ESPN’s FPI has predicted the outcome of every SEC game in Week 4, with the slate headlined by that big matchup in Norman between No. 22 Auburn and No. 11 Oklahoma.
That’s where Jackson Arnold will make his much-anticipated return to Oklahoma, where it didn’t quite work out during the past 2 seasons. The Tigers and Sooners will kick it off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC, with all eyes on what kind of reception Arnold will get by the Oklahoma fans and, of course, how Arnold will fare against that Sooners defense.
The other all-SEC showdown in Week 4 will take place in Columbia — Mizzou’s Columbia. That’s where South Carolina, which is now unranked after that home loss to Vanderbilt, will face No. 23 Mizzou. It appears that injured Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers will return to the field, as he’s been cleared to play, according to a report on Friday by CBS Sports. Missouri will be trying to stay unbeaten in the 7 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN.
The other premier SEC matchup only features 1 SEC team, with struggling Florida heading south to face No. 4 Miami on Saturday night. The Sunshine State rivals will kick it off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC, with the Gators trying to snap a 2-game losing streak that’s sent them tumbling from the AP rankings.
ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) is a simulation-based computer model that projects the outcome of every game.
Here are the FPI’s picks for the Saturday SEC slate:
- Arkansas (59.7% chance to win) at Memphis
- Tennessee (98.7% chance to win) vs. UAB
- Oklahoma (65.3% chance to win) vs. Auburn
- Ole Miss (86.8% chance to win) vs. Tulane
- Mississippi State (87.9% chance to win) vs. Northern Illinois
- Mizzou (80.3% chance to win) vs. South Carolina
- Florida at Miami (75.2% chance to win)
- Vanderbilt (97.6% chance to win) vs. Georgia State
- LSU (98.5% chance to win) vs. SE Louisiana
- Texas (98.9% chance to win) vs. Sam Houston
Georgia and Alabama are idle, but the 2 powerhouses will collide next week in primetime. Without the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide, Week 4 still has plenty of SEC action in store.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
