The weekend is just around the corner, which means its time to reveal our weekly SEC predictions and bets.

As always, it’s news desk editor Michael Bratton (@MichaelWBratton) and SDS Podcast co-host Chris Marler (@CMarlerSDS) making the weekly SEC picks against the spread.

Michael went 4-2 against the spread last week, marking his seventh consecutive winning week to open the season. His against the spread record for the season is 34-20. Chris went 3-3 for Week 7, as he somehow picked against his beloved Bama (against the spread) which cost him a winning weekend, and puts his season total at 26-28.

Here’s how the guys predict the Week 8 games in the SEC:

Vanderbilt at Kentucky (-11.5)

Michael: It’s still odd to see Kentucky favored by double digits against any SEC opponent yet here we are. I have all the respect in the world for what Kentucky has accomplished this season but I think there is some danger in this game for the Wildcats for several reasons. Coming off the only loss of the season, how will the team respond? Will Kentucky overlook Vandy? The Commodores aren’t as bad as their record would indicate; they nearly knocked off Notre Dame on the road and had Florida on the ropes last weekend. Kentucky doesn’t really have the offense to pull away from opponents early in games. How Vanderbilt’s defense holds up in the run game will be a big factor in this one. I like Kentucky to win but I’ll take the points here.

Kentucky 30 Vanderbilt 20

Chris: Last week Florida did everything they could to give that game away to Vandy. And, the Gators still somehow managed to win by 10. This week they face a Kentucky team that can do no wrong this year. Hell, last week they even moved up 4 spots in the AP Poll during a Bye. I imagine the Cats spent the break trying to figure out their QB woes, and with Benny Snell reading old break ups letters and message boards to motivate himself for the 2nd half. I don’t think this game is ever close to be honest. The real question is will Derek Mason call out Kash Daniel for the belt, so we can all see the SEC Cage Match we deserve.

Kentucky 27 Vanderbilt 14

Alabama (-29) at Tennessee

Michael: Thanks to Gus Malzahn, Tennessee hasn’t lost to a team from the state of Alabama yet this season. While that streak is going to end on Saturday, I’m not certain Alabama is necessarily going to roll in this one. The injury to Tua is something to watch, how long will Alabama keep him in the game could be a huge factor in the spread. Considering the Tide have some of the most explosive passing plays in the league this season, that’s got to keep Jeremy Pruitt up all week, as Tennessee is likely to start two true freshmen at corner for this game. On the other side of the ball, Jarrett Guaratanon is playing the best football of his career and Tennessee’s receivers are starting to emerge. If the Vols can protect him, that’s a big if, Tennessee has the ability to make Alabama pay on Saturday. Alabama will get theirs but I think Tennessee will show up and give Alabama the best game they’ve had all season.

Alabama 38 Tennessee 24

Chris: The Third Saturday in October. One of the best rivalries in the SEC. Well, at least it was. That’s before Alabama went off and won for a decade against the Vols. As I write this it has been 4,279 days since Tennessee beat Alabama. To be fair, it’s only been four since they beat Auburn though. Tennessee looked great last weekend, and you’d have to think that the Vols will look to keep this wave of confidence going in their return home to Knoxville. They haven’t looked overmatched in games at UGA and Auburn.

However, Bama’s Offense is averaging more points (38.3) and yards (373) in the first half than Tennessee’s Offense is averaging per game (26.2 & 366 respectively). I like Bama, but the over is the real play here at 57.

Alabama 41 Tennessee 10

Tulsa at Arkansas (-7)

Michael: Incredibly, this line opened with Arkansas as just over a field goal favorite at home. Now that we know Ty Storey appears to be good to go in this one, I feel confident that the Razorbacks offense will show up for this one but I can’t say the same for the performance of the defense. The recent showings have all been hugely disappointing but how much of that has to do with the offenses they have faced? I think we’ll get our answer on Saturday. Look for Rakeem Boyd to go off in this one, if he can stay on the field, as he has emerged as the best running back for this offensive system.

Arkansas 33 Tulsa 20

Chris: It’s kinda surprising that a team who has lost 6 straight games would be a TD favorite over anyone. But, that’s exactly the case for Arkansas as they return to Fayetteville. Arkansas has shown improvement each week, and if Ty Storey and Rakeem Boyd are healthy Saturday they should get their first win since Week 1. Luckily for the Hogs, Tulsa is on a 5 game losing streak to teams a lot worse than the ones Arkansas has lost to.

Arkansas 35 Tulsa 23

Memphis at Missouri (-10)

Michael: For those that don’t follow Memphis closely, you should know they have arguably the nation’s most explosive running back this season in Darrell Henderson, Jr. He’s averaging over 10 yards per carry as he has 1,133 yards on 110 carries. So far this season, he has 13 touchdowns. That’s impressive but Memphis hasn’t played a run defense of Missouri’s caliber and they definitely haven’t faced a quarterback like Drew Lock. Coming off three losses in a row, there is a danger of Mizzou falling apart with all their major goals gone but with so many veteran players on the roster, I don’t anticipate that happening. Barry Odom’s team still has a chance to make some noise this season with back-to-back games against ranked opponents following this game.

Missouri 45 Memphis 30

Chris: Missouri has lost three straight, and the Tigers Offense has underwhelmed in each game. Drew Lock threw his 1st TD in the last three games against Alabama on Saturday, but the offense managed only 212 total yards. The defense hasn’t looked great either which isn’t ideal with Memphis coming to town. Memphis is averaging almost 44 ppg, and Junior RB Darrell Henderson is averaging 10.3 ypc and has over 1100 total yards in only seven games.

The bad news is that Missouri is just 2-15 against FBS teams with winning records under Barry Odom. The good news is that Memphis has been terrible on the road going 0-2 this season and averaging less than half of their season average.

Missouri 34 Memphis 27

Auburn (-4) at Ole Miss

Michael: The ole Gus Bus is spiraling out of control, time to take advantage while you can. While the Landsharks are the perfect unit to get any struggling offense going, Auburn’s issues have gone well beyond a struggling offensive line at this point in the season. Fans and media are calling for Malzahn’s job and players to be bench while Jarrett Stidham is playing like he’s completely rattled. Jordan Ta’amu has been making teams pay with his legs and his arm in recent weeks, which is something Nick Fitzgerald did to this very Auburn defense to set them into their current tailspin. One week, Auburn couldn’t stop the run, the next, they couldn’t stop the pass. The Rebels can hit them both ways with the nWo and Scottie Phillips. Taking that into consideration, the Tigers are still somehow favored on the road against a 5-2 Ole Miss team. I’m taking the points here and I like Ole Miss to win outright over the dysfunctional Tigers.

Ole Miss 42 Auburn 35

Chris: What’s the definition of insanity? Watching Auburn week after week and expecting different results. This week Auburn have another 11 am kickoff on the road in Oxford. If there’s any defense out there that should be able to give Auburn a confidence boost it’s the Rebels D. Ole Miss ranks 108th or lower nationally in all 4 major defensive categories. However, Auburn’s D got torched last week against a Tennessee team that came in with the 91st ranked offense in the country. Jarretty Guarantano was even named National Player of the Week. If he can do that then what will Ta’amu be able to do?

Ole Miss 34 Auburn 30

Mississippi State at LSU (-7)

Michael: This could be the best game of the weekend in the SEC, especially with Mississippi State having two weeks to prepare and LSU coming off another huge and emotional performance. If not for those factors, I’d probably pick LSU comfortably in this matchup but I’ll take the seven points while I can. Mississippi State may have the best front in the SEC this season and it should cause some issues for LSU’s protection and running game. If Mississippi State can connect on some deep throws, which LSU will allow them to take, the Bulldogs could even come into Death Valley and steal this one. The matchup of Joe Moorhead against Dave Aranda is one of I’ve been waiting months to watch. The extra time Moorhead had to prepare could be the difference.

LSU 28 Mississippi State 24

Chris: LSU is coming off yet another big win against a Top 10 team as an underdog. The Tigers thumped UGA by 2o points last week in Death Valley, and have yet another Top 25 opponent they face this weekend. Mississippi St is coming off a Bye Week and a big win vs. Auburn before that. I expect the Tigers to sleepwalk through the first half thanks to back-to-back big emotional games and a bye week looming. However, Nick Fitzgerald just simply isn’t a good enough QB to beat this LSU Defense. The Tigers D has three legit candidates for All-American. And, that’s just in the secondary.

LSU 24 Mississippi State 20