Welcome to Cupcake Week. No, it’s not everybody, but a fair portion of the SEC chooses this week to play a hopeless underdog to grab an easy win before the final run of the season. There’s nothing to do here but be honest about it… and talk about which games are worth watching.
These rankings are subjective, but also account for league and national impact along with how exciting and how close the games will be.
Games are ranked on a 1-to-5 star scale, with 5 being the most watchable game and 1 being the least.
5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The games worth cancelling your plans, shutting off your phone, and to quote the much-sought-after Lane Kiffin, the ones worth getting your popcorn ready for on Saturday:
No. 22 Missouri at No. 8 Oklahoma (Noon ET, ABC)
Here’s your marquee game. Oklahoma is trying to hang in the CFP field, while Missouri is almost certainly out. Still, this is one of only 2 national top 25 battles all weekend, and the CFP relevance is a nice bonus for what should be an incredibly competitive game. Does Missouri’s power running game have enough juice to overcome Oklahoma’s stout defense?
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4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not quite as electric as the 5-star games, but still great quality college football.
No. 20 Tennessee at Florida (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
No, it’s not the Tennessee-Florida battles of old, but a Tennessee team trying to stay close to the Playoff field would take any win it can get in Gainesville. That line of -4.5 is a pretty strong hint at Tennessee’s misery in this series, because there’s no way on Earth this Florida team is within 10 points of the Vols in talent. Will that matter though?
3 stars ⭐⭐⭐
A game with some intriguing aspects, but generally not as competitive or interesting as those above.
Kentucky at No. 14 Vanderbilt (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Vanderbilt is still 8-2 and still has hopes for the CFP, but needs to win out and maybe get a little lucky. Kentucky, meanwhile, has won 3 in a row and is behaving like a genuinely dangerous team. Can Cutter Boley make enough plays to spoil Vandy’s dream season? The odds line hanging at -8.5 for the ‘Dores certainly suggests that there’s a chance.
Arkansas at No. 17 Texas (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Likewise, Texas is trying to stick around and Arkansas has a genuine shot to play spoiler. In what league would the clear worst team be just +8.5 on the road at a top-20 opponent? If any testimony to the depth of the SEC was needed, that’s it. Will it play out that way on the field?
2 stars ⭐⭐
Mostly reserved for bad matchups or bad teams.
Western Kentucky at LSU (7:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Yes, 8-2 WKU can play offense, but LSU should have a ton more athletes and put this one away early. But how motivated will LSU be after the events of the last few weeks?
Coastal at South Carolina (4:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
When did Coastal drop the “Carolina” from its name? Did they lose a bet? If they prevail over 3-7 South Carolina as a +24.5 point underdog, do they get it back? This certainly isn’t exactly must-see football.
1 star ⭐
Good background noise for a nap.
Samford at No. 3 Texas A&M (Noon ET, SEC Network+)
A 1-10 FCS team? Shame on the Aggies.
Charlotte at No. 4 Georgia (12:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Or a 1-9 FBS team that is a +44.5 point dog? Likewise, shame on the Georgia Bulldogs.
E. Illinois at No. 10 Alabama (2 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)
Or a 3-8 FCS team? Wake us up when it ends, Alabama.
Mercer at Auburn (2 p.m., SEC Network+)
A bit of a pass for Auburn, as the Tigers are 4-6 heading into the Iron Bowl next week, and Mercer is at least a 9-1 FCS team.
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.
