By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent
Alabama Week 7 Review
Crimson Tide fans looking for a vintage Alabama performance at home after a loss left Bryant-Denny Stadium a bit disappointed last Saturday after a 27-25 win over South Carolina. Nevertheless, a win is a win, and any win in the Southeastern Conference is a good win. It looked as if UA was going to run away from the visiting Gamecocks after jumping out to an early 14-0 lead, but South Carolina settled in, generated a couple of long drives and took a 19-14 lead early in the second half. With Alabama leading 20-19 late in the fourth quarter, quarterback Jalen Milroe hit Germie Bernard for a 34-yard touchdown to extend the advantage to eight points, but South Carolina responded with a 31-yard touchdown strike from LaNorris Sellers to Nyck Harbor with 43 seconds left to cut the deficit to 27-25. The Gamecocks missed the two-point attempt but recovered an onside kick to give themselves a chance to win. However, Domani Jackson picked off Sellers in the end zone to end the game and help the Tide improve to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the SEC. Alabama travels to Knoxville on Saturday, Oct. 19 to take on Tennessee.
SEC Week 7 Rankings
1. Texas (6-0, 2-0)
2. Georgia (5-1, 3-1)
3. Alabama (5-1, 2-1)
4. Texas A&M (5-1, 3-0)
5. LSU (5-1, 2-0)
6. Ole Miss (5-2, 1-2)
7. Arkansas (4-2, 1-1)
8. Tennessee (5-1, 2-1)
9. Missouri (5-1, 1-1)
10. Vanderbilt (4-2, 2-1)
11. Oklahoma (4-2, 1-2)
12. South Carolina (3-3, 1-2)
13. Kentucky (3-3, 1-3)
14. Florida (3-3, 1-2)
15. Auburn (2-4, 0-3)
16. Mississippi State (1-5, 0-3)
Week 8 Previews and Predictions
Last week: 6-1; season: 56-17
Game of the Week: Georgia at Texas (-4). For the second time in less than a month, Georgia is hitting the road for a marquee matchup against a top-5 team. The Bulldogs lost a thriller at Alabama in September and now face a Texas team that is regarded by many to be the most complete squad in the country. The Longhorns have yet to be challenged, but that will change on Saturday evening. While this Georgia team has not shown it is as elite as the past few seasons, this is still a very talented roster with one of the best coaching staffs in the country. Carson Beck and Quinn Ewers are two of the top quarterbacks in the country and will likely be first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, so Saturday’s showdown could turn into a shootout in Austin. Prediction: Georgia 38, Texas 34.
Auburn at Missouri (-4.5). After a 2-4 start, Auburn had a week off to make improvements entering the back half of the season, which starts this Saturday with a difficult road game at Missouri. Eli Drinkwitz’s team is considered by many to be a playoff contender despite a blowout loss at Texas A&M two weeks ago. The Tigers regrouped from that effort with a blowout win at UMass. Statistically, Auburn has performed much better on the field than its record indicates, but Hugh Freeze knows all that matters to fans is whether the result is a win or a loss. Missouri is a great matchup for Auburn, and it’s an excellent opportunity for Freeze’s team to pull off an upset to kickstart the home stretch. Prediction: Auburn 27, Missouri 24.
South Carolina at Oklahoma (-3). Oklahoma being 4-2 after six games isn’t totally unexpected, but the Sooners have looked much worse on the field through the first half of the year. Offensively, Oklahoma has the worst unit in the SEC. The Sooners have already changed quarterbacks once after benching Jackson Arnold for Michael Hawkins Jr., and another change could be coming soon after an abysmal performance by Hawkins against Texas. Both teams have great defenses, and South Carolina nearly pulled off upsets over both LSU and Alabama. In any case, Shane Beamer’s team won’t be intimidated by the environment in Norman on Saturday. Prediction: South Carolina 23, Oklahoma 20.
Alabama at Tennessee (+3). For two straight weeks, Alabama has looked unprepared and undisciplined. It’s not uncommon for Kalen DeBoer’s teams to play to the level of their competition, which extends to the bigger games. While Tennessee is 5-1, the Volunteers struggled with consistency over the first half of the year, and they’ll need their best performance of the year on Saturday to knock off the Crimson Tide. Despite both team’s inconsistencies, expect both squads to look sharper Saturday afternoon, especially Alabama. Prediction: Alabama 30, Tennessee 23.
Texas A&M at Mississippi State (+15.5). Surprisingly enough, no team in the SEC is in better position to make the conference title game than Texas A&M. After the season-opening loss to Notre Dame, Mike Elko has done an excellent job of figuring out how to play to his team’s strengths, and last week’s blowout win over Missouri was one of the most impressive wins of the season. Mississippi State has been competitive against Texas and Georgia in recent weeks, and they can hang around with the Aggies if the visitors are sleepwalking. Prediction: Texas A&M 34, Mississippi State 20.
LSU at Arkansas (+2.5). Brian Kelly’s squad earned a massive overtime win over LSU last week despite never leading for a second in regulation, and the Tigers remain undefeated in the SEC. Now, LSU hits the road to face conference rival Arkansas, which is coming off a bye and is one of the biggest positive surprises of the year. The Razorbacks could easily be 6-0, and this is a great situational spot for the Hogs if quarterback Taylen Green is healthy. Prediction: Arkansas 34, LSU 31.
Ball State at Vanderbilt (-26). A week after a monumental and program-changing win over Alabama, Vanderbilt followed it up with an impressive road win at Kentucky. Outside of an upset loss at Georgia State, Clark Lea and Vandy have proven they are vastly improved and a legitimate threat to beat anyone in the SEC, as the Commodores have upset wins over Virginia Tech, Alabama and Kentucky while nearly upsetting Missouri on the road. Vanderbilt has struggled as a favorite, but Lea has his team only two wins away from bowl eligibility. Prediction: Vanderbilt 38, Ball State 24.
Kentucky at Florida (-1). The Gators had every opportunity to secure a monumental road win at Tennessee but repeatedly found ways to lose. That has been the case for the Gators during much of Billy Napier’s tenure, and his time in Gainesville is quickly running out, especially if Florida loses to Kentucky this weekend. Quarterback Graham Mertz is out for the year, but backup D.J. Lagway has been splitting reps with Mertz at quarterback. Kentucky was abysmal in its loss to Vanderbilt, but expect Mark Stoops to rally the troops and for the Wildcats to play much better on the road this week. Prediction: Kentucky 23, Florida 20.
