Big Ten & SEC Weekend Preview: Alabama-Tennessee, Ohio State-Wisconsin Headline Week 7 Action
In the seventh week of the college football season, members of the Florida Citrus Sports Team Selection Committee are making visits throughout Big Ten and SEC country, meeting with fans across both conferences in advance of the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl on December 31st.
#1 Alabama at #9 Tennessee – 3:30 p.m. on CBS
Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC) hosts Alabama (6-0, 3-0 SEC) for a conference matchup between AP Top 10 teams. The Volunteers suffered a double-overtime defeat on the road last week at the hands of No. 8 Texas A&M. The loss was their first of the season and came after back-to-back victories against ranked SEC East opponents to open up their conference docket. Alabama brings an 11-game conference win streak into Neyland Stadium, coming off of a 49-30 victory against Arkansas in Fayetteville last week. Alabama holds a 52-38-7 lead in the all-time series between the two programs with Tennessee’s last victory coming at home in 2006. Nick Saban is a perfect 9-0 against Tennessee since taking over in Tuscaloosa.
#12 Ole Miss at #22 Arkansas – 7:00 p.m. on ESPN
Ole Miss (3-2, 1-1 SEC) and Arkansas (4-2, 0-2 SEC) meet for an SEC West Divisional matchup in Fayetteville. Both teams have lost twice this season to teams ranked in the AP Top 25. Ole Miss is coming off of their bye week. The Rebels knocked off Memphis the week prior. The Razorbacks are coming off of a loss at home to top-ranked Alabama last week but they totaled 30 points in the loss, doubling the season average given up by the Crimson Tide defense. Arkansas won in a shootout last season in Oxford, 53-52, to take a 34-28-1 lead in the series.
#2 Ohio State at #8 Wisconsin – 8:00 p.m. on ABC
The Buckeyes (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) head to Madison to play Wisconsin (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) in the Badgers’ first conference game at Camp Randall this season. The Buckeyes knocked off Indiana at home last week, 38-17. The 21-point margin of victory was the Buckeyes closest game this season, matching their 45-24 victory at Oklahoma. Ohio State has averaged a 42.4 margin of victory through five games to lead the FBS. After losing a close 14-7 game to No. 4 Michigan in Ann Arbor two weeks ago, Wisconsin had their bye last weekend ahead of this primetime clash. The Buckeyes (10.8 ppg) and Badgers (12.2 ppg) are the second- and fourth-ranked scoring defenses in the nation holding opponents to a combined 23 points per game between the two. Ohio State leads the all-time series with Wisconsin, 57-18-5, including wins in seven of the last eight meetings.
Here are the rest of the Big Ten and SEC games our selection committee members will attend:
Vanderbilt (2-4, 0-3 SEC) at Georgia (4-2, 2-2 SEC) – 12:00 p.m. on SECN
#10 Nebraska (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) at Indiana (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) – 3:30 p.m. on ABC/ESPN2
Northwestern (2-3, 1-1 Big Ten) at Michigan State (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) – 3:30 p.m. on BTN
Missouri (2-3, 0-2 SEC) at #18 Florida (4-1, 2-1 SEC) – 4:00 p.m. on SECN
We’ll also be checking out some key games in the ACC, which could swap into the Big Ten spot in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl if a Big Ten team plays in the Orange Bowl. For a look at the important ACC games this weekend, check out our Russell Athletic Bowl weekend preview.
All times listed are Eastern Time Zone (ET), and all games are on Saturday unless otherwise listed.