Mississippi State vs (14) South Carolina
Both team’s quarterbacks are coming off of hot victories. Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott just had his first 250-plus yard passing game and did not throw an interception in that game. South Carolina’s Connor Shaw, who is still battling injury, conducted South Carolina’s comeback win over Missouri last week as he had three touchdowns despite only playing in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Once again, look for Mike Davis to shred apart another defense. Davis can be argued to be the top running back in the nation and he has certainly proved that. He’s a relentless ball carrier that refuses to go down without a fight. This season, Davis has ran for 930 yards and 10 touchdowns for South Carolina.
Georgia vs Florida
Who would have predicted that both Florida and Georgia would have multiple losses, let alone be unranked, at this point in the year? Few, if any, would have made that prediction, yet here it is in the tenth week of college football and neither team is ranked. The last time such an occurrence happened was in 2010, in which Florida won an overtime thriller 34-31 in a neutral stadium, as is the tradition of the rivalry.
As usual, Florida’s offense will be a train wreck. Brent Pease’s questionable play calling and lack of usage of Kelvin Taylor accompanied by mediocre quarterback play will not be able to overcome the young Georgia defense. Expect less than 20 points out of the Gators.
Georgia, on the other hand, has injury issues. Todd Gurley will be back to dominate the Florida defense once again, but his counterpart Keith Marshall is out with injury. Aaron Murray has shown noticeable improvement this year and will be able to feed off of Georgia’s rushing attack and take down their conference rival.
(11) Auburn vs Arkansas
Quietly, Auburn has scratched and clawed their way to be ranked as the eleventh team in the nation. Quarterback Nick Marshall has proved he can be a serviceable leader for Auburn. His athletic ability gives him an extra element of unpredictability that defenses have to handle. Add Nick Marshall’s dual threat ability with the feared rushing attack of Tre Mason and Cameron Artis-Payne and it’s clear that they will not be easily stopped.
Likewise, Arkansas leans on their rushing attack, but their quarterback situation is one of the worst in the nation. Brandon Allen has a sub-50% of completion percentage and has only one more touchdown than interception (eight to seven, respectfully).
The rushing attack that keeps the Arkansas offense alive is a two-headed monster of Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams. In eight games, the two have combined for 1,409 yards as well as four touchdowns each.
Tennessee vs (9) Missouri
With James Franklin out for the year, freshman quarterback Maty Mauk gets another shot to lead Missouri to victory. He shows promise, but it’s quite evident that he’s a freshman. In due time, he will become a solid starter for the Tigers and games like this one will prepare him for that.
Likewise, Tennessee will be starting a freshman quarterback. Josh Dobbs appears to already be Tennessee’s best quarterback and they need him to be better (much better) than Justin Worley. Dobbs has taken few reps this year and has only thrown for 75 yards, but coming out of high school, he was a four star prospect and was seen by multiple platforms as a top 15 pocket passer.
With freshman quarterbacks on each side, be prepared to watch both teams lean on their rushing attacks, both of which are quite talented.
Tennessee’s offensive line will have a brutal opponent in Missouri’s defensive line. Both fronts are loaded with NFL talent and will be a mesmerizing sight for NFL teams that need help up front.
Alabama State vs Kentucky
One of the nation’s most forgotten players is primed to tear up an SEC opponent, just like his old days. Alabama State running back Isaiah Crowell, formerly at Georgia, takes the stage against an SEC defense. He is still as talented as ever and should have no issues destroying the Kentucky defense.
ZaDarius Smith and Bud Dupree, one of the nation’s most impressive pass rushing duos, will give it’s FCS opponent nightmares. The two will create pressure from both edges and force Alabama State’s quarterback to make hurried, panicky throws.
So far, Kentucky has had a brutal and demoralizing schedule. They absolutely need this win against a lesser opponent to boost moral and hopefully allow them to rack up a couple more wins to close out the season.
UTEP vs (12) Texas A&M
For Johnny Manziel, this is a perfect opportunity to raise improve his case for winning the Heisman award. UTEP is 1-6 on the season and A&M has one of the most electric offenses in the nation. The combination of such factors can only lead to a stat-boosting performance for Manziel, as well as the rest of the A&M squad.
Multiple future NFL players surround Johnny Manziel. His two offensive tackles, Jake Matthews and Cedric Ogbuehi, are both elite tackles. His prime receiving target Mike Evans is arguably the best wide receiver in the nation. Finally, A&M sports a plethora of running backs. Ben Malena, Trey Williams, Brandon Williams, and Tra Carson are all future NFL running backs.
Through eight games, Texas A&M’s defense has only held one opponent to less than 20 points (SMU scored 13). UTEP will be the second team to fall short of 20 points to A&M surprisingly average defense.