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Oh the glorious sights and sounds of Rivalry Week: Alabama vs. Auburn, Florida vs. Florida State, Arkansas vs. Missouri for some reason? Everything that’s happened the previous 12 weeks culminates in one glorious weekend.
Let’s check in on each SEC school and see how the fan bases are feeling heading into the final week of the year:
Alabama
One day, our grandchildren will ask us, where were you when The Citadel was tied with Alabama at halftime? Sure, it was probably all part of Saban’s plan to have something to yell at his team about before the only four games that matter, but it sure was a great time to be on Twitter. Will Saban play it safe and lose to Auburn on purpose again? Or risk it all and try to go undefeated?
Arkansas
Last week was a crushing end to the “actually Arkansas is getting better” narrative. But on the bright side, only one more game until it’s all over and Arkansas fans can go return to compensating by bragging about their baseball team.
Auburn
It all comes down to this for the Tigers. All the drama, the crushing defeats, and the narrow victories could all culminate this weekend with a huge victory … not against Alabama of course, but against Gus Malzahn’s contract. Can Auburn pull it off against Gus’ buyout? We can’t wait to find out.
Florida
The Gators are so close to a New Year’s 6 bowl they can smell it. Unfortunately it smells like Tallahassee, and that’s not pleasant. Dan Mullen will either make his mark as the new leader of the state or send Gators fans spiraling to another season-ending depression. Should be fun to watch.
Georgia
Georgia Tech might not stand much of a chance of pulling off the upset here, but it will sure be annoying for Bulldogs fans to watch them try. It’ll be hard not to keep one eye toward the SEC title game next week, but honestly Georgia could play with one eye and still win this one by double digits.
Kentucky
The past few weeks haven’t gone they way Wildcats fan would’ve hoped, but there’s one thing they can take solace in, it’s going a heck of a lot better than Louisville’s season is. Now is the time to forget the fact that UK was probably a tad bit lucky to achieve the record they did and just enjoy beating the Cardinals by 30.
LSU
Nothing says Rivalry Week like the classic battle between LSU and Texas A&M. It’s Jimbo vs Gumbo, swamps vs. plains, a live tiger vs a pretty dog. OK, this one might be a little forced, but LSU can wrap up a great season with a win here and nothing is better than watching Coach O prove the haters wrong.
Ole Miss and Mississippi State
This year’s Egg Bowl might not be the sexy matchup from year’s past, but it still means a lot to the state of Mississippi and of course to compulsive college football gamblers. Can the Rebels end a pretty miserable season with a big upset, or will Mississippi State retain its status as the top program in the state and fifth-best in the SEC?
Missouri
The Tigers have been on a roll lately and have turned into a team that nobody wants to play. Unfortunately, this week they will play the closest thing to nobody when they line up against Arkansas. Mizzou should find themselves in a nice bowl with a chance to prove themselves against someone other than the no good teams of this conference.
South Carolina
The Gamecocks are the only SEC team not favored to beat their ACC rival, and “not favored” might be the understatement of the century. But Carolina will at least have a chance to end their losing streak to the Clemson, just like Jake Bentley still has a chance to win the Heisman Trophy.
Tennessee
Well, the only way this season can get worse for the Vols is by losing to Vanderbilt, but don’t worry, it’s still definitely possible. The good news for Tennessee though is if the Vols can win, this season will go from a pile of garbage to just mild disappointment that they still finished way behind Kentucky. That should give Tennessee fans enough hope to keep going.
Texas A&M
Year 1 of the Jimbo Fisher era might look a lot like the A&M of the past few years, but the good news for Aggies fans is that they’re only one-tenth of the way through Jimbo’s contract, so who knows what adventures are in store. On a positive note, A&M is riding a massive 1-game no-targeting streak and it’ll take all they can muster to keep that going against LSU.
Vanderbilt
It all comes down to this for the Commodores. One game to claim a bowl berth and send their arch-rival home for the winter. Although honestly, ending Tennessee’s season might be the nicest thing they could do for them.
Houston lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football for Saturday Down South. You can follow him on twitter @hbarber17 or reach out at hbarber17@gmail.com
