The 2020 SEC football season is winding down, but there's still plenty of intrigue facing many teams in the conference. South Carolina made the biggest headlines this week when it fired coach Will Muschamp after five-plus years at the helm. The Gamecocks have named former Colorado State coach Mike Bobo, who led the Georgia offense from 2007-14, as the interim head coach. Bobo's first game at the helm will be Saturday night in Columbia against Missouri.
One of the more intriguing games of the weekend will take place in Fayetteville where Arkansas will host an LSU in a game in which Arkansas is actually a one-point favorite. Think about that for a second. What would you have said this time last year if I told you that Arkansas would be favored over LSU in 2020? You'd have called me crazy.
Let's take a spin around the SEC and make picks against the spread and straight up.
Appetizer: Mac Jones and the Heisman Trophy
Hello? Hello? Remember me?
Alabama quarterback Mac Jones has been sidelined for the last two weeks due to a bye week and a postponement while Florida quarterback Kyle Trask has taken all of the Heisman Trophy headlines. He'll get his chance to claw his way back into it this week against a Kentucky team that leads the SEC in passing defense (214.1 yards per game) and opponent passing plays of 30 or more yards (6). The Wildcats also have the second-most interceptions in the league with 11.
Meanwhile, Trask will largely be overlooked since the Gators play Vanderbilt. Seriously … who's going to watch that game unless, for some reason, things get tight. If it does, Trask might be at fault.
Make no mistake, Jones deserves to be in that conversation.
| Player | YPG | Passing TDs | Passer Rating | Yards per attempt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mac Jones | 366.0 | 16 | 210.32 | 12.4 |
Kyle Trask | 361.8 | 28 | 197.52 | 10.3 |
Main course: Freeze to South Carolina
All eyes turned to Liberty coach Hugh Freeze from the moment Muschamp was fired on Sunday night, and for good reason. The Flames are 8-0, ranked No. 21 in the latest AP Top 25 poll and either has or will become the top candidate on every athletic director's list.
It's time to give him a second chance.
No, making inappropriate calls on a state-issued phone is not acceptable. He knows it, has apologized for it and has paid a massive price. After all, he was fired from his dream job and essentially put on double-secret probation by the SEC when he tried to get back in as an offensive coordinator two years ago.
But what about the NCAA sanctions? Yeah, that's a bad look. There's no doubt about that. That shouldn't exile him from coaching major college football for the rest of his career.
Spare me the idea that cheating was the only reason that he was successful at Ole Miss. That's flat-out not true. Those rosters weren't even comparable to SEC West foes Alabama, LSU, Auburn, Texas A&M, etc. Heck, when he beat Alabama in 2015 for the second consecutive year, he did it on the road without offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil -- arguably the best offensive lineman in the country.
Even if it's not South Carolina, it's time for Freeze to get back into the Power Five.
Desserts
- LSU quarterback Myles Brennan is out for the year, which will put a ton of pressure on T.J. Finley. It sounds like he's going to be the guy this weekend against the Razorbacks unless Max Johnson comes on strong after missing practice last week.
- Gut feeling ... if Georgia quarterback JT Daniels doesn't play this week, he isn't playing for the rest of the season. After all, the Bulldogs have had two bye weeks to figure this thing out.
- Auburn has given up less than five yards per play in two of its last three games, with the only outlier being the high-octane Ole Miss offense. Probably not the best time for Tennessee to have lingering issues on offense. Things might get worse before they get better in Knoxville.
- Thank you, Lane Kiffin, for everything that you do for our entertainment. Time to limber up that clipboard-throwing arm for the Egg Bowl next week.
Picks for Week 12
Kentucky at No. 1 Alabama
Here we go with another Alabama dial-a-score game. Kentucky has given up 14 or less points in four of the last five games, with the only anomaly coming last week vs. Vanderbilt in a game that -- let's be honest -- Kentucky controlled throughout. It'll be awesome to see what the Crimson Tide look like after two weeks off. But with the Iron Bowl next week, I expect coach Nick Saban to take his foot off the gas and get his offensive weapons to the bench as quickly as possible. As a result, I'll take the Wildcats defense to do enough to stay within 31 points. Pick: Kentucky (+31)
No. 6 Florida at Vanderbilt
This might come as a shock, but Vanderbilt has a halfway-decent pass defense (well, except for that Ole Miss game). Is it time for Trask to have a game where he finally throws for less than four touchdowns? Nope. Not even close. Not only will Trask top the four-touchdown mark again, the Gators will work the ground game with Dameon Pierce and hang a 50-burger on a Commodores team that will struggle to get to double digits. Pick: Florida (-31.5)
Mississippi State at No. 13 Georgia
Mississippi State not only has fallen off a cliff, but it has roster issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Is it suddenly going to get right against a Georgia defense that, while still a little beat up, is one of the best groups in the country. Absolutely not. Whether it's Stetson Bennett IV, D'Wan Mathis or JT Daniels, the goal here will be for Georgia to open things up in as many ways possible. That'll get the cover. Pick: Georgia: (-24.5)
Tennessee at No. 23 Auburn
The Tigers incorporated plenty of new wrinkles last time out against LSU, and expect more of that against a reeling Volunteers crew. Even though they had an unexpected week off last week due to COVID-19, coach Gus Malzahn will use wide receiver Eli Stove and quarterback Bo Nix in the running game even more than before. The Tigers will get to 30 points, and it's tough to invent a way for a reeling Volunteers offense without a stable quarterback situation to keep up. Pick: Auburn (-10.5)
LSU at Arkansas
The Razorbacks didn't cover for the first time this year when they got run out of The Swamp by Florida last week. They'll get back on the cover train against a Tigers team that not only has a shaky quarterback situation, but could be on the brink of packing it in after a long season that has included COVID-19 issues, a report of the school ignoring multiple sexual assault allegations and self-imposing probation for two years. What's more, the Razorbacks passing game is extremely dangerous with Feleipe Franks pulling the trigger. Franks will force LSU into a shootout against the Tigers' underwhelming secondary, and they won't be able to keep up. Pick: Arkansas (-1)
Missouri at South Carolina
Speaking of packing it in, that's exactly what South Carolina has done. Muschamp was fired, its two top defensive backs opted out and its defense can't have any confidence after what Ole Miss did to it last week. Missouri has massive COVID-19 issues and its offense isn't exactly dangerous. But running back Larry Rountree III will demoralize the Gamecocks defense and help the Tigers run away late. Pick: Missouri (-5.5)
Records -- Straight up: 33-10 (3-0 last week) | ATS 21-22 (1-2 last week)
