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WEEKEND PREDICTIONS: National games juicy in ho-hum SEC week

Mississippi quarterback Chad Kelly warms up before the start of an NCAA college football game against Memphis Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Mississippi quarterback Chad Kelly warms up before the start of an NCAA college football game against Memphis Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

All things considered, this is not a great weekend for watching college football in the SEC.

Tennessee at Georgia is interesting, but the remaining seven games -- four of them conference games -- could be name-your-score meetings.

There are some good national games, and with the Arkansas Razorbacks kicking off at 11 a.m., there will be time to get home and watch most of Wisconsin at Michigan (2:30 p.m. kickoff) and all of Louisville at Clemson (7 p.m.).

Of course, there is the potential for a great game tonight at 8 p.m. when Stanford is at Washington. This one could be crucial in deciding who wins the Pac-12 North title.

Last week, yours truly missed on both in-state games but managed to go 7-3 to raise the season record to 35-12. Here are this week's picks:

Alcorn State at Arkansas

Who knew the official pronunciation was All-Corn? Sounds like the school should be in Iowa. The Braves -- and they need to be courageous -- lost their SWAC opener to UAPB and had their season opener canceled because of weather. This could be just what the Razorbacks need as they get ready for Alabama, Ole Miss and Auburn before what will be a much welcomed open date. It is a big weekend as the survivors of the 1970 Wichita State Shockers football team are being hosted by the 1970 Razorbacks team. Arkansas 63-0.

Kentucky at Alabama

In the state of Alabama they call it being "processed." That's when an SEC coach is fired basically because he can't beat Nick Saban, which could be why every school in the SEC has processed a coach or two since Saban arrived at Alabama. History could be made in the near future: South Carolina's Will Muschamp could be the first coach processed twice. This game is not going to help Mark Stoops' chances of not being processed. Alabama 42-17.

Louisiana-Monroe at Auburn

The Warhawks are on a two-game losing streak, and there is no reason to believe the Gus Bus isn't looking for more momentum after beating LSU. This is the Tigers' fifth consecutive home game. Defense has been the name of the game down on The Plains. Auburn 35-10.

Florida at Vanderbilt

This is a trap game for the Gators, and it might be a perfect storm for the Commodores. The Gators are trying to bounce back from a falling-apart-in-the-second-half loss to the Vols. Derek Mason is squarely on the hot seat, but he has a better football team than its 2-2 record indicates. Vanderbilt 17-14.

Tennessee at Georgia

The Bulldogs are 3-1, but it hasn't been an impressive debut for Kirby Smart as he beat Nicholls State 26-24 and Missouri 28-27 before Ole Miss obliterated them. The Vols should build off their second-half win over Florida. Tennessee 31-21.

Missouri at LSU

A reader complained that nothing nice is ever written here about the Mizzou Tigers. It is an outstanding academic university, but the real Tigers in this game are LSU. LSU 28-14.

Memphis at Ole Miss

The Tigers have quietly and easily rolled to a 3-0 start, but the Rebels aren't forgetting the stunning loss of last year. In fact, they may just be getting started on a very good season. Ole Miss 35-21.

Texas A&M at South Carolina

The Gamecocks have lost two consecutive games and looked bad in doing so. The Aggies are better than most expected. If they build off their second half against the Razorbacks, their home game with Alabama on Oct. 22 could be significant in the national picture. Texas A&M 31-10.

Sports on 09/30/2016

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