OUCH! Arkansas, So. Cal, BYU & Utes Expose My CFB Ignorance

Sean Reese told me. He stated that the USC Trojans were ripe for an upset. I laughed at him. Openly. There was NO WAY that the team that slogged around and looked sloppy and played so poorly against the LSU Tigers would topple the perennially-dubbed "potentially the Greatest Team EVER" in college football....!
Washington 16, USC 13.

What do I know....?
Florida State 54, BYU 28.
Utah bellies up.
Arkansas made Georgia look like an SEC contender...!

These anomolies have negatively impacted my picks percentage.

ROLL TIDE.

53-7

Tooting One's Own Horn

Last week, the Georgia Bulldogs ruined my possibility of 100% accuracy on my college football picks. Shame on the Bulldogs.

This Week's College Football Picks

Well, here we are again! Another Saturday, another tough SEC matchup between The University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the tennessee "vile: in tears". ESPN will showcase the contest of hated rivals to a national audience, and the hostile crowd and hot-seat that is phat fil phulmer's will be on display. ON display for Big Al to poop on!
Many of the so-called 'experts' have predicted a trap game or an upset, but don't look for that to be the case. Even without Terrence Cody, the defense should get to the viles quarterback early and often. Our coverage looks to be strong enough to keep whoever is under center back long enough for a sack or two.
Coach Saban has been preaching to The TIDE all week about a second-half letdown, so don't look for that to happen again. With so much now at stake, I doubt the players will let up.
As a BONUS, ESPN's Lee Corso picked tennessee, so we're a safe bet to Roll...!
ALABAMA 42, tennessee 14

Now for the rest of this week's SEC picks:

Kentucky matches up pretty good, but the Gators are just too much. And too strong. Looks like Florida 45, Kentucky 24

Houston Nutt makes his first trip back to Little Rock since bolting for Ole Miss. The Razorbacks are improving but still a little wobbly. The Rebels have looked strong against everyone so far. OLE MISS 31, Arkansas 10

Vanderbilt hosts Duke in what could turn out to be an entertaining game. The Commodores need this one badly if they want a bowl game, as they will enter a tough SEC stretch next. I say VANDERBILT 28, Duke 17

Georgia travels to LSU for a 2:30 slugfest. LSU is cocky and over-confident (even after the pasting they took from Florida), and Georgia is desperately trying to prove they aren't as bad as the first half of the BAMA game. I think patience and skill will win out over bravado and risk. GEORGIA 31, LSU 21

Nationally, I'm thinking...
TEXAS 38, Oklahoma State 28
PENN STATE 28, Ohio State 24
Oklahoma 42, Kansas State 27
Southern Cal 49, Arizona 17
Texas Tech 42, Kansas 38

The More Things Change.......

Wow! Other than Georgia and Penn State, virtually EVERY one of my college football picks was WRONG!
And now it looks like BAMA should have backed into the #1 spot IN AN OFF-WEEK! But, probably not. Texas will now be #1 after their victory over then-#1 Oklahoma, Notre Dame lost and should jump to #2, Florida won big over LSU to move to #3, Southern Cal moves to #4, and we'll probably be #5.
And auburn fires the offensive coordinator, but STILL loses. Running the same plays. Wow! Pure GENIUS!
STAY TUNED...!

Today's S.E.C. PICKS

Now it REALLY starts. After a surprisingly easy win over Arkansas, The Crimson Tide rolls into Athens for a big game on ESPN on the national stage for the second time this season. ESPN's Gameday crew will be on hand for the Georgia game to hype/promote/report/jump on the bandwagon. (As an aside, to see some of the best ESPN Gameday signs held up behind the set go to http://www.bustedcoverage.com/?p=7340 . And yes, I suggest you look up the meaning to any words about Corso style reference!)

Last year, an under-manned heavy underdog Alabama took a young Bulldog squad to the wire, losing in overtime. The young squad of Saban recruits this year have kicked it up a notch, and are seemingly putting it together earlier than anticipated. We match up pretty well on both sides, and this looks to be a great contest with several great matchups all over. It will be exciting, but I think The Tide will be ready. The Dawgs will be unable to top Mount Cody, and I think we will see some different offensive looks from Bama. We should be able to pressure their quarterback enough to make up for the height advantage they have over our speedy defensive backs. Again, we should see something different. Tide rolls, moves into Top 5.
ALABAMA 31, Georgia 20

Okay, now to the rest of the Conference:

auburn faces tennessee in a freakish orange clash which the tigers/plainsmen/war-eagles (MAKE UP YOUR F*****G MIND!) should prevail. Another nail-biter. cow college 14, vols 7

KENTUCKY 34, Western Kentucky 10 Kentucky should break into the Top 25.

Gamecocks get much-needed practice. Spurrier may finally get to see his offense play close to what he envisions. SOUTH CAROLINA 31, UAB 14

LSU 45, Mississippi State 14 Tigers are too much for these Bulldogs.

In a make-up game from a hurricane delay, the Arkansas Razorbacks travel to take on the Texas Longhorns. I don't think the Hogs are as bad as Bama made them look last week, and some of their mistakes will be corrected. This one, surprisingly, will be closer than many people think. Texas 21, Arkansas 20

Ole Miss IS steadily improving and Nutt has a few tricks up his sleeve, but I don't think the Rebels will be able to sneak up on Florida this time. They always play the Gators tough and took them to the wire last year, but I believe it will end up Florida 45, Mississipi 17

Nationally, Penn State should top Illinois 28-10. They say Joe Paterno has one foot in the grave, but if that's the case he has the other one on somebody's throat!

On a side note, I was shocked--SHOCKED-- that once again the highly-touted 'possibly-the-greatest-team-in-college-football-history-EVER' USC Trojans were upset by the OREGON STATE BEAVERS. I was honestly surprised, but it has happened before. And it is quite satisfying after hearing the hype annually about how invincible Southern Cal is.

Tide Cooks up Hogs in Fayetteville: This Week's Picks

Normally, you could say this would be an old-fashioned, grind-it-out-up-the-middle contest, but now real life ain't that way. Sure, you'll see Ingram and Coffee and Upchurch and Grant get some carries, but look for this to be an aerial affair. Heck, if the Arkansas passing game is as good as they say, this could look like a flea circus with JP Wilson linging to Julio, BJ Scott, Stover and the gang! The guess here is that our "D", with Cody whipping their All-American center and friends all day, will keep the Razorbacks off their rhythm.
ALABAMA 28, Arkansas 17

Is the offense of the Plainsmen playing opossum...? tubby better hope not, and the chant will be "Whoa, eagle...!" If the tigers from this state aren't saving up, and the offense is as sluggish here as it was last week, this could get ugly fast. I look for it to be closer than what many expect:
LSU 24, auburn 20

The Gators ARE this much better....
Florida 48, Tennessee 14

The Bulldogs should stroll into next week undefeated and ripe for pickin'....
Georgia 28, Arizona State 17

The Jackets aren't nearly as good as auburn.....
Mississippi State 10, Georgia Tech 7

Although Spurrier will want more points, this is just what the 'Cocks need:
South Carolina 35, Wofford 7

This could be the most interesting SEC game this weekend!
Ole Miss & Vandy= Toss-up!

First Picks of College Football Season

Well, we're here again. First week of football season. Bama on national TV.
Hurricane brewing in the Gulf of Mexico. Looks like things are back to normal.

This means picking football games. The USC Gamecocks and Vanderbilt Commodores started the SEC slate off on a positive note with decisive victories. This should continue, for the most part. Every team in the Conference has a good chance to be 1-0 before Conference play begins. Hopefully, the Tide can keep the trend alive. I'll probably be way off, but what the heck!

Without too much fluff or fanfare, here we go:
Look for Georgia to top Ga. Southern, 34-10
LSU will thump Appalachian State (no sneakin' up!) 42-17
Florida gets Hawaii (June! Come back, June!) 44-14
MSU should get by La. Tech 21-10 (we'll see if Croom's for real)
Arkansas most likely will overpower W. Illinois 29-6
auburn will pound La.-Monroe (no upset here!) 52-17
Ole Miss should to Memphis 17-14 (Nutt finds a way!)
Kentucky outplays Louisville, 27-24 (Brooks will bring consistency)
tennessee should finally win a big one over UCLA, 31-21

This brings me to Atlanta on Saturday night. ALABAMA plays Clemson on national network television Saturday night. The Tigers are ranked #9 and The TIDE is an underdog.
We match up pretty well, and we'll get a chance early to see how these highly-touted freshmen will do on a big-time, national stage. I'M DRINKIN' THE KOOL-AID! My pick: Bama's young studs out-jump, out-run, and out-muscle the Tigers.

UPSET SPECIAL!
ALABAMA 31 Clemson 21

Even Auburn's OWN Guard Dogs Don't Like 'Em! (I WANT THIS DOG!)

Ha! Auburn may have beaten The TIDE again, but they STILL get no respect-- even from THEIR OWN SECURITY K-9!



This was a classic moment. Even though Bama lost in a very boring and uneventful game, there was a highlight. Unfortunately, that was it.
I wonder how much they want for the dog....? Now I want it! Or one just like it!

Picks

ALABAMA 45, ULM 7
LSU 45, Ole Miss 17
Arkansas 24, MSU 21
Georgia 31, Kentucky 21
tennesee 21, Vanderbilt 20
Florida 51, Fla Atlantic 3

WRONG.......AGAIN...!

WTF...?
Bama.
Arkansas.
Vandy.
auburn.
Can you say "Belly up"....?
The Tide slogged around and were beaten--again--by Mississippi State and Sylvester Croom. Arkansas apparently sent McFadden alone out to lose to the vols. Vanderbilt let Kentucky get by them. And the cow college looked helpless in the fourth quarter against Georgia.

It's official. I have proven again that I know absolutely nothing about college football, specifically SEC teams.
ROLL TIDE ANYWAY.

Missed a Follow-Up

Well, following the games last week, issues with either my browser or my Blogger service prevented me from giving my take on the ALABAMA-GEORGIA game. It was a fairly even match-up, as I predicted, only The Dawgs came out on top in overtime.
Quite honestly, there's not a hair's bit of difference between ALABAMA, Georgia, Arkansas, Kentucky, and whoever else in The SEC other than LSU and Florida.
And auburn might just surprise the Gators. (Please ask Ed O for details....!)
Bama will surely rise back to the top--eventually. We're not quite ready to assume the top of the heap just yet, but give Coach Saban a couple of years hoarding the studs and star recruits. Once we get his players assimilated into the system -along with the skeletal talent already in place- we will be dangerous. Dominant, even.
Watch out, Meyer. Move over, Spurrier. Quit crying, Miles. Everyone prepare to resume your positions. Behind Bama. It won't be this year. Maybe not even next year. But just wait.
There's a new Dark Lord in town. His Force will be strong.
And Crimson.
ROLL TIDE.

CRAP! Corso Picks BAMA

Well, hopefully it's not the usual 'kiss of death'. Normally anytime that hack from ESPN, Lee Corso, picks us when we host ESPN Gameday, we roll over. And lose. On national tv. With the college football world watching. (My favorite Corso moment is when he questioned Gene Stallings about his strategy, and Coach Stallings replied "Well, I guess that's why I'm coaching a championship team and you're announcing or analyzing or talking about it.....")
Except this time it's different. I think The Tide is better prepared and hungry for another victory at home over a ranked opponent on national television. It's about time. I believe we are about evenly matched with the Georgia Bulldogs, but I think we can actually claim (legitimately) home-field advantage for a change.
I think the oddsmakers' 31/2 points us about right.
Prediction: ALABAMA 28, Georgia 24

My OTHER Picks:
WHY in the world would anyone outside of Gainesville actually want to see this? Fortunately, due to technical difficulties, no one will have to, as it is mercifully pre-empted. Apologies to Glover and the Rebel nation......
FLORIDA 1,000,000 Ole Miss 3

Spurrier's pretty sneaky, but I think the Bayou Bengals are just too strong....
LSU 31, South Carolina 28

The Razorbacks nearly pulled another one out over the Tide last week. Do they have enough in the tank to stop The Wildcats? History says probably not.
Kentucky 31, Arkansas 28

Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions are just a little too strong for the enigmatic Wolverines.
PENN STATE 24, Michigan 10

Irish will finally score......to no avail
MICHIGAN STATE 28, Notre Dame 3

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while......
auburn 5, New Mexico 3