After a high-energy, competitive week in the SEC West, another weekend of matchups rolls around. 

LSU dropped two spots in the SEC West after its first conference loss against Ole Miss. Now ranked No. 3 in the SEC West and No. 23 overall, the Tigers have to prove their abilities with a win this week to remain in the running for an SEC Championship.

With conference play in full swing, nothing is guaranteed. Because the SEC West is so competitive, no team can be overlooked.

Here are this week’s games to watch:

LSU at Missouri

Saturday will be one of LSU’s most critical games. Many think a Tiger’s loss means their chances of making it far into the postseason are slim.

Although Missouri is going into the game undefeated, LSU is still favored by 5.5 points.

All of Missouri’s previous matchups have been against unranked teams, and some of those have been rather close. Nonetheless, the Missouri Tigers are still ranked No. 3 in the SEC East.

One thing that Missouri prides itself on is its receivers.

Sophomore Luther Burden III has made a name for himself this season as the top receiver in the nation. Burden has over 100 receiving yards per game the last four weeks.

Considering how LSU’s defense played against Ole Miss, many are interested to see if the secondary will be able to stop him.

If LSU’s offense continues to play how it’s been, the Tigers should outscore Missouri. However, both sides of the ball need to be at their best.

Alabama at Texas A&M

This matchup is one of the most anticipated games of the week, considering it’s the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the SEC West.

Alabama is on the road against Texas A&M. The Tide are favored by two points despite being ranked 20 spots higher than the Aggies overall.

Both teams are 4-1 and undefeated in conference play so far. To make things more interesting, Alabama is undefeated on road, and Texas A&M is undefeated at home, meaning one team will lose its streak this week.

Head coach Nick Saban has only lost twice in his career against the Aggies.

“We’re playing a really good team this week,” Saban said. “It’s going to be really important that they’re playing as well as they have all season long.”

With both teams having young sophomore quarterbacks, many expect the game to be a low-scoring, defensive matchup.

Arkansas vs. Ole Miss

Contrary to Alabama and Texas A&M, the matchup against Arkansas and Ole Miss is expected to be a high-scoring game.

Ole Miss is coming off of a high-energy win against LSU, where fans stormed the field. Having home field advantage again, the Rebels are favored to win by 13 points.

Arkansas increased its losing streak to three and is yet to win a conference game. Few expect the Razorbacks to cause an upset Saturday.

Mississippi State vs. Western Michigan

Ranked last in the SEC West, Mississippi State is also facing a losing streak of three games, but the Bulldogs might have a chance to make a change Saturday.

The Bulldogs are favored to win, but they shouldn’t overlook Western Michigan. The Broncos are coming off a win and looking to improve their record against a quality opponent such as Mississippi State.

Saturday’s games are critical to all teams as they mark the halfway point of the regular season. 

With all teams playing quality opponents, Saturday should be another weekend of physical, competitive matchups.