When the SEC’s elite teams meet, defenses usually dominate the spotlight. Auburn and Florida meet in “The Swamp” on Saturday, and it could get ugly for the offenses and two inexperienced quarterbacks.
After a mediocre first four starts, freshman quarterback Bo Nix is finally flashing his potential. Nix was not spectacular in the Tigers’ win at Texas A&M two weeks ago, but the experience he gained in that environment will help this week in Gainesville. Nix is coming off his best game, passing for 335 yards, rushing for 56 and totaling three touchdowns in a rout of Mississippi State. Auburn’s defense has been outstanding, allowing 17.2 points per game.
Nix is about to face his toughest test yet in the Florida defense. The Gators are 5-0, outscoring Tennessee and Towson by a combined 72-3 the past two weeks. Dan Mullen is an excellent coach of quarterbacks, so it’s not a surprise to see Kyle Trask play well as the replacement for injured starter Feleipe Franks. Trask has completed 77.3 percent of his passes with five touchdowns. The Auburn defense is a different animal. The Gators will try to run the ball to help Trask, but it will be an uphill task.
This opened as a pick ’em game, and the Tigers are now 2½-point favorites. Instead of calling a side in what appears to be a coin-flip game, look at the total and bet on the defenses.
The pick: Under 48½.
MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (-3½) over Iowa Hawkeyes: Jim Harbaugh cannot win big games — it has been said countless times the past two weeks after the Wolverines were embarrassed at Wisconsin. The truth is the Michigan coach is not winning any big games on the road. Harbaugh did whip the Badgers (38-13) and Penn State (42-7) in home games last year. This is another enormous game for Harbaugh, who has the more talented team and is on his home turf. The price is cheap on the Wolverines, who opened as seven-point favorites.
WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS (+10½) over Texas Longhorns: Junior Sam Ehlinger is putting up numbers worthy of a Heisman candidate for Texas, completing 73 percent of his passes for 1,237 yards and 15 touchdowns with one interception. He also has 191 rushing yards. the Longhorns have concerns with a banged-up and depleted defensive backfield. The Mountaineers’ Austin Kendall, a transfer from Oklahoma, passed for a total of 474 yards in the past two games. The Longhorns are double-digit road favorites, but with a much bigger game with the Sooners on deck, this is a tricky look-ahead spot.
Last week: 0-3
Season: 4-9-2.
