Are other conferences going to play at all this year or is 2020 just going to be a southern affair? Which in all honesty I’m totally OK with.

I mean, I’ll watch the Big 10 and Pac 12 because it’s football and sometimes (rarely) there are some good games. Like, say, in 2006 when UCLA upset USC and Ohio State beat Michigan and it allowed my Gators to play and ultimately win the national championship. And I think Purdue had a decent season a few years ago, right?

As for our season here at DSE and the pick of the week, we’re a lousy 1-3 on the year and 46-34 overall since 2015.

In pushing the envelope a little further we’re going to go with two picks this week in an effort to get back to even on the year. It also helps that there are only four games scheduled for Saturday so let’s just touch on them all.

Week eight is now…

SEC Pick of the Week: No. 2 Alabama (-21) at Tennessee, 3:30pm ET on CBS.

This game has the feel of last week’s ACC matchup between Clemson and Georgia Tech in which the Tigers won 73-7.

Tennessee has no business even being in this game, let alone covering the spread or winning it but it’s a rivalry game and rivalry games are special.

Wait…

Alabama has won, what, 13 straight against Tennessee? And only two of those games have been within a touchdown?

Oh, nevermind on the rivalry then.

The Volunteers are (and should) about to just get annihilated. They have no business in this game. Alabama is coming off a demolition of a Georgia team who dismantled the Volunteers rather easily earlier this year.

I have Alabama winning big. Maybe the Vols score a garbage time touchdown late to cover but they probably won’t.

Alabama to win big.

SEC Pick of the Week II: Kentucky (-5.5) at Missouri, 4:00pm ET on SECN.

The Missouri Tigers have actually played some decent football this year and have a nice win over LSU to show for it.

But their opponents from Kentucky this week have played lights-out defense this year and are coming off a good win against Tennessee in which they rolled to a 34-7 win.

They also held Mississippi State to two points two weeks ago. Mark Stoops has his boys playing well and I think that continues.

Kentucky should win this one by around two touchdowns.

I’m taking the Wildcats to cover.

Upset alert: Auburn (-3) at Ole Miss, 12:00pm ET on SECN.

Auburn quarterback Bo Nix is one of the most overrated players in the SEC in my opinion. I’m just not a fan. His mechanics are terrible, he tries to do way to much and he’s just not mentally ready to play quarterback at a big-time school.

On the other hand, Matt Corral of Ole Miss is the real deal despite his outing last week. He’s a guy who is either going to get hot during a game or he’s not. Which is fine for now, he’s young and he’s learning a new system under a new coaching staff.

And despite the fact that many people think that Auburn won’t fire Gus Malzahn this year because off his $21+ million buyout, if any school were to do it it would be Auburn.

Let there be no mistake: Malzahn is coaching for his job.

Keep an eye on: South Carolina at LSU, 7:00pm ET on ESPN.

Speaking of coaches who are coaching for their jobs, Will Muschamp says hello. A nice win last week over the aforementioned Gus Malzahn and the Auburn Tigers is good enough to take some of the heat off, but he’s got another tough but winnable game against LSU this weekend.

I’ve long been on the record in saying that I don’t think coach Orgeron and LSU will make it together long term. Muschamp and Co. can definitely pull this one out but this game is happening at night in Death Valley.

I’ve said it a thousand times it seems like. Weird things happen at night in Baton Rouge. So who knows?

Trending up: Alabama.

Does the Alabama machine ever really stop or at least break down?

It sure doesn’t seem so.

Sure, I mean they have down years (rarely) or down games (barely, it seems) but they are just always there.

This time they rolled over what was supposed to be their toughest test in years in a Georgia team that has come ohsoclose to knocking them off in big games over the last couple of seasons.

Alabama, the team that just keeps on rolling.

Trending down: Mailmen and trains.

Georgia and Ole Miss had rough weekends as they both took losses though in different ways.

Stetson Bennett and Georgia lost to Alabama (no shame in that) and Matt Corral and Ole Miss lost to Arkansas (shame in that, although Arkansas may be better than expected) by throwing a combined nine interceptions. Some of them, including Bennett’s last INT and about half of Corral’s were just downright terrible.

Are changes coming?

Trending down II: Covid-19.

Oh, the schedule. Due to a bunch of positive Covid-19 test results the remainder of the SEC schedule is looking a lot different than it did just a week or so ago.

On Friday the SEC office announced the changes to six games, with three of those involving Missouri and I’m sure they’ll be more in the future.

Covid-19 sucks.