Florida holds a lead against Vanderbilt after one half of play, although it was not the prettiest 30 minutes of football for the Gators. The Gator's offense started today with a disadvantage before the first whistle was blown with three starters out: Trevor Etienne, Kingsley Eguakun and Austin Barber.

DJ Lagway, Danny Wuerffel, Jordan Seaton

Urban Meyer shares insights from his recent conversation with Steve Spurrier, discussing the pressures of winning, the sting of losing, and the enduring legacy of coaching at UF. Make sure you check out The Buddy Martin Show Page exclusively created for GatorBait Members only. https://www.gatorbaitmedia.com/the-buddy-martin-show

The Florida basketball program took a big hit on Thursday with the announcement that EJ Jarvis, who transferred to Florida from Yale over the offseason, will be stepping away from basketball.

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: A week ago, with an offensive line as healthy as it’s been in three weeks, the Gators couldn’t run the football against Kentucky and they struggled to pass protect for quarterback Graham Mertz. The Gators managed only 69 rushing yards and Mertz was not only sacked three times for -21 yards, he was flushed out of the pocket on a regular basis. One week later, the Gators (3-2, 1-1 SEC) are faced with the possibility of facing Vanderbilt (2-4, 0-2 SEC) with left tackle Austin Barber and center Kingsley Eguakun both listed as questionable while dealing with lower body injuries. Barber is still listed as the starter at left tackle, but Jake Slaughter, who has started games against Utah, McNeese State and Charlotte, is listed as the starter at center. If Barber can’t go, Lyndell Hudson II will get the call. Hudson has spent most of the season at right tackle. With Hudson shifting over, Kamryn Waites is listed as the backup right tackle behind Damieon George Jr. At this point, it seems the Gators will be going with somewhat of a patchwork line, not exactly ideal considering this is a Southeastern Conference game and the Gators are coming off a dismal performance against Kentucky last week. While stating confidence that Waites, Hudson, Jordan Herman and others can get the job done after good practice weeks, there is always that issue of continuity. Vanderbilt might be an SEC bottom dweller, but the Commodores did stuff the Florida running game last year (Gators were 21-45) and that was against a UF offensive line that was one of the best in the country in blocking for the run game. “So you know, it’s one of the solutions that we’re pursuing to some degree, right?” Napier said. In terms of continuity up front. We haven’t you know, it’s not just game day where continuity becomes an issue. It’s also in how you practice, who’s available during the week, the mixture of rotations.” No matter who is available on the offensive line, the Gators may be down their most explosive running back. Trevor Etienne (60-357 rushing, 2 TDs, 5.97 per carry) is listed as questionable with what is described as an upper body injury. In the event Etienne is unable to answer the bell, Montrell Johnson Jr. (56-253, 3 TDs, 4.52 per carry) will take on the bulk of the carries while backed up by true freshman Treyaun Webb (18-76, 2 TDs, 4.22 per carry). Montrell Johnson on the team mentality after the Kentucky loss: “The message has been just to continue to not beat ourselves. I feel like the games that we lost it was us beating ourself, it was not anything the opponent did. It was just execution issues, stuff like that, and things that we have to fix on.” Montrell Johnson on the possibility of an increased workload in the event Trevor Etienne can’t go Saturday: “If Trevor can’t go, I trust the coaches to put me in the right position to make the right plays. If that means getting an extra load, I’m down for the challenge.” Montrell Johnson on expectations that the UF defense is due for a bounce-back performance against Vanderbilt: “I’m very confident. They just had a magnificent practice today. They had the mindset that nobody is going to beat us on the ground ever again. I think that’s all mentality. I think that we took that and ran with that after last game, and I think that we are going to be great moving forward.” Montrell Johnson on what’s holding the Florida offense back: “I think it’s us. We are the only ones that’s holding ourselves back. I feel like nothing the opponent did. They did nothing to stop us. I feel like it was us and we got to find a way to get it together.” Injury report for Vanderbilt: LT Austin Barber (lower body, questionable); WR Thai Chaiokhiao-Boman (lower body, questionable); WR Caleb Douglas (lower body, out); C Kingsley Eguakun (lower body, questionable); RB Trevor Etienne (upper body, questionable); S Miguel Mitchell (lower body, questionable); TE Jonathan Odom (upper body, out); LB Ja’Markis Weston (upper body, out); TE Dante Zanders (lower body, questionable). SEC football: No. 11 Alabama (4-1, 2-0 SEC): Linebacker Deontae Lawson and offensive lineman Terrence Ferguson, who both missed last week’s game with Mississippi State, are practicing this week. Nick Saban says it’s unclear right now if either will be able to go Saturday at Texas A&M. Arkansas (2-3, 0-2 SEC): Sam Pittman has moved Patrick Kutas to center this week. More changes on the offensive line are possible prior to Saturday’s game at Ole Miss … Alabama is favored by only 1.5 points to beat Texas A&M. The line opened at 2.5 points on Sunday. Auburn (3-2, 0-2 SEC): Defensive lineman Mosiah Nasili-Kite suffered a torn biceps against Georgia last week. He’s expected to miss the remainder of the season. Linebacker Austin Keys has missed every game since the season opener due to a thumb injury. Decisions will have to be made whether to bring him back for the remainder of the season or use this as a medical redshirt year. No. 1 Georgia (5-0, 2-0 SEC): Kirby Smart says every SEC team Georgia plays is capable of beating the Bulldogs. He doesn’t seem to think it’s a down year in the league. “I personally think every SEC team should be ranked,” Smart said Wednesday. Currently, only seven of the 14 are ranked by the Associated Press … The betting line favoring the Bulldogs over Kentucky has increased from 14.5 points to 15 points since Sunday. No. 20 Kentucky (5-0, 2-0 SEC): On the SEC Coaches Teleconference call, Mark Stoops said Kentucky had a decent practice on Monday but said the Wildcats “weren’t up to par on Tuesday to go play the No. 1 team in the country on the road.” No. 23 LSU (3-2, 1-2 SEC): Safety Greg Brooks, who had a brain tumor removed back in September, has been diagnosed with medulloblastoma, which is a very rare form of brain cancer … Brian Kelly’s message to his team heading into Saturday’s matchup with No. 21 Missouri is “play fast, play physical, don’t worry about making mistakes, just go play.” Mississippi State (2-3, 0-3 SEC): Asked on the SEC Coaches Teleconference to evaluate how well he’s done as a first year coach nearing the midway point of the season, Zach Arnett replied, “I’ll be honest with you, I don’t think that’s a good or fair question right now in the middle of the season because to me those are things you reflect on and can answer better at the end of the season.” The Bulldogs face Western Michigan of the Mid-America Conference Saturday, maybe the last game they’ll be favored to win all season … The Bulldogs are favored by 20.5 points Saturday. No. 21 Missouri (5-0, 1-0 SEC): Quarterback Brady Cook has thrived under first year offensive coordinator Kirby Moore. Cook has yet to throw an interception and his string of 347 consecutive passes without a pick that dates back to last year is an SEC record. Cook has thrown 10 touchdown passes while averaging 9.8 yards per attempt in the last three games … Missouri is a 5.5-point underdog at home against LSU Saturday. No. 16 Ole Miss (4-1, 1-1 SEC): Ole Miss was fined $175,000 by the Southeastern Conference. The SEC fined Ole Miss $75,000 because its fans delayed the win over LSU by throwing trash on the field after an official’s call they disagreed with and $100,000 for fans storming the field after the 55-49 win … The Rebels are 11.5-point favorites to knock off Arkansas in Oxford on Saturday. South Carolina (2-3, 1-2 SEC): The Gamecocks are getting a short practice week so they can heal up from all the bumps, bruises and strains of the first five game. Beamer said quarterback Spencer Rattler needs the time off most since he took a physical beating against Tennessee when he was sacked seven times. No. 22 Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 SEC): Josh Heupel has wide receivers who can catch the football, but his concern after losing Bru McCoy with a broken and dislocated ankle is how to replace McCoy’s physicality on the perimeter when it comes to blocking … The Vols get the week off, but their next three games are Texas A&M at Neyland followed by roadies to Alabama and Kentucky. Texas A&M (4-1, 2-0 SEC): Jimbo Fisher says the key to neutralizing Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe is “keep him in the pocket when you rush him and not give him outlets.” Milroe has thrown for 838 yards and six touchdowns, but he’s dangerous when he breaks containment. Against Mississippi State, Milroe ran 11 times for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Vanderbilt (2-4, 0-2 SEC): Linebacker Kane Patterson will miss the Florida game and maybe a few more weeks, but he’s not out the rest of the season. Injured in the loss to Missouri, Patterson had 17 tackles in six games … Vanderbilt remains an 18.5-point road underdog against Florida. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, strikes once again. This time the Division I Council is proposing to shorten the transfer portal windows. Under the new proposal, football players will have 30 days at the end of the regular season and 15 days in the spring. That’s 45 days and a difference of 15 from the last two years. For men’s and women’s basketball, the window will be open only 45 days at the conclusion of the season. In one respect, the reduction to 45 days will give coaches more time to recruit high school kids as well as get some extra time off after long, grueling seasons. The move will mean less time for kids to make their transfer decisions. While true that 61 percent of all kids make their decisions within 30 days, there has to be a way to adjust the window so that kids on bowl or playoff teams have adequate opportunity to make the right choice. If the NCAA is indeed serious about the welfare of the student-athlete, then it needs to ensure that the kids aren’t rushed into bad decisions. The problem is how to arrange the timing? It’s easy for basketball since the season ends the first weekend in April. A 45-day window is more than adequate time since there is no new semester beginning. Football is a different story. Kids who don’t want to bail on teammates during bowl preparation or the playoff will feel a serious squeeze. How do they concentrate on being true to their team and teammates if their window of opportunity ends on January 1 or, in the case of a playoff team, maybe a week later? The importance of being on campus in time for the start of the second semester and to have mat drills plus spring practice with new coaches and teammates cannot be overstated. Most Division I Council proposals are almost rubber-stamped, which is one of the reasons nobody in his right mind trusts the NCAA to do the right things for student-athletes. This latest attempt at doing the right thing might indeed have some ideas worth consideration and expansion, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to pick a few holes through it. The transfer portal needs some work, no doubt about it, but if the NCAA rams this one through and makes it the law of the land, it will most likely wind up as effective as anything else the organization does. In other words, a college sports equivalent of the Titanic going down in the North Atlantic.

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: “The best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores.” – Al McGuire Through the first five weeks of the season, 11 freshmen on the Florida roster have already burned their redshirt season by playing in all five games. Three others are certain to play enough games to slough off one year of eligibility. Among Florida’s scholarship players, 55 are either sophomores, redshirt freshmen and true freshmen. According to Phil Steele, that makes the Gators No. 119 nationally in terms of inexperience. The Gators are 13th in the Southeastern Conference. It isn’t an excuse to say the Gators are way too young and lacking experience at just about any position group on the roster. Just this past Saturday, Kentucky started 10 seniors and three juniors. The Gators don’t even have 10 scholarship seniors on the roster. Does experience matter? Of course it does. Check out Georgia’s depth chart. Seventeen first teamers are upperclassmen. Here are the upperclassman numbers for some of the other highly ranked teams: No. 2 Michigan 18; No. 3 Texas 19; No. 5 Florida State 20; No. 6 Penn State 16; No. 7 Washington 17; No. 10 Notre Dame 17; No. 11 Alabama 14; No. 12 Oklahoma 19; and No. 17 Miami 18. As easy as it is to point fingers at Billy Napier and his coaching staff, it should be taken into account that the Gators are going through some growing pains, not to mention there are so many new faces on the roster. Just since Napier arrived, 42 players have transferred out. With so few upperclassmen on the 2023 roster and a recruiting class that already has 21 commitments, you can expect more transfers. And, Napier can be expected to bring in experienced transfers to fill some gaps. Make no mistake about it, this is a complete roster rebuild and it’s rare in college football that there is wholesale success when kids dominate the roster. As much as the Gator Nation wants to see success now, the only aging vat available is on the field experience. At some point the corner turns and the kids grow up. A year from now or two years from now, if these kids have grown up and the Gators are still losing games they should be losing, then Napier’s grand roster rebuild experiment can be declared an utter failure. As irritated as Napier seemed Monday when he was peppered with questions, there was no mistaking he has confidence that (a) the way he’s rebuilding the roster will work and (b) that he will be given the time to give the program the foundation it takes to sustain success. SEC football No. 11 Alabama (4-1, 2-0 SEC): Chris “The Bear” Fallica says Saturday’s game with Texas A&M will be the most significant game of the Nick Saban era since a loss would mark the first time since 2007 that the Crimson Tide has dropped two games prior to the end of October … Nick Saban will make $11,407,000 this year. His buyout is $44,800,000. Arkansas (2-3, 0-2 SEC): There may be changes on the way for the Hogs. HBC Sam Pittman said, “We may shake up the offensive line a bit.” In their loss to Texas A&M, Arkansas ran for only 42 yards on 39 carries while giving up seven sacks to the Aggies … The Hogs were expected to be one of the better offensive teams in the SEC this year, but through their first five games they average only 342 yards per game … Pittman is paid $6,350,000. His buyout is undisclosed. Auburn (3-2, 0-2 SEC): Hugh Freeze says now that he was only talking in “hypotheticals” when he said the Auburn-Georgia rivalry would discontinue once Texas and Oklahoma join the league next season … The Tigers are dead last in the SEC in passing offense, averaging just 156 yards per game and an SEC low 6.5 yards per attempt … Hugh Freeze’s salary is $6,500,000 with a $25,187,500 buyout. No. 1 Georgia (5-0, 2-0 SEC): The injury report ahead of Kentucky – Javon Bullard (ankle) likely; Kendall Milton (knee) probable; Ladd McConkey (back) probable; Austin Blaske (knee) probable; Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (ankle) doubtful; and Lawson Luckie (ankle) probable … Through five games QB Carson Beck has thrown for 1,497 yards (9.3 per attempt) and seven touchdowns. Beck is completing 72 percent of his passes … Kirby Smart is paid $10,705,600 this season. The buyout for his contract is $92,625,000. No. 20 Kentucky (5-0, 2-0 SEC): Mark Stoops knows that to beat Georgia in Athens that the Wildcats have to find a way to neutralize tight end Brock Bowers, who Stoops calls “an absolute freak.” Bowers caught eight passes for 157 yards and a TD against Auburn last week … Stoops was selected Bobby Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week after the Wildcats hammered Florida, 33-14 … Kentucky pays Mark Stoops $9,000,000. His buyout is $51,187,500. No. 23 LSU (3-2, 1-2 SEC): Speaking of defensive coordinator Matt House, who is under tremendous criticism from fans and media alike, Brian Kelly said, “There is one leader on our defense and I have utmost confidence he’ll be able to run it efficiently.” The Tigers rank 13th out of 14 SEC teams and 117th nationally in total defense … Brian Kelly’s salary is $9,975,000 with a buyout of $70,018,333. Mississippi State (2-3, 0-3 SEC): Speaking of MSU’s 40-17 loss to Alabama last week, offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay said, “That wasn’t the type of game we needed to play to beat Alabama.” The Bulldogs managed only 261 yards in the game, just 107 in the air … At $3,000,000, Zach Arnett is the lowest paid head coach in the Southeastern Conference. No. 21 Missouri (5-0, 1-0 SEC): Missouri’s defense will have to figure out a way to neutralize LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, who has accounted for 19 touchdowns this season, 16 passing and three rushing. Daniels averages 10.3 yards per pass attempt … Eli Drinkwitz is paid $6,000,000 with a $20,437,500 buyout. No. 15 Ole Miss (4-1, 1-1 SEC): The Ole Miss offensive line had probably the best game of any O-line in the SEC so far against LSU. The Rebels ran for 317 yards (6.47 per carry), threw for 389 (10.0 per attempt) and didn’t allow a sack in 88 snaps … Lane Kiffin is paid $9,000,000 with an undisclosed buyout. South Carolina (2-3, 1-2 SEC): The Gamecocks rank dead last in rushing offense in the SEC at 87 yards per game. They’re also dead last in sacks allowed with 23 … Shane Beamer is paid $6,125,000 with an $18,255,521 buyout. No. 22 Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 SEC): Defending quarterback Joe Milton at the Knoxville Quarterback Club, HBC Josh Heupel said some of the issues completing passes over the middle “can be fundamentals. Some of it can be somebody in his lap where he’s not getting through the football. Some of it can be the wide receiver not setting his right angle based on the coverage that we’re seeing” … Josh Heupel makes $9,000,000 per year with a $46,500,000 buyout. Texas A&M (4-1, 2-0 SEC): Offensive lineman Dametrious Crownover says the Aggies are treating Alabama like “it’s just the next team” on the schedule … The Aggies rank first in the SEC and fifth nationally in total defense (253.8 yards per game). The Aggies are tied for third nationally in sacks with 20 … Jimbo Fisher’s salary is $9,150,000 and his buyout is $77,562,500. Vanderbilt (2-4, 0-2 SEC): HBC Clark Lea won’t offer any hints who’s going to start against Florida. AJ Swann didn’t play last week in the loss to Missouri and he’s still listed as questionable for the Gators. Ken Seals, who was Vandy’s starter against Mizzou, actually started against the Gators in 2020 and 2021 … Vanderbilt pays Clark Lea $3,051,881. Countdown to Firing Day: October 4, 2023 Extinct Species List Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern: A name to think about for the vacant job at Northwestern is former Stanford coach David Shaw. Northwestern’s academics won’t faze him. Mel Tucker, Michigan State: Everybody who lists the potential candidates to replace Tucker has Matt Campbell of Iowa State high on the list. He makes $4 million at Iowa State with a $15 million buyout. Considering all the money they’ve saved by firing Mel Tucker for cause, the buyout shouldn’t be a problem if MSU decides to make a big push for Campbell. On Life Support Butch Jones, Arkansas State: He’s on a 3-game winning streak which has quieted the fan base somewhat. He’s got a chance to break even, which would rubber stamp his return. The people who write the checks aren’t eager to fire him because it would take $1.5 million, a lot of money in Jonesboro. Tom Allen, Indiana: The calls to fire Allen will become roars this week after Michigan drops the hammer on the Whose Yours. Allen fired offensive coordinator Walt Bell, which isn’t going to help save his job. The buyout is $20,400,000. If Allen is gainfully employed next year, that will be the reason. Danny Gonzales, New Mexico: Buzzards are circling the football offices. The buyout is only $400,000. Goner. Dana Holgerson, Houston: Situation grim. The Cougars are 2-3 with West Virginia, Texas and Kansas State up ahead. The buyout is $14 million. That could save him but probably not. Tony Elliott, Virginia: Elliott is now 1-16 since taking the job. If he loses to D1AA Bill and Mary this week the only thing that will save him is the $19 million it takes to buy him out. Endangered Species List Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M: Jimbo will be back in the good graces of Aggies everywhere if he can knock off Nick Saban and Alabama this week. The $77,562,000 buyout is chump change for Aggie boosters. Neal Brown, West Virginia: He’s on a 4-game winning roll. A 7-5 season and a $13 million buyout will keep him gainfully employed. Jeff Hafley, Boston College: BC whacked Virginia last week so Hafley gets a 1-week reprieve. The next three games (Army, Georgia Tech and UConn) are winnable. Dino Babers, Syracuse: When the Orange were 4-0 everybody loved Dino. Then he lost last week to Clemson, has UNC this week and FSU next. A six or seven win season isn’t going to cut it. Ken Wilson, Nevada: The Wolfpack has lost five straight and will go down for the count against UNLV this week. The buyout is $1 million. Dave Aranda, Baylor: Aranda had one foot out the door before that four touchdown rally in the fourth quarter to beat UCF. He needs to get to six wins. Brady Hoke, San Diego State: They’ve got this spiffy new stadium and a rotten football team. Hoke’s nearly $5 million buyout is formidable for the cash poor boosters. Mike Bloomgren, Rice: The Owls are 3-2 with a very real chance to get to seven wins. If they finish with a losing record he probably goes. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, has proposals from its Division I Council that call for harsher penalties to cheaters. Bill Self still hasn’t had his day in court. Neither has Jim Harbaugh. That the council would make those suggestions now does make one wonder if this call for dropping the hammer on cheaters is designed to go after those two. This is a case of too little, too late. The NCAA should have hammered Tennessee, LSU, Arizona and Louisville. Years ago they had ironclad cases against Florida State and North Carolina for academic fraud but chose not to prosecute. They had Miami dead to rights. A slap on the wrist. We’ve had way too many inconsistencies over the years. The NCAA hammers who it wants, lets others skate for reasons unknown. The best idea imaginable is to scrap the NCAA completely, form a new organization and draw up a set of rules that have severe, enforceable penalties for the cheaters.

For a team whose four opponents have won a combined one game against Division I opponents (Vanderbilt beat a bad Hawaii team by a touchdown), the Kentucky Wildcats (4-0, 1-0 SEC) are getting a lot of love from the talking heads and scribes all around the south. Most of them seem to think Mark Stoops has Florida’s number and that it’s a matter of showing up, playing hard and the 22nd-ranked Gators (3-1, 1-0 SEC) will wilt at Commonwealth Stadium Saturday (12 noon, ESPN). It’s true that Stoops has won the last two games against the Gators and three of the last four. It’s also true that Kentucky has a chance to do something that hasn’t been done by the Wildcats since Bear Bryant was the head coach, which is make it three consecutive wins over Florida. None of that matters. Let’s start with one basic concept: Stoops doesn’t own the Gators. He’s had the advantage of playing two first-year coaches (Dan Mullen in 2018; Billy Napier 2022) in transition years and Mullen in a dysfunctional last season on the job. The Gators committed 15 penalties in 2018, and in the last two seasons, the Wildcats have been handed gift-wrapped wins by Florida teams intent on giving games away. It's true that Stoops coached well in all three games, but Florida played worse. Kentucky fans like to say the only reason Florida played worse is because Mark Stoops was on his game, but let’s flash back. Feleipe Franks was throwing SCUDs and the Gators were totally undisciplined in 2018. In 2021, the Gators lost by a touchdown in a game they had a blocked field goal returned for a TD and Emory Jones threw a critical fourth quarter pick that set the Wildcats up with what proved to be the game-winner in the fourth quarter. Plus there was that false start at the UK 11 on fourth-and-2 that forced a field goal when the Gators should have marched in for a TD. A year ago, the Gators gave the Wildcats 14 points on two interceptions, both of which were bad decisions by Anthony Richardson. Billy Napier has had to live a full year with four games the Gators simply gave away in 2022. He’s already had one payback two weeks ago when the Gators dominated Tennessee from start to finish for a 29-16 win. Next on the agenda is to exact payback on the Kentucky Wildcats. The Gators are 1-point underdogs, but they are a better football team than Kentucky. Florida’s one loss is on the road to 10th-ranked Utah, which has the No. 9 defense in the country. Florida should have won that game, but shot itself in the foot way too many times. The Gators have eliminated the silly mistakes that cost a win at Utah, evident in the win over the then No. 9 Tennessee Vols. The Wildcats haven’t been all that impressive in going 4-0 against two bottom feeders from the MAC, a 1-3 D1AA team and a Vanderbilt team that’s going to finish dead last in the SEC. The Wildcats haven’t run the ball very well this year against four defensively challenged opponents and QB Devin Leary has thrown five interceptions, two against Vanderbilt even though he spent the day with time to dictate his memoirs while in the pocket. Quite frankly, Kentucky’s defense hasn’t been all that impressive nor has the offense and now they will be playing a Florida team that looks better than the Wildcats on both sides of the football. Could that all change Saturday? Of course it could, but this is a much improved team over the one the Wildcats have beaten the past two seasons. After watching Utah win three more games since taking down the Gators, that loss doesn’t look all that bad. The win over Tennessee is light years better than anything the Wildcats have done. Kentucky would be double digit underdogs against both Utah and Tennessee. Three reasons why it’s a Florida win: (1) Kingsley Eguakun will be at center, the Gators will have all five starters in place on the O-line (minus three last week) and the 1-2 combo of Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne will move the ball on the ground; (2) Graham Mertz is making the right decisions and getting the ball to the right people for an offense that will benefit from the return of Eugene Wilson III to take pressure off Ricky Pearsall; and (3) that Florida defense with Cam Jackson at nose tackle and stud linebacker Shemar James and Scooby Williams has some nastiness to it, enough so that the Wildcats will be rendered one-dimensional from the get-go. Here's a fourth reason as a bonus: Billy Napier will outcoach Mark Stoops and the talking heads will be covering their tracks next week by claiming they knew Billy could coach all along. It has been since 2020 that the Gators have won four straight games. Number four comes Saturday in Lexington in comfortable fashion. The Sayer says sooth!: FLORIDA 27, Kentucky 14 The SEC soothsayer No. 1 Georgia (4-0, 1-0 SEC) at Auburn (3-1, 0-1 SEC): On paper this is another yawner for Georgia, which plays like a very good team, just not one on a collision course with a third straight national championship. It’s the first trip outside the friendly confines of Sanford Stadium and the first time Carson Beck will have to make the offense go on silent snap counts. If Auburn had any kind of an offense, crowd noise might be a factor in the game. Unfortunately for Hugh Freeze and the Tigers, Auburn doesn’t have a QB capable of kick starting the offense. Barring a miracle of walking on water proportions, Auburn is going to have to win games with smoke and mirrors on offense to go with a ton of help from the defense. Auburn’s defense is very good, just not good enough, particularly since the Tigers aren’t going to score more than 10 points on Will Muschamp’s Georgia defense. And make no mistake about it, this is Will Muschamp’s defense, which is why the Poodles will win this game even if Carson Beck lays an egg with the offense. The Sayer says sooth!: Georgia 28, Auburn 7 No. 12 Alabama (3-1, 1-0 SEC) at Mississippi State (2-2, 0-2 SEC): This is not a game Alabama is going to lose. It is a game in which Jalen Milroe is going to have an opportunity to prove that last week’s studley performance against Ole Miss wasn’t a fluke. Alabama is still very much in the SEC championship and College Football Playoff hunt, but they can’t afford another letdown and they can’t do it unless Milroe can prove he’s a consistent threat to make sharp, accurate passes and clear, confident decisions. The defense is going to take care of itself because the personnel is just too good not to. Alabama is only a 14.5-point favorite and that is only because the oddsmakers don’t trust Milroe. The Sayer says sooth!: Alabama 37, Mississippi State 14 No. 13 LSU (3-1, 2-0 SEC) at No. 20 Ole Miss (3-1, 0-1 SEC): This is one of the more underrated rivalry games in the southeast and it’s in Oxford this year where Ole Miss is extremely hard to beat. In Baton Rouge, LSU would be favored by at least two touchdowns thanks in part to the crowd, but in Oxford, the Rebels have a fighting chance, particularly if they can keep Jayden Daniels from breaking containment in the pocket. If they can take Daniels’ ability to pick up chunk yardage with his legs, this one is going white knuckles. LSU can’t win this game if Harold Perkins can’t get to Jaxson Dart. Contain him and there is no LSU pass rush. Ole Miss has to run the football because the Rebels won’t beat LSU without some semblance of balance. The line has dropped all the way down to 2.5 points which means the people in Las Vegas don’t trust LSU. Do we have an upset brewing? The Sayer says sooth!: Ole Miss 24, LSU 21 South Carolina (2-2, 1-1 SEC) at No. 21 Tennessee (3-1, 0-1 SEC): A year ago, the week after South Carolina played its worst game of the season, melting down against the Gators in Gainesville, the Gamecocks took a flamethrower to the Vols in Columbia. When the carnage was over, South Carolina had hung 63 big ones on the Vols. Can it happen again? Tennessee fans seem to think not, but South Carolina is actually a better team than last year and Spencer Rattler is still the QB. He only threw for a half bazillion yards and what seemed like 23 TDPs against UT a year ago. What the Vols have to do is grind away on the ground to keep the ball out of Rattler’s hands otherwise it could be dicey. If Tennessee runs for 200 or more yards it’s lights out Gamecocks. The Sayer says sooth!: Tennessee 31, South Carolina 17 No. 23 Missouri (4-0, 0-0 SEC) at Vanderbilt (2-3, 0-1 SEC): Mizzou is a deceptive 4-0 because the Tigers really haven’t played anyone tough yet they’ve been challenged three consecutive weeks. We still won’t know all that much about Mizzou after this week because Vanderbilt isn’t very good, not to mention QB AJ Swann (11 TDPs) may miss this game with an arm strain. He’s Vandy’s only chance to win. Mizzou is only a 13.5-point favorite. You would think the line would be much higher, but that just goes to show you how little faith the oddsmakers have that Missouri is the real deal. Figure it won’t be pretty, no matter who wins it but everything favors Mizzou. The Sayer says sooth!: Missouri 30, Vanderbilt 14 Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0 SEC) at Arkansas (2-2, 0-1 SEC): The Aggies will be without starting quarterback Conner Weigman. That’s not necessarily bad news because Max Johnson is probably a better fit for the Aggie offense. He throws a great deep ball and the Aggies have receivers who can flat out fly. Even without Rocket Sanders, Arkansas can move the ball and score points, but it all depends on KJ Jefferson hitting his receivers and making the right reads. This is a game that he will have to win as much with his legs as with his arms. The Hogs hope to catch a break if the Aggies are looking ahead to Alabama next week instead of focusing on the game at hand. White knuckles all the way. The Sayer says sooth!: Texas A&M 28, Arkansas 24