SEC Football: Week Nine Predictions

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

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Oct 15, 2016; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators running back Lamical Perine (22) runs with the ball against the Missouri Tigers during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida Gators defeated the Missouri Tigers 40-14. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

This season has been full of ups and downs for my predictions, but not since week one have I had such a terrible week. The worst part about last week’s performance was how confident I felt about my picks. In fact, last week was so bad that I felt compelled to make a set of rules to go by for the rest of the season when making my predictions. The list will likely continue to grow, but here’s what I’ve come up with so far:

I hope that following these rules will lead to better results from here on out. I promise to be better and get this thing back on track starting with this week’s games.

Oct 15, 2016; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Luke Del Rio (14) runs out of pocket against the Missouri Tigers during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Gators won 40-14. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

#14 Florida (-7.5) over Georgia, Saturday 2:30 PM (CT), Everbank Field

This game is very tricky to predict. Florida should be undefeated right now, but I’m still not how good the Gators really are. On the other hand, Georgia just lost at home to Vanderbilt. I repeat: GEORGIA JUST LOST AT HOME TO VANDERBILT. Normally, that would be enough for me to automatically pick the Gators without a second thought. However, it’s important to remember that the Gators almost lost at home to the Commodores. The fact that the Georgia has seemingly played to the level of their competition all season also causes me to have some reservations about picking the Gators to cover.

Ultimately, I’m going with the Gators because I like their defense going up against a true freshman in Jacob Eason. I’m high on Eason (I think he’s a future #1 overall pick), but I think the Gators defense will force him into several mistakes. It also won’t help that the Bulldogs’ receivers pose no threat to the Gators’ secondary. Florida QB Luke Del Rio will make enough plays to lead the Gators to a ten point win. Florida 27, Georgia 17

Oct 22, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers running back am Martin (9) gets past Arkansas Razorbacks linebacker Dwayne Eugene (35) and scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Tigers beat the Razorbacks 56-3. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

#15 Auburn (-4) over Ole Miss, Saturday 6:15 PM (CT), Vaught Hemingway Stadium

After a rough start, Auburn has seemingly turned their season around. What was once a struggling Tigers’ offense has now turned into a powerful rushing attack. Combine that with a great defense and the Tigers now look like one of the best teams in the country. While Auburn is trending up, Ole Miss is trending in the opposite direction. The Rebels are perhaps the most disappointing team in the country considering the talent this team has. In fact, it is likely that this entire era of Ole Miss football will ultimately be looked back on as a disappointment. It’s hard to say anything positive about this Ole Miss team and I’m not going to try.

For all the reasons above, Auburn will win comfortably. The Rebels have absolutely nothing left to play for and they don’t exactly have the best leadership to right the sinking ship. Auburn is peaking at the right time and is firmly in position to compete for a trip to Atlanta. Auburn will continue their strong play and dominate the Rebels on both sides of the ball. Auburn 38, Ole Miss 14

Sep 24, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Josh Malone (3) runs the ball against the Florida Gators during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 38-28. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

#18 Tennessee (-13.5) over South Carolina, Saturday 6:15 PM (CT), Williams Brice Stadium

For Tennessee, a bye week couldn’t have come at a better time. The Vols have been decimated by injuries all season and it finally caught up to them against Texas A&M and Alabama. Now the Vols are in a position where they must win out and hope for a Florida loss to have a chance to win the East. South Carolina is in a different position as they are merely pushing for a bowl appearance. A bowl game with a talent depleted roster would be huge going forward for Will Muschamp and the Gamecock program. However, the Gamecocks must pull of an upset to reach six wins and this home match-up with Tennessee likely represents their best opportunity.

Williams-Brice Stadium is always a tough environment to win in, but I’m counting on Tennessee to be rejuvenated for the final stretch of the season. The Vols are expected to see the return of several key players, especially along the offensive line, which has been a major weak spot in the last few weeks. While Tennessee is still far from fully healthy, it should be close enough to full strength for Tennessee to take care of business against the Gamecocks. I expect the South Carolina to hang around early, but the Vols will ultimately pull alway in second half. Tennessee 34, South Carolina 17

Oct 14, 2016; Provo, UT, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Nick Fitzgerald (7) waits for the snap in overtime against the Brigham Young Cougars at Lavell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Elsewhere around the SEC:

Kentucky (-4.5) over Missouri

Mississippi State(-18) over Samford

Texas A&M (-43.5) over New Mexico State

Record: 34-34 ATS, 56-12 Straight-up