SEC bold predictions for Week 7

Halfway done. “Six down, six to go,” teams are telling themselves, or at least Vanderbilt is—most everybody else has a bowl bid in their future.

Let’s take stock of what we got in the “front nine,” to use a golf analogy: the defending champions are still undefeated, Missouri, Kentucky, and Ole Miss have impressed with gaudy 5-1 records, Texas A&M has improved from last season, Arkansas’s struggled tremendously with their schedule, Vanderbilt’s lost all last season’s positive momentum, and everyone thought Alabama was done after Week 2 only for them to enter Week 7 with the West all but won.

My bold predictions have hit about a third of the time, and usually, I do three per week, so if I can keep avoiding shutouts, I think that’s pretty good. Let’s dive into the second half of the season:

1. Florida wins at South Carolina

The Billy Napier Era in Gainesville has been very disappointing, if not a catastrophe, and the Gators are 1-7 in road games so far. I think at this point in the season, with their 4-2 record, they’re going to dig in and find a way to distance themselves from their mediocre finishes the past two seasons by getting a W on the road in Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks are beatable as long as the Gators don’t beat themselves.

2. Kentucky beats Missouri

Missouri’s been extremely difficult for opponents to crack this season, but they’ve only played one road game. The Tigers haven’t won at Kroger Field since 2013, and the Cats will use homefield advantage once again to get to 6-1 and cover the 2.5-point spread.

3. Texas A&M wins in Knoxville

This isn’t the same Aggies team that fell apart last year. While they didn’t look good in their road loss in Coral Gables, they’re growing stronger and have all the firepower to take out a Tennessee team with a lot less bite than last season. The Vols might be the ranked team, but the Aggies just might steal that ranking this weekend for themselves.