We’ve been talking a lot about Tennessee Football’s upcoming SEC clash with Mississippi State this weekend, and rightfully so. It’s an underrated matchup on the Week 5 slate with Tennessee looking for its first SEC win and Mississippi State looking to get its undefeated start to the season alive with another Top 15 victory.
But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of other must-see games around the conference this weekend.
More From RTI: The Current Betting Line For Tennessee vs Mississippi State in SEC Action
From Top 25 matchups to notable non-conference opponents, here’s a look at three of the biggest non-Tennessee games from the upcoming SEC slate this weekend.
No. 17 Alabama at No. 5 Georgia
The Bulldogs will put their undefeated record on the line in a home game against SEC foe Alabama this weekend in Athens. And man, what a matchup this one will be. The game is set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night and the internet has been rumbling about a potential blackout in Sanford Stadium.
Alabama was written off by many after an opening-season road loss to Florida State. Since then, though, the Tide have rolled. Alabama beat Louisiana-Monroe and Wisconsin by a combined 111-14 before a bye week leading into the game this Saturday. Georgia also had a bye week last weekend, but beat Tennessee in Knoxville in an overtime thriller the week before for a statement win.
This is an interesting line. Despite the Tide’s early loss and the game being in Athens, the Bulldogs are only a point favorite going into the game. It’s clear that no matter what chatter has been going on online about Alabama’s downfall, Vegas still sees them as a formidable foe in the SEC race.
No. 4 LSU at No. 13 Ole Miss
The other Top 25 game taking place this weekend involves the LSU Tigers heading to Oxford to take on Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels. Both teams have had undefeated 4-0 starts to the year, but one team has to fall this weekend. The winner of this game will have a big leg up in the race for the SEC championship picture with an undefeated 5-0 start and a Top 15 in-conference win on the resume.
The Tigers and the Rebels will square off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The line hasn’t moved much, either. It started close and remains a near pick ’em heading into the game on Saturday. ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives Ole Miss a 73.3% chance to win, but that seems like it could be a little high.
No. 22 Notre Dame at Arkansas
There was one other potential option for the final game on the list, Auburn at No. 9 Texas A&M, but we’ll look at the non-conference game instead. It does have a closer line, after all.
Notre Dame will make a trip down south to Fayetteville this weekend for a matchup with the Razorbacks. And for a few different reasons, this one makes for an interesting game. The first and main reason is that both teams really need a win.
Notre Dame started the season 0-2 with losses to both Miami and Texas A&M, who are good teams in their own right. The losses were only by a combined four points, though. Arkansas, meanwhile, has lost its last two games by a combined seven points. These are two teams who could be on the opposite side of the record book if just a few plays had gone differently.
Notre Dame is a point favorite on the road this weekend. Here’s a look at the current odds heading into the game:
