It's hard to believe that we're approaching the half-way point in the 2017 college football season. There are a few games this week that are especially pivotal, including the South Carolina at Tennessee game in Knoxville. That game could be the biggest game in Coach Butch Jones career.
Kentucky is idle this week.
Arkansas at Alabama
The Crimson Tide played their worst game of the season so far and still won handily at Texas A&M last week.
Meanwhile Arkansas gave up 44 points in losing at South Carolina. Do you see where I'm going with this? Alabama is a big favorite in their meeting in Tuscaloosa and should be 7-0 when Tennessee comes to town next week. With each mounting loss, the seat under Hogs' Coach Bret Bielema gets hotter. A big day ahead for 'Bama.
Alabama 45 Arkansas 10
Auburn at LSU
The tenth ranked Auburn Tigers have a huge SEC road test this week in LSU's Death Valley. The Tigers have already lost in Death Valley once this season, losing at Clemson 14-9 in their season opener. LSU is certainly no Clemson, but the Bengals won a huge game on the road last week at Florida. Coach Ed Orgeron is looking for consistency in his team and a win over Auburn would certainly give it to him. The win over the Gators should give LSU a lot of momentum this week, but will it be enough to beat Auburn? I believe it will. In an upset.......
LSU 21 Auburn 17
Texas A&M at Florida
Coach Jim McElwain's luck finally ran out last week as the Gators lost to LSU in the Swamp. The Florida offense has been getting better and better each week and quarterback Felipe Franks is more than capable to lead his team. Texas A&M may have a bit of a letdown after playing Alabama really tough last week. But the Aggies won't have that 12th man to help them this week. The partisan crowd in Gainesville will give the Gators enough support to get the win. In a close one...........
Florida 31 Texas A&M 27
Missouri at Georgia
The Bulldogs are on a definite roll right now as the College Football Playoffs are within reach. Georgia is a very good football team, perhaps the best Georgia team in at least twenty years. On the other hand, Missouri is not a very good football team which will likely lead to another blow-out victory for the 'Dawgs. Georgia has a week off before facing Florida in Jacksonville so Missouri can forget about Georgia looking past them and focusing on the Gators. That's not going to happen. In fact, Georgia should still be unbeaten when they face Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
Georgia 52 Missouri 14
Vanderbilt at Ole Miss
Just when Vandy fans thought their team was invincible Alabama came to Nashville and handed the Commodores a 59-0 defeat. Vandy was 3-0 before that drubbing by the Tide and following that loss, the team is now 3-3 after two more double digit losses to Florida and Georgia. To be bowl eligible the 'Dores have to have three more wins, and the game at Ole Miss is one they can win. There are a couple more teams on the Vandy schedule they -can- beat, but this game with the Rebels is an important one.
Ole Miss 30 Vanderbilt 27
BYU at Mississippi State
The Bulldogs are the only SEC team playing outside the conference this week, hosting BYU in Starkville. State is 3-2 with two losses in a row after winning the first three games of the season. It's very likely that Mississippi State can get to at least six wins by the end of the year and be bowl eligible. BYU shouldn't be a great threat to that six win total.
Mississippi State 34 BYU 17
South Carolina at Tennessee
As previously mentioned, this game in Knoxville could be the most important game in Butch Jones career. A win would keep the wolves away for at least a week, but a loss to the Gamecocks could lead to his firing. The Vols are faced with trying to beat Will Muschamp; a coach they have never beaten. Redshirt freshman Jarrettn Guarantano gets his first career start for the Vols this weekend and that move has already started an uproar in the Big Orange fan base. In fact, there were rumors that previous starter Quinton Dormady was already considering a transfer. That kind of attitude could be part of the problem in Knoxville. In other words, players thinking more about themselves than the team. I'm still very hopeful......
Tennessee 30 South Carolina 24
Last week: 5-1
Year to Date: 46-12
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Randy Smith has been covering sports on radio, television and print for the past 45 years. After leaving WRCB-TV in 2009, he has written two books, and has continued to free-lance as a play-by-play announcer. His career has included a 17-year stretch as host of the Kickoff Call In Show on the University of Tennessee’s prestigious Vol Network. He has been a member of the Vol Network staff for 30 years. He has done play-by-play on ESPN, ESPN II, CSS, and Fox SportSouth, totaling more than 500 games, and served as a well-known sports anchor on Chattanooga television for more than a quarter-century. In 2003, he became the first television broadcaster to be inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Area Sports Hall of Fame. Randy and his wife Shelia reside in Hixson. They have two married children, Christi and Chris Perry; Davey and Alison Smith. They have five grandchildren, Coleman, Boone, Mattingly, DellaMae, and CoraLee.