Hogs should beat Aggies, but how many will see it?

Don’t get caught up in all the negativity of the past week around Arkansas football when looking at this week’s game.

The Razorbacks will beat New Mexico State rather handily.

While this team may have some issues when it comes to matching up with the better teams in the SEC, this is a Sun Belt team?

The Aggies, deep down, know they are going to get beat.

And it should be pretty bad. If the Razorbacks aren’t up by at least 21 points at halftime, then maybe we have a problem, but this shouldn’t even be close at halftime.

Yes, that is what should happen in this game.

If it does, the question is how many people will be in Razorback Stadium to see it?

To be honest, I don’t know. You hear about a lot of people who say they are done with it. They are tired of the mediocrity and losing to Texas A&M for six years in a row.

But the guess here is they will be in the stands Saturday morning … at least for awhile.

If you look back through Bret Bielema’s time at Arkansas, he has typically had problems with teams like this. Remember the first year when the Hogs had to fight to get past Samford in Little Rock.

No, New Mexico State isn’t Toledo, but I know everyone remembers that one from 2015. Arkansas should be able to handle this one with relative ease.

Arkansas 52, New Mexico State 21

In other games around the SEC as we start to get more league games now and less of the yawning non-conference affairs.

Vanderbilt at No. 21 Florida
11 a.m., ESPN

The Commodores have been fairly quiet after getting the anchor dropped on their heads by Alabama last week.

We haven’t heard much squawking out of them as they go in against what is now looking like the second best team in the East.

The Gators continue their quarterback rotation this week with Luke Del Rio back as the starting quarterback to try and jumpstart an offense that seems to do just enough to win most weeks.

But how long can that continue?

It will for this week, anyway.

Florida 20, Vanderbilt 6

No. 7 Georgia at Tennessee
2:30 p.m., CBS

This could be the beginning of the end for Butch Jones in Knoxville.

While Vols fans sometimes have unrealistic expectations, the constant game mismanagement combined with rather hokey comments has grown old.

Not winning enough of these big games isn’t helping either.

Georgia — with Jim Chaney as offensive coordinator and Sam Pittman coaching the offensive line, former Arkansas asistants — is being discussed as a possible challenger to Alabama for SEC power.

While the brakes probably need to be pumped on that, the Bulldogs appear to be the most stable program in the East.

They may not be ready to dethrone the Tide, but they should beat Tennessee.

Georgia 31, Tennessee 21

Eastern Michigan at Kentucky
3 p.m., SEC Network

Unless the Wildcats have a hangover after blowing what could have been a milestone win over Florida last week, they should handle this one.

Kentucky 35, Eastern Michigan 10

No. 24 Mississippi State at No. 13 Auburn
5 p.m., ESPN

The first sorting of the pretenders from the contenders will happen on The Plains. Tiger fans welcome it consider an assistant basketball coach was arrested earlier this week.

The Bulldogs simply didn’t show up against Georgia last week while Jarrett Stidham had the highest quarterback rating of anybody in the league in a win over Missouri.

If Auburn’s offensive woes are semi-straightened out, this will be a good one.

The question is if Dan Mullen’s can get Nick Fitzgerald back to the form he had against LSU and can they move the ball enough on Auburn’s defense, which did limit Clemson unlike anybody else has in a couple of years.

Auburn 21, Mississippi State 17

Troy at No. 25 LSU
6 p.m., ESPNU

While the Tigers are not looking as sharp as anyone expected, they should have more than enough to win this one, but the guess here is it won’t please the players, coaches or fans.

Troy tends to do that to LSU.

LSU 35, Troy 21

South Carolina at Texas A&M
6:30 p.m., SEC Network

Which Aggie team will show up?

Which Gamecocks team shows up?

Texas A&M may have found itself a little last week with the overtime win over Arkansas while South Carolina took a step back the last couple of weeks losing to Kentucky, then squeaking past Louisiana Tech last week.

Texas A&M 35, South Carolina 31

Ole Miss at No. 1 Alabama
8 p.m., ESPN

The Rebels have had a week off to get ready for this one and it is the game of the year for a team that won’t be in a bowl game.

After back-to-back wins over the Crimson Tide, the Rebels nearly pulled off a threepeat last year in Oxford, but a lot has changed since then.

Alabama’s secondary will be tested unlike at any other time thus far this season.

But that’s about all.

Look for Jalen Hurts and the Tide’s running attack to slice and dice the Rebels’ defense almost at will and this one may be high scoring, but not really close.

Alabama 45, Ole Miss 31