Top SEC Games: Week 9 Edition
Oct 24, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Kentucky Wildcats players walk off the field after the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State won 42-16 Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Tennessee VS Kentucky
Location: Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington, KY
Game Time: Saturday, October 31 7:30PM ET
TV: SEC Network
Bluegrass elimination is a great way to sum up the battle in Lexington Saturday night. Tennessee enters as the more talented team, but Kentucky has hung around quietly so far this season Kentucky has proved to be a tough out most of the year.
Oct 24, 2015; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones walks off the following their 19-14 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Should Tennessee prevail, will this be the game that breaks Kentucky’s back and/or spirit? A rivalry factor is at play here due to the location. If the game were in Knoxville, clearly the rivalry factor would carry less significance.
The margin for error is shrinking for Kentucky and close losses this season certainly have to linger. How much is something you would have to ask Mark Stoops. The Wildcats were blown out in Starkville last weekend. Could you make the argument Kentucky was overlooking Mississippi State? Absolutely not. I think that’d be foolish considering the consistency of the Mississippi State program.
Kentucky really needs to upend Tennessee this weekend with Georgia around the corner, though other opportunities do remain to pick up two more regular season wins. Tennessee, on the other hand, stares down a remaining five games that are all winnable. And after the showing in Tuscaloosa, I believe it would be safe bet to say the Vols end the regular season with 8 wins. A loss for Kentucky adds more doubt, and a loss for the Vols does the same as well.
I do believe both teams find 6 regular season wins. I guess this is, more or less, a game that will decide bowl rankings in the SEC. Don’t sleep on the game in Lexington Saturday night.