As the SEC football season hits its final stretch, we’re thankful for short memories and weekly opportunities here at the Bold Predictions department. We’re doing what we always do — taking a few shots at off-the-wall predictions for the week’s SEC action. Like a QB tossing deep balls, we’ll hit a few and we’ll miss plenty. But we’re just going to keep chucking them out there, so see what we pull off this week.

Short-handed Kentucky gives Florida some fits

It’s a rough situation for Kentucky. The Wildcats are being ravaged by COVID-19 and injuries, but for whatever reason, they recently have matched up well with Florida … maybe because the Gators’ defense is a little spotty and Kentucky, as long as it has a handful of offensive players, will feature a physical running game. We’ve got Kentucky to give Florida a fair amount of early trouble, even leading at halftime, before the combination of Kyle Trask and depth issues let Florida pull away late in a 2-score win.

Mizzou’s Larry Rountree III has a big week

Missouri shouldn’t have any trouble with Vanderbilt. The Tigers’ offense hasn’t been pretty, but it has been efficient. Against a relatively short-handed Vandy team, that means plenty of action for running back Rountree. The senior running back had 37 carries for 126 yards against Kentucky. He might not quite see that much action, but pencil him in for 28-30 carries for 140-150 yards, as Mizzou wins by 21.

Bama runs with Najee

The Iron Bowl feels like it could be Mac Jones’s Heisman Trophy commercial. But the Saban-less Tide are not going to want to do anything to jeopardize their CFP standing, so the guess is that they actually kind of go old school Alabama and run the football down Auburn’s throat. Najee Harris had 31 carries for 152 yards in the Georgia game, and that’s the kind of effort we’re looking for against Auburn. We’ll say that Alabama doesn’t quite cover the point spread, but Harris is the SEC’s leading rusher as Bama wins by something in the 17-21 region.

Mississippi State slows down Lane Train

Ole Miss has been one of the more consistent teams in the SEC. They pass and pass some more, and they don’t play much defense. On the other hand, Mississippi State has been pretty darn disappointing. But this one really fits together well for the Bulldogs. They hung with Georgia on the strength of just taking what the defense gave and controlling possessions until the 4th quarter. Don’t be surprised if they do it again. Says here the Bulldogs for a couple of picks from Matt Corral, and hold the football for nearly 40 minutes en route to a surprising 31-28 win.

Kellen Mond plays big, as does the A&M defense

LSU comes off possibly the best effort they’ve given this season. But A&M not only is a siperior team, they’re one that does a great job in run defense. Putting LSU in uncomfortable situations means that T.J. Finley will end up forcing a few passes. Meanwhile, Kellen Mond continues his under-the-radar campaign as the best SEC player who won’t be the SEC Player of the Year. Put us down for a big A&M win, with Mond passing for 200 yards and three scores, and the A&M defense grabbing a couple of turnovers, including one for a score. A&M 42, LSU 14

JT Daniels does it again

So Daniels passed for 400 yards and 4 TDs in his Georgia debut. What if he does it in his second game, too? Carolina is clawing to the finish line, but it’s not a great pass defense (11th in the SEC) and even worse without its stud corners. Says here that Kirby Smart will want to keep the accelerator jammed to the floor in an effort to keep this season from being a complete disappointment. We’ll take Daniels with 400 yards a second time in a row as Georgia crushes South Carolina 38-14.