It’s a thin SEC week, but that doesn’t mean the games that are coming are any less interesting.
In fact, without as many competing game times, it’s a good chance to catch as many games as possible. But whether that’s your strategy or you’re trying to remember what the game to not forget is, we’ve got you covered.
Here’s your SEC Week 9 rundown of who plays when, where to watch, and which games are the most interesting.
Snooze-fest ⭐ (1-star games)
No chance– 5 league games. Snoozing is for pre-conference.
A bit compelling ⭐⭐ (2-star games)
Only 1 game in this category this week:
Mississippi State at Texas (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
This game is here just because a Kamario Taylor-less Bulldog team is up against it on the road at a suddenly rebounding Texas squad. Put Taylor in this game and you might have a 4-star matchup. But as it is, this feels like one to watch for a quarter or 2.
Now we’re listening ⭐⭐⭐ (3-star games)
If you’ve got nothing else going on, relax and check these games out:
Auburn at Ole Miss (12:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
It’s the only game in its time slot and Ole Miss has to be careful to avoid losing control of the season here. The Rebels have definitely been a don’t-look-away team this year, very much capable of ripping off a big run of points or getting one run up against them. Auburn was flying high a week ago and had a humbling experience with LSU, but could still gum up the SEC picture nicely in this one.
Missouri at Arkansas (7:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
The return of Ahmad Hardy is certainly an interesting storyline and this game gives Mizzou a chance to get moving in the right direction again. Arkansas has been basically written off in these quarters, but at home, they’re feisty and have a puncher’s chance to at least make this game interesting.
Break out the guacamole ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4-star games)
Invite some friends over to watch these matchups:
South Carolina at Oklahoma (4:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
This looks to be the most competitive game of the weekend. Two teams that have sometimes looked dead in the water and other times took down top 20 opponents. It’s actually kind of double fascinating, because LaNorris Sellers and the explosive South Carolina offense face a daunting Oklahoma defense, while South Carolina’s mediocre defense gets an Oklahoma offense as likely to shoot itself in the foot as to make plays.
Block off the time, turn off the phone, pop the popcorn ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5-star games)
You’re not going to want to miss a single second of these matchups:
Florida vs. Georgia (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Yes, the artist formerly known as the Cocktail Party is the must-see game of the week. Florida is one of the hardest teams in the league to interpret — brilliant one week, utterly lost the next. Georgia had been kind of impervious to the SEC parity world until it lost to Auburn. Lack of focus doesn’t figure to be an issue this week, but Jon Sumrall‘s offense can certainly make this game interesting with a hot start.
The Game to See
It has to be Florida-Georgia. Although whether Carolina and Oklahoma end up 48-45 or 10-7, they figure to end up in that picture, too.
Sleeper Game of the Week
If it’s not Carolina and Oklahoma, Auburn and Ole Miss has some high potential for view ability as well.
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Joe Cox is a columnist for Saturday Down South. He has also written or assisted in writing five books, and his most recent, Almost Perfect (a study of baseball pitchers’ near-miss attempts at perfect games), is available on Amazon or at many local bookstores.
