Neal's Picks, Week 4, presented by Clark Chevrolet GMC Buick Cadillac

THE GREEN -- Through three weeks, the results aren't good.

We at Neal's Picks are in last place. We're in fifth out of five in both major categories. That's like being 14th out of 14 in every major category.

However, it's not as bad as it looks. The interns and I met on Sunday and we talked about our obvious deficiencies. Bottom line: I've got to get them ready to pick games. I've got to get them fired up and ready to pick from the first pick. If they're not excited to pick games, that's on me. I've got to come up with the words during the week to motivate them to pick games.

Also, their eye discipline is poor. They're looking at the wrong statistics, the wrong analytics. I've told them to get their eyes in the right place this week.There were times over the past two weeks where we were in position to pick the right side of the line but we just didn't do it. Our eyes got locked in one side of the line and the other side of the line slipped right by us.

Oh, and focus. For God's sake, we have to focus. Focus solves everything. Don't know a football from an anvil? That's OK. Focus. Don't know a sucker bet from a solid trend? Again, just focus.

And execute. For the love of all that's good and holy, execute. Upon review, the interns were in the right place to make the right pick. There were times our eyes were on the right side of the line but when it came time to just make the damn pick, we just didn't execute. And that's on me. I've got to get them ready to execute. Then they have to execute. If I get them in place to execute and they don't execute because of their eyes or their lack of focus, well, hell, why should my record reflect that?

The interns we have at Neal's Picks are good enough. That's not the issue. This isn't about personnel. This is about eyes and focus and execution and motivation.

So here's what we're not going to do: We are not going to change our plan. We're not firing interns and promoting interns or admitting that one intern is in completely over her head or that she was hired because we thought she'd bring in awesome interns but has failed to do that either.

We might let a different intern make a pick here and there, but no one will ever know. There will be rumors, but loyalty is a big thing at Neal's Picks.

And eye discipline.

And focus.

And, yes, execution.

And motivation.

Improvement is coming. It's just not coming fast enough.

On to the picks...

Last week:

Jeffrey Wright: 10-2 overall, 5-5 ATS

Neal McCready: 10-2 overall, 4-6 ATS

Chase Parham: 10-2 overall, 7-3 ATS

Barrett Clark: 10-2 overall, 8-2 ATS

Corey Clark: 11-1 overall, 5-5 ATS

For the season:

Jeffrey Wright 33-5 overall, 15-11 ATS

Neal McCready: 32-6 overall, 13-13 ATS

Chase Parham: 34-4 overall, 18-8 ATS

Barrett Clark: 33-5 overall, 17-9 ATS

Corey Clark: 34-4 overall, 14-12 ATS

All games Saturday. All times listed Central Daylight Time

Kent State (+27.5) at Ole Miss, 11 a.m., SEC Network:

Jeffrey Wright: Kent State is bad; make no mistake about it, but so was Southern Illinois. Further, teams have a terrible record against the spread the week after playing Alabama. I’ll take my chances loading up against the public here. Jeffrey Wright’s pick: Ole Miss 52, Kent State 31

Neal McCready: Only one stat matters in this one, and that's Kent State's number of offensive total yards. I'll guess Ole Miss holds the Golden Flashes to under 450 on Saturday. LSU waits in a week. Until then, everyone has a right to be cynical. Neal's Pick: Ole Miss 50, Kent State 20

Chase Parham: I have a healthy skepticism until Ole Miss shows some defensive life. Kent State isn't good, but that hasn't mattered at times. Southern Illinois is still fresh on my mind. Parham's Pick: Ole Miss 52, Kent State 27

Barrett Clark: Hopefully Ole Miss gets it together and takes care of business. Barrett's Clark: Ole Miss 51, Kent State 23

Corey Clark: I just. I can't. What in the. How did. Whatever. Corey's Pick: Ole Miss 63 Kent State 40

No. 2 Georgia (-15) at Missouri, 11 a.m., ESPN:

Jeffrey Wright: I get it. You don’t get rich betting against Georgia the past two seasons, but Drew Lock is actually good, so good that he might be my in between girl. (See Alex Kelly) I hope Derek Dooley understands that every run play he calls on Saturday is a wasted down. I’ll take the points and hate every minute of it. Jeffrey Wright’s pick: Georgia 41, Missouri 31

Neal McCready: Alabama East is going to do what Alabama East does: Crush dreams. Neal's Pick: Georgia 41, Missouri 24

Chase Parham: If Mizzou had sent a Drew Lock bobblehead, then my pick would be up for grabs. But as it is, let's just go with Georgia. The Bulldogs will pick off a couple passes, make the Tigers on-dimensional and torch a bad Missouri defense. Parham's Pick: Georgia 41, Mizzou 20

Barrett Clark: Georgia takes care of business and separates from Mizzou in the 3rd. Barrett's Pick: Georgia 40 Mizzou 21

Corey Clark: Jawga looks really really strong. Drew Lock will look average. Traditionally, I'd think that UGa would be looking ahead to the Tennessee game, but come on, y'all. Corey's Pick: Jawga 49 Missouri 21

No. 22 Texas A&M (+27) at No. 1 Alabama, 2:30 p.m., CBS:

Jeffrey Wright: I think this is the scariest Alabama team yet under Saban. You don’t get rich betting against Nick Saban. Yes, Alabama is better than Texas A&M. Alabama is better than everyone, but I just think 27 points is too many. I’ll grab them. Jeffrey Wright’s pick: Alabama 42, Texas A&M 21

Neal McCready: I'm rolling with the Tide until they give me a reason not to. I saw nothing Saturday to dissuade me from that strategy. Neal's Pick: Alabama 49, Texas A&M 17

Chase Parham: Jimbo is going to put a consistent product on the field soon. But it's not consistent enough to make this a thing. Alabama's offense is hard to bet against with Tua Tagovailoa throwing it around like this. Parham's Pick: Alabama 48, TAMU 20

Barrett Clark: Texas A&M looked good against a strong Clemson team but Alabama looks unstoppable. Barrett's Pick: Alabama 45, Texas A&M 21

Corey Clark: I'm going to just keep picking Bama to win and cover until they don't. Corey's Pick: Bama 35 aTm 7

South Carolina (-1) at Vanderbilt, 3 p.m., SEC Network:

Jeffrey Wright: Congrats to Vanderbilt for a statement loss in South Bend, and a sincere F you to the Fighting Irish for absolutely wilting in the red zone last Saturday. It was a thing of beauty to watch. However, I believe this line is an overreaction to Vanderbilt’s close loss and South Carolina’s bad loss at home to Georgia two weeks ago. Teams that can throw have had success against Vanderbilt the last two years. I’ll take Jake Bentley and Deebo Samuel. Jeffrey Wright’s pick: South Carolina 24, Vanderbilt 21

Neal McCready: Vanderbilt should have won in South Bend, but it didn't. I should've made it to The Washington Post. I didn't. Speaking from experience, there's likely a letdown coming. Neal's Pick: South Carolina 24, Vanderbilt 20

Chase Parham: Vanderbilt is playing really hard and that coaching staff has done a nice job developing some players on the defensive side of the ball. The quarterback situation is good enough to be decent, but turnovers and not knowing how to win were killers last week. Carolina is an expert at winning ugly games. Parham's Pick: Carolina 20, Vanderbilt 17

Barrett Clark: Defense wins championships but it alone won't help Vandy beat South Carolina. Barrett's Pick: USC 27 Vandy 24

Corey Clark: Neal's football gods would've been called fools preseason if they told you this was going to be the line. I think that line is representative of where the game is being played. And, I think that that doesn't matter when the home team is Vandy. Corey's Pick: USCar 28 Vandy 17

Louisiana Tech (+20.5) at No. 6 LSU, 6 p.m., ESPNU:

Jeffrey Wright: The sharps are on Louisiana Tech. Tech comes in with an offense that scores 42 points per game, and LSU only put up 31 on SELA. I’ll go with the sharps and say that Tech can score enough to stay inside the number. Jeffrey Wright’s pick: LSU 34, Louisiana Tech 17

Neal McCready: Before the season, I actually believed Louisiana Tech had a chance to win this game. The boys from Ruston will treat this like a Super Bowl. LSU, coming off an emotional win and getting ready for a key stretch, might sleep a bit. Neal's Pick: LSU 37, Louisiana Tech 19

Chase Parham: Joe Burrow is averaging fewer than five yards per attempt and LSU is giving up more yards per play than it is averaging on offense. Somehow Burrow was the SEC Player of the week after going 15-of-34 for 249 yards. Parham's Pick: LSU 31, Louisiana Tech 20

Barrett Clark: Louisiana Tech doesn't have the fire power to match LSU especially in the drunk atmosphere of a night time Death Valley game. Barrett's Pick: LSU 37, Louisiana Tech 14

Corey Clark: Well, lookie here...Who picked a 1 point win for the Tigahs last week? LSU wins but doesn't cover. Corey's Pick: LSU 24 LaTech 7

No. 14 Mississippi State (-10.5) at Kentucky, 6 p.m., ESPN2:

Jeffrey Wright: There was reverse line movement here as most of the money came in on Mississippi State and the line actually dropped. I think MSU is a really solid football team, but they have shown to be a little undisciplined in the secondary, and Joe Moorhead still insists on calling pass plays with a quarterback that can’t throw. I’ll take the home dog to stay inside the number. Jeffrey Wright’s pick: Mississippi State 28, Kentucky 20

Neal McCready: I love this game, which is likely horrible news for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are going to take Snell away and put the game in the hands of the Kentucky quarterback. No one outside of his immediate family knows his name. Meanwhile, Mississippi State is going to do that pound-it-down-your-throat thing it does against mediocre teams. State covers. Easily. Neal's Pick: Mississippi State 34, Kentucky 17

Chase Parham: I found myself flowing pleasantries toward Bennie Snell during our live show Thursday night. Neal wondered if I have taken on a football crush. I still say Snell is too popular, but some glances are being stolen in that direction. Parham's Pick: MSU 31, Kentucky 23

Barrett Clark: Mississippi State looks to take care of business in Lexington. I hate picking State College but beating Corey is more important to me. Kentucky covers. Barrett's Pick: MSU 31 Kentucky 21

Corey Clark: First real test for the Bulldogs. They've looked salty so far. Corey's Pick: MSU 28 Kentucky 17

Florida (-5) at Tennessee, 6 p.m., ESPN:

Jeffrey Wright: I don’t know what Dan Mullen’s record ATS is against teams with a losing record, but I’m willing to be it’s very good. This is a simple game. Florida isn’t super talented, but they have more talent than Tennessee. Further, Tennessee can’t block on offense and cannot create negative plays on defense. They only scored 14 points against West Virginia. Florida is just better. Jeffrey Wright’s pick: Florida 28, Tennessee 14

Neal McCready: Next week is going to suck for Dan Mullen. This week, however, he'll be reminded that his Friday afternoon/Saturday morning Jimmy Sexton power play was a stroke of genius. Instead of inheriting the Tennessee job, Mullen got his dream gig. Neal's Pick: Florida 24, Tennessee 13

Chase Parham: This is one of the few games where Florida has the better quarterback. And the coaching mismatch is considerable. Tennessee is also entering a four-game stretch of Florida, Auburn, Georgia and Alabama. Mister Jeremy Pruitt is in for a long month. Parham's Pick: Florida 24, Tennessee 16

Barrett Clark: Two decades ago this would be a Gameday Destination with National Implications. Nowadays they just each need a W. Barrett's Pick: Florida 28 Tennessee 21

Corey Clark: This game seems like a "big" game to both programs and absolutely no one else. Corey's Pick: Florida 27 Tennessee 14

Arkansas (+30) at No. 9 Auburn, 6:30 p.m., SEC Network:

Jeffrey Wright: Auburn is 4-6-1 ATS as a 30-point-or-more favorite under Gus Malzahn, and is 2-6-1 since 2014. Arkansas is a very bad football team, but they’re slightly better than terrible with Storey at quarterback. Further, Malzahn hasn’t figured out how to stop calling slow developing run plays on critical downs nor has he figured out how to stop killing his team’s drives. I’ll take the points. Jeffrey Wright’s pick: Auburn 41, Arkansas 17

Neal McCready: It's a lot of points, sure. But it's not enough. I'd lay 40. Neal's Pick: Auburn 51, Arkansas 10

Chase Parham: I know Arkansas really sucks. I get it. I know Auburn is pissed. I get it. But 30 points in a league game not involving Alabama seems extreme. There's no bad blood. Hell, the Razorbacks want Gus as their coach. This feels like a geared-down second half that lets Arkansas cover. Parham's Pick: Auburn 45, Arkansas 17

Barrett Clark: Auburn is going to beat the s@#t out of Arkansas and all they can do is take it. (snot is not a bad word). Barrett's Pick: Auburn 49, Arkansas 7

Corey Clark: There's been a running debate at the coffee shop I go to every morning: Did the North Texas coaches inform the refs pregame that they were going to run that "trick" play on the punt return? I think they did. I think they had to otherwise the play gets blown dead. Auburn is likely a very mad team. Corey's Pick: Auburn 56 Arkansas 14