Will Alabama kick off the season with a win? SEC Predictions for Week 1
It’s the fun bit of our job when we get to predict the Week 1 games of the college football season for SEC teams. We think we know everything after Week 1, only to see that our ‘knowledge’ is blown away by Thanksgiving that we feel miserable and inclined to douse ourselves in whiskey while we wait around for bowl season.
Anyway, here are your predictions for Week 1 of the SEC season. As usual, we’re going in the order of games we’re interested in. Sorry Texas A&M vs Northwestern State, you’re not very high.
The first five games on this list are being played on neutral fields. Which means that if you’re a season ticket holder of a SEC team, you’re being screwed out of seeing a big-time match-up at your own stadium.
- Auburn (-2.5) vs Washington (Atlanta): Auburn’s got the pick of the QBs in Jarrett Stidham, but they are still missing a hell of a lot of talent at RB, and that should be interesting against a Washington team who should be hella strong defensively. Then again, we don’t see Washington going anywhere fast against Auburn’s defensive front, either. This will be a low-scorer. PREDICTION: Auburn by 7 in an absolute war.
- LSU vs Miami (-2.5) (Dallas): We’ve talked repeatedly say how much we hate JerryWorld as a venue (or any other neutral site venues) for regular season college football games, and things haven’t changed. Having said that, Jerry Jones’ money have put up some great match-ups. We only wish they were home-and-homes. The crowd at the LSU vs Miami game will probably be 70:30 in favour of the Tigers, bearing in mind geography and Miami’s poor fanbase, but what will that mean? Eyes will be on LSU’s starter (will it be Myles Brennan or Joe Burrow), as well as how the Tigers compensate for being ripped apart by the NFL, while Miami will try and find a way without Braxon Berrios, their best WR. This should be fun. PREDICTION: Miami by 3 in a classic.
- Tennessee vs West Virginia (-9.5) (Charlotte): As we said in the LSU vs Miami game, we’re expecting Vols fans to dominate the crowd against the Mountaineers, but that’s all we expect them to dominate. Tennessee will still be discovering themselves under Jeremy Pruitt, while WVU brings back a hell of a lot of talent – including QB and possible Heisman candidate Will Grier. PREDICTION: West Virginia by 17 in a game not even as close as that.
- Texas Tech (-2) vs Ole Miss (Houston): We love Ole Miss WR AJ Brown, and he and QB Jordan Ta’amu will be clicking nicely. In other words, they will be difficult to stop. Then again, Texas Tech is vastly improved on defense…although Texas Tech insiders don’t exactly love the team’s offensive game at the moment. PREDICTION: Ole Miss by 10.
- Alabama (-25.5) vs Louisville (Orlando): We think that Louisville’s athletic department is a Heisman Trophy candidate in the battle for the Worst Calender Year Award For A NCAA School, bearing in mind that they’ve had to fire their Hall of Fame basketball coach and their biggest booster has racially slurred his way out of his own business. This ain’t a good look. We only find is strange that Bobby Petrino’s kept himself out of trouble. While in Tuscaloosa, Nick Saban’s spitting bullets about the depth of his team – and there’s a QB fight between two good quarterbacks – but the Crimson Tide will be fine. PREDICTION: Saban goes 1-0, predictably. Alabama by 28
- Central Michigan vs Kentucky (-17): Benny Snell’s expected to run for well over 100 in this one – and that’s probably a good thing bearing in mind the ballhawks in Central Michigan’s secondary. Expect a brawl for four quarters in the best of all of the games getting played by SEC teams on their home fields. PREDICTION: Schnell, Snell! Kentucky by 14.
- MTSU vs Vanderbilt (-4.5): A potentially tricky battle for Derek Mason this one. Kyle Shurmur’s an assured QB, but the ‘Dores are missing their best RB, and MTSU will have an improved passing game. PREDICTION: Vanderbilt by 10 that’s closer than the scoreline suggests.
- Coastal Carolina (-29) vs South Carolina: Hell, it’ll be nice to see Deebo Samuel back. PREDICTION: South Carolina by 41.
- UT Martin vs Missouri: The eyes will be QB Drew Lock, WR Emmanuel Hall, and Missouri’s new OC, Derek Dooley. I’d also like to see how the Tigers’ ‘D’ is. If they don’t show up against UT Martin, the Tigers have problems. PREDICTION: LOCK AND LOAD!! Missouri by 45.
- Eastern Illinois vs Arkansas: Chad Morris’ first game will see a new offense, which should be fun against a EIU team that’s not expected to prove problematic. PREDICTION: Arkansas by 38.
- Northwestern State vs Texas A&M: Jimbo Fisher’s first game in Aggieland is only remotely interesting because it’s Jimbo Fisher’s first game in Aggieland. The game itself will be over by mid-way through the second quarter. PREDICTION: Texas A&M by 52.
- SF Austin vs Mississippi State: Joe Moorhead’s first game will also mark the return of Nick Fitzgerald, who was injured during the Egg Bowl loss against Ole Miss last year. It’ll be interesting to see how that offense blends. You know, until half-tiime when MSU will be 28 points up and we can switch over. PREDICTION: Mississippi State by 42.
- Austin Peay vs Georgia: Some Dawgs fan will say before the game that Austin Peay is potentailly a tough opponent, because he’s trying not to say: “We’ll kick the living **** out of them”. And because UGA fans can’t manage their emotions, this victory will be seen as a sure sign that they are winning the SEC and National titles, and that they should celebrate accordingly. PREDICTION: Georgia by 50.
- Charleston Southern vs Florida: Dan Mullen’s the new HC in FLA. Again, we’ll see who gets the starting job, and whether the Gators’ offense can actually click. You might have heard it had problems doing that last seeason. PREDICTION: Florida by 45.