I'm putting this week's preview out today because I wasn't going to post anything else with Thanksgiving this week, and so this can sit as the latest post for a few days.
This is a huge week in college football, perhaps the best. It's Rivalry Week...a bittersweet week. It's so great but yet we know the college football season is coming to an end. All across the country there are great games.
Two 2-9 teams that are tanking will be playing with Wake Forest at Vanderbilt. These two programs were having banner years a few years ago but it's all fallen apart. I picked Vandy before the year in this game and I'm going to stick with them. At home, the worst team in the SEC needs to beat the worst team in the ACC.
Georgia has got to beat Georgia Tech. This has been a terrible season for both teams but especially UGA. If they lose this game there will be no bowl game and that would be the first time they haven't made a bowl since 1996, Ray Goff's last season in Athens. GA Tech is only 6-5 and they have had plenty of attrition on defense. I think the Dawgs use their two weeks of preparation and home field to their advantage and win the game.
The odds-makers seem to be favoring all the home teams in the rivalry games this weekend, and so even Florida State is getting the benefit of the doubt hosting Florida. Both of these teams have been very inconsistent. I'm pretty sure the last time FSU won this game was 2003, when Zook was the coach for Florida. But this year is the year to stick it to the Gators...they are not good. Mississippi State and South Carolina took advantage of it but Georgia didn't. I think being at home, and with plenty of motivation Florida State will win the game by a field goal.
South Carolina at Clemson. I don't even know what they call this game. Two schools whose fan base always wants to win so bad but they stick to 6-8 wins a year. The Gamecocks have broken loose from that a little this year and they could get their 9th win in this game. I was a little unsure about how USC would perform in the last two weeks knowing they just want to win the SEC Championship but they stomped Troy, although Troy basically played dead in that game. Clemson proved they can run play with the SEC when they took Auburn to overtime on the road but they haven't been very consistent this year. In no way would I be surprised if Clemson won this game but I'm going to pick South Carolina to pull it out, maybe by a field goal.
So I'm picking the SEC to go 3-1 over the ACC this week. If it's any less than that it would be embarrassing.
In the same way that this year is everyone's turn to beat Florida, this is the year to get Tennessee. Vandy was able to stay in the game last week, but Kentucky is better than that and they have got to win this game even if it is in Knoxville. After 25 years of dominance, when is this going to end? Kentucky is not that bad of a program, especially the last 5 years. Hartline is a senior, Cobb is such a great athlete. I think this is going to be a great game and I'm going to stick with my preseason pick...Kentucky wins the game and keeps UT out of a bowl game.
How great is the SEC West? The Top 5 teams in the West went 14-1 vs. the East. Outside of playing each other, the Top 5 teams in the West are 38-1. All 5 top teams are ranked in the Top 25 and the Top 4 are all ranked in the Top 12. LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas have a combined 5 loses and they all have been out of contention for the division title for two weeks! This weekend would be great just based on the above 5 games but then there's the following three including games pitting my SEC #1 at #3 and SEC #2 at #4. It doesn't get much better than that.
The Egg Bowl is going to be huge this year, just like it was last year. The game won't have any impact on who's going to a bowl although State's bowl positioning will be affected. If Ole Miss wins, they will have taken the air out of MSU's great season and that will help them on the recruiting trail just like it did for State last year. But if State can win they will possibly get to a New Year's Day bowl game and be able to stuff Ole Miss down to the bottom of the SEC and have won the Egg Bowl trophy two years in a row. The road team hasn't won this game since 2003 but I think that changes this year. State played great against Arkansas and Ole Miss' defense is very poor. Mississippi State 31 Ole Miss 21
LSU at Arkansas could be a play-in for a BCS game. A lot will depend on how the Iron Bowl turns out, but this game looks like a heavy weight fight between two great teams. Arkansas is playing great football right now, and LSU has been good and lucky all year. In the last 3 years LSU only beat Arkansas last year, and that took overtime. This game is always great no matter what. Arkansas is one of the toughest home teams in the SEC, even in Little Rock, and with the way they are playing I think they will pull this game out and throw a wrench into the BCS and bowl game scenarios. Arkansas 34 LSU 30
This year's Iron Bowl is the game of the year. Fortunately, some of the Cam Newton talk has died down in the last week or so. Auburn is coming off a bye which I think will have given their coaches time to develop a good game plan and the players time to heal and distance themselves from the distractions. Alabama should be coming in on fire and healthy, Richardson hasn't played since the LSU game and I think he'll be fresh. The game is in Tuscaloosa and the Tide haven't lost there since ULM beat them in 2007. Bama is favored in this one but I just don't see them stopping Cam Newton. Auburn only won by 3 points in Starkville and Lexington but since the Arkansas game this team has gotten really tough, and they creamed Ole Miss in Oxford. Auburn 31 Alabama 24
There are some good games nationally this week so I'll pick a few more than usual.
Arizona over Oregon - Arizona has scored a lot of points this year and they have a good defense. They've had two weeks to prepare for Oregon as well.
Texas over Texas A&M
Boise State over Nevada
Pittsburgh over West Virginia
Penn State over Michigan State
Ohio State over Michigan
Oklahoma State over Oklahoma
N.C. State over Maryland
JB
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