R.I.P UGA VII

Today was a tragic day for Bulldog nation as UGA's beloved mascot, UGA VII passed away due to heart failure.  He was 4 years old.

The UGA tradition at Georgia stretches all the way back to 1956.  The Seiler family has been the keepers of UGA from the beginning and continue to this day.

Where many universities mark their histories based on their head coaches, Georgia does so by their UGAs.

Records for each mascot

Dog	W	L	T	Pct
Uga I	53	48	6	.523
Uga II	42	16	3	.713
Uga III	71	32	2	.684
Uga IV	77	24	4	.731
Otto	3	1	0	.750
Uga V	65	39	1	.624
Uga VI	87	27		.763
Uga VII	16	7		.696

UGA VI was probably the most successful of the dogs with a pair of SEC titles to his resume.

Of course the most famous incident involving UGA happened against Auburn when UGA V did this in 1996:

In a very unique tradition, after the passing of each dog, he is buried in a mausoleum near the main entrance of Sanford Stadium.  This way, the dogs can continue to watch Georgia football after they pass on.

Since there will not be enough time to get a new UGA ready by Saturday, there will be a wreath placed on his air conditioned dog house.  They hope to have another dog ready before the Georgia Tech game, but it may not be UGA VIII, just a temporary replacement.

Week 12 Games of the Week: Rivalry Week Part 1

Well its that time of year, the beginning of rivalry week.  Well, its more like a rivalry two weeks now, but still.  Not too much going on with the national landscape this week.  The top teams are all playing unranked opponents with Texas vs. Kansas being the only game that looks like it might even be close.  With that in mind, here are my top five games of the week.

5.  Kentucky @ Georgia 6:45 Central ESPN2

See, I told you it was a slow week didn't I? 

Georgia is favored by 8.5 in this game, and on paper should probably win this game by about 35 points.  But this is a weird season.  The scores in alot of Kentucky's games haven't looked great, but they have been in almost every game other than the Florida game.  Georgia will be missing safety Bacarri Rambo because of this jarring hit against Auburn last weekend

and will also be missing A.J. Green after injuring himself in that same game.  And this UGA offense pretty much runs through Green.  A.J. has 751 receiving yards - 284 is the next highest.  Green has 47 catches - 21 is next.  Thankfully Washaun Ealey has been stepping up nicely in the running game with Richard Samuel and Caleb King being at best moderately productive.  I see a Georgia cover in this game with the running game being able to gas holes in the Kentucky defense - but not by much.  24-14.

4.  Penn State @ Michigan State

The battle for the Land Grant Trophy.  Side note:  does every Big 10 game have a trophy attached to it?

Anyways, back to the game.  I haven't really paid much attention to either team this year because, well, its the Big 10 and who cares anyways.  Both teams are bowl eligible so its more for seeding than anything else.  Although, Penn State does still have an outside shot at getting a BCS bid.  Michigan State never really got a leading running back this season, and that's not good for the Big 10.  Kirk Cousins at quarterback has been more than serviceable, but still not great.  Penn State has a top level quarterback in Daryl Clark, and a top level running back in Evan Royster.  Royster didn't end up with Heisman like numbers that he could have had earlier in the season, but nevertheless he is a great back.  Penn State is favored by 3, and they should really blow that out of the water without a problem.  35-13.

3.  Cal @ Stanford 6:30 (no network listed on ESPN, but i suspect this will be on Vs.)

The Game!  We couldn't possibly talk about Cal Stanford without talking about, THE PLAY:

Or, if you are looking for a more fun version of the play, here you go:

Not much has changed from the preseason with this game.  I would have called for a blowout then, and I will do the same now.  Only difference is I would have told you Cal was get the blowout then, now I think Stanford will be the ones on top.  Stanford has a dark horse Heisman candidate in Toby Gerhart at running back, and budding super star quarterback in Andrew Luck.  Whalen and Owusu are top level receivers to compliment those two.  For Cal, an injured Jhavid Best pretty much seals the fate of this one.  Stanford favored by 7, not enough.  42-24.

2.  LSU @ Ole Miss 3:30 CBS

The SEC Game of the Week will almost always make my top five list.  Not that I'm biased or anything.  I don't imagine this game will live up to the 1959 classic battle of top five teams and Heisman Winner Billy Cannon's punt return, but we can always dream

LSU is sitting right now pretty much where Ole Miss was predicted to be in the preseason.  Ole Miss has not really lived up to all the hype, but last week they did demolish Tennessee.  Although that team was facing some pretty heavy distractions with the whole armed robbery thing.  LSU as been hit with the injury bug, but Jordon Jefferson should be ready to go.  Same can't be said for Charles Scott who's injury is a little more serious.  Ole Miss is just such a random team this year.  Will you get the team that got dominated by Auburn, or the one that dominated Tennessee?  The one that dominated Arkansas, or the one that somehow lost to South Carolina?  Ole Miss is actually favored in this game surprisingly enough.  Lot of stock being put into the team after last weekend.  I don't see lightening sticking twice however.  LSU 20-13.

1.  Ohio State @ Michigan

Hate week at its best!  I don't care if both of these teams are 0-11 heading in, this is must see TV.

Ohio State's post season trip is booked already.  They know they are going to the Rose Bowl no matter what happens in the Michigan game.  Do you think they will rest their starters?  In a word, no.  Pryor and Company want nothing more than to STOMP the Wolverines.  Michigan comes in with a four game losing streak, also losing 6 of 7 after starting 4-0.  So if you can do the math, you know that Michigan needs a win Saturday to become bowl eligible.  This kinda has that feel that the Alabama vs. Auburn game had last year.  Alabama had the SEC title game looming, and Auburn needed a win to go bowling.  Alabama won that game 36-0.  I don't see a score like that in the future, but I do see a convincing Ohio State victory.  My initial thought was Buckeyes by about 13 - and Vegas put this one at a 12.5 point spread.  So its gonna be a tough one to pick.  On one hand, once the game is in hand the Buckeyes will probably put some starters on the bench.  But its not like they have a game to get ready for.  Its only November and the Rose Bowl isn't until New Years.  I don't pick this with a terrible amount of confidence, but I do see Ohio State with a close cover 24-10.

It might not be a week for nationally relevant games, but it is nearing the end of the season, and rivalries are THE BEST this time of year.  Anything can happen in a game like Ohio State/Michigan or Cal/Stanford.  Stay tuned, its gonna be a great weekend ahead.

Week 11 Games of the Week

Couple of good matchups this weekend to hold our attention, and one that usually does, but is an afterthought this season.  That matchup is....

5.  Auburn @ Georgia 6:00 PM CST ESPN

This game is a funny match up.  One of the oldest rivalries in major college football which usually goes a long way in determining the SEC standings, despite being an inter-divisional matchup.  Both teams are usually in the top 10 or 15, if not top 5 in the rankings, but this season both are un-ranked.  Auburn has a better resume on the season so far, but Georgia probably has more overall talent outside of the quarterback position.  Good thing for Georgia Auburn's quarterback isn't very good either.  Auburn leads Georgia in most every major offensive statistical category, yet UGA comes in the favorites.  Auburn's Chis Todd is hitting nearly 60% of his passes and has an amazing 17-3 TD-INT ratio.  Joe Cox also has 17 TD, but it goes against 12 INTs.    Auburn's Ben Tate is clearly the most experienced back in the game, but Georgia's Washaun Ealey is coming along nicely but hasn't shown he can do it for a full season yet.  A.J. Green is the best receiver in college football, but Auburn's Darvin Adams has more TD receptions on the year.  Auburn leads on paper, but Georgia will win on the scoreboard in the end.  Its at home, and I like the Dawg defense a whole lot more than I like the Auburn defense.  17-13 Georgia.

4.  #1 Florida @ South Carolina 2:30 PM CBS

If CBS thinks this is the top SEC game of the week, then it must be a good one.  And it will be.  Steve Spurrier may coach USCe, but his heart is, and always will be, at Florida.  His name is on the walls at the stadium.  But while he loves them, he wants nothing more than to beat them..  Tebow gets all the publicity, but Stephen Garcia actually has mostly better numbers this season.  Garcia has nearly 2500 passing yards to go with 13 touchdowns and 6 picks.  Tebow has just 1500 yards, but is hitting on more than 65% of his passes.  Neither team has a true leader at running back, and South Carolina has a budding superstar in Alshon Jeffery at receiver.  But the SEC almost always comes down to defense, and South Carolina doesn't have the horses to get it done.  I don't see a 16 point Florida win like Vegas does, but I"m thinking a good quality 27-17 win.

3.  #25 West Virginia @ #4 Cincinnati FRIDAY NIGHT 7:00 ESPN

This game only gets as high as it gets because both teams come into the game ranked.  This game is a major question mark type of game.  Cincinnati comes into the game with BCS and possible national championship dreams.  West Virginia comes in two weeks off a surprising loss to South Florida, but still controlling its own destiny in the Big East race.  The key difference in these two teams is that West Virginia has been up near the top before, Cincinnati has not.  This game marks the first a three game stretch for Cinci that will determine their season as the Bearcats finish the season with West Virginia, Illinios, and Pitt.  All three games are winnable, but all are tough.  And Cinci will be without starting QB Tony Pike for at least part of the game.  Although that may not be horrible since Zach Collaros has more than filled in nicely hitting on more than 75% of his passes and with a 10-1 TD-INT ratio.  West Virginia has one of the most talented backs in the nation in Noel Devine.  If you haven't checked out his highlights on youtube, do yourself a favor and do it.  That kid is electric in the backfield and is likely the next Darren Sproles in the NFL.  Cincinnati comes in as 9 point favorites, but mid week ESPN games are famous for upsets and I like West Virginia to pull it off here 35-31.

2.  #10 Iowa @ #11 Ohio State 2:30 PM ABC

This game is probably the defacto conference title game at this point.  Both teams have one conference loss, but both losses comes to teams out of contention for the title.  The winner of this game could still stumble, but I think the winner of this game will go to the Rose Bowl.  Iowa were the darlings of the nation until last week, the "Cardiac Kids" if you will, but that is over.  The 4th quarter was "Stanzi Time,"  but Stanzi is now out for the year with an ankle injury.  He may be back for the Bowl game though.  Ohio State has some of the top talent in the nation and do every year.  They do have a pair of losses, but one was to USC which is understandable, but the other is Purdue which is less than understandable.  And remember, Iowa shouldn't have won probably half the games they did this season.  I like Ohio State in a BIG way on Saturday.  They are favored by 17 and I find it hard to believe they won't cover that.  I like the Buckeyes 35-10.

1.  #16 Utah @ #4 TCU 7:30 PM (Not listed on ESPN's lineup, but probably on VS.)

Ok, you know how I HATE the mid major teams.  And I do.  But Gameday has chosen this game, but I'll give it some props.  Plus, this is TCU's first home sellout EVER.  The Horned Frogs will be ready.  I'll admit that I don't know alot about either of these teams.  But I do know that TCU is undefeated and their offense is clicking at the right time.  I always hate the mid majors for "not playing anybody."  And while its not a murders row by any stretch of the imagination, but the Frogs have played two major conference opponents on the road at Virginia and Clemson, and have also gone on the road to defeat BYU.  And with their other opponents, they are typically killing them by double digits and haven't really been "in" any game other than Clemson and maybe Air Force all year.  I still HATE Utah for what they did against Alabama last season, but this is the last true test for TCU before finishing an undefeated regular season.  My two hates have come together in one game, but I will be rooting for TCU in the game.  TCU will be favored by 20, but I don't see them covering it.  I see a slim victory to the tune of 20-16, but I would not be surprised if they fall to the hype and get tripped up on their undefeated bid here.

Those are the games of the week.  Too bad I won't get to see any of them since I have to work from 630AM until around 10:00 PM, but everyone else enjoy the weekend and have a drink for me!

Great Website!

Came across http://upnextinsports.com/ last night while searching for funny websites.  Found some great college FB pics on there:

Dawgs All Bark, No Bite

The Gators took the lead just barely 3 minutes into the game, and never looked back.  Tebow was vintage Tebow (15-21 164 2 TD passing --- 18 carries 84 yards 2 TD rushing), and unfortunately Cox was vintage Cox (11/20 164 2 TD 3 INT).  Adding insult to injury was Logan Gray's performance (0/3 0 yards 1 INT) in the 41-17 thumping.

Not going to get into all the details of the game, you can read those here. 

The bigger question mark is where are these teams headed?

Florida has now won 2 in a row, 4 of the last 5, 10 of the last 12, and 17 of the last 20 against Georgia.  In the last two meetings, Florida won by a combined score of 90-27.

Florida:
Winners of 2 of the last 3 national titles.  In the season in the middle, Tim Tebow won the Heisman Trophy
Never less than 9 wins with Meyer as head coach (2005-present)
consistent top recruiting classes

Florida's seems to be going nowhere but up.  They will lose their two top players Tim Tebow and Brandon Spikes to graduation after this season, but there are plenty of people waiting in the wings to take over.  Florida's bench could probably start at just about any other SEC school at this point.


Georgia:
 No less than 8 wins in the Mark Richt era (8 years)
2002 SEC champions
2003 and 2007 SEC East champions

Since 2005, here is Georgia's record against their biggest rivals:

Florida:  1-4
Tennessee:  3-2
Auburn:  3-1
Georgia Tech:  3-1
Alabama:  1-1

Last season Georgia lost to Alabama, Florida, and Georgia Tech - and that was with 1st round NFL talent at quarterback and running back.

Georgia also lost to Vanderbilt and Kentucky in 2006

Mark Richt has Georgia in the category of good, but never great.  The 2007 team had potential - especially with their throttling of Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl that season - but just couldn't get over the hump.  As long as Meyer stays at Florida, Georgia is not going to be kings of the SEC east.  They just can't seem to pull together wins over all the big rivals in the same season.

Georgia can only hope that Tennessee and Auburn stay down (even though they got destroyed by UT this season) because Florida isn't going anywhere, and even though they don't play every year, Alabama isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

I love the Dawgs.  I just picked the wrong season to solidify them as my second favorite team.  Those of you who helped make this decision for me, you know who you are!  And you picked the wrong year!

So this begs the question, is it time for Richt to get out of town?

Week 9 The Bye Week

Alabama's bye week gives me a week to just watch the games for the sake of watching them and not strategically trying to figure out how I'm gonna get to watch Alabama play.

Here are some of the best games at each time slot:

The morning:  11:00-2:00 start time:
Indiana @ #4 Iowa

This should be a huge win for the Hawkeyes.  More importantly though, this will give the nation a chance to finally get a good look at the team.  Nationally, we saw them defeat Penn State early in the season, but that was before anyone thought Iowa had anything to give this season.  That was all about the Penn State choke, not the Iowa win.  Now, with Iowa sitting at Number 4 in the BCS, we need to be shown that they deserve to be there.  As 17.5 point favorites, they need a dominating victory to show they belong,  Iowa's brand of football will not give the this type of victory though.  And they have a history of playing down to their competition.  I see Iowa winning to the tune of 24-17.

#25 Ole Miss @ Auburn 11:21

Which Auburn team is going to show up this weekend?  The one that dominated Tennessee (the team that nearly beat #2 Alabama) or the team that loses to Kentucky?  Frankly, which Ole Miss team is going to show up?  The team from last week that physically dominated Arkansas, or the one from the rest of the season that hasn't looked very good.  Ole Miss is getting 5 on the road at Auburn.  I think Auburn gets it done at home on the strength of the running game and defense 20-13.

The Afternoon:  2:30 - 4:30 start time
Georgia vs. #1 Florida (Jacksonville) 2:30

Amazingly enough, there isn't much going on in the afternoon slot this weekend.  This game is always a battle though.  Florida's offense has been sputtering as of late, and they are getting tired.  Tebow isn't the same Tebow as in years past.  He is probably still not right after his early season concussion.  Their running game can't get it done consistently, and their receivers are just not stepping up.  But Georgia also hasn't looked great this year as of yet.  They got SMOKED by Tennessee a couple weeks back, but also should have beaten LSU were it not for that horrible excessive celebration call.  Florida is getting 15.5 in this one.  I do see a Gator win, but I don't see it by that much.  Pick Georgia by Vegas, but pick the Gators head to head 35-24.

Evening:  5:00 - 700

#22 South Carolina @ Tennessee 6:45

Tennessee is a lot better than their 3-4 record indicates.  But I don't think South Carolina is as good as their 6-2 record.  USCe is getting 6.5 in the game, but I'm picking Tennessee out right.  Jonathan Crompton might finally be coming out of his shell as a quarterback.  A couple of good games back to back could be a trend.  The gamecock defense is very good though.  They only allowed one offensive touchdown to Alabama, and that was late in the 4th quarter.  I still see the UT win but close 17-14.

#3 Texas @ #14 Oklahoma State 7:00

Big time statement game for the Longhorns.  Their toughest competition of the season, Oklahoma, is down this season with the loss of Bradford.  Okie State is going to be without Dez Bryant it looks like for the rest of the season however.  Bryant was by far the biggest play maker on the team.  Texas is giving 9.5 in the game, but I see a much bigger win than that.  Colt McCoy needs this game to really secure his Heisman front runner status, and Texas needs it to maybe even overtake the SEC teams as the top team in the nation.  A two touchdown win over a top 15 could just do that.  If State jumps out to an early lead, don't worry about it.  They do that almost every year against Texas, and Texas finds a way to come back.  Old fashioned shoot-out in the southwest.  Texas 49-35.

#5 USC @ #10 Oregon 7:00 GAME OF THE WEEK

USC always has a hard time on the road in the Pac-10.  But they already have their hiccup against Washington behind them.  Oregon is always very tough at home too.  They have more than recovered from their opening week egg laying against Boise State.  USC needs a statement victory if they want to stay in the national title race.  With four major conference undefeated teams ahead of them (five if you want to count Cincinnati) they need some help to get into the title game.  Or, they need a huge win over a top ten opponent.  USC is giving 3 in the game, which sounds about right.  I do expect a cover, but not by much.  Maybe a seven point win 27-20.

Tim Tebow vs. Herschel Walker

Lots of chatter on the messages boards in the last couple of weeks about Tim Tebow's eventual breaking of Hershel Walker's all-time SEC leading rushing touchdown mark:

Orlando Sentinal:
Tebow's EyeBlack
TimTEBlog:
Battle Hymn Notes:
Gator Sports: 
Bamaonline:

(may need a login to read the last one)

They are tied at 49 right now so it seems inevitable.  No one (well no one in their right mind anyways) is questioning that Tebow is a great player.  But they do question the legitimacy of this record.  Here are the arguments:

1.  They count stats in Bowl games now, they did not when Walker played
2.  Tebow plays one extra game a year in the regular season - 2 if you count the SEC title game
3.  Tebow played for four years, Walker left after this junior season

My first question is, why do we care anyways?  They are both great players.  And even if Tebow didn't break it, he is still one of the most prolific backs in SEC and even NCAA history.  His rushing numbers alone would qualify as Hall of Fame worthy never mind all of his touchdown passes, Heisman Trophy, and two (maybe three) national titles.

But ok, aside from all of that, lets look at each argument:

1.  They count bowl games now:
Tebow has two rushing touchdowns in bowl games to add to his totals.  Walker had five TDs in bowl games...so his "real" total is maybe 54

2.  Extra game (12 game regular season) and the SEC title game

Ok, Tebow has played in 2 SEC title games:  0 rushing touchdowns
The extra game is a non conference game.  In all non conference games other than FSU (since they always played them every year anyways and thus would not be the "extra" game) Tebow has totaled 9 rushing touchdowns over 11 games.  For averages sake, lets take out 3 rushing touchdowns to account for the extra game.   Using those same avearges, you can say Walker averaged 1.5 TD/Game....so lets give him 3 to account for the extra games.

So now we are at 5 TDs that "shouldn't count" for Tebow OR 5-8 TD's that "should count" for Walker

3.  Tebow played four years, not three

Ok, this is the hardest to talk about.  It is a true statement that Tebow has played a senior season that Walker did not have.

But it is kinda hard to really and truly count Tebow's freshman season in the same way you count Walkers.  Here are their combined rushing stats for their respective freshman seasons:


Player        Attempts       Yards       Touchdowns
Walker      274                1616        15
Tebow      89                     469        8

Both Players had their best statistical seasons of sophomores:

Player       Attempts       Yards       Touchdowns
Walker     385              1891         20
Tebow      210              895          23

It really was the Junior season that set Walker apart

Player       Attempts       Yards       Touchdowns
Walker     335               1752        17
Tebow     176                673          12

Through three seasons, Walker had 49 Tds, (3 of those TDs listed must have been receiving) Tebow 43

Carries Per Touchdown:  Walker 20.29  Tebow:  11.05
Yes, that doesn't take into account that Tebow gets a high percentage of carries in the red zone.  It also doesn't take into account sacks that count of quarterback carries.

As for passing touchdowns:  Walker 0 (that I know of) Tebow 67

Given the way Tebow's freshman season went, as a spot third down full back, I would say that this works out to about even frankly.  Sure, you can take about the five "extra" TDs Tebow had in this time frame with the extra games that didn't count.  But if you are going to do that, you have to take into account that Tebow wasn't the main quarterback in any game of that freshman season.  Yes, he came in on the goal line at times.  But it was a few plays a game and then that was it.

But let's not forget the main point here, TEBOW IS A QUARTERBACK!!!!!  His career will be based on how well he THROWS the ball, not runs with it in the end.  If you can get the most rushing touchdowns in conference history ON THE SIDE, you are secured your spot as one of the greatest of all time without question.

When all is said and done, these players will both end up in the top 10 if not top 5 players in all of college football history.  We are splitting hairs to really care about this, but the fact is people do care, so here we are.

Week 8: SEC Referee Madness

Pretty bad weekend to be on official in the SEC.

On Thursday, the officiating crew that did the LSU vs. Georgia, and the Arkansas vs. Florida game were suspended for some very questionable calls in those two games.

This phantom excessive celebration call against A.J Green of Georgia started it all they did try to make up for it by calling LSU for the same garbage on their ensuing touchdown, butt the magnitude at that point was nothing compared:





Then, that same crew did the Arkansas/Florida game with a trio of bad calls late in the game:

1.  Phantom pass interference
2.  Phantom personal foul
3.  Horrible spot of the ball - although this one not nearly as bad



Fast forward to this weekend:

Lane Kiffin complains that Terrance Cody was not given a personal foul call for taking off his helmet on the final play of the game.  He also said he only let the clock run down for that field goal attempt instead of running another play because "You run another play and you throw an interception or they throw a flag on us -- I wasn't going to let the refs lose the game for us there and some magical flag appear.

Yes, Lane is right, a personal foul call could have been throw.  But if it had, it would not have been like the Cleveland Browns vs. Kansas City Chiefs in either 2001 or 2002 when it gave the Chiefs a chance for a winning field goal.  This was a dead ball foul AFTER the change of possession which would have backed Alabama up but not changed the outcome.

For his other quote, just SHUT UP!  If the refs really wanted Alabama to win they would have called that pass interference in the end zone earlier in the game that probably cost Alabama a touchdown.



Oh but we are not done yet.  Dan Mullen, Mississippi State coach, called for the suspension of the replay official in their game against Florida for not overturning the pick-six because the Florida defender lost possession before crossing the plane of the goal line.

Yes, it should have been overturned.  Yes, it would have been State's ball at the 20.  But you can't tell me anyone on here thinks it would have actually mattered in the end.

I hate all of this focus on referees.  The call against A.J. Green was horrible.  But so was Georgia's play all game when they had plenty of chances to win the game on their own.

Arkansas:  score touchdowns instead of kicking field goals and that drive doesn't matter to you.

Kiffin, JUST SHUT UP!  I don't even care about this particular instance, I just want you to shut up anyways.  I might not hate you as much as I hated Fulmer, but you are getting close.

Mullen, you lost the game by two scores.  That play only counts for one score....so you would have needed to score again on your own anyways.  You see how that works?

Referee's are going to make mistakes.  This is true.  But referees do not effect game outcomes.  If a referee makes 5 bad calls a game, that leaves 95 other plays where they did not.  You had plenty of time to make a play in the rest of the game, and you didn't do it.  Stop blaming refs, and take the Bear Bryant approach.

In the 1960's, Joe Namath thought he got into the end zone against Texas and would have won the game.  The ref said no, and Texas won.  Namath came back to the sideline complaining to Bryant.  Bryant just looked at him and said that it shouldn't have even come down to that.  If we had gotten one more score earlier, this play wouldn't have mattered.








So everyone, JUST SHUT UP AND PLAY FOOTBALL!!!!

Week 5 Games of the Week

With 3 games between top 25 opponents, this week will have some very entertaining viewing options.  Still not the week that really begins to seperate the conference races, that will come next weekend at least in the SEC, but this week offers some very interesting matchups.  Of course for some reason ESPN College Gameday is going to Florida State @ Boston College?!?!?!?!  Neither team is even ranked!  Oh well, I guess they don't get to go up to Chestnut Hill very often.

Last Week:  2-3  Season:  6-4

5.  Auburn @ Tennessee:  6:45 PM CDT ESPN

Earlier this decade, this could likely have been a match up of two top ten teams.  Now, its a battle of unranked SEC teams figured to finish 3rd or worse in their respective divisions.  As an Alabama fan, this is an IMPOSSIBLE game to actually watch.  I can never figure out who I hate more.  In theory, I hate Tennessee more, at least Auburn is an in state school so there is some Alabama pride there.  But when I actually see Auburn on the field, a deep rooted hatred comes out.  Really I can't root FOR any of these teams, I just have to decide which one I'm rooting AGAINST.  But that's not the issue this morning, the actual match up is the issue.  At quarterback, the advantage certainly goes to Todd.  He has seemed to command this offense with amazing precision with an 11/1 TD/INT ratio.  Only a 59% completion percentage, but a nearly 10 Yards Per Attempt average makes up for that.  Jonathan Crompton for UT just plain sucks.  Nearly the same completion percentage as Todd, but only a 6 yard YPA and a negative TD/INT (7/8) ratio is killer.  Auburn's running game seems to have an advantage as well as a group, but Tennessee's Bryce Brown has probably the biggest upside for either team.  He is only a true freshman however.  Auburn's Kodi Burns runs a very effective wildcat for the Tigers with 4 touchdowns on the ground already this season.  Auburn's Darvin Adams is developing into a true #1 receiver with 334 yards and 5 TDs on the season.  No one so far for Tennessee has stepped up in that role.  Neither team has shined on defense, but Auburn giving up 30 to Ball State raises some major red flags.  Vegas is giving Auburn 2.5 points in this game, probably because it is in Knoxville, but I'm picking Auburn to outlast Tennessee 35-24.

4.  #22 Michigan @ Michigan State 11:00 AM Big 10 Network


Michigan is a surprising 4-0 at his point in the season already eclipsing their win total for last year.  Michigan State is a surprising 1-3 to this point.  Throw the records out though in a rivalry type game.  The Spartans probably should be 3-1 with close losses to Central Michigan and Notre Dame -- although they should have blown out Central Michigan anyways.  Michigan feshman Tate Forcier is a budding superstar in the league and SR RB Carlos Brown has been more than efficient in totting the rock for the Wolverines.  Spartan Sophomore QB Kirk Cousins has been more than just efficient this season as well.  Based on records, Michigan should demolish State.  But these records could just as easily be flipped .  Vegas is giving the Spartans 2.5 again in this one, I'm gonna take another underdog and go for the Wolverines 27-21.

3.  #8 Oklahoma @ #17 Miami PM 7:00 ABC

In the preseason, this game looked like an interesting non-conference match up, but not much else.  Now, its a measuring stick game.  The loser is out of the national title picture.  Miami is likely already done with a BAD ACC loss, but Oklahoma's loss was early and the injury to QB Sam Bradford gives the Sooners a slight mulligan.  Miami QB Jacory Harris looked spectacular in the first two games, and just downright scared last weekend up in Blacksburg.  The weather played a role, but 9/25 for 150 yards isn't good in any weather conditions.  I would like to say that the outcome of this game hinges on the return of Bradford, but Landry Jones has filled in very well in his absence.  But, those games were against Idaho State and Tulsa to be fair.  Bob Stoops has been very quiet on whether Bradford will return or not saying he is not sure yet, but you have to assume if he isn't sure now, even if he does play, he won't be at 100%.  Oklahoma is a 7 point road favorite, but once again I like the underdog back at home especially if Bradford does not play in a 28-24 victory.  If Bradford is totally healthy by game time, I reserve the right to change this pick however.

2.  #4 LSU @ #18 Georgia 2:30 CBS

The battle for what is likely second place in both the SEC West and SEC East.  LSU has not looked like a top five team, especially last weekend needing a goal line stand to beat Mississippi State.  Georgia hasn't looked all that great either losing badly opening weekend and then merely surviving since.  Georgia QB Joe Cox is beginning to come into his own, he has the best receiver in the nation in A.J. Green to throw to, and with a very talented stable of running backs behind him, the Dawgs should win this game.  But LSU recruits very well.  LSU has more speed, and more raw talent in this game, but most of them are very young - either sophomores or freshmen.  Sanford stadium can be a very hostile place to play, but lets face it, LSU will be used to that.  They are the most hostile fans in the nation by ALOT.  LSU gets 3 points from Vegas, but I like the DAWGS to hold serve at home and finally get a complete game 24-17.


1.  #7 USC @ #24 Cal 7:00 PM ABC

Admittedly, this game looked alot better in the preseason.  Both team should have been undefeated, but neither are.  USC had their yearly hiccup against Washington, and Cal got owned against Oregon last weekend.  This game will still go a long way in determining the Pac-10 champion and likely Rose Bowl berth.  USC @ Oregon on Halloween will also be the other big one.  But back to this game:  USC will be playing inspired football with the thoughts of Senior RB Stafon Johnson on their minds.  You do have to wonder if this might have affected their practice this week though.  Even if it did, who could blame them?  Even without Johnson, USC has quite the stable of running backs to choose from.  But the best back on the field will be Jahvid Best of Cal.  He had a rough game last week that really hurt his Heisman chances, but I think that was just an aberration, not a trend.  QB Matt Barkley should be fully healed by now and ready to go and is definitely a better QB than Kevin Riley.  USC is getting 4.5 from Vegas, they should cover that just fine with a 38-27 victory.