SEC & Big Ten Week 7 Preview: Gators, Tiger meet in Death Valley

No. 7 Florida (6-0) at No. 5 LSU (5-0) at 8 p.m. on ESPN

This week, the Florida Gators head to Baton Rouge to face the fifth-ranked LSU Tigers in Death Valley. Both teams head into the game undefeated. As Florida seeks its second consecutive victory over top 10 team, LSU will fight for their sixth win this season.

This is the first Florida-LSU matchup since 2015 in which both teams are ranked in the Top 10.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the teams:

Florida Quick Hits:

• Florida leads the all-time series against LSU 33-29-3.
• The Gators are 3-1 against top-10 teams under Dan Mullen.
• Saturday marks the 25th time in program history the Gators have faced Top 10 opponents in consecutive games. The only two times UF won both games were in 2006 and 2008, and both instances came in an SEC Championship Game followed by a BCS title game.
• This is the first time since 2015 that Florida has started the season 6-0.
• This Saturday will mark Florida’s 42nd appearance on College Game Day and their third this season.
• Florida is second to only Syracuse (44) with 43 takeaways since the start of the 2018 season.
• Click here for Florida’s complete game notes.
• Click here for the Gators’ Week 7 depth chart.

LSU Quick Hits:

• The Tigers are 5-1 in their last 6 games against Top 10 teams.
• Through five games, LSU has scored more points (273) than any other SEC team in the SEC era.
• LSU not only ranks first in the country in scoring (54.8 points per game), but is second in total offense (571.0 yards) and passing offense (416.0).
• LSU has scored in 32 consecutive quarters, the longest streak in school history.
• Joe Burrow has more completions (127), passing yards (1,864) and TDs (22) through five games than any other QB in LSU history.
• Click here for LSU’s complete game notes.
• Click here for the Tigers’ Week 7 depth chart.

Here’s a quick look at some of the other top games from this weekend’s slate:

South Carolina (2-3) at No. 3 Georgia (5-0) at Noon on ESPN

Head coaches Will Muschamp and Kirby Smart have several ties to one another. Muschamp was a co-captain of the Georgia football team in 1994 while Smart was a redshirt freshman on the team. Muschamp also hired Smart at Valdosta State while they worked together under Nick Saban at LSU.

Mississippi State (3-2) at Tennessee (1-4) at Noon on SECN

These two SEC teams are set to meet for the first time since 2012, a 41-31 Bulldogs win in Starkville.

No. 1 Alabama (5-0) at No. 24 Texas A&M (3-2) at 3:30 p.m. on CBS

After facing Clemson earlier this year, Texas A&M will be the fifth school to ever face the AP No. 1 team twice in a season since the poll began in 1936. A&M also faced two No. 1 teams in 1970 (at Ohio State, at Texas) and lost both games.

Ole Miss (3-2) at Missouri (4-1) at 7 p.m. on ESPN2

Mizzou enters the game holing a 6-1 series lead over Ole Miss, with the only Rebels victory coming in 1974.

Arkansas (2-3) at Kentucky (2-3) at 7:30 p.m. on SECN

The Razorbacks have only won once in Lexington. The game, in 2003, was one of the wildest in college football histor, a seven-overtime thriller that resulted in a 71-63 Razorback victory.

No. 16 Michigan (4-1) at Illinois (2-3) at Noon on ABC

Michigan has won 10 of its last 11 games in Champaign against Illinois with the only loss coming in 2009, a 38-13 setback to the Illini.

Rutgers (1-4) at Indiana (3-2) at Noon on BTN

Rutgers, “The Birthplace of College Football,” has played the most games in college football history (1,354).

Maryland (3-2) at Purdue (1-4) at Noon on BTN

The Terps have scored 207 points through their first five games, the highest total in the first five games of a season in program history and the most over any five game span since scoring 223 in 2002.

Michigan State (4-2) at No. 8 Wisconsin (5-0) at 3:30 p.m. on BTN

The Badgers defense leads the country in scoring defense (5.8 points allowed per game) and total defense (178.6 yards per game) after posting their third shutout of the season last Saturday against Kent State.

No. 10 Penn State (5-0) at No. 17 Iowa (4-1) at 7:30 p.m. on ABC

The Nittany lions (7.4 points allowed per game) and the Hawkeyes (8.8) rank second and third, respectively, in FBS in scoring defense this season, trailing only Wisconsin.

Nebraska (4-2) at Minnesota (5-0) at 7:30 p.m. on FS1

The Gophers are riding a seven-game win streak into Saturday’s contest and have relied on an explosive offense that is averaging 410 total yards and 35.8 points per game this season.