Kentucky Football: Week 5 SEC Picks and Predictions
By Jordan Ison
The Kentucky football team is taking on Eastern Michigan in Week 5. Let’s take a look at all of my picks for the SEC week 5 schedule.
Week 4 was another exciting one for SEC football. Georgia got a big win over Mississippi State. Alabama thrashed Vanderbilt in Nashville. Finally, of course, Kentucky football got served a heart-breaking loss to the Florida Gators.
The SEC schedule for week 5 looks just as exciting, also. As some teams in the East try to solidify themselves as legitimate contenders, teams in the West try to catch Alabama. Let’s take a look at the games.
We’ll begin with the SEC games that seem obvious and need no explanation. Arkansas should beat New Mexico State fairly easily, as well as LSU should take down Troy. Now, let’s get into the more interesting SEC match-ups.
South Carolina @ Texas A&M (-9.5)
This game, between two struggling SEC teams, should be a lot closer than what the spread indicates. Although A&M has the home-field advantage, South Carolina will be determined to bounce back from an almost-loss to Lousiana Tech. Unfortunately for them, they’ll come up just short.
Ole Miss @ Alabama (-28)
Although Ole Miss is struggling so far this season, they seem to always play close with Alabama. That won’t be the case this year. Alabama is on a mission since their championship loss to Clemson, and it will continue this week.
Mississippi State @ Auburn (-9.5)
On paper, these teams are quite even. Neither of them have a great passing game, and both teams have strong defenses (even though the Bulldogs didn’t seem like it against Georgia). Auburn’s home-field advantage will help them pull away from Mississippi State late in the game.
Vanderbilt @ Florida (-10)
Vanderbilt looked pretty terrible last week, but it was against Alabama, so don’t think too much into it. Florida squeaked out another SEC win over Kentucky. Both teams are known for their strong defenses. Expect a defensive battle, but give Florida a slight edge.
Georgia (-7.5) @ Tennessee
Georgia is coming into Knoxville as one of the hottest teams in the nation. Tennessee stumbles into this game with their coach on the hot seat. Despite the differences, this game is always close. Expect it to come down to the wire, with Georgia’s strong rushing attack being able to run the clock out in the end.
Eastern Michigan @ Kentucky (-14.5)
Kentucky needs to find a way to bounce back from the tough loss to Florida on Saturday. There’s no better way to do so than a home game against a weaker opponent. Expect Kentucky’s defense to show out, and their offense to run the ball efficiently on their way to a bounce back win.
The SEC West is clearly Alabama’s to lose, even though nobody expects them to not win the West. The East is still sort of up in the air, despite Georgia looking red-hot. Kentucky football just needs a few big wins, and they are still in the race.
Next: Keys to Victory vs Eastern Michigan
For Kentucky football, it starts with bouncing back from what could’ve been a 4-0 start. They shouldn’t have any problem doing that against Eastern Michigan. Hopefully that will help to build their confidence and translate into a strong remainder of the season.