Alabama football fans won't be paying attention to any other SEC football teams on Saturday night. All the Crimson eyes will be looking for an Alabama rebound against Louisiana-Monroe. Elsewhere in the SEC, there are games that can give early affirmation of the strength of SEC football.
Scheduled 15 minutes earlier than the Alabama Crimson Tide kickoff are Arizona State at Mississippi State, Michigan at Oklahoma, and Vanderbilt at Virginia Tech. According to FanDuel, the only SEC team favored in the three games is the Oklahoma Sooners, by 5.5 points over the Wolverines. Vandy is a 2.5-point dog at Blacksburg, and Mississippi State is a 6.5-point underdog in Starkville.
The SEC vs. Big Ten matchup is a chance to counter claims that the B1G has passed the SEC as college football's top conference. Upset wins by the Commodores and the Bulldogs would be strong statements about the strength from top to bottom of SEC Football.
ESPN Analytics predicts a close game in Norman, with the Sooners having a win probability of 53.5%. Mississippi State has a 45.9% probability of taking down the Sun Devils. Given that Arizona State is ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll, Mississippi State appears to have a surprising chance for an upset. According to ESPN's model, Vanderbilt is the least likely for a surprise road win at 36.7%.
SEC Football Game Predictions
At the site Roll Tide Wire (RTW), there is some optimism for victories by the three SEC football teams. Making picks for RTW were Matt Melton, Steve Holley, and Rob King. King predicts Mississippi State to beat the Sun Devils 26-18. Oklahoma is picked to win in the three RTW predictions, with Holley predicting the Sooners to win by eight points, 23-15. In close results, the Commodores are predicted to lose to the Hokies.
My prediction is that Oklahoma and Vanderbilt gain close victories, while Mississippi State puts a scare into the Sun Devils before losing in Davis-Wade Stadium.