Georgia, Florida and Tennessee all receive byes this week. Following a loss to Vanderbilt, Georgia needed the bye to regroup. With an abundance of injuries, Tennessee definitely needed a bye to rest and recuperate. Florida just had a weekend off two weeks ago and crushed Missouri this past weekend, so the Gators really didn’t need a bye, but they’ll take one anyway. The SEC has three intra-conference games featuring top 25 teams.

Here are 10 burning questions:

  1. Nick Saban is awesome in revenge games, and while this isn’t a team revenge game, getting revenge on an opposing quarterback is similar, right? OK, maybe that is a stretch, but it will be interesting to see how Jeremy Pruitt’s defense plays Trevor Knight compared to how Kirby Smart’s defense played Knight in the Sugar Bowl three seasons ago. There is a huge motivation difference. In 2013, Alabama was one play away from a national championship and instead wound up in the Sugar Bowl. This season, the team must beat Knight in a hyped game to remain in the national championship race.
  2. The biggest matchup question is can the A&M receivers exploit Alabama’s secondary? Alabama gave up 400 or more passing yards to Ole Miss and Arkansas. Both teams have strong receiving corps, and so does Texas A&M. Evan Engram might be the best tight end in the SEC and Keon Hatcher is a matchup nightmare. While Calvin Ridley is one of the best receivers in the conference, Josh Reynolds and Christian Kirk might just be the best one-two punch in the league.
  3. How will this season’s Arkansas-Auburn contest compare to last season’s 4OT thriller? Kevin Steele has Auburn’s defense ranked 11th in the nation by allowing just 16 points per game, so Arkansas isn’t likely to put up 54 points again this season. That said, Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos has shown a knack for exploiting opponents’ weaknesses this season. Even when overmatched against Alabama, the Arkansas offense managed to tally 400 yards passing.
  4. Does Auburn stand to benefit not only from home field advantage, but also a bye week? While Arkansas was battling Ole Miss, Auburn was enjoying a weekend off. However, it should be noted Ole Miss’ fast-paced offense was probably great preparation for the Auburn offense.
  5. While Ed Orgeron and the revenge angle has gotten most of the attention — Orgeron was fired after three rough seasons as head coach at Ole Miss — the biggest story is: Who will win the matchup between the high-octane Ole Miss offense and the rugged LSU defense? Ole Miss won the battle last season by hanging 38 points on LSU’s defense, although the Tigers’ unit this season under defensive coordinator Dave Aranda looks even tougher.
Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

  1. How will injuries impact the Ole Miss-LSU game? Leonard Fournette is expected to return this week, and his ankle injury may be well behind him having rested the last four weeks. Injuries have impacted the offensive line as well, in particular left guard Will Clapp. While Chad Kelly and Evan Engram were shaken up in the loss at Arkansas, Ole Miss isn’t expected to be affected by recent injuries.
  2. Can Kentucky defeat Mississippi State? The Wildcats haven’t beaten the Bulldogs since 2008, but this year may be its best opportunity in some time. Mississippi State is coming off a tough overtime defeat, while Kentucky enjoyed a bye week. In the Wildcats’ two most recent SEC home games, the defense held opponents to one total touchdown. Will the unit contain Nick Fitzgerald and company?
  3. Will South Carolina roll the dice on a different freshman quarterback? Jake Bentley received more repetitions at practice this week. Reporters asked head coach Will Muschamp about it. He addressed Bentley’s progression but coyly declined to give a clear indication as to which quarterback will start this week. Bentley has the strongest arm of South Carolina’s three options, but is he ready to start? UMass is a great opponent to bring him along slowly.
  4. Is Vanderbilt about to move to .500? Playing FCS opponent Tennessee State, it would appear to be the case. The last time Vanderbilt was .500 through eight games in a season was in 2013 when, coincidentally, the team last defeated Georgia.
  5. Will Missouri starting quarterback Drew Lock bounce back after an atrocious performance against Florida? Lock was 4-for-18 passing with 39 yards passing, 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. His performance was enough to rattle many young signal-callers, but Lock gets an easier opponent against Middle Tennessee. That said, the Blue Raiders have a strong secondary, not exactly the caliber of Florida but also much better than Delaware State. For comparison, Middle Tennessee lost to Vanderbilt earlier this season, 47-24.