Ole Miss Needs 50 And A Defensive Stand | Locked On Bets Breaks Down The Number

Game day, and the biggest Saturday of the young season. Steven Willis is joined by Kevin Rogers of Paramount Sports and Locked On Bets to handicap a card with three SEC-versus-Big Ten matchups on it.

The frame for the whole weekend: this is benefit-of-the-doubt week. Mississippi State-Minnesota, Texas-Ohio State, Oklahoma-Michigan — three conference-versus-conference results that will still be getting cited in November when the committee is separating teams with the same record. Go 3-0 and the SEC gets the benefit of the doubt. Go 0-3 and it doesn't.

On Texas and Ohio State: the Longhorns outgained the Buckeyes 336 to 203 in Columbus last season and lost 14-7, because the offense couldn't finish in the red zone. What's different now is help — Hollywood Smothers from NC State and Cam Coleman from Auburn.

On Michigan: Bryce Underwood threw for 170 yards against Western Michigan, and 47 of those came on the play after the game should have ended. Rogers also has thoughts on a 27-point favorite storming its own field, which he says he never saw once at Florida State.

Plus Georgia Tech getting 12.5 from Tennessee and why Brent Key is 5-3 as a dog, Alabama laying 10.5 on the road at Kentucky in the conference opener, and Mississippi State as a road favorite in the Big Ten.

And on Ole Miss-Charlotte, the number nobody wants to touch: Rogers lays the 47.5 — but points out the cover has a defensive condition attached. Ole Miss needs 50 to 55 points AND Charlotte held under 10. That's the same thing this show has been asking for all week from the other direction.

One more thing worth noting: this is the third guest in three days who has told Steven that Ole Miss is not looking ahead to LSU.