This weekend has rivalry games across the board that will have massive impact on coaches’ futures, the conference outlook and more.

Alabama meets Auburn in the classic “Iron Bowl,” and the Crimson Tide will leave Jordan-Hare Stadium happy, having secured the SEC West title. Tennessee edges Vanderbilt, earning the Volunteers their first conference win of the season. Ole Miss falls to Mississippi State in the “Egg Bowl,” giving Bulldogs fans another reason to ring their cowbells.

With all 14 SEC teams in action this week, here are projections for margins of victory, ranked from losses/narrow wins to the biggest blowout.

14. Arkansas

Opponent: vs. Missouri

Bovada line: +11

Prediction: Arkansas loses by 20

Why: Last week’s loss at home to Mississippi State was a perfect sample of what has occurred in the Bret Bielema era at Arkansas — choking away games. Losing at home to Missouri and finishing 4-8 will be the icing on the cake needed to send Bielema packing. The Razorbacks are only scoring 23.3 points in conference play, which won’t be enough to keep up with the Tigers.

13. South Carolina

Opponent: vs. Clemson

Bovada line: +14

Prediction: South Carolina loses by 17

Why: South Carolina will manage to keep this game close until the second half, but the Gamecocks won’t be able to beat their archrival. Clemson has won the last three in the series and will make it four straight behind an offense that is producing 35.3 points per game. South Carolina doesn’t have the firepower to keep up.

12. Texas A&M

Opponent: at LSU

Bovada line: +10 1/2

Prediction: Texas A&M loses by 14 

Why: The Aggies picked up a gutsy win at Ole Miss in Week 12. They face a tougher task at LSU, whose defense is only allowing 14.7 points per game in November. Texas A&M will fight but fall short in what could be Kevin Sumlin’s final game.

11. Ole Miss

Opponent: at Mississippi State

Bovada line: +15

Prediction: Ole Miss loses by 13

Why: Ole Miss’s last two losses have been by a combined eight points. Matt Luke deserves serious consideration for the full-time coaching job after how he has held the Rebels together in this tumultuous time. Thursday’s “Egg Bowl” will be a high scoring affair, with the Bulldogs prevailing in the end. Ole Miss’s primary concern in the off-season has to be its rushing defense, which has given up 267.14 yards per game in conference play.

10. Auburn

Opponent: vs. Alabama

Bovada line: +4 1/2

Prediction: Auburn loses by 10

Why: There will be no “Kick Six” miracle that launches Auburn into the SEC Championship this year. Though the Tigers are hot, Alabama will cool them down. When the Tigers lose this game, Gus Malzahn could be switching jobs in the same division.

9. Vanderbilt

Opponent: at Tennessee

Bovada line: +1

Prediction: Vanderbilt loses by 3

Why: Vanderbilt will end 2017 without a conference win. There are many areas you can point to and blame, but it’s hard to overlook a defense giving up 46 points per game in conference play. That is second to last in the country, trailing only Ball State.

8. Tennessee

Opponent: vs. Vanderbilt

Bovada line: -1

Prediction: Tennessee wins by 3

Why: Like Florida, Tennessee will win its Week 13 matchup because of the location of the contest. The Volunteers also have the revenge factor to motivate them after losing to Vanderbilt in 2016. In an ugly game, Tennessee finds a way to end its season with a win.

7. Florida

Opponent: vs. Florida State 

Bovada line: +5

Prediction: Florida wins by 6

Why: Florida only gets the nod in this game because it is playing in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Both teams have had ugly seasons and bring 4-6 records into Saturday’s game. After four straight losses in the series, the Gators pull one out at home.

6. Kentucky

Opponent: vs. Louisville

Bovada line: +10

Prediction: Kentucky wins by 7

Why: The Kentucky defense will need to be ready for Lamar Jackson and a Cardinals offense averaging 38.5 per game. Luckily for the Wildcats, Louisville is surrendering 38.8 per game to winning FBS programs this year. Kentucky wins eight games for the first time since 2008. This victory confirms the wonderful job Mark Stoops has done slowly building the program in spite of many obstacles.

5. Alabama

Opponent: at Auburn

Bovada line: -4 1/2

Prediction: Alabama wins by 10

Why: Auburn has helped thwart Alabama advancing to the SEC Championship before. The Tigers will not stop the Crimson Tide from moving on to Atlanta in 2017, though. Alabama has the No. 1 scoring defense and the No. 7 scoring offense in the country. Even if Jalen Hurts doesn’t play to his potential, the Crimson Tide defense will do enough to escape their rival’s house with a win.

4. Mississippi State

Opponent: vs. Ole Miss

Bovada line: -15

Prediction: Mississippi State wins by 13

Why: The Bulldogs have had a strong second half of the season, winning five of their last six games. If not for the close loss to Alabama, Mississippi State would have won six straight heading into Saturday. Since 2009, Dan Mullen has won five of the eight “Egg Bowls” he has coached in.

3. LSU

Opponent: vs. Texas A&M

Bovada line: -10 1/2

Prediction: LSU wins by 14

Why: The Tigers will rely on their defense, a unit that has given up only 14.7 points per game in November. LSU has quietly won five out of six and will make it six of seven. Ed Orgeron might have the best two coordinators in the country along with a crop of young talent he can develop over the next few seasons.

2. Georgia

Opponent: at Georgia Tech

Bovada line: -11

Prediction: Georgia wins by 17

Why: This will be a tough test for Georgia prior to a its SEC Championship Game appearance. Paul Johnson’s triple offense is no joke, plus the Bulldogs have to play on the road. These characteristics coupled with the rivalry prohibit Georgia from annihilating the Yellow Jackets, but the Bulldogs will be breathing easy by the end.

1. Missouri

Opponent: at Arkansas

Bovada line: -11

Prediction: Missouri wins by 20

Why: Barry Odom has righted the ship after a disastrous start. His team travels through calming waters this week, facing an Arkansas team that will soon be without a head coach. Odom moves to 2-0 against the Razorbacks.


Week 11 in review: Last week in this spot, we chose Mississippi State to crush the Razorbacks, but the Bulldogs won only by a touchdown. Instead of Missouri beating Vanderbilt by 14 points like we predicted, the Tigers trounced the Commodores 45-17. … Overall, it was a good week for us — we predicted every win and loss correctly.