The No.1 Crimson Tide faces another stern test in the SEC this Saturday with Lane and his 12th ranked Ole Miss Rebels invading Bryant-Denny Stadium at 2:30 PM CT on CBS. Can the Crimson Tide defense find a way to keep Matt Corral and the Rebel offense out of the end zone enough for their offense to outscore a the Rebels. Taking care of the football for both sides will be crucial as well. Coach Saban and his Tide will be severely tested.

The No.22 Auburn Tigers are on the road for an 8 PM game Saturday on the Bayou as they face the LSU Bengal Tigers in a fierce rivalry game. Saturday Night at Baton Rouge will be rockin as those LSU fans will be “Whiskey’d up” for this critical contest for both teams. Can Bryan Harsin lead his team to victory in another major challenge for him and his team. If he can pull it off, that would calm down the upheaval that has been occurring in the program after he fired his wide receivers coach last Sunday only 4 games into the season. He seems to have a no nonsense, hard-nosed approach, and it’ll be tested to the max Saturday Night.

There are some other solid matchups in the conference as No.2 Georgia hosts No.8 Arkansas, the best story not only in the SEC, but also nationally. Kirby Smart and his Bulldogs have their work cut out for them. Mississippi State travels to College Station and No.15 A&M as both teams try to get out of their collective slumps. And No.10 Florida is @UK in another vitally important SEC contest.

Another key game kickoffs Saturday Night at 6 at the new state of the art Protective Stadium here in the Magic City as the UAB Blazers open their sparkling new stadium and play host to a solid Liberty team. Bill Clark and his team secured a major victory last Saturday Night on the road at Tulane and aim to do that again this Saturday in a historic moment in UAB sports history. Probably the most important thing that’s happened in UAB sports history along with the creation of the basketball program that the great Gene Bartow led to such prominence. A lot of promise for the basketball program once again under stellar second year coach Andy Kennedy.

The national slate looks electric as well. Here are breakdowns of this week’s riveting contests along with predictions.

 

Last Week, 14-8

 

Overall, 73-25, 74%

 

No. 12 Ole Miss @No.1 Alabama

Bryant-Denny Stadium

2:30 PM CT

 CBS

 Brad, Gary, Jamie

Crimson Tide by 14 ½

 

Bryce Young has performed spectacularly for the No.1 ranked team. He’s completed 88-of-122 passes, 72%, for 1,124 yards, 15 TDs against just 1 int. Jameson Williams has been a dynamic addition to the Tide from Ohio State. He has 12 receptions for 299 yards with his long coming against Miami in game 1, a 94 yarder. He returned the opening kickoff against Southern Miss last week 100 yards and added an 83 yard house call on a kickoff later in the game. He also had a long TD catch. Alabama could be welcoming back Brian Robinson, which would enhance the running game though Roydell Williams and Jase McClellan did a nice job in his place last Saturday.

 The Tide defense will be facing the prolific Matt Corral and the Ole Miss offense. Corral is 66-of-96, 69%, for 997 yards, 9 TDs against 0 ints. Wide receiver Dontario Drummond has recorded 20 receptions on the season for 339 yards and 4 TDs. Jonathan Mingo has added 15 catches for 290 and 3 TDs. Brayton Sanders has 8 for 133 and 2 TDs. The running game is strong too with Jerrion Ealy (31-188, 1 TD) and Henry Parrish (25-176, 1 TD) and, of course, Corral, who has rushed for 158 yards and 5 TDs.

 Linebacker Henry To’o To’o and the Crimson Tide defense will be stressed out by this offense. To’o To’o leads the Tide with 26 tackles. Will Anderson has posted 24 tackles and 2 sacks for -14 yards. Both of those players will be important in trying to contain Corral and company. DeMarco Hellams, Jordan Battle and the secondary will also be under the gun. It’ll be interesting to see how Pete Golding and Coach Saban defend this offense, whether they use 5 or 6 defensive backs and have a spy like To’o To’o on Corral. Could be good strategy. It’s not totally impossible to stop them, but quite formidable.

 I do like the Crimson Tide to do well offensively. So, I’m looking at a tight game with the Crimson Tide surviving and advancing a terrific effort by Lane and his Rebs.

 

Alabama 49, Ole Miss 42

 

 

No.22 Auburn @ LSU

 Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge

 8 PM CT

 ESPN

 Tess, Gregory, Katie George

 LSU by 3 ½

 

Another major tilt on the Bayou between these 2 bitter rivals in the SEC. Will Bryan Harsin go with T.J. Finley at quarterback or revert back to Bo Nix. Finley looked good in leading Auburn back to the nerve wrecking, for AU fans, victory over Georgia State. I like Finley to get the start. He showed a lot of poise and savvy last Saturday afternoon and he knows his former team well. Bo Nix just hasn’t proven he can get it done in big games and this one is tremendously important for both teams. Sophomore Max Johnson of LSU has thrown 15 TDs against just 3 ints, and looks like he could be a star quarterback in the SEC and nationally for the next couple of years. His main target is the awesome Kayshon Boutte, who has pulled in 24 passes for 309 yards and 8 TDs. The Auburn secondary, which is 126th out of 130 in opponent pass completion percentage (73%), and 84th in pass efficiency defense, will be severely tested.

 So, it’s a matter of can the Auburn defense do enough and will Finley or Nix lead this team to a critical victory on the road. LSU leads the conference in sacks, so the Auburn O line will be challenged as well.

 The Auburn defense just hasn’t been very good. I like Johnson and the Bengal Tigers to prevail in a thriller.

 

LSU 35, Auburn 31

 

 Liberty @ UAB

 Protective Stadium, 47,000+

 6 PM CT

 CBS Sports Network

Dave Ryan, Corey Chavous

 Blazers by 2

 

The UAB Blazers open their sterling new stadium that has been the result of hard work by many people, Crafty “Derrick” O’Neal being one of them, to usher in an electric new era in sports at UAB and for the city of Birmingham. They’ll face Hugh Freeze and a challenging Flames team.

 Dylan Hopkins came in to take the place of injured Tyler Johnston III and has been stellar. Hopkins has completed 29 of 39 passes, 74%, for 501 yards, 7 TDs against only 1 int. DeWayne McBride has rushed for 171 yards and a TD, and Jermaine Brown Jr. has added 165 yards and a TD. Gerrit Prince has caught 13 passes for 269 yards and 5 TDs. Will Boler leads the defense with 20 tackles and Deshaun Oliver Jr. has a sack for -13 yards.

 It’s a solid offense and defense. The defense will be tested by Liberty quarterback Malik Willis, the Auburn transfer. Willis has completed 63-of-88 passes, 72%, for 818 yards, 10 TDs against 0 ints. He has also rushed for 274 yards and 4 TDs. He’s a load to stop. So Boler, Oliver Jr. and stellar safety Kristopher Moll will be severely challenged.

 This is a tremendous opportunity for the Blazers to make their mark not only in Birmingham and throughout the state, but also on the national stage. I like them and the partisan 47,000 UAB faithful to get the job done and keep cementing a remarkable legacy and possibly enter the Top 25 next week.

 

UAB 27, Liberty 24

 

 

No. 8 Arkansas @No.2 Georgia

 Sanford Stadium, Athens

 11 AM CT

 ESPN

 Chris, Kirk, Holly

 Dawgs by 18 ½

 

Georgia has been lights out good this year and J.T. Daniels is the man under center. He’s solidified the Georgia offense. The defense is beyond spectacular. But Arkansas is not intimidated. Sam Pittman has his Hogs believing they can knock off anybody on any given Saturday. I like Georgia to prevail late, but in a hard fought, classic SEC battle.

 

Georgia 27, Arkansas 17

 

 

Other SEC Games

 

No.10 Florida 34, Kentucky 31

 Kroger Field, Lexington

 5 PM CT

 ESPN

Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, Kris Budden

 Gators by 8

I like an extremely hard-fought SEC battle in Lexington. Kentucky is almost at the level where they can knock off Florida. Maybe not Georgia this year, but they have a real shot at home. I’ll take the Gators barely.

 

No.15 Texas A&M 28, Mississippi State 24

 Kyle Field, College Station

 6 PM CT

 SEC Network

Tom, Jrodg, Cole

 Aggies by 7

 

I like State to put a scare into the Aggies, which really need to get it together before the Crimson Tide invades Kyle Field next Saturday at 7 PM CT on CBS.

 

 

Missouri 34, Tennessee 30

 Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field, Columbia, MO.

 11 AM CT

 SEC Network

Dave Neal, Deuce McCallister, Andraya Carter

 Mizzou by 3

 I like Mizzou to escape barely at home.

 

 

South Carolina 27, Troy 24

 Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbus, S.C.

 2:30 PM CT

 SEC Network

Taylor Zarzour, Stinch, Alyssa Lang

 Gamecocks by 7

 Almost took the upset here because South Carolina is rebuilding under first year coach Shane Beamer and Troy is a giant killer, but I’ll take the Gamecocks to survive.

 

 

Vanderbilt 31, Connecticut 17

 Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville

 6:30 PM CT

 ESPNU

Brian Custer, Kelly Stouffer

 Dores by 14 ½

 

I like the Commodores to emerge victorious this week and try to gain some momentum heading into some more brutal SEC contests.

 

 No.7 Cincinnati 31, No. 9 Notre Dame 27

 Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend

 1:30 PM CT

NBC

Tirico, Drew

 Cincy by 1 ½

 I see Cincy as a little bit tougher than the Fighting Irish.

 

 

No.3 Oregon 34, Stanford 31

 Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, CA.

 2:30 PM CT

 ABC

Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore, Stormy Buonantony

 Ducks by 8

 I look for the Ducks to be taken to the wire by the Cardinal, but to survive and advance in the playoff picture.

 

 

Friday

 Maryland 30, Iowa 28

 Maryland Stadium, College Park, MD.

 7 PM CT

 Fox Sports 1

Timmy B, Spencer Tillman

 Iowa by 3

 I like Taulia Tagovailoa and his Terps to pull off the upset. Taulia is a superb quarterback, just like his brother, if Tua can stay healthier.

 

 Saturday

 

No.6 Oklahoma 34, Kansas State 31

 Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas, the Little Apple

 2:30 PM CT

 FOX

Aaron Goldsith, Brock Huard

 OU by 10 ½

 Sooners barely scrape by a tough opponent in a hostile environment. Quarterback Spencer Rattler needs to improve dramatically if the Sooners want to have a successful season and make the playoff.

 

 No.4 Penn State 34, Indiana 20

 Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA.

 6:30 PM CT

 ABC

Sean McDonough, Todd, Molly McGrath

 Nittany Lions by 12 ½

 Penn State keeps their Big Ten title and Playoff hopes cookln.

 

 No.11 Ohio State 35, Rutgers 24

 SHI Stadium Piscataway, N.J.

 2:30 PM CT

 Big Ten Network

Brandon Gaudin, James Laurinaitis, Rick Pizzo

 Buckeyes by 15

 Ohio State has an uphill climb to reach the playoff, and this will be a test for them as Rutgers Coach Greg Schiano has his team believing they can knock off the big boys in the Big Ten.

 

 

No. 19 Oklahoma State 37, No. 21 Baylor 30

 Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwate, OK.

 6 PM CT

 ESPN2

Mark Jones, Robert Griffin III, Quint Kessenich

 OK State by 3 ½

 Trust the Pokes at home.

 

 No. 14 Michigan 27, @ Wisconsin 20

 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI.

 11 AM CT

 FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny

 Wisconsin by 1 ½

 I don’t know why this would be an upset. Michigan has been pretty good, and Wisconsin has been a total disappointment. Michigan has not proven just yet that they belong in the upper echelon of college football, but this could tell us more about them. It’s on the road in Camp Randall, so a challenge.

 

 

No.25 Clemson 28, Boston College 17

 Memorial Stadium, Clemson

 6:30 PM CT

 ACC Network

Dave O’Brien, Tim Hasselbeck, Kelsey Riggs

 Clemson by 14 ½

 Clemson is a long way from being an elite team let alone a good team let . They’ve got a good defense, but the offense has been a catastrophe.

 

 

Friday

 No.13 BYU 27, Utah State 21

 Maverik Stadium, Logan, Utah

 8 PM CT

 CBS Sports Network

Rich Waltz, Aaron Taylor, Jenny Dell

 BYU by 8 ½

 Still a believer in the Cougars, but this is a tough road game for them.

 

 

Saturday

 No. 20 UCLA 35, Arizona State 31

 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA.

 9:30 PM CT

 Fox Sports 1

Chris Myers, Mark Helfrich

 Bruins by 3 ½

 This should be an awesome game in the PAC-12 after Dark.

 

 No.18 Fresno State 45, @Hawaii 34

 10 PM CT

CBS Sports Network

Noah Eagle, Aaron Murray

 Fresno State by 10 ½

 Like the Bulldogs to keep advancing at a chance to play in a New Year’s Six Bowl. Not out of the question. Certainly, an excellent season in store for this riveting offensive team that plays pretty good defense as well.

 

Tonight

 Virginia 28, Miami 23

 Hard Rock Stadium, South Beach

 6:30

 ESPN

Matt Barrie, Roddy Jones, Harry Lyles Jr.

 Miami by 5 ½

 Give me the ‘Hoos in the upset.

TCU 38, Texas 35

Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth

11 AM CT

ABC

Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Lugues

Texas by 4

Frogs pull off the upset.

UNC 52, Duke 28

Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill

11 AM CT

ESPN2

Mike Morgan, Kirk Morrison, Dawn Davenport

UNC by 20

No.24 Wake Forest 35, Louisville 31

Truist Field, Winston-Salem, N.C.

11:30 AM CT

ESPN3

Tom Werme, James Bates, Lauren Jbara

Wake by 7

No. 16 Coastal Carolina 49, LA Monroe 14

Brooks Stadium, Conway, S.C.

1:30 PM CT

ESPN+

Jeff McCarragher, Nate Ross

Coastal by 34 1/2