We’re heading into Week 9 of the college football season, and there’s plenty to still be decided in the SEC. Here are some burning questions facing every SEC team as we bring October to a close:
1. Alabama: Will the Crimson Tide stay status quo during the bye week, or are we going to see a lot of new wrinkles in the offense when they play LSU in a huge SEC West showdown on Nov. 7?
2. Arkansas: How many points can the Razorbacks ring up against Ohio Valley Conference opponent Tennessee-Martin after Ole Miss torched them for 76 earlier this year?
3. Auburn: Can the major-disappointment Tigers actually beat a team with a good resume when Ole Miss comes to town Saturday?
4. Florida: Can the Gators all but clinch the SEC East with a win over Georgia in Jim McElwain’s first year?
5. Georgia: Will the Bulldogs find their offense – which has disappeared since the second half of that loss to Tennessee – in time for their Jacksonville showdown with the Gators?
6. Kentucky: Can the Wildcats bounce back from that ugly loss at Mississippi State and find a way to beat neighboring rival Tennessee in a must-win game for bowl hopes?
7. LSU: Can the Tigers make the most of a bye week by getting plenty of rest for Leonard Fournette before he carries it probably 40 times on Nov. 7 against Alabama?
8. Mississippi: Ole Miss has the biggest road win of the year so far, beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa, but they’ve been awful since then in road losses at Florida and Memphis. Can they show up at Auburn Saturday and reverse the trend?
9. Mississippi State: After this bye week, can the red-hot Dak Prescott-led Bulldogs play spoiler in the SEC West race with huge games against Alabama and Ole Miss still on the schedule?
10. Missouri: Shortest question of the week: Will Mizzou ever score another touchdown?
11. South Carolina: Coming off a bye week after the win at home vs. Vanderbilt, can the Gamecocks keep interim coach Shawn Elliott unbeaten after Steve Spurrier’s departure?
12. Tennessee: Will the Volunteers be able to run the table now that the schedule softens up substantially?
13. Texas A&M: Will a quarterback controversy emerge in Aggieland this week after Kyle Allen struggled so mightily last week in the loss at Ole Miss?
14. Vanderbilt: Now that the Commodores have finally broken into the SEC win column under Derek Mason, can they build on that momentum while facing a huge nonconference challenge Saturday night at Houston?
Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist and author who is covering SEC football for Saturday Down South.
