This Week's Picks!

Well, here we go again in the round-robin that is Southeastern Conference college football. Just a week after knocking off a top-ranked ALABAMA Crimson Tide behind a career day by quarterback Stephen Garcia, the South Carolina Gamecocks were defeated by a Kentucky Wildcat team led by quarterback Mike Hartline with- you guessed it- a career day!
Nationally, the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, who had assumed the top spot following The Tide's loss, were knocked off by Wisconsin the first week they were tops! The top-ranked team in the polls, the Oregon Ducks, stomped UCLA Thursday night to survive another week. The top team in the BCS Rankings, the Oklahoma Sooners, face an upset-minded-- and capable-- Missouri Tigers team. But, that's unlikely. Stoops will have his troops ready.

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This Week's SEC Picks:

ALABAMA travels to Knoxville to face a struggling Tennessee team Saturday night. As much as I respect Derek Dooley (son of legendary Georgia Coach Vince and former long-time Saban assistant), I hate the Vols. Every time I see former coach phil fulmer on tv, I throw up a little bit in my mouth. TIDE ROLLS.
ALABAMA 31, tennessee 3
Arkansas 42, Ole Miss Black Bear Rebels (Hahahahahahahahaha!!) 17
Mississippi State 31, UAB 14
South Carolina 28, Vanderbilt 14
Georgia and Kentucky? TOSS-UP! Who knows which of these teams will show up? Should be the second-most exciting game today, though...!
Florida, luckily, is idle.
auburn 35, LSU 21 (See post below!) winner gets sole possession of top spot

Nationally:
Oklahoma 42, Missouri 28
Penn State 21, Minnesota 14
Ohio State 38, Purdue 21
TCU 38, Air Force 17
Michigan St. 35, Northwestern 13
Utah 42, Colorado St. 21
West Virginia 28, Syracuse 14
Nebraska 35, Oklahoma State 28

If Only They Could BOTH Lose......!

#6-Ranked Louisiana State visits western Georgia to face #5-Rated auburn today on television (CBS 2:30) in a sunny afternoon SEC West contest between two teams called "tigers". Both teams, surprisingly, are undefeated. Really. The plainsmen/war-eagles/tigers or whatever host the 'bayou bengals', and as much as I hate both teams, I have to watch.
auburn's Cam Newton has elevated the team's play in spectacular fashion, and his running and passing abilities and 'clutch plays' have placed him squarely in the Heisman race. @*#%!!
Both LSU and the 'Mad Hatter' Les Miles have been awfully lucky-- again! Quirky play-calling and questionable time-management issues will just not go away. The main issue will be if LSU's defense can stop-- or contain-- the high-powered Newton. If they stuff his scrambling, can they also take away his receiving targets...?
Either way, one team will fall-both on the field and in the rankings, and ALABAMA's Nick Saban and Kirby Smart will be able to scout BOTH teams to devise strategies.
RTR!

SC Upset Just a Hiccup; BAMA Bounces Back

Ouch. Okay, last week I predicted that THE University of Alabama Crimson Tide would NOT be upset by the South Carolina Gamecocks. I stand corrected. Carolina was a little sharper, a little more crisp, and seemed to want it more. The TIDE defenders barely missed close interceptions and tackles. Garcia and company barely got their first downs and big plays.

Like the saying goes, 'close' only counts in horseshoes and hand-grenades...!

Apparently, the off-week was a bit of an advantage, and BAMA's lack of rest took it's toll. The SC defense was smothering, pressuring Greg McElroy and getting uncharacteristic sacks. Their offense was ON, clicking and making the big plays when they had to. The Cocks beat The TIDE. Flat out. All day. Not by much- except for the score. Hopefully, we'll see 'em again December 4.

ON to THIS WEEK:
Ole Miss travels to Tuscaloosa's Bryant-Denny Stadium to face an angry and embarrassed Tide in a televised (ESPN2) night game. I won't say it will get ugly, but it could be a looonnng night for the newly-christened "Black Bear Rebels". WTF...? After years of controversy and turmoil, a bunch of bad publicity and finally a campus-and-alumni vote, THIS is the best they could do...?(Incidentally, click on this to see voting results. Ole Miss is about as swift as auburn!)

I STILL like MY "Hotty&Totty" mascot/logo idea better than the "Black Bear Rebels".

At least mine is relevent and incorporates the wishes, both old and new, of the people.

Doesn't matter. The Tide wins this one going away. Ole Miss will pay for the sins of Carolina. BAMA will feel like they have something to prove, and won't take the foot off of the accelerator.
ALABAMA 35, Ole Miss 10 (Could be worse if Tide really gets rolling!)

The REST of the SEC:
In what is arguably the biggest game of the day, the Arkansas Razorbacks travel to auburn to face the plainsmen/tigers/war eagles or whoever. THIS should be an exciting matchup, where whoever is holding the ball last wins. It's really a toss-up, as these two are pretty even. The real difference will unfortunately be home-field advantage.
auburn 49, Arkansas 42

LSU 35, McNeese St 14
S. Carolina 28, Kentucky 20 (Can the 'Cats pull an upset after last week's SC victory?)
Georgia 31, Vanderbilt 17
Florida 21, Mississippi State 20 (Possible Bulldog upset?)

tennessee is yet another opponent with an off week before facing The TIDE next weekend.

This Week's Picks (Oct 9th)

Sorry.
Gotta be brief. MUCH too busy!

ESPN's Kirk Herbstriet says Bama will lose to auburn in November. Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said on his radio show that The Tide is only the 5th or 6th best team in the country.
Note that I said 'former'.
Coach Saban will have the boys pumped and ready.

ALABAMA 35, South Carolina 17
Florida 24, LSU 14 "The Hat's" luck runs out.
Arkansas 31, Texas A&M 20
Georgia 14, Tennessee 13
auburn 21, Kentucky 20

Seems Like Old Times..... Tide Trounces Gators

ROLL TIDE. Just like 'back in the day'. If there was any question who the top team is in the SEC (and the nation), it was certainly answered last night. Convincingly.

The University of Alabama Crimson Tide didn't just win the game last night. They beat Florida. Like a high-school team.

A modern-day all-around whoopin'. Like the ones I grew up with. Offensively, they ran an old 'power' ground game, controlling the ball --and the clock-- most of the evening. Other than a trick half-back (or more accurately, receiver-to-receiver) pass, it was mostly just ramming the ball down the helpless throat of Florida. Defensively, a young, lightly-regarded (by the press, anyway) unit just stuffed pretty much every Gator threat all night long. Just like old times.

Not often does a Meyer-coached team fail to score a touchdown. When the closest play they got to the end zone was intercepted, the wind literally went out of Florida's sails.

In honor of the old-school beatdown, I am posting for your enjoyment some old-school TIDE logos to continue the spirit of classic ALABAMA dominance. Below is the logo from the seventies that I had on my shirts and hats as a kid. My older brother had this poster hanging over his bed, so I woke up to this image for years. Years.

How about an even OLDER version, like the one The Bear sported on his hat and coaching jacket throughout the sixties..?

Or, more accurately, one made of wood. Specifically wood from the shed behind which BAMA took the Gators all night! POW!