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South Carolina at Tennessee, 12:00 PM EDT, ESPN
This is the game that the Gamecocks are playing in. In my opinion, you should watch it!
No. 21 Florida at No. 14 Missouri, 12:21 PM EDT, SEC Network/ESPN3/ESPN Gamemplan
Missouri will be without starting quarterback James Franklin, who separated his shoulder in the Tigers' win against Georgia. The Florida defense is a challenging foe against whom to make your first career start, so it won't be an easy task for freshman backup quarterback Maty Mauk to lead Missouri to victory. The good news for Mauk and company is that the Florida offense is downright terrible, so 17 points might be all the Tigers need to hold off Florida because the Missouri defense is actually quite good.
I don't even know who to tell you to root for in this one, y'all. My brain says, "It's a toss-up. Just enjoy the game." My heart remembers 44-11 and wants city of Gainesville to burn to the ground.
No. 24 Auburn at No. 7 Texas A&M, 3:30 PM EDT, CBS
South Carolina will play both of these teams in 2014 because obviously our 2013 scheduling fortunes would be repaid by pitting us against two of the better teams in the SEC West. It's a shame that I'm going to have to switch into hate mode because I've quietly become a casual fan of both of these programs.
Where were we? Oh yeah! This game. It should be replete with #points on #points on #points and Gary Danielson having lots of things to say about tempo and the virtues of lining up in the I formation with three fullbacks. The only direct effect on the Gamecocks is that South Carolina could move up a spot in the polls with a win and a Texas A&M loss.
No. 6 LSU at Ole Miss, 7:00 PM EDT, ESPN2
I have a weird feeling about this game. On one hand, LSU is clearly the better team and there is no logical reason to pick against them. On the other, I think people are getting a little overexcited about what the Tigers did to a Florida team that might not be all that great. Ole Miss gets LSU at home and is desperate for a big win after dropping three straight to Alabama, Auburn, and Texas A&M. My gut and my brain are having a lot of disagreements this week. My brain wins this one, though.
No. 5 Florida State at No. 3 Clemson, 8:00 PM EDT, ABC
The collective happiness of the Gamecock fan base lies in the hands of a pair of multimillionaires named Jimbo and Dabo. Drink up.