As we get deeper into conference play, and teams battle for the opportunity to go to Atlanta, there doesn’t seem to be a world beating force in college football this year, or at least so far. As of now, it seems to be anybody’s race, and with four of the top nine teams in the county hailing from the SEC, it’s going to be a wild ride.
#5. Auburn at Ole Miss
11:00 CT, October 15th, 2022, ESPN
Auburn and Ole Miss are in completely different places right now. Ole Miss is in serious contention for the SEC West, especially if Tennessee can do them a favor against Alabama this weekend. Auburn on the other hand, is fighting to make a bowl game. Rumors continue to swirl about Bryan Harsin’s job security and ex Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule potentially taking over. This upset, if The Tigers could pull it off, would be huge for both their bowl game hopes and Harsin. Ole Miss will just be looking to take care of business at home as a 15-point favorite but must be careful not to overlook The Tigers.
#4. Arkansas at BYU
2:30 CT, October 15th, 2022, ESPN
I wouldn’t guess either of these teams expected to be unranked at this point in the season. With BYU being ranked as high as 12th this season and Arkansas reaching 10th, both these teams have had similar disappointing starts and Vegas agrees. At the time of writing this article the line for this game is dead even. These are two schools that are known for their toughness and physicality, but only one can come out on top.
#3. LSU at Florida
6:00 CT, October 15th, 2022, on ESPN
These two 4-2 teams are both led by new head coaches. LSU is looking for a bounce-back week after a drubbing at home at the hands of Tennessee last weekend. If that’s going to happen it’s going to have to happen on the road, in the swamp, as they travel to Florida to take on The Gators. Florida is coming off a game where they were played extremely tough by Missouri and are a 2.5 point favorite against the second Tiger team they will play in as many weeks.
#2. Mississippi State at Kentucky
6:30 CT, October 15th, 2022, on SEC Network
This is one of two ranked vs ranked matchups this weekend in the SEC. This game comes at a crossroads in Kentucky’s season. After back-to-back conference losses and a tough showing against South Carolina, they cannot afford another conference loss. Unfortunately for them, they are running straight into what has been a buzzsaw of a Mississippi State team so far this season. They have outscored their opponents 127-55 in their past three games, and Mike Leach has this Bulldog offense humming. The good news for Kentucky is Quarterback Will Levis is back this week after missing the past two games. If they can return to form this should be a great game against a State.
- Alabama 3 at Tennessee 6
2:30 CT, October 15th, 2022, on CBS
This will be the premier matchup in all of college football this weekend as “The Third Saturday in October” rivalry will feature two undefeated teams for the first time since 1989. The atmosphere in Knoxville will be electric. This game will have ESPN’s College Gameday return for its second show at Tennessee this season, with Peyton Manning in attendance as the guest picker, and SEC Nation doing their show from outside Thompson Boling Arena. From Bryce Young and Cedric Tillman’s injury status to Tennessee Defensive Back, Jaylen McCollough, being arrested Sunday afternoon, and even the Alabama third-string quarterback liking tweets about benching the second-stringer Jalen Milroe, who has played in Young’s absence, this week has already had its fair share of drama and I expect it will only multiply come Saturday afternoon.
