By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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Matt Smith previews week eight in the SEC.

A stretch of two light weeks in the SEC begins Saturday, as 11 of the SECs 14 teams have their idle week either this week or next. Two traditional rivalry games will take place on Saturday, but one features a coach who has already been fired, and the other has a spread of nearly four touchdowns.

This five-game slate is a tough sell, with only the LSU-Ole Miss game seemingly having any chance to deliver a meaningful result. Nevertheless, our fall Saturdays are precious and few, and we must savor them.

We press on with a preview of Week 8 in the SEC.

This is a Big Week for:
Coach: Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
Kiffin will have to deal with his star quarterback banged up (but likely to play), being asked about the LSU opening, and preparing for an LSU team with some confidence and nothing to lose. All the pressure this week is on the Rebels, who still have nearly all of their goals in front of them. Its a new position for Ole Miss, which has mostly served as the underdog in Kiffins short time in Oxford.

Player: Henry Too Too, LB, Alabama
Too Too will face his former team on Saturday night in the 2021 renewal of the Third Saturday in October rivalry, now more frequently played on the fourth Saturday in October. Too Too was one of many Tennessee starters who bolted after the December coaching change, choosing the greener pastures of Tuscaloosa. While things seemed to end amicably between the two parties, Too Too undoubtedly wants to show his former team what theyve missed this season.

Unit: Tennessee Wide Receivers
Lost in the madness of last Saturday nights madness in Knoxville was that the Ole Miss defense played well against the fast-paced Volunteers offense. Alabama will present a much more difficult task for this talented group of Tennessee receivers. Texas A&M moved the ball on Alabama with a lesser group of wideouts, so the Vols are capable of attacking this Crimson Tide defense with quality quarterback play.

Trivia Time
1. What was Bear Bryants record in 25 Alabama-Tennessee games as head coach?
2. Who edged out both No. 2 Ole Miss and No. 3 LSU for the AP national title in 1959, the year of Billy Cannons famous punt return in the Tigers 7-3 Halloween Night win over the Rebels?
3. In what year did Arkansas last face an in-state opponent?

Game Predictions
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-5) at Arkansas (4-3, 1-3 SEC) (Little Rock), Noon ET (SECN)
Announcers: Dave Neal and Deuce McAllister
Series History: First Meeting
Line: N/A
Over/Under: N/A
The Razorbacks make their annual trek southwest to Little Rock this week to face the struggling Golden Lions of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Arkansas, after facing four teams currently ranked in the top 20, is entering a much-needed reprieve, as this game is followed by an off week. This could be a sleepy game for the Hogs, but the fact that the team has lost three straight games and is playing in a unique venue should keep them dialed in and crisp on what should be a short day of work for the key starters.
Prediction: Arkansas 49, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 14

LSU (4-3, 2-2 SEC) at (12) Ole Miss (5-1, 2-1 SEC), 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
Announcers: Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson
Last Meeting: 2020 3 LSU 53, Ole Miss 48
Current Streak: LSU – 5
Current Streak in Oxford: LSU – 2
Line: Ole Miss -9.5
Over/Under: 75.5
With Eli Mannings jersey retirement coupled with a younger Manning in the house and a pretty spicy rivalry, Saturday figures to be the best atmosphere in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in more than five years. Despite a tumultuous week, LSU found a running game last Saturday against Florida, as the Tigers continue to reinvent their offense without injured star wide receiver Kayshon Boutte. While Lane Kiffin expressed some concern about quarterback Matt Corrals status earlier in the week, all signs point to Corral playing after having 30 carries against Tennessee. LSU has nothing to lose, and Ole Miss has almost everything to lose. Thats been a precarious position for past Rebels teams, but this group feels a bit different. The Tigers, after a spirited effort last Saturday, wont quite have the same fire they did a week ago against Florida.
Prediction: Ole Miss 38, LSU 27 (Ole Miss/under)

Mississippi State (3-3, 1-2 SEC) at Vanderbilt (2-5, 0-3 SEC), 4 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Announcers: Taylor Zarzour and Matt Stinchcomb
Last Meeting: 2020 3 Mississippi State 24, Vanderbilt 17
Current Streak: Mississippi State – 4
Current Streak in Nashville: Mississippi State – 1
Line: Mississippi State -21
Over/Under: 51
Did the Commodores figure some things out last week in its near-miss against South Carolina with Mike Wright at quarterback and a solid defensive effort? Or are the Gamecocks simply that bad? Its not a question with binary answers, of course, and a competitive game with the Bulldogs in Starkville last year on top of last weeks effort should have Vanderbilt believing it can win this game. Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers suffered a shoulder injury against Alabama last week and is unlikely to be at full health for the trip to Nashville. The Commodores wont score enough to be able to pull off an upset, but this line is too high.
Prediction: Mississippi State 28, Vanderbilt 14 (Vanderbilt/under)

Tennessee (4-3, 2-2 SEC) at (4) Alabama (6-1, 3-1 SEC), 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Announcers: Jason Benetti and Greg McElroy
Last Meeting: 2020 3 Alabama 48, Tennessee 17
Current Streak: Alabama – 14
Current Streak in Tuscaloosa: Alabama – 8
Line: Alabama -25
Over/Under: 67
As is the theme this week in the SEC, Tennessee is banged up under center with Hendon Hooker battling ankle and hamstring injuries suffered in last weeks marathon loss to Ole Miss. The Vols hope to get running back Tiyon Evans back this week after he couldnt go last Saturday. Theyll need all of their weapons to be able to hang with Alabama, who took out some frustrations in last weeks 49-9 win at Mississippi State. Wide receiver John Metchie looked like John Metchie again after a tough night at Texas A&M, and the defense had all the answers for the pass-heavy Bulldogs offense. With the injuries piling up, I struggle to see how the Vols hang around in this one.
Prediction: Alabama 45, Tennessee 17 (Alabama/under)

South Carolina (3-4, 0-4 SEC) at (17) Texas A&M (5-2, 2-2 SEC), 7:30 p.m. ET (SECN)
Announcers: Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic
Last Meeting: 2020 3 Texas A&M 48, South Carolina 3
Current Streak: Texas A&M – 7
Current Streak in College Station: Texas A&M – 3
Line: Texas A&M -21
Over/Under: 45
Texas A&M continues the off-the-radar stretch of its schedule with a visit from annual foe South Carolina. The Gamecocks will again turn to former graduate assistant Zeb Noland at quarterback, as starter Luke Doty opted for foot surgery earlier this week after having to leave last weeks win over Vanderbilt. Yes, that was a clutch win last week, but South Carolina is a gross football team. I struggle to find any pre-garbage time touchdowns for this offense against a very good Aggies defense. Zach Calzada didnt have to do much last week against Missouri because Texas A&M ran it with ease, and he should again have a non-descript day with the defense flexing some muscle heading into the off week.
Prediction: Texas A&M 34, South Carolina 7 (Texas A&M/under)

Best Bets
Last Week: 2-3
Season: 20-15
Penn State -23.5 vs. Illinois
Purdue +3 vs. Wisconsin
Oregon State +3 vs. Utah
Arizona +18 vs. Washington
Wake Forest -3 at Army

The Best Game Ive Ever Watched On October 23:
Oct. 23, 2010: No. 10 Wisconsin 31, No. 13 Iowa 30
With 11 wins in its last 13 Big Ten games, Iowa had emerged as a near-equal to Ohio State as Big Ten giants by the middle of the 2010 season. The battle between the 5-1 Hawkeyes and 6-1 Badgers in Iowa City emerged as a massive game in the chase for the Rose Bowl, with Wisconsin having already defeated Ohio State, and Iowa hosting the Buckeyes in November.

Senior quarterbacks Scott Tolzien and Ricky Stanzi did battle, with Stanzi throwing three touchdown passes for Iowa and Tolzien completing 20 of 26 passes for the Badgers. Back and forth the two rivals went, as the game featured eight lead changes and no lead greater than six points. Only one touchdown came from more than 10 yards out 3 a 45-yard pass from Stanzi to Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. The teams combined for a whopping 47 first downs.

Iowa appeared to break through in the fourth quarter, when a go-ahead touchdown pass from Stanzi to Marvin McNutt was followed by a takeaway and a field goal to give the Hawkeyes a 30-24 lead. Wisconsin answered, however, as Tolzien led a 15-play, 80-yard drive, capped by a short Montee Ball touchdown run, to give the Badgers a 31-30 lead.

The Hawkeyes drove to the edge of field goal range with 12 seconds to go, but burned their final timeout after Stanzi ran for a first down on 4th-and-1. On the final play, Stanzi completed a short pass to Adam Robinson, but Robinson failed to get out of bounds or get a first down, and time expired, sending the Wisconsin sidelines into pandemonium.

Wisconsin would not lose again until the Rose Bowl, winning a share of the Big Ten title. Iowa stumbled to a 7-5 finish with three more heartbreaking losses in the final seconds before finishing on a high note with an Insight Bowl win over 10-2 Missouri.

Sundays Projected Top 10
1. Georgia (1)
2. Cincinnati (2)
3. Oklahoma (3)
4. Alabama (4)
5. Ohio State (5)
6. Michigan (6)
7. Penn State (7)
8. Michigan State (9)
9. Ole Miss (12)
10. Notre Dame (13)
Dropped out: (8) Oklahoma State, (10) Oregon

Trivia Answers
1. 16-7-2
2. Syracuse
3. 1944 (Arkansas-Monticello)