Biscuits & SEC Week 3 game-by-game previews 2024
Intriguing games headline Week 3, with A&M-Florida, Alabama-Wisconsin, and BC-Mizzou and LSU-South Carolina.
By: Bossman Slim, Hammer, Waco Kid
The Week 3 slate is a little weak, but there’s still some fun to be had reading between the lines. With GameDay coming to town, can South Carolina stun the country once again and take down LSU in Columbia? How with Ole Miss look in their first competition against a Power 5 team? Does Alabama bounce back in a big way against Wisconsin? Who comes out of A&M-Florida with egg on their face? Another fun week ahead…
Here’s how the B&S crew fared with their picks in Week 2:
Another day, another dollar. Or in our case, another dollar down the drain. We’ll see if this is the week that SOMEONE from the B&S Crew can get above .500 in either column. Please, let it be so.
Let’s dive in.
Bossman: Helloooo GameDay. The ESPN circus show is headed to Columbia for this Week 3 showdown. It’s the first time since 2014 that GameDay has been in Columbia. It’s a fairly weak slate out there, so I guess I get why they’re coming to Gamecock Country? This one should be fascinating. I really don’t know what to expect. In normal times, LSU should be favored by two touchdowns, but that is not the case here. The Tigers lost their opener to USC in dramatic fashion, and South Carolina seems like a total enigma at this point. It’s really hard to tell if either of these teams have anything of substance right now. However, I don’t think SC will be able to perform the way they did last week, especially the ‘Cocks defensive front against a solid LSU offensive line. I trust Garrett Nussmeier more at this point than LaNorris Sellers, and I expect Nuss to have some time in the pocket to get the ball outside to weapons like Kyren Lacey and Mason Taylor. Expect this weak LSU defense to press up and try to stop the running threat of South Carolina and dare Sellers to beat them through the air. Even with the Tigers weak secondary, I don’t think they won’t be able to. LSU covers, but it’s not easy.
#16 LSU 28
South Carolina 19
Hammer: I don't trust either one of these teams. LSU is vulnerable on defense and South Carolina has been awful on offense. I know the Gamecocks scored 31 points last week but that included a pick six and only 252 total yards. So what the heck happens in this one? Luckily for LSU, this is a noon game. Weird things happen at Williams-Brice stadium at night so Brian Kelly and his team are lucky. Ultimately, in a game like this, I tend to lean towards who has the better QB and that is LSU. Garrett Nussmeier is a better QB than LaNorris Sellers right now, and he has better weapons. If there is one thing that gives me pause, it’s LSU’s lack of a run game. Somehow this offensive line who I have been told continuously is one of the best in the country, can’t run block for like the fifth year in a row. The Tigers ran for three yards per carry against Nicholls for goodness sake. So if South Carolina can make Nussmeier uncomfortable, they have a chance because the Tigers simply don’t know how to run the ball. Anything could happen, but give me LSU to win and cover here.
#16 LSU 35
South Carolina 24
The Waco Kid: LSU is interesting this year. They should have a good team led by a better than average quarterback but so far seem to have struggled in every contest. A loss to USC and allowing 22 points to a Nicholls team is not impressive by any means. Then take South Carolina, who came out last weekend and beat the tar out of a Kentucky team that on paper was way better than them. Still I don’t trust the Gamecocks, they do this every year, sometimes they show up and at other times they look like a bottom tier SEC team. I’d take the Tigers in this match up any day. Until SC proves they can be consistent I have no faith.
#16 LSU 42
South Carolina 21
Bossman: Interesting…If Wisconsin was a better football team at this point, I would be pumped about his game. Six years ago this likely would have been a top-15 matchup, but the Badgers are still in rebuilding mode under second-year coach Luke Fickell. I think Fickell gets things going again in Madison, but it may be another year or two away. Meanwhile, Alabama has looked shaky at times, like they did for most of the game last week against USF. Jalen Milore and the Tide are still getting used to Kalen DaBoer’s offense, but this team is still loaded to the gills and the defense hasn’t missed a beat. I think Wisconsin hangs around for a bit and covers the spread, but the Tide still win by two scores.
#4 Alabama 31
Wisconsin 20
Hammer: Another tough one to predict. Alabama struggled with South Florida at home last week. Until late in the fourth quarter, the offense just couldn’t get going. It was sloppy and they turned the ball over three times with fumbles. In recent years, Bama has struggled on the road too. On the flip side, Wisconsin has looked pretty pedestrian so far against Western Michigan and South Dakota. Tyler Van Dyke looks like the same guy he’s always been, totaling 406 yards and one passing TD in their two games. I could see Alabama coming ready to play and blowing this one wide open….but I could also see Wisconsin keeping this close and just making this game a slugfest with the crowd going wild at Camp Randall. I’ll take the latter for now because I just don’t trust Alabama to go on the road against a solid P4 team and win by three scores. I expect Alabama to win and I think Jalen Milroe’s legs will play a key role in this one. The Wisconsin defense is solid and plays sound football, but a dynamic QB like Milroe can wreak havoc on a defense like Wisconsin who doesn’t have a ton of speed and quickness. Give me the Tide to win but not cover.
#4 Alabama 27
Wisconsin 13
The Waco Kid: The Saban era in Tuscaloosa has ended and it is evident. Kalen DeBoer is a good coach but he’s no Saban. Luckily they are playing a Wisconsin team that has skated by the likes of Western Michigan and South Dakota. This is just not a good Badgers team. When your cupcake games are close you need to re-evaluate what you are doing as a coaching staff and with your personnel. The Tide still have their stud quarterback with Jalen Milroe so it’s hard to see a scenario where Wisconsin can outperform the crimson. I will take Bama by 100 in this one.
#4 Alabama 38
Wisconsin 10
Bossman: Is Boston College back? Maybe. It seems like Bill O’Brien has infused some life into the Golden Eagles program, but it could be fool's gold. Everyone is hanging their hat on that dismantling of FSU, but it’s quite possible that the Seminoles are just not a good football team this year. BC QB Thomas Castellanos is fun to watch and is a true dual threat, with a 73% completion percentage on the year and seven total TDs. I still love this Mizzou team and all the weapons they return (14 starters from last year’s 11-2 team), but they’ve yet to be tested this season. This is their first decent test. I think Mizzou is for real, but I also think BC is much improved and will be able to cover the spread. The BC QB causes problems and this Mizzou defense lost a few key pieces from last year’s team, and there’s a drive to deep left field by Castellanos, Tigers win, BC covers.
#6 Mizzou 30
#24 BC 17
Hammer: How about Bill O’Brien and the ranked Boston College Eagles huh?? Who saw this game on the schedule and thought it would be a tough game between two ranked teams? Certainly not me. I’m fascinated to see how this game goes for Missouri. They have very high hopes this year after a great season a year ago, and this is the first real test. Boston College thoroughly whipped FSU in week one and walked all over Duquesne last week. BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos has protected the football and been a good dual threat option so far. I can’t wait to see how the Mizzou defense handles the (so far) physical run game of BC. I do think Mizzou, if they come to play, can score in this one but I’m slightly worried about their defense holding BC to a low enough score here to cover this kind of spread. It’s still early and Mizzou has not been tested. Boston College was tested and they went into Tallehasse and beat FSU 28-13. Since this game is at home, I like Missouri to win and win comfortably and I will pick them to cover, but I feel uneasy about it.
#6 Mizzou 38
#24 BC 21
The Waco Kid: Boston College is most definitely not back. They may have beaten FSU but that Seminole team looks like trash and I would not bet on them winning any significant games going forward. Mizzou on the other hand has been teetering on the brink of success for the past few years and honestly this might be their year. They are blowing away the competition, and yeah it hasn’t been great competition so far but they have looked good every time they step on the field. I expect the same this week. I would take the Tigers over BC any weekend. I do not think it will be a 16.5 spread so don’t expect them to cover but it does seem like a surefire win.
#6 Mizzou 35
#24 BC 28
Bossman: Willie Fritz left Tulane for Houston after a magical run in New Orleans, but the Green Wave still has some gas left in the tank. In the preseason, they were given the second-best odds to win the AAC at +375. Just last week Tulane had #17 Kansas State on the ropes in New Orleans, holding a 27-20 lead early in the fourth quarter. This is not a team to sleep on. As for OU, they need to get their heads out of their fanny, quickly. They played around with Houston last week and nearly lost a game that would have been catastrophic. The Cougars are a shell of themselves and didn’t deserve to be on the same field as the Sooners, but they hung around all game. Jackson Arnold’s turnover problems resurfaced last week, and Tulane has Rayshawn Pleasant, who has a 100-yard INT return for a TD, and this Green Wave defense has cashed in on two turnovers in two games. Still, I think Venables will light a fire under this team and overall the Sooners have more talent than Tulane. If Arnold protects the ball, and I think he will, then OU should win, but Tulane is pesky. Boomer Sooner, but Tulane covers.
#15 OU 28
Tulane 16
Hammer: Sheesh these early season games are so hard to predict. Can I trust Oklahoma after the turd they laid last week against Houston? Meanwhile, Tulane took Kansas State to the brink a week ago. Tulane has also played Oklahoma close in years past. It’s very possible Oklahoma figures something out and cruises here. I am just not ready to trust their offense. I like the Sooner defense though. Venables is a defensive guy, and they seem to be quite good on that side of the ball so I’m going to hang my hat on the likes of Danny Stutsman, Samuel Omosigho and company. I think they will hold Tulane to a low enough score to get this cover in a bounce back game. Jackson Arnold and the offense have a ton of kinks to work out, and I don’t think they get it all figured out this week but they can’t look worse than they did against Houston. This is a bounce back game for the Sooners and I worry Tulane will be down in the dumps after giving away the game to Kansas State last week.
#15 OU 27
Tulane 10
The Waco Kid: I am going against the grain in this one and say Tulane pulls off the upset. After the big steamer OU put up against Houston last week it is hard to say they can pull off a win against any team with a pulse. I think Kansas State has a better team than Oklahoma and they barely pulled out a win against the Green Wave. Between quarterback Darian Mensah’s air attack and running back Makhi Hughes, the boys down in New Orleans have a potent offensive game that will be hard to slow down week in and week out. Houston was able to almost take the life out of the Sooners offense and that is not a good look for a top 15 team. OU definitely does not cover, and I think will have a hard time pulling off a win.
Tulane 28
#15 OU 17
Bossman: This game is a complete toss-up. ESPN gives A&M a 60% chance to win, but no matter what state the Florida program is in, it’s never easy to walk out of The Swamp with a win. And does anyone really trust either of these teams? No one trusts Florida right now, but you can’t trust the Aggies either after their offense melted down against a Notre Dame team that turned around and got beat at home by NORTHERN ILLINOIS. Both of these teams’ backs are against the wall and they don’t want to start 1-2 to start the season with their only win over a cupcake. If Billy Napier loses this one, it could be the end of his time in Gainesville. For Mike Elko, a 1-2 start and a loss against a perceived down Florida team would spell a quick end to the honeymoon phase with Aggie fans. Two matchups to watch here: the Florida rushing attack against this A&M front, and the Aggie's offense against the Gator defense. The Wrecking Crew defense is stout, but their weakness seems to be stopping the run. UF’s best weapon is homerun threat Montrell Johnson. With freshman five-star QB DJ Lagway likely to see significant time, expect the Aggies to focus heavily on stopping Johnson and daring Lagway to beat this deep A&M secondary through the air. For the A&M offense, they need to show life. Conner Weigman needs to get over the happy feet tendencies and look confident in the pocket, and A&M must establish the run with Le’Veon Moss to win. I like the Aggies to escape with a narrow win, but it’s going to be boxing in a phone booth from the opening whistle. Florida covers.
Texas A&M 24
Florida 21
Hammer: Oh boy. Texas A&M has not won a road game since October 2021 against Missouri. Yes, that’s a real stat. And yet here we are with them favored in The Swamp! Crazy times, and a real indictment on where Florida is at. This could be a back against the wall, nothing to lose, let it all hang out type of win for Florida to try and salvage their season. Or, things could go wrong for the Gators early, and they quit on Napier on the way to getting steamrolled like they did against Miami. Now, Miami is better than A&M, so I don’t anticipate that happening. This will be a dogfight. The Aggies offense has not inspired much confidence so far. Sure, they looked good a week ago against McNeese. Big deal. Can they do it against a team with comparable athletes? Can their wide receivers get open? I’m not convinced. The real wildcard here is DJ Lagway for Florida. The freshman sensation filed in for an injured Graham Mertz last week and looked great, albeit against Samford. He threw for 456 yards. However, Napier remained steadfast this week that his starting QB is Graham Mertz, but they will also have packages for Lagway. With Elko leading A&M, I think they will have a strong defensive plan, but if given the opportunity, Lagway is the kind of athlete who can break a gameplan. That said, I don’t trust Napier to give Lagway enough chances if Mertz is healthy. I will cautiously take the Aggies to win here but I can’t pick a team to cover when they haven't even won a road game in nearly three seasons.
Texas A&M 23
Florida 20
The Waco Kid: Florida sucks, Napier is on his way out, and they cannot figure out a way to get those big boys on the defensive line to perform like they should. A&M proved in week 1 that they have a top tier defense, while in week 2 their offense finally woke up from the year long nap they’ve been taking. It seems to be clicking for Conner Weigman and the Aggies. They have established the run game with Le’Veon Moss and now all they need is to play a complete game against a decent program. I fully expect them to make that leap against a subpar Gator team that has not found it’s identity yet. Not sure how the line comes in at -4 but I would not be surprised if this is a three score difference in favor of the maroon and white.
Texas A&M 41
Florida 20
Bossman: The Rebels are loaded with talent and have their sites set on a playoff birth. Wake Forest just lost to Virginia at home. Yes, the UVA team that went 3-9 last season. It’s the first Power 4 game of the season for Ole Miss, but I wouldn’t call it a test. Even TV knows it, casting this game off to The CW ahead of episode two of the 34th season of Smallville. I can’t believe Superman is still alive. Anyway, Ole Miss is going to smoke the Demon Deacons. They may start slow with the upgraded level of competition from what they’ve seen in the first two weeks, but they will overwhelm Wake in the end. Won’t be close.
#5 Ole Miss 48
Wake Forest 20
Hammer: Ole Miss, although they have played absolutely no one, has looked like a team possessed. Jaxson Dart is putting up absurd numbers and the Rebels are steamrolling anyone in their way. That will include Wake Forest this weekend. Dave Clausen is a great coach and he has gotten the most out of Wake Forest for years. But they do not have the type of athlete to keep up with the Rebel’s offense. Dart will have a big game, and I think Tre Harris goes for 150 and has at least one touchdown. Ole Miss wins and covers with relative ease.
#5 Ole Miss 42
Wake Forest 17
The Waco Kid: Wake Forest still has a football team? The only thing good to come out of there is Sam Hartman and he left to pursue an actual career at Notre Dame. Ole Miss is loving the Lane Train and will continue to ride it into the sunset for as long as possible. Rebels by 28.
#5 Ole Miss 48
Wake Forest 20
Bossman: In the preseason, I expected this one to be close. Now, I’m not so sure. Kentucky looked completely lost last week against South Carolina. Maybe the Gamecocks are a decent team this year and they fooled us all in Week 1 by letting ODU hang around. Or maybe, Kentucky isn’t that good at all. Georgia is the same machine they’ve been for the last five years and are the favorites to win the natty for good reason. I mentioned this on our SEC After Dark show this week, but there’s a catch to this. Georgia always plays down to their opponent at least one game a year, and the Dawgs have struggled in Lexington over the last 12 years. The Bulldogs average margin of victory in those six games in Lexington is 13, and if you exclude 2014 in which Georgia won by 32, the average margin of victory over Kentucky is nine. This 24-point spread is too much for me with that history, and I think Kentucky plays better than they did last week. Georgia wins comfortably but won’t cover the spread.
#1 UGA 27
Kentucky 13
Hammer: Maybe what we saw from Kentucky last week will be an aberration and we’ll look back in November and wonder what happened in Week 2. If so, Kentucky will look a heck of a lot better this week. But I don’t trust them at all. It’s a shame Kentucky has to get steamrolled on their homefield two weeks in a row but that’s what is about to occur. Georgia is going to run over the Wildcats. Kentucky is lost on offense. Brock Vandagriff looked awful last week and the Georgia defense is better than South Carolina’s. Big Blue’s offensive line is also lost and they ain’t going to find it against the Dawgs. I expect Carson Beck to have another great game here and lead the Bulldogs to an easy victory.
#1 UGA 38
Kentucky 10
The Waco Kid: Yikes, not a fun week for Kentucky after getting rocked by South Carolina. The Wildcats needed a win against the Gamecocks to have some kind of confidence and instead they enter the Georgia week on an all-time low, looking to play the #1 team in the nation. This one is going to get ugly. UK will be lucky if they leave with no injuries and score at least 10. I would not be surprised if this was a shut out but what Mark Stoops’ crew does have going for them is that they will most likely be playing back ups for at least a half. The Dawgs cover easily.
#1 UGA 56
Kentucky 21
Other games on the slate:
Arkansas vs. UAB - 3:30pm ET on SEC Network
#2 Texas vs. UTSA - 7:00pm ET on ESPN
Vanderbilt at Georgia State - 7:00pm ET on ESPN+
Auburn vs. New Mexico - 7:30pm ET on ESPN 2
Mississippi State vs. Toledo - 7:30pm ET on ESPNU
#7 Tennessee vs. Kent State - 7:45pm ET on SEC Network