By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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Ole Miss will look to move to 8-0 on the season with a road victory over an improving LSU squad.

The Vitals

UAB at Arkansas (-27), 12 p.m. ET (SEC Network); Dave Neal and Andre Ware

(1) Mississippi State (-14.5) at Kentucky, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS); Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson

Vanderbilt at Missouri (-23), 4 p.m. ET (SEC Network); Tom Hart and Matt Stinchcomb

(3) Ole Miss (-3.5) at (24) LSU, 7:15 p.m. ET (ESPN); Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit

(4) Alabama (-17) at Tennessee, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2); Joe Tessitore and Brock Huard

South Carolina at (5) Auburn (-19), 7:30 p.m. ET (SEC Network); Brent Musburger and Jesse Palmer

Bye: Florida, (9) Georgia, Texas A&M

Matchups to Watch

1. Alabama WR Amari Cooper vs. Tennessee CB Cameron Sutton

Sutton doesnt get the credit he deserves because the Volunteers are 3-4 and not a factor nationally, but those who have watched Tennessee know that the sophomore is the real deal. Cooper may be the best receiver in the country, having gotten back on track last week against Texas A&M with 140 yards and two touchdowns after having just 113 yards in the previous two games combined. Alabama should be able to run it effectively against the Vols, but when the Tide do go the air, well get to see two of the best at their crafts do battle.

2. Ole Miss CB Senquez Golson vs. LSU WR Travin Dural

Golson added another interception last week against Tennessee, increasing his SEC-leading total to seven. Durals numbers arent overwhelming, but given the quarterback problems in Baton Rouge, 665 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games is impressive. Durals biggest strength is the big play, as he averages more than 25 yards per catch. Golson is on track to be an All-American, but hell have to contain one of the SECs most explosive players Saturday night.

3. Mississippi State OT Blaine Clausell vs. Kentucky DE Bud Dupree

Auburn couldnt get to Dak Prescott in its loss to the Bulldogs, but the Wildcats do have the edge rushers, most notably Dupree, to be able to pressure the Heisman Trophy contender. The senior has three sacks on the year and scored a touchdown on an interception return against South Carolina. Clausell, a three-year starter, anchors an offensive line that lacks star power but has dominated the trenches all season.

Quotable

cThe game means everything to our football program and our fans because it is the University of Alabama, not because it is Lane Kiffin. Three-quarters of our team, he is a great coach but nobody knows who Lane Kiffin is. Again, that is for the fans.d 3 Tennessee head coach Butch Jones on Kiffins return to Knoxville

cThe big thing for me is Im not trying to mess it up. Im going in and trying to not have any turnovers. The defense is playing well. If we punt it past the 50-yard line, theyre probably not going to get points. It makes me feel a lot more comfortable.d 3 Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace on his confidence in the Rebels defense

cBo Wallace is maybe one of the best quarterbacks that have gone through this conferenced 3 LSU head coach Les Miles, offering high praise to the quarterback he will face Saturday night

History Lesson

If youre watching Saturday nights game between Alabama and Tennessee (during which you’ll see approximately 734 shots of Lane Kiffin), youll likely hear references to the cThird Saturday in Octoberd.

You may then realize that Saturday is the fourth Saturday of October, now the home of the Crimson Tide-Volunteers rivalry in five of every seven years, depending on the calendar.

Is there a math problem? Well, in a sport with a 14-team Big Ten and a 10-team Big 12, thats a fair question. But for nearly 70 years, Alabama and Tennessee did play on the third Saturday of October.

As with most great moments in Tennessee football, the roots of The Third Saturday in October can be traced back to longtime head coach Gen. Robert Neyland, whose name adorns the 100,000-plus seat monstrosity that is home to the Volunteers.

Neyland was in his third season as head coach of his alma mater in 1928, but Tennessee had yet to establish itself as a national power. That began to change with a 15-13 upset of mighty Alabama in Tuscaloosa in the teams first meeting in 14 seasons.

The Volunteers won four of the first five after the series was resumed, and a rivalry was born between two schools six hours apart 3 a significant distance at that time given the state of transportation. Like most rivalry games, its place on the calendar was secure.

Even Alabamas game with Auburn, considered by everyone outside of Michigan and Ohio to be college football greatest rivalry, has moved around through the years between mid-November and early December. But for seven decades (outside of a one-year break during World War II), if it was the third Saturday in October, crimson and orange would collide on the gridiron.

The 1995 meeting is known mostly for Tennessee snapping a nine-game winless streak against the Tide, highlighted by a touchdown pass on the games first play from Peyton Manning to Joey Kent. But it was also the beginning of a new era for the Third Saturday in October, as the game was played on Oct. 14, 1995, the second Saturday of the month.

Sports Illustrated, in reference to the date change, said that the date change was ca shift only slightly less jarring in Knoxville than if Thanksgiving were moved to a Wednesdayd.

Scheduling realignment (whatever that means) has pushed the Alabama-Tennessee game off of Octobers third Saturday in 14 of the past 20 seasons, but the Third Saturday in October lives on.

In a sport filled with misnomers, branding again trumps accuracy. They wont cget it rightd again until 2017, when the teams are expected to meet on Oct. 21 in Tuscaloosa. But no one really cares.

Oct. 25 might not be Octobers third Saturday, but it undoubtedly is the Third Saturday in October.

Trivia Time (answers below)

1. What is Nick Sabans career record against Tennessee?

2. How many wins over Auburn does South Carolina have since joining the SEC?

3. How many yards was LSUs Billy Cannons famous punt return to defeat Ole Miss in 1959?

Predictions:

Arkansas 45, UAB 24

As strange as it sounds now, the Blazers pushed current No. 1 Mississippi State well into the second half back in Week 2 before losing by 13. This wont be a cakewalk for Arkansas, who was humbled at home last week against Georgia. UAB wont hold up physically for quarters, but itll again be competitive with an SEC West opponent.

Mississippi State 38, Kentucky 21

How will the Bulldogs handle their first game ever as the No. 1 team in the country? The Wildcats upset LSU in a very similar situation in 2007, but this Kentucky team isnt quite to the level of the Andre Woodson-led 8Cats. There will be some concern for a while, but the Mississippi State ground game will grind down an overmatched Kentucky run defense in the second half.

Missouri 38, Vanderbilt 7

Last weeks win over Florida caused as many concerns as a 42-13 road SEC win possibly can. Fortunately for the Tigers, the 1-6 Commodores are the perfect opponent with whom to get back on track. Vanderbilt will move the ball on the ground, but the Missouri front seven will overwhelm the Commodores passing game and render them one-dimensional.

Ole Miss 30, LSU 10

Is LSU back after last weeks rout of Kentucky? Is the mystique of Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night going to end the Rebels dream season? No and no. Outside of running back, Ole Miss is better than LSU at every position. Thatll be enough to seize control and slowly squeeze the life out of the Tigers to remain perfect.

Alabama 27, Tennessee 7

The Tide have struggled away from Tuscaloosa, losing to Ole Miss and needing all 60 minutes to hold off Arkansas and West Virginia. Tennessee will likely without quarterback Justin Worley, who is nursing an injured shoulder. Will the Vols turn to sophomore Nathan Peterman, who has looked completely lost in limited duty over the past two seasons, or do they burn a redshirt on Josh Dobbs? On Saturday night, at least, it wont matter.

Auburn 41, South Carolina 27

This will be more competitive and perhaps more high-scoring than the Tigers would like, but this is still a talented Gamecocks team that has a win over Georgia on its resume. Im still not convinced Auburns best quarterback isnt on the bench, but Nick Marshall will look much better a tough day at Mississippi State to send the Tigers rolling into November.

Three Non-SEC Predictions:

1. Urban Meyer shows mercy on no one, and he certainly wont to newest rival James Franklin and Penn State. Christian Hackenberg will be sacked seven times by the Buckeyes defensive line in a 30-point blowout in State College.

2. One of Meyers former employers, Utah, hosts a massive game in the Pac-12 South race against USC. The Trojans will struggle to adjust to both the altitude and possible chilly temperatures at night in Salt Lake City, as the Utes will set up a huge game next week at Arizona State for divisional supremacy.

3. Its time for a good, old-fashioned market correction game in Stillwater. West Virginia produced a supreme defensive effort to upset Baylor, while Oklahoma State was lifeless in a 42-9 rout by TCU. Back at home, the Cowboys will get back on track with a 10-point win over the dangerous, but flawed Mountaineers.

Trivia Answers:

1. 9-1

2. Zero

3. 89 yards