To all of those uninitiated, welcome to Saturday Down South’s SEC Parlay of the Week column… the best SEC-specific column on the internet that is sure to almost win you money each and every week of the college football season.
Last week, 3 of the 5 legs in my SEC-only parlay hit, after 3 of 4 picks were winners in Week 1. Rather than tuck my tail between my legs and reconsider whether parlays are actually a sustainable way of making money gambling on college football, I’ve decided to fine-tune my approach and introduce 1 non-SEC leg per week from this point until the season concludes. Use it if your heart compels you.Â
Let’s get into it!Â
As always, all odds are via BetMGM Sportsbook:
Leg 1: Ole Miss -7 (-110) vs. ArkansasÂ
I’ve been all over the place betting on Ole Miss games this year, first taking the over in the Rebels’ opener versus Georgia State (the game did go over), and then going against the Rebels, taking Kentucky to cover as 9.5-point underdogs (Kentucky did cover) in Lexington last Saturday. Do I bring up these past bets to be boastful or to pat myself on the back? Of course not! If anything, you might want to fade me this week because there’s no way this could go on for much longer.Â
However, if you’re an optimist who for some unexplainable reason believes in me and my ability to handicap the Ole Miss Rebels exclusively, you could also choose to look at things this way… fade everything else I’m about to propose in this column and bet Ole Miss -7 all by itself and watch as your wallet gets a little bit fatter on Saturday night.Â
Leg 2: Over 53.5 points (-118) in Auburn vs. South AlabamaÂ
In 4 combined games so far this season, Auburn and South Alabama have topped the 30-point mark 4 times, so I must admit, while this game initially wasn’t on my radar heading into the week, I’m just a little curious as to why the total in this game is only 53.5 points.
Could it be because Auburn held Ball State to just a field goal last week? Maybe.
Could it be because South Alabama continues to work in a quarterback, Bishop Davenport, who has just 4 career starts to his name? Perhaps.
But here’s the thing, Ball State had just 1 returning starter from the 2024 season on the offensive side of the ball, so there were plenty of kinks to work out there. Additionally, Auburn is running the hell out of the football to start the year, and South Alabama is among the nation’s worst rushing defenses through 2 weeks of the season.
I’m taking Auburn to win by a final score of something like 41-21. That’s an over, friends. Mark it down.
Leg 3: Tennessee Moneyline (+145) vs. GeorgiaÂ
I’m venturing out pretty far on a limb for this one, especially considering the Bulldogs have won 8-straight games against the Volunteers, and 13 of the last 15. But here’s the thing… I don’t think this Georgia team is the same Georgia team that has won 8 straight against Tennessee. I think this Georgia team is far more vulnerable than anyone realizes — though that may not necessarily be the case, since this line has been bet down from Georgia -6.5 to -3.5 in recent days — but this might be the week that we all find out.
The key here will be Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar, who has been absolutely lights out in his first 2 starts for the Vols. The former 2-year starter for Appalachian State is plenty seasoned, and he’s yet to throw an interception in 2025. But he also hasn’t faced a front 7 that can be as dominant as Georgia’s could theoretically be. Key word here is theoretically, because through 2 games, Georgia has logged just 3 sacks.
If Aguilar has time to throw, he’s proven that he can make defenses pay. Assuming Tennessee is able to move the ball and gash Georgia’s defense with chunk plays, I just don’t believe that Gunner Stockton and the Bulldogs can match the fireworks at Neyland Stadium, where 100,000 strong are gonna be singing Rocky Top at afternoon’s end.
REMINDER: Use BetMGM bonus code SDS1500 to score up to $1,500 in bonus bets when you place your wager on the Georgia-Tennessee game or any other big-time college football matchup on Saturday.
Leg 4: South Carolina -4.5 (-110) vs. VanderbiltÂ
I’m not even gonna cap, this game scares the bejesus out of me, and not just because it’s taken 3 Vicari Swain punt return touchdowns to give the Gamecocks any semblance of a spark in their first 2 games of the season. I do expect that LaNorris Sellers — my preseason Heisman Trophy pick — will get things going eventually, but we’ve seen how dangerous Diego Pavia and the Commodores can be against a ranked SEC opponent.
That said, at some point the Gamecocks are going to round into shape and start to play like the team I have bets in on to win both the SEC title and the College Football Playoff. I’m convinced of it. Why not this week then?
Non-SEC Leg 5: South Florida +17.5 (-110) vs. Miami FL
For the first 3 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, my now fiancee and I lived less than 1 mile away from the University of South Florida campus in Tampa. Don’t know if I should keep this on the down low, but I assume I’m in the clear since it’s been over 5 years and I’m currently not living in the state anymore, but I even made a habit of illegally dumping my recycling in the on-campus bins. Now I know what you’re thinking… Sonny, what are you doing admitting to a petty crime on the internet? My response is, how much trouble can I really get in for that? I was helping the environment and I was abiding by social distancing rules each time I dropped any plastics or cardboards off. There were a lot of folks in Florida doing far worse things than that in mid-2020. I mean, you’ve heard of Florida Man, right?
During that time, I always imagined that given the proximity of our apartment to campus, once the world finally got back to normal I’d be able to make my way to a few South Florida football games each year. However, we’d move by mid-June of 2020, and over the next 3 seasons, USF went 4-29, so it’s not like I missed too much.
These personal anecdotes have nothing to do with my pick this week. I’ve been genuinely impressed by South Florida each of the last 2 weeks, and even if the Bulls don’t win outright like they did in Gainesville last Saturday, 17.5 points are just far too many for the Bulls to be getting.
