Week 4 record: 6-3
Overall: 33-11
The SEC East race appears a bit clearer after Tennessee’s comeback win over Florida combined with Georgia’s blowout loss to Ole Miss. In the West, Texas A&M asserted themselves as the main challenger to Alabama with a commanding three-touchdown win over Arkansas. Meanwhile, Les Miles was fired after an upset loss to Auburn, ending his tenure before the midpoint of his 12th season in Baton Rouge.
Teams with a by week: Mississippi State
Alcorn State at No. 20 Arkansas (12 p.m., SEC Network)
Alcorn State comes into Fayetteville at a much-needed time for Bret Bielema’s Razorbacks. Texas A&M dominated the second half of what was a close game to hand Arkansas their first loss of the season.
The Hogs' big offensive line struggled against the Aggies and will need to improve its pass protection for quarterback Austin Allen. The line also has to be better at creating opportunities for their running backs. Arkansas averaged just three yards per carry in the loss.
Defensively, they must figure out how to stop the run. The scheme and positioning was highly questionable last week and must be resolved against the inferior Braves.
Alcorn State, an FCS school, will rely on its rushing attack. The key to staying in the game will be to win the time of possession battle and keep the defense off the field. The unit’s most recent struggles came in a blowout loss to Grambling State a week ago in which the Braves gave up 43 points.
The Razorbacks struggles shouldn’t put them in jeopardy of losing this week but must be fixed before hosting Alabama in their next game.
The Pick: Arkansas 55 Alcorn State 21
Arkansas simply has too much talent for Alcorn State to compete with. The Razorbacks should build a big halftime lead and get needed rest for their starters while giving valuable experience to the backups.
No. 23 Florida at Vanderbilt (12 p.m., SEC Network)
Florida was brilliant on both sides of the football for the first 30 minutes against Tennessee. Entering halftime with a 21-3 lead, it appeared the Gators were on their way to extending the winning streak to 12 games over the Vols. The final 30 minutes were the exact opposite.
The offense was an absolute struggle against Tennessee but should return to form with the return of quarterback Luke Del Rio this week. The Gators need to develop a running game to keep the Vanderbilt defenders from sitting back to reinforce the secondary.
After getting scorched in the second half a week ago, the Florida defense should rebound against Vanderbilt. The Commodore offense has struggled to score and proved to be one-dimensional, relying on running back Ralph Webb to carry the offense.
Vanderbilt needs its veteran defense to start giving them better results. The group entered the season with high expectations and praise, some even touted them as the best in the SEC. Unfortunately for the Commodores, this has not been the case. They have given up over 450 yards per game, placing them 102nd in the FBS and 13th in the SEC in total defense.
The Pick: Florida 24 Vanderbilt 6
Their poor play in the second half last week will serve as a wake-up call for the Gators. Del Rio’s return will bring back the rhythm of the offense in a road win over Vanderbilt.
UL Monroe at Auburn (3:30 p.m., SEC Network)
Auburn’s upset win over LSU may have bought Gus Malzahn more time as head coach.
The Tigers once again were unable to be stopped on the ground. Kerryon Johnson and Kamryn Pettway continued to dominate opposing run defenses against LSU’s hard-hitting group. Johnson was also the Tigers' leading receiver and his play has been essential for Sean White’s success.
Auburn should have success against UL Monroe and will continue to rely on their duo in the backfield to carry the load. White has been efficient with the football and will look to expose the Warhawk secondary. Getting touchdowns instead of settling for field goals will be the main focus this week.
Carl Lawson should continue to wreak havoc in the opponent’s backfield and the Auburn pass rush will remain a strong suit for the defense. Getting pressure on ULM quarterback Garrett Smith will be a key to shutting down their offense.
Auburn has potential to put up season high numbers against the below average ULM defense.
The Pick: Auburn 38 UL Monroe 17
Auburn will pound the ball and wear out the weak Warhawk run defense in route to the win. If ULM can keep Auburn’s defense on the field long enough to tire the starters, this could be closer than expected.
No. 11 Tennessee at No. 25 Georgia (3:30 p.m., CBS)
Joshua Dobbs and the Tennessee offense came to life in the second half versus Florida.
Dobbs posted five total touchdowns and exploited the Florida secondary for the first time this season. The Vols need to bring the same offensive approach to Athens this week against a Georgia defense that has struggled. Dobbs and JalenHurd will look to keep up their success on the ground against a young front seven for the Bulldogs.
After holding Florida down for much of the second half, the Volunteers defense should be feeling confident. To stop Georgia, they need to disrupt quarterback Jacob Eason in the pocket. The return of linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin will make the Vols' defense even more difficult to score against.
With the status of running back Nick Chubb still in the air for the Bulldogs, Sony Michel and freshman Brian Herrien will lead the running game. Eason was unable to get into a rhythm against Ole Miss and threw for only 137 yards. The freshman has to connect with his open targets down the field to beat Tennessee.
The defense was absolutely blistered by Chad Kelly last week, as the Rebels managed an average of 11 yards per reception. To avoid a repeat of that performance, the Bulldogs must limit the explosive plays in the Tennessee passing game.
The Pick: Georgia 34 Tennessee 28
Georgia will win this game by attacking the Tennessee front seven and limiting the number of passes Eason throws. The Bulldogs haven’t lost at home to Tennessee since 2006, and that is one streak the Vols won’t be able to break this season.
No. 9 Texas A&M at South Carolina (4 p.m., SEC Network)
Everyone knew how good Texas A&M’s offense is, but the greater surprise may be how well the Aggie defense has played. While it may not be great yet, the unit has visibly made improvements from a season ago and held high-powered Arkansas to just 21 points.
Trayveon Williams and Trevor Knight combined for over 300 yards against the Razorbacks and are primed for similar numbers against South Carolina. In addition to the ground game, Knight has found success through the air. Josh Reynolds has emerged as the go-to guy in a deep group of receivers. The Aggies' dynamic offense will be difficult for the Gamecocks to stop.
Containing the run and putting pressure on Knight is a must for South Carolina. The Gamecocks have to prevent Knight and Williams from gaining big chunks on the ground. Defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson will need to bring pressure from unique angles to allow the secondary to stay on their assignments.
The real question in this matchup is whether or not South Carolina find production on offense. If the answer is yes, someone will have to step up and help quarterback Brandon McIlwain. The Gamecocks failed to rush for 100 yards against a less than stellar Kentucky defense. Either David Williams or A.J. Turner needs to have a breakout game to stay close in this one.
The Pick: Texas A&M 38 South Carolina 13
Whether Myles Garrett plays after exiting with an injury last week should not matter for the Aggies. The Gamecocks' depth issues on the offensive line will prevent the running game from becoming a factor, and they won’t be able to score enough points to make this a game.
Kentucky at No. 1 Alabama (7 p.m., ESPN)
Head coach Mark Stoops had harsh words for his defense prior to last week’s game. If the comments were meant to inspire his bunch, it worked The Wildcats shutdown South Carolina, holding them to just 10 points and under 300 yards.
It’s hard to tell if Kentucky’s performance last week was a direct result of improvement or just a product of a struggling South Carolina offense. Alabama presents a much bigger test.
Kentucky's Stanley “Boom” Williams has been brilliant in the early season carrying the football. He and quarterback Stephen Johnson will face a tough challenge against Alabama’s physical defense. To have success against the Tide, the offensive line will need to stop the pass rush.
The Crimson Tide have been able to get points on the defensive side of the ball, with four total touchdowns. Their physicality will be a tough matchup for the opposing Wildcats offense who struggled a week ago.
Jalen Hurts will once again have a big performance through the air and on the ground. Running back Damien Harris is questionable, but freshman Joshua Jacobs proved last week that he is more than capable of filling that role.
The Pick: Alabama 45 Kentucky 13
Even if Kentucky’s defense has improved it still won’t be enough to beat Alabama. The Tide will cruise to a win behind another great performance from Hurts.
Memphis at No. 16 Ole Miss (7 p.m.)
Ole Miss is definitely the best two-loss team in the country. The Rebels dominated Georgia after blowing leads to Alabama and Florida State.
Chad Kelly is playing at a high level and has utilized his senior tight end Evan Engram on a weekly basis. The Rebels have chosen to spread out the running attack with seven different players carrying the ball against Georgia.
The defense gave their best performance of the season last week, and the secondary finally managed to hold up for 60 minutes. Memphis will provide yet another challenge for the Rebels pass defense in the form of quarterback Riley Ferguson, who threw six touchdowns while leading the Tigers to 77 points against Bowling Green.
Defensively, the goal for Memphis is to stop Kelly. The Tigers have to force Akeem Judd to step up and account for some of the offense. If they do this, they have a viable chance to remain close.
The Pick: Ole Miss 40 Memphis 28
The Rebels can’t afford to look back at their disappointing start. They should have confidence after finally putting together a complete game and will handle the Tigers at home.
Missouri at LSU (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
This battle of 2-2 teams should be a good indication of how the rest of the season will play out for both. The firing of Les Miles didn’t surprise many and some think it was overdue. How this LSU team responds to losing its coach will determine the result to this game.
Leonard Fournette is a beast, but with the lack of a passing game, opponents have been able to focus on the star running back and neutralize his impact on the game. Quarterback Danny Etling needs to find a way to successfully throw the ball downfield. Junior wide receiver Malachi Dupre has been virtually non-existent so far and needs to emerge as an elite playmaker.
LSU’s defense hasn’t been bad by any means. The Tigers will provide the biggest challenge Missouri quarterback Drew Lock has faced all season. Lock has been impressive since his early struggles and threw for 402 yards and five touchdowns while the offense set the school's scoring record against Delaware State with 79 points.
Freshman running back Damarea Crockett had a coming out party last week and may be the answer to Missouri’s problems in the run game.
Defensively, Missouri has held opponents down for the most part. If the visitors can stop Fournette and force Etling to throw the ball, they could get their first win over a Power 5 school this season.
The Pick: LSU 24 Missouri 21
If this game were in Columbia, Missouri it would be a different story. Death Valley will be too loud and the players will be inspired enough to win this game for their beloved ex-coach Les Miles.