Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl

CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWL – Dec. 31st, 7:30 EST

Clemson vs. Auburn –

As far as New Year’s eve fare goes, this is a great one, matching up one of the ACC’s classic underachievers against one of the SEC’s chronic overachievers. Without a lot of high-profile talent, at least as far as the SEC goes, Auburn did wonders this year, notching wins over Florida and Alabama, and nearly, so nearly beating soon-to-be national champion LSU. On the other side of the coin, Clemson is the Alabama of the ACC, gagging in big games and looking like giant killers against the sisters of the poor. The Tigers went 9-3 this year, with impressive wins over Wake, South Carolina and Florida State; but against teams with nasty run Ds, they got creamed, taking three on the chin from BC and the two Techs.

There’s an inherent rivalry between the ACC and SEC, with so much mutual turf, and in Clemson, the ACC might have sent the wrong knife to a gun fight. The Tigers have big time weapons in rushers James Davis (83 ypg) and CJ Spiller (54 ypg), and receiver Aaron Kelly (tops in the ACC in ypg). Kelly and junior WR Tyler Grisham were both top five in the league in catches, and if Cullen Harper has time to get them the ball, they’ll do damage. On the other side of the ball, Auburn is a conundrum on defense. They’re awful at getting to QBs, with rankings in the 90s in sacks and TFL. But the pass D is outstanding, at 6^th in the country and 2^nd in the SEC. What’s the explanation? Some great, underappreciated corners, starting with senior Patrick Lee (51 tackles, 4 INT) and sophomore Jerraud Powers (57 tackles, 4 INT). Short of the VA Tech secondary, Auburn’s will probably be the best Clemson has faced this year. Harper, who tossed 27 TDs against just 6 picks this year, will be hard pressed to survive without throwing an INT or two. Despite all the weaponry boasted by Clemson, however, their history of collapsing in big games doesn’t excited me if I’m a South Carolinian.

On the offensive side of the ball, Auburn has the least yards per game of any 8+ win team in the nation, at just 327 ypg. As Ben Tate peaked in mid-season, the Auburn rush game carried the offense to wins at Arkansas and Florida. But Tate lost steam down the stretch, as did freshman Mario Fannin. Brandon Cox has caught a lot of heat from Auburn fans over the years, some deserved, but his lockdown, clutch as clutch can be performances against Florida and LSU this year signified that he’s really turned the corner, finally, to be a very solid SEC QB.

Cox will have a big game in his Auburn swan song, and the boys from Auburn win the battle of the Tigers in surprisingly easy fashion. Auburn 24, Clemson 10.

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl

GAYLORD HOTELS MUSIC CITY BOWL – Dec. 31st, 4:00 EST

Kentucky vs. Florida State –

One of the more intriguing bowl matchups went down the toilet when thirty-some Seminole players decided to take a little extra help on exams. Most Vegas books took this game off the live-wagering section a long time ago, with Kentucky as a 3 point favorite or so. Who knows what the line would be now, but it’s almost impossible to imagine that Florida State’s second teamers can hang with the Wildcats, a team that beat LSU and would probably win against FSU’s best.

So, we don’t really know what to expect in this one. We know Kentucky, so let’s talk about the ‘Cats. Andre Woodson is getting lots of buzz as a top ten draft pick in this year’s draft, and he gamely led the ‘Cats offense to the 14^th best scoring output in the nation. Woodson trailed only Heisman-winner Tim Tebow in the SEC in total offense and pass efficiency, and can certainly light up a scoreboard with the best of them. Woodson wasn’t the whole story in Lexington, though; Rafael Little was 3^rd in the SEC in rushing yards and 14^th in receiving yards. Woodson was as good as anyone in the world this season at spreading the ball around to multiple targets. Five, count ‘em five Wildcat receivers were in the top 13 in the SEC in catches. The list includes Keenan Burton, Steve Johnson, Jacob Tamme, Dicky Lyons and Little – all with 4+ catches per game, all great targets to stretch and confuse a defense.

On defense, Jeremy Jarmon is on track to be the next great SEC pass rusher. Jarmon posted 8 sacks this year, and 58 total tackles; if he keeps improving, he’ll be a great one. Wesley Woodyard, a senior LB, led the SEC in tackles with 10.25 a game, and is your classic chase ‘em all over the field type.

This is a short preview, because I’ve got no idea what to expect from the ‘Noles, or if more suspensions will come down in the next few days. This has been an odd season, but if FSU wins a split squad contest against Kentucky just down the road from UK, that’ll take the cake. Kentucky 38, Florida State 14.

SEC Power Rankings: Final

Before we could blink, Nutt was out, and Nutt was in. The embattled Hogs coach has a new zipcode in Athens, and his hot seat in Fayetteville is still warm. How would the teams stack up on a neutral field tomorrow? Check it:

1. Georgia – The Bulldogs sit at 10-2, on the cusp of the national title contest, and cozily at home in front of the televisions for the SEC championship game. Obviously, every true Dawg would love a shot at the conference title, but with all the unpredictability in the nation this year, there has to be just a small part of every Georgia heart that doesn’t mind the view from the sofa. My SEC Coach of the Year ballot goes: 1. Mark Richt, 2. Sylvester Croom, 3. Tommy Tuberville.
2. Auburn – Yep, these are the best Tigers in the league. Auburn barely lost at LSU, and on a neutral field, there’s no reason to think Auburn wouldn’t pull out the win. Everyone freaked out early in the year when the Tigers lost at home to USF and Mississippi State. I’m not saying those were good losses, by any stretch, but looking at the season in hindsight: two September losses to quality bowl teams, two late season losses on the road to top-10 teams. Best 8-4 team in the country.
3. LSU – I’ve been saying it for weeks, but the Tiger defense has been incredibly average dating all the way back to the beginning of October. The repeated national recitation that LSU’s defense is a world beater is a classic example of how the national media picks a perception and then stops doing homework. Since beating Mississippi State 45-0, the Tiger D didn’t hold a single SEC offense below 24 points in regulation. Even in a league this loaded, that’s an impressive record of mediocrity.
4. Florida – Do you have any idea how badly the Gators are going to destroy whoever the Big Ten’s 4^th best team is in whatever Florida bowl they end up in? If Tim Tebow doesn’t win the Heisman, the biggest reason might be Tennessee and Kentucky’s 4 OT classic in Lexington. While Tebow was lighting up the ‘Noles with deadly passes to every part of the field, most of the country couldn’t see it because they were stuck watching UT and UK do battle.
5. Tennessee – The Vols got another “impressive” win that toed the line between lackluster and gutsy. Despite leading by a ton early, Kentucky had the game won at least twice, but couldn’t finish, sending the Vols to the title game. With UT and LSU both coming off multiple OT games with national and conference championships on the line, I’m betting we get some sloppy play in the first half of this weekend’s contest.
6. Kentucky – Only one team could win in Lexington, and somehow it didn’t end up being Kentucky. I get the feeling that 49 out of 50 states of the union were pulling for the ‘Cats, but a blocked FG and some poor red zone play calling by the UK offensive team kept the nation’s new longest heads up losing streak alive. You want the best evidence going that the SEC is much stronger than every other major league? UK finished 10^th in the SEC standings. 10^th place in the Big 12, Big 10, ACC and Pac-10? Nebraska, Northwestern, North Carolina, and Stanford. UK might be an all-star team of those four schools.
7. Arkansas – I gotta give credit to Arkansas for its win at LSU this weekend. Talk about vengeance. After a loss to LSU in the Rock last season cost Arkansas a shot at the national title, the Hawgs circled the wagons and exacted sweet revenge in the Bayou on the back of Darren McFadden and a very good offensive line. How do they celebrate revenge in Fayetteville? Sending the winning coach on the first train out of town, to Athens, Mississippi of all places.
8. South Carolina – Spurrier to LSU? That’s the whisper I keep hearing in SEC circles, and while I’m not totally sold, it would be an almost Shakespearean journey full circle. Nick Saban left LSU to coach in the pros, found himself overmatched and confused, and returned home to an SEC rival. Who might end up in his old digs? Spurrier, who left Florida to coach in the pros, found himself overmatched and confused, and returned home to an SEC rival. It’s rich. I hope it happens.
9. Mississippi State – Whew. The Bulldogs almost blew the whole thing with an awful first three quarters in the Egg Bowl, but somehow got it going just in time to beat Ole Miss and earn a bowl bid. I absolutely loved the display of emotion from Sly Croom after the game. In an era where plenty of coaches use every chance they get to campaign for players to win awards (Houston Nutt) or campaign for the next job (Brian Kelly), Croom almost couldn’t speak, he was so proud of his team’s journey this year. Bravo, Sly.
10. Alabama – What’s left to say about Alabama? 6-6 and probably out of the bowl hunt, ‘Bama had no offense (75^th in yards), no pass defense (9^th in the SEC), a poor QB (99^th in QB rating) and no consistency. Hold the groundbreaking on the Saban statue.
11. Vanderbilt – They brought this on themselves. Vandy had every chance in the world to go bowling this year. But they couldn’t finish against Georgia, couldn’t finish against Kentucky, couldn’t finish against Tennessee, and scheduled the defending ACC champion in late November. They brought this on themselves.
12. Ole Miss – Out with the Orgeron, in with the Nutt. David Cutcliffe had 5 of 6 winning season and got canned. Orgeron, hired as an ace recruiter, was given 3 seasons and 2 recruiting campaigns to build a team. Now comes Houston Nutt, who isn’t exactly known as a great game day schemer. ESPN’s Pat Forde wrote this week that no school in the nation has more ridiculous expectations than the Rebs. I can’t disagree.

SEC Power Rankings: Week 13

We’ve got teams playing for the BCS, teams playing for bowl eligibility, teams playing for rivalry trophies, and teams playing for pride. It’s the SEC, Week Thirteen. Who would beat who on a neutral field tomorrow? You might be surprised...

1. Georgia - Who would you pick to beat the Bulldogs on a neutral field right now? LSU, and its defense that hasn’t held an SEC team under 24 points since September 22nd? Florida, and its defense, that didn’t hold a single SEC team under 20 points all year? For now, I’m taking the ‘Dawgs, who are just about toe to toe with either of those squads on offense, and have held Okie State, So. Carolina, Ole Miss, Vandy, Auburn and Kentucky to 20 points or less.

2. LSU- The Tigers are going to the national title game, in all likelihood, after this week’s win over Arkansas and a title game triumph over Tennessee. When they get there, I’m a little concerned that folks will expect last year’s Florida Gators and be down on the SEC when they don’t get it. I’m not concerned at all at the close margin of LSU’s recent losses - what alarms me is how quickly their defense seemed to go from world beater good to just plain average once the competition level stepped up.

3. Florida - Congratulations to Tim Tebow, who seems like a pretty good guy despite being a Gator, and will likely walk away with the Heisman Trophy in Manhattan two weeks from now. 20 passing TDs, 20 rushing TDs, SEC competition? That’s definitely Heisman worthy, and will give Urban Meyer’s program a nice little offseason jolt as they prepare to pound the Big Ten’s third or fourth best team in some Florida bowl.

4. Auburn - Here’s another defense that looks elite against the lowlifes but can’t stop SEC’s best teams. Auburn’s D gave up 20 points in a four game span from October 6 to November 3rd - problem is, when they played LSU and Georgia, they couldn’t get off the field. Quick shout out to the Tiger punting game, which leads the nation in net punting average on the heel of Ryan Shoemaker’s toe. The kid averages 44.19 yards a kick, best in the league, and boasts great hang time.

5. Tennessee - The road to Atlanta runs through Kentucky, and Vegas’ early line has the Vols as 2 point underdogs to the home field Wildcats. UT has won four straight and seven of eight, but the wins aren’t quite like LSU’s gutcheck specials. The Vols keep squeaking by teams, and now head on the road for the first time since October 20th when they got pounded at Alabama. Here’s my tip: create some fake news headlines that suggest Fulmer’s job is on the line. That usually makes UT play its best.

6. Kentucky - The ‘Cats couldn’t finish the first half against Georgia, and paid for it by surrendering locker room momentum to the Bulldogs. The defense isn’t raking up nearly enough TFL, ranking 11th in the league, and also hasn’t been able to keep teams out of the end zone, at 11th in the league in scoring. There could be a big difference in how this season is viewed in Wildcat Country based on Saturday’s finale vs. Tennessee.

7. Arkansas - I have to give the Hogs credit for knocking off a hungry Mississippi State squad in the “home” finale this weekend. Even more shocking was how successful Casey Dick was throwing the football. How much would you have bet that Dick would never throw 4 TD against no picks? Well, it happened. Bad news: McFadden will be the first draft pick, but isn’t even the MVP in his own conference.

8. South Carolina - The Gamecocks aren’t getting the respect of Vegas this weekend, as a 2.5 point underdog on their home field against Clemson. With two weeks to prepare on its home turf against the road-weary, hated Tigers, I’ll take the Gamecocks and the points, thank you very much. The league’s best pass D is going to thrash whatever poor squad it gets in the Nobody Cares Bowl.

9. Mississippi State - After the huge win over ‘Bama, Mississippi State couldn’t defend the pass in Little Rock and now needs an Egg Bowl win to go bowling. Jamayel Smith looked like Terrell Owens against the Hogs, and if Anthony Dixon follows suit, this should be an easy win. However, programs like MSU’s are pretty good at finding ways to lose games like this one against Ole Miss. I’m rooting for them. The SEC could use another good team.

10. Alabama - Nick Saban’s contract: $32 million. Season tickets to Crimson Tide football games: $450. Senior Day loss to UL-Monroe: Priceless.

11. Vanderbilt - Vandy!! The sad inability to finish off a potential season-making win at in-state bully Tennessee puts the Commodores in the unenviable position of needing to beat Wake Forest in the finale to get to .500. Will this be a let down game after the big fourth quarter choke? On talent alone, Vandy can and should win. Above the shoulderpads, I’m skeptical.

12. Ole Miss - Here’s your task, Rebs: ruin your rival’s season by beating them on their home turf and keeping them out of bowl consideration. No doubt the Egg Bowl is going to be close, but the Rebel defense is 12th in the league in every single major category; rush D, pass D, total D, scoring D, turnover margin. That’s a bad recipe playing against a team with a hot offense and a mission.

SEC Review: Week 12

The finish line is the next stop, but for now we’ve still got teams positioning themselves in the SEC’s year end pecking order. Here’s what went down this weekend:

Game of the Week

Tennessee 25, Vandy 24 - UT clung to its East lead by the slimmest of margins, and beat Vandy by 1 in a game the Commodores have made a career out of losing. After three quarters, Vandy led 24-9, but the Vols got off the mat with a 7 yard TD toss from Erik Ainge to Josh Briscoe. A few minutes later, Austin Rogers caught a 5 yard pass from Ainge, but a failed 2-point conversion left the Vols down, 24-22. A Daniel Lincoln FG won it with 2 and a half to play. How did Vandy get so bad in the fourth quarter? In the entire fourth, the Commodores got one first down, and that came courtesy of a UT pass interference call. This one is going to sting.

Best of the Rest

Georgia 24, Kentucky 13 - The Bulldogs took another step toward the BCS with a 24-13 win over Kentucky that was never over until the 2 minute mark, when Brandon Coutu hit a 46 yard FG to seal it. Things looked really bleak, as UGA trailed 10-0 late in the first half, but the ‘Dawgs trekked 80 yards in 4 minutes, getting a Knowshon Moreno 1-yard tumble to head to the locker room within 3. Then UGA took command, coming out gangbusters in the second half, forcing two three and outs and getting two quick rushing TDs to take command, 21-10. Moreno and Brown got a perfect 22-22 carry split, while the defense held UK’s rushing game to just 29 yards on 29 carries.

Arkansas 45, Mississippi State 31 - I can’t believe I’m writing this, but Arkansas actually beat a good football team on the strength of its passing game, not the running game. Casey Dick threw 14 of 17 for 199 yards and 4 TDs. Yes, I’m serious. Darren McFadden didn’t even get to 90 yards, but everything Arkansas tried through the air worked to perfection, including a D-Mac TD pass. Jamayel Smith, where have you been all my life? The MSU junior caught 10 balls for 208 yards, doubling his output on the year.

Ho Hum

UL-Monroe 21, Alabama 14 - I just want to go on record saying that this could have happened to any coach at any school. But for some reason, it’s just funnier that it happened to Nick Saban. Thank you, seniors, for your 4 years of toil. As a parting gift - you lose to UL-Monroe, a Sun-Belt squad fighting the war against mediocrity in its own league. Nevertheless, “flat” is a kind word to describe how Alabama played Saturday, turning the ball over 4 times and allowing Monroe to grind out 121 rushing yards. The average wasn’t great, but Monroe kept pounding, and Alabama couldn’t score after the 12 minute mark of the 2nd quarter. Ouch.

LSU 41, Ole Miss 24 - The Tigers haven’t been great for awhile, but luckily the brunt of their schedule is over. LSU got outgained by 70 yards and 4 first downs, but Ole Miss gave the ball away 4 times, and LSU benefited from Matt Flynn’s efficient passing. The Rebs got to within 10 with 9 minutes to play, but LSU milked some clock and got a 2 yard Jacob Hester TD run to really put it out of reach. Ole Miss rang up 466 yards of offense, and was solid with the ball in hand all day, but LSU’s attacking defense kept them from turning yards in to points.

Boooooooring

Florida 59, FAU 20 - This game has a scoring summary about as mercurial as they come. Florida scored the first 21 in a 7-minute first quarter flurry, before FAU roared back with 3 scores in 6 minutes to bring the margin to 21-13. By half it was 35-20 Gators, but the Owls wouldn’t score again. Tebow became the first player in college history to run and pass for 20 TDs in the same year, and pretty much wrapped up the Heisman Trophy with the achievement. FAU isn’t an awful football team by any stretch, but the ease with which the Owls scored in the first half has to trouble Gator fans a bit.

SEC Power Rankings: Week 12

1. LSU – The Tigers sit back on top the national title chase, and the mantle is well deserved. Only a 3 OT loss at Kentucky stands between this team and a flawless campaign, and with the ledger of ranked teams they’ve beaten, the Tigers deserves a shot at all the marbles. Can Arkansas do damage against the suddenly mortal defense?
2. Georgia – The Bulldogs have looked amazing since the Tennessee loss, ripping off wins against Vandy, Florida, Troy and Auburn. Now they get Kentucky at home before heading to Atlanta on Thanksgiving weekend. With all the attrition among the nation’s top teams, the Bulldogs have to be looking like a BCS contender, especially in one of the southern bowl games. Still – the Wildcats will be a challenge. UGA’s 8^th ranked SEC pass D could struggle against Woodson.
3. Auburn – The Tigers finally came off their cloud between the Hedges Saturday. The loss didn’t shock me; the method did. Auburn gave up 45 points to Georgia, revealing some cracks in a D that had looked unbelievable the last few weeks. The bye week before Alabama should help Auburn get healthy – the pass rushers could use a little rest. Despite boasting the nation’s 11^th best defense, Auburn is only 94^th in sacks. Antonio Coleman needs to attack Wilson against ‘Bama.
4. Florida – Tim Tebow deserves to win the Heisman. That fact is really undeniable now, with the punishment he’s taken from the nation’s best defensive league, and the numbers he’s put up in the process. Tebow is 9^th in the SEC in rushing, 2^nd nationally in scoring, 2^nd nationally in passer rating, 7^th in total offense and has just been abused by opposing defenses. The late press rush has been gaga over Oregon’s Dennis Dixon, but Tebow deserves the trophy.
5. Tennessee – Erik Ainge owes the Vol offensive line a steak dinner. UT’s hogmollies have surrendered only 3 sacks this year, giving Ainge the time he needs to develop from a good QB to a very good one. Jerod Mayo and Rico McCoy might be the league’s best LB duo. At 8^th and 9^th in the SEC in tackles, they’re both underclassmen and back next year.
6. South Carolina – The Gamecocks have faded from a possible national title contender to an SEC East has been who could conceivably miss a bowl game altogether. They won’t, with the Spurrier factor and a fan base that will likely travel, but at 6-6 on a 5-game losing streak to end the year, SC isn’t exactly driving bowl scouts nuts right now. Beating Clemson won’t ease the pain this year.
7. Mississippi State – Thank you, Sylvester Croom, for justifying my year-long campaign to get your team more respect. This team will be bowling, and a win over Arkansas or Ole Miss will cement it. Things get really fun if the Bulldogs can pull the double. Arkansas will be a tough task on senior night in the Rock, but a win over Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl makes this 7-5 season a smashing success.
8. Alabama – Thank you, Nick Saban, for justifying my year-long campaign to convince the public that your team is mediocre. The Tide is probably on its way to a 7-5, 4-4 season after a likely loss to Auburn in the Iron Bowl. I’m not dogging Saban; the guy can coach and will have this team in the title game in a few years. But this year the hype machine has been out of control for a team that is ranked 67^th nationally in offense and 34^th in defense.
9. Kentucky – The Wildcats came back to earth after a stunning start to the year, but UGA had better not sleep on Woodson & Co. this week in Athens. The UK offense is still the best passing attack in the SEC; luckily, UGA could have similar success through the air – UK has only one d-back with more than one pick, and that’s Trevard Lindley with 2. The pass D is 8^th in the league in efficiency and should give Stafford enough time to do what he does.
10. Arkansas – Don’t get me started on Arkansas. If this team goes 6-6, and it might, with losses to Mississippi State and LSU, it truly does not deserve a bowl bid. ESPN will go nuts if Darren McFadden isn’t in the postseason, but for the one millionth time, here are the ‘Hogs wins to date: Troy, N. Texas, Chattanooga, Ole Miss, FIU and South Carolina. Four non-BCS teams, brutal Ole Miss, and South Carolina. If Arkansas gets to 7 wins, they’ll sneak in. And get beaten.
11. Vanderbilt – Vandy really could have gotten the UK win Saturday; the Commodores notched 30 first downs, 239 rushing yards and 193 passing yards against no picks. But they did what teams without a history of winning do: failed to make enough big plays down the stretch to beat a slightly better team. Can they snap off a vulnerable Wake Forest squad in the season finale, with a bowl berth on the line?
12. Ole Miss – No one’s going to be pleased with a 4 win season, but a win over Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl can change the vibe of the entire season. Anthony Dixon is mission #1 for the Ole Miss D, 104^th ranked in the nation. BenJarvus Green-Ellis is one of those SEC athletes that gets so overshadowed in this conference, and when he’s gone, people finally realize what an athlete he was.

SEC Power Rankings: Week Eleven

1. Auburn – I’m going to go out on a limb here. Yeah, yeah, Auburn lost to LSU on a last-second play on LSU’s home field two weeks ago. I know that. But these rankings represent which squad would win on a neutral field if they played now, and how can anyone argue against Auburn? The defense has been absolutely lights out, and with as weak as LSU’s D has been lately, you’d have to think they’d stand a good chance to reverse the 6 point loss on LSU’s turf.
2. LSU – The Tigers cling to BCS title game hopes, but with Arkansas and the East winner waiting in the title game, it won’t be easy. Furthermore, the defense has been very substandard the last few weeks. Get this: after giving up 32 total points in the first five weeks, LSU hasn’t held an opponent below 24 for the last four games. LSU will be a fine representative for the SEC wherever it goes, but with Ohio State, Oregon, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Boston College looking very good, I’m no longer convinced this is one of the nation’s best two teams.
3. Georgia – The Bulldogs got a bit of a scare from Troy, but no matter. The Trojans are a very capable Sun Belt squad which had a lot to play for, and Georgia survived. I think UT is going to lose again, so if UGA beats Auburn and UK, they’ll win the East. But the pass D has to be better: at 10^th in the SEC in efficiency defense, UK’s efficiency captain Andre Woodson could give them fits.
4. Florida – The Gators are still fighting, but three losses means 2007 is a letdown, and the best plan now is to continue to experiment with schemes that work offensively while taking pressure off Tim Tebow to do it all. Vanderbilt didn’t pose much of a threat, but getting 100 yards from two running backs helped Tebow survive.
5. Alabama – I guess I finally have to give the Tide credit, after a solid performance that saw them give LSU a game that should have been at least headed to overtime before a John Parker Wilson fumble in the final minutes. The future is bright with Terry Grant in the backfield; Wallace Gilberry has turned in to quite the sack machine, with seven QB sacks in his last 4 games.
6. Tennessee – The Vols are typically mercurial this year, with major disappointments against Cal, Florida and Alabama sandwiched around super-impressive wins against Georgia and South Carolina. Which Vols show up this Saturday against Arkansas? With the 74^th ranked rush defense in the nation preparing to face the law firm of McFadden & Jones, UT fans better hope Good Vols leave Bad Vols at home.
7. Arkansas – The Hogs finally got a big-time BCS win by putting up a ton of points against South Carolina and kickstarting what they hope is a late season Heisman run by Run DMC. Let’s see now how the Razorbacks perform as road warriors in Knoxville this week against the nation’s 74^th ranked rush D. Too bad the Arkansas offense lives in the pre-forward pass stone age; UT’s 84^th ranked pass D is pretty bad, too.
8. South Carolina – The Gamecocks’ early season flirtation with BCS glory is over, and so are their SEC title hopes. I can’t really prove causality here, but the ‘Cocks have really struggled since Spurrier showed the quick hook with freshman QB Chris Smelley. SC is now 6-4, and with Florida and Clemson up ahead, it is conceivable, don’t laugh, that the Gamecocks could miss a bowl game altogether. That would get the chicken coop crowing.
9. Mississippi State – The Bulldogs got a well-deserved week of rest after the big win at Kentucky, and now lie in wait for Alabama. The offense, especially the passing game, is still pretty bad, ranking at 113^th nationally. However, with two weeks to prepare for a ‘Bama squad coming off its biggest game of the year, MSU has a great chance to pull off a program-defining upset to get bowl eligible.
10. Kentucky – All of Lexington feels like a church on Monday now, just three weeks removed from being the talk of college football after the LSU game, the ‘Cats have a losing SEC record and it’s officially basketball season. Still, with three winnable games on the schedule (Vandy, UGA and Tennessee), and an underrated pass D (20^th nationally), Kentucky still could sneak their way to New Year’s Day with a 9-3 record and a hungry fan base.
11. Vanderbilt – The Commodores had hopes of catching UF napping Saturday, but those dreams went bye-bye pretty quickly, and Vandy got routed by 27. At 5-4, the Commodores need one more win to go bowling, and if it comes in the SEC, they’re in for sure. I’m not sure how many receivers in SEC history have caught for 800 yards and 70 catches four straight years, but junior Earl Bennett is already on that pace for the third straight year.
12. Ole Miss – The Rebs take up the cellar for the umpteenth week in a row, and the offense, which had been a bright spot for awhile, has only scored 11 total points in its last 2 SEC games. Greg Hardy has 10 sacks in 10 games. Well done, sir.

SEC Review: Week Ten

Game of the Week:

LSU 41, Alabama 34 – The Tigers are an instant classic every time they step on the field, and the only ones disappointed Saturday were ‘Bama fans, as the Bayou Bengals kept their national title hopes alive and well by scoring the last 14 points to beat Alabama. Things looked bleak when Javier Arenas returned a punt for 61 yards and a TD to give Bama the lead with 7 and a half to play. But LSU came back as usual, getting a 32-yard TD pass from Matt Flynn to Early Doucet on fourth down to tie it. Then Christmas came early in Baton Rouge, as John Parker Wilson coughed up the ball inside his own 10 with two minutes left, leading to Jacob Hester’s winning 1-yard plunge. Really, LSU should have won by a lot more; they outgained the Tide by 220 yards, but Flynn’s 3 picks and some special teams breakdowns were costly.

Best of the Rest:

Arkansas 48, South Carolina 38 – Darren McFadden finally got uncorked, and just in time for the big stage, going off for an SEC record 323 yards. McFadden threw for a TD, too, and we’ll see if the horse has left the barn on his Heisman candidacy. If the enormous outing gets some run in the national media, he’s got a great chance to be in New York. SC’s offense had no problem, but the Gamecock defense was chicken feed against the Hog rushing game, surrendering 650 total yards, 541 of which came on the ground. This game should serve as some measure of proof that time of possession is the dumbest stat around: Arkansas had the ball just 22 minutes, but they were scoring so quickly, they didn’t have the pig that often.

Georgia 44, Troy 34 – This one got a little dicey for the ‘Dawgs, but in hindsight, Georgia fans should look at this one as a slightly off day against a very sound, talented, motivated opponent. If I had a vote (and I don’t, damn the AP), Knowshon Moreno would be easily a top-three choice for national Freshman of the Year, and a lock for the freshman All-America team. The kid cemented his candidacy with a 26 carry, 196 yard, 3 TD performance that included the put-away score late in the fourth. Omar Haugabook lit up the Bulldog D with 310 passing yards, a figure that has to alarm the Georgia secondary just a little. The only place more exciting to watch this than Stanford was Las Vegas: Troy scored with 5 seconds left to cover the game’s 16 point spread.

Ho Hum:

Florida 49, Vandy 22 – The Gators did what they needed to do, beating up on a less-skilled opponent to the tune of a 2-1 yardage ratio and a 27 point win. Vandy’s defense had been solid to date, but was absolutely no match for a motivated Florida squad. Gator offense got a lift from Percy Harvin and Kestahn Moore, who both rushed for their highest totals since September, as Florida continues to search for ways to leave Tim Tebow with fewer Sunday bruises. Vandy’s offense went pretty much nowhere, but Jeff Jennings looked solid in limited duty, getting 37 yards on 6 tries.

Ole Miss 38, Northwestern State 31 – The Rebs will take whatever they can get right now, and good thing too: this was an ugly old win over a bad, bad opponent at Vaugh-Hemingway. The Rebels led by 17 twice, but couldn’t exorcise the Demons, letting NW State back to within a touchdown on each occasion. Oh, and they were outgained by 112 yards and 9 first downs. The best thing Ole Miss can do for their future right now is to start doing whatever they can to prepare for Mississippi State and the Egg Bowl. Ruining their rival’s season is their best get some attention and public respect this year.

Booooooooooooring:

Tennessee 59, UL-Lafayette 7 – The Vols got a perfectly useless win headed in to next week’s showdown with Arkansas. Tennessee only needed 460 total yards to crush the Ragin’ Cajuns, getting two non-offensive TDs and 100 rushing yards from both Lennon Creer and Adrian Foster to win easily. On the other hand, UT surrendered 234 rushing yards to the Cajuns, a number that doesn’t bode well with Arkansas coming to town next week.

Auburn 35, Tennessee Tech 3 – The Tiger defense is playing absolutely amazingly right now, and even though the opponent wasn’t high quality, it’s still so impressive how the Auburn D seems to bring it week after week. With the exception of the LSU, Auburn hasn’t surrendered more than 7 points since September, and their across the board excellence (3^rd SEC in rush D, 3^rd SEC in pass D, 1^st in scoring D) will present Knowshon Moreno, Matt Stafford and the Georgia offense their stiffest test.

SEC Power Rankings: Week Ten

In the West, LSU can effectively wrap it up with a win at ‘Bama this week. On the east side, Tennessee and Georgia are neck and neck with the Vols holding the tiebreaking head-to-head win. How do they all stack up on a neutral field? Let’s check it out.

1. LSU – The Tigers coast in to T-Town this Saturday, and hopefully their pulses have slowed after three consecutive down to the wire battles. LSU is an 8-point favorite at ‘Bama, and the defense has a lot at stake, after getting violated in three straight outings. They’ve lost their #1 spot in the nation’s rankings; don’t expect them to lose their top spot in the SEC East.
2. Auburn – This Tiger D is easily a top-5 unit right now; after a slow start, Auburn’s stoppers are 8^th nationally in yards and 9^th in scoring. Watching them feast on Ole Miss this Saturday was like…well…watching a Tiger feast on an old rebel with a huge moustache. Raise your hand if you can’t wait for Auburn to visit Sanford.
3. Georgia – The Bulldogs got a season-turning win over Florida Saturday in the Cocktail Party, and now it’s home for at three-game Sanford Stand before the season ender in Atlanta. Knowshon Moreno might finally get the national press he deserves after the huge outing vs. the Gators, and let’s hope he stays healthy. The depth chart looks bleak below the freshman sensation.
4. Florida – Despite all the talent, what’s obvious now is that Florida has some big holes on defense and lacks the overall talent to fend off teams that are lying in wait. November 10^th’s Spurrier Bowl is an elimination game in the East; do the Gators have the horses to handle the Gamecocks? Taking the nation’s 87^th best pass defense in to Columbia is a big no-no.
5. Alabama – Nick Saban: time to earn your keep. This weekend’s clash against LSU is the kind of game that ‘Bama fans are paying their multi-gazillion dollar coach to win. The Tide will need a very special effort to move the ball against a rested and hungry LSU defense. LSU’s weakness is their poor protection of Matt Flynn. At just 10^th in the SEC in sacks, ‘Bama may not be able to capitalize.
6. Tennessee – The Vols crack me up. Tennessee’s squeaker win over South Carolina was a classic example of why some folks in college football are absolutely insane. After UT got two chances on a last-minute field goal, and then SC’s Ryan Succop missed his try at glory, Philip Fulmer pounded his chest in a post game presser, saying: “Everybody who thought our season was over just doesn’t know what Tennessee football is all about.” If either of those two unlikely events don’t happen in the final seconds, both of which were totally out of his control, Fulmer might be getting a pink slip.
7. South Carolina – The shine is off the Gamecocks a little bit, now that the Kentucky win doesn’t look so great and the offensive struggles at LSU look even worse. Seems like Blake Mitchell is back at QB…for now. Mitchell tossed for 290 at Knoxville, but this is Steve Spurrier and his gnat-like attention span we’re talking about. Chris Smelley better keep the helmet on. After the 14-catch, 151-yard game at UT, maybe Kenny McKinley will get some of the great press he deserves.
8. Mississippi State – MSU got a landmark win over Kentucky Saturday, and now the Bulldogs are a win away from going bowling. I’ve beat the Sylvester Croom drum all year long, and the Bulldogs finally put it all together at Commonwealth Stadium, soundly beating a UK team that beat LSU just two weeks ago. Could this team go 8-4? Probably not, but with two weeks to prepare for Alabama, and then Arkansas and Ole Miss, the bar should definitely be set at 7-5.
9. Kentucky – The ‘Cats have fallen hard and fast after beating LSU just two weeks ago. Andre Woodson won’t be going to New York, and the rush D is still getting handled, giving up 190+ rush yards a game (11^th in SEC). Sometimes you don’t realize until a team loses a guy just how valuable he was. Woodson has gotten all the hype, but UK’s offense struggled with Rafael Little. The defense is now 11^th in the conference in scoring, and 5^th in the East is looking very likely.
10. Arkansas – I’m sorry, but I’m singing the same tune with the Hawgs week after week. When will they beat a BCS team? Here are the five wins so far: Troy, N. Texas, Chattanooga, FIU and Ole Miss. This late in the year, when so many other teams have played the teeth of their schedules, this disparity renders Arkansas’ stats almost meaningless. All we have to go on is DMac’s highlight reel and the hope that maybe, just maybe, the weak schedule has Arkansas more rested than its upcoming opponents, South Carolina and Tennessee.
11. Vanderbilt – The Vandy D is an unheralded unit, led by senior LBs Jonathan Goff and Marcus Buggs. The unit is 14^th nationally in yards allowed, and continues to pick up an offense that has been plum awful at 105^th nationally in yards and 111^th in passing yards. Despite the big win over SC two weeks ago, the ‘Dores lineup with Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee the next three weeks, before getting Wake Forest at, in all likelihood, 5-6. The nation will be sick of the SEC, but if Vandy gets one more conference win and then plays Wake tough, they’ll deserve a bowl bid.
12. Ole Miss – And, trailing the pack by 25 lengths: the Rebs. At 12^th in the SEC in the following categories: rush O, scoring O, rush D, total D, punting, punt returns and turnover margin, and without even the future to look forward to (Ben Jarvus Green Ellis and Seth Green are both seniors), Kinko’s may be expecting a work order for resume printing from head coach Ed Orgeron and his staff very soon.

SEC Review: Week Nine

Georgia stole the spotlight from Mississippi State and Tennessee with a big ole’ win in the Cocktail Party to deal Florida its third SEC loss. The eight point dogs got a twelve point win for their third win over the Gators in eighteen tries. What happened around the rest of the league? Check it:

Game of the Week

Georgia 42, Florida 30 – The ‘Dawgs opened a can on Florida with great execution and passion, using a bye week’s fresh legs to outlast the Gators late in the game, outscoring UF in the second half 21-13. Knowshon Moreno was enormous, earning 188 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries and bursting full-force on to the national stage. The Bulldogs looked pretty sharp in all facets, and pounding Tebow to the tune of negative 15 yards rushing. Percy Harvin got free out of the Florida backfield for some nice gains, but Tebow is the key, and Tebow didn’t beat UGA. Huge gameballs to Mark Richt and the entire Georgia team for yet another major league win away from Sanford.

Best of the Rest

Tennessee 27, South Carolina 24 – If this weren’t the UGASports website, this one could easily be game of the week. The Vols surrendered a 21-point halftime lead and got outgained by nearly 200 yards on its home turf, but somehow squeaked out an OT win when kicker Daniel Lincoln outdueled SC booter Ryan Succop in OT. Succop thought he had it won with a FG under 90 seconds to play, but Lincoln answered with just five minutes to go to send it to OT.

Ho Hum

Mississippi State 31, Kentucky 14 – It was a great day for SEC Bulldogs, with Mississippi State getting a landmark road win at Commonwealth and, probably, knocking Andre Woodson out of any Heisman consideration. This is MSU’s third road win of the year, and they got it by forcing 6 UK turnovers, including three Woodson INTs and three Wildcat fumbles. Sophomore Christian Ducre cut loose for 119 rushing yards and freshman Wesley Carroll played very well, with 158 passing yards and two scores against no picks. If MSU goes bowling, and they’re one game away from doing so, this will be the landmark win of the Sylvester Croom era to date.

Vanderbilt 24, Miami 13 – If you want to hold a beauty pageant, ask the Vandy student body, not the football team. It wasn’t glamorous, as the Commodores trailed Miami with five minutes left in the third when Chris Nickson got in from two yards out to give Vandy a four point lead. It wasn’t really over, though, until Jackson-Garrison scored from 15 to give Vanderbilt an 11 point edge with 6 minutes to go. To Vandy’s credit, the front line was dominant, outrushing the Commodores 290-26, but the back end gave up 212 passing yards and got no picks from a struggling Daniel Raudabaugh and the Redhawk passing game. Still, this is Vandy, and a win’s a win; one more, and they’re bowl eligible.

Auburn 17, Ole Miss 3 – This wasn’t quite as close as the score made it look, with Auburn winning the yardage battle by almost 250 yards, and surrendering only a 51-yard field goal at the first half gun to prevent the shut out. The Auburn defense is just so good – 123 passing yards on 28 attempts, 70 yards on 29 carries. Dominant. Auburn was great on third down, perfect on fourth down, and only committed one turnover. Despite the losses, this team is playing like a top 10 squad right now.

Boooooring

Arkansas 58, Florida International 10 – Big deal. Big freaking deal. You’re the SEC West champs, you have two of the best five running backs in the country, you’re an SEC team, BEAT A REAL TEAM. Arkansas beat FIU by 48. Darren McFadden looked fairly average yet again, and even Felix Jones struggled to go in to liftoff, but the Hogs spread it around to several backs and actually got competent passing from Springdale product Nathan Emert. It’s Halloween, and the defending West champs have beaten one BCS football team.

SEC Power Rankings: Week Nine

The plot thickened like molasses this weekend with LSU and Florida reasserting themselves at the top while South Carolina and Tennessee positioned themselves for a nose dive. You know the drill: neutral field, tomorrow, who would win? Let’s give it a shot:

1. LSU – The Tigers are looking at having a great shot still, or at least as good as anyone, to crack the national championship game. Even though Alabama and Arkansas are good SEC squads, the toughest part of the schedule is now over, and the Tigers *should* be able to make it to the title game unscathed. Still, the defense is really showing weaknesses and Les Miles’ big “gutsy” play call late again Auburn: not gutsy, just reckless.
2. Auburn – Auburn. Beats Florida on the road. Beats Arkansas on the road. Within a hair of beating the nation’s most talented team on their home turf. And still – not even the best Tigers in their own division. Auburn is easily the best three loss team in the country right now, and would have had to be the SEC favorite with a win at LSU. If one Auburn DB moves his arm just a hair, batting the ball in the air, or wasting another second somehow, the Tigers get it. As is, the only big challenge on the rest of the ledger should be Georgia at Sanford. If the Tigers win out and get help, they could still grab the West.
3. Florida – With two weeks to prepare, the Gators rolled out a great game plan at Kentucky Saturday, ending the ‘Cats national title hopes and officially rendering the East FUBAR. Everybody’s got two losses now, but the Gators are still the team to beat; the offensive line isn’t getting enough credit for only allowing it’s sophomore QB to be sacked 5 times in 7 games against some scary D-lines, and Tebow is probably the man to beat for the Heisman right now. I still think to really be a top-5 team nationally, the offensive game plan has to start including more options other than just the star signal caller.
4. Kentucky – The Wildcats never gave up and got a great performance from Andre Woodson, but didn’t have quite the manpower to man up to the Gators. Both Dicky Lyons and Steve Johnson had great games catching the ball, but the pass defense was a big let down, letting Tebow complete 18 of 26 passes and convert 7 of 11 third downs. When you’re already trotting out the league’s 11^th best run D, the pass prevent has to do better.
5. South Carolina – Spurrier 1 million, Vandy 1. For the first time ever, a Commodore squad got the best of Steve Spurrier in an inexplicable 17-6 beat down in Columbia. How did this happen? Both quarterbacks stunk up the joint, so who knows what guy starts and how soon he gets benched in Knoxville this coming Saturday. SC was remarkably awful on third down, getting just 1 of 12. Would it surprise you at all if this team finished anywhere between 6 and 10 wins?
6. Georgia – It’s go time for Mark Richt’s Bulldogs, heading to the Cocktail Party with two weeks prep time and the SEC East lead in the balance. If Georgia wins, there’ll be three teams, max, with only two losses, and there are only two more SEC games, both at home. What’s stopping the ‘Dawgs from grabbing the crown? Georgia has to get pressure on Tebow Saturday. It’ll be tough with the nation’s 82^nd ranked pass rush against the Gators’ 2^nd ranked pass protection. 2 or less sacks: Florida wins. 3 or more – I like the ‘Dawgs’ chances.
7. Alabama – The Tide kept movin’, movin’, movin’ the ball against Tennessee, and then they moved it some more. 27 first downs, 363 passing yards, double digit points in 3 of 4 quarters – Crimson fans got the first real glimpse of what they’re paying Nick Saban a billion dollars to do. One interesting stat: of Alabama’s 62 tackles, 30 (48%) were assisted. Of Tennessee’s 80, only 26 (32%) were assisted. That means the Tide D swarmed to the ball far better than their counterparts. With two weeks prep, can they outswarm LSU as well?
8. Tennessee – Welcome back to the hot seat, Phil, we kept it warm for ya. Did we see it coming? Just two weeks after what was painted some kind of ‘watershed’ victory over Georgia, the Vols got clobbered, no, obliterated by an Alabama team that, to date, really had been just OK. UT is just 1-3 on the road this year; luckily, they don’t leave Knoxville again until November 24^th. Until then, would anyone do me the favor of getting in to an opponent’s backfield? 117^th in the nation in TFL: Wow.
9. Arkansas – Show me all the Darren McFadden highlights you want, but no matter what happens this weekend against Florida International, when November comes, Ole Miss will be the only BCS squad the Hogs have beaten. The four wins to date have come against Troy, North Texas, Chattanooga and the Rebels. With a victory over FIU this Saturday, Arkansas should wrap up its spot in the Sun Belt Championship Game.
10. Vanderbilt – Congratulations to the Commodores, who got the Ol’ Ball Monkey off their back Saturday in a big way, trouncing South Carolina in their place, 17-6. With a win over Miami (Ohio) this weekend, Vandy will be just one victory short of bowl eligibility. The stretch run is killer, with games at Florida and Tennessee mixed with home dates against Kentucky and Wake Forest. The offense really stinks, but the D has shown flashes of brilliance, holding SC to just 6 points and frustrating Georgia.
11. Mississippi State – Hope you’re geared up for the Egg Bowl, where the Bulldogs will be about 7 point favorites to beat Ole Miss in the “battle” for SEC worst. Everyone who has ever been an MSU football fan better circle November 10^th on your calendar: sandwiched in between automatic losses against Kentucky and Arkansas is a home date with Alabama. If the Bulldogs win, and they can, if Anthony Dixon gets blocking, MSU will likely be bowl eligible at season’s end.
12. Ole Miss – Think the Rebs stink? Get a load of this: Ole Miss beat Memphis, who beat Rice, who beat Southern Miss, who beat East Carolina, who beat North Carolina, who beat Miami, who beat Florida State, who beat Alabama, who beat Tennessee, who beat Mississippi State, who beat Auburn, who beat Florida, who beat Kentucky, who beat LSU. Ole Miss: your 2007 SEC champs!!

SEC Review: Week 8

This is SEC football, people. No description necessary.

Game of the Week:

LSU 30, Auburn 24 – It probably wouldn’t be a huge stretch to say Auburn has played as well as anyone in the country over the five weeks since it lost to Mississippi State, but LSU won the battle of the Tigers with a huge (no, HUGE) 22 yard touchdown pass from Matt Flynn to Demetrius Byrd with just 1 tick left on the clock Saturday night in the Bayou. Down by 1 at the Auburn 22, Les Miles rolled the dice like he’s done so many times this year already, opting to run another time-consuming play instead of center the ball and set up a field goal. The move paid off as Byrd snuck by the Auburn defender and grabbing the ball tight for an LSU touchdown. This was SEC football at it’s finest. LSU can still win the national title, and the schedule is a lot easier from here on out, with 14 days to prepare for Alabama on October 3^rd.

Best of the Rest:

Florida 45, Kentucky 37 – Everybody in the East now has two losses after just five games, and Florida is probably now the team to beat after winning at Kentucky in a wild game. Tim Tebow had one of his best passing outings yet, throwing for four scores and running for another to lead the Gators to a clutch victory in the newest hostile environment in the league. Andre Woodson was magnificent, tossing 35 of 50 for 415 yards, and if this loss costs him a chance to represent the conference at the Heisman ceremony, it’ll be a crime. Now it’s the Cocktail Party and a well-rested Bulldog squad for Urban Meyer’s Gators. Are they fully Back to Good, or was this an aberration at the Commonwealth?

Vanderbilt 17, South Carolina 6 – I don’t think anybody really objects to seeing Steve Spurrier get a kick in the jaw, and that’s just what the Ol’ Ball Coach got Saturday as he watched his top-ten Gamecocks get smothered by a fast-started Vanderbilt squad and never fully recover. The Commodores poured on 17 points in a crazy first quarter, and somehow kept SC out of the end zone all day; Carolina got just two Ryan Succop field goals. Chris Smelley was pulled for Blake Mitchell after Smelley threw two stinkers for interceptions, but Mitchell wasn’t great either. SC was 1 of 12 on third downs, giving it no chance against a Vandy defense that came strapped in and ready to rumble.

Ho Hum:

Alabama 41, Tennessee 17 – Did we see it coming? Two weeks after Philip Fulmer sprung one on the ‘Dawgs and stayed ahead of the posse for awhile longer, his Vols laid a major league egg against an Alabama squad that is, I promise, not that good. Don’t get me wrong, the Tide are a quality SEC bunch that would be competing for a title in any other conference; but they’ve got at least two more losses on the schedule in LSU and Alabama, and I’m not sure Mississippi State can’t give them a run in Starkville on November 10^th. John Parker Wilson lit up an awful Tennessee secondary for 363 yards and ‘Bama’s best player, DJ Hall, caught 13 balls for 185 yards and two scores. No one from Tennessee deserves to be mentioned by name after this kind of outing.

West Virginia 38, Mississippi State 13 – You can’t find a game in the nation that went more precisely according to plan than this one. West Virginia, a 25-point favorite coming in, won by 25 points by doing what they do best: spreading you out and running you down. Pat White only threw 12 passes for 61 yards, but tossed 2 TDs and ran for a 64 yard TD as well. Steve Slaton galloped 23 times for 127 yards and a score. These two have fallen off the Heisman radar since the USF loss, but they’re still the most fun duo to watch in college football.

Boooooooooooooooooooring:

Arkansas 44, Ole Miss 8 – Here’s the Arkansas you know and love: beating up on ordinary teams, but unable to throw the ball and beat the better ones. Felix Jones outperformed Darren McFadden for the third straight week, and the duo combined for over 200 yards on 37 carries as Ole Miss had basically no chance from the opening gun. The Hogs led 37-nil before the Rebs notched a 37-yard pass from Brent Schaeffer to Mike Wallace late. Frame those three touchdown passes, Casey Dick. Memories are a beautiful thing.

SEC Power Rankings: Week 8

As the year progresses, this task gets harder and harder, and this week is no peach. Every SEC team has a conference loss, and it’s only October 15^th. 6 teams with exactly one loss? This is going to be ugly….

Remember, this reflects how I think the teams would fare tomorrow on a neutral field.

1. LSU – How’s this for a twister? LSU bets South Carolina. South Carolina beats Kentucky. Kentucky beats LSU. Any of these three teams could make an argument for being tops, but I’ve got to stick with the Bayou Bengals, who boast two wins (VA Tech, Florida) bigger than any of SC’s or Kentucky’s. I thought last week that the running game would be enough to carry the Tigers; that didn’t turn out so well in Lexington, where 250+ rushing yards and 5.1 yards per carry didn’t get the job done. The defense was cut up by Andre Woodson and the Kentucky passing game, and they’ll have to get a bit better against the pass to make it through the SEC jaunt unbeaten the rest of the way. If they do, with dates against Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas, followed my an SEC title game tilt with any one from the East, they can make a compelling argument that they still belong in the title game.
2. South Carolina – The Gamecocks are thriving on defense, and luckily Chris Smelley has been good enough to keep the USC offense humming. Can Carolina keep getting turnovers at crucial times? As great as the secondary has been (3^rd nationally, 149 yards a game), the rush D has been rough. At 90^th nationally, how will this team stack up with the conference’s rush heavy squads at Florida and Arkansas? If USC survives the Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida, Clemson, SEC Title game finish, they’d better get strong, strong title game consideration.
3. Kentucky – Bravo to the Wildcats, who won a great college football game, and bravo to their quarterback Andre Woodson, who might still be in the hunt for a trip to New York as a Heisman finalist. Even in losses, the offense has scored enough points to win, but the rush D is even worse than South Carolina’s (99^th nationally, 194 ypg) and the pass defense isn’t nearly as good (27^th, 186 ypg). Rafael Little could hold the key to Kentucky’s long term chances; somehow, UK beat LSU without the senior tailback. It’ll be hard to go the rest of the way without his contributions.
4. Auburn – The Tigers could make the argument they’re playing as well as anyone in the league, with two wins in three weeks against Florida and Arkansas. Auburn’s early season loss to South Florida is looking more and more understandable, so it’s really only Mississippi State loss that looks like a blemish. The RB tandem of Tate and Lester were solidly capable at Arkansas. This team will ride or die with the rush D, which is now in the top ten nationally after a truly Herculean outing against the Hogs. The Tigers are going to be a scary foe the rest of the way. It’s almost a good thing they lost to the Bulldogs in September; four SEC one-loss teams in the national title picture would make my head spin.
5. Florida – And now we have the Gators, on a two-game losing streak, coming off a bye week, heading to Kentucky, trying to do even more damage to the jumbled standings. If the Gators win in Lexington, they still have a shot to reach the title game and a BCS game. To get there, they’ve got to defend the pass better and get more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. This hasn’t looked like a fearsome Gator front; 71^st in the nation in sacks, 64^th in TFL and 66^th against the pass are brutal numbers for a team that is coming off a BCS title, and somehow, that has to change.
6. Tennessee – The Vols followed up the Georgia win with a solid win over dangerous Mississippi State, and now its Alabama and South Carolina. The Gamecocks visit will kick off an absurd 4-straight home games in October and November (that’s really, really just not fair). If the offensive line continues to protect Erik Ainge this well, the Vols will be in every game they play; the line is currently first in the nation with just 2 sacks allowed in 6 games. But the defensive line has been alternatively bad and worse, coming in at 96^th in sacks and 116^th in TFL. Junior Robert Ayers has gotten to a few QBs, but not enough to alter opposing game plans; that’ll be the test for whether the Vol front four is back.
7. Georgia – The Bulldogs aren’t out of the title game chase, but Kentucky’s win over LSU didn’t help matters. It’s now going to take a lot of dominoes to fall in place for 2-loss Georgia to get there, with 1-loss Tennessee and South Carolina both owning tiebreak advantages. UGA got a huge, huge performance from freshman Knowshon Moreno, whose 157 yards on 28 carries should affect the way Florida prepares for the ‘Dawgs, even if the numbers can’t be repeated. It may sound like kind of a fluky stat, but UGA had one pass longer than 25 yards against Vandy. If that total doesn’t rise, Georgia won’t win the cocktail party.
8. Alabama – The Tide isn’t playing well at all, considering the talent and expectations in T-Town, with three wins against quality opponents coming by 12 combined points. Things get a lot tougher with Tennessee coming to town, and then two weeks to prep for LSU. The Tide has been in down-to-the-wire games every single week, and having to play the full 60 minutes week in, week out has to catch up with them eventually.
9. Mississippi State – The Bulldogs are up against it trying to rebuild in the SEC West, where LSU, Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas have the money and facilities to mash every single year. I like the job Sylvester Croom has done, and a bowl game is still within range this season. If MSU can knock off Arkansas and Ole Miss their last two games, they still need one win in the next three against West Virginia, Kentucky and Alabama. What in God’s name is a school in MSU’s situation doing scheduling West Virginia for a date in October? The brutal SEC ledger wasn’t enough?
10. Arkansas – We’re past the halfway point of October, and the Hogs still haven’t beaten a BCS opponent this year. The three wins are against Sun Belt’s Troy and North Texas, along with FCS Chattanooga. We all know Darren McFadden is a big time back, maybe the nation’s best. But has there ever been a player as good as Felix Jones that wasn’t even the best player on his team at his position? I’m sure there has been somewhere…still trying to think of one…if McFadden bolts for the NFL, and why wouldn’t he, Jones will be a top-flight Heisman candidate next fall.
11. Ole Miss – So close! The Rebs got really, really close to beating Alabama and getting a major win for the program, but a controversial call, special teams breakdowns and a costly turnover kept Ole Miss out of the win column. Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis and the offense are doing some nice things, but the pieces just haven’t come together for a conference win yet. Unfortunately, Green-Ellis and QB Seth Adams are both seniors. When’s the future coming?
12. Vanderbilt – Like Ole Miss, Vandy was so, so close to beating Georgia, but was done in by an ability to get the big stop late or move the chains when necessary. The Vandy D is capable of big performances, but the offense just stinks; they’re a turnover machine, and the quarterback situation is dire, with neither Mackenzi Adams or Chris Nickson looking like an SEC talent.

SEC Review: Week 7

Week 7 was a classic SEC week; 5 conference games, only one decided by more 6 points. Throw in South Carolina’s 6 point border war win over North Carolina, and this was easily the best played week of the year in conference action. Let’s take a look around the conference:

Game of the Week

Kentucky 43, LSU 37 – Week? Try Year. The LSU-UK throwdown in Lexington represented this college football season in a nutshell. Vintage college power hits the road to take on resurgent upstart; 60 minutes and three overtimes later, upstart emerges victorious. The Wildcats put themselves right back in the SEC title and, frankly national title picture with a major league gut-check win on the backs of Andre Woodson’s 250 yard, 21 of 38 passing performance. Woodson threw a couple picks, but the defense was as good as one could hope, limiting the passing game to 130 yards, and stuffing Jacob Hester to just 61 yards on 18 carries. Wildcat kicker Lonas Seiber definitely gets a game ball for making all seven kicks, including three field goals in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Best of the Rest

Auburn 9, Arkansas 7 – As good as Kentucky/LSU was, this was the quintessential SEC battle of the week. The Tigers got a big time road win in the ‘Ville and kept the Hogs on the conference schneid with a major league defensive effort against Arkansas’ future top-pick tandem, Felix Jones and Darren McFadden. McFadden ran for just 42 yards on 17 carries, and Jones’ 42 yards on 6 carries weren’t enough to keep the chains moving. This is a really, really good Auburn defense, sure, but Arkansas logged just 193 yards and 11 first downs on their home turf. Once again, The Hogs couldn’t throw downfield at all, averaging just 4.4 yards per pass. Freshman Wes Byrum missed two kicks, but nailed his second game winner in three weeks, a 20-yarder with 21 seconds to play. Arkansas is really up against it now, getting all the bad breaks where they got the good ones last year, and sitting at 0-3 in the SEC with dates against South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU yet to come. The Hogs are looking at 6-loss season now, which would likely be the death knell for Houston Nutt.

Alabama 27, Ole Miss 24 – The Rebels outgained Alabama, and had the Tide right where they wanted with ten minutes left, but couldn’t finish, as a big Ole Miss pass play was overturned on replay in the final minute. Underwhelming would be a nice way to describe Alabama’s play in Nick Saban’s first year, but the Tide was able to capitalize on great field position, as their two fourth-quarter scoring drives 21 and negative 4 yards, respectively. Senior D.J. Hall really rose to the occasion, with 11 catches for 140 yards, but the Tide defense had no answer for Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis and the Ole Miss running game. Any conference road game is tough, but right now Alabama is .500 squad masquerading as a national power.

Georgia 20, Vanderbilt 17 – The Commodores almost got Georgia two years straight, but the Bulldogs got out of Nashville with a 20-17, come from behind win. It wasn’t pretty at all, but Georgia did what great programs do; eeked out a clutch victory they really needed. Down 17-7 at half, Mark Richt and the staff made the necessary adjustments, and Brandon Coutu knocked home a 37-yard boot as time expired to get the win. The passing game didn’t work too well, but Knowshon Moreno was a rock of ages in the run game, getting 28 carries for 157 yards.

Ho Hum:

South Carolina 21, North Carolina 15 – The Gamecocks are one of a dozen or more teams in the national title mix after all the attrition among top ranked squads. This was a nice, if not glamorous win over a UNC squad that has come to life in the last two weeks. Freshman Chris Smelley was once again pretty efficient, tossing 17 of 26 for 172 yards, 3 scores and a pick, but the USC running game never really got on track like it should have, and the ‘Cocks were outgained by 100 yards on the day. Once again, the star of the show was the SC defense, which got three big interceptions off hot hand T.J. Yates.

Tennessee 33, Mississippi State 21 – The Vols kept the ball rolling after last week’s bounce back win over Georgia with a going-away W over Mississippi State. Last week, the Bulldogs blew up a close game with UAB in the fourth quarter; this week, the shoe was on the other foot as the Vols turned a 24-21 lead in to a 33-21 win with a dominating fourth quarter performance and three field goals from Daniel Lincoln. This game really summed up the difficulties Sylvester Croom faces in Starkville. MSU played a good game; they ran well, they passed, they played decent defense. And they got beat by a team with better facilities, recruits, fan support that is underachieving this year.

Boooooring:

Not this week, haven’t you been paying attention?

SEC Power Rankings: Week Seven

Most of the SEC teams held serve this week, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be a little shuffling in our power rankings. Remember, these represent how I think the teams would fare on a neutral field if they played tomorrow, not how good they’ll be a season’s end.

1. LSU – The Tigers gave a national championship worthy performance against the Gators, gutting out a win with a power running game. The defense took a little while to come to life, but when they did, they saved LSU’s season, allowing Florida just 74 yards on 18 plays after the Gators took a 24-14 lead. As long as Matt Flynn continues to be competent, its all about Jacob Hester and the smash mouth running game. The defense got passed by Ohio State this week for fewest points allowed. Wonder if that’ll circulate around the Baton Rouge locker room.
2. South Carolina – The Gamecocks got a big effort on defense, of all places, to beat Kentucky handily and establish themselves as the halfway leader in the East. By no means is this team head and shoulder above Florida, but until they stop playing great, I can’t move them. The pass defense is absolutely outstanding right now, at 1^st nationally in yards surrendered and 2^nd in defensive efficiency. However, the defense has given up 715 rushing yards against 4 SEC opponents, and even though 290 of those yards were to LSU, it would be nice if they clamp down on the ground game just a bit more. If they do, they can and will win the East.
3. Florida – The Gators have a two-game losing streak now for the first time in a long, long time, and despite a great effort in the Bayou, Florida now sits in a four-way tie in the SEC East at 2-2 along with Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee. Does the schedule let up? Nah, not really, but a bye week should help the Gators scheme for road trips to Kentucky and Sanford Stadium. Junior DL Derrick Harvey has been a one-man drive wrecking machine, with 5 solo sacks and 9 solo TFL in 6 games, but the front four on the whole isn’t putting up the numbers its used to posting. The Gators are 62^nd nationally in sacks and 64^th in TFL, to go with a 56^th place rank in pass efficiency D. These guys can hit hard and stop the run; taking some passes out of the air wouldn’t hurt.
4. Auburn – I was told last week, “a trained monkey could move teams up or down depending on how they did the week before.” Touche, but there’s no doubting this is a dangerous Auburn squad that showed absolutely no signs of a post-Florida letdown in smoking Vandy this weekend. Brandon Cox looks rejuvenated, and there are 3 backs in the Tiger stable that can carry the load deep in to the fourth quarter. The line play on both ends could be better, as Auburn sits now at 85^th in the NCAA in both sacks and sacks allowed. Keeping Cox off his back is the best way to keep this offense effective, and we all know the defense (17 points a game allowed, 17^th nationally) can do its share.
5. Kentucky – In the words of British comedy troupe Monty Python, “and now for something completely different…” After waltzing past four weak squads and an overrated Arkansas crew, Kentucky got done in by turnovers against South Carolina. The Wildcats face a program turning October slate; home dates against LSU, Florida and Mississippi State await, and 2 out of 3 wins will signify that this program has truly turned the corner under Rich Brooks. I hope they’re spending the nine days rest figuring out how to stop Jacob Hester; the ‘Cats are 10^th in the league in both rush and total D, and I’m not sure they’re built to stop smash mouth between the tackles football. Sophomore DL Jeremy Jarmon deserves special mention as the SEC sack leader, with 6 in 6 games. Jarmon has one against every team but Florida Atlantic, and nabbed two against the ‘Cocks.
6. Tennessee – I don’t actually think the Vols will prove to be an upper echelon squad, but I have to give them credit, at least temporarily, for handing it to Georgia this weekend. Every part of the Tennessee machine looked great, including a run D that stuffed Georgia’s improving rush attack cold, yielding just 69 ground yards on 25 Bulldog carries. The front four has been awful by Vol standards, at 91^st nationally in sacks and, get this, 115^th nationally in TFL. How is that possible? If there’s no backfield penetration by Robert Ayers and the rest of them, this Tennessee team is going nowhere.
7. Georgia – The Bulldogs brought their D- game to Neyland Stadium, and played a team fighting for it’s coach’s life. It happens. We found out just how important Knowshon Moreno is to the team’s offense; his 30 yards on 13 carries made life tough on Matthew Stafford, and the ‘Dawgs mustered only 243 offensive yards. The SEC’s 8^th ranked passing offense would benefit from a go-to target stepping up; Georgia’s leading receiver, Sean Bailey, is averaging less than 3 catches and 50 yards a game. There’s a fine line between great distribution and no go-to guy. For my money, Georgia’s on the wrong side of it right now.
8. Arkansas – Still haven’t beaten a D-1 team, and I’m looking forward to seeing if they get it done against Auburn this week. The Tigers will be loading the box trying to stop McFadden and Jones, and it won’t totally work, but can Casey Dick beat somebody throwing? A little defensive pressure would be nice: the Hogs are 91^st nationally in sacks. Here’s one of those things you always wonder about as a fan – why isn’t Felix Jones returning punts as well as kicks? He’s extremely dangerous both as a kick returner (4^th in NCAA) and a rusher (8^th nationally). Wouldn’t you want to get him on the field as much as possible?
9. Alabama – Like a lot of mediocre squads, ‘Bama is going to be capable of hanging with anyone on any given day, but not dependable for a quality performance every week. A few days after they fell asleep at the switch against Houston and nearly peed it down their leg, I’ve got them 9^th. Sophomore Rashad Johnson has done a bit of everything in the secondary, with 3 picks, 41 tackles, 2 TFL and a forced fumble.
10. Mississippi State – The team I’ve been touting as underrated all year let me down for the second week in a row, and I’ve got to punish them for it. MSU can and should get to 7 wins, but absolutely has no chance without a down field passing game. Anthony Dixon is a very capable back, but the Bulldogs just spent three quarters being dominated by a D that gave up 700 yards to Tulsa the previous week. We’ll see who the starting QB is this week after Michael Henig completed as many passes to UAB as he did to his own (2).
11. Ole Miss – The Rebs finally pass Vandy despite their early season loss in Nashville, thanks to a solid 24-0 beat down of La-Tech. Ole Miss has that winning feeling back now after a four-game losing streak, and we’ll see if they can parlay it in to success at home the next two weeks against ‘Bama and Arkansas. Senior QB Seth Adams is doing the job under center, but if you can’t run or stop the run, the SEC will eat you alive. Ole Miss is 98^th nationally on the ground and 106^th against the run. Paging Patrick Willis!
12. Vanderbilt – The Commodores played ugly for the second straight game, but this time they lost ugly, getting only a 1 yard run from Cassen Jackson-Garrison with 5 to play to avoid a total skunking. Vandy tried three QBs Saturday, and none threw for more than 40 yards. Jackson-Garrison is a good enough back to take maybe just a little heat off Chris Nickson, or whoever ends up throwing passes, but the aerial attack has to do better than 2.8 yards per pass. They just have to.