The SEC East will showcase one of the best rivalries in the conference this week in Jacksonville, while the West will feature a rolling, dark horse candidate looking to add to the misery of a slumping host in Oxford.

Let’s take a look at 10 interesting tidbits about Week 9 of the SEC schedule.

  1. There are two non-conference games involving SEC teams this week. Mississippi State hopes to improve to 17-1-1 all-time against FCS Samford (with its only loss coming in 1909), while Texas A&M vs. New Mexico State will be the first-ever meeting between each of the programs.
  2. Altogether, there are six SEC games on the slate for Week 9. Alabama, Arkansas, LSU and Vanderbilt are all off.
  3. This is the third straight season in which Kentucky has reached at least four wins before the month of November. The wheels came off in 2014 and ’15 … will the Wildcats change the rhetoric and improve to 4-2 in the conference against a Missouri opponent that has lost three in a row and is without a win against a Power 5 team?
  4. The River City Showdown “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” is a historic rivalry that dates back to the early 1900s and continues to be a date circled on the calendar for fans of both sides regardless of win-loss records. Georgia currently has a 50-42-2 lead over Florida, but the Gators have won back-to-back years by a combined 42 points and are 20-6 since 1990.
  5. Mississippi State hasn’t missed out on a bowl game since coach Dan Mullen’s first season in 2009, but the Bulldogs are in line to do just that. It’s safe to say that Samford won’t be standing in the way of any potential turnaround, though; MSU has a 7-0 record against FCS opponents under Mullen with an average final score of 52-12.

mullen

  1. Welcome back, Auburn. This is the first time the Tigers (No. 15) have been ranked as a top 15 team in the AP Poll since Week 2 of the 2015 season. They’ll put their new title on the line — along with their shot of winning the SEC or appearing in a New Year’s Six bowl — in Oxford against an ailing Ole Miss team this weekend, seeking revenge from last year’s 27-19 loss at home.
  2. We’re going to find out exactly what Tennessee is made of this weekend when it plays South Carolina in Columbia. With back-to-back losses (including an embarrassing 49-10 blowout vs. Alabama at home), the Volunteers can still contend for an SEC Championship Game appearance with some help from Florida. But the Gamecocks, fresh off their best offensive performance of the season with a new freshman quarterback under center, are still hoping to make a bowl run in the second half but likely need an upset vs. UT to get there.
  3. Texas A&M is 9-6 after a loss under Kevin Sumlin, but don’t expect a letdown at Kyle Field on Saturday evening. New Mexico State ranks 122nd out of 128 FBS teams, per the FEI ratings, already boasting losses to UTEP, Kentucky, Troy and Idaho by an average of 28.5 points. If anything, the Aggies will be able to use this as an opportunity to release some frustrations with a realistic opportunity to finish 11-1 (7-1) by regular season’s end.
  4. Vegas lists Texas A&M (-43.5) as an overwhelming favorite against NMSU, by far the biggest spread in the SEC this week. Tennessee (-13.5), Florida (-7.5), Missouri (-4.5) and Auburn (-4) are all expected to come out on top as well.
  5. If you’re curious, it’s Alabama that leads the SEC with a 49-40-1 record against the spread since the start of 2010. Missouri (46-38) comes in at No. 2 with Arkansas (45-38) and Vanderbilt (45-38) not far behind. But it’s Auburn that ranks first in this category for the 2016 season, entering Week 9 with a 6-1 record ATS.