Rebel Walk Roundtable: Our Week 3 SEC Picks

Two weeks are in the books, and the Rebels bounced back with a big win over Arkansas. So, it’s time for our Week 3 picks for all the SEC action.

We’re two weeks into the college football season, which means we’re two weeks into our Rebel Walk Roundtable picks. Here’s where we all stand on our picks so far…

Jake 19-6
Evie 19-6
Land 18-7
Hays 17-8

3:00 P.M – Southeastern Louisiana (1-0) vs Ole Miss (1-1)

Jake: Rebs showed us a lot last week, and they’ll carry that momentum into this weekend. I hope they get up big, so we can work out some depth issues with younger guys. I see SE LA scoring some garbage time points on the backups, but still. Rebs by a few TDs.

Evie: This will be fun for a lot of young guys who hopefully should get some playing time after the starters roll up some big points. We may see a number of defensive guys get their turn with the new Turnover Chain. 

Land:  For one of the few times this year… I’m picking the Rebs. Hopefully Ole Miss takes care of business and gains some serious confidence going into next weekend.

Hays: This will be a good game for the Rebels to get more confidence on the offensive side of the ball. I have a feeling Mingo or Ealy breaks one loose for a touchdown. The Rebels just need to get out of the game without any major injuries

11 A.M. – Arkansas State (1-1) vs #3 Georgia (2-0)

Spread: UGA -33

O/U: 58

Jake: UGA will keep on rolling…plain and simple

Evie: Georgia is a perfect 12-0 against Sun Belt opponents. Arkansas is 0-25-1 against SEC opponents since moving to FBS in 1992…UGA by a lot. 

Land: Georgia. Next question.

Hays: Georgia wins, but they do not cover the spread of 33. The Dawgs will win handily by 28.

11 A.M. – Kansas State (2-0) vs Mississippi State (2-0)

Spread: MSU -7

O/U: 52

Jake: Although this game will affect literally no one in either conference, it’s still a very fun matchup. I think it being in Starkville gives State the advantage, but other than that, I think we’re looking at two very even teams. I see State winning on a late score. 

Evie: State QB Tommy Stevens should be back from an injury he suffered last week. State is weak in pass protection but it shouldn’t matter because K-State is weak on pass rush. This one will be closer than the spread, but I think State wins on the back of its ground game. 

Land: As much as I would love K-State to beat State…they won’t… give me the SEC.

Hays: KSU’s QB Skylar Thompson leads the FBS in QBR at 97.0, however, I do not think Thompson will be enough. The Bulldogs defense is pretty good despite all the offseason losses.

11 A.M. – UT Chattanooga (1-1) vs Tennessee (0-2)

Jake: Tennessee has one more chance. One. If they somehow lose to UTC, not only will they officially be the worst team in the state, but they will also likely start losing boosters, recruits, and maybe even their coach. Tennessee is desperate, this is a must win. Tennessee by a FEW. 

Evie: UT Chattanooga’s QB Nick Tiano started his career at Mississippi State, so there’s that. In the world of “must-wins” this has to be right there at the top. I look for the Vols to win–but I’m not sure anyone will be in Neyland to see it. 

Land: DUMPSTER FIRE MODE: ENGAGED!!! Boy does UT need this win… and they’ll get it.

Hays: The Mocs will not be able to keep up with the Vols even though it’d be a lot of fun to see a loss.

2:30 P.M. – #2 Alabama (2-0) vs South Carolina (1-0)

Spread: Bama -25.5

O/U: 62

Jake: No Jake Bentley. No chance. Tide. Next?

Evie: This is the SEC-opener for ‘Bama and South Carolina…it’s also the first meeting between the two since the No. 19 Gamecocks upset No. 1-ranked Alabama in 2010 in Columbia, 35-21. But in 2019, even if the Gamecocks had the services of QB Jake Bentley who is out with a foot injury, this would be an almost impossible game for South Carolina to win. But with true freshman Ryan Hilinski in at QB–let’s just say he would have to play a perfect game, and even that probably wouldn’t be enough to defeat the Tide. 

Land: SC scores first but then Bama rolls.

Hays: I’m worried that Hilinski will be a deer in the headlights against a ruthless defense like the Tide. This game could get out of hand like the Alabama-Vanderbilt game in 2017.

3:00 P.M. – Colorado State (1-1) vs Arkansas (1-1)

Spread: Ark -9.5

O/U: 64

Jake: Man, Colorado State must be REALLY bad, if Arkansas is a 9.5 point favorite…Razorbacks win this one at home, but it will be surprisingly close. 

Evie: In the loss to Ole Miss last Saturday, Arkansas seemed to have a much better rhythmn offensively after replacing Ben Hicks at QB with Nick Starkel, the transfer from A&M. Look for Starkel and RB Rakeem Boyd to put some points on the board for the Hogs Saturday in Fayetteville. The challenge for Arkansas will be to curb CSU QB K.J. Carta-Samuels who torched the Razorbacks last year to the tune of 389 yards and two TDs. If they can create a turnover or two, the Hogs should win this one–but it will be close. 

Land: Arkansas is one loss away from DISASTER…I think they get back on track this week and get revenge from last year.

Hays: This is a must win for the Razorbacks, and I think they will solely because Starkel is now the starter at QB. Anyone with a pulse knows he is better than Ben Hicks…. Except Chad Morris. It is about time they made the change.

6 P.M. – Kent State (1-1) vs #8 Auburn (2-0)

Spread: AUB -36

O/U: 54

Jake: Auburn isn’t the 8th best team in the country. You cannot convince me of that. However, they’re WAY better than Kent State. Tigers win big at home.

Evie: So…Kent State struggled last week against the Kennesaw State Owls, giving up 437 yards of offense. This game will offer Auburn freshman QB Bo Nix the opportunity to perfect timing with his receivers and work on his reads. The true freshman is hitting 47 percent of his passes and has 3 TDs to 2 INTs. The Auburn defense is for real, allowing just 105 yards per game on the ground. Oh, and the Tigers’ pass defense is one of the best in the nation, allowing just 173 yards per game. Look for Auburn to win and cover. 

Land: Bo Nix is not very good but I bet he’ll look better this week… GUS BUS PULL ON.

Hays: Auburn wins with ease.

6:00 P.M. – #9 Florida (2-0) vs Kentucky (2-0)

Spread: UF -8.5

O/U: 48.5

Jake: Last year, UK beat Florida for the first time since 1987…31 years. You don’t think Florida wants to embarrass the Cats? Plus, UK’s Terry Wilson is out for the year. I see Florida putting it on Stoops and Co. More than 8.5 too…

Evie: Florida QB Feleipe Franks has bested his completion percentage from 54.6 percent in 2017 to 58.4 percent in 2018–all the way to 77.8 percent in 2019. However, in his two career games against the Wildcats, he’s sitting at a measly 48 percent. Look for him to be much better Saturday. Defensively, we will see Florida’s blitz to continue its rampage. The Gators had five sacks against UT Martin last weekend and are No. 1 in the nation with 15 sacks on the season, averaging 7.5 per game. With UK’s QB and backup QB both out for the season, this one could get ugly for UK’s next man up at QB, Troy transfer Sawyer Smith. Florida will more than cover. 

Land: This game intrigued me… but without their starting QB, Kentucky has to start over with a new guy against a top 10 team… Give me the Gators.

Hays: I think Florida pulls away in the second half and gets revenge after last year’s game. This game could get interesting since it is in Kentucky and a nighttime game though.

6 P.M. – Lamar (2-0) vs #16 Texas A&M (1-1)

Jake: No spread for a reason…A&M is 1-1, but they are a good team that will be right behind Bama and LSU in the West. They’ll destroy Lamar at home. 

Evie: Aggies lost starting RB Jashaun Corbin in last week’s lost to Clemson, but it won’t matter….Jimbo Fisher’s Aggies will roll all over Lamar in a sleeper. 

Land: Texas A&M gets that dub.

Hays: A&M will come out flat after the Clesmon hype and prepare for SEC win, but it will not matter.

6:30 P.M. Northwestern State (0-2) vs #4 LSU (2-0)

Jake: Under the lights? In Baton Rouge? Against an FCS team? Ouch…Tigers by a bunch.

Evie: Poor Northwestern State…in addition to always being tough defensively, the Tigers now have an offense. LSU is 19-0 against teams from Louisiana, the second-most wins without a loss by any FBS team against intrastate foes in that span (Ohio State is 27-0). This one will get ugly as the Tigers pounce on the Demons from the get-go. 

Land: LSU rolls… man, is it me or are these picks really easy.

Hays: Coach O will let his alma mater have this weekend at Tiger Stadium.

6:30 P.M. Southeast Missouri State (1-1) vs Missouri (1-1)

Jake: Fun matchup here. Super Bowl of Missouri? Maybe so…Kelly Bryant only had 150 yards last week, but he was efficient and tossed 3 TDs. He’ll have a solid game on the Tigers field, and they’ll handle SEMO. Mizzou by a few TDs.

Evie: The SEMO Redhawks have given up an average of 26 points per game in their first two games of the season–against FCS opponents. This game should be over by halftime as Missouri wins big. 

Land: Missouri wins and Kelly Bryant looks real good doing it.

Hays: FCS vs SEC? Give me Missouri.

 

	SE LA vs Ole Miss	Ark St. vs #3 UGA	KSU vs MSU	UTC vs Tenn.	#2 Bama vs S. Carolina	Col St. vs Arkansas
Jake	Ole Miss 44-14	#3 UGA 45-9	MSU 28-24	Tenn 24-20	#2 Bama 56-10	Ark 31-21
Evie	Ole Miss 42-10	UGA 48-6	MSU 27-21	Tenn 48-7	Bama 42-13	Ark 35-31
Land	Ole Miss 45-13	UGA  49-7	MSU  34-17	Tenn 31-10	Bama  38-13	Ark 34-24
Hays	Ole Miss 49-10	UGA 38-10	MSU 31-28	Tenn 45-10	Bama 56-21	Ark 31-21

 

	Kent State vs #8 Auburn	#9 Florida vs UK	Lamar vs #16 A&M	NW St. vs #4 LSU	SEMO vs Mizzou
Jake	#8 Auburn 33-6	#9 Florida 41-24	#16 A&M 54-7	#4 LSU 48-3	Mizzou 31-17
Evie	Auburn 45-6	Florida 28-7	A&M 56-7	LSU 45-3	Mizz 48-9
Land	Auburn  45-17	Florida  31-10	A&M 56-10	LSU 48-3	Mizz 41-10
Hays	Auburn 38-17	Florida 28-14	A&M 42-10	LSU 52-3	Mizz 45-7