The SEC dominates this weekend’s slate of games as I preview Week 8 of the college football season.
The third Saturday in October is synonymous with the matchup between Tennessee and Alabama– a game with history as deep as the SEC itself. The 11th-ranked Volunteers will have a tough test ahead of them as they go into Bryant-Denny Stadium to take on the No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide.
This week features a couple of ranked SEC matchups that could go down to the wire. No. 5 Ole Miss travels to Athens, Georgia, to take on the No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs. In 2024, the Rebels gave the third-ranked Bulldogs their second loss of the season. Now the Bulldogs get their chance for revenge at home.
The Tide rolls the Vols
In the past four years, we’ve seen a pattern of the home team taking home the win in this matchup, and the trend will likely continue.
Alabama comes into this game on a roll. After dropping the first game of the season to Florida State, the Tide have dominated their last five games on their way to a 5-1 record.
Most of their success can be credited to the ascendance of senior quarterback Ty Simpson. Simpson has been a revelation for the Tide. Simpson has thrown 18 touchdowns at this point in the season while only throwing a single interception.
Some have said Simpson is the last true Saban quarterback, and his play has backed it up. Simpson is unafraid to make the big throw, but avoids the dumb turnovers that we’ve seen from recent Alabama QBs. That ability to avoid negative plays makes the Tide a tough out for any team.
Tennessee comes into this game off a rough showing against a bad Arkansas. The Vols allowed 240 rushing yards and two touchdowns to the Arkansas offense. A trend that has continued to show itself on a game-by-game basis. Fortunately for the Vols, the one thing that Alabama has struggled with has been its run game. The leading rusher for the Tide is senior running back Jam Miller, who has totaled 267 yards and a touchdown through three games for the Tide.
However, I think the Tide’s momentum and home-field advantage are too much for Tennessee to overcome, and the homefield streak continues.
Alabama wins 38-28
Kiffen has Smart’s number
Last season, the Rebels gave Kirby Smart and Georgia their worst loss of the season, and I believe they pull it off again.
Rising star and former Division II quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has been excellent for the Ole Miss offense, which had a tough task ahead of it, replacing the current Giants QB Jaxson Dart. Chambliss has thrown for 1,286 yards and seven touchdowns after taking over the starting role in week 4 of the season.
The Ole Miss offense hasn’t skipped a beat with Chambliss leading the charge, and the Bulldogs will have their hands full when the Rebels come to town.
However, the Bulldogs aren’t without their own weapons on offense. Specifically, junior quarterback Gunnar Stockton has played a similar role to the previously mentioned Ty Simpson. Stocketon, with six touchdowns and no interceptions, keeps the Georgia offense on schedule and in the endzone. Georgia’s defense isn’t the powerhouse it used to be, so I’d expect a shootout. A rare occurrence for the Bulldogs.
In the end, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has proven his ability to out-scheme Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, and I believe that continues.
Rebels win 41-35
