When it comes to reviewing my predictions in this column each week, I’ve decided to focus on the positives and do my best to ignore the negatives. That way, I can point out with pride how I correctly predicted Kyle Shurmur’s touchdown passes (3) and Kalija Lipscomb’s receiving touchdowns (2).

It also allows me to move past the fact that two of the quarterbacks I predicted would have 300-yard passing games last week – Tua Tagovailoa and Jake Bentley – each failed to reach even 150.

With six of the seven games this weekend a conference matchup, I’m expecting the numbers these players put up will be a little less than their stats earlier this season.

(Also, I’m tired of being ridiculously far off on so many predictions, so maybe by lowering the standards I can at least get a little closer in Week 6.)

Most Passing Yards
1. Jordan Ta’amu, Ole Miss (vs. Louisiana Monroe)

Prediction: 350 yards
Why? Ta’amu’s last four games have gone as follows:
448 yards vs. a non-SEC opponent (S. Illinois)
133 yards vs. a current Top-5 opponent (Alabama)
442 yards vs. a non-SEC opponent (Kent State)
178 yds against a current Top-5 opponent (LSU)

Ole Miss is hosting Louisiana Monroe this weekend.
Get the picture?

2. Drew Lock, Missouri (at South Carolina)

Prediction: 330 yards
Why? Coming off a bye week, Lock should be ready to go Saturday, even if he’s going on the road. Last year, Lock returned from a bye to throw for 355 yards against Kentucky in Lexington. And in his only other trip to South Carolina back in 2016, Lock threw for 302 yards in a loss.

3. Jake Bentley, South Carolina (vs. Missouri)

Prediction: 280 yards
Why? Bentley had his worst game of the season in last week’s loss at Kentucky, throwing for only 148 yards and a career-high-tying 3 interceptions. But Bentley is returning home after back-to-back road games, and he is averaging 260 passing yards per game in his two home contests. Throw in the fact that Missouri’s pass defense ranks next to last in the SEC, and it seems as if everything is set up for a nice bounceback game for Bentley.

Most Passing TDs
1. Jordan Ta’amu, Ole Miss (vs. Louisiana Monroe)

Prediction: 4
Why? The Rebels’ opponent this week, Louisiana Monroe, is the worst team in the Sun Belt Conference at defending the pass, allowing 300 passing yards per game. This isn’t a fluke by the Warhawks, either, because last season they were the worst team in the Sun Belt against the pass (299.3 YPG). Will be surprised if Ta’amu doesn’t get to 4 TD passes against a team that allowed the third-most passing TDs in the entire FBS last season (32).

2. Drew Lock, Missouri (at South Carolina)

Prediction: 3
Why? Dating back to last season, Lock has thrown at least 3 TD passes in 11 of his last 12 regular-season games, the only blemish coming two weeks ago against No. 2 Georgia (0). In fact, Lock has 12 games with at least 3 TD passes since the start of 2017, the most of any quarterback in the FBS. I’ll go with the odds here on this one.

3. Jake Fromm, Georgia (vs. Vanderbilt)

Prediction: 2
Why? It has been a fairly quiet season for Fromm so far. He has topped 200 yards passing only once, and the Bulldogs’ impressive group of running backs has stolen a lot of the spotlight. Then, you look at the numbers and you see that Fromm has 9 TD passes and only 2 interceptions in five games. And in last season’s win over Vanderbilt, Fromm had 2 TD passes despite throwing only 11 passes. Again, he’ll probably have the quietest 2-TD game in the conference this week.

Most Rushing Yards
1. Benny Snell Jr., Kentucky (at Texas A&M)

Prediction: 150 yards
Why? I’m getting so used to penciling his name into this column each week, I’ll probably do it out of habit after he ends up in an NFL uniform. In any event, Snell has at least 150 rushing yards in two of his three games this season against conference opponents. Saturday, it will become three out of four.

2. Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M (vs. Kentucky)

Prediction: 130 yards
Why? In two games against current Top 5 opponents (Alabama and Clemson), Williams ran for just 31 yards in each. However, in his three other games, Williams is averaging 173 rushing yards. Kentucky is having a great season and may end up winning in College Station Saturday. But, since the Wildcats are not yet at the level of Alabama or Clemson, I’ll take my chances that Williams will have another big afternoon.

3. Scottie Phillips, Ole Miss (vs. Louisiana Monroe)

Prediction: 120 yards
Why? Yes, Jordan Ta’amu and Scottie Phillips are capable of having big days together offensively. And Phillips, who is averaging 7.2 yards per carry this season – tops in the SEC among players with at least 50 carries – doesn’t need a lot of carries to get to the century mark in rushing. He has yet to have 20 carries in a game this season, but he still has produced three 100-yard games.

Most Rushing TDs
1. Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M (vs. Kentucky)

Prediction: 2
Why? Williams has only four career 2-TD games rushing, and in two of the games, the opponent was Arkansas. But he is enjoying playing in College Station this season, with 4 of his 6 TD runs coming at home. And if I’m predicting a lot of yards on the ground for Williams, I might as well predict a couple of trips to the end zone.

Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

2. Najee Harris, Alabama (at Arkansas)

Prediction: 2
Why? Harris has scored at least 1 rushing TD in four of his five games this season, so he knows how to find the end zone. The Razorbacks run defense hasn’t been bad this season, allowing just 3.0 yards per carry. But, they have allowed 8 rushing touchdowns, tied for second most in the SEC.

3. Nick Brossette, LSU (at Florida)

Prediction: 2
Why? The Gators run defense has been better of late, allowing only 110 yards per game on the ground and just 2.6 yards per carry over their last three games. However, this is also the Florida team that gave up 303 rushing yards to Kentucky in Week 2. In Gainesville, no less. Brossette has 4 rushing TDs in his last two games, so he knows where the goal line is located.

Most Receiving Yards
1. A.J. Brown, Ole Miss (vs. Louisiana Monroe)

Prediction: 150 yards
Why? It’s not as if Brown is being overlooked by the Rebels. After all, he has four games with at least 7 receptions this season, tied for the most such games in the SEC (along with five others, including Vanderbilt’s Kalija Lipscomb). But that 175-yard or 200-yard game hasn’t been there so far this season. That could change Saturday, especially since against non-Power 5 opponents over the last two seasons, Brown is averaging 166 receiving yards per game.

2. Kalija Lipscomb, Vanderbilt (at Georgia)

Prediction: 125 yards
Why? The SEC leader and receptions (43) and receiving yards (480) figures to have a more challenging time of it this week against one of the better defenses in the nation in Georgia. However, he is averaging more than 20 yards a reception in two career games against the Bulldogs, so if he is able to get free for a few receptions, he could break one and get over the century mark in yards Saturday.

3. Emanuel Hall, Missouri (at South Carolina)

Prediction: 100 yards
Why? Missouri head coach Barry Odom said earlier this week that Hall, who has been dealing with a groin injury, should be good to go for Saturday’s game. Good news for the Tigers. Bad news for the Gamecocks. A healthy Hall means we’ll see something that more resembles his play in the first two weeks of the season, when he had 171 receiving yards in each game and had 3 TD receptions.

Most Receiving TDs
1. A.J. Brown, Ole Miss (vs. Louisiana Monroe)

Prediction: 2
Why? In his career, Brown has had five 2-TD games receiving. Four of those games, the opponent was outside the SEC, and all five games were at home. Ole Miss is facing a non-SEC opponent in Oxford this weekend. I think you see where I’m heading with this.

2. Johnathan Johnson, Missouri (at South Carolina)

Prediction: 2
Why? Teammate Emanuel Hall may get the yards on Saturday, but the thought here is that Johnson will be the one with the TD catches. He has had a TD reception in three of his four games this season, the only exception coming two weeks ago against Georgia. If the Gamecocks focus on Hall, as they probably should, look for Johnson to get an opportunity to get his second career multi-touchdown game.

3. D.K. Metcalf, Ole Miss (vs. Louisiana Monroe)

Prediction: 2
Why? Again, Metcalf knows where the end zone is, having scored a touchdown in four of his five games this season, including one against No. 1 Alabama. There will be a lot of yards and a lot of points from Ole Miss in this game, and Metcalf should be the recipient of both Saturday.