Cody Slovensky
Writer
The SEC currently sits with nine teams that have a chance to make the College Football Playoff. While five of those for sure will not make the field, it all depends on who gets hot this final month of the season.
Surprisingly, LSU still has playoff hopes. Currently, they sit around 30-35 in the rankings, but they have a good enough schedule to put them in the top 12 should they win out. Road games against Alabama and Oklahoma are no easy feats, but should LSU win both of those, as well as their games against Arkansas and Western Kentucky, it would be challenging to keep them out of the Playoff.
LSU hits the road this week to take on its rival, Alabama. Alabama currently sits as a 9.5-point favorite, and while that is a fair line, this is one game that cannot be accurately predicted.
Brian Kelly was relieved of his duties as the head coach at LSU, as well as athletic director Scott Woodward. Frank Wilson now takes over as the interim head coach and has already transformed the atmosphere in Baton Rouge. Former players have made visits and spoken with the team; the style of practice has been changed to better suit preparation. All of the reports coming out of Baton Rouge are that everything has changed since Wilson has taken over.
Ty Simpson is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He has made key plays when needed and is currently set up as a Heisman hopeful. Simpson has only thrown one interception on the season, but this weekend, he will face the best secondary that he has seen this season. The running game for Alabama will be key this weekend.
What can LSU do? Nobody knows. With the changes, things could continue to trend down. That being said, if Brian Kelly was truly holding them back, LSU could burst on the scene and play spoiler. Having a bye week to make adjustments puts LSU in a good place. “If I can’t make the College Football Playoff, neither can you.” -Brandon Taylor, former LSU defensive back.
While Alabama “should” win this game, with it being at home, do not count the Tigers out. LSU is good at doing good things when set free. Expect at least for LSU to cover the spread if not pull out the upset victory.
Georgia is a fine team. They do not display the level of dominance that they have in previous years; that said, they are very battle-tested. The way that they have played, they very well could be sitting at 8-0, but also could be 3-5. They have faced some tough tests and have found ways to win, even if controversy has been attached to some of those wins.
Mississippi State is a team that no one wants on their schedule. They are very pesky and are good at keeping games close. Quarterback Blake Shapen has put together a very good season so far, but the only thing really holding him back is the fact that he has taken 29 sacks, or just over three per game.
Cowbells will be loud on Saturday and when Starkville is loud, anything is possible. Georgia is on upset alert.
Quarterback Beau Pribula is done for the season. He suffered a leg injury against Vanderbilt, and Matt Zollers took the reins as the starting quarterback. Zollers is a former top 100 recruit and has high potential at the quarterback position. In the closing of the Vanderbilt game, Zollers found Kevin Coleman Jr. for a last-second Hail Mary attempt, but the completion was about a foot short of sending the game to overtime.
Texas A&M is riding a wave of momentum. Coming off of a bye week after going into Baton Rouge and ending the Brian Kelly era, A&M is sitting at 5-0 in conference play. In the second half of the game A&M could not be stopped and LSU appeared to simply give up. That win put A&M in the drivers seat to not only make the SEC Championship game, but potentially earned a first round bye in the College Football Playoff.
With a new quarterback taking the reigns for Missouri, it is hard to imagine them pulling off the upset, that being said November usually produces moments that should not happen. Expect A&M to cover in a very exciting match up.
Coming off a loss to Texas, Vanderbilt needs to right the ship. While Vandy did make a strong push at a comeback in Austin, the hole that they dug early in the game was simply too much to recover from. Diego Pavia is still the most talked-about player in the SEC and rightfully so. When Pavia has “stumbled” this year, he has found a way to bounce back in the next game.
Hugh Freeze is the newest coach to part ways with their schools. His time at Auburn just never panned out. He would always say that they were close or needed another year. In 2025, Auburn has fielded a good defense, but their offense has just not been able to produce points. With two elite receivers and an elite running back, scoring should not be an issue. When your offensive line allows 37 sacks in just 9 games, there is an issue.
After the 10-3 defeat at home against Kentucky, Auburn can’t do any worse. Is seven days enough time for interim head coach DJ Durkin to turn things around, or will it be the same Auburn that falls just short? Heading on the road to Nashville is no easy task, and while Auburn is pesky with their defense, expect this game to be low scoring, but Vanderbilt to cover the spread at home.
Kentucky is a team that is not very good, but they do not stop fighting. Turnovers and special teams cost them against Tennessee. Against Texas, they were one yard away. Against Georgia, they were outplayed, but the effort was there. Against South Carolina, turnovers hurt them. Needless to say, self-inflicted damage has been their downfall.
Florida has been hit or miss. The talent is there but things have just not come together for the Gators. DJ Lagway has played some good football but the ceiling for his potential has not been touched. They have played close in all of their games but have come up just short.
Expect Florida to right the ship and pull out the victory. That said, do not be surprised if Kentucky plays spoiler against the Gators at home before they welcome in undefeated Tennessee Tech next week.
Filler game for Ole Miss. Expect Austin Simmons to play more than Trinidad Chambliss in what should be a blowout victory for the Rebels before they welcome Florida the following week.
1- Texas A&M: CFP Lock
2- Alabama: Should be in, but a dangerous schedule awaits to close out the season.
3- Georgia: Borderline, with Texas and Georgia Tech on their schedule.
4- Ole Miss: CFP Lock
5- Texas: Even with two losses, there is a path for them.
6- Oklahoma: Tough schedule gives them a real chance.
7- Vanderbilt: Just win.
8- Missouri: Slim chance to make it with their remaining games.
9- Tennessee: Slim chance, need a lot of help to make it.
10- LSU: If they win out, they present an intriguing argument.
11- Florida: Eliminated
12- Mississippi State: Eliminated
13- Kentucky: Eliminated
14- Auburn: Eliminated
15- South Carolina: Eliminated
16- Arkansas: Eliminated
After Steve Sarkisian, once again, came up short in a big game situation against Georgia, no one is calling him “Big Game Sark” at all. In fact, Sarkisian has proven to be a good coach for the Texas Longhorns. His redemption story in the world of college football is one that people who have struggled […]
Cody Slovensky
Writer
The SEC is still an interesting race. Texas A&M and Alabama sit at the top of the conference, with each having a 6-0 record in conference play. As things currently sit, these two should be meeting in Atlanta for the SEC Championship. Currently behind those teams are Georgia(6-1), Ole Miss(5-1), Texas(4-1), Vanderbilt(4-2), and Oklahoma(3-2). Three […]
Cody Slovensky
Writer
Garrett Nussmeier aggravated his previous abdominal injury today, per LSU interim head coach Frank Wilson. Nussmeier is now listed as probable, but at this point, it would probably be best for Nussmeier to sit out a game and see how he feels next week. LSU fans have been critical of Nussmeier this season after the […]
