Old School Nasty

Joe Johnson and the Floater of Death

2011-04-25T07:53:00.002-04:00

Worst Trivial Pursuit Question Ever

2010-08-14T03:28:00.003-04:00

Well, unless the movie lied, there was an Apollo 13 and it didn't make it to the moon because "landing had to be aborted after an oxygen tank ruptured, severely damaging the spacecraft's electrical system"

Bird Law in this Country...It's not Governed by Reason

2010-04-06T08:58:00.002-04:00

Charlie: All right, you're getting hung up on "can't", and I'm not saying that you can't. I'm saying that it is illegal.

Dennis: No, but it's not illegal.

Charlie: Says the guy who knows nothing about the law!

Dennis: I can absolutely keep a hummingbird as a pet, bro. It's no different than having a parrot or a parakeet. It's a bird, bro.

Charlie: You really can't, and I'm not saying I agree with it. It's just that bird law in this country—it's not governed by reason.

Dennis: There's no such thing as "bird law".

Charlie: Yes, there is.

Dennis: You know what? I'm going to get a hummingbird and I'll show you.

Charlie: Hummingbirds...hummingbirds are illegal tender!

Dennis: I'm going to get one.

Charlie: You cannot.

Dennis: To spite you, I'm going to get one.

Mac: Where are we with gulls?

Charlie: You can keep a gull as a pet, but you don't want to live with a seabird, okay, 'cause the noise level alone on those things...have you ever heard a gull up close? It's going to blast your eardrums out, dude.

You know they're legit because they have a sign

2009-08-14T10:14:00.002-04:00

Seen outside the Georgia Dome on the stretch of Northside Drive that is adopted by Mathletes.

Bunch of Jerks

2009-05-28T11:31:00.003-04:00

If people are going to steal tvs from bars couldn't they choose ones that suck? It's like they had a list of my favorite bars in that 5 mile radius.

"Atlanta police responded to a 6:18 a.m. alarm at 97 Estoria, a bar on Wylie Street in Cabbagetown, where police dispatchers reported at least one flat-screen television stolen.

Eighteen minutes later, officers were sent to the North Highland Pub on North Highland Avenue. There, suspects described as two black males wearing masks took a 42- and a 50-inch television."

apropos of nothing

2009-05-03T23:03:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the Lane Kiffin Show! Wild Boyz!

2009-04-23T18:29:00.001-04:00

So thanks to EDSBS for turning me on to the Lane Kiffin Show. Which is a 3-D animated bit of awesomeness created with Xtra Normal. It's a free site where you can pick characters and write dialogue for them. Then you click on process and out comes your animated movie. Below I've included Lane's interview with Urban Meyer. I also really enjoyed the Rodney Garner and Mark Richt interviews. I also decided to waste an hour recreating one of my favorite scenes from Pee Wee's Big Adventure. So I've included my reenactment of the "I'm a Rebel" speech and then the actual clip.

You're telling me

2009-04-21T08:32:00.007-04:00

It shone like a beacon
peaking over the ridge
a concrete palace
gracing Cheshire Bridge

Past sex shops and strip clubs
and beggars I sped
Was it just as terrific
as the dreams in my head?

Have a glorious martini
as you oogle our gin.
Try Bombay and Hendrick's
and try it again

Barrels of whiskey
and gallons of rye
tonic and vodka
rain from the sky

Glenlivet, Glenfiddich,
Johnnie so blue,
Have a bottle of Bowmore
no make that two

No need for cash discounts
because everything's free
a shot of Patron
and a Dos Equis for me

Terrific Package Store
1899 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30324
(404) 872-4294‎

Well Played Wal Mart. Well Played

2009-04-18T08:21:00.002-04:00

An entrepreneurial tip of the hat to the Wal Mart on Howell Mill. They have apparently gotten rid of the hand baskets, leaving only shopping carts if you need to buy more than you carry. Which makes it seem like you are wasting your time when you only have 4-5 products in your cart. This is the most brilliant (and annoying) move I've heard of since I found out the Books-a-Million bathroom policy. They intentionally don't have any signage in the store for the bathrooms so that you have to ask an employee where they are. They did some study and figured out that employee customer interaction of any kind lead to an increase in sales. So anyway, congrats Wal Mart on convincing me to get that 12 pack of beer so my cereal and socks wouldn't be lonely in the cart.

Have You Heard?

2008-10-12T09:06:00.002-04:00

Well done Family Guy. Well done. Also check out hulu.com for other full episodes like SNL, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and the Office.

Week 4 Picks: Ugh...

2008-09-19T11:21:00.003-04:00

I'm not explaining my picks again until I get above .500 because until then they are just guesses.

Miami -3 TEXAS A&M
Central Florida +10.5 BOSTON COLLEGE
Mississippi State +7.5 GEORGIA TECH
AUBURN/Lsu under 37.5
UNC -3 Virginia Tech

Last Week: 1-3-1
Season: 6-8-1

Week 3 Picks: You mean you're supposed to try and win money?

2008-09-12T09:18:00.005-04:00

5-5 after the first two weeks was slightly under my goal. It seems like I've had more bad luck than good so far so maybe the ball bounces my way a little. And for a change there don't appear to be any emotional picks making my list this week. We're still in the part of the season where offenses are gelling and getting a little better. In a couple of weeks the defenses will catch up and there'll also be more upsets. But for now, it's still time to roll over the cupcakes.

Utah -24 UTAH STATE

I'll hand things over to ESPN for a second:

"No. 22 Utah visits Logan on Saturday night looking for its 11th straight win over its non-conference rival.

Utah State took the first meeting between the teams in 1892, winning 12-0, but that was hardly a sign of things to come. The Utes have won more than 70 percent of their games against the Aggies, going 75-28-4 in 107 meetings."

Utah has already been tested on the road at Michigan and then kept their composure to dispatch UNLV last week. Utah State is licking their wounds after a 42 point defeat in Eugene, OR last week. I think the mighty Utes get up for this rivalry game and put a hurting on the Aggies.

Georgia -7.5 SOUTH CAROLINA

Why would I pick UGA to cover after they've let me down so many times? I'm pretty sure I've sworn to only pick the over/under in Mark Richt games before. And hell I once declared UGA covering in the 2004 edition of this game to be the lock of the century to only watch them fail to cover. Me picking UGA to cover basically reminds me of this:

But this line just seems like bullshit. South Carolina hasn't been pulling any punches the last two weeks, they look impotent offensively. I know that Spurrier seems to get his team up for big games and can at special times find a way to exploit a defense. I think the daytime kickoff for UGA helps, and I really don't expect South Carolina's defense to keep the Dawgs in check all day. UGA by at least 14.

Oregon -8 PURDUE

I seriously thought about taking the over 60.5 in this game. I know that the Ducks can put up the points, but Purdue is still untested at this point. I don't see any reason to believe that the Boilermakers are a tougher test than Washington at this point. Also, maybe it's just me but Oregon seems to fly under the radar a little bit as a top 16 program in the nation? They've been consistently good for around a decade. Off the top of my head and in no order I'd maybe list the top 16 over the last 10 years as:

Oregon, USC, Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio State, LSU, Auburn, UGA, UF, Tennessee, FSU, Virginia Tech, Miami, Wisconsin and then maybe another Big 12 team (Nebraska or Kansas State?)

MICHIGAN STATE -17 Florida Atlantic

First off, I respect The Schnellenberger. But FAU got spanked by 42 in Austin. The Spartans proved their offensive mettle by putting up 31 at Cal and then putting away E. Mich by 32 points last weekend. It's a long trip up to East Lansing and I expect it to be a longer trip back.

ILLINOIS 25.5 U. La. La.

It's always fun when the Rajun Cajuns of Oohlala come to town. The Illini appear to have a juggernaut of an offense and the Cajuns are more than willing to let that status remain true. On the other side of the ball, Illinois' defensive weaknesses should be masked slightly by Lafayette's one dimensional offense. Even the Zooker can put 8-9 men in the box. You know that Illinois is good for a minimum of 45 points so it becomes a question of how much ULALA can score. I don't think it's more than 21.

Last Week: 3-2
Season: 5-5

AUBURN VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE PREVIEW

It appears to my untrained eye that Auburn has the ability to put together everything offensively but it certainly isn't a given. Chris Todd isn't lights out with his current arm strength and Kodi has been relegated to DJ Shockley/Tebow duties as a specialty QB. The rest of the skill players are quality but there aren't really a lot of All SEC guys there. The offensive line appears to be top notch though. So given the current offensive philosophy Auburn is capable of putting up 30-50 points but it's going to require every player hitting on all cylinders. This is not an offensive team that's going to rattle off 2-3 long touchdowns a game at this point. Part of that is recruiting and part is the unfortunate injuries the WR corps has already suffered.

Miss State has been sporting a solid defense for a couple of years now and should at the very least be able to slow Auburn's rushing game. However I don't think they are particularly capable of stopping a spread attack. Playing nickel or dime doesn't play to their personnel strengths.

The Auburn defense vs. Miss State putrid offense should be a near shutout performance. The Tigers front seven is a talented and six of the positions have great depths (Weak DE is a concern). The secondary is paper thin but the starters are more than capable. Auburn should grab an interception or two and generally harass the Bulldogs offense all day. Once again, I'm not an X's and O's expert, but it appears to me that Auburn has stuck to a pretty base defense the first two weeks. I haven't seen many blitzes at all. I don't know if that's holding out for SEC games or LSU specifically or just Rhoads' generally conservative philosophy.

There could easily be some special teams fireworks from either team that swing the game. But when it comes down to it, Auburn pulls out the victory. By 3, 7 or 10 someway they make sure to put enough points on the board to come out victorious. And of course there is always the chance they whip out a 30 point victory.

The MAN IS BACK

2008-09-08T15:48:00.002-04:00

Don't call it a comeback

The Matty Ice Era Begins: Falcons win 34-21

2008-09-07T19:04:00.005-04:00

Matt Ryan started his career off with a bang. Connecting for a 62 yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins. The ball was thrown before he broke, hit the receiver perfectly in stride, and the Jenkins raced to the endzone. Things stayed at the level of awesomeness for the entirety of the game. I was hoping that the smashmouth philophy/ball control/field position philosophy that was preached in the offseason would allow the Falcons to stay in most games and hopefully they would come down to a big play. And maybe Atlanta would be able to pull out 5-6 wins. Well Matty Ice said screw that and brought the energy back to the Georgia Dome. I couldn't be happier.

And you have to ask the question, was Bill Parcells snubbing the Falcons the best thing that could have happened to the Falcons?. The early returns on Thomas Dimitroff's first draft picks and his signing of Michael Turner look fantastic. After the future looking so dark and miserable a year ago, hope is renewed. Matty Ice, Michael the Burner Turner, and solid defense are ready to play.

Week 2 Picks: Let's Score Some Points

2008-09-05T10:01:00.005-04:00

For the second year in a row the opening week was less that kind to me. An unspectacular 2-3 which included Wisconsin giving up a TD with 38 seconds left to blow it. Then of course was the debacle that was my Clemson/bama prediction. Apparently I need to get less info from the autigers.com board which may be a little biased. That still doesn't explain Rob Spence pulling a 2003 Nallsminger vs. UGA offense in which he decided to not give the ball to either of his splendid running backs. This week I hope to get things back to my typical early season success. Because without the typical flurry of September wins, my late October and November collapse will be even more costly. The kinks should be worked out of several offenses and it's time for the dominant teams to put some big numbers up on the board.

GEORGIA vs Central Michigan over 56.5

In the Chippewas 14 games last year, 12 of those contests featured over 57 or more total points. Including BCS games of 7-52 at Kansas, 14-70 @ Clemson, and two games against Purdue 22-45 and 48-51. Georgia seems quite the candidate to put up a large number offensively. I could also see the Dawgs giving up a couple of 4th quarter scores when the 3rd team secondary is in against Dan Lefevour.

NOTRE DAME -21.5 San Diego State

There is some caution with this being the season opener for the Irish. Then there's less caution when you realize that the Aztecs lost at home last week to Cal Poly 27-29. I don't get this line at all, are there that many people who hate the Irish enough to put money against them just for the hell of it? I'm assuming that Notre Dame wants to win big and hopefully pick up some votes in the polls.

Cal -13.5 WASHINGTON STATE

Last week Cal hung on for a 7 point victory in a shootout at home over Michigan State. Washington State got waxed 13-39 at home by the visiting Mike Gundy 41 year olds. I think Cal should torch a miserable Cougar defense and Washington didn't show anything last week to imply they could attack Cal's defense. I'd say the Bears by 21.

Texas -26.5 UTEP

In case you missed it, UTEP lost by 25 at Buffalo last week. I guess UTEP is getting some points for it being a home game. But I'm guessing there are going to be a ton of Longhorn fans in the stadium. I'm the Miner want to protect their home turf, but at some point you sell your ticket for $150 to the crazed Texas fan right? So without much talent, and not much of a home field advantage, what does UTEP have to offer? This basically comes down to how much Texas' coaches care about winning big. And I've learned in recent years that Mack Brown has no problem destroying teams.

AUBURN vs. Southern Miss over 45.5

This one seems like an absolute lock to me. Larry Fedora debuted as Southern Miss' new coach last week in a 51-21 victory against U-La-La. The Golden Eagles gained 633 total yards and managed to give up 394 (263 rushing). In Auburn's "disappointing" offensive opener last week they gained 406 yards (321 rushing).

So you have a coaching staff and players who have heard all week how "miserable" their offensive performance was after an offseason of anticipation going against a less than capable Southern Miss defense. There is also a very slim chance that Auburn pitches back to back shutout efforts. I think 42-17 seems about right.

Last week: 2-3
Season: 2-3

Bear Bryant didn't wear houndstooth you putzes

2008-09-03T16:49:00.006-04:00

This picture was the tipping point for me. I've seen bama fans deck anything and everything out in houndstooth over the last several years. Paying homage to tradition is one thing but it's moved on to idol worship. Which would even be somewhat understandable, if Bear Bryant actually wore houndstooth. I'm not the first person to address this, but I'd like to hear a reasonable answer. Every single picture of Bear Bryant online shows him wearing a hat, usually black and white plaid but sometimes other colors. Not once, anywhere on the internet can you find a clear picture of Bear Bryant wearing a houndstooth hat. They aren't out there. And in case you don't know the difference:

Houndstooth (which has jagged edges)

Bear Bryant wearing his usual black and white plaid hat

So please, anyone, tell me how this got warped into an obsession of houndstooth? And really to most college age bama fans, that's what it is right now, a worship of a pattern and not the Coach who died before they were born. So I'm begging anyone to find a picture of Bear Bryant wearing houndstooth and send it to me.

Tuesday Links

2008-09-02T16:43:00.004-04:00

The Railbird makes it back onto the blogroll with his rant on the Clemson/bama game. Good to have you back. Just keep up that one post a month momentum.

I've been reading The Foggy Monocle pretty regularly for awhile now. Hell, it was pretty much the inspiration for the Drunken Tailgate. They take submissions of email/im/text recaps of the night before's debauchery. It's hit or miss but I really enjoyed this tale of ridiculousness in Atlanta.

And the only person who "would dig" the new Steamhouse is someone who hadn't been to the old one. We stopped by the new location a few Fridays ago around 1am. Including the bartender and cop, there were 3 people inside when we arrived.

Week 1 Picks: Where'd the Cupcakes Go?

2008-08-29T09:59:00.004-04:00

There is a surprising lack of cupcake games going down on Saturday. At least of the traditional variety. Florida are favored by 34.5 against Hawai'i, but technically the Rainbow Warriors played in a better bowl game last year. The only other number over 30 I see is Kansas -36 over FIU. So theoretically we have some more compelling games than in previous openers though there are few blockbusters.

CLEMSON -4.5 bama

This line is about two points too low based on the bama hype machine. Clemson is going to be able to run at will against this young and thin bama front 7. And when Clemson starts running the passing game becomes a lot more fluid. The bama sports a mediocre rushing attack with a streaky passing game. I think bama is the team more likely to turn the ball over because they'll be pressing and if one team was capable of putting up 35 points it's Clemson.

OLE MISS -7.5 memphis

Ole Miss has won this game by 2,3,and 4 points the last three years. And let's face it, Ole Miss has been pretty dreadful those years. Houston Nutt is by no means an offensive savior but he at least brings a mentality. Cordera Eason and Enrique Davis should be able to pound the ball behind a veteran offensive line. Jevan Snead makes a few safe passes and Ole Miss is on their way.

Wisconsin -26.5 akron

I like teams with a good running game to cover big spreads. Because you're not rubbing it in if you call a running play every time. It just means you 2nd string backs and offensive linemen are talented. The 2003 Auburn team was dreadful against quality opponents but also managed to rack up 45,48,45, and 73 against their worst opponents. I see Wisky taking an early lead then continuing to pile it on.

MICHIGAN -3 Utah

I'd say that there is more than a chance that the Utes could win this game. I also think this rebuilding year under Rich Rodriguez is a little overblown. I think it's easier to switch from run heavy to pass oriented than vice versa. Also, Michigan still fields a defense right? So let's say the Wolverines somehow manage to put 17 points on the board. They should win by at least 7. I think the App State loss last year put a stain on Michigan in voters minds. They were undervalued for most of last year after that and I think it's carried over to this year. Michigan at home giving 3 seems like a value pick to me if I've ever seen one.

AUBURN -26 LaMonroe

I think there are two reasons for this line. First, LaMonroe beat bama last year so there seems to be some sentiment they can give Auburn a run. Well, bama was pretty mediocre last year and everyone knows that. But guess what? LaMonroe was just as crappy. They went 6-6 last year and got blown out by the other BCS teams they played. The second reason for this line is the thought from outside observers that a QB controversy is going to affect the team. I don't think it's much of a controversy at this point. It's pretty much the exact same thing as Chris Leak and Tebow but with the races reversed. Chris Todd is your passer and Kodi Burns is your running option. So they will take different drives or field positions. It's not like they have similar skill sets and they are streaky. Also, in a game like this it means both QBs will get quality reps to sort out the situation. I think Auburn puts up an absolute minimum of 38 points. So LaMonroe has to figure out a way to get 2-3 scores. I see them topping out at 14. It may be cutting it close but I'm taking Auburn.

SEC PREDICTIONS 2008

2008-08-28T18:38:00.004-04:00

East:

Florida 8-0
Georgia 6-2
South Carolina 5-3
Tennessee 4-4
Kentucky 2-6
Vanderbilt 0-8

West:

Auburn 7-1
LSU 5-3
Ole Miss 5-3
bama 3-5
Miss St 3-5
Arkansas 0-8

SEC: Auburn vs. Florida
SEC Champ: Auburn

This season sets up more or less like 2004 did for Auburn. And after beating Florida the last two years why not three in a row. I think once again the biggest shocker is that I managed to do the math right.

SEC Schedule a Day: Vanderbilt

2008-08-28T18:08:00.002-04:00

Another lightning round in an attempt to get this and the wrap up online before the Vandy/Miami (OH) game tonight

8/28 @ Miami (OH): I'm sick of differentiation between the two Miami's in the world. There is the University of Miami in Florida and then there's some school that no one cares about. Vandy cares about the win they are picking up tonight.

9/4 South Carolina: USC is above this game now. Gamecocks win

9/13 Rice: Couple of heavyweights duke it out. Vandy is victorious.

9/20 @ Ole MIss: Cordera Eason and Enrique Davis run up and down the field at will. Rebs win

10/4 Auburn: The last visit by the Tigers to Nashville in 2003 was basically a 9th road game. About 30k AU fans and 20k Dores fans in attendance

10/11 @ Miss State: Bobby Johnson gets Croom'd. Bulldogs win

10/18 @ Georgia: No way. No how. UGA wins

10/25 Duke: David Cutcliffe returns to the site where he scorched Vandy defenses in years gone by. His Duke team is worse that the lowest of his Ole Miss teams. Dores over Duke

11/8 Florida: Futility personified. Gators chomp Vandy.

11/15 @ Kentucky: The Cats avoid being the worst team in the East.

11/22 Tennessee: We're talking about old school Vandy here. Not the Jay Cutler redux. Vols win

11/29 @ Wake Forest: Because South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida all play non-conference rivals, Vandy has nobody to play on Thanksgiving weekend (which the SEC now forces teams to play on, goodbye Iron Bowl history of my youth). So I guess they'll trot out someone interesting each year. This unfortunately is a bad matchup for them. Demon Deacons over Dores.

SEC: 0-8
Season: 3-9

SEC Schedule a Day: Tennessee

2008-08-27T23:46:00.003-04:00

Time for speed round. Also, I don't have a clue what to make of Tennessee this year.

9/1 @ UCLA: UT beats UCLA. Neither coach is as good as they were 10 years ago.

9/13 UAB: Roddy White is not walking through that door. Vols roll.

9/20 Florida: Ball control is UT's only chance. Crompton throws a pick or fumbles Florida escapes with victory.

9/27 @ Auburn: Hell of a road schedule for the Vols. Lose 4th straight to the Tigers.

10/4 Northern Illinois: Didn't they beat bama once? Tennessee wins

10/11 @ Georgia: Dawgs defense is to much. Tennessee loses.

10/18 Mississippi State: Two largest coaches in the SEC? The Orange take it

10/25 bama: Arian Foster runs at will on the tahd defense. UT big.

11/1 @ South Carolina: That Spurrier is a slippery one. Gamecocks win

11/8 Wyoming: Vols win

11/22 @ Vanderbilt: So UT's two off weeks fall before UAB and Vandy. That seems unnecessary. Vols win.

11/29 Kentucky: The streak continues. Rocky Top

SEC: 4-4
Season: 8-4

Game Week Links

2008-08-27T13:50:00.004-04:00

With intensity ratcheting up so has my college football reading. Uncle Rico's Time Machine takes a look at and critiques the all the new duds being sported this year by various teams.

Friends of the Program does their own SEC predictions. It's less intensive than mine and a little more original. Each team is compared to episode of Saved By the Bell.

(pic from BWE)

SEC Schedule a Day: South Carolina

2008-08-26T17:06:00.004-04:00

I think we're on year 8 of it possibly being the year that South Carolina breaks through. Injuries killed the defense this year and it appears the search for a QB lives on for another year.

8/28 NC State

Someone wake me up when NC State becomes semi-relevant again. I honestly think it's been since 2003 that they were even mildly intriguing. With the Thursday opener spotlight upon them USC takes a victory.

9/4 @ Vanderbilt

South Carolina is rocking back to back Thursdays like Virginia Tech. South Carolina works their way through another tune up. Vandy is powerless this year. Gamecocks win.

9/13 Georgia

South Carolina had several close bouts with UGA before finally claiming the victory last year. Even when Georgia had comfortable wins in seemed to be because of a dull offense rather than defensive lapses. South Carolina gets an extra couple of days to get whichever starting QB ready to go against a great Dawg defense. I think they come up short again. Something 10 points or under, just close enough to make it interesting but ultimate failure at the hands of UGA.

9/20 Wofford

USC wins

9/27 UAB

A couple of years ago the Blazers had a firm hold of the claim to be the third best football team in Alabama. Hell, they had a decent shot at claiming it over the tide. But now they appear to be in fourth place behind Troy and they may be getting worse by the season. UAB can no longer keep these games close. South Carolina gladly picks up another win.

10/4 @ Ole Miss

Neither team has ever made the SEC Championship game yet both fan bases perennially believe they have a shot. Both are mired and mediocrity and denial. So it's a small victory for South Carolina to take the win and move one step closer to the impossible dream.

10/11 @ Kentucky

Not a particularly daunting slate of road games for the Gamecocks this year until you hit the stunners to close out the year. South Carolina should make easy work of the Wildcats and keep trucking along.

10/18 LSU

It's hard to take LSU in a game like this given their QB situation. But maybe they get just enough out of the defense, special teams, and running game to pull it together. LSU takes the tough road win.

11/1 Tennessee

An off week before the big time showdown with the Vols. The winner could stay in the SEC East race the loser is most certainly out and trying to hold on for a respectable season. Both teams are solid this year and I may have to go with the cliche of home field advantage. I just don't know how to judge the UT offense until I see it. What I am supposed to do, look at Richmond game footage on Youtube? Cause I'm not going to.

11/8 Arkansas

A final easy win before the walking death march that is the last two weeks of the year

11/15 @ Florida

It seems like a daunting task for South Carolina to make this game as competitive as they have since Spurrier took the helm. But somehow South Carolina keeps putting points on the board and providing a minimum of a scare. I think this year plays out like last year with USC putting up some points but not being able to keep up with the Gator track show.

11/20 @ Clemson

Doesn't this just seem like a game Bowden would blow? I doubt the Tigers are undefeated at this point but they may have wrapped up a trip to the ACC championship game. Just a little stinker to screw up what would have been a coming out year. South Carolina plays the spoiler in this one.

SEC: 5-3
Season: 9-3

That's a pretty good season for South Carolina. New Years Day Bowl with wins over Clemson and Tennessee. It also appears that I've failed to pick out one boneheaded loss for them. 9-3 would mean they win every game they are favored in plus upsetting Clemson. It'd be hard to argue with that as a fan.

SEC Schedule a Day: Ole Miss

2008-08-25T17:08:00.004-04:00

The Combustible Cajun, Ed Orgeron, has been given the boot and in comes the slightly less crazy Houston Nutt. Fortunately for Rebel fans Houston has some idea how to coach a football team. We'll call last year the bottoming out for the program and there should be some return to respectability. Jevan Snead provides immediate help at QB and the non-kill players were already pretty talented.

8/30 Memphis

Memphis trending towards suck. Ole Miss trending towards not suck. Seems like the Tigers have been in an identity crisis ever since DeAngelo Williams bolted for the NFL. Ole Miss starts off the Nutt regime on a good foot.

9/6 at Wake Forest

Wouldn't expect a lot of offensive fireworks in this one. Two ball control offenses slowly figure out who has the least marginal skill players. This early in the season I have to give the edge to the Demon Deacons. It takes awhile for a new coaching staff to spread their philosophy and I think it's a little too much to ask for Ole Miss to become a successful power running team so soon.

9/13 Samford

It's conceivable that Pat Sullivan could turn Samford into an intriguing Subdivision team in a few years. But that day hasn't come yet.

9/20 Vanderbilt

It must have been a soul crushing experience the last few years for Ole Miss fans when Vandy came up on the schedule. Ole Miss throws more money and time into football, they have better facilities, and a better recruiting base. Yet the Vandy has won 2 of the last three and been extremely competitive over the last 5 years. I think Ole Miss rises above the dregs of the SEC.

9/27 at Florida

The Rebels were magically able to keep this game close last year in Oxford. Assuming the Florida defense tightens up a little bit this year and the crowd shows up at all, Florida should win this one by 20 points or more. For the record, these schools may have the biggest disparity between female student gameday attire. I've seen tube tops, tank tops, jean shorts/skirts and even bikini tops at Florida. Ole Miss ladies prefer to dress for the bar, church, soiree but they definitely aren't wearing an outfit that comes under $200 and they definitely are wearing makeup. Both are good in their own way, just totally different.

10/4 South Carolina

Trick roady trip for the Gamecocks. Ole Miss should be properly battle tested by this point in the season. South Carolina should have tried out about 6 different quarterbacks by the start of October. South Carolina does not have a big enough of an advantage to take this game lightly. This game probably ends up being 21-17 and a couple of plays will decide who ends up with 21. I like Spurrier matching up against Tyrone Nix who was his former defensive coordinator at South Carolina. That's not the type of thing that the OBC will take lightly. Cocks beat Nutt.

10/18 @ Alabama

The off weekend finally rolls around for the Rebs and I think they'll need it. bama gets an off weekend as well and I have a feeling they come out flat. I also don't like the matchup of the depleted 3-4 against the Ole Miss rushing attack.

10/25 @ Arkansas

The bad news is the back to back road trips. The good news is that Arkansas is awful. Houston Nutt rides the wave of emotion heading back to Fayetteville and pulls out the important win. Just looking at coaching staffs, Nutt will have an easier transition of philosophies in Oxford than Petrino will in Arkansas.

11/1 Auburn

Did I really pick Ole Miss to win this game? Well, no one would have thought Stanford was going to beat USC last year. The more parity that enters the league the more preparation and energy become vital to victories.

11/15 Louisiana Monroe

Ole Miss avoids pulling a Saban and manages to beat LaMonroe. Someone give Houston Nutt $4 million a year.

11/22 @ LSU

Jevan Snead vs. Ryan Perrilloux would have been exciting showdown based on their hype out of highschool. Of course out of high school that would have been LSU vs Texas and not Ole Miss vs. Jacksonville State. Ole Miss has no business keeping this game close. The Tigers roll in Death Valley.

11/28 Miss State

The Rebels figure out a way to not disappoint the home fans in the Egg Bowl. Like many Ole Miss games this year, it should be a grind it out ball game that could be decided by a couple of fluke plays. Those fluke plays usually seem to fall you way at home.

SEC: 5-3
Season: 8-4

Ultimately that would be a very successful year for the Rebels. 7-5 is much more likely though. I believe I'm sensing a non-existent switch of momentum.

Never Fails to Make Me Laugh

2008-08-24T23:51:00.002-04:00

I will always contend that "Scott Tenorman Must Die" is the best South Park episode ever and maybe the funniest 30 minutes of television ever produced. But this may just be the best opening minutes of an episode. I can't watch without going into a five minute laugh/giggle marathon.

SEC Schedule a Day: Mississippi State

2008-08-22T17:25:00.003-04:00

The fact that an 8-5 record in 2007 was a banner year kind of summarizes the current state of Miss State football. They aren't exactly world beaters, but they are getting back into the one big upset a year mold. The talent base is starting to be rebuilt to a little below Jackie Sherrill cheating levels. They still don't have a ton of depth but they are making strides. If they can grab a couple of skill players in the next couple of years they could pull one of those occasional Houston Nutt Arkansas seasons. Which is a long way from the suggestions I was making last year that they play wacky football.

8/30 at Louisiana Tech

Heading to Ruston for the opener doesn't seem like a ton of fun. It's all risk and no reward. Some fans from around the South will realize that it's a tough matchup but the rest of the country will just assume it's a cupcake game. Though, to me, LaTech hasn't been as good since they abandoned the pass happy offense. Miss State grabs the victory and starts the year off on the right foot.

9/6 Southeast Louisiana

What is this Auburn's schedule from 1992? Are they trying to play every old directional school in Louisiana? Miss State wins.

9/13 Auburn

Since Miss State won this matchup last year I don't think the Tigers will take it lightly. Last year was a sloppy turnover laden affair that broke up many years of futility by the Bulldogs. I expect this year to be a return to normal.

9/20 @ Georgia Tech

Huh? I live it Atlanta and haven't heard any mention of this game? This is a pretty cool matchup. Tech brings in Paul Johnson's wacky triple option spread or whatever the hell he runs. Miss State is basically a pro style offense with heavy power run leanings. So I would say this game will be about the exact opposite of say Texas Tech against Missouri. There might not even be an attempted forward pass this game. Well they may attempt one but the odd for a completion were just set at 10-1. I think Tech takes this one. Assuming Tech loses their earlier games with BC and Va Tech this will be the first chance for a big win in the Paul Johnson era. I think he pulls it out.

9/27 @ LSU

LSU wins. End of story.

10/11 Vanderbilt

Having an off weekend before the Vandy game is just asking for a sleepy start to the game for the home team. Miss State wakes up in the second half and Anthony Dixon puts on a show. Dogs over Dores.

10/18 @ Tennessee

Pretty tough road slate for Miss State this year. I know that there is a decent possibility that MSU wins this game but it just sounds so unlikely. Every fan is a homer but I'm starting to here some positive rumblings about the Volunteer offense. And I really think the only chance for MSU in this situation is a low scoring affair. Tennessee wins.

10/25 Middle Tennessee

MTSU signs up for the second defeat at the hands of the SEC.

11/1 Kentucky

I just went back and checked and apparently I chose MSU to win this game during the Kentucky preview. And if that guy says it, then I agree.

11/15 @ bama

This has become an annual bright spot for Mississippi State the last couple of years. But if Saban wants to stay Forbes' most powerful coach in sports he has to win games like this. And I think his ego demands such things.

11/22 Arkansas

Assuming Miss State doesn't oversleep and miss their bus to the game I'm pretty sure they will win this one.

11/28 @ Ole Miss

I miss this game being on Thanksgiving night. On friday it just gets lost in the shuffle and no one can really come with a reason to watch it. There have been some competitive games in recent years but this will feature the most combined talent on the field in several years. The bulldogs scored 17 points in the 4th quarter last year to win 17-14. Very timely scoring guys. I think Ole Miss takes back the Egg Bowl trophy this year though. I'm not sure their record will suggest it, but I think the Rebels will be much better this year.

SEC: 3-5
Season: 6-6

SEC Schedule a Day: LSU

2008-08-21T20:03:00.004-04:00

Is LSU in for a slack year after winning the national championship last year? Possibly not with Ryan Perrilloux at the helm. Of course, he's at Jacksonville State now. Instead the Tigers are starting a guy who Gary Crowton originally recruited at BYU. When Crowton bolted Andrew Hatch headed up to Harvard. Then he took a mormon mission, tore his knee up in South America and came back home. With Crowton now at LSU he joined the bunch. Not the typical story for an SEC QB.

8/30 Appalachian State

There is no sneaking up anymore. LSU wins big. That's the type of thing that happens when you're working out a QB situation. You give it your best shot offensively for the entire game.

9/6 Troy

Troy should fall back to the pack a little this year with the loss of OC Tony Frankling and QB Haugabrook. They somehow manage to keep sneaking up on people despite always playing teams close (UGA 2007). LSU should be prepared and do what it takes to stretch the lead out.

9/13 North Texas

I miss the days of LSU playing a fun west coast team in the early part of the season. These games are boring. Now is a good time to mention that Les Miles implied at the SEC media days that their early season scheduling this year, was supposedly planned to prepare them for Auburn's new offense. Which is a wonderful coincidence but it no way part of a Miles' stroke of genius. As usual he just seems to luck into these things.

9/20 @ Auburn

This game has fallen into a rhythm lately. On even number years the game is played in Auburn as the 3rd or 4th game of the year and is a day game without much scoring. In odd years it's in Baton Rouge in mid October and high scoring night game. This year it'll be a night game in Jordan Hare for the first time in over a decade. I expect the crowd to be a little excited. QB issues kill LSU who's only really chance is to ruthlessly pound Auburn with a power running game. Auburn wins.

9/27 Mississippi State

A broken and bruised LSU team may need to pay attention to this Miss State team. They could make this close. LSU's defense is too good though. The Bayou Bengals restore order and take the victory.

10/11 @ Florida

LSU's second tough test of the season. The vulnerability of the Gator's defense this year is their secondary. I don't see LSU being an excellent passing team. If they played a ball control game and kept Florida off the field like Auburn did last year, they could have a chance. I think Florida pulls it out in front of the home crowd.

10/18 @ South Carolina

A tough back to back set of road games. It seems to me like LSU will have a ton of close games this year and they could go either way. It's hard for me to fathom them losing 5 games. So in games like this I'm going to give LSU the benefit of the doubt.

10/25 Georgia

UGA has the offense to really challenge the talented Tiger defense. LSU may not fare as well against the Dawg D. I think Georgia takes this one despite the hyped Cajun crowd.

11/1 Tulane

A midseason break. LSU gets to work out some of that bad voodoo and clear their heads for the rest of the season. LSU wins.

11/8 bama

I have to imagine there are some fans and players who will be into this game. The senior class should be chock full of Saban recruits. LSU gets rowdy on their way to blowout win.

11/22 Ole Miss

An off week before welcoming in an Ole Miss team that should be dreaming of an upset. Ole Miss will come in and lower a boom in an effort to make this a physical game. LSU hits back and takes the W.

11/29 @ Arkansas

The trip to Little Rock will not be a daunting one. LSU will be closing off a lackluster 3 or 4 loss season with a lackluster victory over a miserable bunch of Hogs.

SEC: 5-3
Season: 9-3

SEC Schedule a Day: Kentucky

2008-08-20T22:13:00.003-04:00

One of my biggest regrets last year was not pulling the trigger on the Kentucky emergence. I had a notion but not the guts. Unfortunately, Kentucky is not worthy of such a risk this year. The overall talent level continues to improve but there is nobody at the helm.

8/31 at Louisville

The Cardinals sure aren't what they used to be. But these teams should be pretty equal these days. Home field advantage brings the Lou the win.

9/6 Norfolk State

Why don't more Historically Black College and Universities play against Div 1 teams? It'd be a good showcase for their draft quality players and the paycheck can't hurt. Kentucky wins the game.

9/13 Middle Tennessee State

Did you know that over 23,000 students are enrolled at Middle Tennessee? Surprising right? Well they don't have 22 students that are elite football players. Kentucky sends MTSU on it's way.

9/27 Western Kentucky

Kentucky grabs an off week to prepare for Western Kentucky. Once again, if this was basketball, even against Kentucky proper, WKU would have a shot. In football it's not that close. Depending on how the Louisville game goes, the Wildcats could 5-0 at this point and heading into the top 25.

10/4 @ bama

The first SEC game brings a dose of reality about the year. Andre Woodson isn't behind center any more. Even Curtis Pulley has been dismissed from the team. The improved defense may try to make things interesting, but the Tide wins this one.

10/11 South Carolina

Seems like Spurrier used to have some fits going up to Lexington even though he had a superior team. I have feeling that the Gamecocks will need this game too badly to sleep on it. South Carolina leaves town with a W.

10/18 Arkansas

The battle to avoid being the worst team in the SEC? Vandy sure hopes so. Petrino returns to Louisville but with zero offensive talent and a young defense. Kentucky is happy to grab an SEC win no matter who it's against.

10/25 @ Florida

This game is over before it starts. But Florida does the home fans a favor and goes through the motions for an easy win.

11/1 @ Mississippi State

Did you know that Bear Bryant used to coach at Kentucky? Did you know that Sylvester Croom played under Bear Bryant at bama? You did? Well you're just a book of football knowledge. Either team could probably win this game. Miss State should be able to win this game. Chances are by this point in the season I will hardly even notice who wins this game. But it'll be the Bulldogs.

11/8 Georgia

If Georgia were to fall to Florida in the preceding week, I guess Kentucky could catch them in a stupor. But I doubt it. UGA rolls either way.

11/15 Vanderbilt

Kentucky retains a little pride by beating both SEC cellar dwellers this season.

11/29 @ Tennessee

To continue our did you know segment... I can hardly believe this but did you know that the Vols will be going for their 24th straight victory over the Wildcats. That has to make the 52-50 thriller last year that much more painful for Kentucky fans. Once they break the streak I'll start predicting but until them it'd be idiotic to side with anyone other than Tennessee.

SEC: 2-6
Season: 5-7

SEC Schedule a Day: Georgia

2008-08-19T21:41:00.004-04:00

Big time expectations for Georgia this year. Which I'd say often happens with a team that has won their bowl game and returns their entire backfield. There is no doubt the Dawgs are talented this year. The question is how the hold up to the expectations and schedule. You'll remember that LSU was in a very similar situation last year and ended up losing two games. They ended up winning the national championship and there coach is insane. So I'm not sure how that applies.

8/30 Georgia Southern

Is Georgia Southern fun? Yes. Do they have a chance? No. Chris Hatcher brings an exciting style of play into Stanford Stadium but not enough talent. Take for example Troy. The Trojans took UGA to the absolute limit last year but they weren't able to pull out the victory. And Troy is light years better than Georgia Southern. UGA starts off the season with a healthy victory.

9/6 Central Michigan

Georgia doesn't give themselves many breaks with out of conference scheduling these days. Dan LeFevour is the talented QB for a dangerous Chippewas team. Central Michigan doesn't have enough defense to pull out the victory, but they can score enough points to keep the UGA starters in for most of the game. But this games also serves as a test for the defensive secondary, who get a chance to hone their skills before the Arizona State game.

9/13 @ South Carolina

The first of 4 very tough road games for Georgia which doesn't even count the game in Gainesville. South Carolina's defense should be improved over the injury decimated performance throughout the 2007 season. Georgia however should be able to defensively control the Gamecocks at this early point in the season. Georgia wins in a close one.

9/20 @ Arizona State

That's a hell of a turnaround for Georgia. Get back from the game in Columbia, get maybe three days of good practice in and then fly cross country. That being said, I think the Georgia defense will be able to wreak havoc on the Sun Devils. Pair that with a strong rushing performance and the Dawgs should be able to stay in control most of this game. It should be battle but I think Georgia pulls out there second straight tough road win.

9/27 bama

Georgia returns home to Sanford Stadium at 4-0 and still #1 in the country to face Nick Saban and the tide. The crowd alone should carry the team on to a win. Breaking it down, bama doesn't have the linebackers to keep up with Knowshon Moreno all day. He'll break off at least a couple of huge gainers. Defensively Georgia should have the pass rush to cause the tide fits all day. Dawgs roll.

10/11 Tennessee

After a very much needed off week, the Vols roll into town. This seems like a game where UT is able to open an early lead, possibly 10-14 points at half time. Then the team wakes up at half time and comes storming back. Georgia ends up wining by 7-14 points.

10/18 Vanderbilt

This is the mental break Georgia needs. Theoretically this would be a trap game, but Georgia is so physically dominant compared to Vandy they can somehow manage to win this game. Mainly this is a game that Georgia doesn't have to emotionally get up for. They stay undefeated and get ready for another monster matchup.

10/25 @ LSU

LSU has the defense and the athletes on offense. They lack the QB. LSU should be able to pull through several games based on talent and fear alone. But I think they will struggle in these big time matchups. Georgia also gets the break by this game supposedly being on CBS instead of a Death Valley night game. Stafford and Moreno will need to have good games but Georgia's offensive line will have to be outstanding to pull out the victory. The Georgia bandwagon hits full capacity after this win.

11/1 The World's Largest Outdoor Coke Orgy

Obviously Georgia will not be overlooking Florida. But I think they could get too hyped for this game and press too much. Matt Stafford passes up the easy dump off and forces a deep throw. The cornerbacks gamble too much and go for picks or the linebackers key on Tebow too much. It's just too much too ask of Georgia. Look at their schedule in 2002 when they went 13-1. Do you see how much easier that was? Georgia may face up to 8 ranked teams when they meet this year. Up to as many as 5 top 10 teams. It's hard to play mistake free for 5 games. I think Stafford throws a couple picks, maybe some other unlucky plays or calls and the Bulldog balloon is busted.

11/8 @ Kentucky

You have to rebound quick before you lose your season. It's gotta be tough to focus that next week but you need to take your anger out on someone. Getting out of town might help a little as well. UGA finds a way to get the victory in this one.

11/15 @ Auburn

Two one loss teams fighting for a chance to stay alive in the national championship picture. Which depending on the rest of the national scene, means it probably has a little less anticipation than the 2004 game. Auburn will be looking for redemption after two crushing losses in a row. The 2006 game was a blood bath and the 2007 game was a 4th quarter explosion. Auburn has retooled the offense and defense this year partly in response to those two games. I think Auburn has the attitude and the talent to pull out a victory. Could be a classic in the mold of the 4th quarter finishes in 2005 (AU) and 2002 (UGA).

11/29 Georgia Tech

Paul Johnson needs another year before he's ready to compete in this game.

SEC: 6-2
Season: 10-2

It's not what I would call a disappointment, though I know many will feel that way after the early expectations. It's just a bit too much schedule to handle.

SEC Schedule a Day: Florida

2008-08-18T22:25:00.003-04:00

Year four of the Urban Meyer regime in Gainesville. At this point he should basically have the type of players he wants to run his offense. And I'd would say with the influx of running backs into the program this year we really will see how this offense will perform.

8/30 Hawai'i

You're impressed with my use of the apostrophe aren't you? You won't be impressed with Hawai'i though. The Gators won't be as amped up as Georgia was in the Sugar Bowl, but they won't have to be. Florida wins by 30 or more.

9/6 Miami

It's now been a few seasons since Miami has looked potent. I think it's asking a bit much for the transformation to happen this early in the season. The Hurricanes could have a chance by really attacking Florida's secondary, but I'm not totally sold on their offense yet. Florida wins by 14-20.

9/20 at Tennessee

The Vols will have already unveiled their new look on offense in the UCLA game. Florida will have proven their merit or not as well in the Miami game. Since Jonathan Crompton doesn't have much experience I will give him a little advice. If UT gets up in this game he needs to resist all urges he has to do the chomp before the end of the game. I've heard that doesn't turn out well. I think Tennessee will be solid on both sides of the ball but probably not special on either. Florida's now dynamic offense helps them pull out the tough road victory.

9/27 Ole Miss

I feel that Ole Miss will be much improved this year. But not so much that they can pull off a road victory like this. Florida wins this one by putting up 40 or so points.

10/4 @ Arkansas

The Hogs really are going to suck this year. Weren't Meyer and Petrino both considerations for the Notre Dame job a few years ago. I'd say that Meyer has had the better time since then. Cam Newton could start this game and Florida would win.

10/11 LSU

Is there a way LSU can win this games without a quarterback? They have a stable of running backs, a beastly defensive line, and talent spread all over. I'm guessing they don't. If they lost two games last year, and they aren't as good this year, I don't know how they could win a road game like this. And Les Miles is crazy. Florida becomes a definite national title contender once they get through this game.

10/25 Kentucky

It's not such a bad thing to have an off week after facing LSU. Let the bruises heal and then you're also treated to a declawed Kentucky team. Last year was a fun run for the Wildcats but they lack the offensive firepower this year. Gators win.

11/1 The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

You think there will be a lot of buildup for this one? After last year's game and the likelihood that both teams will undefeated it should be. I'd say that Florida will have the slight better offensive team and Georgia will have the better defense. So this game comes down to the big plays, emotion, etc. It could easily go either way. I just feel like the emotion will be on Florida's side. Until they start losing this game regularly I'm going to give Florida the advantage.

11/8 @ Vanderbilt

I think Vandy has slipped into another boring era. They lack the friskiness of the Jay Cutler years and their defense is not likely to thwart you like the Woody Widenhofer era. Seems like the Raycom early game where Florida is unimpressive but pulls out the victory.

11/15 South Carolina

USC has been shockingly competitive in this game recently. I'm not quite sure how they do it. You know.. other than Spurrier. It's like he picks out 4-5 games a year he really cares about and then sleeps through the Arkansas and Vandy games. Florida will be all grows up and all grows up by this point in the season. The secondary holds up and holds on for the win.

11/22 Citadel

Remember when Auburn missed out on the national championship game in part because they played the Citadel? I'm just pointing that out. Play hard for a quarter then enjoy victory.

11/29 @ Florida State

You know how every year there is one top 5 team that loses a completely inexplicable game. I don't even think Florida State will be decent this year. But couldn't they put it all together for just one game? Run off the emotion of the home field crowd and the desire to regain some pride after recent futility. I think it's possible. FSU shocks the world.

SEC: 8-0
Season: 11-1

SEC Schedule a Day: bama

2008-08-15T11:24:00.007-04:00

Nick Saban took over a difficult situation. Mike Shula left the cupboard bare, if not talent wise than character wise. Then he was left to deal with a rabid fan base who just paid him $4 million a year. So you know... they want results at some point. I though all along that "the process" would take at least three years. Another 7-6 season would really put the pressure on for next year. Though it's not like they can fire him at that salary.

8/30 Clemson (Georgia Dome)

The Clemson Tigers play their second straight game in the Georgia Dome against a team from Alabama. They also hope to kick off their national championship question on a big stage. Gameday will be in town and I'm sure we'll somehow getting treated to a "Bama's Back" segment for about the 8th time in the last decade. Clemson is bringing an explosive offense into the season. The tide has some talent on the line and in the secondary but the linebackers, especially in Saban's 3-4 system, are depleted to say the least. Offensively I expect bama to have success this year. An experienced line and QB always helps. I'm expecting a shootout but I'm giving the defensive edge to Clemson. Tigers start off on the good foot.

9/06 Tulane

Tulane is not quite as frisky as they used to be. bama rolls.

9/13 Western Kentucky

Unfortunately for Western Kentucky, this is not a basketball game. WKU has been playing the role of SEC whipping boy for a few seasons now. Which I guess is worth it when you get that paycheck. Again bama wins easily

9/20 at Arkansas

This is a must win game for bama. It's the easiest road game on the season and starting off the year 2-2 would definitely create an angry fan and media response. Luckily for bama, Arkansas sucks this year. The tide should be able to move the ball at will and then take it easy in the 4th quarter.

9/27 at Georgia

The last time Nick Saban brought his team to Athens in 2004 he got torched. Big time. I think Fred Gibson and Reggie Brown are still catching fly routes down the sideline. And thus began the futility of Nick Saban and his pupil Will Muschamp against Richt and UGA. UGA is going to put up some points either through the air or on the ground. Though it'll probably be both. It'll be tough for bama to keep it close. UGA wins

10/04 Kentucky

Kentucky doesn't intrigue me at all this year. Probably because I know nothing about them. But that's also a bad sign. If no one whatsoever is talking about you than you probably don't have much going for you. bama wins.

10/18 Ole Miss

I think it's quite possible that Ole Miss has a season like Miss State did last year. Which would include beating bama. And I see that happening. The Rebels should have the defensive line to hold up to bama offensive line. The Ole Miss offense should be able to put up some points, and I could see bama's depth being a little thin by this point in the season. And once again, my illogical "off week then playing at home" rule. Ole Miss pulls out the victory

@ Tennessee

It's the third Saturday in October and seasons lie in the balance. I feel like UT has underperformed in recent years of this rivalry. And a home game is a great way to shake the trend. Arian Foster puts up huge numbers on the way to victory.

1/1 Arkansas State

bama wins

11/08 @ LSU

There are a lot of weird coaching situations this year. Nutt heading back to Fayetteville, Petrino/Tuberville, and then this ginormously uncomfortable situation. You never want to give LSU fans a reason to get angry drunk. And when that atmostphere hits in Baton Rouge, it's a scary place to be. I'm assuming that LSU will have some sort of QB situation figured out by this point in the year. At that's really the only thing holding them back. LSU sets the field on fire as the demolish bama.

11/15 Mississippi State

Playing Miss State before or after LSU the last few years has definitely contributed to the Bulldogs recent success. But I just don't see MSU winning this game three years in a row.

11/29 The Iron Bowl

Seven in a row is going to be a tough pill to swallow in Tuscaloosa. I imagine that bama will pull out all the stops to somehow win this game. It's that important. But on the field I think that Auburn has the advantage on offense, defense, and special teams. The one shot for bama is that Auburn's secondary continues to pile up injuries and bama is just able to air it out all day. But I'm not willing to take that leap in logic. Auburn wins. I can't even think of a gimmick with 8 in a row yet.

6-6 seems a bit low. bama will actually take one of the Ole Miss or Tennessee games. If they took both it'd be a pretty good season for them. I might change this later in the week.

SEC: 3-5
Season: 6-6

SEC Schedule a Day: Auburn

2008-08-14T17:47:00.006-04:00

This seems like about the 12th straight year that at least one of Auburn's coordinators is new. But since it's an olympic year they decided to pull the double swap. Will Muschamp made the lateral move to Texas and Al Borges is somewhere in a Hawaiian Shirt. The good new is for Auburn is that it's an even numbered year and the SEC slate is more favorable.

8/30 Louisiana Monroe

Seriously? bama actually lost to Louisiana Monroe? Was there starting QB hurt? No? hmm... that's gotta sting. Auburn unveils The System under new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin. Which will be a pretty good indicator right off the bat. In recent even numbered years Tuberville has kept everything basic the first two games in order to prevent LSU from picking up too much film. And in general, it seems that Tubbs has also strongly encouraged the offensive coaches to play close to the vest in general. If Auburn comes out in the first game and slings the ball around and tries to put 40 in the first half it will be an exciting year. If they pull the typical limited playbook, work on the ground game game plan, then I'll have my doubts about this new offense. But yeah, Auburn wins.

9/06 Southern Miss

Brett Favre is not walking through that door. It's a nice little warmup for the LSU game though. Being a night game on ESPN it should get the crowd a little more into things than they should for this game. Auburn rolls.

9/13 @ Mississippi State

So sadly, Starkville is a game I haven't attended (along with tuscaloosa) in the SEC. Last year's game broke up a run of absolute futility by the Bulldogs against Auburn. After the loss I ventured back to Atlanta and hung out with some UGA fans. I decided to take the positive approach and focus on the Kodi Burns and Mario Fannin coming out party. It's quite possible that those two could actually dominate this game. I actually think this is one of those games where teams play better on the road. It's really hard to overlook and opponent on the road compared to the sleepy showing in a home LF/JP/Raycom 11:30 game. I think it's back to normal and Auburn wins by 21 or more.

9/20 LSU

The last four games in this series have been epic. Last second occasions featuring rekicked field goals, 5 missed field goals, a red zone stand at the buzzer, and the most successful bonehead clock management in history. After seemingly the last 50 games of this matchup in Auburn being daytime affairs, ESPN rolls in to town for night time kickoff. Things might get a little crazy. This game (and season) feels a lot like 2004. LSU had the defense and the uglies on offense to be good in their repeat MNC bid. However they didn't have the QB. Turns out the Auburn coaches might have been on to something when they quit recruiting Ryan Perriloux. I say Auburn moves the ball through the air and the Bayou Bengals get their ground game working. I'm thinking Auburn wins 27-24. I'll set the odds at 100% that I won't be able to drive back to Atlanta after the game.

9/27 Tennessee

Burnt Orange is better than Creamsicle. I expect UT to be one of those teams that is really good but for whatever reason doesn't throw up great results. I'm taking Auburn based on home field advantage and the three game streak in the Tigers' favor.

10/04 @ Vandy

Playing at Vandy and going to the spring scrimmage are very similar affairs. The attendance, the pressure, the ability to play 3rd stringers. So Vandy's best chance is to catch Auburn sleeping, which is certainly a possibility. However I don't think the Dores have the fire power to hold onto a half time lead. Tigers lead.

10/11 Arkansas

No Fred Talley, No Matt Jones, No Houston Nutt, No Kryptonite. Auburn wins this one with ease.

10/23 @ West Virginia

Can't wait to head up to Morgantown for this Thursday night showdown. This should be an absolute brawl. I don't think the Mountaineers will have quite as much consistent firepower as they've had in the past. But Noel Devine or Pat White are going to rip off a big play or two before the game is over. I would typically give the advantage to Auburn. But without using stats to back my theory up, I always take the road team when both schools have an off week heading into the game. Auburn wins the game and enters the media circus by at least reaching the top 4.

11/01 at Ole Miss

Yeah so, I think the Houston Nutt curse transfers to Ole Miss. Physical power running team that punches a speed based and undersized Auburn defense in the mouth. The tradition of Auburn losing with the national spotlight on them continues. Ole Miss wins by a field goal.

11/08 UT-Martin

If you didn't know, Auburn used to be with Russell Athletic before switching to Under Armour. Well UT-Martin pulled the high school move and uses Auburn's old uniform design. So It's going to be a weird sight on the field at Jordan Hare. But as usual this is a game to see the players of the future. Auburn puts it out of reach in the first half.

11/15 Georgia

Between Will Muschamp and Brandon Cox moving on, that's like Auburn automatically gaining about 35 points against the dawgs. Once again this season really reminds me of 2004. UGA entered the season gaining much of the press with David Greene and David Pollack entering their senior seasons. Auburn got some pub but was ranked a good bit lower in the polls for most of the season. Auburn then completed one of the most textbook wins I've ever watched. This year will be a repeat. Auburn recovers from their Ole Miss loss and tempts me with national title hopes that will somehow fall through.

11/29 Iron Bowl

SEC: 7-1
Season: 11-1

SEC Schedule a Day: Arkansas

2008-08-13T23:06:00.004-04:00

Arkansas is first up in our preview of all the SEC teams. They are going to be a little bit quicker this year and I'm going to do a little less research. But I'm pretty sure I'll be as deadly accurate as always. I'm kinda like a lazy version of Phil Steele. Accept I don't do exhaustive research and look at stats and my predictions are more accurate. You may remember that last year I correctly predicted the divisional winners and tabbed LSU to win it all. My one regret was missing out on the Kentucky bandwagon. On to the preview...

Somehow Houston Nutt left Arkansas, Bobby Petrino left the Falcons midseason to take the Razorback coaching job, McFadden and Felix Jones bolted early for the NFL. Coupled with 2007 offseason, it seems like Arkansas makes more news January through August than they do all season.

8/30 Western Illinois

The Leathernecks? That's kind of a cool mascot. Arkansas wins.

9/06 @ Lousiana Monroe

It'd be really embarrassing for an SEC team to lose to La-Monroe. How would you possibly explain that to your fans? Wait. What's that? Oh that's shameful. Sorry bama, I had forgotten. The Warhawks will have just played Auburn the week before and should be low on energy and optimism. Razorback continue to work on switching offenses and building up a young defense in their way to victory. This is listed as a road game. However it will be played in Little Rock. So it's not like when Miami played at Louisiana Tech.

9/13 @ Texas

I wouldn't predict Petrino pulling a Houston Nutt and sporting the upside down horns when this one is over. I predict pain. The Razorbacks are just woefully overmatched in this game. They would have had a much better shot in either of the last two years. Their only hope is Petrino pulling a Mark Richt on Will Muschamp's defense. Offensive masterminds seem to find ways to exploit man coverage. Unfortunately for Arkansas, Casey Dick is their quarterback. Horns over Hogs in this one.

9/20 bama

Both teams will have had a major test with out of conference games. Though I don't expect either team to win those match ups. So this is the first chance to take a home an important victory. If Petrino can convince himself to play a ball control ground oriented game he has a serious shot. The bama defense definitely has it's weaknesses this year. It should be a low scoring game and basically the complete opposite of last year's 41-38 thriller. I'd say the winner maybe gets 17 points and I think bama is the team to do that.

10/4 Florida

I guess the bright side is that you get an off week heading into this game. The downside? Arkansas has zero chance in this game. Florida will run, pass, and in general rack up yards and points on the Arky defense. Bloodbath.

10/11 @ Auburn

Tough back to back games for the Razorbacks. The Petrino/Tuberville matchup will be draw the media's attention for the week. And for good reason, because that's actually a story line. The game itself will lack any drama. Auburn will win big.

10/18 @ Kentucky

This game will have a different feel from Petrino's previous visits to Lexington. He doesn't quite have the offensive firepower yet that he had with Louisville. And the Wildcats shouldn't be as hyped for this game. In fact either team should really be grappling for what could one of their only SEC wins for the year. This should be a painful game to watch. Just dreadful. I can't think of a compelling reason to watch. I'll give it to Kentucky because of home field advantage. Maybe they make a special teams play to give them the W.

10/25 Ole Miss

Did I mention that the media would focus on the Tuberville/Petrino matchup? Well it won't be anything compared to the state of Arkansas' reaction to Houston Nutt bringing the Rebels to Fayetteville. I guess Spurrier has shown no problems facing his alma mater and former coaching stop. I reckon Nutt will do the same though not because of his mental fortitude. Nutt gets to face his old recruits with Orgeron's recruits at his disposal. Advantage Ole Miss.

11/01 Tulsa

The Golden Hurricane make the short trip over to Fayetteville and the Razorbacks are thankful. Arkansas makes it close but pulls out the much needed victory.

@ South Carolina

Of the constant East vs. West battles, this matchup is constantly the least intriguing to me. Miss St. and Kentucky is a close second but at least their borders are somewhat close. If they both had fully stocked teams it'd be a blast to see Spurrier face off against Petrino. But the OBC has been on the job a bit longer and has more talent. The Cocks prevail over Casey Dick. I'm not above it.

@ Miss State

I'm getting tired of writing this preview, so I imagine Arkansas' players, coaches, and fans will already be focusing on the future instead of this dreadful season. I don't think Miss State will have quite the season they did last year but they should be able to pull out this victory at home.

LSU

I can't figure out why Arkansas keeps playing this matchup in Little Rock. It's essentially their biggest matchup every year and they waste with an off campus setting. They must be locked into some sort of contract. Anyways, LSU's QB could be a Dartmouth transfer and still win this game. I'm assuming that Harvard has a better football program than Dartmouth. Should I have said Wellesley?

SEC: 0-8
Overall: 3-9

Rough year for Arkansas.

"Girl Talk" messes with your head

2008-07-26T08:56:00.004-04:00

On a recent episode of NPR's All Songs Considered Podcast, I was introduced to Girl Talk. Which is some producer named Gregg Gillis. And basically, he makes entire songs out of just samples. It confuses and intrigues the brain. You know those great montage sequences they show during the Oscars or Emmys and hundreds of familiar images quickly flash across the screen? Well this is the audio version of that.

One time at work I grabbed Chick Fil-A for lunch but they forgot to give me BBQ sauce to put on my sandwich. So when I got back to the office I used some Arby's sauce that was in the fridge. My head was immediately troubled by the fact that two separate eating experiences were being combined. It wasn't necessarily bad, just very confusing. That's kind of how this video makes me feel. Roy Orbison/Traveling Wilburys singing over a rap track and then a quick Dee-Lite segue into Salt N Pepa rapping along with Kurt Cobain. I kinda dig it, I kind of hate it. Judge for yourself.

A Franchise on the Brink

2008-07-21T13:06:00.004-04:00

"We got no food, no jobs... our PET'S HEADS ARE FALLING OFF!" That's basically how the Hawks are making me feel right now. What else could go wrong this summer?

A big thank you to Atlanta Spirit Group and Rick Sund. They've really made me excited about being a Hawks fan the past couple of months. You know, I wouldn't have minded if we gave up a 2nd round pick for Marcus Camby. If I knew Josh Smith had thoughts about signing with other teams, I may have at least met with a high profile free agent. Instead, the biggest splash of the summer is either these ongoing rumors that neither Josh is interested in staying with the Hawks or that Speedy Claxton is healthy enough to play in summer league. Woo Hoo! Where do I sign up for season tickets?

Mark Stein on Josh Smith:

"Josh Smith's increasing reluctance to return to the Atlanta Hawks has little to do with Mike Woodson, despite repeated media suggestions that Smith is eager to play for a new coach.

Smith and Woodson are fine, one confidante insists. Smith's frustration with the Hawks is the slow-moving state of negotiations, with Smith apparently still waiting for a serious contract proposal nearly three weeks into free agency.

Not that this is a grand surprise given the Hawks' rep for spending or a quandary exclusive to Smith. The only team in the league with salary-cap space to throw at premier restricteds such as Smith, Charlotte's Emeka Okafor and Chicago's Luol Deng is the Memphis Grizzlies, who have no plans to make their money available this summer, preferring to focus on trade possibilities. So the Hawks, Bobcats and Bulls are naturally proceeding slowly and conservatively, figuring that their prized assets have limited leverage.

Which is true. Threatening to sign a one-year qualifying offer that would lead to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2009 is pretty much the only way Smith can apply pressure on the Hawks now.

Yet I suspect the sign-and-trade chatter will begin to pick up, maybe in all three cases, with Smith said to be especially eager to move on.

I wonder, for example, if my coaching pal who asked me why the Dallas Mavericks aren't trying to assemble a deal that features former ACC player of the year Josh Howard going to Atlanta in some sort of package for Smith isn't onto something."

Yahoo on Josh Childress:

"Childress flew to Greece late Sunday and is scheduled to meet with Olympiakos officials on Monday. Childress, 25, is so flustered with the Hawks’ refusal to make a sign-and-trade deal to another team, one source familiar with his thinking believes there’s “better than a 50-50 chance” he’ll sign with Olympiakos. The team also will cover the Greek taxes for Childress, making it even more lucrative."

I don't think Josh Childress is hard to replace nor do I think we should throw a lot of money at him. But I think his desire to leave the franchise is telling."

They Took Our Beer!

2008-07-16T13:27:00.003-04:00

So this week's news that Belgium's InBev plans on buying Anheuser-Busch brought up two interesting things to me. The first from the article itself:

"Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Anheuser-Busch has more than 48 percent of American market share with brands that include Bud Light."

Really? 48%? I predominantly drink Bud Light as do most people I know. But I also buy a lot of other stuff. At the very least you would think that Miller, Coors, and all of the microbreweries would account for more than 52%. Which brings up the question of what that statement means. Are they saying that 48% of all beer purchased in the US is an Anheuser-Busch product? Or that 48% of all American owned beers sold are Anheuser-Busch products.

The reason I ask is because, once this sale goes through, what will be the biggest American owned beer?

Anheuser which will become Belgium owned brews the following: Bud, Bud Light, Busch, Michelob, Natural Light, and Rolling Rock

SABMiller which is South African based currently brews: Miller, Milwaukee's Best,Icehouse, Southpaw, Steel Reserve, Hamm's and Red Dog. They also appear to contract brew Pabst and Stroh's.

Molson Coors appears to be based in Canada though I can't totally figure out who had the upper hand in the merger. Also they have some sort of joint venture with SABMiller to market all beers under the MillerCoors name. Anyways, they brew: Coors, Keystone, Killian's Red, Blue Moon, and most importantly Zima.

So where does that leave us? Off the top of my head I would have to guess Sam Adams. Then you have all of the smaller regions beer companies like Sweetwater, Shiner, Flying Dog, Anchor, etc. But it seems the day of the watered-down funnel worthy American owned beer is gone. I guess you can hold on to the fact that they are still brewed in America.

2008 College Football TV Listings Guide

2008-07-16T10:37:00.002-04:00

It's almost that time of the year. Here is the complete list of every college football game that will be televised this year.

Atlantans I Hate: Cynthia Good

2008-07-10T12:47:00.004-04:00

I love Atlanta. As a result I have a general bias for Atlantans. I just naturally assume that they're all as awesome as I am. Every now and again I have to face the facts that some Atlantans just suck. I hate these people.

You probably haven't heard of Cynthia Good before because she's the editor of a magazine you've never heard of that caters to a market you've never heard of. Her magazine, Pink, "focuses on professional women". And if I've picked up anything from hanging around professional women, it's that they have plenty of time to sit around and read about other professional women. But this is irrelevant. I don't hate Cynthia because of her obscure magazine. I didn't know of her, or hate her, until I read this AJC Article.

"Across Atlanta they stood, orange signs with black letters that read "Men At Work" or "Men Working Ahead." Sometimes, the signs stood next to women working alongside the men. Good demanded Atlanta officials remove the signs and last week, Atlanta Public Works Commissioner Joe Basista agreed. Score one for gender equality, Good said Wednesday."

You can award a point for Cynthia Good for wasting taxpayer money and also sullying the name of women's rights. Let's see if we can come up with a more logical sollution than paying $144 for new signs or $22 to adapt old signs.

1) Agree to not make any more "Men at Work" signs and as they get damaged, replace them with "Workers Ahead Signs". So now you're not spending any additional money and you're addressing the problem.

2) Figure out how much it would cost to replace the current signs. Realize that in some small way that it might be a biased statement and accept it. Replace new signs with the proper terminology as needed. Now take the money that you didn't use to replace the signs and spend it on job fairs for women or special training for females in high school. See what I did there? I addressed the issue that your magazine is supposed to handle. But instead of wasting government money to fix something that's no even offensive, I used that money to actually improve our society.

3) This really isn't a solution. But what's so bad about Men at Work. Sometimes I want a vegemite sandwich.

Photo Time: Mathletes

2008-06-20T18:39:00.004-04:00

If you're heading north on Northside Drive about a mile south of the Georgia Dome you can spot the most perplexing, awesome, earth shattering, and dorktastic "adopt a highway" sign in recorded history.

good stuff

2008-06-03T23:25:00.003-04:00

How else will I assert my snobbery?

2008-06-03T17:28:00.003-04:00

This is just about the most depressing article I've ever read. I'm not sure I have the strength to continue in a world like this.

And is it just me or is anyone else getting a little tired of China and India these days. They are ruining everything.

Identical Cousins: Al Horford

2008-06-03T11:21:00.004-04:00

In the past we've examined the similarities between Shelden Williams and Admiral Ackbar, Mike Bibby and Bat Boy, and Peter Vecsey and Christopher Lowell. Well we're stepping back into the obscure Star Wars universe to find Horford's identical cousin. You may recognize Ten Numb as a Rebel from background shots of the Alliance's assault on the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi. You may recognize Al Horford from going ape shit during the Celtics playoff series and turning into a borderline pro wrestler. I couldn't be more on the Horford bandwagon at this point. If we can ever get a center he'll have an Elton Brand like impact at power forward. Anyway, I just noticed a bit of a similarity. To get the full effect you need to see Horford smiling with his mouthpiece still in. Unfortunately I couldn't really find any pictures like that so this is the best I could come up with.

SWEET! ...tea

2008-05-28T15:23:00.003-04:00

My prayers have been answered. Two weeks ago I spotted a Milo's Sweet Tea billboard on I-75 North of Atlanta and then I discovered a billboard a couple of blocks from my house. After coming up empty at some local stores I checked the Milos Tea website and thankfully they stock it at the Wal Mart on Howell Mill Road. Hell, I might stop by and chug a gallon on my bike ride home tomorrow.

If you've never had Milo's itself (Birmingham based fast food chain) or their tea, do yourself a favor and devour some as soon as possible. I still don't understand why Arby's doesn't follow this model and sell their sauce in grocery stores.

Bigfoot Bikes!

2008-05-20T14:24:00.003-04:00

While I was getting a bike tire fixed yesterday I was looking into those cycling shoes that clip into the pedals. I got some basic info then asked my standard question about having to order the shoes because I wear a 14. Then the salesman informs me that he may actually have some big shoes because Tom Gugliotta had ordered some a few weeks ago but they probably wouldn't be "entry level" shoes like I was looking for. Alas there were none and I didn't get to buy the shoes that Tom deemed unworthy.

I pray for the day I get to see a 6"10 Googs biking around Atlanta. Hopefully it'll look something like this. Maybe Antoine still lives in Atlanta.

One of My Favorites

2008-02-20T17:24:00.004-05:00

A podcast by one of my favorite musician's, Tift Merritt, interviewing Nick Hornby who happens to be one of my favorite authors. Tift Merritt's new album comes out on Tuesday February 26th by the way. You can listen to song samples from Another Country here

Another of my favorite authors, Chuck Klosterman, discussing Gram Parsons who happens to be one of my favorite musicians. If you want to hear a bit of Gram I suggest getting GP/Grievous Angel which are his two solo albums that are now sold together. Of course if you're like me, you automatically look up the original track listing and separate the albums. Of course I also immediately remove any bonus tracks from an album I buy.

Now if you dig that album, a lot, I suggest reading Hickory Wind the Gram Parson's biography written by Ben Fong-Torres. Ben used to be a writer for Rolling Stone in the 70's. In Almost Famous he was the Asian writer who was bragging about their modem: "it's a very high-tech machine that transmits pages over the telephone! It only takes eighteen minutes a page!" Anyways, he had access to Gram at various times and writes a very thorough and compelling book.

Staggering Statistics

2008-01-22T13:29:00.000-05:00

- From Mark Bradley's Hawks column this morning: "The same [Josh] Smith who has missed 41 of 54 treys on the season." 24%? Really? If Gilbert Arenas can beat Deshawn Stevenson in a 3pt contest shooting with just one hand, how would he have to handicap himself to make it a fair contest with Josh Smith? Shooting left handed would probably be too easy. I'm guessing he'd have to bounce each ball in HORSE style.

The bigger issue in Bradley's article is what's taking the Hawks so long to make the transition from a bad team into a good one. He puts the blame on Billy Knight which in turn means we don't have a point guard, and also Mike Woodson. I'm not thrilled with a couple of the moves Knight has made, but I"m putting the majority of the blame on Mike Woodson. He's just not a good coach. For some reason the Hawks still aren't pushing the tempo on a regular basis, his rotation makes little to no sense, and he seems to have no influence on the refs (thus Joe gets no foul calls, and Josh Smith & Marvin get called for everything defensively against other teams' stars).

- Heard some guy from the Las Vegas Hilton Sportsbook on Colin Cowherd's show. According to him, big money bettors (five figure or high limit bets) only account for about 10% of all bets placed but make up around 60% of the total money bet on a game. Also he expects just the Hilton to take in around $98 million worth of bets on the Super Bowl. That probably means that at least $1 billion is bet on the Superbowl through sportsbooks. If you were to then throw in the friendly wagers and squares games placed on the big game, we're talking about a ridiculous amount of money being wagered.

The Wire Premiere

2008-01-03T21:23:00.000-05:00

Season Five of The Wire premieres on Sunday so what better time for me to get back in the game. Here are couple of related links.

HBO has a The Wire Season 5 Video Podcast available for free. Which is essentially the main extra features from the Season 4 DVD. There is some quality info in there. And if you have a video iPod, I suggest downloading free video whenever possible. It's a great way to waste time when you're waiting to meet someone or getting your oil changed etc.

Also, here is every The Wire related post from the New York Mag's Vulture Blog. Which includes interviews with the actors who play Omar, Marlo, and Bubbles.

Don't Ever Give Up

2007-11-28T08:33:00.001-05:00

Tonight at 7pm ESPN will air the ESPY speech before the start of the Jimmy V Classic

Thank you, Thank you very much. Thank you. That's the lowest I've ever seen Dick Vitale since the owner of the Detroit Pistons called him in and told him he should go into broadcasting.

I can't tell you what an honor it is, to even be mentioned in the same breath with Arthur Ashe. This is something I certainly will treasure forever. But, as it was said on the tape, and I also don't have one of those things going with the cue cards, so I'm going to speak longer than anybody else has spoken tonight. That's the way it goes. Time is very precious to me. I don't know how much I have left and I have some things that I would like to say. Hopefully, at the end, I will have said something that will be important to other people too.

But, I can't help it. Now I'm fighting cancer, everybody knows that. People ask me all the time about how you go through your life and how's your day, and nothing is changed for me. As Dick said, I'm a very emotional and passionate man. I can't help it. That's being the son of Rocco and Angelina Valvano. It comes with the territory. We hug, we kiss, we love. When people say to me how do you get through life or each day, it's the same thing. To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. Number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.

I rode on the plane up today with Mike Krzyzewski, my good friend and wonderful coach. People don't realize he's ten times a better person than he is a coach, and we know he's a great coach. He's meant a lot to me in these last five or six months with my battle. But when I look at Mike, I think, we competed against each other as players. I coached against him for fifteen years, and I always have to think about what's important in life to me are these three things. Where you started, where you are and where you're going to be. Those are the three things that I try to do every day. When I think about getting up and giving a speech, I can't help it. I have to remember the first speech I ever gave.
I was coaching at Rutgers University, that was my first job, oh that's wonderful (reaction to applause), and I was the freshman coach. That's when freshmen played on freshman teams, and I was so fired up about my first job. I see Lou Holtz here. Coach Holtz, who doesn't like the very first job you had? The very first time you stood in the locker room to give a pep talk. That's a special place, the locker room, for a coach to give a talk. So my idol as a coach was Vince Lombardi, and I read this book called "Commitment To Excellence" by Vince Lombardi. And in the book, Lombardi talked about the fist time he spoke before his Green Bay Packers team in the locker room, and they were perennial losers. I'm reading this and Lombardi said he was thinking should it be a long talk, or a short talk? But he wanted it to be emotional, so it would be brief. So here's what I did. Normally you get in the locker room, I don't know, twenty-five minutes, a half hour before the team takes the field, you do your little x and o's, and then you give the great Knute Rockne talk. We all do. Speech number eight-four. You pull them right out, you get ready. You get your squad ready. Well, this is the first one I ever gave and I read this thing. Lombardi, what he said was he didn't go in, he waited. His team wondering, where is he? Where is this great coach? He's not there. Ten minutes he's still not there. Three minutes before they could take the field Lombardi comes in, bangs the door open, and I think you all remember what great presence he had, great presence. He walked in and he walked back and forth, like this, just walked, staring at the players. He said, "All eyes on me." I'm reading this in this book. I'm getting this picture of Lombardi before his first game and he said "Gentlemen, we will be successful this year, if you can focus on three things, and three things only. Your family, your religion and the Green Bay Packers." They knocked the walls down and the rest was history. I said, that's beautiful. I'm going to do that. Your family, your religion and Rutgers basketball. That's it. I had it. Listen, I'm twenty-one years old. The kids I'm coaching are nineteen, and I'm going to be the greatest coach in the world, the next Lombardi. I'm practicing outside of the locker room and the managers tell me you got to go in. Not yet, not yet, family, religion, Rutgers Basketball. All eyes on me. I got it, I got it. Then finally he said, three minutes, I said fine. True story. I go to knock the doors open just like Lombardi. Boom! They don't open. I almost broke my arm. Now I was down, the players were looking. Help the coach out, help him out. Now I did like Lombardi, I walked back and forth, and I was going like that with my arm getting the feeling back in it. Finally I said, "Gentlemen, all eyes on me." These kids wanted to play, they're nineteen. "Let's go," I said. "Gentlemen, we'll be successful this year if you can focus on three things, and three things only. Your family, your religion and the Green Bay Packers," I told them. I did that. I remember that. I remember where I came from.

It's so important to know where you are. I know where I am right now. How do you go from where you are to where you want to be? I think you have to have an enthusiasm for life. You have to have a dream, a goal. You have to be willing to work for it.

I talked about my family, my family's so important. People think I have courage. The courage in my family are my wife Pam, my three daughters, here, Nicole, Jamie, LeeAnn, my mom, who's right here too. That screen is flashing up there thirty seconds like I care about that screen right now, huh? I got tumors all over my body. I'm worried about some guy in the back going thirty seconds? You got a lot, hey va fa napoli, buddy. You got a lot.

I just got one last thing, I urge all of you, all of you, to enjoy your life, the precious moments you have. To spend each day with some laughter and some thought, to get you're emotions going. To be enthusiastic every day and as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Nothing great could be accomplished without enthusiasm," to keep your dreams alive in spite of problems whatever you have. The ability to be able to work hard for your dreams to come true, to become a reality.

Now I look at where I am now and I know what I want to do. What I would like to be able to do is spend whatever time I have left and to give, and maybe, some hope to others. Arthur Ashe Foundation is a wonderful thing, and AIDS, the amount of money pouring in for AIDS is not enough, but is significant. But if I told you it's ten times the amount that goes in for cancer research. I also told you that five hundred thousand people will die this year of cancer. I also tell you that one in every four will be afflicted with this disease, and yet somehow, we seem to have put it in a little bit of the background. I want to bring it back on the front table. We need your help. I need your help. We need money for research. It may not save my life. It may save my children's lives. It may save someone you love. And ESPN has been so kind to support me in this endeavor and allow me to announce tonight, that with ESPN's support, which means what? Their money and their dollars and they're helping me-we are starting the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research. And it's motto is "Don't give up, don't ever give up." That's what I'm going to try to do every minute that I have left. I will thank God for the day and the moment I have. If you see me, smile and give me a hug. That's important to me too. But try if you can to support, whether it's AIDS or the cancer foundation, so that someone else might survive, might prosper and might actually be cured of this dreaded disease. I can't thank ESPN enough for allowing this to happen. I'm going to work as hard as I can for cancer research and hopefully, maybe, we'll have some cures and some breakthroughs. I'd like to think, I'm going to fight my brains out to be back here again next year for the Arthur Ashe recipient. I want to give it next year!

I know, I gotta go, I gotta go, and I got one last thing and I said it before, and I want to say it again. Cancer can take away all my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever.

I thank you and God bless you all.

Hopeful End to the Losing Streak

2007-11-23T12:00:00.000-05:00

Missouri +2 Kansas

Last week was the first time I realized that Kansas used the New York Giants design for their uniforms. I can't think of another college team that does that. Highschool teams copy college team's uniforms all the time, I just can't think of NCAA team that does

Clemson -3 SOUTH CAROLINA

No opinion

Kentucky/Tennessee over 63.5

You won't see an ounce of pass defense in this game

UGA -3.5 GEORGIA TECH

The dawgs are closing the season strong

AUBURN -6 bama

6 point favorite for the six straight win. The Auburn secondary has to step up their game for this to happen though.

Week 12: Oops

2007-11-17T12:34:00.000-05:00

So after running some errands I sat down to watch the start of the Mich/Ohio St game and realize I hadn't made picks. So here's what I'm putting my money on in the afternoon/night games

Oklahoma/Texas Tech over 66
Louisville +9.5 South Florida
Clemson -9 BC
Missouri -9 Kansas St
West Virginia -5.5 Cincy

Week 11: Yikes!

2007-11-09T10:06:00.000-05:00

I felt extremely good about my picks last week going into Saturday. By about 3pm Saturday, with four games left to play I was convinced I was heading towards 0-5. I wasn't far off. Hopefully things will take a turn for the better this week.

I'll be road tripping it up to Athens, which oddly is closer to Atlanta than Auburn but often times a longer drive on gameday. What kind of cow college is uga that they can't get an interstate to pass by campus? How embarassing. With a minimum of 30 people hitting up the tailgate and a mixture or loyalties is should make for a eventful and enjoyable tailgate.

If some Auburn fans happen to read this before heading to Athens, watch out for open containers. Don't even think about taking a step off of campus with a drink in your hand. If you're on campus it's basically alright. One foot on the sidewalk and you're asking for it. Also, judging by UGA football player's names in the paper over the last few years, you should probably make sure you don't have an expired license, tag, or insurance. Otherwise you may be subject to missing the first half of the UAB game.

I don't care to bet on it. But did anyone notice that Notre Dame is 3.5 pt. home underdog against Air Force? Good times.

Last Week: 1-3-1
Season: 27-22-1

CLEMSON -9 Wake Forest

This is a big number for this game. Clemson appears to be the better team and playing at home. Wake is definitely capable of keeping this game close. However, a couple of early scores by Davis/Spiller could leave them demoralized. Also, Clemson controls their destiny in the ACC Divisional race so they should be focused.

MISSOURI -19 Texas A&M

Lame duck coach, on the road, against an offensive juggernaut. Last week Texas A&M tried the same thing and ended up with a 42-14 defeat. Expect more of the same.

MIAMI -3.5 Virginia

How many times do I have to get burned by Miami before I stop picking them? Who knows. But Virginia has been more lucky than good and now they're short a running back. Throw in the fact that it's the last game to be played in the Orange Bowl, and I think you end up with Miami figuring out some way to win the game.

TENNESSEE PK Arkansas

From what I've seen so far this year. Teams that can pass light up both of these defenses. Arkansas gave up 40 points to bama and Kentucky. Tennessee got lit up by Cal, Florida, and Alabama. The Vols are 2nd in the conference in passing yards and Arkansas is 11th. Throw in the home field advantage and we've got a winner. By the way, is a fantastic site.

Boston College -6.5 MARYLAND

My one road favorite pick for the week. Virginia Tech and Florida State were able to cause BC problems by playing more physical football. Maryland's highlights for the year are wins over GT and Rutgers who are both 5-4. BC gets the value pick after their televised losses the last two weeks.

AUBURN PREVIEW

The more I think about it, I think this game comes down to one matchup and/or play. Matt Stafford's ability to throw down field against Auburn's secondary. Not 10 yard out patterns. 20-30 yard fly, corner, and post routes. This is how Florida and LSU were able to manage some success against the stout Auburn defense. I have no idea how this will actually end up.

If Auburn is able to contain the wide receivers with man coverage and little help from the safeties, then Auburn should be able to easily control the running game. And thus limit Georgia to a pedestrian 14 points or less.

If Stafford nails a couple of bombs, then the safeties scoot back, the ends slow down their rush, and Moreno has an opportunity to do some damage.

I think the Auburn offense somehow manages between 10-24 points. You run the ball enough, eliminate turnovers, and get some decent field position, and you're going to score some. Individual efforts will determine whether we're closer to 10 or 24 points.

As for the "black out". I can't think of anything that could have less effect on a game. After road trips to Gainesville and Baton Rouge, I don't think anything the georgia fans could do would intimidate the Tigers. Plus it's just not that loud of a stadium. You can't have an open endzone and be that loud.

Since it's weird rivalry and the games often don't turn out how I'd imagine. I'm going with a 17-14 Auburn victory. Another game winning field goal off the angelic foot of one Wes Byrum.

Player of the Game: Brad Lester, despite becoming a touchdown machine over the last few years, somehow Lester has never managed 100 yards rushing in a game. This Georgia native and Parkview grad will have the best game of his career on Saturday. I'd also expect Robert Dunn to make at least one clutch play.

Below you will find me celebrating my last trip to Athens. Stupid Georgia safeties, always playing the run and letting wr's run past them on 4th down pass plays.

Week 10: Mr. 3-2

2007-11-02T10:49:00.000-04:00

After going 3-2 the last couple of weeks I'm ready for my breakout game. I need that 5-0 to get me giddy again. Plus I'll be skipping the Auburn/Tennessee Tech homecoming game in favor of watching the glorious slate of games on TV tomorrow. So it'd be more enjoyable if I put on a betting show.

Last Week: 3-2
Season: 26-19

Kansas St -15.5

Granted 15.5 is a big number for a road team. And Iowa St. was able to hang with a unenthusiastic Oklahoma team a couple of weeks ago. But they shouldn't be in this game at all. They really are bad.

MICHIGAN -4 Michigan St

The Wolverines have won this game the last four years and they still seem to be undervalued after the early season let down. The Spartans are able to put some points on the board and able to keep games close. However I see Michigan winning by a touchdown.

OKLAHOMA -21 Texas A&M

I'm not sure where'd they have to set the line for this game for me to be scared. This has all the makings of one of those 50 point Sooner wins. At this point they are going for style points.

over 57.5 Washington/Stanford

My first inclination was to take the Huskies in this game. But looking at the scoring totals from the last few games, anything but the over seems like a silly bet. We're talking about a Washington team that let Arizona put 44 up on them last week.

BOSTON COLLEGE -7 Florida State

Let's see, first off we have the fact that Boston College is just a bettter team than FSU. Then you throw in the fact that it's a home game. Which is important since it's supposed to be in the 40's and raining tomorrow in Boston. Easy pick.

Mike Bibby's New Look

2007-11-02T10:10:00.000-04:00

In the past I've pointed out Mike Bibby's physical similarities to bat boy. Well, that's no longer the case. As you may know, Mike Bibby injured his thumb in a preseason game and will miss the first couple months of the season. However, you may have missed the fact that during the preseason, for the first time that I can remember, Bibby ditched the shaved head look. So if you're wondering why he's shaved his head since he burst on the scene at Arizona, check out the photo reasoning below.

Also, I just lost any amount of respect I had for Brad Diesel.

Jsmoove

2007-11-01T13:22:00.000-04:00

From a recent Sekou Smith post:

"Little tidbit picked up while eavesdropping on a conversation on the sideline before a recent exhibition game. The conversation turned to the contract extensions that weren’t given to Josh Smith and Josh Childress. A star point guard from an opposing team was stunned. “They’re not going to sign Josh Smith to an extension. That’s crazy. I wish I had him. With all the [this is a family blog so I can’t include this word] he can do, he’d be an All-Star if he played with me. I hope they’re crazy enough to let him go. I’ll take him right now.”"

The Hawks preseason schedule included Orlando, Miami, Charlotte, Portland, Minnesota, Washington, and New Orleans.

I'm guessing Wade wasn't at their preseason game. So I'm whittling the list down to Gilbert Arenas or Chris Paul. Either way, it's high praise for Josh Smith.

Week 9: Here are your winners?

2007-10-26T18:07:00.000-04:00

After admiring Matt Ryan from afar all season I got the chance to watch the whole game last night. He has no talent around him whatsoever. He may not have had a great first 56 mintues of the game but he finished with a flourish. If anything it only cemented my opinion that he's the best college quarterback entering the draft.

As far as the picks this week, not a lot that I liked. These are the type of bets/teams that I'd usually put my money behind. But it's been a crazy year and it's time to roll the dice.

Last week: 3-2
Season: 23-17

Clemson -3.5 MARYLAND

I know that Clemson is a more talented team and that 3.5 is not a lot of points to cover. I'm also sticking by my theory that teams are more likely to show up for a road game.

Virginia -4 NC STATE

I mean can you blame me? The Cavs are an unstoppable force this year. Other than that early season blemish at Wyoming, Al Groh has the hoos looking like they could beat the Patriots. Either that or the Wolfpack suck.

Kansas -3 TEXAS A&M

Notice the road favorite theme. I don't like the "they're bound to lose at some point theory". It was correct for the USF/Rutgers game, but I still don't think it's the percentage bet.

Indiana +8.5 WISCONSIN

Woah where did that pick come from? The Hoosiers have looked good at times this year. The Badger offense has been less than stellar. If Wisky wins I bet it's by 7 or less.

MICHIGAN -23 Minnesota

I have to take this game out of principle. The Gophers lost to South Dakota State.

I think Auburn sleeps walks it's way through a win over Ole Miss. Conservative game plan, lackluster fans and players, cool autumn day. I hope they get Kodi Burns some snaps in a traditional offense because he may be the biggest question mark on what should be an absolutely loaded Auburn team next year.

Red Brick Blonde - give it a try

2007-10-24T10:55:00.000-04:00

The Atlanta Brewing Company's Red Brick Blonde "won a gold medal for golden or blonde ale at the Great American Beer Festival". Read the article, buy the beer, enjoy life. I enjoy it thoroughly, though I wish more bars had it available.

If you can't find Red Brick Blonde at your local pub or store, go by the brewery and have a try on the cheap. The brewery tours are 6-8pm on Wednesdays and Fridays and 5-7 on Sundays. You can even check out their myspace page to see who the upcoming musical acts are going to be during the brewery tour. It's a well known fact that the brewery tour was partly to credit for the meteoric rise of Connor Rand & the Red Dirt Band. The afternoon brewery tour is also to credit for me forgetting many Friday nights from 2003-2005.

Week 8: Throwing Darts and Winning Money

2007-10-19T14:33:00.000-04:00

Seriously, who knows at this point? Well me. barely.

Last Week: 3-2
Season: 20-15

Arkansas -5 OLE MISS

I firmly believe that Auburn has one of the five best defenses in the nation. Ole Miss is not one of the other four. I don't think McFadden and Jones stay caged for two consecutive weeks. Also the way to beat Arkansas is to air it out (unlike Auburn's approach) and the Rebs just don't have that capability.

Tennessee PK @ bama

I'm saying that bama is only allowed to win two games a year on contraversial last second pass interference calls. Any more than that and someone in the SEC officiating office is going to get booted. But other than that, Tennessee is a better team. They've lost two games on the road to Cal and Florida. They have the best matchup in the game with UT's offense vs. the bama defense. I like the Vols.

Michigan -1 PURDUE

The Wolverines have not been dominant since there awful start, but they've been consistant. Having Mike Hart in the backfield makes that possible.

Michigan St @ OHIO STATE over 52.5

I don't see the Spartans holding the Buckeyes to less than 45 or so and I think Mich. St. gets some trash points at the end of the game. This goes back to the old Corso theory. He always wanted to play better teams on the road because they'd put in freshman and walkons at the end of the game. When you play a good team at home they only bring 65 guys with them.

WISCONSIN -23.5 northern illinois

It's time for the badges to get the train back on the tracks against an absolutely dreadful team.

AUBURN VS. LSU

If the front seven can contain LSU's plethora of back from picking up loads of yardage, it'll allow the safeties to hang back and play centerfield. Which is where they'll be needed.

Offensively, Auburn needs to run the ball in between the tackles, be smart with passes and play calling. It's almost a situation where I just want to get the ball in someones hands safely and hope they can make someone miss and turn it into a big play. I don't want to even think about turning the ball over.

Week 7: umm quick hits

2007-10-12T18:29:00.000-04:00

Last Week: 2-3
Season: 17-13

MICHIGAN -5.5 Purdue

why not?

Boston College -13.5 NOTRE DAME

Can you say breakout game. It's sad that it still takes a performance over a crappy Notre Dame to announce your presence to America. But this will officially kick off the Matt Ryan for Heisman campaign. It's a shame he let Wes Byrum get a two week head start.

Kentucky/LSU over 54.5

I can't predict if this will be a close game or not. But it's either going to be a close game or a blowout. I think a close game falls in the 35-28 category. I think a blowout has LSU putting up 40 or more with Kentucky getting an early touchdown and then a few late trash points. Either way I see it going over.

Auburn +3 ARKANSAS

I finally have some confidence in the passing attack. Rod Smith has stepped and become slightly above solid again. I think Brandon realizes his job is to not make mistakes, and luckily the Razorback defense sucks. I do think the Auburn offense is going to have to put on a show because I expect the Hogs to put up at least 17. I think the move of Senderrick Marks to DE during the offseason pays of in this game. It'll be important for the linebackers to step up and make sure tackles.

Illinois -5 IOWA

I have to give the Zooks credit. This could be one of the crazy letdown games that surprise teams lose. But I'm going to take my chances against an awful Hawkeye team.

Have fun and enjoy.

Week 6: You're Over Thinking It

2007-10-05T09:19:00.000-04:00

Let's just start this out with a bang. Enjoy the Mike Gundy sound board. It's getting to host your own whacky sports talk show. Feel free to heckle my picks with gems like "get your facts straight" "it's garbage" or "3/4ths of this is inaccurate" though to be fair I'd say it's usually more like 7/8ths.

Last Week: 2-3
Season: 15-10

KANSAS STATE -3 Kansas

I'm going to rely on the notion that Kansas hasn't played anyone and they are not actually that good. I'm also disregarding the worry of a letdown since they are playing their instate rival at home. And you know Kansas State has Power Towels now so they can't possibly lose. But honestly, you know for a fact that KSU is talented. Kansas is still an unknown. In case you didn't know, Kansas is undefeated after playing four games against Central Michigan, SE Louisiana, Toledo, and Florida International by an average of 47 ppg. Which is ironic because this is a textbook early 90's Bill Snyder KSU move.

MISSOURI -6 Nebraska

Home game, lot on the line, Nebraska has no defense. Missouri may not cover, but I think there is a 95% chance they are going to win. So I'll roll the dice and bet they cover. If this game was -7 I wouldn't take it. But the Tigers have been good to me this year and I'm gonna keep riding them as long I can.

Georgia -1 TENNESSEE

I don't get this line. I don't think Georgia is a great team by any means but what has Tennessee done this year to deserve to be the favorite. They've shown they have a porous defense against every team they've faced. On the other hand UGA has a road win at bama, a solid defense, and a quarterback and running back corps who you at least believe can make a few plays. Dawgs over Vols.

AUBURN -7.5 Vanderbilt

Here's the thing. Auburn is still not a great team and I understand they have issues. But they solved a lot of problems last week in Gainesville. Cox still threw three passes which Florida defenders dropped. And our injury problems on defense didn't get any better. But Cox also made several plays, the offensive line looked great run blocking, and the defense held florida to just 17 points. So even if the defense comes out a little flat against the Dores (which I expect) the offense still has something to prove. And I couldn't be more excited about Borges finally adding the slant to the offensive arsenal. Add Brad Lester's return to that and we've got a possibly rejuvenated offense that's ready to be Vandy by at least 10 points. Hopefully.

Check out this fantastic highlight video from the fine folks at The Auburner

Give us any chance, we'll take it.
Give us any rule, we'll break it.
We're gonna make our dreams come true.
Doin' it our way.

BYRUM FOR HEISMUM

EDIT: Looks like I wasn't paying attention.

I'm also taking Tulsa -3 at UTEP. Tulsa's only blemish is the Oklahoma game. I've like the UTEP Miners ever since I took them to a national championship in the 3rd of a dynasty in NCAA 2005, but sadly they're just not the pick this week.

And obviously UGA is the favorite, though only by a point. I guess my general question is.. why isn't uga favored by 5 or more.

Conversation with Terry Bowden

2007-10-05T09:02:00.001-04:00

On our way home from Gainesville on Sunday we stopped in some random gas station in North Florida. We had flags on the car and I was wearing an orange shirt. I get out of my car and while I'm heading to the pump I hear someone say "that was a pretty good game yesterday". Without looking I respond "sure was" and I look up to see who the guy with the Mercedes is. Well on the other side of the car was Terry Bowden. And here's how the rest of it goes as far as I can remember

TB: I can't remember the last time Auburn played that well in Auburn (I think judging if I recognized him)

Nix: I bet you can! Actually that game reminded me of '94 a little bit

TB: Yeah they were both competitive games. Different styles of play now.

Nix: Yeah it was good one

TB: They're going to have to come up with a name for that game. The Kick? Nah, I guess bama has their "kick" game. I guess the should call this one the Re-Kick!

Nix: Yeah that'd work. (At this point I'm completely flustered. It's a very surreal moment. I can't make eye contact to save my life)

TB: They need to change that time out rule. We can't allow grown men to play head games with 18 year olds on a national stage. That just isn't fair to the kids.

Nix: I actually think it might have helped him. It's like a warm up on the field. But I see what you're saying.

TB: I'm not sure what the change should be, but I don't like how it played out. We were talking about it on the radio. I was calling the game for Westwood One. It was heck of a kick though. I just enjoy watching the Gators lose at home.

Nix: I'm sure

TB: Well it was nice to meet you guys (btw Cousin Kevin was with me pumping the gas like my slave while I talk to the celebs), I'm heading up to Clemson to see if I can help my brother out.

The main thing I took out of the conversation was a question. Do I like Terry Bowden? There are a lot of Auburn fans who hate Terry for their different reasons. Some wanted him fired even sooner, some don't like how he resigned midseason, and I imagine some never like him.

At the time (1998) I was still supporting Terry. But I also didn't follow everything as closely as I do now. I didn't notice the decline in recruiting, I didn't hear the stories about what was going on behind closed doors. I didn't realize the coaches he let get away and how he replaced them. So now, I agree it was time for Terry to go and I'm very happy we were able to replace with Tuberville. But I don't feel any ill will against him. And I don't think I'll ever forget those 93 and 94 seasons and games from 97. But it's still an odd situation. I'd also imagine he's somewhat conflicted about how he feels towards Auburn. It was lot for me to process during a 2 minute conversation and I ultimately decided on not giving him a "War Eagle" as we ended the conversation.

Just a surreal encounter.

Wes Byrum for Heismum!

2007-10-02T12:18:00.001-04:00

The Kick

And the shirt

The kid's got a golden foot.

thoughts from Gainesville

2007-10-01T20:32:00.000-04:00

- For some reason I didn't see it mentioned anywhere last week and I didn't realize it until about an hour into the drive. But since bama was playing in Jacksonville and Auburn in Gainesville, there were a ton of fans from both schools on the highway. I immediately dubbed it the Iron Bowl on I-75. It was just a whacky occurence. I only wish I'd thought out something to do ahead of time. The best we could come up with was to head down early and hang a picture of a gigantic thumb from an overpass.

- I've often thought that the jean shorts and Florida fans was overrated. And in actuality what you really notice is that no students dress up for the games. Guys where t-shirts and girls wear tank tops. Well I was wrong. There were jorts everywhere. Check out this visual proof. The worst offense I noticed was a girl staying at our hotel who had cutoff jeans to create her own homemade denim capris. It was horrific.

- Apparently our friend Chris says this is a new fad everywhere and I've just missed it b/c I didn't go out as much this summer. But all of the Florida girls at the bar on Friday night were rocking the shorts and high heels look. It's definitely slutty looking. But I wasn't complaining either. Also I saw plenty of those backpack purses. Dancin Denise and Elisa can back this up. Cousin Kevin may be able to offer some pics as well.

- Across from our hotel was a Steak & Shake which is not really out of the norm. However there was also a Guthries that stayed open late night. I've never heard of that. If we would have had one in Auburn I'd be dead with a heart attack by now.

- Pretty dorky moment when I introduced myself to other people on the Auburn Scout message board while waiting for Tiger Walk. Mainly because I was so excited about it.

- I've been to two games in the Swamp and I can't say enough good things about it. The sidelines are more narrow than any other stadium so the first row of seats are really close to the action. Then the rest of the stadium has been pieced together as close to a bowl as possible. I was on the last row of the endzone upperdeck and I wasn't really disappointed with my seats. Plus the Gator faithfull were loud the whole game despite being down by 14 points at times.

- Great game plan. I love that we finally went to using the slant and Brandon and the receivers were able to step up and execute that plan. Can't say enough about three true freshman playing on the offensive line and winning a game like that.

- Seriously, Auburn (if everybody sticks around) will be a force in 2009 and or 2010. From an article on autigers.com "Of Auburn’s 135 points scored this season, 111 have been produced by freshmen or sophomores." That's insane. That's not even counting all of the young talent on the defensive line and secondary.

- I love that Auburn has stopped Meyer's offense with two completely different approaches. Last year we blitzed like mad men in the 2nd half and rattled Leak. This year everybody hung back and played disciplined football. Of course most teams wouldn't be willing to cover Percy Harvin in man to man. Big ups to Pat Lee.

- The one note of caution, unfortunately this win does nothing to address Auburn's recent problems showing up for non-marquee games. Like say playing Vandy at 11:30 this Saturday.

- Tomorrow a recap of my conversation with Terry Bowden at a gas station on Sunday morning.

Week 5: Low Scoring Slugfests

2007-09-28T10:34:00.000-04:00

Have to get these out quick. Heading down to Gainesville in a couple of minutes.

Last Week: 4-1
Season: 13-7

MIAMI -24 duke

I'm picking the Hurricanes solely because this article is so awesome

ole miss/uga under 48

Two good defenses, two mediocre offenses, both may be flat after last week's games.

VIRGINIA -6 pitt

Umm......

Clemson -3 GT

John Tenuta is fantastic at confusing quarterbacks. Clemson however doesn't know that the forward pass has been invented. Tigers ground game pulls out the important road win.

bama/fsu under 43.5

I think bama's offense was closer to their Vandy and UGA performances than their Arkansas game. FSU has been struggling for awhile.

AUBURN Preview:

Couple keys to the game for Auburn
- Protect the ball. Obviously, if turnovers hurt you against USF and Miss St, they are really going to hurt against Florida.

- Discipline on defense. Don't over pursue. Form tackle below the waist. Tim Tebow is a lot like Brandon Jacobs. You absolutely have to tackle him at the legs.

- You know that Tuberville is going to try a trick play at some point. It has to be at the right time. So if it fails the game isn't over. Unfortunately that's almost exactly what he's done in his last two trips to Gainesville. So let's don't try a onsides kick on the opening kickoff or better yet don't fake punt from inside our own 20.

I wish their weren't so many injuries on Auburn's defense. With a healthy linebacking corps, I think we have the speed to match up with Florida. On offense, they just need to figure out a way to manage 14 points to keep themselves in the thick of it. Then hope for a special teams or defensive score.

Was Al Borges the wrong hire?

2007-09-24T23:32:00.000-04:00

The 2003 season started off with great expectations for Auburn. Coming off a strong finish to the 2002 season, the loaded backfield and always dependable defense were garnering national attention. Unfortunately, Bobby Petrino had left for Louisville and taken any intelligent offensive gameplanning with him. Tommy Tuberville promoted offensive line coach Hugh Nall to the coordinator job and brought in Steve Ensminger (who had been out of college for a few years) in as quarterback coach. The results were disasterous. The offense was completely inept and lead to early losses to USC and Georgia Tech. After the failed Jet-Gate experience and Iron Bowl victory, Tuberville was able to keep his job but he had to hire a new offensive coordinator.

If my memory serves, Rob Spence from Toledo, Shane Montgomery from Miami of Ohio, and Al Borges were all interviewed. I also remember Chris Petersen from Boise State being mentioned. Supposedly each candidate was brought in to interview with the entire Auburn offensive coaching staff. They went through the standard interview process and then were quizzed by the staff. They were asked what plays they would call in certain situations and how they would incorporate both Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown into the gameplan. At the time Spence, Montgomery, and Petersen were all offensive coordinators for top offenses in lower conferences. The little known Al Borges was currently at the helm of a bottom of the conference Indiana team. Unlike the other candidates who had gained national prominence, Borges was recommended to Tuberville by Kevin Yoxall the Tiger's strength and conditioning coach who had worked with Borges when he was the OC for the Bruins high octane offense that featured Cade McNown and Deshaun Foster. As the story goes, Borges blew away the other candidates in the scheming session and was given the job.

Most Auburn faithfull were less than excited and wanted to get an up and comer rather than a retread. At the very least, you'd could say that most fans were skeptical. As you know, Borges made all the right calls and guided a star studded offense to an undefeated season. In 2005 Borges had a less talented offense lead the SEC in total offense for a second straight year. However in 2006 the wheels came off. Possibly because of key injuries to key players, Auburn's offense sputtered but was able to still get 11 wins because of a great defense. However the offense was often out gained in those wins. Auburn's offense has been well below average again this year. There are definitely some personnel issues but there also appears to be a recurring theme of unimaginative play calling and sub-par performers.

Meanwhile let's take a look at Rob Spence who moved on from Toledo to take the OC job at Clemson. In 2004 they finished 8th in the conference in scoring offense, 5th in 2004, 1st in 2005, and they are currently first in the conference again. Spence has proven that he can use two running backs as we've seen James Davis and CJ Spiller carve up defenses the last two years. He's capable of producing the power running game that Tuberville demands and has shown he can get the ball to his athletic receivers. He was my choice at the time and at this point I'm torn on the decision to hire Borges.

On the one hand, you have the 2004 season that I will always cherish, and on the other hand you have the gradual decline of the offense that started with the 2005 bowl game against Wisconsin. There are basically two questions to be answered: 1) Could one of the other candidates also lead Auburn to an undefeated season? 2) Will Borges be able to turn the offense around next year with Kodi Burns behind the controls or even later on this year? For whatever reason, I'm saying that any other OC only manages a one or two loss season (that's if they were also able to convince Caddy and Ronnie to stay for their senior year, which is not a given). I'm probably guessing they may have openend things up too much in the LSU game and a turnover would have been the difference. But it also appears that Spence could have helped the program more over the last 2.5 years. He seems to create new plays to get the ball in the hands of his playmakers. Borges on the other hand can't figure out a way to get any sort of passing game going to get the defenders out of the box.

To borrow a Borges explanation, I'm willing to put a large part of the blame on the "Jimmies and Joes" and not the "X's and O's". Besides Brandon Cox's regression, it's obvious that before this years freshman class we had seriously failed in our offensive line recruiting. Also a couple misses at wide receiver are glaring at the moment. However there is young talent that should be mature enough to put up some numbers in 2008. If he can't put together a potent offense next year it's time to make a change and get someone new in to get us ready for the inevitable 2010 title run.

After all of last year and especially the Fiesta Bowl, I also get the impression that Chris Petersen may have a good hire as well.

Week 4: It Seems Too Easy

2007-09-21T11:02:00.000-04:00

There are number of lines on the board that just seem too easy. Lot of people counting on emotional let downs or past history. Me? I just like to pick winners. Really I'm just excited that I actually get to sit down and watch games all day tomorrow. Tailgating is great, but it makes it almost impossible to watch another game in it's entirety. By the time I got to a tv last week, the task of switching my focus between three tv's was daunting. I was little drunk but I'm pretty sure the Louisville/Kentucky game was played without defenders on the field. It looked like NCAA or Madden when you run the practice mode to work on your timing.

Last Week: 3-2
Season: 9-6

Georgia Tech -3.5 VIRGINIA

Supposedly Tech hasn't won in Charlottesville since the 1990 national championship team. Which would be a stat that would scare me if Tech had beaten BC last week. Tech has a history of let down games (UVA two years ago) but that usually when their riding a winning streak. I look for a focused ground attack to run up some numbers on the Cavs. If Choice isn't playing i just expect Dwyer to get the job done.

WAKE FOREST -3 Maryland

With Riley Skinner questionable I understand this line. However I don't agree with it. Whoever Wake has under center will do enough to roll the lowly Terps.

Clemson -7.5 NC STATE

After two weeks of crushing cupcakes, the Tigers are ready to pounce (nice) in their road opener. NC State is awful. This is one of those games where the Wolfpack would have a better chance on the road. I think it's hard to overlook and opponent or look forward to next week when you play on the road.

Over 67.5 Arkansas and Kentucky

Arkansas proved last week they couldn't defend the pass and Kentucky proved they had no defense whatsoever last week. I think the sole fact that this is an SEC matchup is keep the total so low.

TROY -9 Louisiana LaFayette

Could this be a letdown game for Troy. They start of the season at Arkansas and Florida, return home to blister OkSt last Friday and now they have the Rajun Cajuns of Oohlaalaa coming to town. Every reason to come into the game flat. That being said, I think the spread should be 13. Eventually the Trojans will turn it around and pull out a 2 TD victory. (picking this game was a toss up with USF covering 13 at home against UNC)

AUBURN PREVIEW:

Yikes. On the one hand you had the future of the offense on display as Kodi Burns, Ben Tate, and Mario Fannin racked up some yards. On the other hand, you have a loss to lowly Mississippi State. I don't know what to make of this team. If you play typical Tommy Tuberville ball the last two weeks, you probably are 3-0. But instead we got a little turnover crazy and sit 1-2 with a program in jeopardy. It was bound to happen, we played too many close games the last two years to not start dropping some because of ball bounces.

On the plus side, it looks like the defense is going to keep us in every game this year. So if the young talent on offense grows up, and the defense gets some better news on the injury front, Auburn has a chance to turn things around a little bit. Possibly grab two of the road games, and win out at home and you actually have a 8-4 season.

But none of that happens unless you build some confidence this week. The defense needs to believe the offense is good enough to give them a chance to win the rest of the season. You have to avoid having a total implosion. A 24 point victory this weekend would be the first step towards that.

Week 3: Fresh Batch of Winners

2007-09-14T08:57:00.000-04:00

I'm sure I've recommended it before, but College Gameday Final that comes on ESPN late on Saturday night, is absolutely essential viewing. It's the only place where you can see a plethora of highlights. Unfortunately, I haven't set up a season pass with my new DVR so I ended up missing it last week. I feel completely out of the loop. I have not seen one second of the Georgia/South Carolina game which I'm sure was fairly interesting. Anyways, watch Gameday Final, and if you're taping it, go with the 3am or 6am showing because the first showing is usually a partial recording because of a game running late. As for the regular Gameday, Gunslingers is still doing his weekly recap which I now find extremely more entertaining than the actual show. Plus you don't have to look at Buffalo Face for 90 minutes.

Last Week: 4-1
Season: 6-4

Texas -17.5 CENTRAL FLORIDA

Huh? The Longhorns are traveling to Orlando? What is up with this stuff? Oklahoma State at Troy, Minnesota at Florida Atlantic, who are these athletic directors that are agreeing to these games? I guess for Texas, Minnesota, and Maryland (who played at FIU last week) at least it's a trip to sunny Florida. I don't know what the Cowboys were thinking. Anyway, Texas has been struggling so far this year. So I don't expect them to win by 50, but this spread seems a little low. If this game was in Austin I think it'd be around 28-31 points. I get the impression that the Citrus Bowl isn't that imposing of a road stadium.

MISSOURI -20 Western Michigan

My pick of the year Missouri Tigers play their first home game of the year after road victories (and spread covers) at Illinois and Ole Miss. W. Michigan however got thumped by the Mountaineers in Morgantown and then lost to Indiana at home last week (seriously what's up with traveling to nobody schools?). Missouri puts up 40-50 in this one and I don't see the Broncos keeping up.

Georgia Tech and Boston College under 48

BC is averaging 37.5 points in their home victories over Wake and NC State. However the trip to Atlanta won't be as easy. Between John Tenuta's defense and the inevitable Chan Gailey conservative gameplan that'll rely on giving Tashard Choice 30 carries, I see this one being around 21-17. I think GT wins this one as well.

Texas-El Paso +5.5 NEW MEXICO STATE

I gotta be honest with you. I don't get this line. Other than it being a road game, everything points to the Miners being the favorite. Maybe they are a little banged up from playing Texas Tech last week? I couldn't find a report of any major injuries so I'm going with UTEP to extend their winning streak over NMST to four games and win me a little money.

MIAMI -33 FIU

Don't the Hurricanes have every reason in the world to come out and dominate this game. First of all you have the brawl last year in this game that was the absolute low point for Miami football. Then you have the thrashing at Oklahoma last week. Throw in a QB battle, and you've got a team with something to prove. And Florida International stinks. It's a big number, but I think Miami can cover.

AUBURN PREVIEW:

Well the easiest way to sum up last week for Auburn is simply: 5 turnovers. It's just hard to win a game like that. The defense still looks nasty even though half the starters seem to be injured. The offense, sadly, needs to get back to the boring approach they had last year. Run the ball into the 8-9 man fronts, and make very safe passes until the line and wide receivers grow up and Brandon Cox gets his confidence back. This game seems like 20-3 for Auburn. Hopefully we'll get the chance to see the next step in Mario Fannin's rise to stardom. The fumbles were back breaking last week, but the way he runs with power is astounding. He's going to be a beast. Auburn has tons of talent, but most of it is young and inexperienced. I thought they could get through the first four games and then progress as the year went along. Unfortunately they hit a snag last week. The key now is to not get too down about that game, remember you still have a chance to win the SEC, and figure out how to score enough points to win some ballgames.

Important Television News: It's Always Sunny

2007-09-13T09:54:00.001-04:00

Possibly the funniest show on television, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, makes it's triumphant return tonight. There will be back to back episodes from 10-11pm EST on FX tonight. And maybe, just maybe, Charlie will go America all over everybody's ass.

Also, I found a site that has the complete list of tv broadcasts for college football games. Pretty sweet, and should come in hand when we attempt to set up DirecTv and the College Gameplan Package at out tailgate for the first time on Saturday.

Simple Rules for Sports Bars

2007-09-12T16:16:00.001-04:00

I think I've only been to a handful of sports bars that I've found to be suitable places to watch a game. And really, it's not that hard. Here is my list of requirements for a sports bar.

- one gigantic television
- four games in view from every seat at the table
- The table should be able to have the channel changed on at least one tv if needed
- The audio for the main game should be played over the entire bar
- You have to have at least some sort of beer special. The chances of me drinking beer for 3-4 hours while watching games at $5/beer is not likely. Have some sort of bucket or pitcher special.
- I guess it's not a necessity but hot chick waitresses aren't a bad idea.

Of the places I've been to in Atlanta, I guess the new Taco Mac at Lindbergh/Piedmont comes the closest. Though I've had issues with them turning on the Hawks game before. I wish they had tv's in each booth or something. ESPN zone has most of the stuff but is a bit pricey and last time I went they had switched to HD.

Week 2: Getting Clearer

2007-09-07T08:21:00.000-04:00

Well I'm really ashamed of my picks last week. The Auburn pick was dumb and I couldn't have known less about the NC State game. That being said, I was .5 point away from a winning week. And outside the blog picks, I took LSU on Thursday and Texas Tech on Monday to pull out a winning week. I feel like I have a little bit better idea about several teams this week so let's see how it goes.

Missouri -6 OLE MISS: The Rebels got out to an early lead last week with a blocked punt and pick six generating two of their three touchdowns. Then they held on for dear life to pull out the game. Even though they'll be back in the friendly confines of Vaught-Hemingway, I don't think they have the fire power to keep up with Missouri. Through two games, Mizzou is the value pick that America hasn't caught up with yet.

TENNESSEE -10.5 Southern Miss: Night game at Neyland after going across the country and putting up 31 points. I don't think the Golden Eagles will be intimidated but I also don't think they have enough talent to hang within 10 points. This looks like a 14-17 point victory for the Vols. I'm assuming the line is hanging around this number because Florida is coming up next week. I think that'd be more of the case if they hadn't played and lost to Cal this week. There's not much they can hide film wise at this point and they definitely aren't too cocky.

UCLA -7.5 Brigham Young Doesn't BYU sound like a 1-AA team when you call them Brigham Young. It's like I expect them to be facing off against Gardner-Webb or Robert Morris. Anyway, I chalking up the BYU victory last week up to Arizona sucking and home field advantage. I don't think they will have quite the same performance in the Rose Bowl. I'm not saying UCLA beat anything more than a suckass Stanford team last week, but at least they did it on the road. Pedigree wins out. Go Bruins. Actually, I'm only making this pick because of the Bruin Juggler

BOSTON COLLEGE -14 North Carolina State: I wish this line were 13.5. But really, the Wolfpack proved last week that they don't have any fight (god what an awful pick that was). If you can't beat Central Florida at home I don't have faith in your ability to win one for the Gipper against his old school. Looking at the score from last week you'd have to wonder about BC's defense giving up 28 to Wake. But actually the Deacons returned at touchdown and a fumble for a TD. I think BC takes better care of the fooball this week against lesser competition.

AUBURN -7 South Florida

I'm a little surprised this line hasn't moved this week. South Florida has no offensive line to speak of and it will definitely have an effect on the game. I forsee a plethora of turnovers. I think the Auburn offense has some of the jitters out of the way and takes advantage of good field position all day. What this game/spread comes down to, is how many points USF can hold Auburn to. I'm thinking 21-10 or something like that. Maybe three field goals for AU so it's like 23-13. It's not that Auburn is going to dominate this game as much as it's a silly line.

Last Week: 2-3
Season: 2-3

Post Game Thoughts on Auburn vs. Kansas State

2007-09-05T21:59:00.000-04:00

I had some initial thoughts on Saturday night and then I finally got around to watching the entire replay. I usually shy away from completely dogging players on the Auburn message boards, but nobody reads this site, so I'm not as skiddish.

- Brandon Cox is never going to be great. He had a bad game Saturday. But he's definitely capable of being a winning quarterback. He needs to accept that it's ok to throw the ball away on occasion. He also seems to struggle after a long break from actual game action. Here's hoping he puts on a show Saturday.

- Gabe McKenzie is a stud. He might just wind up the 1st team SEC TE this year. He's just a beast.

- Unfortunately there is some info and game tape, assignments, checks, etc that I'm no privy to. But the play calling has seemingly dropped off in the past couple of years. If our offensive line is subpar and defenses are stacking the box on us, why aren't we throwing more slants and fades? It agonizing sitting in the endzone and getting the perfect view of one of our wide receivers having a db playing tight on him with no safety help in the vicinity. Only to have us run a half back dive or something similar. I would just check into a fade everytime until they change their philosophy. You're telling me James Swinton can't run a slant and go in a one on one situation? That's a little bit of an oversimplification. The bigger issue is that Tuberville and/or Borges are going to have to accept that they can't 60/40 or 50/50 run/pass for awhile. They are going to have to really push the passing game and abuse people until they start trying to defend us fairly. And we may have to throw a few interceptions or put the game in jeopardy to make it happen. I'm getting sick of hearing about winning games with defense and kicking. I understand there is a lot to be said for putting your defense in winning situations and playing field position. There is also something to be said for putting up points and keeping your defense off the field by sustaining drives.

- My last offensive gripe is our recent inability to get the ball into playmakers hands. Al Borges was hired mainly because during his interview he showed ways that he would get the ball to both Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown. He went all of the last two years without getting Irons and Lester on the field at the same time. Now we're letting Carl Stewart take carries at tailback, sitting McKenzie, Fannin, and Swinton, and giving outside runs to Ben Tate who doesn't appear to have an elite burst.

- Speaking of Tate, I was bit hard on him Saturday. At some point he seems like he could be a very steady and reliable back that you could base and offense on. Maybe even get 1200 yards. But it's going to take some time and an adjustment in rushing philosophy. He's a lot more Rudi Johnson than he is Irons, Lester, or Carnell. He's gotta run downhill.

- I was very impressed with the defense. Kansas State basically stayed in this game because of two series. The opening drive of the game and the opening drive of the second half. In their first possesion the Wildcats used a drag route three times I believe before we realized we couldn't play straight man. In the second half we saw the absolute flurry of trick plays that ended up with a wide receiver throwing a touchdown pass to a running back who pretended to fall down. Other than those two series, Auburn pretty much shut them down.

- Auburn played the entired second half with three starters out due to injuries. When you can have that happen and only give up 13 points in the game, it's something to hang your hat on.

- If Quentin Groves isn't an All American defensive end, I'm not sure I've seen one before. He's almost single handedly won two of Auburn's last three games (bama and KSU).

- If the defense can get Blackmon, Wilhite, and Savage back they are going to be as nasty as advertised. They were on the verge of getting around 6-7 more turnovers. The box score shows Auburn having snagging three turnovers but only the fumble was significant. The end of the game interceptions were nice but not necessary.

- Florida coaches, players, and fans complained last year about Auburn using their sound system to create an unfair home advantage. And to some extent they are exactly right. For much of the game on Saturday the crowd was less than impressive. I think the fans still have it in them, but I also think it's going to take awhile. In this day an age I think people have forgotten how to make noise without being instructed to do so. It's going to take a couple of games to get reacquainted with getting pumped up by the band.

- All in all good times. Can't wait for the rest of the season.

Week 1 Picks: Perfection Starts Here

2007-08-31T08:18:00.000-04:00

Well taking LSU last night -18 was about the easiest bet I've ever made. Just a completely inexplicable line. I've often thought that they made Thursday night lines a little easier, in hopes to get you excited about betting all weekend. But that was just ridiculous. There's a very good reason why I start off the season lightning hot every September. It's because favorites when big early in the season. And I have a lot of trouble picking underdogs. Really I should bet about $500/game in September and then give up when October rolls around. But we know that's not going to happen.

MIAMI -18 Marshall: I think the Miami backlash has hit it's peak. I think the new coaching staff breathes life back into this program. The defense should still be nasty and hopefully the offense has improved. Marshall is starting a slide back into obscurity.

Ole Miss -2.5 MEMPHIS: Memphis is a team in shambles. I think the Rebels play field position, run the ball, control the clock, and make sure they win this game. Play turnover free and you win the game. I'd also have to imagine that Orgeron realizes how important this game is for recruiting. You have a chance to go and show off your program in the recruiting epicenter of your region.

Missouri -4.5 ILLINOIS: Mizzou's got the offensive fire power this year. The Illini are coached by Ron Zook. Supposedly they're bringing talent into Urbana-Champaign, but I don't think all of it's in place yet.

NC STATE -8 Central Florida: Tom O'Brien needs to announce his presence with authority. And only beating the mighty CFU Knights by 8 points is not the way to do it.

AUBURN -13.5 Kansas State: There have been games over the years where you know Tommy Tuberville is going to do just enough to win. He's making sure he doesn't lose the game instead of winning. Luckily, against KSU, that's exactly the game plan that will lead to victory. Auburn needs to come out with a power running game, play field position, and let the defense take control of the game. The Wildcats defensive strengths are their pass rushing ends and their secondary. So there is no need to screw around with trying to develop a passing game (save that for Miss St). Defensively I think you'll see a beat down. This Auburn defense is poised and ready to explode. This is a speedy hard hitting team. The defensive line looks like it could be the best of the Tuberville era. The linebackers are smallish but quick as hell. And the secondary seems to be coming together nicely. The biggest bonus being safeties with great man coverage skills. I'll give KSU one or two deep passing plays to their giant wide receivers. 31-10 Auburn. And maybe we'll see this girl in the stands.

VERY IMPORTANT REMINDER!

2007-08-30T18:32:00.001-04:00

Remember to casually throw a football on Friday to warm up. You don't wanna go and do something stupid like throw your arm out at the tailgate on Saturday. Rotator Cuff surgery takes even longer to recover from than a high ankle sprain. Even if you've thrown lately, you probably need to practice catching with a Solo cup in your left hand.

SEC Predictions

2007-08-30T09:19:00.000-04:00

Since I didn't do much research in advance, and because of recent developments, several of my opinions have changed over the last two weeks. I still think we are going to see some better offensive performances then we've seen in some time. I think I originally rated the decline of Florida and Arkansas a little too severe. And with all that being said, I think the SEC East is a complete crap shoot. It's a mixture of typically dominant teams in a down cycle and up and coming teams with hard schedules. No single game result will surprise me. I would be a little shocked if USC, Vandy, or Kentucky made it to Atlanta though. I can't imagine a scenario where Auburn, LSU, or Arkansas doesn't emerge from the West and I'm not sure I think Arkansas even has a shot.

Switched games: Arkansas over bama, Florida over USC

SEC West:

LSU 8-0

Auburn 6-2

Arkansas 5-3

bama 3-5

Ole Miss 1-7

Mississippi State 0-8

SEC East:

Tennessee 7-1

Florida 6-2

Georgia 5-3

South Carolina 4-4

Vanderbilt 2-6

Kentucky 1-7

SEC Champion: LSU

SEC Schedule a Day: Vanderbilt

2007-08-29T21:42:00.000-04:00

With all apologies to friends of the Commodores, today we're playing the Lightning Round.

9/1 Richmond

I didn't even know the Spiders had a football team. Dores triumph

9/8 bama

This should be a really close game, and a game that Vandy stands a great chance to win. And as much as I'd love to see it, I don't see it happening.

9/15 Ole Miss

Dores Win! Dores Win! Dores Win!

9/29 Eastern Michigan

Curious off week before this game. Vanderbilt enjoys any win they can get after the last 24 years.

10/6 at Auburn

No how no way Vandy wins this game. Who do you think we are? Georgia?

10/13 Georgia

Speak of the devil. If Vandy were to win this game for the second year in a row, I'm pretty sure it's a safe bet that Bobby Johnson is feeding his team steroids.

10/20 at South Carolina

eh. There is no reason why Vandy couldn't win this game. They put on a show two years ago in Columbia. I think USC may have the slight talent advantage at this point.

10/27 Miami of Ohio

It would have been cool if somehow Wally Szceeraerbiak could have been a tight end for Ben Roeaethlisbueager. But they don't have anybody on that talent level this year. Vandy wins.

11/3 at Florida

Vandy was robbed two years ago. I don't see them keeping this close enough for a ridiculous celebration penalty to possibly decide the game.

11/10 Kentucky

Well this definitely has to be the only time in my life that I've been excited for this game. I swear the SEC is turning into the Pac 10. Shootouts baby Shootouts. Year of the Dores.

11/17 at Tennessee

Vandy apparently wins this game once in a lifetime. It's already happened in my lifetime. Vols win.

11/24 Wake Forrest

You think Vandy wishes they were in the East so they'd have a chance at winning the conference crown like Wake did. Seriously. We need to address this. What would you consider Wake's landmark victory last year? A win over 10-3 Boston College at home. The ACC is a joke. Say you want to the about the SEC, but they've never had a championship game matchup as bad as Wake and Georgia Tech. Umm... yeah. So Vandy wins.

Record: 6-6 SEC: 2-6

Unsurprisingly I just looked at four Vandy blogs and they all suck. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say that their Rivals and Scouts sites are jam packed with info and render blogs useless.

You know how to find the preview links by now. I'll try to wrap up the predictions, with a few changes tomorrow. And then have my betting picks on Friday.

Top 10 Sportscenter Commercials

2007-08-29T09:33:00.000-04:00

I actually think they got this top 10 pretty close. I probably would have added

The Perfect Show: "that's the type of thing that can't never happen"..."that's a double negative..he's outta there"

Marquis de Sod: where they put turf in the offices

Prank war: I forgot the start of it, but it ends up with Evander Holyfield wandering around the studio looking to beat up Charlie Steiner "it's time to get your whooping Charlie". "He said you weren't in the top 100 boxers....in Georgia"

SEC Schedule a Day: Tennessee

2007-08-27T22:36:00.000-04:00

The fighting creamsicles having been drifting in and out of relevance for several years now. Believe it or not Erik Ainge is a senior quarterback now, the running game should be back in some respect, though the defense isn't beastly. When Ainge was healthy last year David Cutcliffe proved he is still an offensive juggernaut. Should be an interesting year in Knoxville. And we should get a good idea how the season is going to end up after three games.

9/1 at Cal

I'm taking Tennessee. Plain and simple. (edit: I'm taking Cal)

9/8 Southern Miss

Since the departure of Bret Farve Southern Miss has been able to do little more than scare a variety of SEC teams. UT squeaks by while trying to preserve something for the trip to Gainesville the following weekend.

9/15 at Florida

I'm taking Tennesee. But I reserve the right to retract that pick if any Volunteer player is seen doing the chomp on national television before the end of the game. Early on in the season it would seem to me that Tennessee has the edge. They have the returning starter at qb, they have the running game, and they have plenty of speed in the secondary to keep up with the lightning fast Florida wide outs. (edit: scratch all that reasoning... it's tough to win in the Swamp)

9/22 Arkansas State

Big win. Just a landmark game for the a program like Tennessee

10/6 Georgia

I don't normally like teams that play at home after an off week. And at some point I there was an awful stat showing Fulmer's record in games after off weeks, though I think most of those defeats came against Spurrier. But I just can't get sold on Georgia this year. I don't see anything they can really hang their hat on, other than potential. Smokey mounts Uga.

10/13 at Mississippi State

I wonder if the Bulldogs put up more of a fight than Southern Miss? The Vols cruise to a big victory.

10/20 at Alabama

When looking at offensive vs. defensive matchups. UT's offense vs. bama defense is the biggest mismatch. The front seven for bama is weak to begin with and then thin in depth department as well. This is about the point in the year when bama fans will back off the "we will win the SEC championship" bravado they had in the preseason and move onto the "Saban's teams always prosper in year 2" logic or something like that. We'd all be lucky if they collectively became mutes.

11/3 Louisiana-Lafayette

Ooh La La is double dipping in SEC waters this year. Hope the paycheck is big because the results won't be.

11/10 Arkansas

I personally think Arkansas dodged a huge bullet last year by Ainge being injured for this game. That game would have knocked them out of the SEC Championship game and possibly moved them way down the bowl chain. This year I don't think they have the same luck. UT should be able to slow down the Arkansas running attack to extent and then throw at will on the Arkansas secondary.

11/17 Vanderbilt

At the end of the day this is still Vandy vs. Tennessee. There may be the occasional upset once every 10-15 years but that's about it. Volunteers get by.

11/24 at Kentucky

I can't believe I'm previewing the SEC season and keep imagining offensive duals. Maybe it's just the wishful thinking of the offseason. When all is said and done, even if Kentucky has a great year offensivley, the Vol defense is still light years ahead of the Wildcats.

Wait what? Did I just predict UT to go undefeated? That doesn't sound right. Ummm.... hmm.... Have undefeated teams ever met in the SEC Championship game? Well screw it. The hardest games are at Cal and at Florida. So let's edit and say they lose both games. That seems fair.

Record: 10-2 SEC 7-1

Links

Featured Blog: there are like a thousand of them. Rocky Top Talk
Featured Post: The Stoener Stumble: because it's about the UT band to some extent. For the 2004 SEC Championship game we got tickets from one our duplicator in Chattanooga. And weren't my dad just the two luckiest Auburn fans ever? We sat three rows behind the Tennesee band. Good times. You know, once we finally put the game away. Before that... I hated every second of Rocky Top.

CFN Preview
Blue Ribbon Preview

SEC Schedule a Day: South Carolina

2007-08-25T11:18:00.001-04:00

If South Carolina was waiting for a year where the heavy weights of the SEC East don't look unbeatable, this may be the year. However a schedule featuring road games at Georgia, LSU, Arkansas, and Tennessee is daunting for anyone. As far a predicitions, things seem to be changing by the minute. Since I picked the Cock's victory over the Dawgs last week, Spurrier has suspended Blake Mitchell for the first game. So I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't start in week 2 and we get a look at what Chris Smelley can do.

9/1 University of Louisiana LaFayette

Ooh La La comes to Williams Bryce for a healthy dose of punishment and a pay check. I think Spurrier is ready to get back in the habit of scoring 40 points. It's been too long since he was able to just roll over teams.

9/8 at Georgia

I'm sticking with this prediction. I can't remember I heard good news coming out of a practice report in Athens. Their offensive line is a mess, the defense is looking for leaders, etc etc. Eventually the sun even shines on a dog's ass. Or in the case a glorified chicken. USC finally pulls off the win they've seem so close to the last 4-5 years.

9/15 South Carolina State

I take it that there won't be a return game in Orangeburg next year? If USC pulls off the win in Athens, they should put up some points and get the hype train rolling. Some delusional fans in Columbia will begin to believe they've finally arrived.

9/22 at LSU

Reality sets in. Spurrier has been able to game plan his way to some surprising victories the last few seasons. But he's still talent deficient. LSU has too much size and speed for USC to overcome. Baton Rouge is rocking for what may be a battle of top 15 teams. LSU wins.

9/29 Mississippi State

Can we just change their mascot to the Mississippi State Whipping Boys?

10/4 Kentucky

I'm taking South Carolina in this one. I think they may be a little stronger top to bottom. Then you throw in the coaching and home field advantage and the Gamecocks look like an easier pick.

10/13 at North Carolina

Me likey. This is a fun game. I'm curious to see what Butch Davis can put together up in Chapel Hill. But from all accounts I've seen, it's going to take a few years. I say the Gamecocks win the battle of the Carolinas with an overwhelming speed advantage.

10/20 Vanderbilt

I think any game involving Vandy or Kentucky this year is a toss up game. They're gonna sneak up and beat somebody. Basically at this point with the SEC East I'm just taking the home team. South Carolina keeps chugging along with the trip to LSU being the only blemish.

10/27 at Tennessee

I think the Vols are back and that means winning games like this. The UT defense should be up to speed by this time of the year. And the little crawl I'm watching at the bottom of the ESPN College Gameday Preview just notified me that Lamarcus Coker will be back from his suspension for game 2. I think the Volunteer offense will roll this year. Is David Cutcliffe too old to get offered another head coaching job?

11/3 at Arkansas

Oil and Water, Cats and Dogs, Passing and Running. Offensively these teams would have trouble being more different. Defensively I think the Hogs will be better at this point in the year. I think South Carolina has the ability to win this game, I'm just guessing that the Razorbacks pull off this one.

11/10 Florida

So after thinking about by my bold claim last week of a USC victory and talking about it at several bars. I've changed my mind. People fave gotten a little carried away with the Florida drop off this year. Tim Tebow might not be an All American this year, but he's going to be a quality starter. He's got talent all around him, he's got an arm, a good coach, and if all else fails he can tuck it and run it. And he's not built in a manner that he's susceptible to injuries. He's like a Donnovan McNabb or Daunte Culpepper coming out of college. The Gators prevail.

11/24 Clemson

At some point in the year the Tommy Bowden era will finally come to a close. I'm not sure if that's good or bad for Clemson, but I think this is the year that it finally happens. I think Tommy is a good coach but it's time for a change. The Gamecocks take the game and set themselves up for another fantastic recruiting crop next year.

Record 8-4 SEC: 4-4

Links

Featured Blog: Cock N Fire
Featured Post: SEC Power Poll Introduction because it's a good idea.

CFN Preview
Blue Ribbon Preview

i'm just saying

2007-08-24T12:58:00.001-04:00

it's a pretty impressive stat

Nick Saban doesn't have time for multiple photo shoots

2007-08-24T08:50:00.000-04:00

So Nick Saban is going to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. Fortunately Gump for Heisman got their hands on the rejected cover ideas.

SEC Schedule a Day: Ole Miss

2007-08-23T22:22:00.000-04:00

I made the mistake of thinking that Ole Miss was at the start of a turnaround last year. It seemed like the defense was pretty solid and with Brent Schaeffer finally on campus they could maybe put an offense together. Well I was wrong. Right now it appears that both Mississippi teams have fallen behind Kentucky and Vanderbilt. In reality we've seen a complete switch in the SEC West and SEC East over the last five years. The East used to be top heavy and have both the powers of the league and the absolute dregs. This years looks like LSU and Auburn may be the class of the league while things could get wacky in the East and see a 3 conference loss team make it to Atlanta. If Ole Miss makes this season a turnaround for the program it'll be a surprise to me.

9/1 at Memphis

It's time for Ole Miss to quit losing this game. Memphis' program is in complete disarray right now. Start off the season on a high note and please the alums in Memphis. Ole Miss finds a way to win.

9/8 Missouri

The Mizzou Tigers will be rolling into Oxford with a major league offensive attack. Chase Daniel and the boys put on a display early in the season last year with the adoption of the spread. And winning on the road against an SEC team would be a huge win for the program and the first step towards winning the Big 12 North. Unfortunately I'm going with Missouri on this one.

9/15 at Vanderbilt

This may be the year of the Commodore. The year they finally make it back to a bowl game. And they will need this win badly to make it happen. I think Vandy moves the ball consistantly and plays well enough on defense to win the game.

9/22 Florida

So would you rather have one of the elite teams from the other half of the league roll onto your schedule in a good or bad year. I think I'd rather have it in a bad year. Sure you've got no chance to win, but it also isn't going to ruin your season. If you've got a senior quarterback and want to make a run at winning the rest, you'd be much better off facing Kentucky, Vandy, or South Carolina. Florida wins big.

9/29 at Georgia

Looking back at last year, the Rebel defense performed pretty well in general. Sadly, the offense was not able to score more than 28 points in any game. The Rebs were pretty stout at home but all of their big losses came on the road. I'd imagine this year to be more of the same. The dawgs roll in Athens.

10/6 Louisiana Tech

This isn't your older brothers LaTech. No longer pass happy, the bulldogs of the blue and red variety are also no longer a threat. Ole Miss stops the bleeding and grabs a victory.

10/13 Alabama

This game has been ridiculously close the last few years and should be again. I think a late turnover spells disaster for the Rebels. Honestly, nothing sticks out to me about Ole Miss this year. They should have a pretty solid defensive line but I don't see any stars on the team.

10/20 Arkansas

Possibly another close game that comes down to ball control, field position, or special teams. Here's the thing. I have a lot of faith in the Hogs offensive line, McFadden, Jones, and Hillis. I have no such feelings about Ole Miss.

10/27 Auburn

Unlike last year's game in Oxford, Auburn will enter this game with an offense that can actually move the ball. That's pretty much the difference. Auburn can put points on the board and Ole Miss can't. Now that being said, yesterday I suggested that Miss St. get quirky and try some different things on offense. On the contrary, I'm lead to believe that Ole Miss could actually have some impressive recruiting years and compete. What they need though is a great coach. Someone who is an established coordinator (not sure they should have canned Cutcliffe) and is ready to make the jump. I hate to say it, but someone like Will Muschamp would probably be a good hire.

11/3 Northwestern State

Seriously? Ole Miss couldn't score 30 points against NW State last year? That must have been a painful season to endure. Here's hoping they put up 40 this year for the fan's sake.

11/17 Louisiana State

I can't remember watching the game, but Ole Miss gave LSU quite the scare last year. And I guess with the game in Oxford it's a possibility again this year. But you know, I wouldn't pick it. I like frontrunners not underdogs at least as far as predictions go. I think LSU wins this game with the passing game.

11/23 Mississippi State

Ole MIss really needs to win about 8 of these in a row and really cement their dominancy in state. That is the first step. Next beat a couple of the local schools: Memphis, Arkansas, LSU, and get that one transcendant playmaker (Jevan Snead?) and turn the program around. The Rebs take the Egg Bowl and hopefully the program takes a turn for the better next year.

Record: 4-8 SEC: 1-7

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SEC Schedule a Day: Mississippi State

2007-08-22T16:47:00.000-04:00

Geez. This is going to be depressing. It's never a good sign when part of your preview from College Football News features a segment like this:

"Key player to a successful season: Junior QB Michael Henig. He’s not accurate, he’s not a winner quite yet, and he doesn’t have much in the way of skills, but he’s the quarterback the coaching staff will go with, hoping he can do just enough to give the Bulldogs some semblance of a passing game. If he’s awful, the MSU offense will be, too."

Now that's the guy I want leading me into battle. When Sylvester Croom got hired I was pulling for MSU to maybe get good enough to finish 3rd in the West at some point. And at this moment I don't really see how that's a possibility.

8/30 LSU

MSU starting off their season with LSU is like having someone kicking you in the balls 5 seconds after your alarm goes off. Leave your cowbells at home.

9/8 at Tulane

I guess the plus side is that the Bulldogs get nine days to prepare for the game and it will be Tulane's first game of the year. On the downside, MSU couldn't beat the Green Wave in Starkville last year. My instinct, though I know nothing about them (just found out Bob Toledo is coaching them this year), is to take Tulane. But there are a bunch of seniors/juniors on both sides of the line for the Dogs. Make the SEC proud. MSU pulls out the victory.

9/15 at Auburn

Nice break for Auburn after opening the season against Kansas State and South Florida. I've been absolutely amazed at the talent disparity in this game over the last four seasons. It might be time for Mississippi State to do one of two things to turn things around. 1) Cheat a.k.a the Jackie Sherrill method 2) Get quirky. Either go spread, or old school option. But trying to run a pro style offense with inferior talent isn't going to do anything. Surely Miss St. can out recruit Boise St. So it's just a matter of accepting who you are and trying to get back to mediocre. I would hire a coach from a small up and coming school. Like Vandy did with Bobby Johnson.

9/22 Gardner Webb

Who? Miss State wins against the fighting Artis Gilmore's.

9/29 at South Carolina

You think Steve Spurrier is still winning games for the equiptment manager that got knocked out in Starkvegas during his Gator coaching days? Probably not but the end result will be about the same. Cocks win big.

10/6 Alabama-Birmingham

This game would be a lot more interesting if Jimbo Fisher would have gotten the job. As is Miss St better take advantage of the UAB down cycle and appreciate the victory.

10/13 Tennessee

The third of the Bulldog's massive SEC blowout defeats. It's got to be hard to be a fan/student at this point. How many losing seasons in a row can you handle?

10/20 at West Virginia

Sadly, this could be the biggest blowout of the season. Make the pain stop. Slaton and White get their heisman hopeful performances on. How hard core of a Miss State fan do you have to be to make the trip to Morgantown. I'd gues you'd pretty much have to be a player's parent, retired and own an RV and really be making the trip for the foliage, or the biggest fan of couch burning in recorded history.

10/27 at Kentucky

Ok. Here is you absolute sign of the times. Mississippi State doesn't even have a shot in this game. And I didn't even predict Kentucky to have a great season (though I'm starting to think I could be wrong on that. They could easily add Vandy, South Carolina, and UGA as possible victories).

11/3 Let's hope Mississippi State doesn't figure out a way to lose during an off week?

11/10 at bama

This is getting boring. If it take walking down onto the field and paying officials in the 4th quarter, bama makes sure they don't lose to MSU two years in a row.

11/17 at Arkansas

Darren McFadden

11/23 at Ole Miss

The Egg Bowl where anything can happen. Maybe MSU gets inspired by playing tough for previously fired Coach Croom. Probably not though. Ole Miss restores order in this rivalry.

Record: 3-9 SEC 0-8

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Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground

2007-08-22T14:48:00.001-04:00

While I was doing some research for our new site freemandolinvideos.com at work the other day I stumbled across this video. It's Chris Thile who used to be the main guy from Nickel Creek. He's broken off on his own and is now performing as Chris Thile and The Tensions Mountain Boys who you can read more about here. This is his bluegrass take on Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground by the White Stripes. I think it's has a cool and dark feel to it, though it's obviously not as rocking as the original version.

SEC Schedule a Day: LSU

2007-08-21T08:13:00.000-04:00

Just about everyone in the media is tabbing LSU as the second best team in America behind USC. And there is plenty of reason to do that. The team is loaded with talent. At this point it's just a matter of people stepping up and the coaches getting the job done. The biggest question marks are at quarterback, running back, and new offensive coordinator Gary Crowton's system. They all have game experience and the luxury of a stellar defense.

8/30 at Mississippi State

Thursday night kick off to start off the season. If LSU is at all worried about winning over the media this will be their first shot on national television. However, I think they'll be more worried about supplying Virginia Tech with too much game film. Strike fast and often and then let the young guys get in as much as possible. Nice little warm up game for LSU.

9/8 Virginia Tech

What a huge game. Both teams come in to the season with very realistic chances not just of winning their conference but also playing for the national title. Both defenses are just flooded with quality players. This should be a low scoring and extremely physical ball game. I'm not sure I trust the Hokie's offense on the road this early in the year. And you know that Death Valley will be rocking. I say LSU gets away with a 3-7 point victory. Matt Flynn needs to avoid turnovers and just manage the game.

9/15 Middle Tennessee State

The first real chance for the LSU offense to get rolling. This will be a great opportunity for Crowton to see if he can generate a ground game with Keiland Williams, Jacob Hester and company. That'll be a key to winning for the rest of the year.

9/22 South Carolina

Maybe if Spurrier sticks around for a few more years and continues to recruit the same way they'd have a shot at winning in Baton Rouge. But they just aren't there yet.

9/29 at Tulane

Will this be the first of two games that LSU will play in New Orleans this year? If so, this will definitely be the easier of the two. This game may have used to be a rivalry but it is now a lesson in the haves and have nots of college football. LSU by upwards of 40 points

10/6 Florida

During LSU's 2003 national championship season a home game against Florida was the only blemish. I think a similar failure this year would keep them out of the national championship game. They're should be a ton of speed all over the field but the experience and home field advantage lies in LSU's favor. I think LSU wins the game but most importantly I just want to see some kind of on-field interaction between Glenn Dorsey and Tim Tebow.

10/13 at Kentucky

This will be LSU's toughest road test to date. But I don't think it'll be that tough of a game. The offense should have things rolling by now and capable of putting up 35+ point on the Wildcats. If anyone scores more than 35 points on LSU this year I'll be absolutely shocked.

10/20 Auburn

The odd thing about the current state of this rivalry is the flip flop in the time of year it's played. In even number years the game is played in Auburn as the third game of the year. On odd years it's around the 8th game of the year in Baton Rouge. It also always seems to be a day game in Auburn and conveniently a night game in Baton Rouge. Auburn has lost in their last three trips to Red Stick and unfortunately I don't see that streak ending. Auburn's defense should be up to the task but I worry about a lot of inexperienced faces on the offensive side of the ball and special teams. Could be a close one that is once again settled by a missed kick or last second opportunity.

11/3 at Alabama

Hmm... Think anyone in the national media will cover this game? The only person on earth that Les Miles despises more than Hayley Lafontaine is Nick Saban. Do you know how many times people have insinuated that Les is only winning because he has Nick's recruits? That's got to be unnerving. LSU has the chip on their shoulder and the talent to win this game going away.

11/10 Louisiana Tech

After back to back weeks of vicious games, the Bayou Bengals get a breather. LaTech isn't a complete dog of a team but they don't pose any credible threat either.

11/17 at Ole Miss

The Rebels have managed to make this game close 3 of the last 4 years. But have managed to come away with a victory. This late in the year a seemingly pre-occupied LSU could have some trouble on their hands. However, that just not something I'm going to predict this far out.

11/23 Arkansas

It'd be awesome if Darren McFadden could single handedly crush LSU's national championship hopes, secure the Heisman, and possibly propel his team to the SEC Championship game all in one day. But that's asking a lot. This LSU defense is way too good to just have someone line up and run up and down the field on them. A diverse offensive attack should allow LSU to put some points on the board. LSU manages to get by unscathed.

I think it's actually more than likely that LSU loses a game. I'm just not sure I see one that's predictable. They don't have a tough road game and I can't predict injuries. I guess you could say the four tough games are Auburn, Florida, Va Tech, and bama. Possibly in that order.

Record: 12-0 SEC: 8-0

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SEC Schedule a Day: Kentucky

2007-08-20T17:07:00.000-04:00

Kentucky Football embrace the new found excitement. And if all else fails apparently one hot chick digs their hockey team. By all accounts this is supposed to be the most talented Wildcat team since Mumme and Couch were still in Lexington. The recruiting classes have been peppered with a few legitimate blue chippers for the past few years and the results are starting to show. I first took note during the Auburn/Kentucky game in Lexington back in 2005. Then they reeled off a few impressive victories last year over the likes of Georgia and Clemson. Is it time for football to be more than just a way to kill time until basketball starts?

9/1 Eastern Kentucky

First of all, big props to Eastern Kentucky for their Colonel mascot/logo. Really came up with a hip version of Colonel Sanders. I think Ole Miss should have hired the same graphic artist when the decided to come up with an updated rebel. As for the game, Kentucky needs to win huge and get the bandwagon and confidence rolling.

9/8 Kent State

You think a really bad PA guy has ever played Neil Young's Ohio when Kent State comes to town? The Wildcats roll again and turn their focus into their first huge test of the year.

9/15 Louisville

The Cardinals also have two warmup games in Murray State and Middle Tennessee. It'll be interesting how much of the playbook they show off with a new coaching staff at the helm. I've mentioned in a couple other game previews that they may be shootouts. Well that's never been more true than this game. Really I'd be shocked if either teams scored less than 35 points in this game. Kentucky and Lousiville are both returning plenty of talent on the offensive side of the ball, but both defenses are young and experienced. With a 7:30 start could home field advantage be the difference? I'm going to say yes in an early upset special.

9/22 at Arkansas

Ball controll, time of posession, and home field advantage will be the reasons for a Hog victory. Though I expect it to be a hard fought battle that Arkansas pulls out late. You could easily flip flop this game with the Louisville game results wise. I think they'll be in both and it's a tough call. I think they pull out one victory.

9/29 Florida Atlantic

Lot of lower tier teams getting multiple pay checks from SEC schools. Not a bad way to build up your athletic budget. However, not a good way to pick up victories. Wildcats roll.

10/4 at South Carolina

This should be aerial battle. Pac 10 like even. Unfortunately for the Wildcats I don't see them being much of a road team this year. I feel like you have to be able to get defensive stops to win on the road in the SEC. And judging by Kentucky's secondary last year, that will not be something their capable of doing.

10/13 Louisiana State

The best thing about this game maybe bringing up memories of the Bluegrass Miracle. I wouldn't expect the Wildcats to keep this year's meeting quite so close. Just too much defense by the boys from the Bayou.

10/20 Florida

If Kentucky is ever going to have a chance to beat Florida in the near future this might be the year. Tim Tebow doesn't feel the same way though. Gators pull out a victory.

10/27 Mississippi State

Isn't it great to have MSU to pick on. It's like playing another out of conference game against a mid-major. Ohh... sorry about that bama fans. I can't think of two SEC coaches I know less about than Croom and Brooks. Kentucky fans enjoy the step down in competition and pick up another victory.

11/10 at Vanderbilt

This is when the SEC sucks sometimes. These will be two of the best Vandy and Kentucky games in recent years and this game will still decided who's going to finish last in the SEC East. I think the Commodores will be especially desperate to pick up the victory and make it to a bowl this year.

11/17 at Georgia

Two weeks in a row on the road and two straight weeks of defeat. Vandy isn't going to sneak up on the Dawgs this year and they'll be wanting to snag every victory they can get this year. I feel bad that Kentucky can't capitalize more this year.

11/24 Tennessee

Tennessee is more or less back. Which means their traditional year end victories over Vandy and Kentucky return. Too much talent.

Record: 5-7 SEC: 1-7

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SEC Schedule a Day: Georgia

2007-08-17T16:14:00.000-04:00

Last year was a bad season for the dawgs that could have very easily been much worse. How will Georgia respond this year? How will Georgia fans respond to Mark Richt if they have another disappointing year? Will Georgia fans have to be called out of the stands to fill up spots for the injured offensive line? Hopefully not. I wouldn't want the Crafty Vet to sprain an ankle during pre-game stretches. And I think we all know the real reason why The Railbird would be puking on the sidelines.

9/1 Oklahoma State

Tough opener. The Cowboys should put a lot of pressure on what I expect to be a subpar Georgia secondary. However, the Okies won't be able to exploit the weaknesses in the Dawg offensive line. This should be about as big of shootout as you can have in an opener. Something like 31-27 in favor of the Red and Black. Kinda remniscent of that 2002? opener against Clemson that ended with the field goal.

9/8 South Carolina

Off the top of my head, I feel like Georgia is the only team in the SEC East that Spurrier hasn't beaten as USC's coach. Seems like an opportune time to remedy that. Spurrier should be able to game plan circles around Willy Martinez (whom I haven't been impressed with). Unless Georgia figures out a way to get their tailbacks some yardage, I don't think they have the firepower to win. Of course the Gamecocks threaten every year and figure out a way to lose. I'm rolling the dice and taking USC.

9/15 Western Carolina

I heard Jarvis and Jonas Hayes were going to cheer for the Catamounts in this game. No lie. I shit you not. In less important news, this is a chance for the Dawgs to rest up for the trip to Tuscaloosa.

9/22 at bama

These are pretty similar teams. However I think UGA's defense is a little better this year and the special teams gives them an edge. This may be the game that America is finally introduced to Kregg Lumpkin. I guess technically this would be my meteor game.

9/29 Ole Miss

Are Coach Richt and Orgeron exact opposites? I think so. This game would be more intriguing in the Grove. I'd have to imagine the dawgs pull this one out.

10/06 at Tennessee

So the Vols rolled into Athens on all cylinders last year and put on a show (on the field and off the field). It'd be impressive if Matt Stafford could put on a show in Knoxville like David Greene did back in 2002. And that's what it'll take for a win. A huge, gigantic, have fans name their kids after you type of day by Stafford. And um... I don't see that happening.

10/13 at Vanderbilt

So do the Dawgs just hang out in Tennesee all week? Maybe practice at the MTSU fields in Murfreesboro? I can't believe I'm saying this....but this is a revenge game for the Dawgs. If UGA loses this game they might as well just pack up their bags and head home to mama. Richt is too smart to let the dawgs not show up for this game.

10/27 World's Large Coke Orgy

Serious question for Georgia fans. Do you in general have good memories of going to games in Jacksonville. Are you able to enjoy the weekend despite the less than stellar record over the last 15 years? This is not a put down. I'm asking because it takes a lot of effort and money to attend the game. It's like going to Notre Dame bowl game. Until the dawgs win two in a row I'm taking Florida every year.

11/3 Troy

Seriously? Troy may be making the most bold statement to join the SEC I've ever seen. Memphis should take note. This sound like a classic Richt betting game. Dawgs favored by 31 and win by 18 because they come out lackluster. Like the UAB games from a few years ago.

11/10 Auburn

I don't care how many times it happens, I don't really buy into this being favored on the road in this series. Auburn was very fortunate and played a hell of game to come out of Athens with the victory in 2005. What a glorious day it was. Hopefully I won't experience anything like my night in 2003. Hopefully it's a close fought game and Auburn pulls it out in the final drive. But I still have a bad feeling about this.

11/17 Kentucky

Another revenge game for Georgia. The defense will be experienced and ready to go by this time of the season. It's entirely possible that the Wildcats are beaten up and have lost all steam. Once again, Mark Richt doesn't lose a game like this two years in a row.

11/24 at Georgia Tech

I'll believe a Tech victory when I see it. However the Reggie Ball addition by subtraction theory is more than a little intriguing. The dawgs continue their Peach State dominance.

Record: 9-3 SEC: 5-3

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SEC Schedule a Day: Florida

2007-08-16T00:17:00.001-04:00

I'm going to oversimplify things a bit. I've been convinced that the keys to a good college team are an experienced quarterback and great offensive and defensive lines. Other things go into it like coaching and special teams, but really those are three things that it's difficult to overcome. Well Florida's got one of out three this year (offensive line). What makes things difficult though is the Gators pelthora of skill players.

9/1 Western Kentucky

Good opportunity to sort some things out in the running game. Unfortunately this provides only slight more stress than a scrimmage for the defense. But at least they'll get their jitters out in route to a lop sided victory. Although, it should be a crime to want to beat this handsome devil

9/8 Troy

I like that Troy just keeps trucking along and picking up paychecks. At some point they could become a decent midmajor. Otherwise, this is week two of preparation for the Tennessee game.

9/15 Tennessee

Because this game is in Gainesville I think it can go either way. But because of matchups I going with the Vols. I think the key to beating UT this year is to line up and run it right at them. That's just not something I have seen from Florida other than Tebow running QB draws up the middle. Defensively I think it's a little early in the season for the green Gator defense to hand this type of attack. Though I'd feel a lot better about picking the Vols if Lamarcus Coker was definitely playing in this game.

9/22 at Ole Miss

This is definitely the type of game that Florida could overlook. The Rebels are sandwiched in between bouts against Auburn and Tennessee. And I think Ben Jarvus Green Ellis and the boys could rack up some yards in the game. I just don't think that the back seven for Ole Miss has enough athleticism to keep up with the Percy Harvin's and Andre Caldwell's of the world.

9/29 Auburn

I see Auburn having what it takes to beat the Gators again. And really...Steve Spurrier is to blame. When Tuberville took over at Auburn he stated ad nauseum for a few years that we didn't have the talent level on defense to keep up with Florida. Reverting to Spurriers's recruiting philosophy on defense (recruit H.S. LBs to play DE, Safeties to play LB etc) and his hey day in Miami...Tuberville focused almost solely on being lightning fast on defense. As a result, Auburn has the personel defense to keep up with the talented Gator offensive onslaught. On the other side of the ball I believe Auburn will be able to pound the ball and then play action pass they way to hopefully 20+ points.

10/6 at LSU

Well this an unpleasant 4 game stretch for Florida. At least they get UT and Auburn at home. LSU is loaded plain and simple. If LSU can get past VaTech they should 5-0 at this point and the game is already scheduled for 8pm. Which means that Baton Rouge is going to be like a 8 mile wide grease fire. Florida's offense vs. the Tiger's D should be a draw. The advantage here should be the Bayou Bengal offense verse the talented but young Gator defense. And of course the home field advantage. I think Florida will find that it's harder to beat LSU without Jamarcus Russell coughing up the ball 4-5 times a game.

9/20 at Kentucky

Sure Kentucky has their most talented team in a decade, but they'd be better served if Florida wins in Baton Rouge the week before. The Wildcats just don't have the athletic ability on defense to keep up with the Gators. Plus Tebow should be a man on a mission at this point of the season.

9/37 World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

I'm hard pressed to come up with a reason to pick UGA in this game other than the "their bound to win at some point" argument. If the Dawg receivers really come on strong I guess Stafford could turn this game into a shootout. I understand the desire to appease UGA boosters from South Georgia, but having this game in Jacksonville is killing the program. What I would do is home and home and then two straight years in Jacksonville. That way everybody gets the opportunity to experience the atmosphere in Jacksonville as well as not creat a lopsided schedule (home, Jacksonvile, home, jacksonville). And finally in game where UGA or Florida has the cocktail party at home, they can schedule a fun non-conference away game. Just my thoughts. Anyway, Florida wins.

11/3 Vanderbilt

I understand the reserved hype surrounding the Commodores this year, and I remember their last trip to the swamp, but I"m not going to go on record in the preseason picking Vandy in this game. They don't have more talent, they don't have a better coach, and they are playing on the road. If this is an early game it could be trouble (as JP/LF games against UK/Vandy always strangely seem to be Florida).

11/10 at South Carolina

Spurrier is like really good. I expect the crowd to be slightly above frenzied and slightly below maniacal. I'm going out on a limb and saying this will be a night ESPN game. And thus I'm giving the edge to the Gamecocks. (by the way, you're lucky you don't have to pay for a detailed breakdown like that)

(EDIT): Sooo yeah. I've changed my mind and I'm taking the Gators in this one.

11/17 Florida Atlantic

It's like early jump on bowl practice

11/24 Florida State

Florida State has to show me something before I start picking them in games like this. Without a thorough study of their complete roster I kinda lead to believe that 2008 will actually be their comeback year. Four straight wins for the Gators would help continue their recruiting dominance in the state. If FSU doesn't have a good football team what do they toot their horn about?

Record: 10-2 SEC Record: 6-2

It'll take a hell of a coaching job bu 6-2 seems possible in the SEC.

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assombrero?

2007-08-15T21:26:00.000-04:00

I have arrived. Honestly, all of these kind words are making me blush. For those of you who don't habla espanol I believe that means "The Nino"...either that or ass hat.

A study in bama failure

2007-08-15T20:09:00.000-04:00

I feel like I've been overly nice in regards to bama this week. And sadly it continues... Outside the Lines has an excellent break down of a play from the bama/arky game last year. I really can't overstate how ridiculous that game was. But the diagram is very informative and the type of thing I would love to see more of on the net. The only thing it's missing is video.

(HT: Best of the SEC Blogs)

SEC Schedule a Day: Auburn

2007-08-15T09:45:00.000-04:00

In all honesty, the 2006 Auburn Tigers used smoke and mirrors to finish 11-2. Injuries at several positions rendered the offense utterly useless. Luckily we had a favorable schedule. This year the Tigers look to have more talent and a much tougher schedule. The key for Auburn will be to bounce back from last year's dismal offensive performance. Brandon Cox is healthy again, a young crop of receivers has hopefully matured, and the offensive line has more depth than I can remember under Tuberville. The running backs? Well this is Auburn and Tommy Tuberville. We're stacked with talent. The question will be if someone steps up and demands to get a majority of the carries or if it will be a committee situation.

9/1 Kansas State

For some reason this game is getting very little buzz. I guess KSU's last couple of years have taken them off the radar. However they are a team on the rise again under the direction of Ron Prince. I believe the Cats are still undergoing a talent overhaul and are lacking at several positions. I'd imagine this to be a close game early on with the Auburn offense being stymied. However I expect a third quarter onslaught to pull the home team ahead. I'm thinking 7-14 point victory based on talent level, experience, and home field.

9/8 South Florida

Talk about a program on the rise. I think the average football fan just lumps USF in withe UCF, FIU, FAU, etc and forgets they are in the Big East now. This is a talented program that takes risks on kids that Miami, FSU, and Florida shy away from. Sophomore QB Matt Grothe looks like a Jay Cutler type playmaker. And this is a team that finished out their season by winning at West Virginia. I think Auburn prevails by manning up and winning this game on the ground. Because of the Bulls talented secondary, Auburn best chances of moving the ball are with the arsenal of Brad Lester, Mario Fannin, and Ben Tate. Defensively the onus will be on the defensive line to apply pressure without relying on the blitz. And anytime you become one dimensional and let Quentin Groves pin his ears back and attack the QB.... mayhem happens. I take Auburn in another fairly close game.

9/15 Mississippi State

It really has become a treat to have MSU on the schedule every year. Kinda of like a really helpful scrimmage. I swear this game is on Jefferson Pilot/Lincoln Financial every year now. It's a low pressure way to start your day. Just watch a little physical domination, go grab lunch, then start watching competitive football. I would hope that Auburn would use the 1st quarter to work on the passing attack and then pound the bulldogs for the rest of the game.

9/22 New Mexico State

The not so triumphant return of Hal Mumme and Woody Widenhofer to Jordan Hare. By all accounts the Aggies have a pass happy and exciting offense that can put up some numbers. Their defense however is more than pleased to let you waltz by them on your way to the endzone. The KSU, USF, and this game should give the Tiger secondary plenty of practice. Something we'll need later in the season. Auburn wins big time.

9/29 at Florida

Auburn was able to win last year based on time of possession, defensive greatness, special teams, and a great crowd/av system. This year? I don't see the game being as hard. Florida is in for a rough year. There is just so much talent to replace on the defense and the Gators still don't have a running back. The key to beating Auburn this year will be to throw out a fire breathing defense at them. I don't see Florida bringing that defense. The Gators will strike on 3-4 big plays but it won't be enough.

10/6 Vanderbilt

Trap game, Trap game, Trap Game. Coming off a win at Gainesville, 5-0 record, probably a top 10 ranking, a road trip at Arkansas a week later, and the lack of fear that Vandy puts in a team. This is a dangerous game. One of those LF broadcast games that the fans/players never show up for. I say after an impressive offensive performance by the 'Dores, Auburn wins by a field goal. Not an enjoyable Saturday.

10/13 at Arkansas

So Arkansas has consistently been a problem from Tommy Tuberville. And I think a lot of it has to do with style of play. Auburn has always relied on the run offensively and stopping the run has always been a team trait for the 'backs (most likely b/c it's all they see in practice). From a defensive stand point Tubs has always favored speed over size on defense. In Arkansas' more talented years they've been able to run on Auburn at will (see last year). Now here's the difference. When Auburn has any semblance of a passing attack they win and usually by a few scores. Despite the conservative nature of Razorback attack, they were able to win last year based on several big plays. I don't see that happening two years in a row. And with the decline of the Arky defense I see Auburn pulling out an important road victory.

10/20 at LSU

What a delightful 4 game stretch. At UF, Vandy, at Arkansas, at LSU. What's the matter? We could schedule the Dallas Cowboys for the Vandy weekend? I think LSU has some question marks at QB and RB which are kinda two important positions. But that's also the only places I see them having questions other than OC. Either way, their defense is going to be nasty and at some point Matt Flynn and Keiland William will get going. I just don't see Auburn pulling out a victory in what will be a night game in Death Valley. Which should make for a fun trip back to New Orleans for me that night. The last two night games I've attended in Baton Rouge have been a little rocky. 2001 was like attending a Nazi rally while wearing a gigantic yarmulke. In 2003 an LSU fan sitting next to me in the Auburn upper deck section dropped the ole "looks like our n*ggers are beating your n*ggers" line. Shouldn't it be legal to punch anyone who says that?

Anyway, I'm going to Baton Rouge, and I really hope Auburn pulls out a "w" and I will cherish it oh so much. But I don't see it happening. The Bayou Bengals are loaded. Maybe Les Miles will figure out a way to screw things up.

10/27 Ole Miss

Auburn will be beat up and low on spirits. Ole Miss will be low on football ability. Auburn will need to win the game through the air. On offense Ole Miss should just kneel 3 times and then punt because they seemingly would be shocked to find out that you can complete a forward pass. Are Orgeron's 15 minutes up yet?

11/3 Tennessee Tech

Since we've scheduled our off weekend for the week before our last game, this is the only bit of rest Auburn will get all year. Hoorah! Chances of me attending this game are slim to none. And slim just left town. Youngsters get a jump start on settling the depth chart next spring.

11/10 at Georgia

The final of our tough 4 SEC road games. I expect UGA to struggle early in the year but start putting the pieces together at the end of the season again. Unless the injuries on their offensive line just continue. The defense should be stronger, at some point UGA will finally figure out how to run the ball I would think. I just have a bad feeling about this game. Plus on Monday I stated my theory that Saban/Muschamp have to beat Richt before I will pick them. Oh so sadly, I'm going to have to take the dawgs in this one. I really wish that wasn't the case.

11/24 Iron Bowl

Six years in a row sure does sound sweet. I can totally see a depleted bama defense walking in Jordan Hare and just having a miserable day. I can also see the Tide offense throwing up some futile points in the passing game. I can not see a scenario other than Brandon Cox missing the game leading to a tide victory. Auburn by 14 and hopefully more.

Record: 10-2 SEC: 6-2

Quarterback may be an issue but I see 2008 as the year Auburn makes it over the hump again and plays for the SEC crown. But consecutive seasons of 13-0, 9-3, 11-2, and 10-2 (who knows about a bowl game) is something to take notice of. Brandon Cox will be better than anyone outside of the Auburn faithful is giving him credit for. The running back triumvirate will be talented and create some fireworks. Tray Blackmon will be a name that every football fan will know. And hopefully, just maybe, we keep the coaching staff together for one more big run in 2008.

Links:

Featured Blog: The Auburner

Featured Post: Interview with Al Borges

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Best of the SEC Blogs

2007-08-14T13:28:00.000-04:00

Just found out about the Best of the SEC Blogs site. They cull through all the SEC blogs and highlight the best stories for you each day. What a novel idea. If nothing else, the blog roll down the left hand side of the site should help you find some blogs for your favorite team.

SEC Schedule a Day: Arkansas

2007-08-13T19:48:00.000-04:00

Well I wasn't happy with my bama post yesterday. Hopefully these will get more informative and humorous as we go. And well...Arkansas is leaving me a ton to work with. What a crazy off season. It's like they are holding their program together with duct tape. One of two things can happen, the whole team can unite and pull of an Auburn 2004 scenario, or they can go to the crapper. I say they go to the crapper.

Casey Dick is like Matt Jones without athletic ability. Or more closely, Casey Dick is like they decided to line me up at qb. How the hell Houston Nutt didn't get Kodi Burns (war eagle Kodi) to come in and immediately start for the Razorbacks is amazing. His biggest mistake of the offseason may have been not getting Mustain and Galzahn out the door fast enough. It looks like Burns will rock a clipboard this year and then take the reigns for Auburn next year. Good job HDN.

9/1 Troy

Both of my grand parents graduated from Troy State back when it was primarily a school for teacher's. So I've always rooted for them in these type of games. The presence of former Auburn coaches/players in the program has never hurt either. And their new pass whacky offense is entertaining as well. But let's be honest, though Troy has made some valiant efforts and surprising wins in past years, this game is about one thing. Darren McFadden announcing his presence with authority. I'd expect him to roll of somewhere between 180-220 yards rushing and maybe 3 td's.

9/15 at bama

Very peculiar off week. Definitely would have tried to play someone on 9/8 instead of the North Texas, Chattanooga, or FIU games later in the year. Someone needs to wake up Frank Broyles.

Unlike bama/arky games of years past I fully expect this to be a shootout. The Razorback defense is young and inexperienced for the most part. 3 senior starters. By the way, how the hell is Michael Grant a senior? Seems like it's only been a couple years since the UGA Admissions Board made him pull the old switcheroo. The Tide don't have the meat on defense to slow down McFadden, Jones, and Hillis. To my knowledge Arkansas won't have the tools to stop what I think will be a pretty good bama passing attack. Two weak defenses and I think bama will have the less one dimensional offense so I'm giving them the edge. McFadden takes Heisman hit by dropping game, but still puts up big numbers.

(edit: Arkansas wins)

9/22 Kentucky

If this game was in Lexington, it'd be intriguing. However I don't see the Cats rolling out of Fayetteville with a win. Though improved on offense, they don't half of what it will take to slow down Arky. Something like 35-21 for the Hogs.

9/29 North Texas

Ironically North Texas used to have guys like Patrick Cobbs racking up tremendous rushing totals on his way to become the nation's leading rusher. McFadden and the boys will put in a full days work before half and call it quits. Hopefully they let Casey Dick pass non-stop in the first quarter to build some confidence.

10/6 Chattanooga

Unless Terrell Owens walks through that door... I don't see the Mocs winning the game. Keep the D-Train rolling.

8/13 Auburn

After the early stumble verse bama and the subsequent wins over the cream puffs of the schedule the Hog bandwagon will have picked up some more steam. Arkansas has often been a thorn in the side of the Tigers since Tommy Tuberville (arkansas native) has been coach. And it's all about style of play. Arkansas will get some yards offensively, but it won't be like last year. Tigers take home the victory. (more tomorrow)

8/20 at Ole Miss

I incorrectly thought this would be a close game last year. But Felix Jones returned the opening kick and that was pretty much all she wrote. Now would be a good time to mention how good the Razorback defense was last year. Obviously McFadden, Jones, Mustain, and Malzahn received much of the media attention. But the defense was stout last year. But they've lost 4 integral pieces of that defense this year so I wouldn't expect similar results. But Ole Miss is just a team in a tailspin right now. They can't do anything right. Hogs take home the victory.

8/27 Florida International

So avoid injuries. Don't get a gigantic brawl that is the focus of ESPN for a week. Get a big enough lead to rest your starters. Sounds easy enough. Just don't bring it up around Miami.

11/3 South Carolina

This is a very very intriguing clash of offensive philosophies. Although I don't know if you can really call Houston Nutt's offense a philosophy as much as it is an attitude. I think USC continues their improvement this year. But I'm not sure I trust them on the road. This game falls a week after South Carolina's trip to Knoxville. Not an easy row to hoe. I like the Hogs in what could be an upset at this point in the year. So yes... I'll say it... Dick and Nutt beat the Cocks.

11/10 at Tennessee

Nope. Just don't see it. Save the occasional victory at Auburn, Arkansas has not traditionally been a very good road team. The Vols defense should be in a groove by this point in the year and I'd expect Erik Ainge to pick the Hog defense apart.

11/17 Mississippi State

It's always good to have old MSU to kick around. Helps the spirits a little bit. Also a good chance for Nutt to address the lynch mob in Fayetteville calling for his departure. Though to be fair, not a bad season.

11/24 at LSU

There must be literally 5-10 kids in all of Louisiana and Arkansas hoping to grow up one day and win the prized Golden Boot Trophy. This will probably be the best defense Arkansas faces all year. Which is usually not a good situation for a team that has zero passing game other than a fade route. I would also assume that their is too much on the line for the Tigers to drop this game at home.

Record: 9-3 SEC: 5-3

All in all not a bad year for the Razorbacks. The wheels don't completely fall off but really it's about the best they can hope for. They had talent last year, but they also got extremely fortunate. The blessing of the dreaded Lincoln Financial telecast 11:30 start at Auburn which always helps. Then the fortune of facing a UT team missing Erik Ainge. And the absolute craziness that was the bama game.

Links:

Featured Arkansas Blog: The Hog Blogger

Featured Post: More Crap from the Broyles Center: Reaction to last week's letter from a former player's father to air some dirty laundry. Which brings up the point...why does no one mention steroids when talking about college football? Everyone constantly accuses other teams of illegal recruiting but your rarely he complaints about players being on the juice.

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Other Schedule Predictions: bama

SEC Schedule a Day: University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa

2007-08-13T10:05:00.001-04:00

We're attacking this in alphabetical order which means we start with the Tide. This season is about one thing for bama.... Saban. After a strange and drawn coaching search the power brokers in Tuscaloosa ended up with one of their top choices by luring Nick back from the NFL to the SEC. The fans currently have set their expectations at a ridiculous level and it'll be a struggle for ole Nick to maintain in good graces while he waits on insurge of talent from new recruits. There's a whole new coaching staff and questions all over the place. But I'll try my best.

9/1 vs. Western Carolina

Typical easy opener. Throw it around some in the first half, build up a lead, and then pound away with the running game. Try to win the game soundly and get experience for some youngsters without providing too much film for your next opponent. It'll be a bland game plan but you'll still get your first glance of the new 3-4 defense and Major Applewhite's new offense. The way bama will be passing the ball this year it'll almost be like if Mike Price never paid a stripper to come back to his hotel room on the university's credit card.

9/8 at Vanderbilt

You might remember bama pulling out a 13-10 victory over the Commodores last year. Well things don't get any easier this year. It is by no means daunting to play in a 41,000 seat Vanderbilt Stadium filled with 20,000 crimson clad fans. But it's not playing at home either. There is a very very good chance that Vandy could win this game and generate some buzz for the program. I fully expect it to be an offensive shootout. But I also see bama pulling out one of those last minute victories. I just don't think the Vandy defense is going to be stout enough to completely shut down the Tide rushing attack. If you can make bama one dimensional this year (which would seemingly be possible) you have a good chance to beat them.

9/15 vs. Arkansas

The first big test for the new 3-4 alignment. Arkansas is going to run, run, run this year. Blitzing linebackers will not be as affective against the corn-fed offensive linemen the Razorbacks are trotting out on the field. Once again, I expect a shootout. I see bama being able to throw up and down the field and Arkansas chewing up yardage, time, and points on the ground. Home field advantage is at a premium and possibly a late Casey Dick interception seals the game. I'm giving this one to the Tide.

(edit: Arkansas wins)

9/22 vs. Georgia

I'm not really sold on the Dawgs this year... but until I see otherwise I'm never picking against Richt when planing Saban/Muschamp. That game in 2004 against LSU when Richt moved the wide receivers as far out to the line as he could and forcing the safeties to choose between playing way outside or helping in the middle was brilliant. Completely neuters the blitz. Plus I can't see bama coming out of this stretch 4-0. This should be the third week in a row of close games and I think it'll be too much.

9/29 at FSU (Jacksonville)

Which team returns to glory? I like FSU. They've obviously been lacking on the offensive line and play calling departments for the last few years. But at least the play calling department should be taken care of. I don't think Jimbo Fisher is a genius by any means, but given a strong armed QB and talented WRs, he can make some things happen. But seriously, the real story here is FSU and bama fans being let loose on Jacksonville. I'm not one to throw stones, but who knew you could have a more redneck version of the Cocktail Party. I'm not talking about alumni either. I'm talking about the buying their team shirt at Walmart and roll tide and seminole tattoo wearing fans.

10/6 vs Houston

I don't really keep up with them much but supposedly Houston still has one of those wacky offensive juggernaut teams. So technically they might be dangerous. But Nick Saban doesn't have time for that shit. bama wins.

8/13 at Ole Miss

By the way, pretty decent schedule set up for the tide this year. Two tough road games (one at a "neutral site") and everything else at home. Until I see something else, Ole Miss will have a good run defense and nothing else. The Rebs have lost the last two games against bama by a field goal. But at this point of the season, the playbooks are fully installed, the underclassmen are experienced, and Saban doesn't lose to Orgeron.

8/20 vs Tennessee

Vols. Big time. Frankly, I just don't think bama has the talent level they need to have to compete against upper echelon SEC teams. They could certainly be there by 2009, but right now I don't see it. And even though UT has taken a step back and is playing on the road. I just think they're too much. The Tide just don't have that nasty defense to keep them in games this year.

11/3 vs LSU

Don't be fooled by the hype, LSU has some offensive question marks this year. But they shouldn't affect this game. QB play should be solidified by this point of the year and I don't think the running game will be an issue. I frankly don't see how bama can score more than 10 points in this game. I fully expect ESPN to cover this game to the point of nausea.

11/10 at Mississippi State

After the embarrassing loss last year at home, I don't see any way bama can afford to lose this game. They may be beaten up at this point in the year but they have to figure some way to pull out a win.

11/17 vs Lousiana Monroe

I don't even want to talk about this game. The Iron Bowl should be this week. But because bama whined about playing LSU and Auburn back to back, and the SEC decided to force every team to play the week before the SEC championship, we now have the Iron Bowl on the weekend following Thanksgiving. Bullshit.

11/24 AT AUBURN

A turkey filled Jman wobbles down to the plains for the now annual tradition of beating bama. It's great to win 5 in a row, but I'd really like to see an absolute blow out at some point. The Tide's only hope in this game is that Auburn's secondary suffers a rash of injuries over the course of the season. That's really the only potential advantage I see for bama. Throw incessantly and hope that Quentin Groves doesn't actually kill John Parker Wilson on the field.

Record: 6-6 SEC: 3-5

Links:
Featured bama blog: Roll Bama Roll
Featured post: a post with a little bit of everything, meaning football and photos of chicks
College Footbal News Preview
Blue Ribbon Preview (ESPN Insider)

I'm back

2007-08-10T09:41:00.000-04:00

I feel like I should bring it. But not today. Despite my better judgement, starting on Monday, I'm going to bring back the old SEC Schedule a Day from last year. Which means I have a lot of studying to do. Anybody know if anything interesting has happened with Arkansas during the offseason?

hiatus

2007-07-06T13:33:00.000-04:00

I'm on hiatus until August. Try not to cry from loneliness.

The Great Atlanta Pub Crawl Marches On...

2007-06-08T10:24:00.000-04:00

It's been a busy last six days in the pub crawl and I'll get to that in a second. However, on Saturday night I had the pleasure/misfortune of attending CJ's Landing's last night in business. As far as I can remember it's the only time I've attended a "last night" and it was odd to say the least. The back bar was running out of stuff order by order. I ended up with a few Pilsner Urquell's that may have been in the fridge for at least 4 months. Later at the front bar, I ordered two Glen Livet's on the rocks and had them served to me, full to the brim of 16oz "styrofoam" Coor's Light cups. In case you were wondering, the last song Brian Wiltsey played was "Wish You Were Here" with about 20 various CJ's musician's on stage. I'm sad to see the place go.

21) Hand in Hand: If you know me well, you know I'm not a fan. Bad service and way overpriced. The cheapest beer they have is $5 Coor's Light Draft. But when it's summer it's hard to resist the 1-2 porch combo of here and Neighbor's. I just typically like to stay at Neighbors.

22) Atkin's Park": "Atlanta's oldest continuously licensed tavern" is a cool place indeed. Just an old school bar. Definitely not a place I go to enough.

23) The Dark Horse: I continuously stay on the fence about Dark Horse. It has the potential to be the coolest bar in Virginia Highlands. But they turn the juke box up to freaking loud, it's hard to get a drink, and the guys bathroom is "awkward". But it's always rowdy, which is nice.

Also, Cousin Chris, told me the other day about the El Bar which is apparently behind the El Azteca on Ponce. Apparently it's almost hidden. Has anyone been there? He said it was cool but they haven't been in a few months so it's apparently not that great.

24) One Pace Down: It's amazing what happens when I change my routine for a week or two. Apparently 5 Paces acquired the building next door and opened a somewhat connecting bar named One Pace Down. It was around last call and the details are sketchy to me. I think I liked the idea though. I'm sure it will open up 5 Paces a little more so there is some room to move. There may have even been a ban. I really can't remember.

25) Steamhouse Lounge: Now the home of the coolest porch in Buckhead (while it's still open). It's amazing how much you feel like you're at the beach when you're sitting on the porch. The place is just chill. And you know, they serve raw oysters. So how could I not like it?

26) Fado's: I've always thought Fado's was awkward. There isn't a big room anywhere. It's just little sections here and there. And the fact that they charge a cover on the weekends is a joke.

27) Park Bench: Contrary to appearance inside the bar last night, Park Bench is not closing. Oddly enough, there were only about 20 people in there last night and about 15 of them were attractive girls. I guess they were waiting around to hear the owner's crappy cover band.

28) Mike and Angelos: Apparently I could have been playing free pool here on weeknight's for the past few years. I really missed the boat on that one. Even though I've been to see bands in the back room several times, it still remains one of the most surreal places I've ever been.

29) Hole in the Wall: Look...I'm gonna say it. Not a bad place to grab a drink Mon-Thurs. I personally wouldn't go there on the weekend, but if you're looking for a relaxed place to play pool or beer pong during the week, it's not a bad place. Plus they have a stripper pole.

Mark your calendars. Starting Thursday June 14th through that Saturday night I'm "going to plaid" with the Pub Crawl. I'm honestly looking to knock off at least 20 bars around town. People may need to come in shifts. We're looking at Thursday night starting around 7pm probably, Friday around 4pm, and all day Saturday. No area of town is off limits. I'd even be willing to hit up a Marietta pub crawl if someone could navigate it.

Gant

2007-06-08T10:06:00.000-04:00

A fantastic highlight clip of the Braves' Glory Days

What stuck out to me:

- Ron Gant is the greatest player in the history of baseball. Absolute specimen.

- I applaud any highlights package that features Bobby Cox being thrown out of a game. It wouldn't be the Braves otherwise.

- After watching almost all of Smoltz's starts over the last few years, it's startling to see how sick his stuff was back in the day. He throws at least two 12-6 curve balls in this clip that are completely unhitable.

- Steve Avery's hair. Sweet.

- I dare you not to get emotional in the last 30 seconds.

- I might just have to go the Sunday night game against the Cubs now.

Thanks to Losers with Socks for the vid.

A Day in the Life of Nick Saban

2007-06-08T09:46:00.001-04:00

Unfortunately, I have no idea who wrote this. But enjoy.

"NICK SABAN'S ITENERARY

4:00 AM - Wake up.

4:01 AM - Fire secretary for mispelling 'ITINERARY.' Get security to go to her house, step in her garden, wake her ass up, get her to fix them breakfast. .... Then fire her.

4:02 AM - Watch the movie 'Gladiator' in 16X fast forward.

4:20 AM - Think about how much of a p***y Maximus is and how I could dominate his ass.

4:21 AM - Call Major. Tell him if he isn't at my house in 5 minutes I will hire Chris Simms to do his f***ing job.

4:25 AM - Tell Major who he is recruiting today. Send him on the road with a cooler and a case of Red Bull. Tell him not to come back until he has a commitment. From a 5-star.

4:26 AM - Call Kevin Steele. Ask him where the f*** are my 5-star D-line commits? Call him names. Hang up.

4:27 AM - Power nap.

4:28 AM - 3-mile jog.

4:29 AM - Play game of NCAA 07. Beat LSU 63-0.

With Valdosta State.

5:00 AM - Think about how even EA sports makes Les Miles looks like a walking bobblehead doll.

5:01 AM - Call Mal. Ask him where the f*** is my bagel.

5:02 AM - Get bagel from Mal. Complain that it isn't toasted enough. Slam door.

5:03 AM - Toast bagel with laser eyes, then eat it.

5:05 AM - Do whatever the hell I want for two-and-a-half hours.

7:36 AM - Wake up the daughter, tell her how much I love her, fix her breakfast, ask her how her school is going, pat her on the head, buy her a pony, kiss her on the forehead, telepathically threaten her boyfriend, and give her a ride to school.

7:39 AM: Wake up the wife.

7:39 - 10:39 AM - None of your f***ing business.

10:40 AM - Take 15-minute hot shower.

10:45 AM - Head to office.

10:50 AM - Prank-call Don Shula. Tell him that Nick Saban is looking to hire a new secretary and that if he's interested to email his resume to imadeyourentirefamilymybitch@hotmail.com. Do not disguise voice.

11:00 AM - Go to Mobile. Recruit my ass off.

11:50 AM - Go to Daphne. Recruit my ass off.

12:25 PM - Go to Louisiana. Take huge sh*t…

... inside the LSU Football Complex. Use the bathroom in Miles’ office. Do not close door.

12:26 P.M. - Use bottled skunk scent to create the illusion that my sh*t actually stinks.

12:27 P.M. – Leave toilet un-flushed. Not to be rude. Just to remind everyone at LSU that it’s Nick Saban’s job to get sh*t done, and Les Miles’ job to take care of whatever Nick Saban leaves behind.

12:29 P.M. – Enter Auburn city limits. Inhale, then hold breath.

12:30 P.M. – Meet Tommy Tuberville for lunch. When waiter takes order, say “I'll have what he's having.” Wait for Tuberville to order something healthy. Then call him a p**** and order a double cheeseburger. With onion rings.

12:31 P.M. – Think of a better way to f*** with Tuberville. Adjust time.

12:30 P.M. – Meet Tommy Tuberville for lunch. When waitress takes order, say 'I'll have what he's having.' Wait for Tuberville to order. When the waitress brings out my food, send it back. When the waitress brings out Tuberville’s food, eat it. All of it. Silently, and without using silverware. Stare Tuberville in the face the whole time. Do not talk. If waitress tries to approach table again, stare at her until she cries.

1:00 P.M. – Get up from table. Ask valet for Tuberville’s car keys. Do not tip.

1:01 P.M. – Get in car. Scroll through Tuberville’s iPod. Laugh at all the p***y music he has on it.

1:02 P.M. – Morph iPod into 1987 cassette tape of “Appetite for Destruction.” Blare it. Then hit the pedal.

1:03 – 1:29 P.M. – Hit as many Auburn fans’ mailboxes as possible. Swerve if necessary.

1:30 P.M. – Arrive at Auburn City Sheriff’s Office.

1:31 P.M. – Beat the s**t out of Auburn City Sheriff.

Do not tell him there is a new sheriff in town. That would be too expected.

Instead, merely imply it by punching him repeatedly in the face and kidney.

1:32 – 1:54 P.M. – Hit as many Auburn fans’ pets as possible. Swerve if necessary.

1:55 P.M. – Drive to Bobby Lowder’s house. Park Tuberville’s car right next to Lowder’s wife’s car. Leave it there all night. But not before taking pictures.

1:56 P.M. – Slash both front tires. With index finger.

1:57 P.M. – Swallow keys. Hail cab.

1:58 P.M. – Exit Auburn city limits. Wait five minutes, then exhale.

1:59 P.M. – Arrive at gas station. Put on Armani suit. Smile. Ask attendant for bag of Redman chew. Do not pay for it.

2:00 P.M. – Go to SEC baseball tourney.

2:01 P.M. – Walk into batter’s box. Grab crotch. Hit pinch-hit HR.

But not for Alabama.

For whoever’s playing LSU.

2:02 P.M. – Point to scorekeeper. Tell him to just add the run, because Nick Saban doesn’t have time to run the f***ing bases.

2:03 P.M. – On way out of ballpark, spit chew in LSU batboy’s face. Make sure his eyes are open first.

2:04 P.M. - Get out cell phone. Make recruiting call to Julio Jones. Tell him that Nick Saban just hit a pinch-hit HR. In an Armani suit. Without rounding the bases. Hang up.

2:05 P.M. – Purchase phone-voice disguiser from the movie 'Scream.'

2:06 P.M. – Call Major. Ask him how he is doing.

Then ask him if Alabama recruited a 5-star QB this week.

Then ask him if Alabama got a commitment from a 5-star QB this week.

Then ask him if he enjoys the use of his thumbs.

2:07 P.M. – Fax letter to Dan Le Batard and the Miami-Herald Sports department.

(^^^Coach’s correction^^^) - F*** that. Nick Saban does not fax. -

2:07 P.M. – Have Secretary Shula fax letter to Dan Le Batard and the Miami-Herald Sports Dept.

Letter to read as follows:

“ATTN: Staff,

Guys, I don’t know how else I can say this. I am going to beat the ever-living s*** out of Dan Le Batard and the entire Miami-Herald Sports Department.

- NICK SABAN”

2:08 P.M. – Catch the 3:15 flight to Miami.

3:00 P.M. – Beat the ever-living s*** out of Dan Le Batard and the entire Miami Herald Sports Department.

Not to show them that Nick Saban only gets violent when he feels like it. To show them that Nick Saban only keeps his word when he feels like it.

4:00 P.M. – Arrive back in Alabama. Call Real Estate Agent.

4:01 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. – Work with Real Estate agent. Buy every single movie theater, restaurant, shopping mall, outdoor park, fishing lake, and entertainment venue in the entire city of Auburn.

Close them all down immediately. If real estate agent advises against the move, threaten his life. Then tell him it is not about making money. It is about making sure people in Auburn have nothing to take their minds off the fact that Nick Saban was just hired as the Head Coach of Alabama.

5:01 P.M. – 9:01 P.M. – Go into office. Work. Recruit. Dominate. Make up for otherwise slow day.

9:02 P.M. – Go home. Hug the wife. Wink. Smile. Spit mad game.

9:03 P.M. – 12:02 A.M. – None of your f****ng business.

12:03 A.M. – Call Mal. Ask him where the f*** is my cigarette.

12:04 A.M. – Get cigarette from Mal. Complain that it isn’t lit. Slam door.

12:05 A.M. – Light cigarette with laser eyes. Then smoke it. Without filter.

12:06 A.M. – 1,000 sit-ups.

12:07 A.M. – 1,000 push-ups.

12:08 A.M. – 1,000 crunches.

12:09 A.M. – End warm-up period and begin hour-long evening workout.

12:39 A.M. – Complete hour-long evening workout.

12:40 A.M. – 1:00 A.M. – Watch 4 consecutive new episodes of ‘24’ using the DVR I stole from Lowder’s house.

1:01 A.M. – Think about how lucky Jack Bauer is for being fictional. Because if he weren’t, I would beat the s*** out of him for copy-catting my personality.

1:02 A.M. – 1:12 A.M. – Watch entire replay of “De La Hoya-Mayweather” fight.

1:13 A.M. – Think about how much more one-sided the fight would have been if it were called “De La Hoya-Saban.”

1:14 A.M. – Put cell phone on silent. Not to go to sleep. To dodge repeated late-night desperation booty calls from Jessica Alba and Eva Longoria.

3:14 A.M. – After booty calls cease, send text message to both reminding them that Nick Saban only cheats at Monopoly.

3:15 A.M. – 3:29 A.M. – Practice future National Championship Game post-game speeches. All three of them.

3:30 A.M. – 4:00 A.M. – Catch good night’s sleep. Replace the counting of sheep with the kicking of puppies."

so very urban

2007-06-01T10:34:00.000-04:00

I went down to Screen on the Green last night in Piedmont Park. I wasn't very thrilled with the position of the screen on the field because it limits the size and shape of the crowd. However, it was still a good time and I plan on going back to catch Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

But the movie wasn't the coolest part. For safety reasons, they had chalk outlined walk ways spread out through the crowd that people weren't allowed to sit on. This created a convenient way to walk around and find people or whatever. About an hour before the movie starts, somebody starts blowing a whistle at the back of the field. Everyone turns to see what's going on. None other that Midtown's famous Baton Bob (official website and youtube) decked out in a brown thigh high trench coat and brown beret marching down the aisles military style. The whole place just started cheering. The guy is a celebrity,everyone there knew who he was. He marched all around the crowd for probably 30 minutes as people followed him and took pictures with him. He really does bring the good times.

Afterwards I headed over to

20) Prince of Wales: one of the Derek Lawford Pubs (Hand in Hand, the Angel, etc) on Piedmont at 14th street. The main draw of this bar is the porch that sits right across from Piedmont Park. Of course, I stayed inside the whole time and watched the end of the Cavs/Pistons game. It's as overpriced as the other pubs, and our two drafts last night (Stella & Pilsner Urquell) tasted a little skunky. But if you're on that side of the park instead of the Park Tavern side, it's not a bad place to go.

Rose and Crown, another Derek Lawford Pub, in Buckhead on East Paces closed a few years ago. Well they never sold the property and I guess they retained their liquor license. It looks like they've redone the windows and I'd guess just by looking that they'd be open some time in the late fall. Which to me seems like a bad time to open in that area. Those two block are going to be nothing but construction for the next two years at least. Thanks once again Mr. Loudermilk for saving Buckhead.

even more freaking awesome

2007-06-01T10:20:00.001-04:00

Bestweekever has the entire first episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. The whole thing. The opening is fantastic. I remember watching the show almost out of boredom the first couple of years. It was several years in before he actually hit his stride. And it took me forever to actually warm up to the "moving lips on a still photo" impersonations. But doggone it, the Bill Clinton one seemed like the most fun guy in America

oh hell yeah

2007-06-01T08:41:00.000-04:00

Bill Withers - Ain't No Sunshine