolina, meanwhile, will have to get over what could have been and forget its close home loss to defending BCS champion Alabama a week earlier. And early on, Kentucky will continue the momentum taken from last Saturday’s win while the Gamecocks will look like a team stuck in neutral. However, South Carolina will rebound from a 14-0 first-period deficit to make it 17-17 entering the half. The Wildcats will open the second half with a 65-yard touchdown run by senior Derrick Locke, but the highly respected Gamecocks’ defense will take over from there, getting a touchdown of its own (on a fumble recovery by sophomore defensive end Devin Taylor) and setting up another (an interception senior cornerback Chris Culliver brings to the UK 12) to pull out a quality road win.
Player of the Game: Always looked at as a player with a lot of untapped potential, the 6-foot-8, 244-pound Taylor will record six tackles, two sacks, recover a fumble for a score and will bat down two passes to lead his team.
The Pick: South Carolina 31, Kentucky 24
MISSISSIPPI (4-1, 1-1 SEC) at ALABAMA (6-0, 3-0 SEC)
Breakdown: With sophomore Nathan Stanley out with a sprained right knee, this game will see a little intrigue added to it when coach Houston Nutt names Oregon transfer Jeremiah Masoli the starter against the Crimson Tide. Used in Wildcat packages the early part of the season, this game will give Masoli the chance to prove he has a good grasp of the Rebels’ full playbook. Unfortunately for him, the opponent isn’t Vanderbilt. That said, Masoli has started his share of big games, so the setting at Bryant-Denny Stadium shouldn’t be daunting to him. And even though his team won’t pull the upset, Masoli will show he deserves a shot to remain the starter when Stanley returns. Much like last year’s game (a 22-3 Tide victory), the Ole Miss’ defense will play well with senior end Kentrell Lockett sacking Alabama’s Greg McElroy twice, and the run-stoppers, led by 320-pound tackle Jerrell Powe, limiting 2009 Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram to 55 yards on 17 carries. However, the Tide will make the most of limited opportunities and also will get a touchdown off an interception from junior linebacker Dont’a Hightower to remain unbeaten and No. 1 in the national polls.
Player of the Game: Hightower, who missed the 2009 BCS championship season with a knee injury, will have a big day, recording seven tackles, while also recovering a fumble and taking an interception 25 yards for a score, outracing Masoli to the end zone.
The Pick: Alabama 24, Mississippi 13
The Rest of the Games: Georgia 27, Vanderbilt 8; Louisiana State 56, McNeese State 7; Tennessee is off.
SEC STANDINGS (after Week 7)
EAST DIVISION
SEC Overall
Florida 4-1 6-1
South Carolina 3-1 5-1
Georgia 3-2 5-2
Kentucky 2-2 5-2
Tennessee 0-3 2-4
Vanderbilt 0-3 1-5
WEST DIVISION
SEC Overall
Alabama 4-0 7-0
Louisiana State 3-1 5-2
Arkansas 2-1 5-1
Mississippi 1-2 4-2
Auburn 1-3 4-3
Mississippi State 0-4 2-5
Saturday, Oct. 16 (Week 7)
Florida 49, Mississippi State 16
South Carolina 31, Kentucky 24
Alabama 24, Mississippi 13
Arkansas 51, Auburn 28
Georgia 27, Vanderbilt 8
Louisiana State 56, McNeese State 7
Tennessee-BYE
Saturday, Oct. 23 (Week 8)
Florida-OFF
Alabama at Tennessee
Mississippi at Arkansas
Louisiana State at Auburn
Georgia at Kentucky
South Carolina at Vanderbilt
UAB at Mississippi State