SDS Mailbag: Final Georgia-Mizzou and LSU-Alabama predictions, biggest CFP rankings mistake and Big 12 champion
November is officially here and that means things get real as the college football regular season winds down.
Case in point: the leads for the SEC West and SEC East are on the line on Saturday in Tuscaloosa and Athens, respectively. Will the favorites hold serve or will we see some surprising upsets?
That’s the first question in this week’s SDS Mailbag, so let’s dive in, shall we?
Josh:
Final picks for the 2 big SEC division games on Saturday?
I assume you’re talking about Auburn-Vanderbilt and Kentucky-Mississippi State? Oh, you’re not?
OK, well then I guess I’ll go on the record with my Alabama-LSU and Mizzou-Georgia picks. First, some thoughts.
If Mizzou is going to take down the Dawgs, Eli Drinkwitz has to coach a perfect game. No dumb penalties. Get points in the red zone. Call great (not just good) fourth-down plays. A perfect game.
In Tuscaloosa, if this game turns into a shootout, side with LSU. If it’s in the 20s for each team, side with Alabama.
My predictions? Georgia holds on against Mizzou 31-27. LSU takes care of Alabama 41-35. It should be an exciting weekend of SEC football, y’all! The Playoff implications are real.
CJ:
What was the biggest mistake in the first CFP rankings? Who was the most overrated or underrated team?
Honestly, USC at No. 20 is ridiculous. Why should the Trojans be No. 20 in the country? Who have they beaten? Their best win is honestly probably at Arizona State. They only beat Cal by 1. They needed triple overtime to beat Arizona.
They’re only this high because they have Caleb Williams at quarterback, but this is a deeply flawed team. They have games against Oregon, Washington and UCLA left on the schedule. Would it surprise anyone if they went 0-3 in those games?
I wouldn’t be shocked by 1-2 or 0-3. Lincoln Riley’s squad doesn’t have enough all-around talent to keep up with elite Pac-12 teams. They’re No. 20 in the rankings because of the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and him alone.
Caleb Williams should still be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft in April, but the USC Trojans don’t belong anywhere near the Playoff discussion.
Wes:
Which SEC men’s basketball coach is on the hottest seat this year?
This might be a controversial take, but I don’t think anyone is on the hot seat in the league this year. Things can always change, obviously, but I believe all 14 head coaches will be back in 2024-25.
Several coaches – Mizzou’s Dennis Gates, LSU’s Matt McMahon, Georgia’s Mike White, Florida’s Todd Golden, Mississippi State’s Chris Jans and South Carolina’s Lamont Paris – are entering their second seasons and almost certainly will be given a third. Chris Beard is entering his first year at Ole Miss.
The other guys are pretty well entrenched in their spots – Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams, Alabama’s Nate Oats, Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, Tennessee’s Rick Barnes, Arkansas’s Eric Musselman, Vanderbilt’s Jerry Stackhouse and Kentucky’s John Calipari.
The “hottest” seat might just belong to Stackhouse, and it wouldn’t be him getting fired. If Vanderbilt has a good year and Stackhouse draws interest from other programs, he could decide to leave. Otherwise, I think all 14 SEC men’s hoops coaches are coming back next year.
@Dobbe8:
Five teams are tied at 4-1 in the Big 12 entering this weekend. Who do you think rises up to win the league?
Those 5 teams are Oklahoma, Texas, Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Kansas State – all formidable teams with their own strengths and weaknesses.
Bedlam is this weekend, and it’s the last one (at least for a while) so that will make the atmosphere in Stillwater even more intense. I’m actually going to take the Cowboys to pull off the upset in that one.
Thus, I think the Cowboys will eventually be playing for a Big 12 title. Give me Oklahoma State and Texas in the championship matchup, with the Longhorns ultimately winning it all and staying firmly in the Playoff discussion.
Don’t count out Kansas State, though. The Wildcats are playing some great football right now and certainly have enough talent to spoil Texas’s last year in the Big 12 this Saturday.
Have a question for next week’s Mailbag? Tweet at us using #SDSMailbag or email me at Adam.Spencer@XLMedia.com.
Just a reminder, tomorrow is game day! Be sure to check out our homepage for our Saturday Morning Tailgate. From TV schedules to power rankings to the SEC’s top players, it’s the one-stop shop every SEC fan needs to kick off the best day of the week.