SEC Week 4 Preview — Conference Play in Full Swing

Auburn will have a difficult time exiting Manhattan unscathed on Thursday night. The Tigers are hard to stop with the dual threat ability of Nick Marshall. Kansas State quarterback Jake Waters is dangerous through the air on the ground and currently leads the BIG 12 in rushing.

The Tigers are also difficult to defend with the dual threat ability of Nick Marshall, and Gus Malzahn runs a unique style of offense that will be difficult to slow down.

So can the Wildcats upset the Tigers? Look at it like this, KSU head coach Bill Snyder has pulled 13 upsets in the last five years. So yes, it is possible. With both teams having an extra week of preparation, do not surprised if this turns into an instant classic and a high scoring affair.

Georgia is not out of the race in the SEC East or the College Football Playoff just because of the loss to South Carolina, but they can't afford another one. Thankfully, the Bulldogs will not have to worry about this game.

Troy has yet to win a game after losing by three to Abilene Christian last week, and the Trojans are at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of offense and defense. Georgia's offense, led by Todd Gurley, should put this game to bed early and so the Dawgs can start looking ahead to next week's game against Tennessee.

Texas A&M struggled early last week against Rice, but they finished game with a 38-10 victory. There should be no struggles, however, when the team travels to SMU on Saturday. The Mustangs have not won a game and head coach June Jones resigned earlier this season. With the worst offense in the AAC, it's hard to believe that SMU will even be able to keep up with A&M.

Kenny Hill is one of the most efficient quarterbacks for one of the best teams in the country. So how can the Mustangs pull the upset at home? In the state SMU is in, it looks like an upset might just be impossible.

For some, it's hard to picture Florida knocking off Alabama in Tuscaloosa after a poor performance against Kentucky. Well, it's actually not so far-fetched. This will be the best defense Alabama has faced all season, which is troubling for those still concerned about the quarterback situation. The Gators also have a great passer in Jeff Driskel that will try to take advantage of the Crimson Tide's thin secondary.

That is not saying that Florida has the upper hand. Despite the thin secondary, Alabama still has one of the best defenses in the country. Blake Sims may worry some, but he is the best man for the job and he has proven that. If all else fails, the Tide still has its ground attack. It should be a fun matchup considering the history between these two teams.

Missouri had a few question marks coming into the season due to the loss of talent from last year's team, but they have proven to be contenders again in the SEC East. The Tigers have not been challenged by a very good team, and this week's matchup against Indiana should be no different.

The Hoosiers allowed 45 points in a loss to Bowling Green last week. Not good news when facing a quarterback that leads the SEC in passing touchdowns. If Indiana manages to score points, they may make it interesting in a shootout. Otherwise, Missouri should not have any issue in this one.

It's hard to believe that Arkansas is averaging over 47 points per game through three games considering they averaged 20 points a year ago. And the Razorbacks are also just one win away from matching last season's win total. Even though Northern Illinois is capable of pulling the upset, they should have a good chance to get that done.

The Razorbacks have one of the best rushing attacks in the SEC led by Alex Collins. Quarterback Brandon Allen is also a threat through the air. However, the Huskies do have the second-best defense in the MAC, which goes well with their number one ranked offense. Northern Illinois will make it interesting early, but Arkansas has too many different weapons on offense.

This might be the best game of the weekend and has a good chance of coming down to the final possession. LSU currently has the best defense in the SEC, which will be needed to slow down Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott. He, along with his slew of wide receivers, will be difficult for LSU to stop.

The Bulldogs also have a talented defense led by defensive lineman Preston Smith, who will be the key in slowing down LSU's ground attack. The Tigers lost their best playmakers to the NFL Draft, so it may be difficult for them to keep up if this becomes a scoring battle.

LSU has the better defense which gives them a slight edge, but this game has upset written all over it.

South Carolina put itself right back in the hunt for the SEC East with a huge win over Georgia last weekend. The Gamecocks will carry that momentum into Nashville on Saturday where you have wonder if Vanderbilt can even keep it interesting. The Commodores got their first win last Saturday because of a botched field goal by Massachusetts' kicker. In case you are wondering how bad it is for Vanderbilt, they have played four different quarterbacks this season.

Derek Mason may eventually turn the program around like James Franklin did, but it will not happen this year. And it certainly won't happen this weekend. South Carolina should get an easy win and move on to a big game against Missouri.