Season record: 15-13-1

Last week: 4-1 (Texas -8.5, Georgia/Tennessee u51, Kentucky -1, Notre Dame -5.5, LSU -10.5)

4-1! It was a nice rebound after going 2-6-1 in the week prior. Thankfully, the Clark-fade-o days were short-lived.

Time to recap.

Texas got off to a 19-0 lead in the first half, but did not score at all in the second half. The Longhorns held on for a 19-14 victory, but did not cover.

Kansas State only mustered up 217 yards of offense, yet they found a stay in the game. The Longhorns committed 10 penalties for 104 yards while the Wildcats committed none. Maybe a little homecoming in the “Little Apple”.

Tennessee and Georgia went to halftime with Georgia leading 17-0. Things got a little dicey as both teams scored touchdowns on their opening possessions of the second half. Georgia went on to win by a final of 38-12. Do the math, that is 50 points. Thankfully, Tennessee opted, and failed, on both two-point conversion attempts. It is a game of inches, folks.

Kentucky once again won in a very workman-like fashion. The Wildcats turned to their ground game and defense in their 24-10 victory over South Carolina. Benny Snell had a pedestrian 99 yards on 28 carries, but fellow running back Asim Rose and quarterback Terry Wilson also combined for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The Kentucky defense forced four turnovers, including intercepting South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley three times. The Wildcats also held Bentley to a season-low 148 yards passing.

Kentucky has now won five straight over South Carolina. This is the Wildcats’ longest winning streak in the series.

Ian Book continues his hot streak as he completed 24 of 33 passes for 278 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Irish took a 21-14 lead into halftime. Notre Dame pulled away in the fourth quarter as Book threw two of his touchdown passes to make it 38-17.

Notre Dame dominated on the stat sheet, outgaining Stanford 550 to 229 in offensive yardage. Stanford running back Bryce Love was held in check for most of the game, gaining 73 yards on 17 carries.

Ole Miss was going to need a Herculean effort from its offense to beat LSU on the road. That was not the case Saturday night. LSU safety Grant Delpit picked off Jordan Ta’amu on Ole Miss’ first drive of the game. The Rebels went on to struggle against a spirited LSU defense. For the game, Ole Miss gained 328 yards of offense, well short of their season average.

Instead it was quarterback Joe Burrow and the LSU offense piling up points. Burrow threw 292 yards and ran for 96 more. Burrow accounted for four touchdowns on his way to becoming SEC Offensive Player of the Week. Other than fumbles, the LSU offense was nearly perfect as they rolled to a 45-16 victory.

And now, rolling into Week 6.

Missouri Tigers @ South Carolina Gamecocks | 11:00 AM CT | October 6 | Williams-Brice Stadium

Line: South Carolina -1.5| Total: 64

This SEC East battle lost a little luster after South Carolina was defeated by Kentucky last week. Missouri is coming off of a bye.

As mentioned, South Carolina lost to Kentucky. In the game, the Gamecocks turned the ball over four times, and struggled to put together offensive drives. Quarterback Jake Bentley also suffered an injury late in the game. Bentley is likely to play, but his knee will be something to watch in this game. Perhaps, he can take solace in the fact that Missouri had no sacks and one hurry in their game against Georgia.

Missouri quarterback Drew Lock enters the game with 321 passing yards per game. Lock had his worst performance of the season against Georgia, completing 23 of 48 passes for 221 yards, and an interception. However, the Missouri ground game became a catalyst. As a team, the Tigers rushed for 172 yards. Running backs Damarea Crockett, Tyler Badie, and Larry Rountree III each ran for a touchdown.

I’m going with Missouri +1.5. With the week off, I like their offense to outscore South Carolina with a balanced attack.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Longhorns | 11:00 AM CT | October 6 | Cotton Bowl

Line: Oklahoma -7.5 | Total: 61.5

The Red River Shootout. I know we are not supposed to call it that anymore, but I am. A team that knows shootouts very well is the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners are averaging just over 48 points per game. Dual-threat quarterback Kyler Murray runs the show, and he has been very impressive, throwing for 17 touchdowns and running for 4 more.

Texas has bounced back after dropping its opener at Maryland. The Longhorns have now won four straight including a victory on in-state rival TCU. Texas has been getting it done defensively, only giving up 333 yards per game. Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger has been solid, as he has thrown for seven touchdowns and no interceptions in his last four games. However, the rushing game is an issue for Texas. As a team, they only average 3.74 yards per carry.

I am taking Oklahoma -7.5. This offense has been unstoppable, and the best way to counter them is to run the ball the way Army did. However, I do not trust Texas to execute that, nor do I expect them to defeat Oklahoma in a shootout (wink).

Florida State Seminoles @ Miami Hurricanes | 2:30 PM CT | October 6 | Hard Rock Stadium

Line: Miami -13.5 | Total: 48

Florida State and Miami come into this game, both on winning streaks.

Florida State has been able to regroup, winning two in a row. Florida State quarterback has been key in the turnaround, throwing for six touchdowns and only one interception in the past two games. However, all is not well with the Florida State offense. Star running back Cam Akers is still struggling to get going. The sophomore is averaging only 2.7 yards per carry in the past two games. Things will not get easier as they face a Miami defense that allows only 2.8 yards per carry.

Miami is averaging 42 points per game over its last three games. Freshman quarterback N’Kosi Perry has been a catalyst for the Hurricanes. Perry took over in the Florida International game and started against North Carolina. In those games, he has thrown for 4 touchdowns while completing 68% of his passes. The Hurricanes also have a dynamic duo at running back, DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer. Dallas averages 7.0 yards per carry, while Homer averages 5.8 yards per carry.

Oh, and the turnover chain is back! Miami forced six turnovers in their win over North Carolina last Thursday.

Miami -13.5 is my pick. The Miami defense will make it difficult on Florida State, and the Miami offense will turn to its running game to pull away.

Kentucky Wildcats @ Texas A&M Aggies | 6:00 PM CT | October 6 | Kyle Field

Line: Texas A&M -5.5 | Total: 51.5

Strength meets strength. Kentucky is really good at running the ball (254 rushing yards per game), Texas A&M is really good at stopping the run (only allows 81 rushing yards per game).

On the flip side, Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond has shown improvement in his sophomore campaign. The Clemson game was a coming out party for Mond when he threw for 430 yards and 3 touchdowns. However, he has come back to life as of late. Mond threw two interceptions against both Alabama and Arkansas. He will be going up against a Kentucky defense that picked off South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley three times.

Am I going to take Kentucky? Snell yeah! Benny Snell and Kentucky +5.5 is my pick. It will not be pretty, but the ‘Cats find a way.

OUTTA HERE!