Archive
Around the SEC: Week 10
Review of Last Week’s Picks
Ole Miss at Auburn
My pick: Ole Miss
Winner: Auburn 33-20
Georgia at Florida
My pick: Florida
Winner: Florida 41-17
Eastern Michigan at Arkansas
My pick: Arkansas
Winner: Arkansas 63-27
Mississippi State at Kentucky
My pick: Kentucky
Winner: Mississippi State 31—24
Georgia Tech at Vanderbilt
My pick: Georgia Tech
Winner: Georgia Tech 56-31
Tulane at LSU
My pick: LSU
Winner: LSU 42-0
My record: 4-2
Overall – 24-8
Auburn eludes me yet again with a win over Ole Miss. One week they’re playing horrible and the next they’re beating down Ole Miss. Jevan Snead did not have the game I thought he would, throwing two picks against the Tiger defense.
Arkansas beat Eastern Michigan in convincing fashion after the loss to Ole Miss last week, Georgia Tech slammed Vanderbilt, and LSU looked sharp with a beatdown of Tulane.
Mississippi State beat Kentucky in Lexington, which was a surprise to me. I always thought the game was a toss up though, and Kentucky’s two lost fumbles and one interception sealed the win for the Bulldogs.
Florida, not surprisingly, basically destroyed the Bulldogs at the World’s Largest Cocktail Party. What was surprising was watching Brandon Spikes try to permanently impair a Georgia running back’s vision. Then after this wasn’t even called, what was more insane was Urban Meyer complaining about the officials missing a call on the great Tim Tebow. I’m surprised Mike Slive hasn’t sent a firing squad to take care of the official who missed the call.
Speaking of complaining about the referees, didn’t Slive just create a rule stating that coaches cannot publicly criticize officials. Hmm, he might be in trouble on this one. It seems he has pinned himself into a corner after creating a new bylaw because he doesn’t like the way a certain coach (READ LANE KIFFIN) is acting, and now his favorite coach Urban Meyer has done the same thing.
What’s Slive going to do about it? So far, nothing. And if I had to guess, that’s all we’re going to see. I would be very surprised if he was actually suspended for a game.
South Carolina (6-3, 3-3) at Arkansas (4-4, 1-4)
What to look for: South Carolina has been famous in recent years for falling apart in the latter part of the season, and it’s suspiciously beginning to look like that again this season. The last three games have borne two losses and one win (two points over Vanderbilt). The last loss against the Vols came with four turnovers as they killed themselves. The Razorbacks have had a bad year in the SEC, losing a couple close ones and just plain getting beat in others. Whichever team has their confidence back will win this one, and after Arkansas’s recent win over Eastern Michigan I think Ryan Mallet rallies his team with a win over the Gamecocks.
My pick: Arkansas
Tennessee Tech (5-3) at Georgia (4-4, 3-3)
What to look for: While despairing Georgia fans may predict this one as a loss, this should be a good game for the Bulldogs to get their act together. Tennessee Tech has just come off of a win over Tennessee State, and while that might energize them they don’t stand a chance against the Bulldogs.
My pick: Georgia
Eastern Kentucky (5-3) at Kentucky (4-4, 1-4)
What to look for: Yet another SEC school with a pathetic team on the schedule. Even though UK lost to Mississippi State last week, they’ll run all over this EKU team. Expect Derrick Locke and Randall Cobb to have big games Saturday.
My pick: Kentucky
LSU (7-1, 4-1) at Alabama (8-0, 5-0)
What to look for: The SEC game of the week, and it shouldn’t disappoint. Earlier in the year LSU couldn’t find their offense while Alabama had an offense at the beginning of the season and has now lost part of it. Expect the Crimson Tide to be well-rested and well-prepared after their bye week, and as much as I dislike them after the field goal block on Tennessee, I have to pick Alabama. LSU’s offense just won’t be able to do much against Alabama’s stout defense, plus it’s in Tuscaloosa.
My pick: Alabama
Vanderbilt (2-7, 0-5) at Florida (8-0, 6-0)
What to look for: Vanderbilt actually looked better last week against Georgia Tech, but the Yellow Jacket rushing attack eventually wore them down. Florida’s offense hasn’t been spectacular this year (quite boring compared to recent years), but they’ll stomp all over the Commodores this week in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Even without Brandon Spikes, Florida will somehow survive.
My pick: Florida
Northern Arizona (5-3) at Ole Miss (5-3, 2-3)
What to look for: This is getting ridiculous. I know Tennessee played Western Kentucky this season, but at least they’re FBS or 1-A or whatever they call it now. The SEC needs to ramp up its scheduling, especially after this recent article about how Boise State can’t get anyone to schedule them.
My pick: Ole Miss
Around the SEC: Week 9
Review of Last Week’s Picks
Arkansas at Ole Miss
My pick: Ole Miss
Winner: Ole Miss 30-17
UL Monroe at Kentucky
My pick: Kentucky
Winner: Kentucky 36-13
Vanderbilt at South Carolina
My pick: South Carolina
Winner: South Carolina 14-10
Auburn at LSU
My pick: Auburn
Winner: LSU 31-10
Florida at Mississippi State
My pick: Florida
Winner: Florida 29-19
My record – 4-1
Overall – 19-6 (Including UT-AL game)
My Auburn pick was completely off. I thought they were a better team than they actually are, but they went to LSU and got obliterated. Kudos to LSU for putting together an offense this game and putting 31 points on Auburn.
Arkansas couldn’t handle Ole Miss after the loss to Florida. Mallet hasn’t been playing good lately, and it’s essential for him to make the plays if the team is going to win. The Rebels really never seemed to struggle against the Razorbacks, amassing 553 total yards on the day.
I didn’t watch the UK-ULM game, but I was yet again impressed to see Kentucky’s running game performing with 185 yards on the ground. South Carolina survived a scare against Vanderbilt that’s made some Tennessee fans overconfident going into the game this week.
The Florida-Mississippi State game was closer than I thought it would be, as the Bulldogs played the Gators close. Tebow had a terrible game, throwing two pick sixes, very uncharacteristic for him.
Two plays after the Gators pulled away at 23-13, Mississippi State QB Tyson Lee had a pass picked off by Florida LB Dustin Doe, who ran it back for a touchdown.
Yet again though, the refs missed some key things. Doe started celebrating before reaching the endzone and had the ball knocked out of his hands, but that’s not all! He also appeared to step out of bounds, but the play was ruled a touchdown after review. If it had been overturned, MSU could have had the ball back or maybe been on defense against the Gators in the redzone.
Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen had a few things to say after the game:
“I don’t even know why we have replay right now in the Southeastern Conference if they’re not going to utilize it.”
“That’s twice now that they’ve blown calls on the replay with our games, resulting in big plays, and I think that’s unexcusable for that official. I hope he’s severely punished if he ever works another SEC game again, because I think it’s completely unacceptable.”
Lane Kiffin had already made some comments about the officiating during the Alabama game, which he has been reprimanded for. Mullen was livid, and he later got, as Lane Kiffin calls them, “one of those letters that mean nothing.”
It’s a well known fact among SEC fans that the conference has lately become horribly officiated, and it’s ridiculous in my opinion that coaches cannot speak out about it. There have been many bad calls already this season, and I’m glad that coaches aren’t staying quiet about it.
I’ll get on to my SEC picks for the week.
Ole Miss (5-2, 2-2) at Auburn (5-3, 2-3)
What to look for: Ole Miss QB Jevan Snead had a great game last week, throwing for 332 yards against an Arkansas team that had held Florida to 23 points the week before. I have to finally admit that Auburn isn’t as good as I would like them to be after watching them beat the Vols earlier this season. Since entering the meat of their SEC schedule, the Tigers haven’t been producing. So I have to believe that Ole Miss beats Auburn in Jordan Hare, and I think Snead will have a good game.
My pick: Ole Miss
Georgia (4-3, 3-2) at Florida (7-0, 5-0)
What to look for: Though Florida’s offense has been struggling this season, I can’t see them having a bad enough game against Georgia to not come away with a win. The Georgia D has been struggling all year, and they’ll have an especially tough game against a Tim Tebow who is looking to recover from the Mississippi State game. I think Tebow plays well, and Florida wins by two or three touchdowns.
My pick: Florida
Eastern Michigan (0-7) at Arkansas (3-4, 1-4)
What to look for: I’m not even sure what I can say about this game besides I choose Arkansas. The Razorbacks have been struggling lately, but they won’t have any problems against winless Eastern Michigan. Ryan Mallet and his receivers need to spend this game getting back in the same groove to prepare for next week’s game against the Gamecocks.
My pick: Arkansas
Mississippi State (3-5, 1-3) at Kentucky (4-3, 1-3)
What to look for: The Wildcats have scared South Carolina, surprised Auburn, and trounced UL Monroe in the past three games. It’s hard to know what to expect, but with their running game producing consistently you can’t count them out of any game. Both rushing offenses are doing great, while their air attacks aren’t doing so well. This looks like a good game to watch, and I think either team could pull out a win. Kentucky’s been steadily improving, though, and I like them to pull out a win over the Bulldogs, who just suffered a loss to the Gators.
My pick: Kentucky
Georgia Tech (7-1) at Vanderbilt (2-6, 0-5)
What to look for: Vandy just hasn’t had a good season this year, with wins only over Rice and Western Carolina. Their 85th ranked rushing defense is going to hurt them this game as they go up against Georgia Tech’s rushing attack that’s averaging almost 300 yards on the ground per game. That’s insane, and I expect them to run all over the Commodores this Saturday.
My pick: Georgia Tech
Tulane (2-5) at LSU (6-1, 4-1)
What to look for: LSU showed signs of an offense last game, putting up 31 points on the Auburn Tigers. They have an easier game this week as they go up against Tulane at home. Tulane’s having a bad year, ranking 100th or worse in almost every statistical category. They’re going to have a long day in Baton Rouge this weekend as I expect LSU to have an even better offensive day.
My pick: LSU
I have to say that I’m confident in most of these games, with the Mississippi State-Kentucky game being the exception. Though I picked Kentucky, I can see that one going either way as both teams have been rather erratic this year.
Think I’m way off in my analysis or in my picks? Post a comment and tell me why.
Around the SEC: Week 8
Review of Last Week’s Picks
Georgia at Vanderbilt
My pick: Georgia
Winner: Georgia 34-10
Mississippi State at Middle Tennessee State
My pick: MTSU
Winner: Mississippi State 27-6
Arkansas at Florida
My pick: Florida
Winner: Florida 23-20
UAB at Ole Miss
My pick: Ole Miss
Winner: Ole Miss 48-13
Kentucky at Auburn
My pick: Auburn
Winner: Kentucky 21-14
South Carolina at Alabama
My pick: Alabama
Winner: Alabama 20-6
My record: 4-2
Overall: 14-5
So I had one stupid pick: MTSU over Mississippi State. But I really thought MTSU might pull off the upset, good job MSU putting a 21 point beat down on Middle Tennessee State.
Georgia blew over Vanderbilt after the thrashing they received from the Vols, with the Commodore offense looking as inept as they have all season. Ole Miss put UAB away handily, though the Blazers still gained an impressive 230 yards on the ground.
South Carolina played the Crimson Tide close, but the Gamecocks couldn’t get in the enzdzone all night as Mark Ingram embarrassed their run defense with 246 yards rushing.
Florida pulled out a close win over Arkansas because of some horrible penalties called by the referees. I’m not normally blaming losses on the officials, but the same officiating crew that blew a call that killed Georgia screwed up yet again in this game to give the Gators the win. So these officials decide to change the course of two games based on their whims, and what happens?
But wait… “The SEC says the crew will be removed from its next scheduled assignment Oct. 31…”
October 31st, that’s next week! So basically, they screwed up, but we’re going to let them call the AP #1 team’s game (stole that from m_hollowell’s tweet).
We get to deal with these guys in Tuscaloosa, so if you see any bad calls you know where to aim your anger.
Anyways, back to my SEC picks for this week.
Arkansas (3-3, 1-3) at Ole Miss (4-2, 1-2)
What to look for: Ryan Mallet didn’t have the best game against Florida, but late in the game he made some throws when it counted. This Arkansas team showed that they can hang with the #1/#2 team in the nation. Yet again, though, he’s throwing against a tough defense, as Ole Miss is 8th in the country in pass defense. I think this Razorback team is better than most people think, but I feel like this week may be a letdown game after that heartbreaking loss to Florida.
My pick: Ole Miss
UL Monroe (4-2) at Kentucky (3-3, 1-3)
What to look for: Kentucky somehow pulled out a big win over Auburn last week at Auburn. With Mike Hartline injured, I don’t think anyone could have predicted that, but the Wildcats rushed for over 300 yards on the Tigers defense, amazing. And while UL Monroe is 4-2, their wins have come against teams like FAU and FIU, so don’t let their record deceive you. Kentucky wins this one on the shoulders of their tailbacks, easy.
My pick: Kentucky
Vanderbilt (2-5, 0-4) at South Carolina (5-2, 2-2)
What to look for: Another pick that’s as tough as eating the chocolate fudge ice cream I had last night, delicious! Vanderbilt lost to Army, I mean what more do I need to say? South Carolina has been impressive at times, but they’ve had a rough time in the west so far this season. Spurrier doesn’t even have to have his team ready for this one, though. Expect South Carolina to win big.
My pick: South Carolina
Auburn (5-2, 2-2) at LSU (5-1, 3-1)
What to look for: Auburn has been a strange animal this season, looking quite impressive with their first five wins and a smooth game to beat the Vols. But lately, they’ve been on a downward slide after Mallet picked their defense apart. Also, I think LSU is overrated. Big time. Their offense is terrible, ranking 112th in the nation after playing teams like Vanderbilt, UL Lafayette, Mississippi State, and Georgia. Just plain bad, and I can’t see them beating Auburn in a tiger fight. Auburn bounces back with a win over LSU.
My pick: Auburn
Florida (6-0, 4-0) at Mississippi State (3-4, 1-2)
What to look for: Florida may have a letdown game after last week, but this game will be easy as pie (Actually, pies aren’t easy to make, but this game will be!). The Bulldogs do have a good run game, averaging 219 yards per game. But their defense won’t be able to stop Tebow and the Gators as they win yet another game to keep up with the Crimson Tide.
My pick: Florida
I’ve done fairly well with my picks this season (started late!), but this week I feel strongly about most of my picks. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I do know that the Alabama-Tennessee game isn’t so black and white to me. Check back tomorrow for my preview of the Third Saturday in October!
Disagree with me? Agree with me? Let me know by making a comment or by checking the Like / Dislike buttons, I’d love to hear what my readers are thinking!
Around the SEC: Week 7
Review of Last Week’s Picks
Florida at LSU
My pick: Florida
Winner: Florida 13-3
Alabama at Ole Miss
My pick: Alabama
Winner: Alabama 22-3
Kentucky at South Carolina
My pick: South Carolina
Winner: South Carolina 28-26
Houston at Mississippi State
My pick: Houston
Winner: Houston 31-24
Auburn at Arkansas
My pick: Auburn
Winner: Arkansas 44-23
Vanderbilt at Army
My pick: Vanderbilt
Winner: Army 16-13 (OT)
My record (UT-GA included): 5-2
Overall: 10-3
Tim Tebow ended up playing in the Florida-LSU matchup, and I also learned that I underestimated the Florida defense and LSU’s horrible offense. Alabama couldn’t get in the endzone, but the defense dominated the Rebel offense.
South Carolina squeaked out a closer-than-expected game against the Wildcats, and Houston rolled over the Bulldogs with over 500 yards of offense. The Auburn game confirmed by fears about their defense and whether their offense was good enough, but the most pathetic pick of the week goes to Vanderbilt, for losing to Army.
I didn’t even know that was possible, but the Commodores once again prove to us why they are the worst team in the SEC year after year.
South Carolina (5-0, 2-0) at Alabama (3-1, 1-1)
What to look for:
For some reason, South Carolina fans think that they can win this game. Um, I’m gonna have to say no… that’s not going to happen against the #2 defense in the nation (based on ypg), with an offense that was troubled against Kentucky. Stephen Garcia has been improving, getting it done against Kentucky last week, but the Crimson Tide ain’t Kentucky. I expect South Carolina to keep this one pretty close for the first half or so, but in the end Alabama’s defense will overpower them.
My pick: Alabama
Kentucky (2-3, 0-3) at Auburn (5-1, 2-1)
What to look for:
This one shouldn’t be close, but Kentucky’s offense has had spurts of great games this year. Auburn’s passing defense got picked apart by Ryan Mallet, but don’t expect Kentucky’s Mike Hartline to do the same. Kentucky’s defense won’t be able to hold off Auburn’s strange but effective offense, especially with their offense giving up 175+ yards on the ground and Ben Tate in AU’s backfield.
My pick: Auburn
UAB (2-3) at Ole Miss (3-2, 1-2)
What to look for:
After the way Ole Miss played Bama last week, you have to give them some credit. They kept the score respectable and were, at times, close to pulling out a big win. It’s hard not to pick them after that, especially with them playing a team like UAB. The Blazer’s rushing attack is averaging over 225 yards on the ground each game (9th nationally), which could match up respectfully against Ole Miss’s rush defense that’s giving up 131 yards per game. Expect Ole Miss to focus on the running game and shut UAB’s only chance of winning down as their offense gets rolling to put up some points.
My pick: Ole Miss
Arkansas (3-2, 1-2) at Florida (5-0, 3-0)
What to look for:
Can Arkansas’s offense replicate what worked so well against Auburn this week at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium? I doubt it. Arkansas does have the best passing attack in the SEC with Ryan Mallet at the helm, and they’ll be going up against the number one passing defense in the country. This will be one to watch, if only to see that. If Arkansas can get consistent yards through the air, this game will be closer than most would anticipate. The biggest problem for me is Arkansas’s defense against Tim Tebow and the Gator spread. They won’t be able to stop it, so Florida wins by a couple touchdowns.
My pick: Florida
Mississippi State (2-4, 1-2) at MTSU (3-2)
What to look for:
Mississippi State played Houston close last week, but can they do that again this week against the leading Sun Belt passing attack (I laughed just typing that). I would like to pick MTSU in this one, but I just can’t see them beating an MSU team that has lost the last three games (LSU, GTech, Houston) by a combined total of 22 points. That said, the Bulldogs are ranked 100th nationally against the pass, and after Vanderbilt’s upsetting game last week against Army, I’m pulling for MTSU in the upset.
My pick: MTSU
Georgia (3-3, 2-2) at Vanderbilt (2-4, 0-3)
What to look for:
After the shellacking Georgia received from the Vols last week (Hey, I gotta brag some!), they’re going to be looking for blood this week. Mark Richt is getting closer to the hot seat with his loyalty to his defensive coordinator, and the offense needs to produce this week as well. As bad as Georgia looked last week, expect them to look the exact opposite on Saturday as they slam the Commodores. Georgia wins this one big.
My pick: Georgia
It looks like a good weekend of football in the SEC, with the potential for some upsets. Some of the games I hope to be able to see are the Arkansas-Florida and USC-Alabama, which will be on CBS (3:30) and ESPN (7:45) respectively.
Around the SEC: Week 6
Review of Last Week’s Picks
My pick: Texas A&M
Winner: Arkansas 47-19
Georgia Tech at Mississippi State
My pick: Georgia Tech
Winner: Georgia Tech 42-31
South Carolina State at South Carolina
My pick: South Carolina
Winner: South Carolina 38-14
Ole Miss at Vanderbilt
My pick: Ole Miss
Winner: Ole Miss 23-7
LSU at Georgia
My pick: LSU
Winner: LSU 20-13
Alabama at Kentucky
My pick: Alabama
Winner: Alabama 38-20
My overall record (with UT-AU included)
6-1
Not bad, though there were only a few games that were toss ups last week. I got saved at LSU by a terrible excessive celebration call that the SEC later said they were wrong to call. I’m sure that Georgia appreciated that, considering it does absolutely nothing to change that loss on their record. Other than that, the games went generally as I expected, save Texas A&M and Arkansas. I had heard that Texas A&M was looking good this year and bought into some forum hype, but you win some and you lose some. We have some more interesting matchups this week.
Florida (4-0, 2-0) at LSU (5-0, 3-0)
What to look for:
First of all, let me get this out of the way, will Tim Tebow play? As much as I don’t like the guy (I’m really just jealous), he’s a tough, great football player. The Florida offense hasn’t looked explosive enough to win a game as big as this without him, though. And if he isn’t able to play, or if they just don’t want to risk seriously damaging him for the rest of his life for one football game, I seriously doubt the Gators’ chance to win. I haven’t been that impressed with the team this season because I feel that their offense won’t work without Tebow at the helm. I’m going to be a jerk with the a split pick depending on if Tebow plays.
My pick: If Tebow plays, Florida. If not, LSU.
Alabama (5-0, 2-0) at Ole Miss (3-1, 1-1)
What to look for:
Alabama is one of the few top teams that has actually looked like a top team all year. Ole Miss was overrated, and in my opinion they don’t have much of a chance in this game. It’s a big game for Alabama to just keep rolling along and doing what they do best, which is playing tough, physical football to beat their opponents. I’ll take the Tide in this one.
My pick: Alabama
Kentucky (2-2, 0-2) at South Carolina (4-1,1-1)
What to look for:
Kentucky started off the year with a bang, yet the fuse keeps dying week after week. After the big loss to Auburn, which even Miss Cleo could have seen coming. South Carolina has looked both good and bad, with a tough loss at Georgia but a big win over the Rebels at home. It seems like the Gamecocks are playing much better at home than they are when traveling, so I like them in this game to hold Kentucky’s offense and score enough points to pull out the win. Norwood will have a big game against Kentucky’s O-Line and Garcia will put up some good numbers on the Wildcat defense.
My pick: South Carolina
Houston (3-1) at Mississippi State (2-4, 1-2)
What to look for:
The Cougars have looked good this season, beating Oklahoma State at their own field, and then the next week pulling out a close one over Texas Tech. I thought they might have a chance of going undefeated, but then the college football powers at be smacked me on the back of the head to remind me that I shouldn’t make predictions so early. Though last week they lost to UTEP, I think they’ll have a good win over the MSU Bulldogs this week, not much contest.
My pick: Houston
Auburn (5-0, 2-0) at Arkansas (2-2, 0-2)
What to look for:
Auburn’s offense is one of the strangest offenses I’ve seen in which just plain weird plays look normal, and they’re pulled off with excellence. Chizik has the team turned around 180 degrees from last year, with Chris Todd playing smart at QB and Ben Tate running over defenders (even Eric Berry, I’ll admit it!). I’d like to pick Arkansas in this game out of spite, but I know as well as anyone else who’s watched the Tigers that Auburn has a good football team this year. I’d like to tune in to this one for a bit to watch the Tiger offense at work, but I’ll be too busy screaming at the Vols this week, who will be playing at the same time.
My pick: Auburn
Vanderbilt (2-3, 0-3) at Army (2-3)
What to look for:
I honestly don’t know very much about Army, and with exams this week I won’t be able to do much research. I do know that they’re 2-3 with wins over Ball State and Eastern Michigan, but they’ve also lost to equally bad teams. Vanderbilt hasn’t been impressive this year either, but I can’t choose Army over an SEC team without laughing out loud. Hopefully I don’t stick my foot in my mouth on Saturday as we see more gold in this game than the United States has in its own treasury.
My pick: Vanderbilt
Well, there’s my picks. It’s a bit more diverse of a week than last week’s easy choices, but still I feel confident in most of my choices. I’ll post my preview of the Tennessee game tomorrow, though it may be a bit shorter this week due to my exam schedule this weekend. I’ll still be checking out blogs to cover their predictions, though, which I’ll post on Friday.
A Vol Voice 