It’s rivalry week south of the Mason-Dixon line! The final week of the regular season means it’s time for big rivals to square off.
Whether it be the quest to secure a College Football Playoff spot, clinch a conference title, or simply brag, there are a number of riveting match-ups in the SEC and ACC this Thanksgiving weekend. Two cross-over games figure prominently, too.
Let’s take a look at the marquee matchups.
Alabama at Auburn
Four years ago #1 Alabama entered Jordan-Hare Stadium with an 11-0 record. The Crimson Tide would not leave the Plains undefeated.
Courtesy: Inside Higher Ed
Alabama missed a last-second, game-winning 57-yard field goal, only to see Auburn’s Chris Davis return it 109 yards for a Tigers’ victory. It was one of the greatest endings in college football history.
Four years later … and we have almost the same scenario. The top-ranked Crimson Tide face off against the sixth-ranked Tigers in what will be the de facto SEC West title game.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts will be the main impact player for Alabama. The sophomore has completed 123-of-200 passes for 1,828 yards and 14 touchdowns while rushing for 686 yards and eight scores.
He’ll go up against a stout Tiger defense. Auburn ranks eighth in the nation in defense (giving up just 16.6 points per game). The D is a significant reason why the Tigers are back in the College Football Playoff hunt. The high note was the 40-17 shellacking of then-top-ranked Georgia a couple weeks ago.
PREDICTION: The Tigers will lead after three quarters, but Hurts and the Tide will rally and take over in the fourth. Make it Alabama, 34-27.
Clemson at South Carolina
Over the past decade, The Palmetto Bowl has involved contrasting win streaks. The Gamecocks won five in a row from 2009 to 2013, but the Tigers have now won three in a row — since legendary coach Steve Spurrier retired in the middle of the 2014 season.
Courtesy: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Clemson can’t afford to lose this game because a loss will eliminate the Tigers from the College Football Playoff. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks will be looking to enhance their bowl stock. Coach Will Muschamp and company enter the game with a respectable 8-3 record, 5-3 in SEC play.
The Tigers enter Columbia with one of the best defenses in the nation. Clemson is giving up just 13.9 points and 290.2 yards per game. Coach Dabo Swinney will be hoping it’s enough to counteract a dynamic playmaker in Gamecock QB Jake Bentley. The USC sophomore has completed 210-of-333 passes for 2,429 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has rushed for an additional six scores.
PREDICTION: The Tigers’ defense will step up and shut down Bentley and the Gamecocks. I see it Clemson 35, South Carolina 17.
Florida State at Florida
Tune to Nickelodeon for this year’s edition of the Florida-Florida State rivalry. The Gators and Seminoles both enter the game with losing records at 4-6.
Courtesy: Sporting News
The Seminoles still have a chance to go bowling because they play a final game against Louisiana Monroe–a game that had been scheduled originally for Sept. 9. Meanwhile, this is Florida’s last game of the season. That means the Gators will miss a bowl appearance after starting the season in the Top 25. If Florida wins, it means that both teams will miss a bowl for the first time since 1978.
Despite their struggles, both teams have excelled defensively, ranking in the Top 50 in total defense. The victor of this game will be the team that makes a big offensive play.
PREDICTION: The teams will battle it out until the very end. But I think the Gators will defend home field and prevail in the end, 13-10.
Georgia at Georgia Tech
The Bulldogs will be making trips to Atlanta in back-to-back weeks. That’s because Georgia has already secured a spot in the SEC Championship Game.
Courtesy: Dawgnation.com
But Georgia is looking at a bigger prize. It can still make the CFP if the Bulldogs defeat Georgia Tech and then beat either Alabama or Auburn in the SEC title game.
First, though, UGA will have to fend off pesky Georgia Tech. For its part, the 5-5 Yellow Jackets are battling for bowl eligibility.
This game will be a battle of wills between two of the nation’s more dominant run-teams. The Bulldogs run downhill with the Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. Georgia Tech executes its trademark triple option.
PREDICTION: The Yellow Jackets will hang tough, but Georgia will run away in the fourth. Georgia 38, Georgia Tech 17.
Louisville at Kentucky
Last November UK was able to end a five-year skid against UL with a miraculous 41-38 victory over then-11th-ranked Cards. This time the Cardinals will be looking to take back The Governor’s Cup.
Courtesy: mypalmbeachpost.com
Defending Heisman QB Lamar Jackson will lead the Cards into Lexington. The junior has completed 226-of-278 passes for 3,273 yards and 23 touchdowns while rushing for a team-high 1,287 yards and 17 scores.
The main impact player for Kentucky will be standout sophomore RB Benny Snell, Jr. He’s second in the SEC with 1,107 yards and 16 touchdowns on the season.
Both teams will come into this game on different trends. The Cardinals have won three out of their past four, while the Wildcats have dropped three of the last five.
PREDICTION: The game will go back-and-forth until the last possession. A late field goal by senior kicker Austin MacGinnis will be the ultimate difference. Kentucky 38, Louisville 35.
Ole Miss at Mississippi State
The Egg Bowl will take center stage on Turkey Day as the Rebels and Bulldogs square off on ESPN on Thanksgiving Night.
Courtesy: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
The Rebels are still in search of that bowl-eligible sixth win, while a win for the 8-3 Bulldogs will mean playing in a higher-status (and more lucrative) bowl game.
Ole Miss has seen great play from Jordan Ta’amu after losing starting quarterback Shea Patterson to injury. The junior has completed 105-of-151 passes for 1,435 yards and nine touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the hometown Bulldogs will be led by dual-threat quarterback Nick Fitzgerald. The junior has completed 158-of-281 passes for 1,770 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for a team-high 968 yards and 14 touchdowns.
PREDICTION: Fitzgerald will tee off on one of the worst defenses in the SEC. That means the Bulldogs will romp to a 42-20 victory.
Other Predictions
TENNESSEE 35, Vanderbilt 27
MISSOURI 42, Arkansas 28
LSU 31, Texas A&M 21.
