Which Gators will show up vs Tennessee football in The Swamp, plus other SEC predictions
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How much do the players care?
That’s a question fans might be pondering as we head down the stretch of the SEC football season. And the bettors should be thinking about it more than anyone else.
NIL investors also should be curious. They’re paying players to perform regardless of the team’s record or postseason possibilities. Will they get their money’s worth?
Imagine how Florida boosters felt watching the Gators go belly up in a 38-7 loss to Kentucky. The players couldn’t have given less effort if they had been injected with tranquilizers in pregame warmups. A week earlier, the same Florida team gave playoff-bound Georgia all it could handle before losing 24-20.
The Gators came roaring back a week after the Kentucky loss, threatening to pull the playoff carpet out from under Ole Miss – just as they did last season – before losing a lead in the fourth quarter.
Will the Vols get the Gators who pushed Ole Miss and Georgia to the limit or the ones who had no interest in competing against Kentucky?
Tennessee at least has incentive to finish strong. It could reach 10 victories by beating Florida, Vanderbilt and a bowl opponent. It also could accomplish what so many UT teams couldn’t.
As you might have heard, the Vols haven’t won in The Swamp since 2003.
Tennessee 34, Florida 30: If you ignore the Vols’ dismal history in The Swamp, why would you think the Gators had a chance?
Answer: UT’s defense hasn’t given up fewer than 31 points in an SEC game.
But another question worth answering: Is Florida capable of exploiting a vulnerable defense?
Perhaps, but only if quarterback DJ Lagway can avoid completing passes to the wrong team. He threw five interceptions against LSU and three in the first half against Kentucky.
Vanderbilt 27, Kentucky 20: The Commodores have a shot at the College Football Playoff. Quarterback Diego Pavia could be a Heisman Trophy finalist. And Clark Lea could be national coach of the year.
But wouldn’t it be so Vanderbilt to blow it all with a home-field loss to Kentucky?
The Wildcats aren’t nearly as easy a mark as they once looked. They have won three consecutive games, are getting surprisingly effective play from freshman quarterback Cutter Boley, and have given up only 10 points in their past two SEC games combined.
Texas 34, Arkansas 24: Little was expected of the Razorbacks in preseason. And they still have underachieved.
Never mind if they came close to beating Ole Miss, Memphis, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Auburn, Mississippi State and LSU. They didn’t beat any of them.
Now, they’re just two more SEC losses – close or otherwise – away from a winless SEC season.
So much for interim coach Bobby Petrino’s chance for a promotion.
Oklahoma 22, Missouri 13: The Sooners offense can be hard to watch. Its best chance for success is quarterback John Mateer scrambling out of the pass pocket for meaningful gains.
Oklahoma’s defense is an altogether different matter. It can be dominant, especially when coach Brent Venables is devising schemes to confuse a young quarterback. That doesn’t bode well for Missouri freshman Matt Zollers.
Georgia 50, Charlotte 6: The Bulldogs resisted the temptation to schedule an FCS opponent for their warmup before Georgia Tech. But they scheduled the next best thing.
Charlotte is almost as bad it gets in FBS. I say “almost” because of winless UMass.
Auburn 45, Mercer 16: The Tigers had two weeks to prepare for the Bears. That should be enough time.
But when you have lost six of your last seven games, you shouldn’t take anything for granted.
Texas A&M 52, Samford 7: The Aggies found the perfect nonconference patsy as a tune-up for their regular-season finale against Texas. Samford recently fired coach Chris Hatcher.
Four other Texas A&M opponents have fired their coach this season.
South Carolina 41, Coastal Carolina 17: Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer would have been better off taking a routine loss to Texas A&M. Instead, South Carolina played its best half of the season in building a 30-3 lead against the unbeaten Aggies.
Now, Beamer is known as the coach who couldn’t hold a 27-point lead. And the Gamecocks are assured of a second losing season in three years.
LSU 34, Western Kentucky: 12: Passing should be prominent in this matchup, which shapes up as one of many yawners on this week’s SEC schedule. The Hilltoppers rank 110th nationally in rushing yards per game. LSU ranks 125th, averaging a mere 101 yards rushing per game.
Alabama 56, Eastern Illinois 0: Credit the Tide with finding the most infirm nonconference opponent of the week. The Panthers have lost six consecutive games and were at their worst in a 42-12 loss to Lindenwood on Nov. 15.
Record: 92-16 (.852), 62-37 (.628) against the spread.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Which Gators will show up vs Tennessee football, other SEC predictions
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