Voices of the SEC: Gus Malzahn earns a reprieve at Auburn

Staff | USA Today Network

Everything went as planned in the SEC this week.

The important games are almost here.

These are the Voices of the SEC, post-Week 8.

Auburn stays put for another week

Gus Malzahn gets a reprieve with a solid road victory at Ole Miss. Auburn's defense played better than last week's 30-point allowance to Tennessee, and the offense moved the ball better against a poor Ole Miss defense.

The chatter coming into the weekend centered around Auburn's disappointing season and Malzahn's buyout. On the surface, it looks ridiculous. Not every week, and every season, can be perfectly charted in the SEC West.

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LSU wants 'Bama, right?

LSU treated Saturday's thorough victory over Mississippi State as one does a savings account.

LSU made a decent-sized deposit to open up the account (a touchdown in the first quarter) and added some extra change from time to time (four field goals) to meet its goal without having to withdraw any extra capital.

Alabama is next after a week off. Both teams will be on a bye next week, and one could argue that the Tide have not played a full week all season. But LSU's athletes resemble the kind of talented group of players that can test Alabama. The Tigers better hope they have enough points in the bank.

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Kentucky grasps onto East hopes

After a week off, Kentucky struggled passing the ball in a manner similar to its overtime loss to Texas A&M earlier this month. But the Wildcats have Benny Snell, and he ran for 169 yards and a touchdown in the win over Vanderbilt.

Kentucky is not perfect, and its quarterback is a ways away from becoming a prolific passer in the SEC. But the defense is a naughty one. Pair it with Snell, and it makes sense that the Wildcats are 6-1. But to win the SEC East, they'll need more from the passing game.

Bye, bye, bye

Watching Saturday's action, one could not help but to think about the three most important games left on the SEC schedule, all of which are played in the next two weeks.

What is Florida-Georgia's rivalry called nowadays? Either way, both will be coming off of a bye week and will be gunning for the driver's seat in the SEC East.

We already discussed Alabama-LSU, but Georgia-Kentucky could also be a de facto division title game if the Bulldogs take down the Gators in Jacksonville. Both of those games are two weeks away. These first six weeks of SEC play have felt like an undercard compared to what is ahead during the next two weekends.

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Top highlights from Week 8 of college football Marquee Week 8 college football matchups include games between Big Ten rivals Michigan and Michigan State, Big 12 rivals Oklahoma and TCU and much more.

Scores

Arkansas 23, Tulsa 0

Auburn 31, Ole Miss 16

Alabama 58, Tennessee 21

Missouri 65, Memphis 33

LSU 19, Mississippi State 3

Kentucky 14, Vanderbilt 7

Voices of the SEC is compiled each week by Nicole Saavedra and Nick Gray.