FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It’s hard to find many folks around here that are even willing to give Arkansas a shot this afternoon. Yes, it’s come to that.
The only ones that do keep bringing up 2024. My guess is Tennessee coach Josh Heupel still remembers it very vividly and he’s probably going to make sure his team does, too.
That Tennessee team was higher regarded. This one has a quarterback issue going on.
Sophomore George MacIntyre is reported to be starting at quarterback while Faizon Brandon recovers from a shoulder injury. Tennessee may not need much from him.
Vols’ rushing attack problem for Hogs’ defense?
DeSean Bishop ran for 220 yards and three touchdowns in the 24-14 win over Auburn, and the defense leads the country with 23 sacks.
Arkansas managed seven points and 214 yards at Texas A&M last week. The Hogs are chasing their first home SEC win in more than two years. The last one was the 2024 upset of these same Vols.
I don’t like the Hogs’ chances in this one, either. There are too many issues going on with this team and that includes folks that don’t even put a uniform on. Usually when you see this smoke there’s a fire going on somewhere. Tennessee 41, Hogs 17
Rest of SEC this week
Texas A&M (3-2) at No. 14 Missouri (4-1), 11 a.m., ABC
While Missouri blowing out Florida last week was somewhat surprising, the opposite was true with Texas A&M completely overwhelming Arkansas. The Razorbacks are really that bad. The Tigers shot up 11 spots in the AP poll after the win and Jamal Roberts is second in the SEC running the ball. The Aggies have two SEC losses while Missouri was shut down by Mississippi State this year. Look for this one to probably not be that close. Missouri by 24, Texas A&M 10
South Carolina (2-3, 0-3) at No. 16 Florida (4-1), 11:45 a.m., SEC Network
There is a lot of talk about South Carolina coach Shane Beamer being on the hot seat and it’s probably justified based just off the results. A lot of people are still around that remember the Steve Spurrier days when the Gamecocks were relevant in the national rankings and certainly the SEC East every year. They are a long way from that this year. The Gators have plenty of motivation to handle this one easily. Florida 38, South Carolina 17
No. 1 Texas (4-0, 1-0) vs. Oklahoma (2-2, 0-1), 2:30 p.m., ABC, Cotton Bowl in Dallas
The Hogs used to benefit quite a bit in the 1970’s from playing Texas the week after this game every year. The Sooners would beat the daylights out of the Longhorns physically. They’d limp into a game with the Hogs and a couple of time they could squeak out out a win. It usually came after an Oklahoma win. This year Texas is sitting on top of the standings and have a couple of signature wins already on their card and Arch Manning has shown he can handle the fourth quarter of close games in big matchups. The Sooners have an offensive nightmare going on these days. Texas 27, Oklahoma 10
No. 9 Ole Miss (3-1, 1-1) at Vanderbilt (3-2), 2:30 p.m., ESPN
Ole Miss is favored by 9.5. The Rebels had a week off after the Florida loss, and Vanderbilt is coming off a 38-14 loss at Georgia. The question is the Ole Miss defense. It ranks 117th nationally at 30.8 points allowed per game. The Rebels have won seven straight games after a loss. They will be dialed in after that loss to the Gators because it’s been a noisy two weeks since Florida and the finger is pointed at the players. The Rebels haven’t enjoyed it. Ole Miss 31, Vanderbilt 13
No. 10 LSU (4-1) at Kentucky (4-1, 2-1), 6 p.m., ESPN
Another night game in Baton Rouge. It’s not hard to tell which programs these days are drawing the viewers. Texas, LSU and Ole Miss are in the top five of college football teams in the Nielsen Ratings, according to their release this week. Kentucky trailed South Carolina by 17 last week and won 35-34 in overtime on a two-point conversion. The Wildcats still dropped out of the AP poll. LSU lost at Ole Miss, then beat Texas A&M 35-6 and put 63 on McNeese. The Tigers haven’t won in Lexington since the Bluegrass Miracle in 2002 but they’ve only played there twice since that time. This one shouldn’t be a problem. LSU 41, Kentucky 17
No. 2 Georgia (5-0, 3-0) at No. 6 Alabama (5-0, 3-0), 6:30 p.m., ABC
This is the game of the day, assuming the weather cooperates.. Alabama is favored by 1.5 but Georgia leads the country at 51.4 points per game, and Alabama averages 49.6. Georgia won last year’s SEC title game 28-7. Hurricane Isaias is the wild card but the latest forecasts have the worst of it hitting Tuscaloosa on Saturday morning into early afternoon. As of Thursday, the game was on track to kick off as scheduled. Somehow I keep thinking the Crimson Tide are rolling again. Alabama 35, Georgia 31
Auburn and Mississippi State are off this week.
