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There are only three games on this week’s schedule pitting two SEC teams against one another. With that in mind, here are the can’t miss games of Week 13 in the SEC:
NO. 8 OLE MISS AT ARKANSAS (SATURDAY ON CBS — 3:30 P.M.)
This is the game of the week in the SEC for a number of reasons.
First, Ole Miss is still very much alive to win the SEC West and earn a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl (maybe even the College Football Playoff) if it can win its final two games of the season. Following back to back losses to LSU and Auburn, compounded by a season-ending injury to Laquon Treadwell, that seemed impossible. But the Rebels have benefitted from a number of other losses around the country and suddenly find themselves as the nation’s top-ranked two-loss team, sitting in great position to make a run at something special this postseason.
Second, we all want to see what Arkansas can do following its first SEC win since 2012. Will the Hogs end the year on a tear having finally broken through in conference play? Or will they suffer from a hangover following last week’s win, allowing Ole Miss to earn an easy but much-needed victory? The Razorbacks will answer these questions on Saturday.
It’s also worth noting Arkansas must win one of its final two games to become the seventh and final SEC West team to earn bowl eligibility. If the Hogs can pull it off, the West would be the first division to ever send every one of its teams to a bowl in the same season. That would certainly be something special if it happened.
Lastly, this matchup is simply the most competitive pairing on the SEC slate this week. Ole Miss is a top 10 team and remains the only team to take down Alabama this year. Arkansas is confident following last week’s win, and it proved its worth with close losses to Alabama and Mississippi State earlier this season. This game is as “can’t miss” as they come.
NO. 20 MISSOURI AT TENNESSEE (SATURDAY ON ESPN — 7:30 P.M.)
Missouri has a greater “must-watch” factor than almost anyone else in the SEC, as the Tigers alone will decide who wins the SEC East this year and makes the trip to Atlanta for the SEC championship game. If Missouri wins out, it’s on to Atlanta. If it loses either of its final two games, Georgia wins the East. It’s as simple as that.
As a result, the Tigers will play in some serious “can’t miss” games the next two weeks, beginning in Week 13 with a difficult road test against the Tennessee Volunteers. UT quarterback Joshua Dobbs has been on fire since taking over the starting job, leading the Vols to a combined 95 points in a pair of wins over South Carolina and Kentucky.
Dobbs may be one of few quarterbacks in the SEC with the ability to counter Missouri’s devastating pass rush, led by Shane Ray and Markus Golden. He’s thrown for 598 yards and run for 214 yards in his last two games, and he throws on the run better than most signal callers throughout the SEC.
Missouri, on the other hand, has only lost once in SEC play this season, and it seems to find new ways to win every week. It has also won nine straight road games dating back to 2012, and it’s unlikely the hostile environment in Neyland Stadium is going to have a major effect on the Tigers.
Tennessee has all the momentum, but Missouri has everything at stake in this game, making it a true “can’t miss” contest on Saturday.
VANDERBILT AT NO. 4 MISSISSIPPI STATE (SATURDAY ON SEC NETWORK — 7:30 P.M.)
Ok, let’s be real, you can miss this game and your Saturday wouldn’t skip a beat. This game is on at the same time as the Missouri-Tennessee game, and unless you’re an MSU or Vandy alum, you’d be unwise to waste any time on this matchup.
Vanderbilt is the only SEC team yet to win a conference game this year, and it’s lost all six of its SEC contests by at least 10 points. Mississippi State, on the other hand, just lost for the first time all year in last week’s showdown with Alabama, and it’ll be playing with purpose as it prepares for a huge Egg Bowl matchup with Ole Miss in Week 14.
The Bulldogs will also be honoring their seniors for their final home game of the season, and MSU won’t let those seniors be disgraced with a loss to Vandy.
If this game is close, it will make ripples all over the Internet, so you’ll know it’s worth flipping to this game if somehow the Dores keep it close in the second half. Otherwise, just know this is the third and final SEC game on the slate, while most of the rest of the SEC plays cupcake games outside the conference.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.