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Here’s our weekly look at the coaches with the most riding on this weekend’s games:
MOST TO GAIN
Dan Mullen, Mississippi State: The 7-2 Bulldogs are lurking. Mired in a three-way scrum of two-loss teams behind Alabama and LSU, Mississippi State will have ample opportunities to make some noise in the SEC West. First up is the chance to upset Alabama this weekend in Starkville, followed by Arkansas and Ole Miss. After a loss to Texas A&M on Oct. 3, Mississippi State has been cruising through mostly inferior completion, winning four games in a row. Last week’s offensive output against a stout Missouri defense showed the gains made over the past month are legitimate. Now, can they step up against the big boys?
Bret Bielema, Arkansas: Could it really be happening again? Last season, Arkansas hit its stride in November and closed the season playing like one of the best teams in the conference. Flip the calendar, and the Hogs are hitting the home stretch as winners four of their past five, with their only loss coming in a competitive game against Alabama. The identity of this year’s turnaround has been different from a year ago. The 2014 squad rode a bruising defense and a two-headed tailback attack to strong finish, while this year’s team is winning with offensive firepower and just enough stops to squeak out close wins. Regardless of the methods, the team that started 1-3 is now one win away from bowl eligibility and looking for another road upset against an LSU team that is staggered after its loss to Alabama but still has plenty to play for.
Gus Malzahn, Auburn: Speaking of turnarounds, Auburn is looking for one of its own. The Tigers shook off a two-game slide with a 26-10 win at Texas A&M last week and has the chance the salvage the season when Georgia visits the Plains on Saturday. A win would assure Auburn of a .500 record in the regular season, but securing a bowl game isn’t what’s at stake here because the Tigers should sew that up next weekend when Idaho visits. What Auburn wants is to gain some momentum against a respectable, yet vulnerable, Georgia team.
MOST TO LOSE
Nick Saban, Alabama: Saban is probably going to be on this list through the Iron Bowl as the Tide try to walk the tight rope to Atlanta. Alabama has proven its worth, but could still give away the division with another loss. They are very good, but they’ve also proven on many occasions this year that they aren’t perfect.
Les Miles, LSU: The loss to Alabama, though thoroughly disappointing, can be forgiven. When the Tide is at its best, there are few teams better, and the matchup of styles was clearly a poor one for the Tigers. LSU remains in the hunt for the SEC West title, needing only an Alabama slip-up to put the Tigers back in the driver’s seat. Then again, if LSU falls to a suddenly dangerous Arkansas team, its chances are greatly diminished. The Tigers know they must guard against any lingering effects of last week’s loss. A year ago, in a similar situation, Arkansas took advantage of a sluggish LSU effort and turned in a convincing 17-0 win in Fayetteville.
Mark Richt, Georgia: The Bulldogs staved off utter mayhem by taking care of business last week in a 27-3 victory over Kentucky. But the festering discontent that seemed to be nearly boiling over after the loss to Florida hasn’t cooled completely. Despite all the angst, there’s a very real possibility that Georgia could still win 10 games this year. The Bulldogs are sitting at 6-3 with three winnable games left in the regular season. But a loss to an Auburn team hovering just above .500 would invite doubt and likely turn the conversation back to Richt’s reportedly tenuous job security.
Brent Holloway is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia, LSU and Mississippi State.
