Alabama Week 4 Review
The Crimson Tide dominated an overmatched Florida team, 42-21, last Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Blake Sims threw for 445 yards, the second most in Alabama history. Amari Cooper caught 10 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns, while Derrick Henry topped 100 yards on the ground on the day. Alabama did turn the ball over four times, but the Gators couldn’t capitalize on all the mistakes. The Crimson Tide improved to 4-0 on the season and 1-0 in SEC play. Alabama has an off week before traveling to Oxford to take on Ole Miss next Saturday (Oct. 4).
Auburn Week 4 Review
The Tigers narrowly defeated Kansas State, 20-14, on the road on Sept. 18. The Wildcats missed three field goals, turned the ball over in the red zone and were held to only 40 rushing yards by the Auburn defense. The Tiger offense was sluggish throughout the game but Nick Marshall made a huge late throw to receiver Duke Williams to seal the win. Auburn improved to 3-0 on the season. The Tigers take on Louisiana Tech this Saturday (Sept. 27) at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
SEC rankings
1. Texas A&M (4-0, 1-0)
2. Auburn (3-0, 1-0)
3. Alabama (4-0, 1-0)
4. Mississippi State (4-0, 1-0)
5. Georgia (2-1, 0-1)
6. South Carolina (3-1, 2-1)
7. Ole Miss (3-0, 1-0)
8. LSU (3-1, 0-1)
9. Arkansas (3-1, 0-1)
10. Tennessee (2-1, 0-0)
11. Florida (2-1, 1-1)
12. Kentucky (2-1, 0-1)
13. Missouri (3-1, 0-0)
14. Vanderbilt (1-3, 0-2)
Week 5 Previews and Predictions
Week 4: 6-2; Season: 38-3
Saturday, Sept. 27
Vanderbilt at Kentucky (-17). Mark Stoops has a great chance this weekend to win his first ever-SEC game when Wildcats face a struggling Vanderbilt team in Lexington. Kentucky can surpass last season’s win total with a victory over the Commodores. Prediction: Kentucky 34, Vanderbilt 19.
Tennessee at Georgia (-17). The Volunteers nearly upset Georgia last year, and this version of Tennessee is slightly better than that team. However, so is Georgia. The Bulldogs have something to prove after their loss at South Carolina and still have a solid chance of running the table. Prediction: Georgia 41, Tennessee 23.
Louisiana Tech at Auburn (-33.5). The Tigers have one more easy win before conference play heats up in the first weekend of October. Prediction: Auburn 56, Louisiana Tech 10.
Missouri at South Carolina (-6). This game lost some of its luster after Missouri inexplicably lost to Indiana at home, but it’s still a big matchup with division title implications. Luckily for Missouri, the loss to Indiana was an out of conference defeat, so the Tigers can still contend for a SEC title. Unfortunately, most of Missouri’s remaining schedule will be tougher than Indiana. South Carolina looked apathetic for most of the game against Vanderbilt, but the Gamecocks still won 48-34. They’ll have to play a little better to beat Missouri this weekend. Prediction: South Carolina 41, Missouri 34.
New Mexico State at LSU (-43). LSU was embarrassed at home by Mississippi State in the conference opener last weekend. Perhaps the most surprising part of the game was how easily Mississippi State’s offense operated in such a hostile environment. Look for the Tigers to clean up some of their defensive mistakes before traveling to Auburn next weekend. Prediction: LSU 44, New Mexico State 3.
Memphis at Ole Miss (-19.5). The Rebels have one final tune-up before their showdown with Alabama next weekend. Memphis nearly upset UCLA earlier in the season, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they played Ole Miss tough throughout most of the game. Prediction: Ole Miss 41, Memphis 20.
Game of the Week
Arkansas at Texas A&M (-8.5). Arkansas already has matched its win total from a season ago, and the Hogs finally have a dominant running game. The Aggies cruised through their first four games this season, including a season opening rout of South Carolina, but Arkansas might be a tougher challenge for Kevin Sumlin’s team. If Arkansas controls the clock and keeps Texas A&M’s offense off the field, the Razorbacks have a chance to pull off the upset. The Aggies can score quickly, however, and this Arkansas team isn’t built to engineer comebacks. Prediction: Texas A&M 45, Arkansas 35.