SEC Preview: Week Five Action Around the SEC, with Times, TV information

OXFORD, Miss. — Welcome to the fish-or-cut-bait week in the Southeastern Conference. 

While some teams are undefeated like we thought they would be — hello, Alabama and Georgia — there are a few teams out there with an unblemished record that are a bit of a surprise.  

No team has shocked the college football world more than Arkansas which has knocked off both Texas and Texas A&M. Ole Miss hoped to get through the first three games unscathed before it got to an off week before heading to Tuscaloosa, and the Rebels did that and lead the nation in points scored per game (52.8).

Well, well. Look at Kentucky over there with an undefeated slate.

Now we find out if those three are really contenders in the SEC. Ole Miss is at top-ranked Alabama, Arkansas travels to No. 2 Georgia and undefeated, yet unranked Kentucky welcomes No. 10 Florida to the Commonwealth.

Oh yeah, there are some other games this weekend too!

SEC Preview – Week Five

NO. 8 ARKANSAS AT NO. 2 GEORGIA, ESPN, 11 a.m. 

The Razorbacks are the feel-good story of the season so far. By mid-afternoon Saturday, we will know just how much of a happy ending is in store for this tale. While the Hogs have taken care of their Texas portion of the schedule, Georgia has done the same with the Palmetto State, beating both South Carolina and Clemson.

This one will be fun. Can the Arkansas defense stop the J.T. Daniels-led Bulldog offense? Will the UGA defense, which looks like it could stop a platoon of Marines, be able to handle Trelon Smith and K.J. Jefferson?

The real cool thing is this one kicks off early, so we will know before the college football parties really get out of hand.

TENNESSEE AT MISSOURI, SEC NETWORK, 11 a.m.

For a half last week, Tennessee looked like it could play with Florida. Too bad for the Vols they play four quarters nowadays. UT has looked good in its victories over Tennessee Tech and Bowling Green. Not so much in losses to Pitt and Florida. Now the Volunteers get to march on into their SEC schedule.

Give Mizzou credit for going to Boston College last week instead of say, playing Bowling Green or Tennessee Tech at home. Then again, the Tigers two wins were against Central Michigan and Southeast Missouri at home.

But nonetheless, Mizzou will host Tennessee this week and the winner is still in good shape for a bowl bid. The other will need some help to get to a bowl game.

NO. 12 OLE MISS AT NO. 1 ALABAMA, CBS, 2:30 p.m.

Lane Kiffin vs. Nick Saban. Matt Corral vs. Bryce Young. The upstarts vs. The defending national champs.

Pick the storyline you like, this should be an entertaining one even though the folks in Vegas are not convinced. 

Last year Ole Miss scored more points against Alabama than any other team. But the Rebels also struggled with tackling against Bama last year and the Tide eventually rolled. This year, the Ole Miss offense looks better than it did a season ago and the defense has learned it can make the other team punt.

But Alabama is Alabama. They may have struggled a bit against Florida, but the Tide got out of Gainesville with a win because they jumped on the Gators early. This one is in Tuscaloosa.

It will still be a very fun game.

TROY AT SOUTH CAROLINA, SEC NETWORK, 2:30 p.m.

South Carolina has lost two in a row and not looked very good in doing so. But at least the defeats came against Georgia and Kentucky. Last week, Troy lost to Louisiana Monroe. The Warhawks were arguably the worst team in college football last year.

The Gamecocks get Troy in Columbia this week before sort of jumping into the conference play by going to Tennessee and hosting Vanderbilt.

Troy hosts Georgia Southern next week after the Eagles fired their coach last week. That is the kind of game the Trojans need to keep their own coach off the hot seat.

NO. 10 FLORIDA AT KENTUCKY, ESPN, 5 p.m.

Wait, the undefeated team is unranked and the ranked team has a loss? Okay, that’s right, the polls are written by human beings.

That is not to say the Wildcats are better than Florida, it just sort of looks funny on paper to see an undefeated team left off the polls, but Clemson is still ranked.

That could change this week if Kentucky can defend the home field against the Gators.. Kentucky is what would be called “ugly” good, while UF’s only loss is considered a moral victory.

This one is truly why they play the games.

MISSISSIPPI STATE AT NO. 15 TEXAS A&M, SEC NETWORK, 6 p.m.

Looking at Texas A&M’s loss to Arkansas and State’s loss to LSU, the winner of this one might be the team that gets out of its own way.

The Aggies couldn’t get an Arkansas runner on the ground it seems, but on the other hand, State’s defenders knocked each other down.

If Mississippi State loses, it will be of no huge consequence in the college football world. Should Texas A&M lose, they will be the biggest bust in the 2021 season.

UCONN AT VANDERBILT, ESPNU, 6:30 p.m.

Hey, somebody has to win this one, right?

NO. 22 AUBURN AT LSU, ESPN, 8 p.m.

This one is in Baton Rouge, so Auburn cannot bring their own audio/visual people can they? The AV people on the Plains should have been the MVPs last week. If not for a blown replay call, the Tigers would have lost to Georgia State.

LSU is 3-1 on the year, but those wins were against McNeese, Central Michigan and the aforementioned Mississippi State. But that loss was to UCLA who has now lost to Fresno State.

One of these teams has to use this game to right the ship for the rest of the season.