SEC Week 8 Predictions: Featuring Former Tennessee Baseball Pitcher Zander Sechrist

Former Tennessee baseball starting pitcher Zander Sechrist joins Vols on SI as a guest picker.

Zander Sechrist joins Vols on SI | Vols on SI

The SEC is back in action, as the conference continues progressing through the season. Of course, the Tennessee Volunteers are set to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks, which has been the big talk of the week, but there are plenty of good games within the conference this week, as this could be another hectic showing like the conference games prior to this one.

As always, our Vols on SI staff share our weekly predictions, and as always, we bring a guest on the article to share his picks as well. This week we have a good one, as National Championship -winning starting pitcher Zander Sechrist joins us to predict some great football contests.

He follows behind Omari Thomas, a former Tennessee defensive tackle, who played under Josh Heupel just a few seasons ago.

Ahead of the picks, make sure you follow Zander on Instagram, and a big thank you to him for being the guest this week.

No. 18 LSU at Auburn

Oct 24, 2026; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Byrum Brown (17) warms up prior to the game against the LSU Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

• Zander Sechrist: LSU
• Caleb Sisk: LSU
• Dale Dowden: Auburn
• Eli Elrod: Auburn
• Josh Greer: LSU
• Major Passons: LSU

Oklahoma at Mississippi State

Oct 17, 2026; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive line Kalvin Dinkins (35) celebrates during the second half against the Louisiana State Tigers at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

• Zander Sechrist: Mississippi State
• Caleb Sisk: Oklahoma
• Dale Dowden: Oklahoma
• Eli Elrod: Mississippi State
• Josh Greer: Oklahoma
• Major Passons: Oklahoma

Texas A&M at No. 13 Alabama

Oct 17, 2026; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Daniel Hill (4) runs against Tennessee Volunteers defensive back TJ Metcalf (1) during the first half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

• Zander Sechrist: Alabama
• Caleb Sisk: Alabama
• Dale Dowden: Alabama
• Eli Elrod: Alabama
• Josh Greer: Alabama
• Major Passons: Alabama

Vanderbilt at No. 12 Kentucky

Kentucky's Kenny Minchey (3) throws a pass in the second half of the college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Kentucky Wildcats at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Oct., 17, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

• Zander Sechrist: Kentucky
• Caleb Sisk: Kentucky
• Dale Dowden: Kentucky
• Eli Elrod: Kentucky
• Josh Greer: Kentucky
• Major Passons: Kentucky

No. 7 Ole Miss at No. 19 Texas

Oct 17, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver Cam Coleman (8) catches a pass for a touchdown ahead of Florida Gators cornerback Ben Hanks III (12) during the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

• Zander Sechrist: Texas
• Caleb Sisk: Texas
• Dale Dowden: Ole Miss
• Eli Elrod: Ole Miss
• Josh Greer: Ole Miss
• Major Passons: Texas

No. 11 Tennessee at South Carolina

South Carolina wide receiver Mazeo Bennett Jr. (3) celebrates a touchdown against Florida during the first half of an NCAA football at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 10, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

• Zander Sechrist: Tennessee
• Caleb Sisk: Tennessee
• Dale Dowden: Tennessee
• Eli Elrod: Tennessee
• Josh Greer: Tennessee
• Major Passons: Tennessee

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Vols on SI Leaderboard

• Major Passons: (59-14)
• Josh Greer: (59-14)
• Eli Elrod: (57-16)
• Caleb Sisk: (57-16)
• Dale Dowden: (53-20)

Guest Picker Leaderboard

• Devrin Young: (15-1)
• Gerald Riggs Jr.: (13-2)
• Jabari Davis: (8-3)
• Bru McCoy: (6-3)
• Gerald Mincey: (4-3)
• Jeremiah Crawford: (4-3)
• Omari Thomas (4-4)

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