AUSTIN — The SEC does not officially have playoff games, of course, but that’s about what this Saturday’s game featuring LSU at Texas A&M will be.
The top two teams in this newly-expanded 16-team SEC will meet in the league title game, the conference no longer featuring East and West divisions as it had the previous 32 seasons.
Coach Brian Kelly’s Tigers don’t play Texas or Georgia, and with a win at Texas A&M, they would have a manageable SEC slate remaining, playing host to a suddenly vulnerable Alabama on Nov. 9 before closing the season at Florida (Nov. 16), and then hosting Vanderbilt (Nov. 23) and Oklahoma (Nov. 30).
The Aggies, meanwhile, have an intriguing road trip ahead at South Carolina along with a home date with New Mexico State, a road trip to Auburn and then a showdown in College Station with Texas.
Here’s a look at this week’s SEC games, and the opening betting lines (via Circa Sports):
Oklahoma at Ole Miss (-20), noon, ESPN
Arkansas (-8) at Mississippi State, 12:45 p.m. SEC Network
Missouri at Alabama (-13), 3:30 p.m. ABC
Texas (-17) at Vanderbilt, 4:15 p.m., SEC Network
LSU at Texas A&M (-3), 7:30 p.m., ABC
Auburn at Kentucky (-3), 7:45 p.m. SEC Network
Idle: Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina