Another Alabama-LSU showdown for the ages isn’t the only matchup on tap this Saturday in the SEC. Ranked teams in No. 18 Ole Miss (Arkansas), No. 19 Texas A&M (Auburn) and No. 20 Mississippi State (Missouri) all face challenges as we creep closer toward officially crowning division champs.

Here is a look at a few of the players with favorable matchups that will potentially boom during Week 10 action in the SEC and a few of them that will bust.

BOOMS

  • LB Cassanova McKinzy – With the return of Carl Lawson to the Auburn defensive line, Will Muschamp has the luxury of returning Cassanova McKinzy to linebacker. McKinzy leads the Tigers in tackles-for-loss (8.0), sacks (4.0) and has an SEC-high 12 quarterback hurries. Only one other player in the conference, Ole Miss’ Fadol Brown (10 QBH), registers double-digits for pressuring quarterbacks. The senior McKinzy goes up against a Texas A&M offensive line in Week 10 that allows an SEC-worst 2.75 sacks-per-game (tied with Kentucky, see below). The stage is set for the Birmingham, Ala., native to have a big day in College Station by applying more pressure on Aggies quarterback Kyler Murray than South Carolina did in the freshman’s impressive starting debut last week.
  • CB Vernon Hargreaves III – It likely doesn’t matter who starts under center for Vanderbilt, as long as the Commodores quarterback knows to keep the ball away from the general vicinity of Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III. Between Johnny McCrary, Kyle Shurmur and Wade Freebeck, the Vandy offense has managed to heave an SEC-worst 14 interceptions, ranking them No. 121 in the nation for team picks. A dozen of those ill-advised throws belong to McCrary, who was replaced by Shurmur two weeks ago. On the other side of the ball, Hargreaves is tied for runner-up in the SEC for interceptions (4), trailing leaders Eddie Jackson of Alabama and Texas A&M’s Donovan Wilson by one. Hargreaves is the heart of a Gators defense that’s among the best in the nation at shutting down opposing passing games. McCrary (24 yards) and Shurmur (20) combined for 44 total yards last week against Houston. It could be even uglier on Saturday in Gainesville.
  • LB Leonard Floyd – The Butkus Award this week named Georgia’s Leonard Floyd among the 10 semifinalists for its linebacker of the year award. The redshirt junior should be able to pad his résumé in Week 10 against Kentucky. The Wildcats surrender the most sacks in the SEC (2.75 per game), which has to be music to the ears of the Eastman, Ga., native. Floyd leads the Bulldogs with 3.5 sacks, 9 quarterback hurries and is second behind Jordan Jenkins for tops on the team in tackles-for-loss (6.5). The matchup is favorable for Floyd and the maligned Georgia defense under coordinator Jeremy Pruitt should have a big day against Kentucky’s offensive line.

BUSTS

  • CB Tony Conner – Ole Miss gets cornerback Tony Conner back in its lineup in Week 10 against Arkansas, just in time to assist a defense that ranks No. 10 in the SEC in passing yards allowed. The junior nickelback returns this week after tearing his meniscus against Alabama in Week 3. Conner is a leader in the Rebels secondary, with 145 career tackles (15.5 for loss) and as many sacks (2) as interceptions. The Batesville, Miss., native, and his unproven knee, however, have to go up against a tough Arkansas receiving corps, specifically its tight ends lead by Hunter Henry and Jeremy Sprinkle, who are second and third on the Razorbacks in receiving (439 combined yards, 3 TDs). Expect some rust from Conner and for Hogs quarterback Brandon Allen to take advantage of that.
  • QB Joshua Dobbs – South Carolina is coming off a Week 9 performance in which Texas A&M quarterback Kyler Murray blistered the Gamecocks for 156 rushing yards. But the effort by the Aggies freshman might have been a pure anomaly against Shawn Elliott’s defense. Entering the tilt in College Station, South Carolina had held opposing quarterbacks to 27 rushing yards on the season — that’s all seven opposing signal callers they’ve faced combined, including LSU’s Brandon Harris (11 rushing yards) and Greyson Lambert of Georgia, who accounted for 21 of those yards. Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs is certainly capable of putting up similar numbers to Murray on the ground, having rushed for 438 yards and 7  touchdowns on the year, to go along with a pair of 100-yard rushing performances. Expect a South Carolina team to put up a fight against their rivals, however, and hold Dobbs’ legs in check, much the same way the Gamecocks did to Marquise Williams (528 rushing yards, 5 TDs on the year) in the season-opener, holding the North Carolina quarterback to just 9 rushing yards.
  • KR Anthony Sherrils – The odds are the Missouri kick-return game will bust regardless this week — seeing that the unit has a .5 advantage over New Mexico State for worst return percentage in the entire NCAA. The Tigers kick-return game is led by Anthony Sherrils, who averages 17.75 yards per return, about two percentage points higher than the team’s average. The redshirt sophomore from Kansas City will be running headlong into a Mississippi State kick-return defense this week that ranks No. 18 in the nation and gives up 17.97 yards-per-return. If the struggling Missouri offense can;t start with decent field position, then it might make for an even longer evening in Columbia.