Alabama Week 12 Review
Alabama easily handled Charleston Southern, 56-6, last Saturday (Nov. 21) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Derrick Henry rushed for two touchdowns on only nine carries, and in the process tied Trent Richardson’s single-season rushing touchdown re-cord. The Crimson Tide improved to 10-1 overall. Nick Saban now has won at least 10 games in eight straight seasons. Alabama travels to Auburn to take on the Tigers in the 80th Iron Bowl this Saturday (Nov. 28).
Auburn Week 12 Review
Auburn defeated Idaho, 56-34, last Saturday, and the Tigers now are bowl eligible. Jovon Robinson carried the ball 15 times for 99 yards and a touchdown, and Roc Thomas added 78 yards and a touchdown. Auburn improved to 6-5 overall and host Alabama this Saturday.
SEC rankings
1. Alabama (10-1, 6-1)
2. Florida (10-1, 7-1)
3. Ole Miss (8-3, 5-2)
4. Mississippi State (8-3, 4-3)
5. Arkansas (6-5, 4-3)
6. LSU (7-3, 4-3)
7. Georgia (8-3, 5-3)
8. Tennessee (7-4, 4-3)
9. Auburn (6-5, 2-5)
10. Texas A&M (8-3, 4-3)
11. Vanderbilt (4-7, 2-5)
12. Kentucky (5-6, 2-6)
13. Missouri (5-6, 1-6)
14. South Carolin (3-8, 1-7)
Week 12 Previews and Predictions
Week 11: 7-3; season: 76-26
Game of the Week
Alabama at Auburn (+13.5). Before the season, many thought this would be the game that decided the SEC West Division. Alabama has had another great season and is in position to make the playoffs again. Meanwhile, Auburn has been one of the biggest disappointments in college football. The Tigers were predicted to win the conference and make the playoffs, yet they’ve barely managed to reach six wins. A win over Alabama in the Iron Bowl would make amends for a down year, but in this rivalry, the better team typically wins. Bama leads the overall series 43-35-1, although the Tigers are 8-4 in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Nick Saban and Gus Malzahn are 1-1 against each other, and Saban is 5-3 against the Tigers since becoming Alabama’s coach in 2007. Auburn has had trouble scoring all season, and Alabama’s defense is probably the best in the country. No team has had an answer for Derrick Henry this year, and he is likely to have another big game again against a weak Auburn defense. Prediction: Alabama 38, Auburn 13.
Ole Miss at Mississippi State (+1). For the se-cond straight years, both Mississippi schools have been among the best in the Southeastern Conference. Ole Miss can still win the West Division with a win over the Bulldogs and an Alabama loss to Auburn, and while MSU is out of contention in the division, the Bulldogs still have had a very good season. The Rebels knocked the Bulldogs out of playoff contention last year in Oxford, and Dan Mullen’s team will be looking for revenge on Saturday. Prediction: Ole Miss 38, Mississippi State 31.
Clemson at South Carolina (+17). In one of the more surprising storylines of the season, South Ca-rolina is the worst team in the conference. The Gamecocks’ season hit rock bottom last Saturday in a home loss to The Citadel, and it’s unlikely to improve this weekend as they host top-ranked Clemson. Prediction: Clemson 41, South Carolina 17.
Missouri at Arkansas (-14). Arkansas’s offense has been among the best in the SEC over the last month. Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, the defense has been among the worst in the conference during that stretch. Still, the Hogs have had a solid year and should be able to pick up another win on Sa-turday. Prediction: Arkansas 28, Missouri 10.
Louisville at Kentucky (+4). Much like last year, the Wildcats need to beat in-state rival Louisville to reach a bowl game. Kentucky came up short last season, and the six games have not been promising for Mark Stoops. Beating the Cardinals would take some pressure off of Stoops entering next season, but a loss could place him on the hot seat. Prediction: Kentucky 23, Louisville 21.
Vanderbilt at Tennessee (-17.5). Despite a sluggish start to the season, Tennessee has strung together several wins over the past few weeks. The Volunteers haven’t necessarily beaten a good team during that stretch but they’ve avoided bad losses. A win over Vanderbilt would have the Vols set up nicely entering bowl season. Prediction: Tennessee 27, Vanderbilt 6.
Florida State at Florida (+2). The Gators avoided disaster last week against Florida Atlantic and remain in the mix for a playoff berth. Florida, however, hasn’t played well in several weeks. If the Gators don’t improve quickly, the next two weeks could end poorly for the Gainesville squad. Prediction: Florida State 17, Florida 14.
Georgia at Georgia Tech (+5.5). Georgia survived in overtime against Georgia Southern and Mark Richt possibly saved his job in the process. The Bulldogs now are looking to avenge last season’s loss to rival Georgia Tech. Prediction: Georgia 27, Georgia Tech 20.
Texas A&M at LSU (-5.5). Three weeks ago, LSU was ranked second in the initial playoff rankings. Since then, the Tigers have lost three consecutive games and head coach Les Miles might be on his way out after the season. Rumors began to circulate last week that Miles was coaching for his job against Ole Miss, and the Rebels dominated LSU in Oxford. Miles has been very successful in Baton Rouge, but the Tigers have been disappointing the last few years. Even a win over Texas A&M is unlikely to save Miles’ job at this point. Prediction: LSU 31, Texas A&M 24.