SEC Mike offers his Week 10 thoughts with A&M sitting atop the league

Host of That SEC Podcast, Michael Bratton joined Friday's edition of TexAgs Live ahead of 10th-ranked Texas A&M's journey to Williams-Brice Stadium. In addition to the primetime meeting in Columbia, "SEC Mike" spoke on other matchups around the conference.

Key notes from Michael Bratton interview

• Every time Cousin Shane locks up a team, they lose. It is more of a curse. He has locked up South Carolina to beat Texas A&M. A&M is undefeated when Cousin Shane picks against them. He is willing Texas A&M to the SEC Championship game. He is a reverse jinx. 
   
• He likes South Carolina. They have one heck of a defense. He went to Columbia for the LSU game and made some friends down there.
   
• Cousin Shane has to walk 10,000 steps every day until the Aggies lose. He does not want to do those steps anymore, so he is pleading for someone to beat Texas A&M. Exercising is his least favorite thing in the world. 
   
• It should be a really good game at Williams-Brice Stadium at night. Those fans know how to bring it. This may be their marquee home game of the season. Ole Miss went in there and completely thrashed them.
   
• South Carolina is a little underrated. They should probably be a top-25 team. Everyone they have lost to is a solid team.
   
• The problem is I dont have any faith in the South Carolina offense. I dont have much faith they can get into the twenties against this Texas A&M defense. LaNorris Sellers is a redshirt freshman quarterback, and you never quite know what you are getting from him when he throws the football. That will be key.
   
• Everyone focuses on South Carolina's defense and pass rush, which they should. They have  21 sacks I believe, which is second in the SEC. People fail to look at that they have given up 25 sacks, which is the worst in the SEC. I think Texas A&M can get after them. If you score 24 points in this game, you win it. I am pretty confident that the Aggies will get it done. 
   
• I went through all the SEC schedules in the last ten years. Only one SEC team has played its first away game this late in the year in the last ten years, and they gave that to the Longhorns in their first year in the league.
   
• South Carolina lacks offensive weapons outside of Raheim Sanders. LaNorris Sellers has massive potential, but he is not an elite SEC quarterback. The receivers are almost a travesty. They are getting back Jared Brown. He is a transfer from Coastal Carolina and was supposed to be their No. 1 wide receiver. He has not played in a few weeks. Maybe he will step up and have a big game. That is a lot to ask when Texas A&M has Will Lee III to throw on him.
   
• Georgia also has to play Ole Miss in Oxford. Georgia's remaining games will be very difficult. LSU plays Alabama at night in Tiger Stadium. They also play Oklahoma and don't overlook Vanderbilt.
   
• Texas has Florida, Kentucky and Arkansas. If Arkansas wins this weekend, I'll be more intrigued by them. I dont know what to make of them. They are a good team but wildly inconsistent.
   
• If Taylen Green wasn't banged up against LSU, I think it could have ended up differently.
   
• The Ole Miss-Arkansas and Vanderbilt-Auburn games are probably the toughest to predict this weekend. I like Vanderbilt. I can't get over the fact that Auburn is a touchdown favorite. Nothing we have seen this season suggests that should be the line. Vanderbilt has been better, frankly.
   
• Auburn is heating up with Jarquez Hunter. They are finally giving him the ball. Hugh Freeze is the opposite of a genius. Their defense is playing better. I like Vanderbilt, but I think it'll be close. Auburn beating Kentucky last week says more about Kentucky than it does Auburn. 
   
• Ole Miss and Arkansas is a true toss-up. I will lean toward Ole Miss. They have an outside shot at the playoff. They have something to fight for. Their defense gets undersold. It may be the most underrated unit in the entire conference. They are far better than the offense. If Lane Kiffin and Jaxson Dart could get the offense going like they have had it the last couple of years, they may be the best team in the SEC. The fact is we are eight games in, and the offense has been average outside of their cupcake games. I like Ole Miss, but not confidently. 
   
• Vanderbilt still has a lot to play for. They are a win away from a bowl. In most places, that is not much of an accomplishment. For them, that is a hell of an accomplishment. This may be their best shot to become bowl-eligible. After this, they have South Carolina, LSU and Tennessee. If they don’t beat Auburn, they may not get there. Not that Diego Pavia is ever short on confidence, but you can imagine he is super-confident, having beaten Hugh Freeze in the last two seasons.
   
• Dave Bartoo has cracked the code on the playoff rankings. He says Texas A&M will be the highest-ranked SEC team when the playoff poll is released.