Predicting Sunday’s SEC headlines after Week 8 action
We all think we’d make great headline writers, but it’s actually more difficult than it looks.
Coming up with something short, simple and witty that can tell the story of an entire football game in just a fraction of a sentence is a unique skill.
This season, we’re going to have some fun trying to predict the headlines you’ll read about your favorite team in your local paper on Sunday morning.
We’re at a disadvantage, of course, because we don’t know how the game will turn out. That’s the part of the prediction that makes things interesting.
Here are our headline predictions for Week 8:
Alabama (vs. Tennessee): Nine times the fun
Alabama takes a great deal of pride in beating Tennessee each October, so the current eight-game winning streak has brought a great deal of enjoyment to Crimson Tide fans. Expect that fun to continue on Saturday, as Nick Saban’s crew continues its quest to repeat as conference champions in spite of an early-season loss to Ole Miss.
Arkansas (vs. Auburn): Hogs rested, yet still weary
The Razorbacks enjoyed a bye in Week 7 to get healthy after a nightmarish 2-4 start to the season, but will that be enough time to get things into gear for the second half of the season? Arkansas will be put to the test right away against an Auburn team that has also had extra time to prepare for this meeting.
Auburn (at Arkansas): Tigers clawing back to relevance
If Auburn is able to take down Arkansas for its second consecutive conference road win, the entire tone of the second half of the season may change. A victory would push the Tigers to 5-2 on the season and 2-2 in conference play, setting up an opportunity to make good on what many expected to be at least an eight-win team this season in spite of a disastrous three week run in September.
Kentucky (at Mississippi State): Cats can’t stop Dak
I expect this to be a reasonably close game, but when things look equal on paper, I’m leaning toward the home team with the league’s best quarterback. Kentucky will get bowl eligible before the season is done, but the Wildcats just aren’t winning this one.
LSU (vs. Western Kentucky): Tigers top ‘Toppers
Western Kentucky has a dangerous enough offense to make this game interesting for LSU fans, but ultimately the Tigers’ athleticism and physicality should eventually wear down the Hilltoppers. It also helps that Western Kentucky doesn’t play much defense, meaning that the LSU rushing attack may run wild.
Mississippi State (vs. Kentucky): Dogs outlast Cats
I really wanted to say “Dogs outsmart Cats” because it is more fun, but there’s no reason to create any unnecessary drama about which team will play smarter on Saturday. Instead, I will simply say that I expect Mississippi State to hold serve in this game in Starkville.
Missouri (at Vanderbilt): Tigers Lock down win in Music City
In one of what is sure to be many more Drew Lock headline puns, I expect that the true freshman quarterback will do just enough to spark a dormant Missouri offense into enough points for a win against Vanderbilt. The Commodores have also had trouble scoring this season, and Missouri’s defense is certainly capable of keeping them in single digits.
Ole Miss (vs. Texas A&M): Slip Slidin’ Away
Borrowing some lyrics from an old Paul Simon song, that’s exactly what the Rebels will feel like their season is doing if Texas A&M comes to town to hand them their third loss in four weeks. That win in Tuscaloosa feels like it was ages ago.
Tennessee (vs. Alabama): Vols still 0-for-Saban
The Vols will break their losing streak to Alabama sometime soon, but this just doesn’t feel like the right spot. Even though the Vols beat Georgia last time out and have had two weeks to prepare for Alabama, the Crimson Tide is in a groove at the moment and Tennessee may be a little too beat up to pull off the road upset at this point.
Texas A&M (at Ole Miss): The Oxford Revival
Texas A&M will travel outside of the state of Texas for the first time in Week 8, and the Aggies aim to bring a renewed optimism for the SEC Championship race back from Mississippi. If the Rebels had trouble stopping Memphis’ dynamic offense, Kevin Sumlin’s squad can be expected to present more of the same problems for Ole Miss.
Vanderbilt (vs. Missouri): Different QB, same story
While Derek Mason has been tight-lipped about who the Commodores will play at quarterback this Saturday, there have been some indications that he may move away from Johnny McCrary, perhaps in favor of true freshman Kyle Shurmur, who was added to the depth chart this week. But leading an offense that has struggled to score against the league’s top scoring defense will be a tough task for whoever gets the start.