Two SEC teams leave Tennessee for road games this weekend. They could end up with very different fates. The SEC cleared the stage for the World’s Biggest Cocktail Party, with only three other games taking place alongside Georgia – Florida. Here’s a look at the best bets on the rivalry game’s SEC undercard.
Vanderbilt Commodores vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Saturday, November 7, 2020 – 4:00 PM EST at Davis Wade Stadium
Two teams who have suffered disappointing starts to the 2020 season will meet in search of a much-needed win in Starkville. The Mike Leach era opened with a bang at Mississippi State as the Bulldogs knocked off defending national champion LSU in the opener. Since then, however, things have gone south. Mississippi State is trying to recover from a winless October, getting outscored by a total of 84 points in four losses.
If possible, things are worse for Vanderbilt. The Commodores are 0-4 and haven’t been competitive since a five-point opening day loss at A&M. Since then, they’ve had back-to-back 41-7 home losses and a 54-21 beat down by Ole Miss.
The team has battled COVID which led to a three-week break between games, and this week, one of their quarterbacks, former Kentucky passer Danny Clark, chose to opt out of the rest of the season.
The team also lost freshman defensive back Donovan Kaufman, who has been starting at safety and played some nickel this year. He’s missed time the last two games and was ruled out for the rest of the year. Kaufman also returned kicks for Vanderbilt.
Running back Ja’Veon Marlow is also unavailable, after being suspended for a violation of team rules. The team appears to be spiraling. Coach Derek Mason said the team was “off a little bit” and “a step slow” as Ole Miss put up 449 passing yards on it.
Vanderbilt appears to be the perfect opponent for Mississippi State’s offense to get well. The transition to Leach’s Air Raid offense has been slower than expected, and the team may be on the verge of a quarterback change. With senior KJ Costello battling injury, freshman Will Rogers has gotten more and more time. Leach said Rogers was “50/50” on starting this weekend. It would seem like the ideal time to make the switch.
"He comes in and does some quality things," Leach said. "I think it's really been impressive. And then he's got a good presence and demeanor in the huddle."
Despite getting shut out by Alabama last weekend the Bulldog players said the offense was “on the verge of clicking.” Look for this NCAAF pick to click in a big way against the reeling Commodores.
NCAAF Pick: Mississippi State to cover, -19.5 at (-110) with Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Arkansas Razorbacks
Saturday, November 7, 2020 – 7:30 PM EST at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
Two 2-3 teams both look to get back to .500 in a game could determine which tier of the SEC standings each squad ends up residing in.
Tennessee has lost three straight, all by 23 or more points, since a 2-0 start. Two of the losses have been against then No. 3 Georgia and then No. 2 Alabama, and ranked foes Texas A&M, Auburn, and Florida look. This might be the Vols best chance at a win before Thanksgiving.
Arkansas has alternated losses and wins, losing games against top-tier foes Georgia, Auburn, and A&M while knocking off lesser opponents Mississippi State and Ole Miss.
Tennessee is coming off its bye week, which gave coach Jeremy Pruitt the chance to tinker with his lineup to try to spark the team. One area where change could be imminent is at quarterback. Jarrett Guarantano has struggled at times, and fans and the media have questioned his status as starter.
Pruitt wouldn’t say he’s considering a change, but he did offer in his game week press conference that he used the time off last week to give other quarterbacks reps in practice.
On defense, Pruitt appears ready to give his freshmen a longer look. Freshman Key Lawrence will be the latest player to step in at nickelback, an area the Vols have struggled. Freshmen Morven Joseph and Bryson Eason could also get more playing time at linebacker.
The Arkansas offense appears to be getting on the right track, with quarterback Feleipe Franks and running back Rakeem Boyd both having solid showings in the loss to A&M.
The Razorbacks still appear to be farther from taking the step up to SEC contender than the Vols. Look for Tennessee to get a spark from a week away from the playing field and a youth injection from the freshmen and cover the line as an NCAAF odds road favorite.
NCAAF Pick: Tennessee to cover, -1.5 at (-115) with Bovada
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