Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Review of Week 4 in the SEC (and Bama-Arkansas Tailgate)
I hope everybody had a great weekend. The Jackson Clan did. We started off the weekend with a Alabama Tailgate and Crimson Tide victory. Caught up with some good friends and then capped it off with a birthday party (and Who Dat viewing party) for Connor! I'll talk more about the tailgate at the end of this post. Here is how I fared this week:
Georgia (-9.5) at Ole Miss - I picked UGA to take this one and cover the spread. UGA 27-Ole Miss 13 CORRECT! x2
Arkansas at Alabama (-12) - If you read the preview, you saw that I picked Bama here to beat Arkansas in a close one but to not cover the spread even though, as I said in the preview, if you are picking against me in the Scubajack Pick 'Em on Yahoo! you know that I picked Bama to cover there cause I think it is bad luck to pick against my team in pick 'ems. Anyway, Bama 38- Arkansas 14 CORRECT x1
Vandy at South Carolina (-16) - This one had me sweating the spread there for a little bit. I had the Gamecocks to win and cover the spread. USC 21- Vandy 3 CORRECT x2
Florida Atlantic at Auburn (OFF) - This one was actually closer than I thought it'd be. Chizik must have called off the dogs in the 4th Qtr. AU 30- FAU 14 CORRECT x2
Louisiana Tech at Mississippi State (-20) - Well, I picked the Bulldogs to win this one but I didn't think they'd have to go to overtime to do it! MSU 26- LA Tech 20 CORRECT x1
LSU (-5.5) at West Virginia - This was a great game and LSU is looking STRONG. I had LSU winning and covering. LSU 47- WVU 21 CORRECT x2
Florida (-19) at Kentucky - I didn't see this one being close and I was dead on. I had Florida winning and covering. UF 48- UK 10 CORRECT x2
So this week, picking straight up, I went 7-0. When picking against the spread, I went 5-2 (6-1 if you go off the Pick 'em). In Scubajack's Pick 'em for Week 4, I was able to pull off first place by picking 16 of 22 correct against the spread. Crowedaddys, the Rising Eagles and You're GatorBait were right on my tail with 15 of 22. Not too bad this week. Overall, Crowedaddys is still leading with 65 correct, RollingTide14 in second with 63 and Big Dog, You're Gatorbait and I tied for third with a 62. We are really starting to see Bama and LSU get going and Florida is sort of flying under the radar over there in the East. This next week in the Swamp is going to be interesting between UF and Bama. I think this game will be ALOT closer than the Arkansas- Bama game was. With Garcia still floundering at South Carolina, I would not be the least bit surprised to see Florida pound that gamecock tail and take the East either. I'll be coming out with my predictions for Week 5 later in the week! Look forward to your comments.
As far as the weekend had by the Jackson Clan, I have to start with the tailgate. First off, every time we get up to Tuscaloosa, it's like getting to see our family. We are fortunate that we attended a University where something like football brought all different generations together year after year, for years and years. It's kind of funny to see all of us that went to college together now raising that new generation of Bama fans when we all remember (what we see as the not too distant past) when we were that new generation. Matt Albertus flew in from Kansas, along with Gary and Rebecca Brock. Kevin Hull took the short trip over along with Brian and Shanon Jarmon (don't know if we can really count Brian since it is his parents' place we use to tailgate) and of course Shane and Julie Hill. Kate and I brought Connor this week. Not his first Bama game but it was his first SEC game and he did awesome. Now that ain't all the people that were at the tailgate...that's just the ones of us that went to college together. On any given game weekend at the tailgate you can find three to four generations of Bama fans and grads at the tailgate with all of us talking about when we called the University home. Just about every week during football season, I tell you guys about our buddy Shane Hill who we were in college with, and his tailgating exploits. To say that this boy can cook is an understatement. In addition to making all of us fat for the last few years, Shane has published a book on tailgating entitled "The Alabama Tailgate Cookbook" which is filled with his recipes from the tailgates a couple of years ago. If you are interested in purchasing one of the books, check it out at amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Alabama-Tailgate-Cookbook-Recipes-Review/dp/1461104521/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1306085672&sr=8-1 . I just have to talk about the food this weekend though. Every time I go to a game, I wonder how Shane is going to top the last home game. Well, this week he got me with my weakness.....BACON! Shane unveiled the Baconator (stuffed with pepperjack cheese, bbq sauce and spinach) and a bacon wrapped pork loin, stuffed with blue cheese and spinach, stuffed with smoked sausage link and stuffed with a pork tenderloin! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Made my tongue want to beat my brains out! If you don't get the cookbook, you have to check out some of his recipes at http://www.alabamatailgate.com/
. Can't wait to see what he breaks out for the next home game and rumor has it that our tailgate has been invited down to Auburn for the Iron Bowl and Shane'll be cooking it up on the Plains!
Georgia (-9.5) at Ole Miss - I picked UGA to take this one and cover the spread. UGA 27-Ole Miss 13 CORRECT! x2
Arkansas at Alabama (-12) - If you read the preview, you saw that I picked Bama here to beat Arkansas in a close one but to not cover the spread even though, as I said in the preview, if you are picking against me in the Scubajack Pick 'Em on Yahoo! you know that I picked Bama to cover there cause I think it is bad luck to pick against my team in pick 'ems. Anyway, Bama 38- Arkansas 14 CORRECT x1
Vandy at South Carolina (-16) - This one had me sweating the spread there for a little bit. I had the Gamecocks to win and cover the spread. USC 21- Vandy 3 CORRECT x2
Florida Atlantic at Auburn (OFF) - This one was actually closer than I thought it'd be. Chizik must have called off the dogs in the 4th Qtr. AU 30- FAU 14 CORRECT x2
Louisiana Tech at Mississippi State (-20) - Well, I picked the Bulldogs to win this one but I didn't think they'd have to go to overtime to do it! MSU 26- LA Tech 20 CORRECT x1
LSU (-5.5) at West Virginia - This was a great game and LSU is looking STRONG. I had LSU winning and covering. LSU 47- WVU 21 CORRECT x2
Florida (-19) at Kentucky - I didn't see this one being close and I was dead on. I had Florida winning and covering. UF 48- UK 10 CORRECT x2
So this week, picking straight up, I went 7-0. When picking against the spread, I went 5-2 (6-1 if you go off the Pick 'em). In Scubajack's Pick 'em for Week 4, I was able to pull off first place by picking 16 of 22 correct against the spread. Crowedaddys, the Rising Eagles and You're GatorBait were right on my tail with 15 of 22. Not too bad this week. Overall, Crowedaddys is still leading with 65 correct, RollingTide14 in second with 63 and Big Dog, You're Gatorbait and I tied for third with a 62. We are really starting to see Bama and LSU get going and Florida is sort of flying under the radar over there in the East. This next week in the Swamp is going to be interesting between UF and Bama. I think this game will be ALOT closer than the Arkansas- Bama game was. With Garcia still floundering at South Carolina, I would not be the least bit surprised to see Florida pound that gamecock tail and take the East either. I'll be coming out with my predictions for Week 5 later in the week! Look forward to your comments.
As far as the weekend had by the Jackson Clan, I have to start with the tailgate. First off, every time we get up to Tuscaloosa, it's like getting to see our family. We are fortunate that we attended a University where something like football brought all different generations together year after year, for years and years. It's kind of funny to see all of us that went to college together now raising that new generation of Bama fans when we all remember (what we see as the not too distant past) when we were that new generation. Matt Albertus flew in from Kansas, along with Gary and Rebecca Brock. Kevin Hull took the short trip over along with Brian and Shanon Jarmon (don't know if we can really count Brian since it is his parents' place we use to tailgate) and of course Shane and Julie Hill. Kate and I brought Connor this week. Not his first Bama game but it was his first SEC game and he did awesome. Now that ain't all the people that were at the tailgate...that's just the ones of us that went to college together. On any given game weekend at the tailgate you can find three to four generations of Bama fans and grads at the tailgate with all of us talking about when we called the University home. Just about every week during football season, I tell you guys about our buddy Shane Hill who we were in college with, and his tailgating exploits. To say that this boy can cook is an understatement. In addition to making all of us fat for the last few years, Shane has published a book on tailgating entitled "The Alabama Tailgate Cookbook" which is filled with his recipes from the tailgates a couple of years ago. If you are interested in purchasing one of the books, check it out at amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Alabama-Tailgate-Cookbook-Recipes-Review/dp/1461104521/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1306085672&sr=8-1 . I just have to talk about the food this weekend though. Every time I go to a game, I wonder how Shane is going to top the last home game. Well, this week he got me with my weakness.....BACON! Shane unveiled the Baconator (stuffed with pepperjack cheese, bbq sauce and spinach) and a bacon wrapped pork loin, stuffed with blue cheese and spinach, stuffed with smoked sausage link and stuffed with a pork tenderloin! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Made my tongue want to beat my brains out! If you don't get the cookbook, you have to check out some of his recipes at http://www.alabamatailgate.com/
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Saints wearing throwbacks this weekend vs. the Texans
New Orleans Saints vs. Houston Texans Preview - Week 3
Looking at the NFC South this week, the game between Atlanta and Tampa is sure to be a good one and will really start to separate contenders from pretenders in the South. Even though the Saints will be taking on the Texans from the AFC South this week. I think that we can all agree that the AFC South has a totally different look these days with Peyton Manning watching from the sidelines wearing a ball cap. The Texans have started off the season with a 2-0 start with one of those victories being over a Manning-less Colts team. That 34-7 win over the Colts started them off right and with a 10 point win last week in Miami over a Dolphins team that is looking a little unbalanced. Right now, I think the biggest question is, are the Texans for real? I think that we can honestly say right now that yes, they are for real in the AFC South just for the simple fact that the Colts are not the Colts we are used to seeing week in and week out and with the Jags and Titans rounding out the division, it pretty much looks like it's going to be a two team show in the South with the Texans and the Titans (once they get Johnson back to 100%). The big thing is, can the Texans consistently compete with the elite teams in the league? This weekend will tell us alot.
The Texans secondary is going to be tested against the gunslinger Drew Brees and his stable of receivers. The Saints also have some fresh legs in the backfield. They have been platooning back there with Thomas, Sproles and Ingram and all three seem to be feeling fine and are all fresh. The Texans are right the opposite. Arian Foster has been plagued with a hamstring injury and is keeping him watching from the sidelines mostly but Ben Tate has been more than capable of filling his shoes by racking up 219 yards on 47 carries so far this season.
This is how I see the game. The days of Ben Tate running up large numbers rushing are going to end this weekend. The Saints defense is very good against the rush. I see three keys to the game:
1. The Texans Defense- they have to first be better against the run. They have allowed an average of 110 yards rushing per game by two teams that are second tier rushing teams. They will see three running backs this weekend that are better than what they have seen so far this season. Their secondary has allowed 162.5 yards per game passing. That again has been against second tier QBs. Drew Brees is NOT second tier and he will get his completions. The Texans have to force him to dump it off short and force the Saints into some 3rd and long situations. Right now the Texans are allowing a stingy 23.8% in third down conversions.
2. The Saints rushing attack- The Texans are giving up an average of 108 yards rushing a game to second tier running backs. The Saints have to take advantage of that and if they can, combined with the arm of Brees, they could make this a long day for the Texans.
3. Third Down Conversions- Right now, the Saints offense is converting 54.8% of it's third down conversions with the Texans offense converting 38.9%. That ain't gonna cut it if you are a Texans fan. When you look at the defenses, as I said before, the Texans are only allowing 23.8% of third down conversions where the Saints have allowed 41.7%. Last week however, the Saints only allowed the Bears to convert 2 of 12 opportunities of third down and 0 of 1 on fourth down. The Saints obviously made some adjustments after week one in Green Bay and it seems to be working. Bottom line here, I think whoever can win this conversion battle on both sides of the ball, wins the game.
My prediction is that the Saints pull this one out in probably about a 10 point game. I'm thinking a score of 31-21 is about right. Now that's assuming that the Texans protection of Matt Schaub holds up. If they continue to put themselves in third and long situations, the blitz packages that the Saints will dial up could make this one ugly early. I think the Saints defense will continue to look good and will take advantage of some of those third down opportunities that are going to be caused by the Texans failure to get early first downs because of their reliance on running the ball. Will Smith will be back on that defensive line for the Saints and will help to put some pressure on Schaub in those critical third down situations. Brees will continue to be Brees and I think will put in another 300+ yard game. I also think that the Saints running game will start to catch fire this week and wouldn't be surprised if we have a 100 yard rusher this week. It's also in the Superdome and that alone with all the crazies down there will be enough to pull the Saints through. WHO DAT?!? GEAUX SAINTS!
The Texans secondary is going to be tested against the gunslinger Drew Brees and his stable of receivers. The Saints also have some fresh legs in the backfield. They have been platooning back there with Thomas, Sproles and Ingram and all three seem to be feeling fine and are all fresh. The Texans are right the opposite. Arian Foster has been plagued with a hamstring injury and is keeping him watching from the sidelines mostly but Ben Tate has been more than capable of filling his shoes by racking up 219 yards on 47 carries so far this season.
This is how I see the game. The days of Ben Tate running up large numbers rushing are going to end this weekend. The Saints defense is very good against the rush. I see three keys to the game:
1. The Texans Defense- they have to first be better against the run. They have allowed an average of 110 yards rushing per game by two teams that are second tier rushing teams. They will see three running backs this weekend that are better than what they have seen so far this season. Their secondary has allowed 162.5 yards per game passing. That again has been against second tier QBs. Drew Brees is NOT second tier and he will get his completions. The Texans have to force him to dump it off short and force the Saints into some 3rd and long situations. Right now the Texans are allowing a stingy 23.8% in third down conversions.
2. The Saints rushing attack- The Texans are giving up an average of 108 yards rushing a game to second tier running backs. The Saints have to take advantage of that and if they can, combined with the arm of Brees, they could make this a long day for the Texans.
3. Third Down Conversions- Right now, the Saints offense is converting 54.8% of it's third down conversions with the Texans offense converting 38.9%. That ain't gonna cut it if you are a Texans fan. When you look at the defenses, as I said before, the Texans are only allowing 23.8% of third down conversions where the Saints have allowed 41.7%. Last week however, the Saints only allowed the Bears to convert 2 of 12 opportunities of third down and 0 of 1 on fourth down. The Saints obviously made some adjustments after week one in Green Bay and it seems to be working. Bottom line here, I think whoever can win this conversion battle on both sides of the ball, wins the game.
My prediction is that the Saints pull this one out in probably about a 10 point game. I'm thinking a score of 31-21 is about right. Now that's assuming that the Texans protection of Matt Schaub holds up. If they continue to put themselves in third and long situations, the blitz packages that the Saints will dial up could make this one ugly early. I think the Saints defense will continue to look good and will take advantage of some of those third down opportunities that are going to be caused by the Texans failure to get early first downs because of their reliance on running the ball. Will Smith will be back on that defensive line for the Saints and will help to put some pressure on Schaub in those critical third down situations. Brees will continue to be Brees and I think will put in another 300+ yard game. I also think that the Saints running game will start to catch fire this week and wouldn't be surprised if we have a 100 yard rusher this week. It's also in the Superdome and that alone with all the crazies down there will be enough to pull the Saints through. WHO DAT?!? GEAUX SAINTS!
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| AP Photo/Mike Roemer |
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Preview of Week 4 in the SEC
Well, we should learn alot this week as far as the SEC West goes. With the Bama vs. Arkansas game we're going to see the first big matchup of supposed contenders for the SEC West title. LSU doesn't have a easy game themselves travelling up to West (By God) Virginia to take on the Mountaineers in an out of conference game. So, here is what I'm thinking:
Georgia (-9.5) at Ole Miss - It don't get any better than this! NOT! In the battle of the most irrelevant coaches in the SEC, I'm seeing UGA take this one and covering the spread.
Arkansas at Alabama (-12) - This one is tough cause it's pulling at my heart strings. I'm taking Alabama but don't think that they will cover the spread. If you check out my picks on the Scubajack Pick 'em, yes, I picked Bama to cover. The only reason I did that is because I think it's bad luck for me to pick against them in a pick 'em. Call me crazy!
Florida (-19) at Kentucky - This one won't even be close. Florida is starting to get it together and they are going to make a statement in Lexington. They win and cover.
Vandy at South Carolina (-16) - Great win for Vandy last week over Ole Miss but welcome back to the SEC Commodores! The Cocks take this one and cover the spread.
Florida Atlantic at Auburn (OFF) - Auburn is reeling after that loss last week to Clemson and they are going to open an old fashioned can of whoop ass on the Owls this weekend!
Louisiana Tech at Mississippi State (-20) - The Bulldogs are going to take out their frustrations on Tech and chalk up a win against at least one team from the state of Louisiana! They win and cover.
LSU (-5.5) at West Virginia - The Mountaineers are no doubt gonna be fired up but I think that the LSU defense is just too freaking good. I see LSU winning by probably 10 to 14 points.
Tennessee will be taking the week off and licking them wounds leftover from "The Swamp" last week! I hope all of you have a great weekend and get to see your favorite team take to the field. The Jackson Clan will be up in T-Town this weekend and be tailgating with our resident published author, Shane Hill. Be sure to check out his blog at http://www.alabamatailgate.com/ and you can also check out his book there too! If you happen to be in Tuscaloosa, give us a holler and we'll give you directions and you can sample some of these vittles (I know it's spelled wrong but if I spelled it right, half the people reading this blog wouldn't know what the heck I'm talking about) I've been telling you so much about! RTR!
Georgia (-9.5) at Ole Miss - It don't get any better than this! NOT! In the battle of the most irrelevant coaches in the SEC, I'm seeing UGA take this one and covering the spread.
Arkansas at Alabama (-12) - This one is tough cause it's pulling at my heart strings. I'm taking Alabama but don't think that they will cover the spread. If you check out my picks on the Scubajack Pick 'em, yes, I picked Bama to cover. The only reason I did that is because I think it's bad luck for me to pick against them in a pick 'em. Call me crazy!
Florida (-19) at Kentucky - This one won't even be close. Florida is starting to get it together and they are going to make a statement in Lexington. They win and cover.
Vandy at South Carolina (-16) - Great win for Vandy last week over Ole Miss but welcome back to the SEC Commodores! The Cocks take this one and cover the spread.
Florida Atlantic at Auburn (OFF) - Auburn is reeling after that loss last week to Clemson and they are going to open an old fashioned can of whoop ass on the Owls this weekend!
Louisiana Tech at Mississippi State (-20) - The Bulldogs are going to take out their frustrations on Tech and chalk up a win against at least one team from the state of Louisiana! They win and cover.
LSU (-5.5) at West Virginia - The Mountaineers are no doubt gonna be fired up but I think that the LSU defense is just too freaking good. I see LSU winning by probably 10 to 14 points.
Tennessee will be taking the week off and licking them wounds leftover from "The Swamp" last week! I hope all of you have a great weekend and get to see your favorite team take to the field. The Jackson Clan will be up in T-Town this weekend and be tailgating with our resident published author, Shane Hill. Be sure to check out his blog at http://www.alabamatailgate.com/ and you can also check out his book there too! If you happen to be in Tuscaloosa, give us a holler and we'll give you directions and you can sample some of these vittles (I know it's spelled wrong but if I spelled it right, half the people reading this blog wouldn't know what the heck I'm talking about) I've been telling you so much about! RTR!
Review of Week 3 in the SEC
So, for week 3 in the SEC, I stunk it up. The spread killed me. Read further to see what I mean.
LSU at Mississippi State - I had LSU winning but I figured they wouldn't cover the spread. WRONG!
Auburn at Clemson (-3.5) - I figured that Auburn would win this one outright. WRONG! Clem 38, Aub 24
Ole Miss (-1.5) at Vandy - Had Ole Miss getting the ship right with this one. WRONG!
Coastal Carolina at Georgia (OFF) - I had UGA in this one. Guess they wanted to score all them points they should have scored in the first couple of games! RIGHT! UGa 59, CCU 0
Tennessee at Florida (-9.5) - I thought that Tyler Bray would keep this one close but Florida pulling it out. NOPE! WRONG AGAIN! Fla 33, Tenn 23
Navy at South Carolina (-17) - Seriously Spurrier? I had South Carolina winning and covering. WRONG! SCar 24, Navy 21
Louisville at Kentucky (-6) - I had Kentucky winning and covering. WRONG! Loui 24, UK 17
North Texas at Alabama (-45) - I had Bama covering and winning. WRONG! Ala 41, UNT 0
Troy at Arkansas (-23) - I had Troy keeping it closer than 23 points but had Arkansas winning. RIGHT!
So overall against the spread for week 3, it's a good thing I didn't go to Vegas with these picks cause I went an awesome 2-7! When just picking the games straight up, I went 6-3. Not too bad. The spread busted me up though. Hopefully this week I can get the ship righted.
In the Scubajack Pick 'em this week, 'ol Gary Brock and the RollingTide14 came out on top with 19 correct and Mayor Crowedad from Troy nipping at his heels with 18 correct. Good job gents!
LSU at Mississippi State - I had LSU winning but I figured they wouldn't cover the spread. WRONG!
Auburn at Clemson (-3.5) - I figured that Auburn would win this one outright. WRONG! Clem 38, Aub 24
Ole Miss (-1.5) at Vandy - Had Ole Miss getting the ship right with this one. WRONG!
| Vand 30, Miss 7 |
Tennessee at Florida (-9.5) - I thought that Tyler Bray would keep this one close but Florida pulling it out. NOPE! WRONG AGAIN! Fla 33, Tenn 23
Navy at South Carolina (-17) - Seriously Spurrier? I had South Carolina winning and covering. WRONG! SCar 24, Navy 21
Louisville at Kentucky (-6) - I had Kentucky winning and covering. WRONG! Loui 24, UK 17
North Texas at Alabama (-45) - I had Bama covering and winning. WRONG! Ala 41, UNT 0
Troy at Arkansas (-23) - I had Troy keeping it closer than 23 points but had Arkansas winning. RIGHT!
| Ark 38, Troy 28 |
So overall against the spread for week 3, it's a good thing I didn't go to Vegas with these picks cause I went an awesome 2-7! When just picking the games straight up, I went 6-3. Not too bad. The spread busted me up though. Hopefully this week I can get the ship righted.
In the Scubajack Pick 'em this week, 'ol Gary Brock and the RollingTide14 came out on top with 19 correct and Mayor Crowedad from Troy nipping at his heels with 18 correct. Good job gents!
Apology
For those of you that actually read my blog, I apologize that I didn't get anything up last week. Was staying pretty busy and then was in the field (that's an Army term for being in the woods) all weekend. I'll be releasing an overview of how BAD I did with my picks last week and then do my preview of this week. Look forward to you input!
Friday, September 9, 2011
New Orleans Wideout - Out with a Broken Collarbone
Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported earlier tonight via twitter that New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston will miss approximately 4 weeks of the season with a broken collarbone, which he suffered late in last night's loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Mike Roemer- AP
SEC Week 2 Predictions
Week 2 in the SEC brings us at least three intriguing match ups. Mississippi State at Auburn at 12:20pm EST, Bama at Penn State at 3:30pm EST and South Carolina at Georgia at 4:30pm EST. Miss State looked really good against Memphis last week, at least on offense and look like they may actually be the dark horse in the SEC West. This week on the Plains will tell the tale. Bama at Penn State is another one of those match ups between two traditional powers. Some of these games in the past were defensive slobber knockers. While their might be some slobber knockin' going on. I don't think we are going to see one of those 6-3 games like we saw in the mid 80's. This is the week that Saban is really going to get a good look at who is going to be his full time signal caller. Meanwhile, between the hedges the Head Dawg is on the hot seat and he knows it. The Gamecocks are coming into this one with some cockiness and swagger and they can smell blood in the water. A win here for South Carolina and they see they are in the driver's seat in the SEC East. A win for UGA and the "will he stay or will he go" discussions will continue to eat up the airwaves on sports radio for at least another week. Without further ado, Week 2:
Kentucky (-11.5) vs. Central Michigan - I've got this one as an outright win for Kentucky with them covering the spread.
Mississippi State (-6.5) vs. Auburn - I've got the Bulldogs getting a little revenge for the game they felt they should've won last year. They cover the spread.
Alabama (-10) vs. Penn State - I think the difference here is going to be the Bama defense. Bama covers the spread.
Tennessee (-5) vs. Cincinnati - I'm actually pretty interested in this one just to see if Tennessee gets consistent QB play. If they do for the second week in a row, I may change my opinion on who is the best QB in the SEC. Tennesee gets the win and covers.
South Carolina (-3) vs. Georgia - This one has been close for the last few years. I think South Carolina more than covers the spread and sets the pace in the SEC East.
Ole Miss vs. SIU (OFF) - Ole Miss gets the win and hopefully they enjoy it cause it might be the last one they see for awhile.
Florida (-23) vs. UAB - Florida continues to improve in this one. Don't look now Gamecocks but somethings brewing in the Swamp! Florida gets the win and covers.
Arkansas (-36) vs. New Mexico - Even the Arkansas water boys and trainers are gonna get some receptions in this one! Arkansas wins big and covers.
Vandy (-1.5) vs. UCONN - Fortunately for Vandy, UCONN isn't as good as the were the last couple of years. Vandy squeaks one out here but still covers.
LSU vs. Northwestern State (OFF) - The Mad Hatter has more than enough time to sample the fine taste of the grass in Red Stick as his boys roll in this one.
Well, those are my picks for Week 2 of SEC action. If you are curious who I'm picking against the spread for the other Top 25 games, sign up for our Scubajack College Football Pick 'em on Yahoo! (Details in the top right corner of this page) Have a good weekend and see you in a few days when I review this weekends action!
Kentucky (-11.5) vs. Central Michigan - I've got this one as an outright win for Kentucky with them covering the spread.
Mississippi State (-6.5) vs. Auburn - I've got the Bulldogs getting a little revenge for the game they felt they should've won last year. They cover the spread.
Alabama (-10) vs. Penn State - I think the difference here is going to be the Bama defense. Bama covers the spread.
Tennessee (-5) vs. Cincinnati - I'm actually pretty interested in this one just to see if Tennessee gets consistent QB play. If they do for the second week in a row, I may change my opinion on who is the best QB in the SEC. Tennesee gets the win and covers.
South Carolina (-3) vs. Georgia - This one has been close for the last few years. I think South Carolina more than covers the spread and sets the pace in the SEC East.
Ole Miss vs. SIU (OFF) - Ole Miss gets the win and hopefully they enjoy it cause it might be the last one they see for awhile.
Florida (-23) vs. UAB - Florida continues to improve in this one. Don't look now Gamecocks but somethings brewing in the Swamp! Florida gets the win and covers.
Arkansas (-36) vs. New Mexico - Even the Arkansas water boys and trainers are gonna get some receptions in this one! Arkansas wins big and covers.
Vandy (-1.5) vs. UCONN - Fortunately for Vandy, UCONN isn't as good as the were the last couple of years. Vandy squeaks one out here but still covers.
LSU vs. Northwestern State (OFF) - The Mad Hatter has more than enough time to sample the fine taste of the grass in Red Stick as his boys roll in this one.
Well, those are my picks for Week 2 of SEC action. If you are curious who I'm picking against the spread for the other Top 25 games, sign up for our Scubajack College Football Pick 'em on Yahoo! (Details in the top right corner of this page) Have a good weekend and see you in a few days when I review this weekends action!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
SEC Review- Week 1
Last week I didn't put my picks into a preview blog other than my season predictions for the SEC. As most of you know from reading the blog, I'm running a pick 'em this year through Yahoo (details here on the page) to give the readers more of a chance to get involved with the blog. It's my hope to offer the opportunity throughout the season to some of our participants in the pick 'em to add their two cents to some of the week previews. So, in the pick 'em, we pick all the games with SEC teams and then all top 25 teams. This year, to add a little spice and difficulty, I'm picking against the spread. Now, in the weekly preview, I'll tell you who I think is going to win, but I'll also tell you if I think they will cover. Last week, of the 24 games listed in our pick 'em, I got 18 right (against the spread). That was not only good enough for tops in the league but would've placed first in the entire country. As a matter of fact, the best in the Yahoo public groups was a 16 out of 24. We had a total of six participants in the pick 'em that were at 16 or better overall. That's awesome and looks to make for a fun year of some smack talk. Coming in 2nd in week 1 with 17 correct was Mr. McKee from AUM.
Looking at the SEC games last week I had them this way against the spread:
Utah State over Auburn (-23) CORRECT
Alabama (-38) over Kent State CORRECT
BYU (-3) over Ole Miss WRONG
Tennessee (OFF) over Montana CORRECT
Florida (OFF) over Florida Atlantic CORRECT
South Carolina (-20.5) over East Carolina WRONG
Arkansas (OFF) over Missouri State CORRECT
Vandy (OFF) over Elon CORRECT
UGA over Boise State (-3.5) WRONG
Oregon (-3.5) over LSU WRONG
Although Miss. State was not in the pick set due to them playing earlier in the week, I had them also to cover. So basically against the spread, I was 7-4 in the SEC for the week.
If you take the spread out of it, it changes a couple of them. I believed that Auburn would beat Utah State, just not cover the spread and I thought South Carolina would of course win. I also picked BYU to beat Ole Miss. So without the spread, I went 9-2 in the SEC.
Now some observations from Week 1. Let's start with the defending National Champs the Auburn Tigers. Michael Dyer only rushed for 56 yards against the Aggies of Utah State. Looks pretty bad until you look and see he only had 14 carries. While still not stellar against a "inferior" defense, it's still 4 yards a carry. According to my Alabama Public School math, if you get four yards a play on your first three downs, you reset the chains! Hello Coach Chizik...HE CAN'T HELP YOU IF YOU DON'T USE HIM! I'm kind of wondering if 'ol Gus Malzahn was just tinkering was some different schemes and trying to save Dyer's legs for the State game this week. If that's the case, he almost tinkered Auburn right into their first loss of the season. This week will tell the tale on Auburn when they see the Dawgs from Miss. State.
The quarterback controversy still isn't settled if you listen to Coach Saban but it was pretty obvious who had the better grasp on the offense and who had the timing necessary for the college game and that's AJ McCarron. He finished at 14 of 23 for 226 yards, 2 TDs and an interception. He looked really good before we started the swapping of QBs every three series. On the other hand, Sims' timing was WAAAAY off. He was slow on every delivery that he had, even the completions. He did the same thing in the A-day game in the spring and it looks like he is still not there. He finished 7 of 14 for 73 yards and 2 interceptions with no TDs. I guess this week against Penn State will be the litmus test for the QBs. Hopefully someone on the Bama staff saw the Auburn game and we don't screw with what works too much and walk out of Happy Valley with a loss.
LSU might be the best team in the country right now. Their defense is as advertised and Jarett Lee, while not being too spectacular with a 10 of 22 for 98 yards and a TD, didn't do anything to get his team beat. What really caught me off guard a bit was the rushing of LSU. They had two backs that almost broke 100 yards! This ain't Kent State or Utah State that we are talking about on defense either. Spencer Ware finished the game with 97 yards (averaging 3.7 yards a carry) and Michael Ford finished with 94 yards (averaging 6.7 yards a carry). That is pretty freaking impressive in the first week and kudos to that offensive line!
Mississippi State is looking pretty good in romping over Memphis but will get their first real test this Saturday also when they take on Auburn. The Bulldogs averaged 9.3 yards a play on offense and set a school record for 645 total yards of total offense. I got it, it was Memphis but they are still a Division I FBS team. I guess that Dan Mullen has finally arrived and the boys from State are going to be looking at proving a point when they travel down to Auburn this weekend.
Arkansas is slinging the rock in Fayetteville! 28 of 35 for 364 yards passing for the two Razorback QBs. They are sharing the wealth too. 11 different receivers caught a pass this past weekend! Their running game, even with the loss of Knile Davis before the season, seems good enough to mix up their offensive attack. The west should get really interesting when the Razorbacks start mixing it up with the other teams in the SEC West.
Ole Miss is still a disappointment. I have no idea what's going on in Oxford but old Houston Nutt better start looking for another job.
That brings us to UGA. Another big game, another loss for the Dawgs. There just doesn't seem to be a whole lot of bite in those guys anymore. If you look at the stats from the game with Boise State, the game seems to be almost even. One turnover a piece and 373 yards of offense compared to Boise's 390. UGA was atrocious on third and 4th down conversions however going 2-13 on third down and 1-4 on fourth down. They also committed seven penalties that cost them 50 yards and stalled scoring drives. They have to get more disciplined and have to play with some fire to turn this thing around.
How about old Rocky Top? Well if you just look at the score and see a 42-16 win over the Montana Grizz then it seems pretty convincing right? To borrow a line from Lee Corso, "not so fast my friend"! While ending the game with no turnovers, Tennessee fumbled 6 times. More specifically, starting RB Tauren Poole fumbled three times. He finished the game with 97 yards rushing but in bigger games, if he can't hold onto the ball it'll be a game changer. QB Tyler Bray looked outstanding finishing 17 of 24 for 293 yards and 3 TDs. Does UT have the best QB in the SEC?
The Ol' Ball Coach and the Gamecocks took care of business against ECU and hung 56 points on the Pirates with Marcus Lattimore starting his Heisman campaign with a 112 yards and 3 TDs on the day. Stephen Garcia managed to stay out of jail long enough to pass for 110 yards and completing 7 of his 15 attempts. The Cocks ran a clean game too with no penalties but they did lose all four fumbles that they had. Turnovers will kill ya when they get to that SEC schedule.
Down in the Swamp, the Gators took care of business against the FAU Owls. Brantley looked pretty good at the QB spot going 21 of 30 for 229 yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions. Jeff Demps had a good day rushing for 99 yards on 12 carries (8.3 yards a carry) and the Gators looked pretty clean on their first game of the season.
Kentucky fought their way through a sloppy win over West Kentucky on the opening night of the season. The 14-3 win was pretty anti-climatic with their top two running backs rushing for 35 and 36 yards and Morgan Newton, the starting QB finishing the day 7 of 18 for 97 yards, 1 TD and 3 interceptions. The Kentucky defense also allowed 234 total yards with 103 of them going to the Hilltopper's starting RB, Bobby Rainey.
To wrap it up, congrats to Vandy on their win over Elon. That may be half their wins for the season.
For those of you that haven't signed up for the pick'em I encourage you to do so. I think we are going to have some fun with it. Details are in the upper right corner of the Blog. Also wanted to remind you to check out my buddy Shane's tailgating blog at www.alabamatailgate.com . Since last season, Shane has become a published author by releasing a cookbook for tailgating! Like I've said before, this boy can cook and he's got some pretty interesting stuff in his book and on his blog. Check him out and if you are interested, buy his book! See ya'll tomorrow with my predictions for this weekend in the SEC!
Looking at the SEC games last week I had them this way against the spread:
Utah State over Auburn (-23) CORRECT
Alabama (-38) over Kent State CORRECT
BYU (-3) over Ole Miss WRONG
Tennessee (OFF) over Montana CORRECT
Florida (OFF) over Florida Atlantic CORRECT
South Carolina (-20.5) over East Carolina WRONG
Arkansas (OFF) over Missouri State CORRECT
Vandy (OFF) over Elon CORRECT
UGA over Boise State (-3.5) WRONG
Oregon (-3.5) over LSU WRONG
Although Miss. State was not in the pick set due to them playing earlier in the week, I had them also to cover. So basically against the spread, I was 7-4 in the SEC for the week.
If you take the spread out of it, it changes a couple of them. I believed that Auburn would beat Utah State, just not cover the spread and I thought South Carolina would of course win. I also picked BYU to beat Ole Miss. So without the spread, I went 9-2 in the SEC.
Now some observations from Week 1. Let's start with the defending National Champs the Auburn Tigers. Michael Dyer only rushed for 56 yards against the Aggies of Utah State. Looks pretty bad until you look and see he only had 14 carries. While still not stellar against a "inferior" defense, it's still 4 yards a carry. According to my Alabama Public School math, if you get four yards a play on your first three downs, you reset the chains! Hello Coach Chizik...HE CAN'T HELP YOU IF YOU DON'T USE HIM! I'm kind of wondering if 'ol Gus Malzahn was just tinkering was some different schemes and trying to save Dyer's legs for the State game this week. If that's the case, he almost tinkered Auburn right into their first loss of the season. This week will tell the tale on Auburn when they see the Dawgs from Miss. State.
The quarterback controversy still isn't settled if you listen to Coach Saban but it was pretty obvious who had the better grasp on the offense and who had the timing necessary for the college game and that's AJ McCarron. He finished at 14 of 23 for 226 yards, 2 TDs and an interception. He looked really good before we started the swapping of QBs every three series. On the other hand, Sims' timing was WAAAAY off. He was slow on every delivery that he had, even the completions. He did the same thing in the A-day game in the spring and it looks like he is still not there. He finished 7 of 14 for 73 yards and 2 interceptions with no TDs. I guess this week against Penn State will be the litmus test for the QBs. Hopefully someone on the Bama staff saw the Auburn game and we don't screw with what works too much and walk out of Happy Valley with a loss.
LSU might be the best team in the country right now. Their defense is as advertised and Jarett Lee, while not being too spectacular with a 10 of 22 for 98 yards and a TD, didn't do anything to get his team beat. What really caught me off guard a bit was the rushing of LSU. They had two backs that almost broke 100 yards! This ain't Kent State or Utah State that we are talking about on defense either. Spencer Ware finished the game with 97 yards (averaging 3.7 yards a carry) and Michael Ford finished with 94 yards (averaging 6.7 yards a carry). That is pretty freaking impressive in the first week and kudos to that offensive line!
Mississippi State is looking pretty good in romping over Memphis but will get their first real test this Saturday also when they take on Auburn. The Bulldogs averaged 9.3 yards a play on offense and set a school record for 645 total yards of total offense. I got it, it was Memphis but they are still a Division I FBS team. I guess that Dan Mullen has finally arrived and the boys from State are going to be looking at proving a point when they travel down to Auburn this weekend.
Arkansas is slinging the rock in Fayetteville! 28 of 35 for 364 yards passing for the two Razorback QBs. They are sharing the wealth too. 11 different receivers caught a pass this past weekend! Their running game, even with the loss of Knile Davis before the season, seems good enough to mix up their offensive attack. The west should get really interesting when the Razorbacks start mixing it up with the other teams in the SEC West.
Ole Miss is still a disappointment. I have no idea what's going on in Oxford but old Houston Nutt better start looking for another job.
That brings us to UGA. Another big game, another loss for the Dawgs. There just doesn't seem to be a whole lot of bite in those guys anymore. If you look at the stats from the game with Boise State, the game seems to be almost even. One turnover a piece and 373 yards of offense compared to Boise's 390. UGA was atrocious on third and 4th down conversions however going 2-13 on third down and 1-4 on fourth down. They also committed seven penalties that cost them 50 yards and stalled scoring drives. They have to get more disciplined and have to play with some fire to turn this thing around.
How about old Rocky Top? Well if you just look at the score and see a 42-16 win over the Montana Grizz then it seems pretty convincing right? To borrow a line from Lee Corso, "not so fast my friend"! While ending the game with no turnovers, Tennessee fumbled 6 times. More specifically, starting RB Tauren Poole fumbled three times. He finished the game with 97 yards rushing but in bigger games, if he can't hold onto the ball it'll be a game changer. QB Tyler Bray looked outstanding finishing 17 of 24 for 293 yards and 3 TDs. Does UT have the best QB in the SEC?
The Ol' Ball Coach and the Gamecocks took care of business against ECU and hung 56 points on the Pirates with Marcus Lattimore starting his Heisman campaign with a 112 yards and 3 TDs on the day. Stephen Garcia managed to stay out of jail long enough to pass for 110 yards and completing 7 of his 15 attempts. The Cocks ran a clean game too with no penalties but they did lose all four fumbles that they had. Turnovers will kill ya when they get to that SEC schedule.
Down in the Swamp, the Gators took care of business against the FAU Owls. Brantley looked pretty good at the QB spot going 21 of 30 for 229 yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions. Jeff Demps had a good day rushing for 99 yards on 12 carries (8.3 yards a carry) and the Gators looked pretty clean on their first game of the season.
Kentucky fought their way through a sloppy win over West Kentucky on the opening night of the season. The 14-3 win was pretty anti-climatic with their top two running backs rushing for 35 and 36 yards and Morgan Newton, the starting QB finishing the day 7 of 18 for 97 yards, 1 TD and 3 interceptions. The Kentucky defense also allowed 234 total yards with 103 of them going to the Hilltopper's starting RB, Bobby Rainey.
To wrap it up, congrats to Vandy on their win over Elon. That may be half their wins for the season.
For those of you that haven't signed up for the pick'em I encourage you to do so. I think we are going to have some fun with it. Details are in the upper right corner of the Blog. Also wanted to remind you to check out my buddy Shane's tailgating blog at www.alabamatailgate.com . Since last season, Shane has become a published author by releasing a cookbook for tailgating! Like I've said before, this boy can cook and he's got some pretty interesting stuff in his book and on his blog. Check him out and if you are interested, buy his book! See ya'll tomorrow with my predictions for this weekend in the SEC!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
SEC Preview 2011
Alrighty folks..."it's the most wonderful time...of the year"! Yep, we might not agree on who is going to win the East or the West or the Conference for that matter but one thing we can all agree on is the fact that all of us have been looking forward to this season since the Auburn Tigers raised that crystal football at the end of last season. There are the side bets on how much grass the Mad Hatter is gonna eat this year, how many times will the 'Ol Ball Coach throw that visor, how many times will Saban spank his starting QB and how many fines will Mississippi State pay for the so called "new" cowbell ban? It's all part of what makes our conference great and all reasons (along with our streak of National Championships) that makes everyone else in the country love to hate us. Don't know about you but I'm loving it!
I actually started writing this post about two weeks ago and have come back and revised....and then re-revised...and then re-revised. I will start out by saying that I think that this year is much easier for me to pick the strongest teams in the league as opposed to when you look at next year. I personally think that next year (based on looking at what all the different teams SHOULD return and what everyone is losing) is going to be a bloodbath in the SEC and predict that we will see more parody next year in the conference that we have seen in at least the past five years. I will say right now, that I don't see how we will be able to put a team in the National Championship next year barring some very young players really stepping up and needing some of the best coaching that we have all needed in recent memory. I don't think that we will have an undefeated team winning the conference next year. With that said, I feel that we have probably four teams this year in the conference that with a little luck (no injuries or suspensions) and some great players performing as they are expected to, that could go undefeated. We all know though that there will only be one (if that) make it through the crucible with an undefeated season and find themselves once again playing for the right to lift that crystal football for the SEC once again.
Before I get to my predictions this year, I'd like to once again congratulate the Auburn Tigers on a magical season and finally bringing that National Championship back to the plains. To some of my fellow Bama fans that care to point out allegations of wrongdoing and all that crap, I say, "Get over it!". As a Bama fan, I don't ever want to be able to look at a victory, especially over Auburn, and have to say that we beat their second best because for some reason they couldn't put their best on the field. If you are a Bama fan and you think that Auburn fans have been talking too much crap, I ask you, "Why shouldn't they be?". As a Bama fan, we like to point at our National Championships, Conference Championships and our overall record against our cross state rivals. As a college football fan, everyone should be able to realize that college football is all about what you have done for me lately. So let's take a look at it Bama fans. If you look at the last 20 years, Auburn holds an edge in the head-to-head matchup with 11 wins and 9 losses. In the last 10 years, 7 wins and 3 losses and the last 5 years, 3 wins and 2 losses. Give 'em their props, they've took it to us. These last few years have brought some pretty memorable battles between the two and I don't think this year is going to be any different.
So, here we go. First, we'll look at the SEC East. With the recent decline of the power in Gainesville, the SEC East has somewhat opened up in the last couple of years. Newsflash to the rest of the SEC East...you better get it this year cause the Gators are on their way back! Mark Richt is on the hot seat in Athens and the 'Ol Ball Coach has himself one heck of a team at South Carolina. Richt is banking on the strength and smarts of his sophomore QB Aaron Murphy and what some might argue is the best special teams unit in the nation to buy him at least another year as the head Dawg. Meantime, Coach Spurrier is just trying to control his delinquent QB in the form of Garcia. If he can keep him out of trouble and keep his head in the game, it could be another big year for the Gamecocks. Here is how I see it shaking out. I see South Carolina finshing the regular season with one loss, to Arkansas. This would be enough to win the SEC East. In second, I see Florida taking second by pulling off a minor upset over Georgia and finishing the regular season with a 8-4 season. I see the Dawgs also finshing with a 8-4 overall record but with all four of their losses coming in conference with one of Florida's losses being to cross state rival Florida State. Rounding it out I see the Vols coming in fourth, then Kentucky followed by Vandy.
Now the West. This is the one that kept me coming back to the drawing board. The Dee Hart injury at Bama, the drama with LSU and their QB, the Knile Davis injury at Arkansas....it all was messing with my mind. Finally, I just went back to square one. Just looking at what the teams are putting on the field. When we look at pure talent, the SEC West should be a three team show. I think that those three are LSU, Arkansas and Bama. At first, I thought that it was going to be a two horse race between Bama and Arkansas but the injury of Knile Davis is huge. That would be the equivilant of Bama losing Trent Richardson. With that said I like Bama and here is why, I know Bama lost Mark Ingram. Got it, and they replaced him with a guy that in my opinion is even better. They lost Greg McElroy. Yep, while not a stellar passer his leadership qualities will be missed and Bama will feel that some, especially early on but AJ McCarron does have playing time and if he can get over himself and get a little humble, which I'm sure Saban has worked on this off season, I'm sure that the QB spot will be fine. If Bama had a younger or less experienced offensive line, I would completely change my prediction on the SEC West. This one point about Alabama is the one that swung me in the direction of picking Bama in the West. That line is rated by most as the best offensive line in the country and having a back like Richardson sure helps to put a new QB at ease a bit. The loss of Julio Jones also will hurt immensely but with the current crop of "possession" receivers, Bama has enough to keep the offense balanced and develop some of the younger wide outs at the same time. You can't talk about Bama without talking about defense and this year should be interesting to watch. This could rate as one of the best defenses Bama has seen in years and that's saying something. More than anything, I am looking forward to watching Courtney Upshaw and his development. That dude is a beast and some of the hits he was bringing in the bowl game, after he got healthy, should be illegal. Barring any injuries at running back or at offensive line, I see Bama going undefeated in the regular season and going to Atlanta to strap it up against the Gamecocks. Before the injury to Knile Davis, I had the Hogs coming in second with their only loss coming to Bama. I've had to change that. I see LSU coming in second in the West for the sole fact that they have a little easier schedule in conference. I see LSU finishing with a 9-3 record with one of those losses coming at the hands of Oregon with conference losses against Bama and Arkansas. With Arkansas, I see them also coming in with a 9-3 record but with all three losses in conference, to Bama, South Carolina and Mississippi State. That's right, I said Mississippi State. I believe that they will beat either LSU or Arkansas and quite possibly might even spoil the title hopes of Bama. I swayed toward them beating Arkansas strictly off the timing of the game in the schedule. State plays Arkansas the week before the Hogs play LSU and the week after they play Bama. I think that the Dawgs will come close to beating the Tide and will get just enough taste that they will take down Arkansas. So Bama #1, LSU #2, Arkansas #3 and Mississippi State coming in at #4 with a 8-4 record with all four losses coming at the hands of SEC teams, UGA, USC, Bama and LSU. Behind them I see Auburn. I looked at the Tigers hard and even talked to my closest childhood bud who is an Auburn fan and got his take. We agreed that we see Auburn looking at about a 6-6 record. Having that been said, Auburn has one heck of a coaching staff and if anyone can get the most of their team, it'll be those guys. I'm gonna give Auburn a 7-5 record because of that coaching staff with losses to Miss. State, South Carolina, Arkansas, LSU and Bama. The games with Clemson, Florida and UGA are going to be close also and if the ball don't bounce for the Tigers the way it did in a couple of games for them last year, it could get REALLY ugly on the plains. Behind them, I see Ole Miss competing with Vandy for the worst record in the league.
I'm sure I'm going to get a rise out of some of you (especially Auburn fans) and I hope to. I want to see what you have to say! Just a couple of reminders, sign up for our college football pick 'em (details in upper right corner of the front page). I'll be highlighting each week's winner in the blog every week and don't forget to visit my buddy Shane's blog for some awesome tailgating recipes at http://www.alabamatailgate.com/ and heck, if you like what you see, buy his book! Looking forward to you comments and hope everyone's team has a healthy year and we see the best we have to offer on the field all year and hopefully, with a little luck, they'll be another SEC team hoisting the crystal football in January! Later. RTR!
I actually started writing this post about two weeks ago and have come back and revised....and then re-revised...and then re-revised. I will start out by saying that I think that this year is much easier for me to pick the strongest teams in the league as opposed to when you look at next year. I personally think that next year (based on looking at what all the different teams SHOULD return and what everyone is losing) is going to be a bloodbath in the SEC and predict that we will see more parody next year in the conference that we have seen in at least the past five years. I will say right now, that I don't see how we will be able to put a team in the National Championship next year barring some very young players really stepping up and needing some of the best coaching that we have all needed in recent memory. I don't think that we will have an undefeated team winning the conference next year. With that said, I feel that we have probably four teams this year in the conference that with a little luck (no injuries or suspensions) and some great players performing as they are expected to, that could go undefeated. We all know though that there will only be one (if that) make it through the crucible with an undefeated season and find themselves once again playing for the right to lift that crystal football for the SEC once again.
Before I get to my predictions this year, I'd like to once again congratulate the Auburn Tigers on a magical season and finally bringing that National Championship back to the plains. To some of my fellow Bama fans that care to point out allegations of wrongdoing and all that crap, I say, "Get over it!". As a Bama fan, I don't ever want to be able to look at a victory, especially over Auburn, and have to say that we beat their second best because for some reason they couldn't put their best on the field. If you are a Bama fan and you think that Auburn fans have been talking too much crap, I ask you, "Why shouldn't they be?". As a Bama fan, we like to point at our National Championships, Conference Championships and our overall record against our cross state rivals. As a college football fan, everyone should be able to realize that college football is all about what you have done for me lately. So let's take a look at it Bama fans. If you look at the last 20 years, Auburn holds an edge in the head-to-head matchup with 11 wins and 9 losses. In the last 10 years, 7 wins and 3 losses and the last 5 years, 3 wins and 2 losses. Give 'em their props, they've took it to us. These last few years have brought some pretty memorable battles between the two and I don't think this year is going to be any different.
So, here we go. First, we'll look at the SEC East. With the recent decline of the power in Gainesville, the SEC East has somewhat opened up in the last couple of years. Newsflash to the rest of the SEC East...you better get it this year cause the Gators are on their way back! Mark Richt is on the hot seat in Athens and the 'Ol Ball Coach has himself one heck of a team at South Carolina. Richt is banking on the strength and smarts of his sophomore QB Aaron Murphy and what some might argue is the best special teams unit in the nation to buy him at least another year as the head Dawg. Meantime, Coach Spurrier is just trying to control his delinquent QB in the form of Garcia. If he can keep him out of trouble and keep his head in the game, it could be another big year for the Gamecocks. Here is how I see it shaking out. I see South Carolina finshing the regular season with one loss, to Arkansas. This would be enough to win the SEC East. In second, I see Florida taking second by pulling off a minor upset over Georgia and finishing the regular season with a 8-4 season. I see the Dawgs also finshing with a 8-4 overall record but with all four of their losses coming in conference with one of Florida's losses being to cross state rival Florida State. Rounding it out I see the Vols coming in fourth, then Kentucky followed by Vandy.
Now the West. This is the one that kept me coming back to the drawing board. The Dee Hart injury at Bama, the drama with LSU and their QB, the Knile Davis injury at Arkansas....it all was messing with my mind. Finally, I just went back to square one. Just looking at what the teams are putting on the field. When we look at pure talent, the SEC West should be a three team show. I think that those three are LSU, Arkansas and Bama. At first, I thought that it was going to be a two horse race between Bama and Arkansas but the injury of Knile Davis is huge. That would be the equivilant of Bama losing Trent Richardson. With that said I like Bama and here is why, I know Bama lost Mark Ingram. Got it, and they replaced him with a guy that in my opinion is even better. They lost Greg McElroy. Yep, while not a stellar passer his leadership qualities will be missed and Bama will feel that some, especially early on but AJ McCarron does have playing time and if he can get over himself and get a little humble, which I'm sure Saban has worked on this off season, I'm sure that the QB spot will be fine. If Bama had a younger or less experienced offensive line, I would completely change my prediction on the SEC West. This one point about Alabama is the one that swung me in the direction of picking Bama in the West. That line is rated by most as the best offensive line in the country and having a back like Richardson sure helps to put a new QB at ease a bit. The loss of Julio Jones also will hurt immensely but with the current crop of "possession" receivers, Bama has enough to keep the offense balanced and develop some of the younger wide outs at the same time. You can't talk about Bama without talking about defense and this year should be interesting to watch. This could rate as one of the best defenses Bama has seen in years and that's saying something. More than anything, I am looking forward to watching Courtney Upshaw and his development. That dude is a beast and some of the hits he was bringing in the bowl game, after he got healthy, should be illegal. Barring any injuries at running back or at offensive line, I see Bama going undefeated in the regular season and going to Atlanta to strap it up against the Gamecocks. Before the injury to Knile Davis, I had the Hogs coming in second with their only loss coming to Bama. I've had to change that. I see LSU coming in second in the West for the sole fact that they have a little easier schedule in conference. I see LSU finishing with a 9-3 record with one of those losses coming at the hands of Oregon with conference losses against Bama and Arkansas. With Arkansas, I see them also coming in with a 9-3 record but with all three losses in conference, to Bama, South Carolina and Mississippi State. That's right, I said Mississippi State. I believe that they will beat either LSU or Arkansas and quite possibly might even spoil the title hopes of Bama. I swayed toward them beating Arkansas strictly off the timing of the game in the schedule. State plays Arkansas the week before the Hogs play LSU and the week after they play Bama. I think that the Dawgs will come close to beating the Tide and will get just enough taste that they will take down Arkansas. So Bama #1, LSU #2, Arkansas #3 and Mississippi State coming in at #4 with a 8-4 record with all four losses coming at the hands of SEC teams, UGA, USC, Bama and LSU. Behind them I see Auburn. I looked at the Tigers hard and even talked to my closest childhood bud who is an Auburn fan and got his take. We agreed that we see Auburn looking at about a 6-6 record. Having that been said, Auburn has one heck of a coaching staff and if anyone can get the most of their team, it'll be those guys. I'm gonna give Auburn a 7-5 record because of that coaching staff with losses to Miss. State, South Carolina, Arkansas, LSU and Bama. The games with Clemson, Florida and UGA are going to be close also and if the ball don't bounce for the Tigers the way it did in a couple of games for them last year, it could get REALLY ugly on the plains. Behind them, I see Ole Miss competing with Vandy for the worst record in the league.
I'm sure I'm going to get a rise out of some of you (especially Auburn fans) and I hope to. I want to see what you have to say! Just a couple of reminders, sign up for our college football pick 'em (details in upper right corner of the front page). I'll be highlighting each week's winner in the blog every week and don't forget to visit my buddy Shane's blog for some awesome tailgating recipes at http://www.alabamatailgate.com/ and heck, if you like what you see, buy his book! Looking forward to you comments and hope everyone's team has a healthy year and we see the best we have to offer on the field all year and hopefully, with a little luck, they'll be another SEC team hoisting the crystal football in January! Later. RTR!
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