Who to watch in the SEC: Week 8 has some interesting match ups

As we approach the halfway mark of the 2022 season, several SEC teams need to win to keep everything in front of them.

The number one ranked Bulldogs are trying rest and recover during Week 8 in a well-deserved bye as the rest of college football plays some unique conference games that will impact the future landscape of the SEC divisions.

A majority of the higher-ranked teams are favored by Vegas and ESPN's Bill Connelly’s SP+ projections. The biggest surprise is Vegas going with unranked LSU over 7th-ranked Ole Miss in Baton Rogue.

Ole Miss vs LSU

CBS Network at 3:30 PM ET

Ole Miss is undefeated but is actually a slight underdog. The Rebels opened SEC play with wins over Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Auburn. The Tigers are currently 3-1 in the conference with their best win being against Mississippi State. Vegas has LSU by -2.5 as of today, but Connelly's SP+ model has Ole Miss winning in a 31-25 final.

Texas A&M vs South Carolina

SEC Network at 7:30 PM ET

Texas A&M will travel to the Gamecocks as a three-and-a-half-point favorite per Vegas. South Carolina has one conference win on the year against Kentucky who was without their starting quarterback Will Levis. Connelly's model has it a bit different with the Gamecocks edging out a .4-point victory. The math has their margin of victory so close it shows up as a tie with the final score being 24-24.

Mississippi State vs Alabama

ESPN at 7:00 PM ET

Connelly’s system has Alabama bouncing back with a big win against a top-25 Mississippi State. Last week, the Tide had another historically bad day with 17 penalties against Tennessee in their first loss of the season. Vegas agrees with Bill giving the Tide a large -20.5 cover at home in Bryant Denny.

Vanderbilt vs Missouri

SEC Network at 3:00 PM ET

In their 111th homecoming, Missouri will play Vanderbilt at home. Vegas has the Tigers as 14-point favorites to win. Connelly sees the game ending with Missouri winning by a 16-point margin in a 35-19 finish.

UT-Martin vs Tennessee

SEC Network at 12 PM ET

The Tennessee Volunteers will play UT-Martin. Connelly's model confirms what we all know: Tennessee will win in blowout fashion with the model predicting a 54-15 final.

• SP+ model and Vegas Odds:
• - Ole Miss 31, LSU 25/ LSU (-2.5)
• - South Carolina 25, Texas A&M 24/ A&M (-3.5)
• - Alabama 36, Mississippi State 21/Alabama (-21)
• - Missouri 35, Vanderbilt 19/Missouri (-14)
• - Tennessee 54, UT-Martin 15/Tennessee (N/A)

There isn't a game like Tennessee vs Bama this weekend but every Saturday matters in the SEC.

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