There are some meaningful games this weekend in the SEC, as well as for the Arkansas State Red Wolves, who host Texas State, although none of them will be any more fun than when neighbors Henderson State and Ouachita Baptist meet Saturday in the Battle of the Ravine.
Got lucky and ran the table, 8-0, last week to up the season record to 69-18, but again, that is not against the spread.
TEXAS STATE AT ARKANSAS STATE The Bobcats are bowl eligible and on a three-game winning streak. If the Red Wolves play as well as they did last week on the road against Louisiana-Monroe, they will become bowl eligible for the third consecutive year and stay in the hunt for the Sun Belt title, although they will need Louisiana-Lafayette to lose two of its final three games. Not that it matters, the New Orleans Bowl is going to take the Ragin’ Cajuns regardless of the standings. Arkansas State 27-21.
ALABAMA AT MISSISSIPPI STATE
Nick Saban has preached all week that his team can’t not have a letup after beating LSU, and since there is little chance that the Crimson Tide will be looking ahead to next week’s game with Tennessee-Chattanooga, look for the Tide to roll. Not sure if they will cover the 25-point spread, though. Saban doesn’t run up the score, and the Tide have a stranglehold on the No. 1 ranking in the BCS. The Bulldogs scored 41 on Texas A&M last week, but the Aggies’ defense is weaker than last week’s iced tea, ranking last in the SEC. The Crimson Tide now have the No. 1 defense in the nation. Alabama 31-17.
GEORGIA AT AUBURN
The Gus Bus runs into its biggest challenge since Sept. 21 when Auburn suffered its only loss of the season to LSU.The Tigers have won six consecutive since then, but only two of those victories were over ranked opponents. The Tigers might need to throw more. They have scored 90 points while completing a total of 11 passes the past two games. But this is a different game. They also need to pressure Aaron Murray. The Bulldogs are not a great team, but they are good enough to win if they can slow Nick Marshall. The Tigers lead the SEC in rushing, but the Bulldogs allow only 126 yards per game on the ground. Georgia 27-24.
FLORIDA AT SOUTH CAROLINA
The beat-up Gators have lost four in a row and their chances of being bowl eligible are fading faster than a December Alaskan sunset. The Gamecocks seem to be returning to form after losing at Tennessee. This one may not be very exciting unless you love defense. South Carolina 17-10.
TROY AT OLE MISS
The Rebels are the better team, but they could get shocked if they get caught looking ahead to next week’s meeting with Missouri. These Men of Troy, who rank 12th nationally with more than 3,000 passing yards, are going to test the Rebels’ secondary from start to finish and can’t be taken lightly. Besides, the Rebels are playing to improve their bowl status. They might not make it to the Cotton Bowl, but right now they look like a team headed to Shreveport, which is a nice city and has a decent bowl, but not considered a real prize in the SEC. Ole Miss 31-17.
KENTUCKY AT VANDERBILT
As crazy as it seems, the Commodores might get something the Florida Gators aren’t going to get, bowl eligibility, which will keep James Franklin’s name on the speculation list for jobs all over the country. This could be a rare week for the Wildcats if both the football and basketball teams lose - OK, only rare about the basketball team. Vanderbilt 31-17.
Sports, Pages 19 on 11/15/2013