SEC Daily: Graham’s Predictions for the Biggest SEC Games of Week 5
This may be one of, if not, the best Saturday of college football we have this season. The sport is stacked with blockbuster games and other interesting games at just about every timeslot.
But no time slot will be able to compete with what will go down Saturday night. No. 17 Alabama will go to Athens to take on No. 5 Georgia for the Crimson Tide’s SEC opener. It is also a rematch of last season’s incredible game. At the same time, No. 6 Oregon goes into the whiteout at No. 3 Penn State in a game that has major implications on who will make the Big Ten Championship and who could get a bye in the College Football Playoffs.
In the SEC Auburn travels to College Station against No. 9 Texas A&M and No. 4 LSU goes into a hostile Oxford environment against No. 13 Ole Miss. With a fun weekend ahead, let’s try to predict how the biggest games in the SEC will go this weekend.
No. 17 Alabama at No. 5 Georgia, 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC
This feels like a playoff game if you’re Alabama. If the Crimson Tide lose this game, its playoff hopes will start to hang on by a threat given its remaining schedule. Alabama still has to play against Tennessee, Oklahoma, LSU, Vanderbilt, at MIssouri and at Auburn. A loss here would be devastating.
For Georgia, the last time fans saw the Bulldogs, it seemed that they really grew up. Gunner Stockton put on a great showing in an overtime thriller over Tennessee. Going into this weekend, Kirby Smart is hoping he can beat Alabama for the first time since the National Championship in January 2022.
I think the biggest factor in this game is how Alabama’s offensive and defensive lines hold up against Georgia’s. The Crimson Tide got pushed around on both sides of the ball against Florida State. While Alabama has looked good the two games since its loss, I have to go off what I have seen from Alabama when it played a higher-quality team, which is a loss.
PREDICTION: Georgia 38, Alabama 27
No. 4 LSU at No. 13 Ole Miss, 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC
Ole Miss has looked great offensively all season, but this is the first time it has been tested. How will the offense look against a defense that has done a great job of shutting down its opponents through four games?
It seemed that LSU’s offense finally got into a rhythm against Southeast Louisiana, but then again, it was a FCS team. Believe it or not, Ole Miss opened as 2.5-point favorites. I do think Ole Miss will be able to score, but it will not be as much as it has so far. I got LSU making a statement this weekend in a close game.
PREDICTION: LSU 34, Ole Miss 28
Auburn at No. 9 Texas A&M, 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN
Auburn fell just short of a road upset against Oklahoma last weekend. It did not come without controversy either. Regardless, Auburn proved it can hang with a top team in the conference, it just needs to do a better job of closing games.
Texas A&M is coming off a bye after its 41-40 win at Notre Dame. The Aggies have looked like a playoff contender so far, but I think its defense could spell trouble down the road this season.
If I recall correctly, I do not think I have picked an upset this season. That ends now.
PREDICTION: Auburn, 30, Texas A&M 27
No. 15 Tennessee at Mississippi State, 3:15 p.m. CT on SECN
Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby deserves a lot of credit for having his team at 4-0 and knocking on the door of the AP Top 25. The Bulldogs have looked solid this year, including a win against No. 12 Arizona State.
But now the challenge really begins for them, starting this weekend with Tennessee coming to town. The Volunteers have looked like a playoff contender and they have a favorable schedule to get there. It’s understandable if people pick Mississippi State, but do not overthink it. Tennessee will win this game.
PREDICTION: Tennessee 35, Mississippi State 24
Vanderbilt Commodores On SI:
Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.