SEC Football: Three Things to Watch For in Week Seven

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 3, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; The SEC Football logo on the field prior to a game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the UCLA Bruins at Kyle Field. Texas A&M won in overtime 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

SEC Football is about to kickoff Week Seven! There are several interesting games. Plus, this week you don’t have to wait until Saturday to get your fix. Mississippi State plays at BYU tonight at 9:15 pm Central Time. That one could get ugly for the Bulldogs.

Then, Vanderbilt plays at Georgia on Saturday morning. That should be a good opportunity for Jacob Eason to get back on track after a disastrous showing against South Carolina. Then in the 2:30 game it’s the big one. The Third Saturday in October.

There is a lot of hatred between the Tide and the Volunteers. I expect emotions will be high on both sidelines, in the stands, and around the SEC Football world. Also in the afternoon, Missouri travels to Florida. Gator fans will be excited for the return of starting quarterback Luke Del Rio.

Finally, on Saturday night we have two games for your viewing pleasure. First, Ole Miss takes on Arkansas in a battle of hotshot quarterbacks. Then, LSU has a tune-up game against Southern Miss. Can Coach O keep the good times rolling?

With all of that said, it is time to give you our “Three Things to Watch For” this week. As you can guess, these are the three biggest storylines of the week, that you should keep an eye on. Without any further ado, here is number three!

Sep 17, 2016; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Luke Del Rio (14) prepares to throw the ball against the North Texas Mean Green during the first quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

3. How Does Luke Del Rio Look?

Luke Del Rio is a vital component of Florida’s offense. On the season he has completed 62 of his 101 passes for 762 yards and six touchdowns. Also, he has only thrown two interceptions. Del Rio is vital to the Florida offense because he keeps the Gators from being one-dimensional.

The same cannot be said for Austin Appleby. Appleby just does not have the arm to keep defenses honest. This became apparent in the second half of the Tennessee game and was reinforced by his woeful performance against Vanderbilt. In that game the Gators were only able to muster a paltry 13 points.

This week, Del Rio finally returns from a sprained knee. One might assume that Florida’s offense would go right back to dominating opposing defenses. However, this may not be the case. Del Rio may not be 100 percent. And even if he is, Missouri is probably the best defense he has faced so far this season. Also, his inability to practice may have messed up his timing with Antonio Callaway.

The Missouri at Florida game will be worth watching this weekend. If Del Rio comes out and lights the Tigers up, Florida may still be a contender in the SEC East. If the Florida offense continues to struggle, Florida might be out already.

Oct 8, 2016; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Austin Allen (8) gets ready to throw during the fourth quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports

2. Who Wins the Quarterback Showdown in Fayetteville?

Coming into the season, everyone expected Chad Kelly to be the best quarterback in SEC Football. Thus far he has not disappointed. He has completed 115 of 174 passes for 1,596 yards and 13 touchdowns compared to only four interceptions.

So, if Kelly has been the best quarterback in SEC Football, who has been the second best? I would argue in favor of Austin Allen. Allen has completed 119 of 187 passes for 1,632 yards and 15 touchdowns, compared to just five interceptions. Those stats are extremely similar to Kelly’s. The only real difference between the two is that Allen is not the running threat that Kelly is. Nevertheless, he has been extremely effective.

This Saturday, the two signal-callers will go head-to-head, when the Ole Miss Rebels travel to Fayetteville to face the Arkansas Razorbacks. Both defenses have been susceptible to big plays, and both offenses have struggled to establish the running game. That can only mean one thing.

Allen and Kelly are going to sling the ball all around the yard. Fans of high-flying offense should absolutely tune in to this game. Last season these two teams combined for over 800 yards through the air. I would not be surprised to see similar statistics after this season’s contest.

Oct 8, 2016; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) gets ready to throw during the second quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports

1. Can Alabama Make it Ten in a Row Over Tennessee?

The last time Alabama lost to the Tennessee Volunteers I was a sophomore in high school. Now I have a master’s degree. Time flies. Last season, Tennessee gave the Tide all they wanted before ultimately losing 19-14. Can they pull out a win this season?

The Volunteers have an extremely potent running game. Joshua Dobbs, Jalen Hurd, and Alvin Kamara form a powerful three-man attack. Unfortunately for the Volunteers, the Tide’s strength on defense is stopping the run.

That means that Joshua Dobbs is going to have to beat the Tide through the air. Can he do so? I don’t think he can. He simply isn’t accurate enough. On the season Dobbs is completing just 58 percent of his passes. The Tide secondary is tough and experienced. They make opposing quarterbacks fit the ball into tight windows. Chad Kelly and Austin Allen were able to do so, but I’m not sure Dobbs can.

On the other side of the ball things look pretty bleak for the Volunteers. Their defense is a triage unit. If the Volunteers want to slow down an explosive Bama offense, Derek Barnett will have to play like the star he is. He is essentially the only elite defender healthy enough to play this week. Expect Lane Kiffin to focus on minimizing Barnett’s impact in his game plan this week.

I am biased in favor of Alabama. I will admit that. First, I got my bachelor’s degree here. Then, I got my master’s degree here. And now, finally, I work here. So I’m about as biased as it gets. With that said, I don’t see how Tennessee beats Alabama this week. The Tide rolls.

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