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We’re back with another round of predictions in anticipation of Week 8 of the SEC season.
Of course, this weekend’s action lost much of its luster when the SEC was forced to postpone four games: Alabama at LSU, Texas A&M at Tennessee, Auburn at Mississippi State and Georgia at Missouri. Thankfully, we still have a few games to pick looking ahead to this Saturday.
SDS news desk editor Michael Bratton (@MichaelWBratton) and SDS Podcast co-host Chris Marler (@VerneFUNquist) are back again to share their predictions picking SEC games and making picks against the spread.
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Chris is 19-20-1 against the spread for the season while Michael is 13-27 on the season.
Here is how the guys predict the Week 8 action to play out:
Vanderbilt at Kentucky (-17)
Michael: Kentucky has had two weeks to prepare for this one while Vanderbilt has had two starters transfer out of the program just this week. This one seemed to be a layoff for Kentucky to not only win but cover heading into Thursday but following the tragic death of offensive line coach John Schlarman, there’s no telling how prepared the Wildcats will be for this game. I bet they’ll come out and play with some passion, setting the tone early on the way to a big win. Terry Wilson, provided he returns to the starting lineup, couldn’t have asked for a better team to face to get his season back on the right track.
Kentucky 28 Vanderbilt 10
Chris: Wear a mask.
Kentucky 27 Vanderbilt 10
Arkansas at Florida (-17.5)
Michael: Some of the games that we lost this weekend may have looked like better games heading into the season but this was the best game on the scheduled this weekend. Don’t be surprised if the Feleipe Franks Bowl is decided late in the second half as the only team that Arkansas hasn’t threatened this season was Texas A&M, a team that Florida also failed to beat in College Station. If Kyle Pitts can’t go this weekend, that’s just going to make this game that much more competitive. The biggest issue in this game for the Razorbacks may be the loss of Sam Pittman for the weekend, but even then, interim coach Barry Odom not only has experience taking at team into the Swamp, he’s led a team to a win on the road against Florida.
Florida 35 Arkansas 23
Chris: This is the best game of the week not only in the SEC, but in the whole country. Arkansas comes in after yet another big win after being down by double digits in the 2nd Half. And, Florida comes in riding high off the biggest program win in years. Both of these stories have been so much fun to watch, and I love that Feleipe Franks is finally getting the respect he deserves as one of the best QBs in the SEC. The very underrated matchup with Dan Mullen’s offense vs. Barry Odom’s defense that I expect to be close early and a lot of fun to watch throughout. I think the Hogs keep it somewhat close in the first half and maybe into the 3rd quarter, but I don’t know how many teams in the country can stop this Florida offense for 4 straight quarters.
Oh, and wear a mask.
South Carolina at Ole Miss (-11)
Michael: Credit the Gamecocks for coming out and expressing their support for their head coach this weekend but the reality is their performance on the field is the thing that could save Will Muschamp’s job. While the Gamecocks talk about having Muschamp’s back, they are playing as if they want him fired before the season ends. It’s ironic that once Muschamp finally landed a quality offensive coordinator, his Gamecock defense fell apart, but that’s exactly what has happened. That’s the most damning thing that can be said about this South Carolina team, which has allowed 100 points combined during the team’s previous two games. Ole Miss has had two weeks to prepare for this one and if they come ready to play on Saturday, expect them to hand Muschamp his final loss as an SEC head coach.
Ole Miss 38 South Carolina 17
Chris: Wear a mask.
Ole Miss 37 South Carolina 24
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
