The college football schedule in Week 6 brings us some wildly intriguing SEC matchups that will further shape the future of the conference title race. This week, the SEC West takes center stage as several teams within the division have critical matchups that could make or break their respective seasons.
No. 11 Alabama will visit Texas A&M on Saturday in the SEC on CBS Game of the Week. The Aggies are on a roll after wins over Auburn and Arkansas, and a win over Alabama puts them in probably the best position in the SEC West title hunt. On the other side of the ball, the Crimson Tide have rebounded from their early season struggles and are coming off a dominant win over Mississippi State in one of the more hostile road environments of Starkville, Mississippi.
Elsewhere, No. 23 LSU will tee it up with No. 21 Missouri in what is the biggest game for Missouri since the 2014 SEC Championship Game vs. Alabama. Coach Eli Drinkwitz's squad is undefeated, and a win over the Tigers from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, would further solidify its case in the race for the SEC East. LSU, meanwhile, simply can't afford another loss if it has any chance of repeating as SEC West champs.
Let's take a spin around the conference and make some picks for the Week 6 action in the SEC.
Appetizer: Georgia's biggest test
The No. 1 Bulldogs struggled mightily at Auburn last weekend as the two-time reigning national champions have been slow out of the gate in all five of their games this season. That simply can't happen against No. 20 Kentucky. The Wildcats ran over, around and through hapless Florida last week as running back Ray Davis rushed for 280 yards and three touchdowns. Can he repeat the feat against Georgia's defense? The knee-jerk reaction would be "no," of course. However, that might not be the correct answer.
The Bulldogs rank 11th in the conference in tackles for loss per game at 5.6 and just gave up 219 rushing yards to an Auburn team that doesn't even pose a threat through the air. Auburn quarterbacks Payton Thorne and Robby Ashford could have called out the specific rushing play and direction to Georgia and the Bulldogs would have still had a hard time stopping the attack.
Kentucky will throw haymaker after haymaker against any team, and there's no doubt that it will up the ante in what is one of the biggest games in the Mark Stoops era.
Main course: Texas A&M's strength vs. Alabama's weakness
Alabama's 40-17 win over Mississippi State last weekend was just what the doctor ordered in terms of outcome, but there are still some serious concerns with the Crimson Tide. The offensive line gave up seven tackles for loss and currently ranks tied for 12th in the SEC in tackles for loss allowed per game at 7.4. Only the much-maligned South Carolina offensive line has given up more per game (8.6).
Spin it forward and we see Texas A&M's front seven. The Aggies defensive front -- which was a focal point of the last two recruiting classes -- have 15 tackles per loss and seven sacks in each of the last two games (Auburn and Arkansas). Translation: The Aggies are starting to come into their own and are evolving into the team coach Jimbo Fisher has been striving for since the end of the 2021 season.
There should be some concern for Tide fans. It was clear against Mississippi State that the offensive goal in Starkville, Mississippi, was to pound the rock and keep things simple. Quarterback Jalen Milroe only attempted 12 passes and Ty Simpson had one in mop-up duty. Conversely, the Tide had a whopping 43 rushing attempts.
Nick Saban's team will be entering another hostile environment on Saturday. If they are going to come out of Kyle Field with a win, the Crimson Tide will need to be much more balanced and the offensive line will have to have its best performance of the year ... by far.
Dessert: A statement game for Mizzou
Missouri quarterback Brady Cook broke the SEC record for consecutive passes thrown without an interception last week when he threw for 395 yards and four touchdowns in the 38-21 win over Vanderbilt. Cook has thrown 347 passes without an interception, which broke the record previously held by Kentucky's Andre Woodson (325). Can he stay hot? Judging by this week's opponent, probably.
LSU ranks 11th in the SEC in pass defense at 260.2 yards per game and has given up an SEC-worst 13 touchdown passes while only picking off four passes in five games. This is a matchup nightmare for coach Brian Kelly's squad.
But as we saw last week in the 55-49 loss to Ole Miss, the Tigers from Baton Rouge are perfectly comfortable in track meet games. If they do the impossible and force Cook into a pick or two, they have a chance. If they don't, their division title hopes will be cooked.
Power rankings
- Georgia
- Alabama
- Ole Miss
- Kentucky
- Missouri
- Tennessee
- Texas A&M
- LSU
- Florida
- South Carolina
- Auburn
- Arkansas
- Mississippi State
- Vanderbilt
Picks
Straight up: 47-9 | Against the spread: 24-18-2
*Picks use SportsLine consensus odds and were made on Instagram since SEC Smothered & Covered started in Week 2
No. 20 Kentucky at No. 1 Georgia
The trend is your friend, and whew buddy the trends in this one favor Kentucky in a big, big way. The Wildcats are 4-0 against the spread in FBS games this season while the Bulldogs are 0-3-1. The trends will continue this week. Davis is an absolute monster at running back and Georgia's defensive front has been sub-par this season. If Auburn can get a push, Kentucky might reset the line of scrimmage 5 yards into the Bulldogs defensive backfield. Georgia will get the win, but this game screams "rock fight" and has the possibility of a backdoor cover. Pick: Kentucky +14.5
No. 11 Alabama at Texas A&M
Let's be real: I would never, in a million years, actually make a wager on this game. Not even with you, the loyal reader's money. There are just too many variables. The Crimson Tide's defensive front has been creating havoc over the last three games, and while Aggies backup quarterback Max Johnson has been solid since taking over for the injured Conner Weigman, the offense will regress to the mean a little bit this weekend. I will, reluctantly, take Alabama to win and cover. Pick: Alabama -2.5
Arkansas at No. 16 Ole Miss
The Razorbacks were supposed to be an offensive juggernaut with quarterback KJ Jefferson taking the snaps and a deep running back corps that will complement Jefferson's ability to make things happen with his arm and his legs. Yeah, that hasn't come to fruition. The Hogs rank last in the SEC in offensive yards per play (5.3) and are tied with Alabama in tackles for loss allowed at 7.4 per game, which is tied for next-to-last in the conference. Did you watch Ole Miss last week? Quarterback Jaxson Dart and the dynamic offense might still be scoring against LSU had the officials not followed the rules and only let the Rebels play 60 minutes. Pick: Ole Miss -11.5
No. 23 LSU at No. 21 Missouri
This one will be a point-per-minute track meet that will be one of the most entertaining games of the weekend in which LSU will find a way to get the job done. LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels is an absolute monster, and his ability to make things happen through the air and on the ground will help this team get a much-needed win. Mizzou will cover, though. The Tigers are 3-1 against the spread and are still undervalued. This will be decided by a field goal. Pick: Missouri +6.5
Vanderbilt at Florida
The Gators are way too inconsistent to lay 18.5 points, even at home. With that said, quarterback Graham Mertz has done a relatively good job protecting the ball and coach Billy Napier seems to understand that he needs to make changes to how the program operates after last weekend's debacle vs. Kentucky. One of those changes needs to be an effort to make Trevor Etienne more of a focal point in the offense, but that won't be the only change that we see on the field. This will be more of a trial-and-error outing, and some of those trails will fail. As a result, take the Commodores to cover in a very sloppy affair. Pick: Vanderbilt +18.5
Western Michigan at Mississippi State
The Bulldogs will step out of conference play after falling to Alabama last weekend and the Broncos are the perfect opponent to get back on track. They are giving up a whopping 6.37 yards per play and the Bulldogs offense will keep its foot on the gas deep into the fourth quarter in an effort to gain momentum heading into the meat of their SEC schedule. Pick: Mississippi State -20.5
Which college football picks can you make with confidence in Week 6, and which underdogs will win outright? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread -- all from a proven computer model that has returned more than $2,000 in profit over the past seven-plus seasons -- and find out.
