This week, SEC teams might want to use words like “hate” and “loathe.”
But really, they shouldn’t. After all, it’s Thanksgiving. Now is the time to be grateful.
And for a handful of SEC teams, now is a time in which they should be especially thankful that their rival exists. Not all of those reasons are the same. For some, it’s that it’s a free win that’s essentially an extension of Cupcake Week (Georgia). For others, it’s a somewhat favorable chance to clinch bowl eligibility (Mississippi State).
There are other reasons to be thankful for SEC rivals existing. So let’s dig into them.
(See what I did there?)
Alabama
This is like when a husband forgets his wife’s birthday but he lives a block from a jewelry store. The husband could have been in a situation in which he was 30 miles from the closest grocery store. Instead, he has potential to get bailed out at the last minute.
Auburn is Alabama’s jewelry store.
Alabama has to walk in there and pick the absolute perfect gift to impress her — or the selection committee — and it can come home with hope that it saved 364 days in the doghouse.
Arkansas
If I was a fan base that hadn’t seen an SEC win in over 2 years and I had to pick a team to face, I’d probably go with the Mizzou team that just found out it can’t go to a bowl and:
- A) Is 0-4 on the road
- B) Was outscored by an average of 15.5 points on the road
- C) Has lost 5 straight
- D) Hasn’t hit 21 points since the second weekend of October
- E) All the above
It’s “E.” It’s always “E.”
Auburn
I realize there’s a portion of the Auburn fan base that probably wouldn’t hate an Alabama loss if it meant Gus Malzahn getting fired. I also realize there’s a whole lot of people who would love nothing more than to beat Alabama to end any Playoff hopes for Nick Saban’s team. In doing so, the Tigers would have a chance to clinch a New Year’s 6 Bowl berth. That’s a whole lot different than ending the season with Arkansas.
I think we should all just be thankful that the Iron Bowl isn’t played on Friday like it was at the start of the decade.
Florida
Oh man, where do I start? Of course the Gators should be thankful that Florida State exists this week. After all, this is the first time in 44 years that the Gators will face FSU amidst a coaching staff that’s been either fired or about to be fired. Besides FSU constantly embarrassing itself on social media — I really do hope the next coaching staff also goes with the #DoSomething mantra — it’s the undisciplined play that makes FSU a welcome sight.
How many programs get to play for a 10th win and be 3-score home favorites when their rival shows up? It’s a special thing that Florida fans need not take for granted.
The only way Florida would be more thankful of FSU is if Willie Taggart were still on the sidelines.
Georgia
Georgia should be thankful that Paul Johnson retired last year so that the Dawgs don’t have to prepare for the triple option right before the SEC Championship. Instead, the Dawgs get to roll into Bobby Dodd Stadium as 4-touchdown favorites knowing that their rivals run a bland, anemic offense that has yet to hit 30 points this year. The Georgia defense will feast on Tech ballcarriers all day, and most likely in the backfield. Consider it the perfect pre-SEC Championship tune-up.
Kentucky
Louisville is actually better than many thought it’d be in the first year of the post-Bobby Petrino era, but there are still reasons the Cats should be thankful for their rivals. Kentucky is a home favorite, and with a win, the Cats would have won 3 of the past 4 Governor’s Cup matchups, which hasn’t happened since 2010. There’s still a path for Kentucky to win 8 games this year, which wouldn’t quite be the fall from grace that many were predicting.
But really, Kentucky should just be thankful that it doesn’t have to try to slow down/fight Lamar Jackson for 60 minutes.
Lamar Jackson and Jordan Jones went at it. No Ejections though however both got a personal foul pic.twitter.com/z6TcGqqGQP
— Ian (@CFBbignews) November 25, 2017
LSU
Clinch a 12-0 season AND avenge the 7-overtime loss that would have never happened if not for incompetent officiating? Sign LSU up for that. This game obviously means a lot for Ed Orgeron, who said “he’ll never forget” last year’s showdown in College Station. In his defense, I’d never forget the time I had to deal with a sticky Gatorade bath for 7 overtimes, either.
LSU should also be grateful that A&M is good enough to where the Tigers could probably lose and still have a win-and-in SEC Championship scenario to make the Playoff.
Mississippi State
You know how when you get a pet with a lot of energy, they say that getting a second one to tire it out is the move? Ole Miss is like a second pet for MSU. That’s not a slight at Ole Miss. But doesn’t it seem like MSU has a tendency to save all its bark for the Rebels? Well, at least that’s the case as it relates to extracurricular activity. You could convince me that these teams hate each other more than any in the sport. After last year’s fiasco, who am I to argue that?
MSU is also especially thankful that even though Ole Miss is better than the record indicates, it doesn’t exactly excel in throwing the forward pass. That could be the difference in the Bulldogs hoisting the Egg Bowl, talking trash for the next 365 days and oh yeah, going to a bowl game.
Mizzou
Sure. I guess Arkansas is a “rival.” With the exception of Rutgers (maybe?), there’s no Power 5 team Mizzou would rather see with its bowl hopes on the line than Arkansas.
Just kidding. Thanks, NCAA.
The irony is that I made the case why that’s also true for Arkansas. Both teams deserve an afternoon together. A couple of programs that have done everything in their power to convince us they don’t belong in the SEC this year will get a realistic chance to do something they’ve shown us the last month and a half is next to impossible — win a conference game.
And if Barry Odom’s job-saving game is Arkansas, well, you can’t really ask for much favorable odds than that.
Ole Miss
Here’s the thing: Is Ole Miss playing for a bowl game? No. Is Ole Miss making a coaching decision based on this game? No, apparently. But does Ole Miss probably love the fact that MSU is sitting there with 5 wins and a loss could potentially blow up the program’s coaching staff? Absolutely. This is the ultimate “pin your ears back and leave it all out there” game for the Rebels.
And hey, now that Matt Corral is the backup, Ole Miss fans can be grateful that he can essentially play the “enforcer” role like he’s on a hockey team. I assume someone/everyone always has to do that in the Egg Bowl.
South Carolina
How would you rather die — lethal injection or death by a thousand paper cuts? It’s the former. Easily. South Carolina should be grateful that Clemson isn’t going to tease Gamecock fans into thinking that they can pull off another stunning upset. Trevor Lawrence will probably have 3 touchdown passes before South Carolina fans can muster the words “$19 million buyout.” There shouldn’t be any drama and late-game pain in this one. Gamecocks fans don’t have to worry about whether their team will make a bowl, either. It should be a relaxing, drama-free day in Columbia thanks to Clemson.
Winter vacation is officially underway.
Tennessee
Having a regular -eason finale against Vandy is usually the best thing Tennessee/anyone could ask for. That hasn’t been the case the past 3 years. Now, though, this is an extremely favorable matchup for a Tennessee team that’s going bowling for the first time in 3 years. And beating Vandy for the first time would probably mean something to the Tennessee seniors. The Vols also somehow have a chance to hit the “over” on the over/under regular season win total of 6.5. What a feat that would be after the way the season started.
The other nice thing about this game for the Vols is that there’s zero concern about the visiting Vandy fans driving up ticket prices. Affordable seats for an SEC game and potentially a 7th win? That’s not a bad way to spend a Saturday in Knoxville.
Also, Neyland Stadium is always going to look like the Taj Mahal compared to Vanderbilt Stadium.
Texas A&M
Why would A&M be thankful to see the buzzsaw that is LSU? Think about it. Nobody in their right mind is picking the Aggies to win this game. A loss on Saturday won’t hurt Jimbo Fisher’s reputation for a team that faced relatively conservative expectations because of the schedule, and no game on that slate is tougher than this one.
So now think about if the Aggies pulled off the upset. We’re talking about the Aggies getting into the Top 25 with a chance to somehow end the season with 9 wins. They’d have the best win of the year of any college football team and with all the talent A&M is expected to return, there would be a tooooooon of momentum this offseason if that LSU win got the ball rolling.
Be grateful that LSU is this good, Aggie fans. There’s nothing to lose, and there’s a whole lotta buzz to gain.
Vanderbilt
I mean, amidst a 3-win season, I suppose there are worse teams to see than the one you beat 3 years in a row.
Right?
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.
