SEC This Week: Two Heavyweight Clashes
This is what makes the SEC college football’s best conference. On any given Saturday, you can get not just one, but two huge games featuring teams in the top ten going against one another. Today is such a day. The LSU Tigers will go down to the Swamp to face the Florida Gators while the Georgia Bulldogs will go up to face the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia, SC. For those who thought the SEC East had dropped off in football, notice that only one of those four teams is from the West.
The Tigers limp into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to face a tough Florida team. They have struggled mightily on offense the last two weeks against two vastly inferior opponents, the Auburn Tigers and the Towson Tigers. Maybe facing a team with a mascot different from their own will help. The Tigers beat Auburn, a 1-3 team only 12-10. The winning points turned out to be a safety. LSU managed only three second half points behind quarterback Zack Mettenberger. But it was all they would need as the defense allowed zero.
Then last week, in front of a rather sparse Tiger Stadium crowd ( where were you last week LSU fans?) the Towson Tigers hung in there for much of the game. That game was nowhere near the blowout it should have been. As a result the Tigers have dropped from their #2 spot in the rankings back to #3.
The Gators are already 3-0 in SEC play going into this. They have been a surprise team so far, going into two hostile environments in Texas A&M and Tennessee and coming away with wins both times. College Game Day was at both of those games with Lee Corso picking against UF both times. Florida was 4-0 last season going into October. They came out 4-4. Coach Will Muschamp is determined to not let that happen again this year. The Gators have gone to a ground attack behind Mike Gillislee who is the SEC’s rushing leader going into this game. The Tigers defense will surely be their toughest test.
TopBet has LSU -2.5 -115 or -135. Florida is +2.5 -105 0r +115. Over/under is 41. The under looks like a pretty good bet with these two very tough defenses. Florida’s defense has allowed only six second half points this year. We like the Gators at home with 2.5.
Georgia will take their powerful offense led by quarterback Aaron Murray to South Carolina. This is the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. The Gamecocks defense led by Jadaveon Clowney is tough. They have held opposing offense much like Florida, to very few second half points. The Gamecocks also have one of college football’s best backs in Marcus Lattimore going against a Georgia defense that has not been good.
The Bulldogs rushing attack has been outstanding however with running backs Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall, both who are on pace to gain 1000 yards. Last week both of them ran through the Tennessee Volunteers like they were shot out of a gun.
Georgia is +1.5 -110. South Carolina is +1.5 -110. Over/under is 54. We like South Carolina and also the under.
