Last weekend’s “Blowout Saturday” left us deprived of competitive games around the SEC, as five of the six games featuring SEC teams were decided by 29 points or more. This week’s slate of games promises to be more competitive, as five of the conference’s six ranked teams are in action.

Here are the can’t miss games of Week 9 in the SEC:

No. 3 OLE MISS AT NO. 24 LSU (SATURDAY ON ESPN — 7:15 P.M.)

In the only SEC matchup of the weekend pitting two ranked teams against one another, Ole Miss puts its undefeated record on the line in a difficult road test against LSU in Death Valley. The Bayou Bengals are back in the national polls after a 38-point win over Kentucky, while Ole Miss remains a favorite to reach the College Football Playoff field at the end of the year. However, the Tigers have only lost four night games in Death Valley during Les Miles’ 10 years in Baton Rouge, and even a national powerhouse like Ole Miss (it’s still strange to call Ole Miss a national power…) won’t have an easy task dealing with the Tigers. This is sure to be the game of the week in the SEC, as Ole Miss aims to keep its title hopes alive while LSU aims to register its first win over a ranked foe in 2014.

No. 1 MISSISSIPPI STATE AT KENTUCKY (SATURDAY ON CBS — 3:30 P.M.)

There hasn’t been a team in America more impressive than No. 1 Mississippi State this season, which enters Saturday’s showdown with Kentucky fresh off a bye last week. The Wildcats might be the SEC’s most improved team, winning five of their first six games after posting back to back 2-10 seasons in 2012 and 2013. The Cats lost 41-3 to LSU last weekend, and following that game with a showdown against the No. 1 team in America will be no easy task. With that said, despite their underwhelming histories, these are two emerging threats in the SEC with two trendy head coaches in Dan Mullen and Mark Stoops. Mississippi State is a double-digit favorite in Vegas, and for good reason, but don’t be surprised if the frisky Wildcats keep the game close into the fourth quarter playing on their home field.

SOUTH CAROLINA AT No. 5 AUBURN (SATURDAY ON SEC NETWORK — 7:30 P.M.)

When the SEC schedule was released last year, this game was considered one of the best cross-divison matchups of the 2014 season, featuring two teams ranked in the top 10 of the preseason polls. Auburn has lived up to expectations as the defending SEC champion, but South Carolina has bottomed out in 2014, losing three of its first six games to fall out of the rankings altogether. The Gamecocks do have a win over one top 10 team — Georgia — so it’s not as though they are hopeless entering this showdown on the Plains. However, the Gamecocks haven’t beaten Auburn since 1933, and they’ve lost eight of 10 matchups all-time against the Tigers, including all seven matchups since South Carolina joined the SEC in 1992. Will South Carolina ever show why it was ranked No. 9 before the season? Will Auburn maintain its top 5 ranking in its pursuit of a national title? Saturday’s game should help answer both questions.