If there was ever a week that proved the superiority of the SEC in an indirect way, it’s college football’s Week 9. The SEC has 3 top 20-vs.-top 20 battles, several other interesting games, and absolutely no snoozers.
No point spreads over -11.5. The Big Ten has its 2 best teams favored by 25.5 and 31.5, respectively.
The most competitive game in their league is Rutgers at Purdue. Enough said. But in an SEC week to watch, what should you watch?
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. (Hint: there are no 1-star games. Or 2-star games.)
5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The games worth cancelling your plans, shutting off your phone, and to quote the legend, Lane Kiffin, the ones worth getting your popcorn ready for:
No. 8 Ole Miss vs. No. 13 Oklahoma (Noon ET, ABC)
Might as well start with the popcorn-readying legend himself. ESPN’s FPI places these teams fourth and fifth in the SEC race for CFP spots. The league, funny enough, is likely to have 4 or 5 Playoff teams. So needless to say, the Rebels’ get-right game vs. John Mateer’s chance to jump back into the Heisman race is must-see viewing. Frankly, it’s probably the top game of the day. Are the Rebels tough enough? Do the Sooners have enough big-play offense to hang in the SEC race? Time to find out.
No. 15 Missouri vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
There’s a similar dynamic for Mizzou and Vanderbilt, but this one feels closer to a CFP elimination game. The winner gets a leg up in the competition, but the loser has a tough path to stay in the playoff hunt. But Diego Pavia vs. Ahmad Hardy is also fairly fascinating. This feels like an epic battle that could end up as the most watchable game of the day. In a league full of high-wattage super programs, this battle is the antidote.
No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 20 LSU (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Wild energy on this one, as all the momentum seems to be with Texas A&M, but nobody wants to drive the final nail into the LSU coffin. Brian Kelly‘s job could actually be on the line and winning games at LSU at night is no small order of business. In any other conference, this would be the easy game of the week. It’s still one nobody wants to miss.
4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not quite as electric as the 5-star games, but still great quality college football.
No. 22 Texas vs. Mississippi State (4:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
The Longhorns were incredibly lucky to pull out last week’s game with Kentucky, while the Bulldogs have faded against a brutal schedule. In what world was it possible that Blake Shapen would be outplaying Arch Manning? This game could eliminate Texas from CFP contention and boost State into potential bowl eligibility. Or Arch could start playing better.
No. 17 Tennessee vs. Kentucky (7:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Tennessee‘s defense has had real struggles, but the Vols could still pull back into the CFP hunt. The good news is that they face a Kentucky offense which has been basically punchless for the last 2 seasons. Given its schedule, Tennessee could play their way into a CFP showdown with (gulp) Vanderbilt. But it starts with handling Kentucky. This could be the last gasp of the Mark Stoops era.
3 stars ⭐⭐⭐
A game with some intriguing aspects, but generally not as competitive or interesting as those above.
No. 4 Alabama vs. South Carolina (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Speaking of punchless offenses, take South Carolina‘s. Alabama is on a roll and should be good to continue. This is most lopsided point spread in the league this week and if it were a more evenly matched game, it would draw a higher watchability rating. As it is, it feels almost inevitable… but then, Shane Beamer is always up for confounding expectations.
Auburn vs. Arkansas (12:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
A battle of 3-4 Auburn and 2-5 Arkansas should be competitive, but not necessarily the most compelling. It’ll get tougher on Hugh Freeze to keep his job if the Tigers lose this one. Meanwhile, Bobby Petrino is trying out his extended audition, but it hasn’t led to wins yet.
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.
