This Weekend’s Big 5
After the pandemonium in Oxford, Miss., last weekend, can Ole Miss defeat Texas A&M on Saturday?
Week 7 in college football has got a long way to go if it’s to match the intensity, impact and surprise that came along with Week 6. Let’s hope somehow it manages to do exactly that.
After last weekend’s poll-shattering schedule, Betting Sports has sifted through the upcoming schedule to pick out the five biggest matchups on the slate.
As you might expect, the Southeastern Conference plays another big role in this weekend’s action, so that’s exactly where we’re going to start.
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No. 13 Georgia at No. 23 Missouri
Faurot Field, Columbia, MO (Sat, 12:00 p.m. ET)
The two top teams in the SEC East lock horns Saturday lunchtime as Georgia (4-1, 2-1 SEC) makes the trip to Missouri (4-1, 1-0 SEC). With Florida still on the schedule for both schools, this isn’t quite a winner takes all matchup, but it’s not far removed.
The Bulldogs opened as a narrow road favorite and will be looking to move to 3-1 all-time against the Tigers.
In the two previous SEC clashes between the sides, the road side has emerged with a comfortable victory (Georgia won 41-20 in Columbia in 2012; Missouri won 41-26 in Athens last season). Could this trend be set to continue?
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No. 9 TCU at No. 5 Baylor
McLane Stadium, Waco, TX (Sat, 3:00 p.m. ET)
Before the season began, if you’d asked anybody what the biggest game on the schedule for the Big 12 was this week, 90-95 percent of responders would have namechecked the Red River Rivalry Game between Texas and Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl. As it stands though, there’s a bigger game on tap.
Undefeated Baylor (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) will welcome undefeated TCU (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) to the Heart of Texas in a battle that could quickly prove to be this weekend’s poll-buster.
While Oklahoma remains the favorite to take the Big 12 title this season, Baylor will be confident it can contend. If the Bears are to prove themselves as legitimate contenders though, they’ll need to arrive in Norman, Okla., on Nov. 8 with an unblemished record. That means getting past the Horned Frogs this weekend.
The Bears enter the game as a double digit favorite, but the way things played out this past weekend, that doesn’t necessarily equate to much. TCU earned a 49-21 victory in Waco two years ago.
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No. 2 Auburn at No. 3 Mississippi State
Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, MS (Sat, 3:30 p.m. ET)
After a shocking upset over Texas A&M last weekend, Mississippi State (5-0, 2-0 SEC) gets no time to rest or recuperate. Instead, the Bulldogs welcome a third straight ranked opponent when Auburn (5-0, 2-0 SEC) arrives in Starkville.
The second-ranked Tigers have won 11 of their last 13 meetings with the Bulldogs, a trend that makes the team hard to bet against. Unless you witnessed last weekend’s cavalcade of shockers.
Auburn opened as a three-point road favorite, and will have more to lose in this one. Gus Malzahn’s side has caught the eye since the beginning of the year, but will need to remain undefeated to avoid being falling back into an SEC pack that already includes A&M, Alabama and Georgia.
Mississippi State meanwhile will look to continue its surprising season and earn a second straight home win over the Tigers, something that hasn’t happened since 2000. If the Bulldogs are successful, they automatically become legitimate contenders.
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No. 12 Oregon at No. 18 UCLA
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA (Sat, 3:30 p.m. ET)
Fortunately for Oregon (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12), last Friday’s shocking loss to Arizona was outside of the Pac-12 North Division, meaning the Ducks are still a comfortable bet for the Pac-12 Championship Game. Comfortable that is unless that defeat has fractured the team psyche.
At the beginning of the season, UCLA (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) was the bookmakers’ pick to win the Pac-12 South Division, setting up a showdown with Oregon in the conference title game. Despite losing to Utah last weekend, that could still happen, although it’s going to take a lot of work.
In terms of the national championship picture, neither team can afford to come out of the Rose Bowl with another blemish on their record, which adds to the drama that’s bound to surround this one.
Oregon opened as a three-point favorite. The Ducks have won 10 of the last 12 head-to-head meetings, and are 4-1 at the Rose Bowl during that period.
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No. 3 Ole Miss at No. 14 Texas A&M
Kyle Field, College Station, TX (Sat, 9:00 p.m. ET)
Having snapped a 10-year losing streak against the Crimson Tide last weekend, Ole Miss (5-0, 2-0 SEC) goes from the frying pan to the fire this weekend, traveling to the Brazos Valley to face an Texas A&M (5-1, 2-1 SEC) that’s licking its own wounds.
The Aggies came out on the wrong end of an upset at the hands of Mississippi State last weekend, and will be desperate for a win on Saturday. Anything less than victory and the Aggies can wave goodbye to their championship odds.
The Rebels opened as a one-point underdog, clear proof that the bookmakers really don’t know what to make of either side going into this game. Like in-state rivals Mississippi State, Ole Miss can leap into the category of legitimate contenders with a win on Saturday night.
Texas A&M is 6-0 all-time against Mississippi, including 2-0 since making the switch to the SEC? Is it time for the Rebels to snap a 103-year-old losing streak this weekend?
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