Georgia State vs (1) Alabama
In a game against an inferior opponent, the Crimson Tide will roll again. The famed rushing attack of Alabama, lead by TJ Yeldon, will have an absolute field day. As of now, Yeldon already has 394 yards and is averaging six yards per carry. His relief back, Kenyan Drake, surprisingly has a higher yards per carry rate (6.9), but has only had a third of the amount of carries that Yeldon has. Their dominance will allow AJ McCarron to have to do nothing more than manage the game and play smart, cautious football. Alabama’s most difficult challenge will be keeping Georgia State’s Albert Wilson. Wilson has 22 receptions, 457 yards, and four of the team’s seven receiving touchdowns through four games.
(6) Georgia vs Tennessee
Georgia’s offense is a well-rounded, explosive bunch. Quarterback Aaron Murray has shown improvement and currently has 1,338 yards, 11 passing touchdowns, and only three interceptions on the year. Sophomore phenom Todd Gurley has 450 rushing yards and four touchdowns and 71 carries, which has been good for 6.3 yards per carry. Tennessee’s offense, on the other hand, is much more unbalanced. Their quarterback situation has been a mess, but Jason Worley has taken a firm command as the leader, although, that doesn’t mean much. Worley has eight passing touchdowns, but they are accompanied by six interceptions and an abysmal 56% of completion. Tennessee’s saving grace is their two-headed rushing attack of Rajion Neal and Marlin Lane. The two have totaled 748 rushing yards and nine touchdowns thus far on a combined 125 carries.
(24) Ole Miss vs Auburn
Despite having just been shutout by Alabama, Ole Miss is still a strong, respectable team. Shockingly, Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace has yet to throw an interception this season, which has lead to the success of his team, sans the Alabama game. The tall, superior wide receiver duo of Donte Moncrief and Laquon Treadwell that has accounted for 37 receptions, 438 yards, and two touchdowns (both from Moncrief) should be credited as well. Out of the backfield, Jeff Scott has been rushing for 8.3 yards per carry, totaling 358 yards, and has two touchdowns.
Auburn has weapons of their own. Dual threat quarterback Nick Marshall brings the element of unpredictability to the table and keeps opposing defenses on their heels. Although, running back Tre Mason, NFL hopeful, opens up the passing lanes for Marshall. Mason has 338 yards on on 65 carries along with four rushing touchdowns.
Arkansas vs (18) Florida
Thus far, Tyler Murphy has done a superb job as the Gators quarterback since Jeff Driskel went down with a season ending injury. He’s been smarter with the ball, only throwing one interception in his 32 attempts. Murphy also already has four total touchdowns in his two games. The Gators rushing attack has been rather underwhelming this season as Matt Jones, the leading rusher, only has 272 yards. Arkansas’ rushing attack is the polar opposite. Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams have been dominant this year as they have 597 rushing yards and 471 rushing yards, respectively. Along with their abundance of yardage, each has found the end zone three times. The duo of running backs makes quarterback Brandon Allen’s job much easier. Thus far, Allen has an 8:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio and has thrown for 670 yards on 80 attempts.
(10) LSU vs Mississippi State
The LSU offense is the most high powered offense in the SEC. Zach Mettenberger has been shown great improvement from last season. This year, he is only two yards shy of 1,400 passing yards and has 13 touchdowns, as well as only one interception on 128 attempts. 60 of his 82 completions are to Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham, as well as 11 of the touchdowns. Jeremy Hill, LSU’s premier running back, has 436 yards, from averaging 6.9 yards per carry, and seven rushing touchdowns on the year.
Mississippi State’s Tyler Russell is a probable return, but Dak Prescott, who’s had 8 total touchdowns to only one interception, has solidified himself as a solid leader from the quarterback position. Prescott has been able to win two games with little support from his running back corps, which has only been averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
Missouri vs Vanderbilt
Both sides have explosive offenses that will make this game a shootout. Missouri’s James Franklin, a dual threat quarterback with 1,344 total yards and 11 total touchdowns on the year, has loads of talent surrounding him. His main target, Dorial Green-Beckham, will have a tough, physical matchup against Vanderbilt’s start cornerback Andre Hal. Russell Hansbrough and Henry Josey head Missouri;s rushing attack with a combined 573 yards and seven rushing touchdowns.
Vanderbilt will rely heavily on their passing attack. Austyn Carta-Samuels has thrown eight touchdowns and five interceptions this year despite having one of the best wide receivers in the nation, Jordan Matthews. Matthews has already accumulated 586 yards and four touchdowns from his 40 receptions, which is more than double the amount of receptions than anyone else on the team. Jerron Seymour and Wesley Tate have plowed out of the backfield and into the end zone a combined nine times.
Kentucky vs (13) South Carolina
Plenty of underrated players will step onto the field, but be completely overshadowed by the mesmerizing Jadeveon Clowney. South Carolina’s own Mike Davis is one of them. Davis has been tearing opposing defenses apart all year and currently has 508 yards, a 7.2 yards per carry average, and six rushing touchdowns, as well as 127 receiving yards. His quarterback Connor Shaw is probable for the game against Kentucky after injuring his shoulder against UCF. Kentucky’s underrated player comes from the defensive side of the ball. Za’Darius Smith is a rising pass rusher that has already accounted for 4.5 sacks this season and will keep Connor Shaw scrambling for his life. Kentucky’s offense will be reliant on their duo of running backs, Jojo Kemp and Raymond Sanders, to soften the South Carolina defense and create weaker coverages for Maxwell Smith and Jalen Whitlow (the two split time at quarterback) to throw into.