Here are Abby Dalton’s Week 6 picks for the Tennessee football Volunteers, SEC, and top 25.
There are once again seven SEC games this weekend with two more top 25 games, leaving nine for us to predict, including the Tennessee football matchup at the Georgia Bulldogs. Before making those picks, here’s a look at how I performed last week and where my standing is overall on straight-up and on gambling picks.
Week 5 performance
Straight up: 5-2
Gambling picks: 6-8
- 3-4 against the spread
- 3-4 over/under
Overall performance for 2020
Straight-up: 13-3
Gambling picks: 18-14
- 10-6 against the spread
- 8-8 over/under
Obviously, last weekend was a significant drop-off from how I performed in Week 5. Let’s see if there’s a better showing in Week 6. Here are my Tennessee football, SEC and top 25 predictions.
Texas A&M +6; Over 58
This is going to be a pretty tight knit game. Florida has an excellent quarterback that has shown
promise the last few games. Kyle Trask is doing a great job for the Gators, and he is in the running for the Heisman. He also has a great weapon in junior tight end, Kyle Pitts. That is going to be very
hard for the Aggies to handle.
Florida is averaging 495 yards a game but needs to be on the lookout for receiver Ainias Smith. If Texas AMM pulls off the upset, it’ll be because of Smith. The Aggies need to use him as the weapon he is against Florida. I would be completely on board for an upset if A&M had a better defense, but I think Florida will take matters into their own hands and go down with the win.
LSU -14.5; Over 54
LSU is getting back on the track after a loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Myles Brennan
made a statement against the Vanderbilt Commodores. Everyone is “allowed” one bad game. It was the season opener, and things happen. I don’t think this Tigers team should be taken lightly. They are going to gain momentum, and it’s going to be ugly for the teams they face.
Mizzou isn’t ready for their playing style. The other Tigers haven’t played well, and they just got
smacked by Tennessee football. LSU isn’t going to have any problems with this one as long as they come ready to play.
South Carolina -13.5; Under 41
South Carolina won’t have a problem handling the Commodores. Vanderbilt has had a rough couple of years, and I think this one is going to be pretty disastrous for them. They will not be able to stop the Gamecocks. Will Muschamp’s team was hanging with Florida and Tennessee, but they
just couldn’t recover when big plays were made. I don’t see Vanderbilt having any big plays for
them to worry about.
Virginia Tech +5.5; Under 60
No. 8 North Carolina has a lot on their plate this weekend. The No. 19 ranked Virginia Tech Hokies are going to give them a run for their money. I am calling an upset on Chapel Hill. It’s not even going to be close entering the fourth quarter.
The Hokies have had an incredible start from Khalil Herbert. He broke the school record against Duke with 358 yards. Although the Tar Heels have been doing great defensively, they won’t be able to stop Virginia Tech. Hendon Hooker will be playing, and that’s all we need to know.
Arkansas +3; Under 45.5
I think this game will be closer than most people will give Arkansas credit for. The Razorbacks have had a rollercoaster of a week. They beat the No.16 ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs but got stomped on by the Georgia Bulldogs the week before.
On the other hand, the Auburn Tigers got stomped by Georgia last week. Gus Malzahn’s team will have to be prepared to handle the Hogs. Arkansas is going to come in ready to play but Auburn will hold them off.
Alabama -23.5; Under 69.5
Out of all the games going on this week, this one isn’t going to be a must watch. Ole Miss has
been struggling in its first year under former Tennessee football head coach Lane Kiffin, and Alabama has done just the opposite.
The Crimson Tide are the superior team, and they are well put together. As a result, the Rebels are not going to be able to handle Nick Saban’s offense or defense. I do however, have them getting some points up. It just won’t be enough to handle Bama.
Miami +6; Over 63.5
Miami will give Clemson a run for their money. I don’t see this being a blowout, but I do see
the Tigers finding a way to snag the win. The Hurricanes looked good against the Louisville Cardinals and the Florida State Seminoles, but I don’t think they have what it takes to handle Dabo Swinney’s team. Clemson hasn’t played its best, but it’ll be good enough to get them the win.
Mississippi State +3; Under 57.5
The Wildcats are having a rough time getting started. They are 0-2, but we have to give them
credit. Kentucky played well against the Auburn Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels offensively. Defense was a big problem for them, and that is going to cause trouble playing the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday.
MSU isn’t necessarily in the same boat as Kentucky, but they had a very frustrating loss last week. Both of these teams are going to be coming in trying to make a statement, but I think MSU is going to make it their game from the start. Kentucky won’t be able to stop them.
Tennessee +12.5; Over 43
It is going to be an incredible game in Athens, GA on Saturday. Tennessee football is going to be put to the test. They have played decent ball and they will be competing Saturday to show the
conference that they are in this fight.
Cade Mays has a bone to pick with Georgia, and I think that is really going to help the overall team momentum. This is Georgia and Tennessee that we are talking about. It’s going to be a last minute game. Maybe another Hail Mary? We will see Saturday but I have a bold prediction that Tennessee football will take out Georgia.