Spooky season has arrived, and the SEC is acting accordingly.
A few weeks ago, Alabama was in the thick of the No. 1 chase with Georgia, while Auburn was dealing with an ugly loss at Tennessee and staring at a strange stretch after its bye. Since then, the script has flipped fast. Auburn is 4-2 and coming off a win over the same Georgia team that beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa, while the Crimson Tide have seen their offense stall once the level of competition rose.
That sets up a strange and important weekend for both programs as the calendar turns deeper into October.
At Alabama, Texas A&M comes in for a game that looked appealing back in August. Both teams entered the season with playoff buzz, preseason top-15 recognition and talent at the skill spots.
But the Aggies have been badly exposed. Texas A&M sits at 4-3, with the record padded by three non-conference wins and a layup against Arkansas.
In league play, the numbers have been harsh. The Aggies have been outscored 93-33 in losses to Kentucky, LSU and Missouri. Offensively, it has been rough enough to leave them without a touchdown in their losses to teams with Tiger mascots.
Alabama has its own issues. Last week at Tennessee, the Crimson Tide’s lone touchdown came on a 19-yard drive with one play after an interception.
That 26-10 loss, combined with the one the week before against Georgia, gave Alabama consecutive regular-season losses for the first time in 19 years. Injuries have piled up in important places across the roster, making this one of the stranger games on the schedule.
Even so, Alabama is expected to have more offensive help this week, along with a steadier quarterback, though Ryan Coleman-Williams remains out for a second straight game. Texas A&M’s 16.8-point average in SEC games is tied for last in the league with Vanderbilt.
Marcel Reed, who led the Aggies to the CFP last year, has Texas A&M ranked 15th among the SEC’s 16 passing offenses, with the run game sitting closer to average. Former Alabama receiver Isaiah Horton leads the Aggies with 280 yards on 20 catches.
The pick: Alabama 28, Texas A&M 13
Auburn’s matchup with LSU has its own brand of chaos.
LSU enters at 5-2 and 2-2 in the SEC, but the Tigers have let two close games slip away. They lost at Mississippi, 32-24, and then dropped an overtime decision to Kentucky, 35-34.
Auburn has lived on the edge nearly every week. Its five games against Power Four competition have been decided by an average margin of 4.0 points, and even the 24-14 loss at Tennessee stayed tight deep into the fourth quarter.
This one kicks off at 11 a.m. CT, which changes the feel of the game.
Jordan-Hare Stadium would be a different animal at night a week after Auburn knocked off No. 1 Georgia in Athens, but the brunch kickoff helps the visitor more than the home team.
LSU also brings an identity that doesn’t match the usual offensive fireworks of a Kiffin team. The Tigers lead the SEC in total defense at 256.4 yards per game, which ranks second nationally among Power Four teams, and they are second in the conference in scoring defense at 15.9 points allowed per game. With Alabama, Texas and Tennessee still on the November schedule, LSU does not have room for another slip.
The pick: LSU 21, Auburn 20
The SEC slate is lean this week, with only six games on the board as four league teams are off.
No. 11 Tennessee visits South Carolina at 2:30 p.m.
CT on ESPN, and Williams-Brice Stadium has not been kind to the Vols. Tennessee has lost three of its last four there.
South Carolina showed a pulse with a 38-19 road win at Florida, but Tennessee is rolling. The pick: Tennessee in a low-scoring game.
Oklahoma goes to Mississippi State at 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network, and the Bulldogs may be stuck if Kamario Taylor can’t go.
Mississippi State was blanked 31-0 at LSU last week with Taylor sidelined, and he is listed as questionable again. The pick: Whoever scores first.
No. 7 Mississippi travels to No.
19 Texas at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC in a matchup that could be a knockout shot for Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns.
Still, the league keeps twisting itself in new directions. The pick: Head says Mississippi.
Pattern says Texas.
Vanderbilt visits No. 12 Kentucky at 6:30 p.m.
CT on SEC Network, and the Wildcats have won five straight. That run looks due to end eventually, but not this week against Vanderbilt.
The pick: Kentucky, though Tennessee is the one to watch next.
Outside the SEC, the biggest ranked-on-ranked game is No. 14 Houston at No.
10 Utah at 9:15 p.m. CT on ESPN.
In the Big Ten, No. 6 Indiana visits Michigan at 11 a.m.
CT on Fox, Michigan State goes to No. 9 UCLA at 2:30 p.m.
CT on CBS, and No. 16 USC plays at Wisconsin at 6:30 p.m.
CT on NBC. In the ACC, Pitt visits No.
1 Miami at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN, though that matchup looked better before Pitt lost back-to-back games to North Carolina and Boston College.
On paper, it’s not the most electric weekend. Which usually means the weird stuff is still coming.
In Other News...
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The first look at Alabamas preseason rotation came in a familiar setting, with the Tide meeting Auburn in an exhibition game in Birmingham as part of the build-up to the regular season. Even without the result carrying any record-book weight, the game offered an early peek at how Nate Oats may sort through his roster, and the opening stretches were heavy on the kind of minute-by-minute clues fans tend to track this time of year.
What stood out most was how quickly some names began to separate themselves in the box score, with the first-half numbers showing who was getting touches, who was defending well and who was already earning extended run. There is still plenty of time for roles to shift before the games start counting, but this was exactly the sort of preseason test that can shape the conversation around Alabamas rotation for weeks to come. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Offensive Concerns Just Got More Personal Around Keelon Russell
Alabamas offensive unease took a more pointed turn after the loss to Tennessee, when former Crimson Tide quarterback Jake Coker weighed in on the current state of the unit and, specifically, Keelon Russells grasp of the offense. The comments added another layer to a conversation that has already centered on Alabamas inconsistency, with the run game lagging and the run-pass option package not clicking the way it needs to for this attack to function smoothly.
Texas A&M is the next chance to steady things, and the Tide will need more than just a cleaner overall script to get there. For Alabama, the concern is not simply whether the offense can execute better on Saturday, but whether the quarterback room can show enough command of the system to quiet the criticism that followed last week. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Showed Something Tide Fans Will Love In Auburn Clash
Alabama got a useful early test in Birmingham and passed it with a narrow 87-85 win over Auburn in an exhibition game at Legacy Arena. The Tide showed a balanced scoring punch, with four players reaching double figures and Amari Allen leading the way with 23 points, a sign of depth that should catch the attention of Alabama fans as the season approaches.
Auburn made it plenty uncomfortable, with Kevin Overton pouring in 26 points and the game turning chippy at times as the physicality ramped up. Tahaad Pettiford and Bukky Oboye both fouled out in the scuffle-filled matchup, leaving plenty to sort through for both sides, but Alabamas ability to answer in a game like this is exactly the kind of takeaway Tide supporters will like. [Read more 🡒]