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Here’s our weekly look at the coaches with the most riding on this weekend’s games:
MOST TO GAIN
Bret Bielema, Arkansas: After a September to forget, the Hogs are streaking toward another strong finish. They secured bowl eligibility with a convincing 31-14 win over LSU last weekend, and a win over a solid Mississippi State team would affirm Arkansas’ ascent. The Hogs went from three wins in Bielema’s first year to seven in 2014. Including the postseason, nine wins is still in play this year and that kind of improvement should make offseason sales pitches to recruits and boosters significantly easier.
Gary Pinkel, Missouri: The effect of a single win can be dramatic. A week ago the Tigers were in the midst of utter turmoil and losers of four straight conference games. A 20-16 win over BYU, and they’re now just one win away from bowl eligibility. That one win won’t be easy to get, though. In the final regular season games of Pinkel’s career, Missouri has Tennessee this week, and Arkansas the day after Thanksgiving, two teams that have lost only to Alabama in the last month.
Derek Mason, Vanderbilt: Last week’s win over Kentucky made certain that the Commodores will avoid the SEC cellar this season. Now they need to close the regular season with back-to-back wins over Texas A&M and Tennessee to earn perhaps the conference’s most improbable bowl eligibility. It’s still a long shot, but Vanderbilt has stayed close against talented teams throughout the season thanks to a dangerous defense. The Aggies have been up and down the past month or so, which means an upset is far from unthinkable.
MOST TO LOSE
Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss: The Rebels aren’t done yet. Far from it. Sure, they’re going to have to win out and get some unlikely help from Auburn in the Iron Bowl, but Ole Miss is still alive for its first trip to the SEC Championship Game. However, the Rebels could just as quickly slide to the back half of the West. Currently tied with Arkansas and LSU for second in the division, a loss to the Tigers this weekend could send Ole Miss to the regular season finale needing a win just to stay over .500 in conference play.
Les Miles, LSU: Miles hasn’t reached the crisis point that Georgia’s Mark Richt was facing earlier this year, but confidence is on the wane after humbling losses in back-to-back weeks. Over the course of the past two Saturdays, the Tigers went from a playoff contender to an SEC also-ran, and if they don’t correct the course this weekend against Ole Miss, they could slide further. Miles isn’t in danger of losing his job – or is he? – but he needs a win to cool his seat.
Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M: A 10-win season is still a possibility for the Aggies, and considering the turbulence that’s followed in the wake of the Alabama loss, it’s difficult to envision a better scenario for this year’s team. But a seven-win season is also a possibility, and the fact that neither outcome would be shocking speaks volumes of Texas A&M’s unpredictability. The bowl game notwithstanding, this weekend’s tilt with Vanderbilt should be A&M’s most winnable, but the Aggies are only favored by seven.
Brent Holloway is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia, LSU and Mississippi State.
