It’s the Third Saturday in October. The Week 8 SEC slate is loaded. Hot seat watch is in full effect in Gainesville and on The Plains. LSU is an underdog AT Vanderbilt. (Say it ain’t so, BK!). Lane and Kirby are squaring off in Athens. South Carolina and Kentucky are big underdogs but could prove spoilers. Oh yeah, Bama and the Vols are also kicking at night in Tuscaloosa. Sounds like a pretty normal SEC Weekend! Let’s get it!
Week 8 SEC Betting Lines: 3rd Saturday in October
FanDuel Week 8 SEC Betting Lines
Rankings are based on the AP media poll. Lines and game totals are courtesy of FanDuel. All games are Eastern Standard Time. Check the links for insights from your favorite Last Word on College Football writers. After the lines, we’ll take a big picture look and predict the five biggest Week 8 SEC matchups on the weekend.
| Matchup | Date | Time | Channel | Line |
| No. 10 LSU vs. No. 17 Vanderbilt | 10/18 | Noon | ABC | #AnchorDown -2.5 |
| No. 14 Oklahoma vs. South Carolina | 10/18 | 12:45 PM | SECN | #Boomer -5.5 |
| No. 4 Texas A&M vs. Arkansas | 10/18 | 3:30 PM | ESPN | #12thMan -7.5 |
| No. 5 Ole Miss vs. No. 9 Georgia | 10/18 | 3:30 PM | ABC | #GoDawgs -7.5 |
| Mississippi State vs. Florida | 10/18 | 4:15 PM | SECN | #BillysGators -9.5 |
| No. 21 Texas vs. Kentucky | 10/18 | 7:00 PM | ESPN | #Arch -12.5 |
| No. 11 Tennessee vs. No. 6 Alabama | 10/18 | 7:30 PM | ABC | #RollTide -7.5 |
| No. 16 Missouri vs. Auburn | 10/18 | 7:45 PM | SECN | #Drink -1.5 |
Picks last week:
Don’t doubt Arch or think that Oklahoma can score a touchdown in an SEC Game. Shout out to @SECMike with this juicy Sooner’s stat. “Oklahoma has not scored more than two offensive touchdowns against an SEC defense since joining the league.” Look for that to change as they enter the Sandstorm this weekend in Colombia.
- Week 1: 4-1
- YTD: 19-16
No. 10 LSU vs. No. 17 Vanderbilt
No longer the underdog and now the favorite. Vanderbilt welcomes Brian Kelly and the Tigers for an 11 am kick in Nashville. LSU will need to be wary of a slow start or struggling to score points, for that matter. The Tigers have failed to score more than 24 points in any game this season against an FBS team. Vandy is fresh off a bye and facing a new stretch for its program. They are 5-1, and this game kicks off games against Missouri, at Texas, Auburn, Kentucky, and at Tennessee. 4-1 or 3-2 is very likely. Vandy is more than a spoiler in 2025; they are good. Just not for LSU and Brian Kelly.
Pick: Vanderbilt
No. 5 Ole Miss vs. No. 9 Georgia
Kirby Smart and Lane Kiffin are buddies. They speak fondly of each other and often poke fun at each other during their respective press conferences. Smart is a known commodity, boasting numerous SEC Championship appearances and two national titles. Lane is fun, or at least that was the narrative. Kiffin demonstrated last year that he can accomplish a great deal with talent. Ole Miss smacked Georgia in Oxford and beat the Dawgs handily. This year, Lane has shown an ability to adapt to his team and find ways to win. It isn’t always sexy or pretty, see last week against Washington State, but it is effective. This should be a highly entertaining game. Too bad it’s not on CBS.
Pick: Georgia
Mississippi State vs. Florida
Billy Napier’s seat is not only hot, but it seems likely that Saturday could be his last game. We’ve said that a lot this year and last year, but it seems like Scott Strickland’s patience has run out. Let’s be honest, if Florida had a stable situation for its university president, Strickland may also find himself on the outside looking in. So what does that mean for the Gators as they host the Cow Bells in The Swamp? Probably, DJ Lagway and the Gators will boat race and look like the elite team that Gator Nation has been starved for. Who replaces Napier will be interesting. The landscape has changed. Will a coach who is in the playoffs leave his team to come to Gainesville? We’re not sure. Our eyes are on Miami Hurricanes’ offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson. We’re just not sure if Strickland or the Gators can be patient enough for him.
Pick: Florida
No. 11 Tennessee vs. No. 6 Alabama
Alabama survived against Missouri last week. In most years, we’ll discuss how Bama took the Tigers lightly, but Eli Drinkwitz has the Tigers playing well. That was a nice statement win for Kalen DeBoer and the Tide. Not one you put on your resume, but one that says we are ready to fight and will do what it takes. Tennessee is still looking for that statement win in 2025. Sure, they gave Georgia hell for like two of the four quarters in Knoxville, but in the end, the Vols just came up short. This has been a great series, but Alabama will be too much for Josh Heupel and the Cigar smoke will be heavy on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.
Pick: Alabama
No. 16 Missouri vs. Auburn
Speaking of the Tigers. The Tiger Bowl heads to Jordan Hare. Will the Refs screw it up again? We are kidding, of course, but Auburn’s loss to Georgia on Saturday had a couple of questionable calls. That is a given. What is notable, however, is how Hugh Freeze and Auburn responded to the adversity. They quit. Or at least felt sorry for themselves and let Georgia back into a game they had no business being in. That is kinda the theme for Freeze’s tenure on The Plains. It’s always somebody else’s fault. Drink makes no excuses in Colombia. His teams play hard and with a chip on their shoulder. Drink will be the hot name if Auburn makes a change. Not a bad time to make a good first impression.
Pick: Missouri
Main Photo: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
