It’s time for some expert predictions for Week 12 in the SEC.
There are 10 games involving SEC teams this week, so let’s take a look at projected outcomes for Saturday’s matchups, according to four media outlets — USA TODAY, Athlon Sports, Bleacher Report and Campus Insiders.
SEC PICKS BY USA TODAY COLUMNIST DAN WOLKEN
- Alabama over Chattanooga
- LSU over Florida
- Auburn over Alabama A&M
- Texas A&M over UTSA
Note: LSU can’t win the SEC West, but it will be the deciding factor in who plays Alabama in the conference championship game. Beating Florida would all but guarantee Tennessee the East title, but a loss would lock the Gators in. Tigers running back Leonard Fournette should have a field day against a UF defensive front that was shredded by Arkansas’ backfield for 223 yards a few weeks ago, and Dan tends to agree.
SEC PICKS BY ATHLON SPORTS EDITOR STEVEN LASSAN
- Georgia over UL-Lafayette
- Kentucky over Austin Peay
- South Carolina over Western Carolina
- Alabama over Chattanooga
- Auburn over Alabama A&M
- Texas A&M over UTSA
- Ole Miss over Vanderbilt
- Tennessee over Missouri
- Arkansas over Mississippi State
- LSU over Florida
Note: Which Arkansas team will show up in Starkville? The version that took out TCU and Ole Miss and wiped the floor with Florida? Or the version that lost to Texas A&M, Alabama, Auburn, and LSU by an average of 30.3 points? Steven is going with the former of the two, predicting that the “good” Hogs will emerge to knock Mississippi State out of bowl contention.
His thoughts on this week’s games:
It’s not a great week of games around the SEC, but the four matchups involving conference play provide intrigue. LSU’s ground game and defense are simply too much for a Florida team that will struggle to generate much offense. And if Florida loses, there should be extra incentive for Tennessee against Missouri. The move to play Shea Patterson will continue to pay dividends for Ole Miss with a victory against Vanderbilt. Arkansas-Mississippi State might be the most competitive game in the SEC this weekend. Give me the Razorbacks in a close one.
SEC PICKS BY BLEACHER REPORT COLUMNIST BRIAN PEDERSEN
- Texas A&M 38, UTSA 17
- LSU 23, Florida 14
- Georgia 39, UL-Lafayette 16
- Tennessee 42, Missouri 20
- South Carolina 40, Western Carolina 13
- Kentucky 58, Austin Peay 21
- Alabama 51, Chattanooga 13
- Mississippi State 27, Arkansas 23
- Auburn 48, Alabama A&M 17
- Ole Miss 27, Vanderbilt 21
Note: It comes down to this for Mark Stoops and Kentucky. All the Wildcats need to do is beat an FCS team that hasn’t won a game since Oct. 18, 2014 and a postseason invitation becomes imminent, thus cooling down Stoops’ hot seat for a few months. (Please don’t lose this game, Kentucky.)
Here’s Brian on how UK will achieve that elusive bowl bid:
If Kentucky can’t clinch its first bowl bid since 2010 against an FCS school that is riding a 26-game losing streak, then it’s never going to happen. The Wildcats have become a rushing juggernaut, averaging 305.2 yards with 13 touchdowns over the last five games, and Austin Peay has the fifth-worst run defense at its level.
SEC PICKS BY CAMPUS INSIDERS STAFF
- Georgia over UL-Lafayette
- Texas A&M over UTSA
- LSU over Florida
- Tennessee over Missouri
- South Carolina over Western Carolina
- Kentucky over Austin Peay
- Mississippi State over Arkansas
- Alabama over Chattanooga
- Auburn over Alabama A&M
- Ole Miss over Vanderbilt
Note: Ole Miss raised some eyebrows when it pulled former No. 1 overall QB prospect Shea Patterson’s redshirt last week, but after his performance in a second-half comeback win at Texas A&M, coach Hugh Freeze is on the verge of looking like a genius. Patterson had 402 yards of total offense in his debut, which included 23 points in the fourth quarter for the Rebels offense. Now the team is one win away from securing bowl eligibility for the fifth straight season (all under Freeze).
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
