Kentucky vs. Mississippi State Preview

Mississippi State Bulldogs Preview

QB Will Rogers has quietly put together one of, if not, the best season in the entire country thus far. He became the all-time SEC completions leader this past weekend in the Bulldogs' total deconstruction of Arkansas. Rogers has completed 71% of his passes to go along with 2,110 yards and 22 touchdowns in just six games. That is some incredible stuff, and it is a wonder why his name hasn't even been mentioned in the Heisman trophy conversation.

Not only has Rogers been ridiculously good, but his team as a whole has made a statement following their Week 3 loss against LSU. The Bulldogs have outscored their last three opponents by a 127-55 margin and have gone 3-0 in those games. So where is the love for this team and why aren't they getting more respect nationally? They have another chance to prove themselves here against a ranked Kentucky team.

There is no doubt that they will be up to the challenge here, as a few of their players have said they feel disrespected by how little anyone is talking about them. The AP poll certainly thinks they should get some after naming them No. 16 in the country after last week's win, but that isn't enough for Mississippi St. They want to be top-10.

The defense has been limiting opponents to points, but they do have a tendency to bend. They allow quite a bit of yardage through the air and on the ground to opposing teams, but they dont give up many points. A classic "bend-don't-break" defense that can really cause havoc for other squads.

Kentucky Wildcats Preview

The Kentucky Wildcats have seen their dream season turn into more of a nightmare over the past two weeks. They were riding high through the first month of the season but would run into trouble when they lost a very close game to Ole Miss, two weeks ago. QB Will Levis was injured during the loss and backup Kaiya Sheron would be the one under center for the Wildcats' extremely pathetic loss to South Carolina this past weekend.

Levis' foot injury leaves his status up in the air for their bout against the Bulldogs and if it's Sheron leading the way, this one could get ugly very quick for Kentucky. It seems as though he is going to play, however, as the line has moved from 6 to 4 over the last hour of my writing this article. A line change that big almost always has something to do with the QB position.

If he does in fact play, that instantly makes the Wildcats much more playable here. His presence in that offense immediately changes how the team operates and looks. If the projected first-round NFL draft pick happens to play, it could very well be a much, much closer contest that I would not be willing to lay money on.

The Wildcats' defense has been great this season, only allowing just over 16 points per game and being one of the stingiest in the nation defending the passing attack. They allow just 174 yards through the air per game, so they will put Rogers to the test on the road this coming weekend.

My Prediction

Depending on if Levis is under center or not will determine whether or not there is a viable bet in this game. It looks like he will play, but there is no confirmation on that as of now. So, I wouldn't advise a bet on either team. If you like the Bulldogs, take them now at -4. If Levis doesn't play, this line could skyrocket to the moon. Mississippi St. is hot and they are the better overall team, so I wouldn't blame you.

I would lean Mississippi State -4.