The SEC will once again showcase several key matchups this weekend.
Alabama will have an opportunity to regain momentum toward another SEC championship. Missouri is in a must-win without its starting quarterback. And Florida will have a chance to see how far it has come.
In the SEC, every week is a slog, and this is another good snapshot of that consistency. All five conference games feature single-digit spreads, with three of them at less than a touchdown.
Here’s two games we’re keeping tabs on this week.
Last week’s betting guide for all power-five college football conferences went 6-4, with a 1-1 record in the SEC. For the season, the betting guide has been 3-5 in the SEC.
Mississippi (-7.5) at Florida
It’s time for Florida to show what it really is this season.
The Gators made an improbable comeback last week at home against Tennessee. But we’ve seen that song and dance from the Volunteers this season, and late collapses are becoming a trend for Tennessee.
This week, it’s Mississippi, and it won’t collapse like that in the latter stages of the game. The Rebels are the real deal. We tried to explain that when Mississippi faced Alabama earlier this year, but for the most part, it fell on deaf ears.
Despite not looking good last week in a win against Vanderbilt, the Rebels are still the class of the SEC. The Gators can’t do much on offense, and they once again showed that for the most part against the Volunteers. Mississippi is more talented at almost every position on the football field.
That will be on full display on Saturday when the Rebels win by double-digits. Florida may stay in it for the first half, but Mississippi’s superior talent will overwhelm Florida in the second half. — Go chalk with Mississippi
Mississippi State (+6) at Texas A&M
We were down on Mississippi State heading into this season, despite returning its star quarterback Dak Prescott. We still don’t believe the Bulldogs have a chance at the SEC West title, but we’re encouraged by last week’s road win against Auburn.
That was a perfect opportunity for Mississippi State to take a step back and possibly lose to the reeling Tigers. But the Bulldogs looked good and didn’t mind going into a hostile environment.
That experience will be helpful this week at Texas A&M. And while the Aggies are undefeated, don’t dismiss the ease of their schedule so far. Texas A&M has beaten Arizona State and Arkansas within the power-five conferences, but preseason hype hasn’t been matched by those teams.
As far as being battle-tested, the Bulldogs are higher up on the food chain. This game will be close, so take the points. — Go against the chalk with Mississippi State
Other SEC games
Spreads are provided by Oddsshark
South Carolina at Missouri (-3)
Alabama at Georgia (-1)
San Jose State at Auburn (-20)
Arkansas at Tennessee (-7)
Eastern Michigan at LSU (-45)
Vanderbilt at Middle Tennessee State (-3)
