Put the Rebs on upset alert: 1 bold prediction for each SEC game.

We’re back and without hurricanes to disrupt us, it’s back to the world of football prognostication. As the great Kenny Rogers taught us, every hand is a winner and every hand is a loser, and that applies to college football every bit as much as poker. What should you expect this week?

Here are a few bold predictions for Week 7’s SEC games ….

1. Arkansas upsets Ole Miss: The Rebels have been one of the more disappointing teams in the SEC. That loss to Florida State was tough but understandable, but frankly, the Seminoles aren’t elite. Neither are the Rebels. The lack of a legitimate run game will hamper Ole Miss. Arkansas will pass and run the ball well enough to allow their sketchy defense to win a shoot-out along the lines of 38-35 or 42-38.

2. The target of the coaching rumors will be Starkville and State will lose: No, I’m not saying that the Bulldogs will fire Dan Mullen. It’s not even under consideration, although after BYU beats them Friday night, Mullen’s first non-bowl season since 2009 is all but assured.

The power transition at Mississippi State means a whole new set of administrators, and it only takes one or two to fail to realize that Mullen is one of the most underrated coaches in America for Dangerous Dan to slip out of town. This is a left field prediction, but Mullen won’t be in Starkville next year. Not sure where he will go, but he will be successful there, and if they let him get away, the Bulldogs will wind up kicking themselves.

3. Derrius Guice will lead the SEC in rushing, but LSU won’t cover: With or without the talents of Leonard Fournette, the LSU offense has the potential to do big things, and Guice is a significant part of that equation. He’s faster than fast, and if not quite as adept as busting off Tecmo Super Bowl runs as Fournette, he’s still an All-SEC caliber back. That said, Southern Miss (4-2) isn’t a bad team — particularly on offense, where a veteran attack of QB Nick Mullens and RB Ito Smith can pile up yards and points. LSU will win, but not by the line of 25 points, more like 14 to 17.

4. Tennessee and Bama: Why settle for one bold prediction. Later today, I’ll give you five. But here’s one: Damien Harris will be the best running back on the field. He’s the home-run hitter in this game.

5. Jacob Eason will struggle again, but Georgia will run wild on Vandy: Eason was legitimately awful last week against South Carolina, and he’ll have many of the same problems against Vandy. The two defenses are built on many of the same principles — they safeguard putrid offenses by forcing opposing teams to patiently march down the field. UGA can do that, but it’ll be via Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, not by the air attack.

6. The Gators will out-ugly Mizzou: This game won’t be pretty. If Luke Del Rio is healthy, Florida will use this as a tune-up for Georgia. If not, they’ll look much like they did against Vandy — like a team with an NFL caliber defense and no offense at all. Mizzou can pass, but Florida can defend better. We’ll take the Gators by three scores, with a defensive touchdown thrown in there for good measure.

Joe Cox

Joe Cox is a columnist for Saturday Down South. He has also written or assisted in writing five books, and his most recent, Almost Perfect (a study of baseball pitchers’ near-miss attempts at perfect games), is available on Amazon or at many local bookstores.