Do you hear the chimes of the classic waltz creeping up behind you? That is the melodic tunes of the coaching carousel of college football already in full speed.
And the SEC has already added more than their fair share to the ride at just past the midway point of the 2025 season.
It has gotten so bad that both Kentucky’s Mark Stoops and Auburn’s Hugh Freeze have marked their Facebook profiles as “Safe from the board of trustees.”
Billy Napier was fired from Florida AFTER a win. Granted, I have heard it was due to not meeting season expectations and his offense playing stagnant against Mississippi State, putting up only 23 points to the Bulldogs’ 21.
Plus, this week is a bye week for them. But how do you get let go after a win? That’s one small step better than getting fired on your day off.
Who will be the next to go? Nine times out ten I would bet Hugh Freeze. The dude is tired. He looks stressed. But he is due one good game this season, or at least one game-changing, controversial call from the SEC officials.
Let’s figure it out together. Oh, and, Andy, good luck this week.
SEC Picks for Week 9
PETE’S SEC GAME OF THE WEEK
(8) Ole Miss at (13) Oklahoma – Immediately out of the gates for Saturday morning will be my GOTW. Not only does it have the best Morgan Scale Score of Competition (MSSOC), but it also has the most intrigue from a neutral fan perspective.
The Rebels suffered their first loss of the season last week at the hands of Georgia in Athens. And, honestly, if that game had been played in Oxford, the end result may have been reversed.
OU did not have any issues with South Carolina last week, but they did not exactly dominate the game either. I guess that is subjective, and I could probably easily be prove wrong, given they did put up a 19-point victory on the road.
Even though the game is Norman, I think Ole Miss is the better coached team. Also, I feel they even picked up some momentum in their game against Georgia last week, despite it being a loss. It showed them they can play with anyone in the nation. Rebels by a close 10.
Auburn at Arkansas – I will cover this one in my weekly write-up, but expect Hugh Freeze to have some signs in his yard pretty soon .
(4) Alabama at South Carolina – I did not list a “Good Grief Game” this, week because the parity in the SEC is just too good, and all games this week look like good conference match-ups.
That said, Bama is still too tough for the Gamecocks, even if the game is at home. Tide by 21.
(15) Missouri at (10) Vanderbilt – Hold onto your betting slips, folks. This one will be a good one. It may even deserve my GOTW” nod based upon the potential to go down to the wire. I do feel it will be sloppier than Ole Miss and Oklahoma,
It is also a “flip the coin” type game. But, before I do, my thoughts are Vandy is the real-deal this season, but I think they are lacking a few fundamentals, and their emotional high will eventually have to come crashing down at some point.
The Tigers are good again this year, but not as good as they have been in recent history. And outside of a close loss to Alabama, Missouri has not done anything impressive on the scoreboard.
Vanderbilt has the better quarterback in Diego Pavia, and his energy seems to spark his fellow Commodores. I do not think the Tigers can contain him for four quarters. Vandy by 3.
(22) Texas at Mississippi State – The Longhorns needed WD-40 to squeak out a win against lowly Kentucky last week. The Bulldogs have started playing like we have all thought they would be coming into the season. So much so, soothsayers are already predicting MSU will be beaten by another SEC cellar dweller in Arkansas. Texas will play better this week. If not, they may never hear the end of it on social media. Horns by 14.
(3) Texas A&M at (20) LSU – This would have been a phenomenal match-up had the Tigers not lost two out of their last three games to two teams they historically beat. It is a tough schedule for almost every team in the SEC, though, and LSU is up against an undefeated Aggies team.
A&M is powerful this season, and that’s no faking… Oh, too soon, Mike Elko? But playing in Death Valley at night? That is a daunting task. And I think Arkansas exposes some weaknesses in the Aggies defense. I do not know if LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly is smart enough to figure out a way to exploit those inefficiencies, but if he is, I smell an upset brewing. Tigers with an “UPSET ALERT” by 1.
(17) Tennessee at Kentucky – Tennessee is coming off a loss but hoping to make the playoffs. Kentucky is coming off a close defeat to Texas, but I think that three-point margin speaks more for how overrated the Longhorns are as opposed to the possibility of the Wildcats being a higher performing team than their 2-4 record. I have been mistaken before, but I see less than a 10% chance of Kentucky pulling an upset. Vols by 23.
Please check out all the write-ups for Arkansas’s game this weekend against Auburn, right here on HitThatLine.com. Enjoy the SEC, folks. It is the greatest conference in the nation.
Go HOGS!!!
