After two lackluster weeks, Week 7 was back to the norm. Like Auburn, it was a good reset to (hopefully) get back on track. I was one pick (a very late Ohio State loss) from a perfect week.
Last Week: 8-1 (88.9%)
This Week: 6-4 (60.0%)
Overall: 68-29 (70.1%)
There are some pretty good and pretty weird games this week. Usually that means a tough week. Let’s see what we can do.
10/19
South Carolina at Oklahoma – The Gamecocks are weird and mediocre, but could’ve beaten Alabama. Oklahoma is pretty much the same, but a tad better. They also just got destroyed by their rival. Surely they’ll bounce back, right?
Oklahoma 21, South Carolina 17
South Carolina 35, Oklahoma 9 – FAILURE
Alabama at Tennessee – Alabama lost at Vandy and then could’ve/should’ve lost to South Carolina at home. Tennessee lost at Arkansas and then could’ve/should’ve lost to Florida. Are these two teams identical? Tennessee all of a sudden can’t score and Alabama all of a sudden can’t stop other teams from scoring. Home teams win in those situations. I predict ugly.
Tennessee 28, Alabama 27
Tennessee 24, Alabama 17 – SUCCESS!
Texas A&M at Mississippi State – The battle of Maroons features a 1-loss team that appears to be on the right track against a 1-win team that does not appear to be on the right track. It has the feeling of an upset, especially when Texas A&M is involved, but it won’t happen.
Texas A&M 34, Mississippi State 21
Texas A&M 34, Mississippi State 24 – SUCCESS!
LSU at Arkansas – This game should be played on Thanksgiving Friday and you’ll never convince me otherwise. Fix it, Greg Sankey. Fix Auburn-Georgia, too. I just don’t see LSU being near as good as the world wants or thinks them to be. The Hawgs aren’t awful and just knocked off Tennessee. Beating Ole Miss in overtime is not what LSU thinks it is. They’ll see that this week.
Arkansas 30, LSU 27
LSU 34, Arkansas 10 – FAILURE
Ball State at Vanderbilt – Vanderbilt has beaten Alabama, Kentucky, and Virginia Tech. They have also lost to Georgia State. It would be very Vandy to blow this whole thing they’ve got going, but Ball State is bad.
Vanderbilt 41, Ball State 14
Vanderbilt 24, Ball State 14 – SUCCESS!
Georgia at Texas – This would be a huge matchup if Georgia was good. They’re going to treat it like Super Bowl Vol. 2, but it won’t be. Texas is good, but we’re also going off a big win against Michigan and a big win against Oklahoma. Those aren’t bad teams, but they aren’t as good as their name feels. Basically nobody is good, but Texas is better than Georgia, especially at home.
Texas 35, Georgia 28
Georgia 30, Texas 15 – FAILURE
Kentucky at Florida – Both teams can beat somebody, but both teams can lose to everybody. I’m only picking Florida because they are on the home team.
Florida 24, Kentucky 20
Florida 48, Kentucky 20 – SUCCESS!
Auburn at Missouri – Check back later for my prediction in the game preview, but SPOILER ALERT: it was just the rest Auburn needed.
Auburn 34, Missouri 17
Missouri 21, Auburn 17 – FAILURE
Other Games of Note
Notre Dame at Georgia Tech (Atlanta, GA) – What an interesting little game in the Falcons stadium. Georgia Tech is about what you’d think they’d be, maybe a little better. Notre Dame would be top 5 by name had they not lost to Northern Illinois. I have no clue. Is the Falcons stadium a home field advantage for the Jackets? Probably not enough.
Notre Dame 28, Georgia Tech 10
Notre Dame 31, Georgia Tech 13 – SUCCESS!
Michigan at Illinois – Now that the SEC has 16 teams, almost all the good games include SEC teams. Good national games are harder to find each week. Both of these teams are ranked. Michigan has more losses than Illinois. It would be a slight upset for the Illini to take it, but let’s do it.
Illinois 23, Michigan 17
Illinois 21, Michigan 7 – SUCCESS!
Now that you know who will win, head on over to the 2024 War Blogle Pick ’em and get your picks in. There will be weekly prizes and an overall winner at the end of the season. It’s easy. Do it.
