SEC First Glance: Alabama Looks To Respond From Tennessee Loss, While Ole Miss, LSU Battle On The Bayou

How do we top last weekend in the SEC? It will certainly be a tall task with the upcoming slate on Saturday. Alabama looks to bounce back from the loss to Tennessee, while Mississippi State fooled us all again and Ole Miss heads to LSU.

I have to warn you, there are only three games this weekend that stand out, with a number of teams on a bye-week. But if the football gods are willing to give us few more nail biters, I certainly won't complain.

Also, if you're looking for some of the best reactions to Tennessee beating Alabama this past weekend, checkout the replies to this tweet.

Mississippi State @ Alabama (-21.5)

It feels as if the Bulldogs fooled us in to thinking they'd be a contender to cause chaos in the SEC West this season, coming off the ugly loss to Kentucky. Now they'll head to Tuscaloosa to face a team that is looking to takeout some frustration.

After giving up five touchdowns to Tennessee's Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt, the Alabama secondary looked mediocre, which won't sit well with Nick Saban. This game against Mississippi State shouldn't be a track meet, given that the Bulldogs couldn't run the football last weekend, while Will Rogers looked average. Credit to Bryce Young for playing tremendously against the Vols, as all the talk leading up to that game was about his shoulder.

Who knows which Mississippi State team will show up against the Tide'. Will we get the gunslinging Will Rogers or does Alabama shutdown any type of arial attack? If your Leach, testing the Alabama secondary should be the main priority, but I have a hard time believing they can stop Jahmyr Gibbs from rushing past the Bulldogs defense. Giving up 196 rushing yards to Kentucky won't instill much confidence in the defense for the betting public.

This betting line feels right, with Alabama looking to make a statement on Saturday.

Ole Miss (-1) @ LSU

How bout those LSU Tigers? Going into Gainesville and taking care of Florida was impressive, given that the offense looked stagnant against Tennessee. But now LSU will host Ole Miss in a pivotal game in the SEC West. This will be the first true test for the Rebels on the road, with an offense that's hitting its stride.

OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - SEPTEMBER 24: head coach Lane Kiffin of the Ole Miss Rebels. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

The buildup to this game will be interesting to watch all week, with the Tigers getting another shot at a top-ten opponent. Quarterback Jayden Daniels accounted for six LSU touchdowns against Florida, while WR Kayshon Boutte hauled in 115 yards. There will certainly be talk of the Tigers having to stop the Ole Miss passing attack, but Lane Kiffin is dialing it up with his running backs as well.

GAINESVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 15: LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Beating Auburn at home was nice, especially with QB Jaxson Dart rushing for 115 yards, while the Rebels rushed for a total of 448 yards. Three of the next four games are on the road for Ole Miss, with LSU kicking things off. If the Rebels are going to contend for the West, winning this game in Baton Rouge is critical. Pay attention to the betting line, as this one could swing in the other direction.

Texas A&M (-3.5) @ South Carolina

Alright South Carolina, here's another opportunity to make headlines in the SEC. Both teams are coming off bye-weeks and currently sitting at 1-2 in conference play. Can the Aggies build off the close loss at Alabama? How does South Carolina respond after the win at Kentucky?

COLLEGE STATION, TX - SEPTEMBER 10: Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher (Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

These questions are crucial, with the Gamecocks injecting life into the program with the win in Lexington. As for Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies, quarterback Haynes King will need to jumpstart the passing attack, with Devon Achane looking to be a menace out of the backfield. For South Carolina, it comes down to Spencer Rattler continuing to build confidence after his nice performance against the Wildcats.

Both teams trying to establish a rushing attack will be entertaining to watch, with two quarterbacks who've been inconsistent at times this season. This could end up being one of the best games in the SEC this weekend, so keep an eye on this one come Saturday night. I'm leaning towards the Gamecocks right now, but we've got a few days.

Other Games Of Note

The third ranked Tennessee will get a much needed non-conference game against UT-Martin, with the Vols a bit banged up after the Alabama game. This is the perfect opportunity for Josh Heupel to get his backups some work, as this game should be over with by halftime.

If you're up to the challenge, tune into the Vanderbilt-Missouri game on Saturday. This is one game Eli Drinkwitz cannot afford to lose, as the Tigers are currently 0-3 in SEC play. For Vanderbilt, I could see them covering the 14.5 point spread, but it will take a solid game from QB AJ Swann.

Continue following OutKick and @TreyWallace_ for the latest around the SEC.