By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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Matt Smith previews week five in the SEC.

SEC Week 5 Primer
The SEC slate is another slimmed-down version this week, partially due to COVID reschedules as well as the first set of scheduled idle weeks. The good news is that at least three of this weeks four games figure to be pretty competitive. A pair of Tigers face must-wins if they hope to save their seasons, while Alabama and Tennessee renew their historic but recently one-sided rivalry.

Six teams may be idle on Saturday, but it doesnt feel like a sleepy week. There simply isnt going to be one of those in 2020 in the SEC. Lets look at the four-pack of games around the South on Saturday.

Southern Storylines
Shuffling The Deck
Five games were originally scheduled for Saturday. Three of them will be played, and one new game was shifted into this week. Auburn-Ole Miss, South Carolina-LSU and Alabama-Tennessee will be played as scheduled in August, while Missouri-Florida and Georgia-Kentucky were pushed back from this week to next week. With Missouri having been off last week as well due to COVID issues with scheduled opponent Vanderbilt, the Tigers will now host Kentucky on Saturday instead of next week to avoid having two straight Saturdays off. Arkansas, Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt are on their scheduled idle weeks.

Rocky Top Shocks
After going 36 years without a win in Neyland Stadium, Kentucky blasted Tennessee last Saturday, 34-7. The Wildcats winning the game wasnt stunning, but the one-sidedness of it made it the most surprising result of the weekend. The Vols are back in Neyland on Saturday afternoon, this week a heavy underdog against Alabama, who has won six straight times in Knoxville. A Tennessee win this week would have equal shock value to its blowout loss last week. The Vols have the talent to compete, but do they have the resolve to bounce back from last weeks debacle?

No. 2 Redos
The most resolve required for Tennessee to be competitive against Alabama is from its quarterback, Jarrett Guarantano. The fifth-year senior threw two pick-sixes in the loss to Kentucky before being benched. Hes expected to start again, but hes also not the only SEC quarterback who wears No. 2 to have perhaps the worst day of his career last Saturday. Ole Miss Matt Corral threw six passes that landed in the hands of Arkansas defenders, with two of them being returned for touchdowns. Corral will look to get back on track in a huge home game against Auburn, which also is coming off of a day to forget last week at South Carolina.

Big Blue Buzzsaw
Part of Kentuckys success under Mark Stoops has been winning games against its two peer programs in the SEC East 3 Missouri and South Carolina. The Wildcats beat the Gamecocks five straight times before falling to them in 2019. Kentucky will hope to avoid a similar fate on Saturday when it takes a five-game winning streak over Missouri to Columbia to face a rested Tigers team. An 0-2 start didnt damage the Wildcats, as theyve rolled over Mississippi State and Tennessee by a combined 58-9 in the past two weeks. With Alabama, Florida and Georgia on the schedule in the second half of the season, getting to 3-2 on Saturday is probably a must if the Wildcats hope to finish .500 or better.

Louisiana Saturday Night
For the first time since last November, there will be football under the lights of Tiger Stadium this weekend. 1-2 LSU hosts surging South Carolina, which heads to Baton Rouge on a two-game winning streak. Consecutive wins against Auburn and LSU, even if neither group of Tigers is the team it was expected to be, would be a huge cboomd for Will Muschamp, while Ed Orgeron needs a win to avoid a 1-3 start 3 LSUs worst start since 1994. Tigers quarterback Myles Brennan is expected to miss the game after suffering an injury two weeks ago in a loss to Missouri.

Trivia Time (answers below):
1. Of Bear Bryant, Phillip Fulmer, Johnny Majors, Robert Neyland, Gene Stallings, who is the only one to win his final Alabama-Tennessee game as a head coach?
2. Nick Saban is 22-0 against former assistants. What was his record against former boss Bill Belichick?
3. Who replaced Tommy Tuberville as head coach when he left Ole Miss for Auburn?

Previews and Predictions
Auburn (-3) at Ole Miss, Noon ET (SEC Network)
Announcers: Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic
Two streaky quarterbacks kick off the SEC Saturday hoping to atone for poor performances a week ago and return to the good graces of their fanbases in Auburns Bo Nix and Ole Miss Matt Corral. Ole Miss defense was more respectable against Arkansas than it was in the first three games, but Auburns offense has two weapons above and beyond the Razorbacks with speedster Anthony Schwartz and combative catcher Seth Williams. Auburns defense got little help last week after some bad turnovers by Nix, but the Tigers inability to stop the run this season is alarming. All four Auburn opponents have registered at least 40 rushing attempts. Lane Kiffin will have no problem with a run-heavy game plan, and it may help Corral settle back in after his disastrous day in Fayetteville. Auburn still has a better overall roster, and every time Gus Malzahn appears ready to fall of the cliff, he pulls his team together and finds some wins. Prediction: Auburn 34, Ole Miss 30

(2) Alabama (-21) at Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
Announcers: Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson
What can Tennessee do that Georgia cant? Despite his struggles last week against Kentucky, Jarrett Guarantano can stretch the field more so than Stetson Bennett with top targets Brandon Johnson and Josh Palmer. The Vols ground game has had far more bark than bite this season, but I cant say theres no way it can be effective against Alabama. Defensively, Tennessee fired its defensive line coach this week, so clearly there is frustration with the defensive front. The pass defense has been highly susceptible to slants, for whatever reason. Alabamas Jaylen Waddle catching a slant in stride is one of the most terrifying sights youll see on a football field, so that crack has to be sealed if Tennessee hopes to stay in this game. Weve seen Tennessee teams near the breaking point get it together before, most recently last season, and that gives me some hope that this game could be moderately competitive. Alabama will extend its 10-year winning streak over SEC East opponents, but this will be more of a battle than the line suggests. Prediction: Alabama 41, Tennessee 27

Kentucky (-5.5) at Missouri, 4 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
Announcers: Taylor Zarzour and Matt Stinchcomb
What to make of Missouri? Connor Bazelak might be the real deal after lighting up LSU two weeks ago, but weve seen what has happened to Mississippi States K.J. Costello since he lit up LSU in Week 1, so maybe all non-Vanderbilt offenses are going to do that to LSU. Theres no doubt Kentucky will be bringing a competent defense to Columbia, having allowed just one touchdown in the past two weeks. The Wildcats are stopping the run and forcing turnovers, and despite some offensive limitations, thats winning football. I havent seen enough from Missouris defense to think that Kentuckys passing game struggles will be all that impactful. Kentucky should still be able to run the ball well enough to make it six straight wins over the Tigers. Prediction: Kentucky 27, Missouri 17

South Carolina at LSU (-7), 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Announcers: Bob Wischusen and Dan Orlovsky
Its hard to find something that South Carolina does really well. Its also hard to find something that South Carolina does poorly. In a season of uncertainty, theres something comforting about a team like the Gamecocks. Im not sure what Im getting from LSU, especially with Myles Brennan likely unavailable. The Tigers would then turn to one of two freshmen 3 TJ Finley or Max Johnson 3 to make his first career start. Defensively, LSU has been torched by both non-Vanderbilt offenses it has faced. The Tigers defense is certainly a unit that was expected to start slowly this season and develop as all the new players gained experience, but its hard to count on that until we see it actually happening. Im going with what Ive actually seen. Prediction: South Carolina 28, LSU 23

Best Bets
Last Week: 3-1, +2 Musburgers
Season: 10-7-1, +11 Musburgers
Iowa -3.5 at Purdue 3 5 Musburgers
Maryland +10.5 at Northwestern 3 4 Musburgers
Navy +14 vs. Houston 3 3 Musburgers
Air Force -7 at San Jose State 3 2 Musburgers
Pittsburgh +10.5 vs. Notre Dame 3 1 Musburger

Trivia Answers
1. Robert Neyland
2. 2-2
3. David Cutcliffe