Rivalry Week means it’s the end of college football’s regular season, but there are still a lot of things to be decided on the field Saturday before the postseason can begin to take shape.
Here’s a look at 10 burning questions around the SEC as Week 13 approaches.
1. Can the SEC East be any worse? It’s hard to imagine after last week’s dismal showing in which alleged division heavyweights Florida and Georgia needed overtime to beat Florida Atlantic and Georgia Southern, respectively, and s South Carolina lost to The Citadel.
2. Can the embattled Les Miles survive as LSU’s coach? Yes, but making the case for keeping him might be a little harder if the Tigers drop a fourth consecutive game by losing to Texas A&M.
3. Can Kentucky beat rival Louisville and become bowl eligible? The bottom fell out in Lexington following a once-promising 4-1 start, but the Wildcats can still end the regular season on a positive note if they can beat the visiting Cardinals. Not even that is enough to guarantee a bowl bid, but there’s no chance if the ‘Cats don’t win Saturday.
4. Did last weekend’s stunning loss to The Citadel effectively kill any chance that South Carolina interim coach Shawn Elliot had at keeping the job permanently? No doubt about it. The Citadel had lost 28 consecutive games to FBS teams before last weekend and hadn’t beaten the Gamecocks since 1990. Elliot would be best served by cleaning out his office following Saturday’s game with in-state rival and top-ranked Clemson.
5. Does Arkansas boast the league’s best offense? It would be hard to argue otherwise right now, given the fact that the Razorbacks have averaged 50.4 points per game in winning four of their past five contests. They are averaging an SEC-best 35.3 points per game in SEC contests.
6. What will Auburn have to do to move the ball against a ferocious Alabama defense? The Tigers need quarterback Jeremy Johnson playing his best – with his arm and feet. Johnson must avoid the shaky decision-making that has helped lead to Auburn’s disastrous season.
7. Is this the week where Florida’s offensive struggles and kicking game woes come back to hurt the Gators? It’s simple. Coach Jim McElwain’s team will get blown out Saturday against FSU if they play anything like they did against Florida Atlantic last week.
8. Will Dak Prescott torch Ole Miss for more than 500 yards through the air like he did Arkansas last week? It’s certainly possible against a sieve Rebels pass defense that ranks 13th in the SEC at 255.2 yards per game. It’s been even worse in conference games, as Ole Miss is surrendering better than 279 yards per game through the air.
9. Can even a possible 10-win season satisfy disgruntled Georgia fans? The Dawgs could beat Georgia Tech on Saturday and win a bowl game to finish with 10 wins this year, despite the loss of stud tailback Nick Chubb to a season-ending knee injury in early October. But not even that will placate their many fans who long for the school’s first SEC Championship since 2005. They’ve become spoiled in Athens.
10. What would a win over Vanderbilt mean for Tennessee? Not only would a victory on Saturday allow the Vols to retain state bragging rights, but it would be a fifth consecutive victory to close the season and herald UT’s status as a likely early SEC favorite for 2016.
John Hollis is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia and Florida.
