The first Saturday in November means that we are in the final full month of the college football season. It seems like the year has just started, but the regular season is ending and the stakes are about as high as they can be this weekend in the SEC. Tennessee has been the darling of the college football season and Hendon Hooker is the frontrunner to win the Heisman Trophy. Hooker led the Vols to an upset over Alabama a few weeks ago, but will face his toughest test in between the hedges in Athens, Georgia. The Vols come in as the number one team in the nation and the Bulldogs are the defending national champs…need I say more. In the SEC West we have a top 10 showdown in Baton Rouge as Alabama takes on a surging LSU team. Since losing to Tennessee the Tigers have rebounded nicely, including a blowout win over Ole Miss. Now Brian Kelly will face Nick Saban for the first time as the coach of the Tigers. All eyes will be on the SEC this Saturday.
#1 Tennessee vs #3 Georgia (-8):
Hendon Hooker and the Vols are the top-scoring offense in the SEC, averaging 49.4 points per game this season. Tennessee has been unstoppable so far this season, but they will face a Georgia defense that has only given up 10.5 points per game this season. Georgia hasn’t quite looked like their dominant selves lately. The Bulldogs barely got past Missouri, then let Florida back into the game before pulling away in the second half. Tennessee is the last opportunity for the Dawgs to land another signature win on their schedule. Georgia’s only win vs a ranked opponent this season was against Oregon. If the Bulldogs lose, they may not get into the College Football Playoff. Tennessee has earned a little bit more room for error with wins over Alabama and LSU. The Vols would love nothing more than to beat one of their rivals on the road. The key matchup could be how Stetson Bennett and the Bulldogs’ offense fares against Tennessee’s defense.
#6 Alabama (-13.5) vs #10 LSU:
One of the best rivalries in the SEC takes place once again as Alabama travels to Death Valley to take on a surging LSU team. Tigers’ quarterback Jayden Daniels will have to play his best game of the season for LSU to pull off an upset. Daniel’s leads LSU in rushing yards for the season and it will be crucial to make plays with both his arms and his legs versus a Nick Saban defense. The Tigers will need to get an early lead, some momentum and apply game pressure on Alabama. If the Tide gets behind, Bryce Young has showed the ability to bring his team back from deficits – nearly leading them to a comeback win versus Tennessee where Alabama missed a late field goal that set up the Vols for their game-winning kick. Jahmyr Gibbs will be a player to watch for the Tide.
Other Games to Watch this Weekend:
#4 Clemson (-3.5) vs Notre Dame: After a disastrous start, Marcus Freeman and the Irish have played better and have the Clemson Tigers at home. Vegas thinks this game will be tight, only making the Tigers 3.5-point favorites.
#21 Wake Forest (-4) vs #22 NC State: Both teams are pretty much eliminated from the Atlantic division title race, as Clemson has created too much separation. However, this is a in-state rivalry game and Wake is looking to redeem themselves after getting spanked by Louisville last week.