There aren't a whole lot of significant games this week. Florida-South Carolina is a matchup between ranked teams, but with the way that the Gators have been playing, it may not be very close. UGA-Auburn is a rivalry that has lost its national significance. Kentucky-Vandy may also be good. Other than that, it could be a slow week.
Georgia at Auburn
This was supposed to be a huge game. The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry. A battle between divisional favorites. Now, however, this one is flying way under the radar and isn't even on national television. Auburn has had a terribly disappointing year and is in danger of having a losing season if they can't beat either Georgia or Alabama. UGA, meanwhile, has had a decent year, but is certainly not the national title contender folks thought they would be.
That said, this is still a rivalry game and is important for both teams. UGA can't afford to lose again or they could lose their hold on a Capital One Bowl berth, especially if South Carolina manages the impossible this weekend against the Gators. Auburn, meanwhile, needs this game to even get to a bowl and to save its coach's job.
UGA comes in with a high-powered offense but a suddenly porous defense. The Tigers, meanwhile, have a plodding, mistake-prone offense and while their defense has been good at times, it's shown chinks over the past few weeks as well. On the paper, UGA is the clear favorite. However, this game is in Auburn and the Tigers know they are fighting for their coach and their pride. They'll come to play and win this game.
UL-Monroe at Ole Miss
Alabama and Arkansas can tell you that UL-Monroe is not a team to take lightly. However, Ole Miss is playing well right now and will likely win big.
South Carolina at Florida
The SEC game of the week. More later tonight or tomorrow morning.
Mississippi State at Alabama
While Sly Croom has a special place in his heart for the gifts the Tide have given him over the past few years, he has a horrible team this year and doesn't stand a chance against Nick Saban's bunch.
Vanderbilt at Kentucky
Interesting game from a bowl standpoint. Vanderbilt needs to get a win in their last three games to make a bowl and avoid joining the 2007 Gamecocks as a team that blew a great year with an ignominious late season losing streak. The Cats, meanwhile, have a good chance to finish the season with eight wins if they can beat the Dores and Tennessee, and I'm going to go ahead write the latter down as a near certainty at this point. If they can do those things, they'll have a good shot at the Peach Bowl, a pretty nice bid for a team that hasn't played in a good bowl in a very long time.
I would like to see Vandy win and wrap up bowl eligibility, but I just don't see it happening in Lexington. The Cats finally showed their offensive claws this week and, if they can play anything like that again, they should win this one fairly easily. Georgia beat Kentucky last week on the sheer strength of Matt Stafford's arm. Since Vandy simply lacks that kind of firepower, they won't score the points it will take to win this if Kentucky's offense shows up.
Troy at LSU
Tony Franklin's old team has a good Sun Belt team this year and has been known to hang tough with BCS opponents. The Trojans have a nice offense, so they could cause problems for a somewhat fragile LSU defense. However, they lack the athletes to hang with LSU for four quarters, so look for the Tigers to pull away in the second or third quarter unless Jarret Lee throws five interceptions. Of course, that's not out of the realm of possibilities.
Idle: Arkansas, Tennessee
Arkansas gets to prepare for a final push for bowl eligibility. Tennessee is just happy that this week brings no new disgraces.