Each week in this column, SDS news desk editor Michael Bratton (@MichaelWBratton) and SDS senior national columnist Connor O’Gara (@cjogarac) will go head-to-head, picking every SEC game against the spread while sharing their thoughts heading into each matchup.

Our Week 6 SEC selections:

Georgia (-17.5) at Vanderbilt

Michael: At this point in the season, the Bulldogs are clearly the class of the East coming off a 41-0 destruction of Tennessee in Neyland Stadium while Vanderbilt is coming off another SEC loss after starting the season at 3-0 in non-conference play. It’s doubtful that Georgia won’t get up for this game, considering Vandy won in Athens last year, but this line seems off to me. I don’t think the Commodores will truly test the Bulldogs but Kyle Shurmur has emerged as a legit SEC quarterback and he has some nice weapons to work in the offense. I like him to make some plays in this one, doing just enough to help cover the spread.

Georgia 30 Vanderbilt 16

Connor: I’ve been high on Georgia the last few weeks. Why stop now? Against a Vanderbilt defense that got off to a fast start, Georgia will try and do exactly what Alabama did. That is, dominate at the line of scrimmage and let the ground game do the talking. I don’t like Kyle Shurmur’s chances of even keeping it close against that dominant Georgia defense. My only question is whether Bulldog fans will overwhelm Vanderbilt fans like Alabama did.

Georgia 35, Vanderbilt 7

Ole Miss at Auburn (-21.5)

Michael: Oh, what high hopes I had for Ole Miss this preseason. I really expected the Rebels to play inspired football heading into SEC play after a 3-0 start but the road trip to Cal ruined that projection and it appears this team is as fragile as most predicted they would quickly become. I was also very high on Auburn and, so far, the Tigers have met my preseason expectations. If Jarrett Stidham continues to progress at his current rate, Auburn may not lose another game all season. The Tigers appear to be the most balanced team in the league after five games and should cruise to an easy win at home.

Auburn 55 Ole Miss 13

Connor: I don’t want to completely sell the Rebels after they faced two superior defensive minds in Justin Wilcox and Nick Saban. But man, talk about a gauntlet stretch. The Tigers dominated Nick Fitzgerald and completely took away any notion of a balanced offense. Ole Miss doesn’t care about balance. It’s better suited to play from behind, but it isn’t better suited to survive that Auburn pass rush.

Auburn 42, Ole Miss 17

LSU at Florida (-3.5)

Michael: Florida appears to be improving on a weekly basis while LSU is doing the opposite. My main concern for the Gators at this point is the mindset of Feleipe Franks after being pulled from the lineup for the second time this season. Now starting due to the season-ending injury to Luke Del Rio, the freshman flashes brilliance at times but far too often he has proven inefficient at running McElwain’s offense and his accuracy can be all over the place. The Gators may need to lean heavily on the ground game in this matchup. LSU has decided to stop the carousel at QB and, wisely, is planning to stick with senior Danny Etling this week. With Derrius Guice returning to the lineup, look for the Tigers to play with more passion this week. This game is a borderline must-win for LSU considering the upcoming schedule the team faces. I’m sure I’ll be on an island on this pick but I’m going with the Tigers.

LSU 23 Florida 21

Connor: So, who trusts LSU to play 60 minutes against a competent team right now? Say what you want about Florida’s offense, but it’s not like the Tigers have been world-beaters on defense, either. I think the Gators figured some things out on offense. Malik Davis and Lamical Perine are the straws that stir the drink for the Gators, and against an LSU defense that allowed 191 rushing yards to Troy’s Jordan Chunn, I expect that to continue. It stays close, but Florida wins another one at home.

Florida 21, LSU 14

Arkansas (-2) at South Carolina

Michael: Hard to tell which team needs this game more right now. If Arkansas doesn’t win here, they could be looking at a 1-7, at best, SEC record. While a win could propel the Razorbacks to some momentum heading into a stretch of West opponents. The Gamecocks did a fantastic job early on the road last week before falling apart in the fourth quarter at Texas A&M. After being plagued by poor offense early in the season, Arkansas appears to have found its groove on that side of the ball. Considering the Gamecocks have shown no ability to run the ball, their one-dimensional offense will make things much easier for Paul Rhoads’ 3-4 defense in this game. At this point in the Will Muschamp era, South Carolina simply doesn’t have the depth to replace key contributors lost to injury. The fourth quarter collapse last weekend may very well have broken this team’s back.

Arkansas 30 South Carolina 20

Connor: Man, talk about two teams that could use a win. The Hogs haven’t put together a complete game against a Power 5 team yet, and South Carolina’s offense has been frustrating since Deebo Samuel went down. Despite the big-name quarterback matchup of Austin Allen vs. Jake Bentley, I don’t see this one turning into a shootout with these two struggling offensive lines. I think Bentley comes up with a late scoring drive to prevent the Gamecocks from dropping their third straight SEC game.

South Carolina 24, Arkansas 21

Alabama (-26.5) at Texas A&M

Michael: I’ve completely come around on Texas A&M. The Aggies appeared to be one of the SEC’s worst teams just a few weeks ago after playing two uninspired games, in which they struggled to win, vs. Nicholls and Louisiana Lafayette. What looked to me to be poor play now appears to be youth being rushed on the field due to necessity. Freshman QB Kellen Mond continues to impress and played the best football of his career last weekend. He also fits the mold of quarterbacks that give Alabama the most trouble. Christian Kirk has been called the SEC’s best player by some this season and the defense has been playing inspired football as of late. Combine all that with a rowdy College Station homefield that should be rocking Saturday night and I like Texas A&M in this game. Of course, I mean to cover and not win outright. Alabama is playing on another level right now and not beating itself. Until they do that, they are untouchable.

Alabama 45 Texas A&M 28

Connor: I mean, the Tide took that 28-point spread against Ole Miss and laughed at it. Shoot, the Tide did that the week before against Vanderbilt, too. What would make anyone think the Aggies are going to put up a better fight? I like Kellen Mond’s progress, but he’s never had a challenge like this before. The Tide will suffocate that Texas A&M offense and make everyone question Kevin Sumlin’s direction once again.

Alabama 42, Texas A&M 7

Missouri at Kentucky (-10)

Michael: The main concern in this one is the fact Kentucky has been playing down to the level of its competition. Missouri may be an SEC team but they haven’t played like it yet this season. The Tigers are coming off a bye, which should but it’s going to take more than a week off to fix the plethora of issues on this team. Kentucky has yet to score 28 points in a single game this season, Mizzou has given up at least 31 points in each game this season. Something has to give in this matchup.

Kentucky 30 Missouri 21

Connor: Kentucky is a bit of a challenge from a betting standpoint because all signs point to the Wildcats rolling with this one. But then you think about the fact that they only beat Southern Mississippi, Eastern Kentucky and Eastern Michigan by an average of seven points. That’s the company Missouri is in right now. The Tigers had two weeks to figure out what exactly they were doing on offense, but until we see them actually compete against a Power 5 defense (Kentucky has a good one, by the way), they can’t be trusted.

Kentucky 31, Missouri 14