My apologies

Sorry that I didn't post my review from last week or my preview for this weekend.  I've been a touch busy this week with my move from Kansas back to Alabama.  I'll do my best to get everything up to date this week.  It's been a pretty interesting couple of weeks in college football and I'm looking forward to talking about it.  Would really appreciate some comments on my "hypothetical situation" blog.  It seems like alot of what I mentioned in that blog has already come to pass and it might not be so hypothetical after all.  Thanks for your patience and I hope that you guys haven't kicked me to the curb quite yet.  Be sure to check back tomorrow for my first post of the week!

The BCS rankings and a hypothetical situation

Alright college football fans, I've got a hypothetical situation for you.  As we look at this week's BCS standings we have #1 Oklahoma, #2 Oregon, #3 Boise State, #4 Auburn, #5 TCU, #6 LSU, #7 Michigan State, #8 Alabama, #9 Utah and #10 Ohio State.

We all know that either Auburn or LSU is going to get their first loss this weekend and each one of them has to play Bama still.  Oregon plays a UCLA team tonight that has already proved they can pull an upset in hostile territory when they beat Texas.  Oklahoma has to play Missou this weekend and Michigan State has Iowa next week.

Here is my "what if?".  What if, after the SEC and Big 12 Championship games we have a one loss SEC Champ and a one loss Big 12 Champ.  To factor into that, Oregon finishes with one loss and Michigan State is out of the picture with two losses and we have Boise State and TCU that are undefeated.  I'm thinking that the BCS rankings would look something like this #1 Boise State, #2 probably SEC Champ, #3 TCU and #4 Big 12 Champ.  Who do you say needs to be in the Title Game and why?

I appreciate any comments I get (Facebook or otherwise) but I would appreciate it if you could actually post your comments for this one to the blog so that we can get some spirited debate going and everyone can see what you think.  Looking forward to some good comments!

Preview of Week 8 in the SEC

Alrighty folks...here we go with week 8 in the SEC.  Regardless of the outcomes of the games this weekend either one of two things is going to happen this weekend in the SEC West.  It's either going to get even tighter or there is one team that's going to come out in the driver's seat.  If Bama were to lose to Tennessee, the winner of the LSU-Auburn game is in the driver's seat.  If Bama pulls it out in Knoxville, it's going to be even tighter in the West with Bama still having LSU and Auburn on the schedule.  Enought of that, let's get to the picks!  Here are the games in order of kickoff time on Saturday.

Ole Miss at (21)Arkansas  12:21pm ET
(6)LSU at (5)Auburn   3:30pm ET
(19)South Carolina at Vandy   7:00pm ET
(7)Alabama at Tennessee   7:00pm ET
UAB at (24)Miss. State   7:00pm ET
Georgia at Kentucky   7:30pm ET

First up, Ole Miss at Arkansas...even though I think Bobby Petrino is a punk for the way he left the Atlanta Falcons in the middle of the season to bolt to Arkansas and to say that it's not a game that's going to pull at some heart strings with Houston Nutt coming back to Arkansas for this one would be an understatement.  Ole Miss has just not stepped up this year with the addition of their transfer quarterback Jeremiah Masoli.  I like the Razorbacks in this one, big.

LSU at Auburn.  This one is gonna be a good old fashioned street fight here.  LSU is not above playing a little dirty but Auburn ain't above giving it back.  There is no love lost between these two and I think that Auburn is just looking too good right now with Can Newton putting up Heisman numbers.  I like Auburn in this one cause I think it'll be close and come down to game and time management and let's face it, Les Miles is a little challenged in that area. 

South Carolina at Vandy.  South Carolina in this one...no contest.  Next!

Alabama at Tennessee.  If you know anything about SEC Football there are certain games that everyone knows are slobber knockers.  UGA-Auburn, Florida-UGA, Bama-Burn, Bama-LSU and this one.  I've said all year that Tennessee was good enough that they could knock off one of the top teams in the SEC.  Guess what folks, Tennessee only has two ranked SEC opponents left, Bama and South Carolina.  I'm praying that my early prediction will be left for South Carolina.  Bama's offense hasn't been what it started out looking like the first few weeks of the season.  Having that been said, I holding on to hope that Coach Dooley's wife (a Bama grad) has done her best this week to sabotage the Coach's game plan.  I'm taking Bama in a close one in Knoxville.

UAB at Miss. State.  The Dawgs are coming into this one at 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the SEC.  Mullen and his coaching staff are doing a remarkable job there in Starkville this year with players that aren't the most athletically gifted in the SEC.  UAB has made improvement over the last few years but there is just going to be TOO MUCH COWBELL is Starkvegas this weekend.  I've got the Dawgs...BIG.

Georgia at Kentucky.  Mark Richt seems to have righted the ship somewhat in Athens and seems to have the Bulldogs focused finally.  Kentucky is coming off that huge win over South Carolina.  UGA is only one game under .500 overall and only one game out of the lead in the SEC East.  They are mathematically still in the running for the East with games remaining against Florida and Auburn.  Even though I think the Dawgs will take this one, I have to stick to my promise that I won't pick UGA for another win this season.  Taking Kentucky ;)

There we have it for week 8 in the SEC folks.  It should be a good weekend with a couple of key conference matchups so get your grub together for the games, tuck yourself into your comfy chair and enjoy a good weekend of SEC football.  If you need some ideas for what grub to have for the games this weekend, visit my buddy Shane's blog at http://www.alabamatailgate.com/ for some recipe ideas cause this boy can cook!  Oh, and congratulations Gator fans, ya'll can't lose this week!  RTR!

Review of Week 7 in the SEC

Well SEC fans, another crazy week in the SEC (and college football overall for that matter)!  Let's jump straight into the games.

Vandy at Georgia.  Absolute domination by the dawgs!  I'll have to give it to you UGA fans but I'm sticking to my guns and not picking UGA to win a game the rest of the season. Don't be mad though.  You guys haven't lost a game since I started picking against you so if it holds out, you won't lose another game the rest of the season and maybe Mark Richt keeps his job!

Arkansas at Auburn.  Was this a freaking WAC game?  What the heck happened to the defense folks?  I've seen Auburn in all but one of their games and have now watched Arkansas in four games.  Arkansas I can see having a defensive lapse but Auburn?  Good win by Auburn but they better do something on the defensive side or their National Championship hopes will take a slide if they allow LSU to score like that on them.

South Carolina at Kentucky.  As I said in the preview, I thought that USC would probably allow Kentucky to score too much and make it tight because of the hangover from the victory over Alabama.  What I didn't lend enough weight to was how much the two weeks to prepare for Bama aided South Carolina in that victory and then switching back to a week prep for a very able SEC team.  Great win for the Wildcats!

McNeese State at LSU.  This one was alot closer that one would have expected at the half with LSU clinging to a 6 point lead but they came out in the second half and shut down McNeese State and put up 16 more points to close it out 32-10.  LSU continues to hang on by skin of their teeth.  They seem to play to their opponent, whether that is up or down.  With a huge one coming up with Auburn this weekend, we'll see how that works out for them.

Mississippi State at Florida.  Well, as I said in my preview, if this one would have been in Starkville I would have picked the Dawgs to pull it out.  I thought for sure that Florida would pull this one out in the Swamp.  I thought wrong.  I guess the Gator Nation is in as much shock as most of the rest of us in the SEC and that has kind of taken the threat of the home crowd out of the game.  Huge win for Mullen and the Bulldogs on the road, 10-7.

Ole Miss at Alabama.  Well, the Black Rebel Bears (or whatever they call themselves these days) came in to Bryant-Denny to hope and pile on a reeling Bama squad.  Didn't quite work out for them.  Having that been said, the Bama team that we saw for the first few games of the season is not showing up now.  Bama's defense played well but the offense is still not clicking right now.  I thought early on, from what we were seeing on the field, that Bama was by far the best team in the league.  I can honestly say now, with the current play, that they aren't even the best team in the SEC West.  I think that lies with the other team from the state in the Auburn Tigers.
To briefly recap....I had Vandy, Auburn, South Carolina, LSU, Florida and Bama this week and went 3-3 for the week that brings me to a pitiful 12-8 since I started running my picks.  Most of my previews have been dead on but I have given too much weight to the home teams or traditional powers being able to pull it out based simply on heart and experience.  Maybe I'll put more thought into it this week.

With the upsets that we have seen in the last two weeks in the SEC, some things are starting to work themselves out.  I saw some write-ups yesterday that said, for instance that Bama was done and they would finish third in the SEC West.  I think it's a little early for that.  The SEC East, I think, is pretty much safe to call.  If South Carolina doesn't absolutely implode over the next few weeks, I still believe that they will be playing in Atlanta in December.  As far as the West, I'm still hanging in there with Bama.  Auburn, LSU and Bama still have to play one another.  Those head to head matchups will help to sort all this out and it starts this weekend with LSU travelling to the plains to take on the Tigers.  I will say this, I do not see the SEC West champ coming through SEC play without a loss.  Bama already has one and since every team they play from here on out from the SEC has a week off prior to playing them, it's going to be tough.  They lose one more and they are out of the SEC Championship picture.  Auburn still has LSU, Ole Miss, UGA and Bama.  LSU has Auburn, Bama, Ole Miss and Arkansas and Bama has Tennessee, LSU, Miss. State and Auburn.  Just looking at these schedules it seems to me that Bama might have the easiest road and this is why.  Yes, they have to go to Neyland Stadium and play a Tennessee team that has been close a couple of times to pulling a huge upset and they are due but I think Bama will get it done.  Then, after a week off, they have LSU in Baton Rouge.  Most folks would look at this and say, Oh goodness...LSU in Death Valley!  Here's the thing though, there is a reason that LSU stopped wearing the VooDoo Blue at home when playing Bama and that is because they couldn't win there and I guess they thought that changing jerseys would help.  Bama has a 23-8-2 record in Baton Rouge.  Then they have Miss. State at home and after playing Ga. State on a Thursday night, play Auburn the following week at home.  After Auburn has LSU at home they have to go to Ole Miss, gets a upset minded UGA at home and then to Bama.  I'll say it right now, there is NO way that LSU beats Auburn, Arkansas and Bama.  NO WAY! And that's why I say Bama has the easiest road to the SEC Championship even though there is no EASY road to the SEC Championship through the SEC West.  Do you agree?  If so let me know...if not, let me know what you do think with a comment and let's get the debate started!

I'll be coming out with my picks for Week 8 later this week.  Be sure to check back and let me know what you think.  Also, don't forget to check out my friend Shane's blog at http://www.alabamatailgate.com/ and check out some recipe ideas for your tailgate.

Preview of Week 7 in the SEC

Alright SEC fans, here are this weeks games in the order of their scheduled kick off times with my predictions on each game:

Vandy at Georgia  12:21pm ET
(12) Arkansas at (7) Auburn  3:30pm ET
(10) South Carolina at Kentucky 6:00pm ET
McNeese State at (9) LSU 7:00pm ET
Miss. State at (22) Florida 7:00pm ET
Ole Miss at (8) Alabama 9:00pm ET

Ok, here we go....

Vandy at Georgia.  Honestly, like I said last week, Vandy is even worse than normal but because of my promise not to pick UGA anymore for the rest of the season regardless of who they play, I'm taking Vandy even though the Dawgs will win.

Arkansas at Auburn.  This one should be a dandy.  The play of Cam Newton (AUB QB) and Ryan Mallett (ARK QB) is going to be huge.  I think this is going to be a close one but I think Auburn pulls it off.

South Carolina at Kentucky.  Let's be honest, the only chance that Kentucky has here is the fact that on two weeks of prep that USC was able to knock off Alabama.  South Carolina is not used to winning those big games and if they let the high of knocking off the #1 team in the nation get to them, Kentucky has a chance.  This game should be a blowout but I see it being alot closer than most would think because of the hangover from the win over Bama.  I'm taking USC.

McNeese St. at LSU.  LSU seems to be able to schedule their season to suit them (i.e. cream puffs after big games, two weeks off before Bama, etc.) but even with a let down here off the high of the Florida win, LSU is still 20 points better.  I'm taking LSU.

Miss. State at Florida.  This game is going to be a good one I think.  Dan Mullen coming back down to the Swamp with a team that is actually starting to come together a bit.  If this game was in Starkville, I'd be taking the Dawgs but because it's in the Swamp, I've gotta go with the Gators.

Ole Miss at Alabama.  I don't have to tell you that the practices in Tuscaloosa this week haven't been the easiest in the world.  Definitely not your normal Homecoming week.  For the second week in a row, Bama faces an SEC opponent that has had two weeks to prepare for them.  While I think that will narrow the margin of victory, I don't think it will be enough.  Bama take this one for Homecoming.

To briefly recap....I have Vandy, Auburn, South Carolina, LSU, Florida and Bama.  Good luck to your teams this week and let me know what you think about your team's game.  Oh yeah, don't forget to check out my buddy Shane's blog at http://www.alabamatailgate.com/ this week.  He actually can't make the Bama game this week and is putting up some recipe ideas that you can cook early and then heat up at your tailgate!  Check it out and try some of his recipes!

For all of you that have visited "Connor's Corner" website and either donating money or just sending best wishes for us, thank you very much.  I still have the link posted on the top right of my blog so if you haven't stopped by, do.  Kate, Connor and I will be doing the Atlanta Buddy Walk on Sunday.  Maybe I'll see you out there.

SEC Review for Week 6

Alright Ladies and Gents, I know several of you are thinking that the reason that I haven't written yet is because of the huge loss that Bama had against South Carolina this weekend.  Well, while I admit, I was upset in their showing...it isn't what kept me from writing.  Fortunately, I have been in Atlanta all weekend with Kate and Connor and getting to enjoy some time with the fam and hitting the Braves games this weekend.  Needless to say, the blog was the last thing on my mind while I was getting to spend time with them.  However, I'm back up and here goes for my review of week 6 in the SEC.  This is what I had for picks last week:

Tennessee over UGA
Arkansas over Texas A&M
Bama bests USC
Vandy over Eastern Michigan
Auburn blasts Kentucky
Florida over LSU in the Swamp
Miss. State on the road at Houston

and this is what happened....

UGA over Tennessee 41-14
Arkansas over Texas A&M 24-17
USC over Bama 35-21
Vandy over Eastern Michigan 52-6
Auburn over Kentucky 37-34
LSU over Florida 33-29
Miss. State over Houston 47-24

So, with my picks for last week I went 4-3.  Not a good week.  So, overall that puts me at 9-5 which wouldn't do too good in Vegas Ladies and Gents.  Sorry for keeping this post short but been a heck of a busy week.  I'll try and get my week 7 predictions up tomorrow and add some color commentary.  Have a good weekend!

Bloggin' the Braves- Game 2- NLDS

Well Ladies and Gents....where are all those folks who had given up on the Braves after game one now?  I said early on that I liked our chances in a five game series because we could possibly pull the game one starter a little early and then get him to go again in game 4 if need be on short rest.  That game 1 starter turned out to be Lowe and Bobby has the ability to do just that.  Last night it wasn't so much our starter in Hanson that stood up and took notice but our bullpen.  I tell you what folks, if you can"t watch the Braves and get excited about the future then you don't have a pulse if you are a Braves fan.  We have some young studs on this team right now...both in the field and in the bullpen and I look forward to these guys growing up together and seeing how they gel as a team.  Anyway, back to the present.  Two big things to take away from the game last night....monster blast by Rick Ankiel and injury to Billy Wagner.  What a great story for Ankiel.  The last time he was in the playoffs he was pitching for the Cardinals against the Braves and had some massive control issues and actually started a tailspin that would take him back to Triple A and then finally making it back to the majors as an outfielder, coming to the Braves and then hitting a MONSTER shot last night to win it for the Braves in extra innings.  Great story.  Now, for Billy Wagner.  Looks like he's got a problem with the old oblique and may be replaced by either Jurrjens or Saito.  Before we start jumping off bridges onto the connector in Atlanta, don't forget that we have some very good, young arms in that bullpen in Kimbrel and Venters.  If we could in fact get JJ back for some mid-relief and he can be "vintage JJ" for maybe two or three innings, we could be ok.

I'm not ready to circle the wagons yet.  I think we still have a very good shot at winning this round against the Giants, it's the next round that worries me.  The Phils are playing like they are on crack.  Their offense is peaking at just the right time and don't even get me started on their pitching!  If the Braves can make it to the NLCS and then win it...this would by far be the best managing performance ever by Bobby Cox and perhaps any manager.  Just remember what I said though Braves fans...as the series get longer, it's going to get harder for us with the lack of starters that we have.  Who knows though...these Braves don't give up!  Look forward to seeing you at Turner Field tomorrow night to root the Bravos on to another home victory!

Bloggin' the Braves- Game 1- NLDS

Hello there Baseball fans!  I haven't forgot about you.  Well, just like you, I've been watching the matchup between the Braves and the Giants.  The first game was....well, it was "the Freak".  What else can you say?  I was hopeful in the first inning when Lincecum looked like he was going to be a little higher in the strike zone than normal but boy did he straighten that out.  By the eighth inning he had Jason Heyward swinging at pitches that were bouncing in front of the plate!  I think everyone knew that this was going to be a pitching dominated series.  Heck, Bobby was playing the infield in as early as the fourth inning.  The big play of the night though came in the fourth when a throw by Brian McCann on a stealing Buster Posey (SF Catcher) was ruled as Posey being safe when it was clear that Brooks Conrad applied the tag when Posey's foot was probably 6 to 8 inches from the bag.  From the position the umpire was in, he couldn't have accurately called that play.  He was strictly going off where the tag was placed.  It was placed high on Posey so therefore he was called safe.  Next batter, single...run in and turned out to be the winning run of the game.  Now there are some Braves fans out there today screaming bloody murder that we were robbed.  OK folks, there isn't anyone out there thats a  bigger Braves fans than I am but if we are going to jump on that play, then let's fast forward to the bottom of the 8th after Aubrey Huff singled and then was caught stealing a few pitches later.  If you look at that, it was a terribly sloppy tag by Conrad and Huff was safe.  Again, a missed call.  Yes, Buster Posey then struck out, but who knows how it would have changed the how the Braves pitched Posey if Huff would have been at 2nd and we all know that Bobby would have pulled the infield in to guard against that run so a smoked ball would've easily got through the infield.

Here's my point, if you are whining about that call at second, you don't watch enough baseball.  Get over it!  There are so many close calls in every baseball game that if the managers were given the right to challenge plays and send them to a replay, we'd have to have a season full of "businessman's specials" (that's games that start during the day in the middle of the week in case you didn't know) in order to get the dang things done before midnight.  There'd be more guys sleeping in the clubhouse than Junior Griffey, I grant you that!  Look, that's the wonderful thing about baseball...it is what it is.  It is the same game played in a sandlot in Slapout, Alabama as it is at Turner Field in Atlanta.  That's what makes it special!  The biggest thing that I think we are missing in all this is the reaction of the Braves players and coaches.  Go read some of the comments of these guys after the game.  Derek Lowe, who was the pitcher at the time of the play in the fourth inning, had a pretty good look at the play and admitted that from what he saw, he was definitely out but what did he do?  Did he bag on the umps?  Did he fly off the handle on the field?  Absolutely not.  He said this, "It doesn't matter if a guy is out or safe at second base. It's part of the game. They got a big hit when they needed to.  I was trying to throw the 2-0 sinker off the plate, because worst-case scenario, I've got the pitcher coming up. I got too much plate, and we lost.  It doesn't matter what goes on behind you. We're a good enough pitching staff to overcome anything that happens behind us. It was a mistake pitch that I wasn't trying to throw for a strike, and he hit it. It cost us the game."  Wow!  A professional player taking ownership?  SWEET!  I could also quote Brooks Conrad, the Braves 2nd baseman, but he more or less said the same thing...that he thought they got him but the call went the other way...shut up and play ball.  The refreshing thing here is seeing Major League players who actually respect the game and don't whine like a bunch of freaking babies, like, oh...let me see...the Yankees.  I'll give the Yanks their props, they are a dang good team and probably the most historic franchise of any sport anywhere in the world but there was an awful lot of whining going on up there in the Bronx this year from the manager down.  It's just refreshing to see this type of reaction on a bad call from players and manager alike.

Don't get me wrong folks, arguing calls is sometimes necessary for a manager to do but when a call is made however, it's made...it's history....get over it and PLAY BALL!  Oh, and if you think that we need instant replay as part of baseball and you think I'm the only one opposed to it, I'll close it with Bobby Cox's comments on instant replay in baseball after last night's loss..."I'd just leave it as it is," Cox said. "It's fine the way it is. We would be arguing and throwing red flags 10 times a night."  Couldn't have said it better myself Bobby.  Go Braves!

Week 6 SEC Preview and Picks

Alrighty SEC fans, here we go with week six.  Here are the games we are looking at in the conference this weekend in order of their scheduled kickoff times:

Tennessee at Georgia
(11) Arkansas at Texas A&M
(1) Alabama at (19) South Carolina
Eastern Michigan at Vanderbilt
(8) Auburn at Kentucky
(12) LSU at (14) Florida
Mississippi St. at Houston

The opener for the weekend pits two of the most troubled teams in the SEC, the Vols and the Dawgs.  Tennessee only had a victory snatched from them in Baton Rouge because of bonehead moves by their coaching staff in the final seconds.  UGA has forgotten what victory tastes like and in keeping with my statement from my week 5 review...I will not pick UGA again, for the rest of the season!  Tennessee wins this one, in Athens.

Next, Bama vs. the Gamecocks in Columbia.  As I've stated several times so far this year, South Carolina is my pick to win the SEC East and if anyone is going to give Bama trouble for the next few games, it's going to be the Gamecocks.  However, even though "the old ball coach" has had two weeks to prepare for Bama, I don't think they get it done this week even with Spurrier reaching deep into his bag of tricks.  I've got Bama again this week.

Eastern Michigan at Vandy.  If anyone is worse than Vandy, it's Eastern Michigan and with Vandy being at home...I'll take Vandy in a close one.

Auburn at Kentucky.  With the ball that Auburn is playing right now, I don't think there are but a couple of teams in the SEC that can hang with the Tigers....and Kentucky ain't one of them.  In the battle of the cats, I've got Auburn, BIG.

LSU at Florida.  Well, luck was on the side of the Bayou Bengals last weekend with a gift from Tennessee in Baton Rouge.  NEWSFLASH Les Miles...your luck is running out and it starts in the SWAMP!  Florida over LSU in Gainesville.

Mississippi State at Houston.  Well, the Cougars have proved they can score some points (68 against Texas State, 54 against UTEP and 42 against Tulane) but when faced with even a mediocre defense, as seen with UCLA, they have trouble....only 13 points.  I'm taking the Bulldogs in Houston.  Bring the cowbell!

To recap my picks: Tennessee over UGA, Bama bests USC, Vandy over Eastern Michigan, Auburn blasts Kentucky, Florida over LSU in the Swamp and State on the road at Houston.

Let me know what you think.  Click on the comment button below and let me know if you see it differently.  Don't forget to visit my friend Shane Hill's blog at http://www.alabamatailgate.com/ to see his review of the Bama-Florida tailgate and to share some recipes he picked up from a past road trip to Columbia!

Bama- Florida Review and Impact

Well Ladies and gents, I promised in my Week 5 review that I was going to take a harder look at this one this week.  When you stand back and look at this game and it's results you would have to say it's effect on the SEC is alot less than if it would have been a Bama loss.  If that would have happened you would have Auburn and a mediocre LSU team tied for first in the West and each one of them holding an upper hand on Bama when it comes to scheduling (each SEC team from now til the end of the season getting a week off prior to playing Bama).  Fortunately for Bama, they dominated Florida and won't have to taste defeat just yet.  Even with a Florida loss, the SEC east is still anyone's to take.  Like I said earlier this season, I think it's a two-horse race, Florida and South Carolina.

Get a load of these stats though folks.  If I would have told you last Friday before the game that Greg McElroy would have 84 yards passing, Mark Ingram 47 yards rushing and Trent Richardson 63 yards rushing for the game...90% of you would have been betting your money in Vegas that Bama was going to take it's first loss in their last 29 regular season games....but as Lee Corso likes to say, NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND!  I think the two key stats about the game is this, Florida was 1-4 (that being a field goal) in the Red Zone with Bama being a 4-4 (3 TDs and a field goal).  The other, 4 turnovers for Florida...1 fumble...3 interceptions, one being for a touchdown.  Immediately after watching the game, I pointed solely to the turnovers as the difference but when I went back and watched it again and looked at the stats, it was more of a dominating win for the Tide than I gave them credit.  During the game it seemed to feel like it would be a drive by Florida, mistake by Florida, short drive by Bama and score.  I wasn't surprised to see that Bama was dominated in time of possession with 27:10 to Florida's 32:50.  That doesn't tell the story though.  Bama worked from a short field for a good bit of the game and even on the longer drives, the offense wasn't slowed until the second half.  Even with Florida dominating time of possession and having several long drives, they only finished the day with 281 total yards on offense.  A measly 8 yards better than Bama's 273.  Florida was held to 79 yards rushing for the day with Bama tallying 170 yards rushing for the day.  The one weakness that you can point to with Bama's defense is with the pass.  Florida had 202 yards passing for the day averaging 6.3 yards per attempt and 12.6 yards per completion.  The problem is, it took Florida 32 attempts to get 16 completions.

So, after reviewing the game, I don't think there is any doubt that Bama is for real.  They have physically dominated every team that they have played to include the Florida Gators.  Do they have weaknesses?  Absolutely, but as each week comes and each game passes those weaknesses begin to be less and less and those holes become smaller.  If we can predict the outcome of this season by Bama's play so far, I feel confident in saying this...if someone doesn't get Bama soon, it is going to be extremely hard to pull one on them at all.  They are playing disciplined ball right now and when they don't Saban and Smart are dead in their tails and get it corrected on the spot.  Can Bama lose?  Absolutely, but they are not making those game breaking mistakes and if they do make a mistake they pick up for each other (offense for the defense and the defense for the offense).  If this play continues...with disciplined play and very few turnovers...they will not lose, period.  Yep, that's right...I said it.  This team looks better and more well balanced than any team that I can remember even back to my childhood (that would be the 70's in case you were wondering).  It's all starting to point to that matchup in the Iron Bowl at the end of the year cause I believe the two top teams in the SEC are in the west...Bama and Auburn.  Auburn is down right explosive but they do make mistakes and Bama has proven that they can make the most of those mistakes.  That game is going to be a slobber knocker folks so I don't care if you are an SEC fan or not, make your plans now for the 26th of November around 1:30pm central.  I don't think you'll be disappointed!

SEC Review for Week 5

Well Ladies and Gents, here we are with the Week 5 review of the SEC.

We'll start with the review of my picks for this week.  I had:
UCONN over Vandy
Miss. State over Alcorn State (barely)
Auburn over LA Monroe
Kentucky over Ole Miss
LSU over Tenn (no way Tenn beats LSU in Baton Rouge)
Georgia shows they could play in the PAC-10 with a win over Colorado (yes, I know CU is still a Big 12 team til next year)
Bama over Florida (home field advantage)

Vandy-UCONN game.  I actually tried to watch this game and after about 30 minutes...I just couldn't take anymore.  Vandy is TERRIBLE!  Even worse than usual but SEC fans, we need 'em to raise our overall GPA!  UCONN 40- Vandy 21

Auburn vs. Louisiana-Monroe: This one was over at the coin toss.  Auburn had a chance to fine tune what they already have working for them on offense and concentrate on the basics on defense.  They didn't have to get sexy and some young players got some valuable playing time that could play huge dividends later in the year for them.  As a Bama grad, this Auburn team is starting to worry me a bit.  Auburn 52- ULM 3

LSU vs. Tennessee:  All I have to say here, is you have to be kidding me?  If you did not see this game or the highlights, you have to find them on the internet.  The last few seconds out there it was like the keystone cops!  Terrible coaching calls from both sidelines....but it ultimately gave LSU another shot to win and they did.  Unbelievable!  I think I said something in my preview about "no way Tennessee wins in Baton Rouge"...well, I stand corrected and confess my sins.  The Tennessee players won this game but the coaches lost it for them in the last few seconds!  Derek Dooley, quit your freakin' whining.  You had too many players on the field in the first place, regardless of the goat screw that was going on on the LSU side line and "the referees not giving the ample opportunity to substitute".  Buy some class...maybe you should get some from your dad.  Can't believe I was trying to cheer up my Tennessee friends when you were hired.  To all my Tennessee friends who I tried to tell "it's not that bad"...it is that bad.  You have another whiner as a head coach.  LSU 16- Tenn 14

Georgia vs. Colorado:  I gave UGA too much credit when I thought they could beat CU.  Congratulations to the Buffs.  They CU Student section also gets the award this year for the "Biggest Celebration for a Meaningless Win".  CU 29- UGA 27

Kentucky vs. Ole Miss:  Wow!  Where did this Ole Miss team come from?  Maybe they should have come around when they played Jax State.  They have proven that the cellar in the SEC will be left for Georgia, Kentucky and Vandy!  Ole Miss 42- Kentucky 35

Miss. State vs. Alcorn State:  I called this one but didn't give the Dawgs credit enough.  I thought it'd be about a 7-10 point spread.  I guess Alcorn State just couldn't get past the Cowbell!  Miss State 49- Alcorn State 16

Bama vs. Florida:  Honestly, I thought that this game wasn't as bad as the score would indicate.  The Gators were inside the red zone 5 times and only came up with 2 field goals.  I know that turn-overs are a part of the game but Florida showed that they can move the ball on Bama.  Not easily, but they can move the ball.  Should make that matchup with Florida and South Carolina pretty interesting in a couple of weeks.  I'll be writing another blog later this week to talk about the impact of this game on the SEC.  ROLL TIDE!

So after all that being said...I went 5-2 this week with only UGA and Kentucky throwing a monkey wrench in my perfect record.  I'll say it right now...I will not pick UGA to win a game the rest of the year.  I don't care if they are playing Parkview High School, I ain't pickin' 'em!  Mark Richt better be packing his bags cause the natives are getting restless.  The Gators are already licking their chops.

I'll be posting my look at Week 6 and my predictions in a couple of days.  Hit me up with your comments and don't forget to check out my friend Shane's blog at http://www.alabamatailgate.com/ where he'll be reviewing the Bama-Florida tailgate this weekend.  If any of my other readers have any reviews of their tailgates, I'll be more than happy to include you also if you let me know.

Braves Playoff Scenario

Well, HELLO BASEBALL FANS!  It's been a long season and a roller coaster ride for the Braves with the late season loses of Chipper Jones, Kris Medlen and Martin Prado but if nothing else, the Bravos are scrappy.  Here is where we sit right now:
• The Braves clinch a playoff berth with two wins, or a win and Padres loss, or two Padres losses.
• The Braves clinch a Tuesday tiebreaker in Atlanta vs. the Monday Giants-Padres loser with one win and a Padres sweep.
• The Braves clinch a Monday tiebreaker in Atlanta vs. the Padres with no wins and one Padres loss.
• The Braves are eliminated if swept and Padres sweep.
So folks, with the cliff notes version, the Braves stand a pretty good shot.  They control their own destiny and assure that they will at least get a one game playoff, in Atlanta, with one win in the next three with against the Phillies.  With the electricity that will be flying around the clubhouse this weekend with it being Bobby's last home series, I'm thinking that they will be seeing the postseason.  If the Braves secure the wild card, they would start the NLDS in San Francisco against the Giants since they could not open up against a team in their same division (i.e. the Phillies).  It should be a fun weekend and if the Braves win tonight, it'll be a late night for this guy cause I'll be glued to the Padres-Giants game and be the biggest Giants fan around!  I'm still hoping for that Braves-Phillies matchup in the NLCS so that we have a chance at redemption after that last poor showing in Philly.  LET'S GO BRAVES!