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We’ve already had our fair share of thrillers this season in the SEC, and we could be in store for a couple more this Saturday with Alabama visiting Tennessee and Ole Miss traveling to Arkansas.
Five of the SEC’s seven ranked teams are in action, and four of them — involving the aforementioned schools — will be pitted against each other.
Let’s take a look at 10 interesting tidbits about Week 7 of the SEC schedule:
- There are seven games involving SEC teams this week, including a Friday night showdown between Mississippi State and BYU. Auburn, Kentucky, South Carolina and Texas A&M are all off.
- Three SEC teams (Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas A&M) boast top-25 scoring offenses entering Week 7. Last season, only one team from the conference finished in that category: Ole Miss.
- Mississippi State has played BYU just twice before (2000-01), splitting the series at 1-1. It’s also worth noting that this is the second time in three games that the Bulldogs will play a non-Power 5 opponent on the road, having faced UMass in Foxboro on Sept. 24.
- Meanwhile, LSU sits at 1-1 all-time against its upcoming non-conference opponent in Southern Miss, losing the last meeting 20-18 in 1994 under then-head coach Curley Hallman. The Golden Eagles are coming off a head-scratching loss to UTSA but beat Kentucky in the season opener and ranks 21st nationally in scoring offense (40.2 points per game).
- Double tap: This week will feature two conference games between ranked SEC teams (No. 1 Alabama at No. 9 Tennessee, No. 12 Ole Miss at No. 22 Arkansas). That matches last week’s total.
- Georgia leads its all-time series with Vanderbilt at 55-19-2, winning 19 of the last 21 meetings. It has won its last four games against the Commodores in Athens by an average of 31.3 points.
- The Third Saturday in October is finally here, and it should not disappoint as this will mark the first time that both Alabama and Tennessee enter the game as ranked teams since 2005. Alabama is looking to extend its winning streak vs. the Vols to 10 games on Saturday — a streak in which the Crimson Tide has won by 20 or more points six times.
- Since joining the SEC in 2012, Missouri has split its series with Florida at 2-2. With every East Division team already having at least one loss in conference play, it’s also necessary to point out that the winner of this game has gone on to play in the SEC Championship Game in each of the last three seasons.
- Arkansas may have a 34-27-1 lead in its series against Ole Miss — including last season’s wild, 53-52 overtime finish — but the Razorbacks are 8-12 after a loss under coach Bret Bielema and 1-5 as a home underdog.
- Vegas isn’t expecting a lot of close games in the SEC this week. LSU (-25.5) is currently a huge favorite over Southern Miss, while Georgia (-14.5), Florida (-13.5), Alabama (-13) and Ole Miss (-7.5) are getting some serious love, too. Mississippi State (+7) looks to exceed low expectations in Provo, Utah.
Tyler Waddell is a news desk writer for Saturday Down South. For tips or questions, send him an e-mail at tylerwaddell4@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
