SEC Rundown: Battle of the Bulldogs

According to the college football playoff odds, Georgia (+185) is the favorite to win the national title. Alabama comes in third at +325 with Tennessee fourth at +850.

Georgia (-400) has the best odds to win the SEC title followed by LSU (+350) and Alabama (+1200).

Georgia received 62 of the 63 first-place votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and 61 of the 63 in the American Football Coaches Association poll. Tennessee fell to fifth in both polls. LSU, Alabama and Ole Miss are seventh, 10th and 11th in the AP rankings.

Let’s check the latest NCAAF picks, stats, injury reports, and NCAAF predictions. We’ve plenty of NCAAF expert picks for you to consider.

Game of the Week

Alabama vs Ole Miss

• Date, time (TV): Saturday, Nov. 12, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
  • Line: Alabama -11½

It will be interesting to see how Alabama, which is third in the SEC in rushing defense, handles the SEC’s top rushing team. Freshman Quinshon Jenkins is already over 1,000 yards and leads the conference with 13 scoring runs while Zach Evans has 680 yards for Ole Miss (8-1, 4-1 SEC).

It isn’t often that four teams have fewer SEC losses than Alabama. However, the Crimson Tide (7-2, 4-2) have suffered tough defeats to Tennessee and LSU.

Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs leading Alabama with 39 catches as well as 771 rushing yards. Quarterback Bryce Young’s chances of winning the Heisman dwindle with each passing week. He has thrown 19 touchdown passes with just four interceptions. He is going against the 10th-ranked pass defense in the SEC.

HOUDINI 🪄 MAGIC@_bryce_young ➡️@c7_brooks

📺 ESPN
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— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) November 6, 2022

Alabama has won the last six meetings with Ole Miss, although the Rebels have covered against the college football betting lines in three of those contests.

Rest of the Schedule

Missouri vs Tennessee

• Date, Time (TV): Saturday, Nov. 12, Noon ET (CBS)
  • Line: Tennessee -20½

For those who expect Tennessee to rebound from last week’s loss to Georgia without little resistance, keep in mind that Missouri (4-5, 2-4) is allowing the fewest passing yards per game in SEC play this season. Opponents are completing just 59% of their passes with five touchdowns in six conference games.

Tennessee (8-1, 4-1) is unlikely to reach the SEC title game following the loss to Georgia. However, the Volunteers are still very much in play for one of the four slots in the College Football Playoff field as Tennessee currently sits in fifth. Two of the teams ahead of the Volunteers (Ohio State and Michigan) still have to play each other.

Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt has 14 TD catches, six more than any other SEC players. He figures to see plenty of Missouri’s Kris Abrams-Draine, who is second in the conference with 11 pass breakups.

The Volunteers have won three games in a row against Missouri and covered in each of those victories. Tennessee has outscored Missouri 97-36 in the last two matchups.

LSU vs Arkansas

• Game, time (TV): Saturday, Nov. 12, Noon ET (ESPN)
  • Line: Louisiana State -3½

LSU suddenly has the inside track toward representing the West Division in the SEC title game. The Tigers are tied with Ole Miss for the division lead with Alabama a game behind. They own wins over both the Rebels and Crimson Tide. This might be one of the week’s most competitive games.

LSU (7-2, 5-1) isn’t in the top four in the SEC in either total offense or total defense. A key has been allowing opponents to score touchdowns on just 13 of 31 drives reaching the red zone.

Arkansas (5-4, 2-3) is coming off a loss to Liberty and fell to 1-4 against ranked teams this season.

The Razorbacks probably need more players named Sanders as Raheim is the SEC’s leading rusher while Drew tops the conference in sacks.

Arkansas snapped a five-game losing streak to LSU with a 16-13 win in 2021. It was the fourth time in the last five meetings that the game finished under the total.

Vanderbilt vs Kentucky

• Date, Time (TV): Saturday, Nov. 12, Noon ET (SEC Network)
  • Line: Kentucky -18

Kentucky quarterback Will Levis has thrown for just 268 yards over the last two games. Perhaps he can break out when he faces a Vanderbilt team that has allowed the most passing yards in the conference.

Quarterback A.J. Swann has completed only 49.3% of his passes over the last three games with as many TDs as interceptions for Vanderbilt (3-6, 0-5). Running back Ray Davis is coming off a season-high 167 rushing yards.

Kentucky (6-3, 3-3) was held to 82 rushing yards in last week’s win over Missouri.

Kentucky is looking for its seventh win in a row against Vanderbilt. The Commodores have covered against the college football odds in three of the last four meetings.

South Carolina vs Florida

• Date, Time (TV): Saturday, Nov. 12, 4 ET (SEC Network)
  • Line: Florida -8

There are four teams averaging less than 350 yards of offense in SEC play and two of them will meet up in Gainesville on Saturday afternoon. Florida comes in as the favorite according to the Las Vegas odds.

South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler is one of two starting quarterbacks in the SEC with more interceptions than TD throws. Anthony Richardson of Florida went from being a Heisman Trophy candidate earlier in the season to the No. 12-rated starting QB in the SEC.

Florida (5-4, 2-4) is second in the SEC with 16 takeaways, one more than South Carolina, so this could be a day when the opportunistic defenses steal the show.

Darius Rush and Marcellas Dial each have two interceptions for South Carolina (6-3, 3-3).

Each of the last five games between Florida and South Carolina have finished over the total.

Georgia vs Mississippi State

• Date, Time (TV): Saturday, Nov. 12, 7 ET (ESPN)
  • Line: Georgia -16½

Georgia just shut down Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker, one of the front-runners in the Heisman Trophy race. Now comes a matchup against Mississippi State’s Will Rogers, the SEC leader with 2,912 passing yards and 26 touchdowns.

Georgia is first and Mississippi State third in the SEC in passing efficiency defense as the teams have combined to allow 15 TD passes while coming away with 16 interceptions.

Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes leads the SEC with five interceptions and two of them have come back for touchdowns.

The teams have met just twice in the last 10 seasons with Georgia winning both matchups. This will be Georgia’s first visit to Starkville since 2010.

Texas A&M vs Auburn

• Date, Time (TV): Saturday, Nov. 12, 7:30 ET (SEC Network)
  • Line: Auburn -1½

This will be the first home game since Auburn (3-6, 1-5) fired head coach Bryan Harsin. The Tigers are favored according to the college football point spreads for the first time since a Sept. 24 win over Missouri.

Texas A&M (3-6, 1-5) had one of the signatures wins of the 2021 season with an upset of Alabama and then signed the top-ranked recruiting class, so expectations were pretty high coming into the season. However, the Aggies are relegated to play in a game featuring the last-place teams in the SEC West Division.

Auburn freshman quarterback Robbie Ashford is completing only 48% of his passes over the last five games.

Texas A&M is led by Devon Achane with 887 rushing yards. Three of his four 100-yard games have come in losing efforts.

Something to consider for those who bet online: The visiting team has won eight of the last nine meetings.