Week 6 Record: (5-0)
Overall: (47-12)
Hurricane Matthew forced Florida and LSU to postpone their matchup for a later date.
Meanwhile, Texas A&M was able to keep pace with Alabama for the SEC West race with a dramatic double-overtime victory over Tennessee. The Volunteers host No. 1 Alabama Saturday in the SEC game of the week.
Teams with a bye week: Auburn, Kentucky, South Carolina, Texas A&M.
Friday Oct. 14
Mississippi State at BYU (10:15 p.m., ESPN)
Mississippi State struggled mightily in a blowout loss to Auburn a week ago. The loss dropped them to 1-2 in the SEC and sixth in the West standings.
The Bulldogs are really feeling the loss of Dak Prescott and can’t seem to get anything going on offense. The struggles in the rushing game continued against Auburn last weekend, as they managed just 103 rushing yards on 33 carries. Running back Brandon Holloway needs to increase his production in the backfield to spark the offense.
On defense, the Bulldogs have been pretty sound for much of the season but were exploited by Auburn’s ground attack. The Bulldogs will face another challenge in BYU’s dual threat quarterback Taysom Hill. Winning the turnover battle is essential to a road win over the Cougars.
The BYU defense has been excellent against the run and will be tough for the struggling MSU backfield. Bulldogs quarterback Nick Fitzgerald needs to find a way to get the ball to senior wide receiver Fred Ross and find the holes in the Cougars defense.
The Pick: BYU 34 Mississippi State 21
The Mississippi State defense will struggle to contain BYU running back Jamaal Williams who is poised for a big game. The Bulldogs will need to find success in their running game to compete on the road with the Cougars.
Saturday Oct. 15
Vanderbilt at Georgia (12 p.m., SEC Network)
Making a bowl game is starting to look like even more of a long shot for Vanderbilt. Another poor offensive performance against Kentucky has the Commodores at 2-4 on the season and last in the SEC East.
Kyle Shurmur hasn’t played bad at the quarterback position but hasn’t received any help from his receivers. Running back Ralph Webb continues to be the only consistent producer for the offense and racked up another 100-yard game last week. For the offense to come to life over the coming weeks, they need someone besides Webb to step up and make plays.
The defense has continued to keep the Commodores close in games this season. Linebacker Zach Cunningham has remained a force against opposing offenses and still leads the SEC in tackles.
Georgia will rely on their dynamic backfield duo of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel to carry the offense. The two both rushed for over 100 yards against South Carolina, while third string back Brian Herrien added 82 more. Jacob Eason struggled, throwing for only 29 yards and needs to regain his rhythm versus Vanderbilt.
The Bulldogs secondary has struggled all year against the pass but should have more success against Shurmur and the Commodores.
The Pick: Georgia 31 Vanderbilt 17
Georgia’s deep backfield alone will be enough to surpass Vanderbilt. Look for Eason to get back on track in a road victory for the Bulldogs.
No. 1 Alabama at No. 9 Tennessee (3:30 p.m., CBS)
Alabama has rolled through the first half of their schedule, largely thanks to their ability to score without their offense on the field. The Tide now have nine non-offensive touchdowns, which is the same number of total touchdowns South Carolina has managed through the first six weeks.
The Crimson Tide offense slammed Arkansas by putting up 49 points in their road victory a week ago. Quarterback Jalen Hurts reached the end zone four times against the Razorbacks and will look to continue his success against Tennessee’s struggling run defense.
Jalen Hurd should return for Tennessee at running back and could provide a huge lift for the offense. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs threw for nearly 400 yards against Texas A&M but seven turnovers cost the Volunteers a shot at the victory.
The Volunteers have to improve their run defense to have any chance at defeating Alabama. Hurts and running back Damien Harris will be a tough combination for the Vols to stop.
Tennessee needs to limit turnovers and avoid falling into an early deficit in order to pull the upset against the Tide.
The Pick: Alabama 43 Tennessee 29
Alabama will remain undefeated behind another brilliant game on the ground. The defense will reach the end zone again to extend the Tide’s streak of non-offensive touchdowns.
Missouri at No. 18 Florida (4 p.m., SEC Network)
Missouri returns off a bye week to travel to Gainesville in an SEC East matchup with Florida.
The Tigers hope to have fixed the problems the offense encountered in their loss to LSU. Quarterback Drew Lock has been a pleasant surprise for Mizzou but will need a better showing than the one he had in Baton Rouge. The Tigers also need improvement in the running game to contend with the Gators.
The defense was the biggest disappointment for Missouri against LSU, as they allowed a previously lifeless offense to light up the scoreboard with 42 points. They will face another challenge in the return of Florida quarterback Luke Del Rio.
The Gators hope Del Rio’s return will provide the offense with a spark. The running game has struggled and needs an increase in production from Jordan Scarlett.
Despite the offensive struggles, the Gators defense has played very well and has helped collect wins in low scoring battles against UMass and Vanderbilt. Putting pressure on Lock and forcing the Tigers to run the ball should be the main focus for the Florida defense.
The Pick: Florida 27 Missouri 20
The return of Del Rio is enough to push Florida to the victory. The Gators elite secondary will hold Lock to less than 200 yards passing.
No. 12 Ole Miss at No. 22 Arkansas (7 p.m., ESPN)
Chad Kelly has led an explosive Ole Miss passing attack through the first half of the season. Outside of two blown leads to Florida State and Alabama, the Rebels have looked like a national power. Their number 12 ranking leaves them as the highest two-loss team in the nation.
Kelly has played extremely well, with wide receiver Evan Engram being his primary target, but the Rebels have struggled to find success in the running game. Running backs Akeem Judd and Eugene Brazley need to find the holes in the Hogs defensive line.
The Rebels defense will need to focus on stopping Arkansas running back Rawleigh Williams III. If they can shut down the running game, Razorbacks quarterback Austin Allen will need a big performance to get the win. Allen threw for 400 yards against Alabama but was plagued by three interceptions.
The Razorbacks defense struggled against Alabama and must play better to have a chance at stopping Kelly and the Rebels.
The Pick: Ole Miss 45 Arkansas 34
Arkansas’s defense is not good enough to stop Kelly and the Ole Miss passing attack. This game will be full of big plays but the Rebels defense will ultimately slow down the Razorbacks.
Southern Miss at LSU (7:30 p.m., SEC Network)
Due to Hurricane Matthew, last week’s game against Florida was postponed for LSU, leaving the Tigers well-rested heading into this non-conference matchup.
Star runningback Leonard Fournette will sit out once again against the Golden Eagles so the Tigers will rely on running back Derrius Guice to carry the ball. Quarterback Danny Etling was dynamic against Missouri in their last game, and interim head coach Ed Orgeron’s new offense posted 42 points and over 600 yards.
Southern Miss struggled on defense a week ago, giving up 55 points to Texas San Antonio. If Guice and Darrel Williams can have more success on the ground the Tigers offense will be very hard to stop.
LSU’s defense was lights out as usual against Missouri and should dominate the Southern Miss offensive line. The Tigers front-seven will make it very hard for the Golden Eagles to run the ball and will put pressure on quarterback Nick Mullens.
Mullens will need to have a big game and the Southern Miss defense must shut down Guice to have any chance in this one.
The Pick: LSU 41 Southern Miss 14
The stingy LSU defense will use their strength and size to overpower Southern Miss, while the Tigers offense will continue to find success in their new scheme.