Week Three SEC Predictions

Week two of the 2015 college football season was not a good one for the SEC.

Ranked teams Arkansas and Tennessee fell to non-conference opponents, and Auburn, Florida, and Missouri all survived close games that should have been blowouts.

This week the SEC schedule features four conference games and six non-conference games, as some teams make their final tune ups for conference play.

Here are The Power T Report’s week three SEC predictions:

18 Auburn (2-0) at 13 LSU (1-0)

(3:30, CBS)

After a good win over Louisville in week one, Auburn took a big step back last week.

The Tigers (who were my preseason pick to win the SEC) barely outlasted FCS opponent Jacksonville State last week, due in part to another bad performance from first year starter Jeremy Johnson.

Johnson, a preseason 2nd team All-SEC selection, has thrown five interceptions in just two games this season.

For Auburn to get a win at Death Valley, Johnson will need to play much better against an LSU defense that played well at Mississippi State last week.

While Auburn fans should be at least a little bit concerned, LSU fans should be thrilled about where their team is.

After having their season opening game cancelled, LSU played their first game of the season in a tough environment at Mississippi State and came away with a big win.

On Saturday afternoon, the LSU defense will expose Johnson in a big way for their second win of the season.

LSU 34, Auburn 20

South Carolina (1-1) at 7 Georgia (2-0)

(6, ESPN)

This game won’t have as much meaning in the SEC East standings as it has for the past five or so years, but it still presents an interesting matchup.

South Carolina is coming off of an extremely disappointing loss to Kentucky, the second straight loss to the Wildcats.

That loss makes the situation for this game similar to last season, when South suffered a blowout home loss to Texas A&M in week one and then turned around and beat Georgia two weeks later.

But that loss, which prevented Georgia from playing in the SEC Championship Game, will ensure that the Bulldogs won’t overlook the Gamecocks.

Look for Georgia running back Nick Chubb, who already has 309 yards rushing through two games, to give South Carolina’s defense a lot of trouble.

Georgia 35, South Carolina 16

Florida (2-0) at Kentucky (2-0)

(7:30, SEC Network)

Kentucky fans have had this one circled on their calendars ever since last season’s game.

Florida ended up winning the game 36-30 in triple overtime, but the officials missed what should have been a delay of game penalty on the Gators, which allowed them to score.

Kentucky hasn’t won a game in this series since 1986, but that could change this year.

Wildcat quarterback Patrick Towles has started the season strong, with 449 yards through the air so far. Running back “Boom” Williams has also made a large contribution with 242 rushing yards.

Kentucky’s win over South Carolina last week proved that they are indeed moving up in the SEC under third year head coach Mark Stoops, and they will take another big step this week.

Kentucky 23, Florida 21

15 Ole Miss (2-0) at 2 Alabama (2-0)

(9:15, ESPN)

College Gameday will be in town for this important early season SEC West matchup.

Last season’s edition of this game turned out to be a classic, resulting in a 23-17 Ole Miss win, one of the biggest in school history for the Rebels.

Ole Miss has only played two games against weak non-conference teams so far this season, but they have been impressive in those games, averaging 74.5 points per game (not a typo).

Alabama does have a game against Wisconsin under their belt, but this will be their biggest test so far this season.

The two things to watch in this game will be if Alabama’s stellar defense can slow down the rolling Rebel offense and if the Rebel defense can slow down Heisman candidate running back Derrick Henry.

Home field advantage will play an important role in this one.

Alabama 35, Ole Miss 31

Western Carolina (1-1) at Tennessee (1-1)

(7, ESPNU)

After a heartbreaking loss to Oklahoma last week, Tennessee will get a bit of a rest on Saturday with FCS opponent Western Carolina.

Western Carolina does have experience with playing SEC teams.

The Catamounts hung around with Alabama for a half last season before losing, 48-14.

Even though Western Carolina won’t be intimidated, this one should be pretty much over by halftime.

Tennessee badly needs to get their offense back on track before they travel to Gainesville in a week.

Tennessee 52, Western Carolina 6

Other Picks:

22 Missouri 30, Connecticut 13

(12, ESPN)

17 Texas A&M 59, Nevada 10

(12, SEC Network)

Mississippi State 48, Northwestern State 3

(4, SEC Network)

Vanderbilt 28, Austin Peay 6

(4, SEC Network)

Arkansas 28, Texas Tech 20

(7, ESPN2)

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