By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent
Alabama Week 9 Review
The Crimson Tide responded to their second loss of the season with a resounding 34-0 homecoming victory over Missouri last week. While the first half was a bit sluggish, the Alabama defense intercepted Mizzou backup quarterback Drew Pyne late in the second quarter, setting up Jam Miller’s 3-yard touchdown run to give the Tide a 13-0 halftime advantage. Pyne entered the game for an injured Brady Cook, and the Missouri offense was abysmal without Cook in the game. Led by Jalen Milroe’s 215 yards through the air and 50 yards and a score on the ground, Alabama outgained Missouri 486-239. UA improved to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the SEC and has an open week before traveling to Baton Rouge on Nov. 9 to take on LSU.
Auburn Week 9 Review
Auburn earned its first conference win of the season in a 24-10 road victory over Kentucky. It was a slow start for the Tigers as the Wildcats built an early 10-0 lead, but Hugh Freeze’s team took control on the ground in the second half behind a dominant performance from running back Jarquez Hunter, who rushed for a career-high 278 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. Auburn outgained Kentucky 500 to 224. The Tigers, who improved to 3-5 and 1-4 in the SEC, return home on Saturday, Nov. 2 to face Vanderbilt.
SEC Week 10 Rankings
1. Georgia (6-1, 4-1)
2. Texas (7-1, 3-1)
3. Texas A&M (7-1, 5-0)
4. Tennessee (6-1, 3-1)
5. LSU (6-2, 3-1)
6. Ole Miss (6-2, 2-2)
7. Alabama (6-2, 3-2)
8. Vanderbilt (5-3, 2-2)
9. Arkansas (5-3, 3-2)
10. South Carolina (4-3, 2-3)
11. Missouri (6-2, 2-2)
12. Florida (4-3, 2-2)
13. Oklahoma (4-4, 1-4)
14. Auburn (3-5, 1-4)
15. Kentucky (3-5, 1-5)
16. Mississippi State (1-7, 0-5)
Week 10 Previews and Predictions (last week: 5-1; season: 65-22)
Game of the Week: Texas A&M at South Carolina (+2). Only one team in the SEC remains unbeaten in conference play, and that team resides in College Station. Mike Elko has done a tremendous job in his inaugural season, and the comeback win over LSU last week has the Aggies in position to make the SEC title game for the first time since joining the league in 2012. Everything is shaping up for a monumental matchup against Texas in the season finale, but the Aggies have two tricky road games before that rivalry game. The first is this Saturday in Columbia against a dangerous South Carolina team coming off a bye week. The Gamecocks nearly upset both Alabama and LSU earlier this year, and this is a great spot for Shane Beamer’s team to get the job done and shake up the race for the SEC crown. Prediction: South Carolina 27, Texas A&M 24.
Ole Miss at Arkansas (+7). Lane Kiffin went all in on building a playoff team in 2024, and while Ole Miss still has an opportunity to accomplish that goal, there is no margin for error remaining for the Rebels. While the road loss at LSU is forgivable, the home loss to Kentucky will hamper Ole Miss down the stretch as the rebels have a matchup against Georgia next week and a tricky spot at Arkansas this Saturday. The Hogs upset Tennessee at home this year, and they’re capable of pulling off another upset this week. Prediction: Ole Miss 31, Arkansas 24.
Vanderbilt at Auburn (-7). No quarterback has haunted Hugh Freeze quite like Diego Pavia. The Vandy signal caller upset Freeze’s Tigers last year with New Mexico State and dominated Freeze’s Liberty squad in 2022. Now, Pavia returns to Jordan-Hare Stadium with an opportunity to beat Freeze again as the Commodores search for one more win to reach a bowl game. Auburn might have turned a corner last week at Kentucky by finally closing out a game, but Saturday’s test will be challenging with Pavia under center. Prediction: Auburn 28, Vanderbilt 24.
Maine at Oklahoma. The Sooners’ transition to the SEC has been disastrous for Brent Venables, and his team is in jeopardy of missing the postseason altogether. This Saturday’s matchup against Maine might be the last time Oklahoma is favored to win the rest of the season. A 5-7 campaign would put Venables on the hot seat entering 2025. Prediction: Oklahoma 51, Maine 7.
Florida vs. Georgia (-18.5). The last time we saw Georgia, the Bulldogs submitted their best performance of the year in an impressive road victory at Texas. Kirby Smart’s team had an open week to continue to get healthy, and now Georgia takes on a Florida squad that is hanging on by a thread under embattled head coach Billy Napier. It still seems it’s a matter of when, not if, Napier will be fired, and perhaps the only thing he can do to save his job is if the Gators can get hot and string together several wins down the stretch. Prediction: Georgia 41, Florida 13.
UMass at Mississippi State (-18). The 2024 season might as well be considered a Year 0 for Jeff Lebby. The Bulldogs are by far the worst team in the SEC with only one victory thus far as they welcome UMass to Starkville on Saturday. This is likely the last chance for Mississippi State to earn a win this year. Prediction: Mississippi State 48, UMass 20.
Kentucky at Tennessee (-16.5). Based on upcoming schedule and the quality of the team, no squad in the SEC has a better path to a playoff berth than Tennessee. The Volunteers will be underdogs in a couple of weeks at Georgia but will be a heavy favorite in their remaining games, including Sat-urday’s home tilt against Kentucky. The Wildcats are spiraling while the Vols are coming off an open week, so things could get ugly in Knoxville pre-tty quickly. Prediction: Tennessee 38, Kentucky 10.
