The biggest weekend in recent SEC history is nearly here as both division races will be decided by Saturday night. Outside of the games in Lexington and Baton Rouge, there are plenty of interesting games around the SEC for Week 10. Here’s how we see them all playing out.

As always, it’s news desk editor Michael Bratton (@MichaelWBratton) and SDS Podcast co-host Chris Marler (@CMarlerSDS) making the weekly SEC picks against the spread.

Michael went 3-2 against the spread last weekend. His against the spread record for the season is 40-25. Chris also went 3-2 last weekend boosting his season total to 31-34.

Here’s how the guys predict the Week 10 games in the SEC:

Missouri at Florida (-6.5)

Michael: There may be no offensive player returning from an injury that matters more to his team’s production that Emanuel Hall. The talented deep threat weapon has been out of the Mizzou lineup since mid-September after getting hurt early in the season and it’s no mere coincidence that Derek Dooley’s offense has failed to reach the 40-point mark without him (the Tigers were averaging over 43 points per game with him in the lineup; down to 27.6 in three SEC games without him). While Drew Lock gets all the hype, Missouri’s three-headed monster at tailback can matchup up with any backfield in the division and provides nice balance to the offense. With the statuses of C.J. Henderson and Brad Stewart questionable for this game, the Gators could be in for a real fight. Which Feleipe Franks shows up for this game? He had a poor showing last week but if his coach was anyone other than Dan Mullen, I could see that carrying over to another week. With Franks having a bounce back game, I’ll take the Gators to win but Mizzou to cover.

Florida 38 Missouri 35

Chris: I’ve said this a million times before: 73% of teams who are 5-5.5 point underdogs cover, and 41% of the time they win outright. This line stinks, and I’m surprised it’s not favoring Florida more. Let’s not forget that Mizzou has won 3 of the 5 including a big 29 point win against the Gators last year. But let’s also not forget that Mizzou hasn’t beaten an AP Top 25 team under Barry Odom and/ or Drew Lock. The most surprising stat though is that the winning team in this series over the last 5 years has won by an average of 24.2 points. I like Florida, and I like Florida big.

Florida 31 Missouri 13

Texas A&M at Auburn (-4)

Michael: I was confused by the A&M line last week (and got burned by it) and this one is much the same. Auburn is not a good team, no win over Ole Miss is going to convince me of that. The Tigers offense doesn’t work without a ground game, and if Boobee Whitlow is out, that spells big time trouble against an A&M defense determined to shut down the run. Jimbo Fisher’s unit may have been humbled a bit last week in Starkville but they weren’t the first to succumb to the Mississippi State defense. I’m willing to chalk that performance up to the Bob Shoop’s MSU defense more than Fisher’s offense, which was not held to a single three-and-out last weekend in Starkville. If Whitlow doesn’t play in this game, Auburn could get blown out.

Texas A&M 23 Auburn 16

Chris: If you asked me to pick this game a week ago I might’ve gone a different way. However, after Auburn got a week to rest and A&M got embarrassed in Starkville it makes it a lot easier for me. I like Auburn to win and cover if for no other reason than the fact that Malzahn tends to get his teams ready to go in the month of November. Granted, the road team usually wins this game, but I like Stidham to finally put up some good numbers through the air against a very underwhelming Aggie pass defense.

Auburn 27 Texas A&M 20

Charlotte at Tennessee (-21)

Michael: Tennessee seems to be playing hard for Jeremy Pruitt but the lack of depth is really starting to shine on Rocky Top. The defense was gashed repeatedly against South Carolina’s average run game and mistakes cost the Vols from holding on to a big lead last weekend. There’s been speculation that some of Tennessee’s best players will be held out of this game to rest up for the three-game SEC slate to close the season. If the Vols overlook this Charlotte team, I wouldn’t put it past them to lose at home. Young teams under new coaches are often inconsistent and this Tennessee team is on exception. The Miners are coming off a nice win over Southern Miss and have one of the nation’s best run defenses, statistically speaking. While Charlotte may play in Conference USA, they may have faced better offensive lines then they’ll see on Saturday.

Tennessee 33 Charlotte 16

Chris: Tennessee continues to improve each and every week despite not being able to notch a tally in the win column. I think Jarrett Guarantano is the most underrated QB in the conference, and his numbers have been incredibly solid all year despite having a MASH unit on the O-Line. They play a Charlotte team who is coming off a somewhat impressive victory vs. Southern Miss. However, looking at how UT has played non-cons at home this season I don’t expect this to be close, as they’ve given up just 3 points total to non-SEC foes in Neyland Stadium this season. I like Tennessee to get a big win.

Tennessee 41 Charlotte 17

Louisiana Tech at Mississippi State (-24.5)

Michael: This late in the season and coming off back-to-back SEC games, don’t be surprised if Mississippi State suffers from a let down in this one. That spread is massive for a team that doesn’t consistently put points on the board and that’s not to suggest Mississippi State won’t score in this one but the Bulldogs went four weeks without scoring 24 points prior to last week’s game against Texas A&M — and the last seven points came during junk time. La. Tech found a way to put up points against LSU in Baton Rouge utilizing their passing game and I could see them doing the same to this defense as long as they avoid the teeth of this MSU defense.

Mississippi State 34 Louisiana Tech 17

Chris: This line is another that jumped since it opened at 20.5 in favor of Mississippi State. La Tech played LSU earlier this year and put up the 2nd most points on LSU the entire season which is obviously impressive. This could be a little bit of a trap game for Mississippi State as they come off a big win vs. A&M and have Alabama next weekend. La Tech is 6-2 and 5-3 ATS. However, 4 of their 6 wins have been by single digits and the other two are against Southern and UTSA. They have the 65th “best” rush defense in the country. I think Joe Moorhead kicks off the Nick Fitzgerald farewell tour in style and Mississippi St wins big.

Mississippi State 38 Louisiana Tech 13

South Carolina (-1) at Ole Miss

Michael: This game is a toss-up to me, could see it going either way, but there are two keys to Will Muschamp’s coaching success over the years: when his team scores more than 17 points, his record is 41-10. He is also 17-3 at South Carolina when the Gamecocks rush for over 100 yards. Last time I check, Ole Miss can’t stop anyone from running the ball and are giving up over 42 points per game in SEC play. With another 11 a.m. kick from Oxford, I don’t expect many Ole Miss fans to show up, something that’s become an all too familiar scene this season. Without a homefield advantage, I like the Gamecocks to pull this one out.

South Carolina 31 Ole Miss 28

Chris: This is the first time these teams have met in 9 years, and it sucks that it’s at 11 am. My brain says to pick South Carolina, but my gut says Ole Miss. Let’s face it though, you’ve all seen my season record and neither has been very trustworthy haha. I like what I saw from Jake Bentley and South Carolina in the 2nd half last week, and it’s an understatement to say that Ole Miss’ Defense has been atrocious this season. However, I think Ole Miss, and Matt Luke, need this game more. Luke needs a big brunch time win vs. Carolina to keep his team and the fans motivated throughout the rest of the season. Don’t forget the Rebels went 3-1 last November.

Ole Miss 34 South Carolina 31

Georgia (-10) at Kentucky

Michael: All week long, I’ve heard about the overrated team in this matchup. The only problem is, everyone that’s saying that is focused on the wrong team — Georgia is the overrated team. The Bulldogs may blow away Kentucky in the recruiting rankings but those metrics don’t factor in the experience and development of Mark Stoops’ roster. While Jake Fromm did have a great game in the Cocktail Party last weekend, we can’t completely dismiss how bad he looked in Death Valley in his last true road game. Kroger Field will be electric for this game and I expect Fromm to have a regression in this game. This matchup will ultimately come down to how effective Terry Wilson is throwing the ball against the Bulldogs. If the confidence he gained from his game-winning drive against Missouri carries over, don’t be shocked if Kentucky pulls the outright upset here.

Georgia 24 Kentucky 20

Chris: UGA and Kentucky for the SEC East title. In football. What a time to be alive y’all. What a huge game that, outside of Lexington, nobody saw coming before the season started. Kentucky continues to be the surprise team of the college football world, yet they also continue to be a huge underdog. Kentucky opened as a 12 point underdog, and the line immediately made a huge jump to single digits. UK is 4-1 straight up and 5-0 ATS this season as an underdog which is incredible. However, even with neighbor Terry Wilson’s huge game last week, I think the Cats are too one dimensional to beat this UGA team. I like the matchup with Benny Snell vs UGA’s defense because the Dawg LB’s do not tackle well. And, I LOVE this Kentucky defense, as it has proven throughout the season that it is elite. However, I can’t see Terry Wilson beating this UGA defense.

Georgia 31 Kentucky 14

Alabama (-14) at LSU

Michael: One of these teams is going to get exposed in this game and I’m putting my money on that being Alabama. Most observers are easily wowed by an explosive offense and the Crimson Tide certainly have that and then some but the quality of opponents faced to this point has to factor into the equation. The only team with a pulse that Alabama has faced this season (Texas A&M) turned the ball over immediately and was hit over the top on the next play for a touchdown. The production of Tua Tagovailoa and his weapons have masked the fact that Alabama can no longer run at will and has had issues stopping the run at times this season. Another area of weakness on this Alabama squad is special teams. The Tide may have the worst set of kickers and punters in the SEC this season and they very well could play into the outcome of this game. LSU is a team that’s been doubted all season and continue to respond. They won’t be fazed by playing Alabama and the hype that surrounds this game. If Joe Burrow can deliver a few big plays with his arm, keep in mind LSU’s receivers matchup well if Alabama’s secondary, the Tigers will find a way to get this one.

LSU 28 Alabama 27

Chris: Yet another huge matchup between Bama & LSU with division, conference, and national title implications on the line. Bama has won seven in a row against LSU and has done so by an average of 13 points. However, even as a Bama fan I can tell that this LSU team looks different. What surprises me the most about this game is how little the talk has been about the impact Alabama’s defense will have on the outcome. I think LSU comes out with its hair on fire Saturday night and is able stay with Alabama for 50 minutes in another instant classic. However, that last 1o minutes is important. I love Coach O, and I love this LSU team. I said preseason I thought they’d get to 9-10 wins and people thought I was crazy. However, the Tide have lost 5 total games in Death Valley in 60 years (and 2 of those were against Nick Saban). The Tide don’t lose in Baton Rouge y’all.

Alabama 34 LSU 23