Tucker’s Pick ‘Em: College football picks and previews for Week 9

Record last week: 9-3
Record this year:  68-21

Mercer (5-3, 1-3 SoCon) @ Chattanooga (4-3, 3-0 SoCon)
Saturday, October 25 at 12 p.m.
Mercer had just six yards less than Western Carolina last week but fell 35-21.

What hurt the Bears was early mistakes, starting with a fumble on their first drive that was picked up and returned for a touchdown.

There’s plenty of hope for the future, but they still have some growing up to do:

Chattanooga 38, Mercer 17

Actual Score: Chattanooga 38, Mercer 31 (WIN)

Paine (1-6, 0-3 SIAC) @ Fort Valley State (5-2, 3-1 SIAC)
Saturday, October 25 at 2 p.m.
It’s Homecoming Week in Fort Valley.

The Wildcats do what they should have done last week against Limestone (win big):

Fort Valley State 38, Paine 7

Actual Score: Fort Valley State 23, Paine 10 (WIN)

Georgia Southern (5-2, 4-0 Sun Belt) @ Georgia State (1-6, 0-4 Sun Belt)
Saturday, October 25 at 2 p.m. ESPN3
Both these Peach State teams are new to the Sun Belt Conference, but the boys in Statesboro clearly have the advantage.

The Eagles’ only two losses came at NC State and Georgia Tech by a combined five points.

They won’t lose in Atlanta again:

Georgia Southern 42, Georgia State 21

Actual Score: Georgia Southern 69, Georgia State 31 (WIN)

No. 1 Mississippi State (6-0, 3-0 SEC) @ Kentucky (5-2, 2-2 SEC)
Saturday, October 25 at 3:30 p.m. CBS *SEC NETWORK’s SEC Nation
Anything can happen in colllege football.  Yes, even Mississippi State and Kentucky playing in the SEC’s primary afternoon slot.

The game lost some of its appeal after Kentucky was blown out at LSU, but I still expect an interesting matchup.

The last time Kentucky knocked off a No. 1 team was 2007 when it beat LSU 43-37 in Lexington:

Mississippi State 31, Kentucky 21

Actual Score: Mississippi State 45, Kentucky 31 (WIN)

Georgia Tech (5-2, 2-2 ACC) @ Pittsburgh (4-3, 2-1 ACC)
Saturday, October 25 at 3:30 p.m. ESPNU
After starting the season 5-0, the Yellow Jackets find themselves in the middle of a two-game losing streak.

Both losses came to teams from North Carolina.  Duke beat the Yellow Jackets 31-25 in Atlanta, and UNC won a 48-43 shootout in Chapel Hill.

Maybe Tech can bounce back in its first trip to Pitt since 1920.. or maybe not:

Pittsburgh 35, Georgia Tech 31

Actual Score: Georgia Tech 56, Pittsburgh 28 (LOSS)

Vanderbilt (2-5, 0-4 SEC) @ Missouri (5-2, 2-1 SEC)
Saturday, October 25 at 4 p.m. SEC NETWORK
Missouri couldn’t manage 120 yards of offense last week in the Swamp but still managed a 42-13 win.

A week earlier, Georgia shut out the Tigers in Columbia, 34-0.

This could be the battle for last in the SEC East, (assuming Florida wins a few games):

Missouri 24, Vanderbilt 3

Actual Score: Missouri 24, Vanderbilt 14 (WIN)

No. 3 Ole Miss (7-0, 4-0) @ No. 24 LSU (6-2, 2-2 SEC)
Saturday, October 25 at 7:15 p.m. ESPN *ESPN’s College GameDay
The Tigers are back inside the Top 25 after beating Kentucky 41-3.

Their No. 24 ranking may be short-lived.  The third-ranked Ole Miss Rebels are looking to drop the Tigers back below .500 in conference play with a Magnolia Bowl win.

This could be the best game all week:

Ole Miss 28, LSU 23

Actual Score: LSU 10, Ole Miss 7 (LOSS)

No. 4 Alabama (6-1, 3-1 SEC) @ Tennessee (3-4, 0-3 SEC)
Saturday, October 25 at 7:30 p.m. ESPN2
The third Saturday in October means it’s time for Alabama/Tennessee.

The two teams are going in different directions.  Alabama is coming off an impressive 59-0 win over Texas A&M, while Tennessee is still licking its wounds from a 34-3 loss at Ole Miss.

Lane Kiffiin makes more offensive magic and wins in his return to Knoxville:

Alabama 41, Tennessee 17

Actual Score: Alabama 34, Tennessee 20 (WIN)

South Carolina (4-3, 2-3 SEC) @ No. 5 Auburn (5-1, 2-1 SEC)
Saturday, October 25 at 7:30 p.m. SEC NETWORK
For some reason, South Carolina just hasn’t fared well against Auburn.

The Gamecocks are winless against the Tigers since Steve Spurrier took over as coach, including a 56-17 loss in the 2010 SEC Championship Game.

Coming off a loss and an off week, Auburn wins big:

Auburn 48, South Carolina 21

Actual Score: Auburn 42, South Carolina 35 (WIN)

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