There is a decent slate of SEC games this week, mostly about getting bowl eligible or improving bowl status.
The headliner is Texas A&M at Ole Miss, and the weakest game of the week is New Mexico State at Alabama. That game is so soft that the SEC and ESPN actually put the Crimson Tide in the 11 a.m. game, usually reserved for the Razorbacks.
The SEC is proving to be a good league, but clearly Georgia, Alabama and Texas A&M are the cream of the crop.
Last week started out great, and then came South Carolina's upset of Florida and Kentucky falling apart at home, so the record for the week was 5-2 and moved the season total to 67-23.
Here are this week's picks:
Arkansas at LSU
Why the Razorbacks are favored in Death Valley is a mystery. The Tigers still have great talent despite injuries and opt-outs. They still have future NFL players playing. A night game in Death Valley is usually a slow, painful march to the loss column. No one really knows which Tiger team will show up. It would seem the Razorbacks' best bet would be to come out aggressive, use some misdirection in their running game, pound the ball, throw it on first down a few times to get the Tigers on their heels, and most of all, protect KJ Jefferson. Hogs need to get on top with a fast and furious offense. Arkansas 35-27
Arkansas State at Louisiana-Monroe
The Warhawks' defense isn't much better than the Red Wolves, who need to score like a Louisiana election where the citizens vote early and often. Since 2011, the Red Wolves have had incredible success, but this season they are staring at an eight-game losing streak. In Sun Belt play, they have been outscored 2-1. Edge to the home team who is favored by just a field goal. Louisiana-Monroe 35-31
New Mexico State at Alabama
If there was ever going to be a case for a running clock -- a mercy rule -- in college football, this might be it. While Nick Saban will try not to run the score up, he won't tell his third-teamers to not play well. The Lobos lone win' was over South Carolina State which will never be confused with the Crimson Tide. Alabama 63-7
Mississippi State at Auburn
Bryan Harsin has done well with Gus Malzahn recruits, but a 6-3 record would have kept Gus on the hot seat. Both teams are coming off losses, the Tigers to Texas A&M and the Bulldogs a heartbreaker at Arkansas. Home-field advantage should be big. Auburn 42-38
Samford at Florida
It's unfamiliar territory for the Gators. They are in fifth place in the SEC East. This blowout should not help Dan Mullen too much. Mullen made two assistant coaches sacrificial lambs this week to enhance his position. Florida 42-14
South Carolina at Missouri
With the Gamecocks getting a huge win over the Gators, this one became much more difficult to handicap. The Tigers need to win two of last three to get bowl eligible, and they will need their offense to step up big time if that is going to happen. Edging closer though. Missouri 35-31
Texas A&M at Ole Miss
The Aggies are on a four-game win streak. The Rebels have the offense but it will be challenged, and their defense may not be able to take enough Kiffin Cookouts (injury timeouts) to stop the Aggies. Texas A&M 49-35
Georgia at Tennessee
If the Bulldogs can't be serious, they could be in trouble, but nothing about the No. 1 ranked team in the country screams focus. Georgia 35-24
Kentucky at Vanderbilt
The Wildcats return to their winning ways. Kentucky 35-14