That’s what it seems like in predicting college football this year because it’s so wide open. The final four for this week is Mississippi State, FSU, Auburn and Ole Miss. AU and Ole Miss in a potential elimination game Saturday in Oxford though with the way this season is going, two losses may not eliminate you completely. Still a huge game on the Grove, Saturday night @ 6 PM CT/7 ET on ESPN. Alabama, Oregon, TCU and an underrated Georgia team are the teams to me that are right on the edge of being in that top four when all is said and done. The Tide is off Saturday and is in preparations for a trip to Death Valley to face the Bayou Bengals of LSU next Saturday (Nov.8th) @ 7 PM CT/8 ET on CBS. Oregon plays host to their annual Achilles Heel, the Stanford Cardinal, and while Stanford may not have the usual stellar record that they have year in and  year out, they have the number two total defense and  number two scoring defense in the country. The Cardinal have upset the Ducks the last two years and dashed their hopes of playing for it all in January. So the Ducks, with their high powered offense, have their work cut out for them in Autzen Stadium in Eugene on Saturday @ 6:3o PM CT/7:30 ET on FOX. Oregon is on upset alert. TCU heads to Morgantown to face a very good West Virginia team that would love nothing more than to end the Horned Frogs hopes of getting to the playoff. If TCU wins, in what will be a cold, rainy Saturday in Morgantown, they are right in the thick of things for the playoff. If West Virginia wins, they will become a factor nationally. They defeated Baylor at home, played Alabama tough, and had a convincing win over @ Oklahoma State last Saturday. They’re playing very well. The Georgia Bulldogs play the Gators in the Cocktail Party game. The Dawgs will get Todd Gurley back for the Auburn game in two weeks, so Nick Chubb and company will hold down the fort in the meantime. The Dawgs are playing well, but this is a rivalry game and Will Muschamp is probably battling for his job at this point, so it could be a test for the Dawgs, which have hopes of playing in Atlanta on December 6th. Mississippi State hosts Arkansas in what could be a pretty tough game for the Bulldogs against a stellar rushing attack. Very interesting one tonight at Louisville as the No.2 ranked and defending national champion Florida State Seminoles head into Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium to face the upset minded Cardinals. There are some other key matchups in the Pac-12  as No.18 Utah travels to No.15 ‘Zona State and No.14 Arizona is at No.25 UCLA. Here’s a look at this week’s games. The rankings are from the AP Poll.

Last week: 16-3

Overall: 95-39 (71%)

No.4 Auburn (6-1, 3-1) @ No. 7 Ole Miss (7-1, 4-1)

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford (60,580)

6 PM CT/7 PM ET

ESPN

Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe

Weather: 45 at kickoff, 0 % rain, wind North 10 MPH

Line: Ole Miss by 2

Ole Miss leads the country in scoring defense giving up just 10.5 points per game, but they did give up 264 yards rushing to LSU last Saturday night at Death Valley. Auburn gained 395 yards on the ground last week against a pretty weak South Carolina defense, but Cameron Artis-Payne ran for 167 and a score, Nick Marshall ran for 89 and three TDs, and Ricardo Louis ran for 102 yards with one of them being a house call from 75 yards. And the question I always have for Ole Miss is: do you trust Bo Wallace? The defense is good, without a doubt, but can Wallace make the plays when you have to have them? I don’t think he does against the Tigers, and Auburn comes out of Oxford with a huge win as they matriculate in the SEC west and in the national picture.

AU 21, Ole Miss 17

Arkansas (4-4, 0-4) @ No.1 Mississippi State (7-0, 4-0)

Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville (55,082)

6:15 PM CT/7:15 PM ET

ESPN2

Tess, Brock, Shannon Spake

Weather: 45, 0 % rain, wind NNW @ 12 MPH

Line: State by 10 1/2

Tricky game for State. Arkansas trying to get their first SEC win under Brett Beilema.  Arkansas has that explosive running game behind the biggest line in all of football, college or pro. That could cause State problems. State may get out of this with a victory, but it won’t be easy.

State 35, Arkansas 31

Florida (3-3, 2-3) vs. No.9 Georgia (6-1, 4-1)

EverBank Field, Jacksonville (67, 164)

2:30 PM CT/ 3:30 PM ET

CBS

Verne, Gary, Allie LaForce

Weather: 58, 0 % rain, wind: 22 MPH

Line: Georgia by 13

Florida and Will Muschamp are in desperate straights. Georgia is playing very well. Their defense has gotten it together and their running game hasn’t missed a beat with Nick Chubb playing in place of Todd Gurley. The Dawgs are going to play as old school as possible with the wind being such a factor at 22 MPH. Florida’s best hope is to stop Chubb and make Hutson Mason beat them through the air. That could happen, but the Gators offense is not too swift, even though they can run the ball some. I like the Dawgs to get the job done here. Florida just can’t get enough done on offense.

Dawgs 24, Gators 10

 

Stanford (5-3, 3-2 Pac-12) @ Oregon (7-1, 4-1)

Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon (54,000)

6:30 PM CT/7:30 PM ET

FOX

Gus Johnson, Charles Davis

Weather: 55, Showers, 60%, wind SW 7 MPH

Line: Oregon by 8

Stanford will keep this close on defense and with the weather the way it is expected to be, this should be a dogfight to the end. And I like the Cardinal to pull off the upset.

Stanford 21, Oregon 20

No.10 TCU (6-1, 3-1) @ No.20 West Virginia (6-2, 4-1)

Mountaineer Field @ Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, West Va. (60,000)

2:30 PM CT/ 3:30 PM ET

ABC

Chris, Herbie, Heather

Weather: 47, 70% showers, wind , north 13 MPH

Line: TCU by 5 1/2

The weather makes the game really interesting. West Virginia knocked off Baylor two weeks ago at home, 41-27. TCU can run it pretty well and the Mountaineers throw it well with quarterback Clint Trickett and wide out Kevin White. West Virginia can run it decently, too. This is a tough place to play, and I’ve had trouble figuring this one out. But the Horned Frogs play better defense and run the ball better, so I have them surviving. Should be a classic though.

 TCU 24, West Virginia 21

Tonight:

No.2 Florida State (7-0, 4-0 ACC) @ Louisville ( 6-2, 4-2 ACC)

Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, Louisville (55,000)

6:30 PM CT/ 7:30 PM ET

ESPN

Rece, Jess, Dave, Sam

Weather: 52, 0% wind  E 3 MPH

Line: FSU by 3 1/2

Louisville has the number four scoring defense in the country, the number one rushing defense, the number one total defense, the number two passing efficiency defense and they are second in the country in interceptions with 15, behind Ole Miss, which has 17. Free safety Gerod Holliman is tied for the national lead in interceptions with Ole Miss cornerback Senquez Golson at 8. The Wall Street Journal wrote a piece last night citing that 13 teams have played top five total defenses in the last three years and 10 of them have lost. It’s happened twice this year with No.4 Oklahoma (at the time) losing to TCU, and No.3 Alabama losing to Ole Miss. That tells me that the Noles are going down tonight.

Louisville 28, FSU 24

 

Other scores

South Carolina 38, Tennessee 30

6:30 PM CT/7:30 PM ET, SEC Network

Missouri 28, Kentucky 24

3 PM CT/ 4 PM ET on SEC Network

Vanderbilt 24, Old Dominion 21

6 PM CT/ 7 PM ET on ESPNU

Texas A&M 45, Lousiana-Monroe 10

11 AM CT/ Noon ET on SEC Network

Duke 35, Pittsburgh 31

11 AM CT/ 12 PM ET on ESPNU

East Carolina 38, Temple 28

11 AM CT/ 12 PM ET on ESPN News

Oklahoma 34, Iowa State 30

11 AM CT/ 12 PM ET on FOX Sports 1

Miami (Fl) 42, North Carolina 24

11:30 AM CT/12:30 PM ET on ESPN3, ESPN Gameplan

Penn State 31, Maryland 27

11 AM CT/ 12 PM ET on ESPN2

UAB 35, Florida Atlantic 31

6 PM CT/7 PM ET on WABM channel 68 in Birmingham

Texas 37, Texas Tech 35

6:30 PM CT/ 7:30 PM ET on FOX Sports 1

Kansas State 35, Oklahoma State 27

7 PM CT/8 PM ET on ABC

UCLA 35, Arizona 31

9:30 PM CT/10:30 PM ET on ESPN

Arizona State 30, Utah 23

10 PM CT/11 PM ET on FOX Sports 1

 

NFL tonight

New Ahlins (3-4) @ Carolina Panthers (3-4-1)

7:25 PM CT/8:25 PM ET

NFL Network

Jim, Phil, Wolf

Line: Saints by 3

Drew and Saints get it done over Cam–barely. Should be an excellent game. Key game in NFC South.

Saints 28, Panthers 24

 

 

World Series

Two names: Madison, Bumgarner. Wow. What an absolute stud. The Giants win in 7 over the Royals, and take home their third Series title in five years (also 2010, ’12). 

That’s all world good as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last week: 5-4; Overall: 34-26 (57%)

Detroit 35, Atlanta 31

Kansas City 31, St. Louis 23

Cincinnati 31, Baltimore 30

Carolina 28, Seattle 24

Chicago 34, New England 31

Philadelphia 34, Arizona 28

Indianapolis 31, Pittsburgh 27

New Orleans 35, Green Bay 30

Dallas 38, Washington 24

 

Another huge weekend in the SEC and in college football with key conference games being played throughout the country. Bama is on the road at Neyland Stadium to face the Vols, while Auburn hosts South Carolina in their attempt to prove they are a legitimate factor in the SEC and in the playoff picture. Bama put themselves right back in the serious conversation with their de-cleating of Texas A&M last Saturday, 59-0. Auburn has work to do. Will Gus make a quarterback change if Nick Marshall is not getting the job done in the first quarter? That’s something to watch. Blake Sims has performed very well at home, but has struggled some on the road. Before 103,000 plus fans in Knoxville, he will be tested and have a chance to prove that he can play well and lead his team to victory both at home AND on the road. He’s already done it at Arkansas, so he’s shown he can, though the defense gave him a lot of help in that game. He wasn’t bad against Ole Miss; he just made an error at the end of the game. Here’s a look at both of these games along with the other SEC contests and the key national games.

Last week: 14-4

Overall: 79-36 (69%)

 

No.4 Alabama (6-1, 3-1 SEC) @ Tennessee (3-4, 0-3 SEC)

Neyland Stadium, Knoxville (102,455-should be quite a few more standing room only fans)

6:30 PM CT/7:3o PM ET

ESPN2

Joe Tessitore (Tess), Brock Huard, Shannon Spake

Weather: 60 degrees, clear (0% chance of rain), wind SW 7 MPH

Line: Bama by 17

T.J. Yeldon is starting to run like he’s capable of as he had a big day last week vs. Texas A&M running for 114 yards on 13 carries and two TD runs that were pretty spectacular. Derrick Henry added 70 yards on the ground and a TD catch and run. So it looks like S and the Tide are getting their familiar and prolific one-two running back tandem in place again. Bradley Bozeman played well last week at center in place of the injured Ryan Kelly. The line did a nice job. Right tackle Austin Shepherd sprained his ankle and his knee in the game, but he should be OK for this game, according to Saban. Kelly will miss this Saturday’s game, but should be available for LSU on Nov.8th in Death Valley.This will be a good test for Sims and the Tide. Am I drinking the Kool-Aid that Lou Holtz was drinking last Saturday night saying that Alabama is the best team in the country? Not yet. I want to see  the Tide on the road in Knoxville and in Baton Rouge in two weeks and see how Sims handles hostile crowds that will number well over 100,000. I am partaking in the top 4 Kool-Aid on Bama. I like Alabama, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Florida State as my top 4 playoff teams right now. With plenty of football left, there are other teams right on the cusp of that top 4. One team I’m starting to like again a lot more is Oregon. They have solidified their line with the return of left tackle Jake Fisher. They were really struggling three weeks ago because their offensive line had been decimated by injuries. But with Fisher back, the Ducks can now protect quarterback Marcus Mariota and let their playmakers make plays in the open field. Their defense is pretty good too; very opportunistic. They are third in the country in turnover margin behind Georgia (tops in the country) and Washington. Georgia is definitely another team right in the thick of it. Love the way the Dawgs are playing right now. Nick Chubb has filled in very well for Gurley and there is a chance Gurley will be back on the team before the year is out. Maybe sooner rather than later. Georgia is a serious contender.

But I like what Alabama is doing on both sides of the ball. Crushing A&M was impressive. Ole Miss also wasted A&M at College Station, 35-20, and Mississippi State wasted them at Starkville a week before, 48-31, so A&M is down for sure. But the Crimson Tide’s defense has figured it out and linebacker Reggie Ragland and defensive end Ryan Anderson are looking like dominant players. Reuben Foster is a beast on special teams and looks like he needs to get in the linebacker rotation. I like Ole Miss because of their stellar, dominating defense. Bo Wallace seems to start slow, but gets better as the game goes on. If Ole Miss happens to get behind though, we’ll see if Wallace can answer the bell in a potential predicament. That’s the question I have with Ole Miss. It’s always about Bo Wallace with Ole Miss, particularly this year, when they have a good team around him, though the running game isn’t prolific by any means. Like State and Dak Prescott. Dak just has what it takes, and he’s got an excellent supporting cast around him on both sides of the ball. FSU is still a very good team despite all the turmoil down there. So those are my top four with Oregon knocking on the door. Auburn has some work to do to get back in the discussion.

For Bama this week, it’s get that running game going early to set up the play action passing game and letting Blake Sims be the weapon he is with his arm AND his wheels. Tennessee has a very young team, but some pretty impressive young players. Freshman running back Jalen Hurd is built like a Sherman Tank at 6’3″, 227. He only played one game his senior year in high school at Beech Senior High in Tennessee, but his junior year he ran for 3,357 yards and 43 TDs. In his team’s state championship game in 2012 (his junior year), he ran for 394 yards and seven TDs in a victory for the state title. He also had two other games where he ran for 451 and 396 yards respectively. He’s rushed for 414 yards and two TDs this season for the Vols. He looks like a lot better player to me than Leonard Fournette, the heralded freshman running back at LSU. Anyway, the Tide should take care of business here, and get ready for LSU in two weeks. Like the Crimson Tide to roll at Rocky Top.

Bama 38, UT 17

 

South Carolina (4-3, 2-3) @ Auburn (5-1, 2-1)

Jordan-Hare Stadium (87,451)

6:30 PM CT/7:30 PM ET

SEC Network

Brent, Jesse, Maria Taylor

Weather: 65 degrees, 0% rain, wind NW 8 MPH

Line: AU by 18

The Gamecocks did win last week over Furman, 41-10, but this may be the worst team Spurrier has had in Columbia, unless they can turn it around this Saturday against the Tigers. The Tigers have a lot to prove . They want to win the SEC West, of course,  and start getting back in the discussion for the playoff. They need an impressive showing here to do that. If Nick Marshall struggles, I’m thinking Gus will call on Jeremy Johnson. I could be off base on this, but Marshall was erratic against Mississippi State and has really been pretty erratic all year, and Johnson is a very good quarterback and is deserving of a shot if Marshall can’t get better this Saturday. This offense needs a spark. I’m ready to see Roc Thomas get more of a shot at tailback, too. He looks like he’s already the best of the threesome of  him, Artis-Payne,  Corey Grant. The defense needs a good game also. South Carolina has some weapons on offense. Quarterback Dylan Thompson has also had some uneven performances like Marshall, so for the Gamecocks to have any kind of shot, he’ll have to play well. The Tigers need to prove they’re back in business on defense. The return of safety Jermaine Whitehead from suspension for yelling back at a coach before the Kansas State game will help the AU defense if Whitehead is back in playing shape. Auburn should be able to take care of business on Saturday and get prepped for next week’s trip to Oxford. This is a must win for the Tigers and will make next week’s game at Oxford epic.

Auburn 41, South Carolina 28

 

No.3 Ole Miss (7-0, 4-0) @ No.24 LSU (6-2, 2-2)

Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge (102,321)

6:15 PM CT/7:15 PM ET

ESPN

Chris Fowler, Herbie, Heather Cox

Weather: 70, 0 %, wind N 6 MPH

Line: Ole Miss by 3 1/2

Should be a pretty good battle down in Death Valley. LSU still pretty youthful. Leonard Fournette has not set the SEC on fire like Les Miles said he would. He’s not even the best back on his team. Senior Terrence Magee is, and I’d argue that fellow true freshman Darrel Williams is better than Fournette too. LSU will try to pound the ball on the ground, but they’ll be going against the best front seven they’ll face all year. Ole Miss can really play defense. They are number one in the country in scoring defense, allowing 10.6 points per game. Defensive end Marquis Haynes leads the team with 6.5 sacks. D.T. Shackelford and Robert Nkemdiche are disruptive forces up front, and the secondary is tied for Louisville for most interceptions in the country at 15.  Cornerback Senquez Golson is second in the country behind Louisville’s Gerod Holliman with seven interceptions. Holliman has eight. Bo Wallace is still questionable to me and the Rebels don’t have a prolific running game, but they do have some good receivers on the perimeter led by LeQuon Treadwell, who has 34 receptions for 458 yards and four TDs. Vince Sanders and Cody Core each have four TD catches as well. It’s always tough on Saturday nights in Death Valley, but Mississippi State proved it can be done there earlier this season, winning 34-29. Ole Miss will too.

Ole Miss 28, LSU 21

 

No.1 Mississippi State (6-0, 3-0) @ Kentucky (5-2, 2-2)

Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington (67,606)

2:30 PM CT/3:30 ET

CBS

Verne, Gary, Allie

Weather: 72, 10%, wind SW @ 10 MPH

Line: State by 14

Dak Prescott is having a Heisman-like season completing 96-of-156 passes (61.5 %) for 1,478 yards, 14 TDs against just four interceptions. He’s also run for 576 yards and eight TDs. Josh Robinson may be the most underrated running back in the SEC. He’s rushed for 689 yards on 98 carries (7.0 per carry) with eight TDs. De’Runnya Wilson is outstanding. He only has 18 receptions on the season, but six of those have resulted in TDs. He’s almost un-guardable for opposing cornerbacks.Kentucky is better, but Ole Miss brought them back to Earth last week beating them 34-3 at Oxford. State will do about the same in Lexington.

State 37, Kentucky 17

 

Vandy (2-5, 0-4) @ Missouri (5-2, 2-1)

Faurot Field, Columbia, Mo. (71,168)

3 PM CT/4 ET

SEC  Network

Tom Hart, Matt Stinchcomb, Kayce Smith

Weather: 79, Sunny, wind NNW at 6 MPH

Line: Mizzou by 22

After getting blasted by Georgia at home two weeks ago, 34-0, Missouri came back and crushed Florida at the Swamp last week, 42-13. Marcus Murphy opened the game up with a 96 yard kickoff return for a TD and then ran a punt back 82 yards for a score. Murphy (374 yards, 1 TD) and Russell Hansborough (485 yards, 6 TDs) will make it a long afternoon for the Commodores defense. Mizzou defensive end Shane Ray will cause havoc for Vanderbilt quarterback Johnny McCrary. Ray is third in the country with 10 sacks on the season for -62 yards. With that said, Derek Mason and Vanderbilt may have another long afternoon as has been the case for most of the year. But the Dores are getting better, so they may keep it close for a while.

Missouri 31, Vandy 21

 

UAB (4-3) @ Arkansas (3-4)

Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Ark. (72,000)

11 AM CT/ Noon ET

SEC Network

Dave Neal, Andre Ware, Laura Rutledge

Weather: 83, Sunny, WSW 8 MPH

Line: Arkansas by 24 1/2

Jonathan Williams has rushed for 677 and 9 TDs and Alex Collins 665 and eight TDs. They’re going to add to that total on Saturday vs. the Blazers in a big way. It will be a tough afternoon for the UAB defense, though the offense should do well against not a stellar Razorback defense. Jordan Howard has rushed for 752 yards and seven TDs, and D.J. Vinson has gone for 440 and seven house calls for the Blazers. UAB should be good against the Razorback defense, but they’re going to have major problems stopping Arkansas.

Arkansas 45, UAB 28

Off this week: Georgia, Florida and A&M (thankfully for both of them)

Upset City Special of the week:

Texas goes to No.11 Kansas  State to face a Wildcats team fresh off a 31-30 upset of Oklahoma at Norman. Charlie Strong and his Texas team are starting to put it together. They gave OU everything they wanted a couple of weeks ago in Dallas, losing only 31-26. Then the Longhorns beat Iowa State in a shootout, 48-45, last Saturday night in Austin. I’m going to go with the Horns to knock off a Kansas State team that has its eyes on the playoff. The Horns derail the Wildcats’ hopes.

Texas 34, Kansas State 31

11 AM/ Noon CT on ESPN

Other games:

Friday night:

No.6 Oregon 52, Cal 31

9 PM CT/10 PM ET on FOX Sports 1

No. 14 Arizona State 30, Washington 24

9:45 PM CT/10:45 ET on ESPN

No.19 Utah 30, USC 28

9 PM CT/ 10 PM ET on FOX Sports 1

No.8 Michigan State 38, Michigan 20

2:30 PM CT/3:30 PM ET on ABC

No.13 Ohio State 38, Penn State 23

7 PM CT/8 PM ET on ABC

No.23 Marshall 48, Florida Atlantic 14

2:30 PM CT/3:30 PM ET on FOX Sports 1

Marshall’s quarterback, Rakeem Cato, broke Russell Wilson’s consecutive game streak for throwing a touchdown as he threw a TD pass for the  39th game in a row last Saturday. This team could well possibly be the team that emerges from the group of 5  conferences (the American Athletic, Conference USA, the Mid American, the Mountain West and the Sun Belt), and play in a BCS bowl with the five “major” conferences (the SEC, Pac-12, Big 12, Big Ten and ACC). Marshall is in Coosa (C-USA). They’re a pretty interesting team.

No.10 TCU 45, Texas Tech 31

2:30 PM CT/3:30 PM ET on FOX

No.22 West Virginia 42, Oklahoma State 37

2:30 PM CT/3:30 PM ET ON ESPN

No.16 Nebraska 42, Rutgers 21

11 AM CT/Noon ET on ESPN2

No.25 UCLA 38, Colorado 28

1 PM CT/2 PM ET on Pac-12 Network

Stanford 31, Oregon State 17

2:30 PM CT/3:30 PM  ET ESPN2

Tonight

Virginia Tech 31, Miami 28

7 PM CT/8 PM ET on ESPN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trending upward:

1. Alabama

59-0 over A&M. Impressive. T.J. Yeldon is back. 13 carries, 114 yards, and two touchdowns. He had so many outstanding runs. Derrick Henry had 70 yards on 10 carries and a TD rushing, along with a 41 yard catch and run for a score which was a gem. Blake Sims played very well hitting on 16 of 27 passes for 268 yards and three TDs. Also ran for a beautiful 43 yard house call. Really impressive on offense and the defense was dominating. Held a usually explosive A&M offense to 172 total yards. Reggie Ragland and Ryan Anderson are playing all world good right now. The whole defense did on Saturday. Reggie with an incredible leaping snag for  an interception of Kenny Hill. Ragland just grabbed it out of the air right after Hill threw it. It was awesome. Tide looked like the best team in the country on Saturday. Blake and the Tide go to Knoxville Saturday night for a 6:30 CT kickoff/ 7:30 ET on ESPN2. This will be a good test for Sims as there will be 107,000, mostly UT fans, putting the pressure on. If Blake can handle the crowd and play well, it’s a good omen for Baton Rouge on Nov. 8th. Tide off after this Saturday before heading to Death Valley. Jacob Coker with a nice TD pass to third string tight end Ty Flournoy-Smith in the fourth quarter. Coker needs to be ready to play as Blake has struggled with a right shoulder injury. Amari Cooper with eight receptions for 114 yards and two TDs., a 24 yarder and 45 yarder. Two beautiful pass-receiving plays. Amari playing as well as any player in the country right now. Superb overall effort.

2. Georgia

Todd who? Nick Chubb ran for 202 yards on 30 carries and two TDs against Arkansas Saturday in the Dawgs 45-32 victory at Fayetteville after running for a buck, 43 against Missouri in a 34-0 win the Saturday before. With Keith Marshall expected back for the Florida game in two weeks and Sony Michel a 50-50 proposition and all their receivers back, the Dawgs are looking better and better in the East, and nationally. Dawgs now 4-1 in conference and 6-1 overall. Off this week before playing the Gators at that cocktail thing on Nov. 8th.

3. Ole Miss

Destroyed UT on Saturday @ home, 34-3. Bo Wallace 13-0f-28 for 199 yards, two TDs and no ints. He’s taking care of the football, which is critical for his and his team’s success. Defense is as good as anybody in the country right now. Go to LSU this weekend against a rejuvenated group down in Baton Rouge. Kickoff is set for 6:15 PM CT on ESPN. Should be a classic

4. Mississippi State

Just playing excellent football right now. Dak Prescott and State hit the road on Saturday against Kentucky, which just got blasted by LSU in Death Valley Saturday night. That will be the 2:30 PM CT game on CBS.

5. LSU

The young guys are starting to get it. Leonard Fournette starting to play more like the all world player he was expected to be when he came in this year and an older running back is doing well. After a late game cardio kid win over Florida at the Swamp two Saturdays ago, the Bengal Tigers destroyed Kentucky, 41-3.. Senior Terrence Magee ran for 127 yards on nine carries. Another freshman, Darrel Williams, ran for 61 yards on 10 carries. Fournette had 43 yards on the ground on 15 carries; not exceptional, but he’s got a lot of help. He did have a TD. LSU rushed it for 303 yards total.  Anthony Jennings just needs to manage the game well, and get the ball to his talented young receivers, Travin Dural, Trey Quinn and Malachi Dupre. Dupre didn’t play Saturday night; not sure on his status for Ole Miss this week. He could be critical against Ole Miss along with Dural. LSU hosts Ole Miss Saturday night in an epic. The Tigers not out of it at 2-2 and 6-2 overall.

6. Missouri

Just blasted Florida at the Swamp in one of the most unusual games you’ll see. Missouri only gained 119 yards of total offense, but scored a touchdown on a 96 yard kickoff return by Marcus Murphy on the opening kickoff, an 82-yard punt return by Murphy, a 21 yard fumble return by Markus Golden, and a 46 yard interception return by Darvin Ruise. The Tigers played dominant defense at the Swamp, which is starting to become a calm lake place to play. Rece Davis of ESPN reported an amazing stat: when teams only gain 120 yards or less of total offense, their opponent is 147-2 against them. The only team that has sustained those two losses is Florida under Will Muschamp. I really like Muschamp, but he’s going to have to get it together quickly or his ship will have sailed at the end of the season.

We’ll see:

1. Auburn

It’ll be interesting to see how long Gus stays with Nick Marshall this Saturday if he starts out struggling again. Jeremy Johnson is a quality quarterback and Gus might want to go with him if Marshall can’t become more accurate passing the ball. The running game needs to get better, and the defense needs a good outing against South Carolina this Saturday, so AU can get some momentum back that they lost against State two Saturdays ago. This  could still be a very good team, but the defense, the running game and the quarterback position need to improve.

2. South Carolina

Won 41-10 over Furman on Saturday and that’s progress. Going to AU this week (6:30 PM CT on the SEC Network), so Ball Coach will need to pull out this one or this season could spiral downward totally. Defense just not too swift. Mike Davis had a good game Saturday rushing for 111 and two TDs, and backup David Williams ran for 110. Shon Carson added 85 yards and a TD. So the running game was very good. Dylan Thompson was 14-of-22 for 262 yards and two TDs. This Saturday will tell us if  the Gamecocks can turn around their season.

3. Tennessee

The Vols have shown improvement this season, but with Alabama coming into Neyland Stadium, they’ll have to improve drastically for Butch Jones to prove that he is turning the program around. They’re better this year, but can’t just lay an egg on Saturday against the Tide.

4. Arkansas

They’ve also shown improvement in year two under Bret Bielema. Play an improved UAB team Saturday at home at 11 AM CT on the SEC Network. Need to have a big game there.

5. Kentucky

Playing much better, but got dominated by LSU Saturday night in Baton Rouge. Could be an interesting game this Saturday with Mississippi State coming to Lexington for the CBS game at 2:30 PM CT. If Kentucky can play well and even get it done, Mark Stoops can show his players and his recruits that it’s possible to win at UK in football.

Could  get ugly:

1. Florida

Like Will Muschamp a lot as a person, but the offense is terrible right now. Jeff Driskel has been a disaster. Just has lost any confidence he ever had. Freshman Treon Harris is just too young right now. Muschamp is a good guy  and a good football coach, but he’s got to show improvement or they might make a coaching change in Gainesville at seasons end.

2. Texas A&M

Wow, that defense is pathetic. Mark Snyder, their defensive coordinator, is struggling with this group and may be in trouble if things don’t improve dramatically on that side of the ball. The wide receivers are dropping pass after pass, and they can’t find any kind of running game, and Kenny Hill looks frustrated out there. Tough season so far  for the Aggies.

3. Vanderbilt

31 true and redshirt freshmen have played this year. Really like Derek Mason, but he has a new defensive and offensive system in place, and the players have had a lot of trouble adjusting. At Missouri this Saturday @ 3 PM CT on the SEC Network. Dores really need a good game or it could be curtains for the season. Think Mason needs this year and the spring to get his team on board with his philosophies, but there needs to be more improvement this year.

Trending upward nationally:

1. Oregon

Got their left tackle back two Saturdays ago and playing much better on the offensive line. They had been decimated by injuries up front but getting their left tackle back has really helped them. Looking like a factor again nationally.

2. Kansas State

Bill Snyder got a huge victory at Oklahoma on Saturday. Really solid football team. A sure fire contender in the Big 12 and nationally. Play Texas and Oklahoma State at home the next two weeks. If the Wildcats can get through those two, an epic is setting up at TCU on Nov.8th.

3. Arizona State

Beat USC on a Hail Mary three weeks ago and dominated Stanford this past Saturday night at home, 26-10. Very good quarterback, good offense period, and a defense that is really coming around. Todd Graham has his team playing excellent football.

4. Michigan State

Playing really well after losing pretty handily to Oregon the second week of the season. Have Michigan at home, then Ohio State comes to East Lansing for what could be a de facto Big Ten championship game. Can’t count out Nebraska on the other side, but both of these teams looking solid right now.

5. Ohio State

Freshman quarterback J.  T. Barrett has really gotten it together. The Buckeyes starting to look like a factor nationally; certainly in the Big Ten. Play at Penn State this weekend in what should be a nice matchup. If they get by the Nittany Lions, they’ll play Illinois at home a week from Saturday and could go to Michigan State @ 7-1 overall and 4-0 in conference.

6. TCU

The Horned Frogs just demolished Oklahoma State at home on Saturday, 42-9, after losing a tough one to Baylor, 61-58, on the road in a massive shootout in which they held a 21 point lead with 10 minutes left in the game. But this is a good  team. With Baylor’s loss to West Virginia on Saturday, the Big 12 is wide open. TCU plays Texas Tech at home this Saturday, then they’re on the road at West Virginia in a tough one,  and home against Kansas State. These next three weeks will determine if TCU is legitimate.

7. Florida State

Can’t leave them out. Survived Notre Dame, which has a good team and gave the ‘Noles all they wanted. They’re certainly in good shape, at this point, and that’s a major qualifier. But FSU has to go to Louisville, a week from this Thursday, Oct. 30th (6:30 PM CT/7:30 PM ET, ESPN), and they have to play a pretty decent UVA team the following Saturday week (Nov.8th) at home, then go to Miami (Nov.15th) . They then play Boston College and Florida at home before possibly playing in the ACC Championship game, Saturday, Dec. 8th, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. In the championship game, they could face Duke, a good team that will have some revenge on their mind after FSU ran it up against them last year in the ACC title game. Duke is good, and David Cutcliffe is one of the most underrated coaches in the game. Cutcliffe is an excellent offensive coach. He’s done an outstanding job at Duke. The Blue Devils are 6-1 with their only loss coming at Miami. Duke could give the Noles problems. But this goes back to my point that there is a ton of football left with a lot of pivotal games each and every week. So this is a totally fluid season. It’s week to week. Nothing is guaranteed, particularly for FSU, which is a team everybody is gunning for.

Peyton Manning

Wow, 22-0f-26 for 318 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-17 Broncos victory over the 49ers. He had a passer rating of 157.2. A perfect rating is 157.9. Amazing stuff. Peyton broke Brett Favre’s all time touchdown passing record of 508. Peyton came in with 506, and after throwing four, now has 510. Would love to see him get another Super Bowl or two to cement his legacy as the greatest NFL quarterback of all time. He certainly is the greatest regular season quarterback, but with another Super Bowl or two, if he wants to go a couple of more years, Peyton would be the all time greatest  in my opinion.  Broncos certainly looking like the best team in the NFL at this point. I picked the Saints over the Patriots in Super Bowl 49, so I’m not totally for Peyton and the Broncos, though I really am–kind of.

 

Last week: 5-4; Overall: 29-22 (57%)

 

This week’s predictions:

Baltimore 30, Atlanta 27

Seattle 27, St. Louis 24

Indy 31, Cincy 30

Bears 34, Dolphins 28

Saints 31, Lions 28

San Diego 31, KC 30

Cowboys 34, Giants 27

Broncos 28, 49ers 27

Monday Night Football:

Steelers 28, Texans 24

 

World Series:

Royals over Giants in 7

 

 

I’ve got a new word for the English vernacular that I plan on submitting soon to Webster’s. It’s called “Sabanizing.” Here’s how it works: Every Monday, in his Monday press conference, Nick Saban starts “Sabanizing” on how reporters should have written their stories. After the Ole Miss loss, the “Great One” was “Sabanizing” the media on how in the weeks prior, they weren’t listening to him talking about penalties and turnovers, only talking about the big plays from the Florida game along with the stats the team posted in its 42-21 victory over the Gators. He wanted the press to talk more about those miscues, but when they happened against Ole Miss then Arkansas, he was “ticked off” (not his words exactly-he didn’t keep it family material). He was upset that the media wasn’t glorifying the team for their “relentless” effort. An Alabama beat writer asked him about all the mistakes. He started going off on how his team played their hearts out and that’s what the media should write. This Nazification of the press reminds me of the Nazification of the Alabama student section, where students, if they leave in the fourth quarter of a scintillating 48-7 blowout of Florida Atlantic, will be more or less apprehended by campus security, taken into custody, and put into a campus security  jail cell overnight where they will be subjected to all night highlights of the Dubose years, and for their 2:30 AM Waffle House feeding, they’ll get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and one of Saban’s  Cokes that sits on his podium during media “enhancement” sessions. Nothing like college life at the ol’ ball yard.

But back to the Politburo press conferences. For “Der Fuhrer’s” edification, there was this little document written and signed back in 1787 by men who were not nearly as smart as the Great One, but they tried. Guys like Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Adams and Benjamin Fraklin. They were “OK” in the intelligence quotient measurement; like off the charts smart. They wrote this little pamphlet called the “Constitution.” The first amendment of the Constitution, states:  The First Amendment prohibits Congress from obstructing the exercise of certain individual freedoms: freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom of petition.  I see one of these freedoms prohibits Congress from obstructing freedom of the press. But I guess the Great One doesn’t have to qualify under the law of the land. He’s above that, allegedly. “Der Fuhrer” has spoken! It’s gospel. That’s a crock.

So if the Alabama beat writers are writing that the team is not living up to Saban’s beloved “standard,” then they shouldn’t be writing anything in the sports pages according to the Great One. Looks like Saban’s standards right now on the football field are penalties and turnovers. His team is struggling and the guy’s furious; I get that. But for him to berate the media every Monday,  telling them what they should and shouldn’t write, is over the  line. He does it every week; without fail. Maybe his football team is not a democracy when it comes to who’s in charge, but this Nazification does not work when it comes to how he interacts with the press. It’s OK to be ticked off at your team. But it’s not the press’s fault his players are not performing. Maybe the players aren’t good enough right now. I’m sure they’re working hard. Blake Sims has digressed in the past two weeks. The offensive line has fallen off some after a good  start, and the running backs have been below average. The defense is not getting much done either. They can still have a good season. If you’ve followed the last five recruiting classes, these guys ought to be able to win out. But they’re not performing. And the Great One wants to blame it on the press. Maybe he ought to dig a little deeper at what’s he’s doing and see if that can be adjusted rather than going off on the media every Monday. It’s getting a little tiresome really.

On the Ryder Cup. The U.S. has put together a “task force” to try to figure out why we can’t beat the Europeans every two years. That’s fine. I hear Eldrick is part of the group. Here’s what Eldrick might suggest: “Hey, what about this: how about we put Hooter’s girls on each guys’ bag. That’ll inspire our guys and throw the Euros off their game. I know I’d love it. I talked to 15, 20, 25, a hundred, whatever the number of girls I had brief relationships with while Elin and I were  having issues, and they, to a bimbo, think it’s a great idea. Guys?

The solution to this American team fiasco is work harder American players. Stop blaming it on other people and stop whining, Phil, about not getting coached up properly. Get on the range, the chipping green and the putting green without your swing coach, your short game guru, your sports psychologist, your personal trainer, your massage therapist, AND, just as importantly, your agent, and figure it out. Make some sacrifices. Figure it out on your own. What are people supposed to do hold your hand and tell you how to win, PHIL? Grow up man;  get to work. We need young, hungry guys who want to win and who know they can win facing the likes of Rory, Poulter, Kaymer and Rose. Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed are two good ones to start with. In my opinion, we should do away with the points/standings system in place now and let the captain pick the 12 best golfers on the PGA tour without any stipulations. Maybe then we’d field a team that’s committed to winning it. In the meantime, players who want to be on the team in 2016 at Hazeltine Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota need to get to work in practice and play as much as possible starting right now as the first month of the new season has commenced. And it’s not a mandate that Paul Azinger has to be the captain. There are plenty of good choices. The players just need to shut up with this whining and get to work and whomever their captain is, they just need to listen to him and do their jobs.

Final thought: Todd Gurley is a clown story at Georgia; Jameis Winston an even bigger clown story at FSU, though with some extremely serious allegations leveled against him; and Jimbo Fisher is the biggest enabler south of Barrack Obama.

With all that said, here are this week’s picks:

Last week: 12-7; Overall: 65-32 (67%)

Alabama 42, Texas A&M 28

2:30 PM CT/3:30 ET, CBS

Ole Miss 41, Tennessee 24

6 PM CT/7 ET, ESPN

Georgia 34, Arkansas 28

3 PM CT/4 ET, SEC Network

LSU 35, Kentucky 24

6:30 PM CT/7:30 ET, SEC Network

Florida 31, Missouri 24

6 PM CT/7 ET, ESPN2

South Carolina 48, Furman 7

11 AM CT/Noon ET, SEC Network

UAB 37, Middle Tennessee 34

2:30 PM CT/ 3:30 ET,  Fox College Sports-FCS (channel 617, 623 or 626 on satellite; not sure about Charter)

Florida State 38, Notre Dame 31

7 PM CT/8PM ET, ABC

Oklahoma 38, Kansas State 35

11 AM CT/Noon ET, ESPN

Baylor 45, West Virginia 34

11 AM CT/Noon ET, FOX Sports 1

Michigan State 41, Indiana 24

2:30 PM CT/3:30 ET, ESPN

‘Zona State 28, Stanford 24

9:30 PM CT/10:30 ET, ESPN

Oregon 44, Washington 20

7 PM CT/ 8 ET, FOX Sports 1

Nebraska 31, Northwestern 28

6:30 PM CT/7:30 ET, Big Ten Network

UCLA 45, Cal 41

2:30 PM CT/3:30 ET, ESPN2 or ABC

Clemson 31, Boston College 28

2:30 PM CT/3:30 ET ESPNU

Tonight:

Utah 31, Oregon State 28

9 PM CT/10 ET, Pac-12 Network

TCU 38, Oklahoma State 35

3  PM CT/ 4 PM ET, FOX  Sports 1

 

 

 

 

Last week: 6-2; Overall: 24-18 (57%)

Last week against spread: 5-3; Overall (Last 3 weeks): 14-10

(58%)

This week:

Ravens 31, Bucs 27

Broncos 35, Jets 24

Vikings 31, Lions 28

Patriots 31, Bills 27

Bengals 34, Panthers 30

Browns 28, Steelers 24

Bears 34, Falcons 31

Giants 37, Eagles 35

Rams 30, 49ers 27

 

Auburn goes to State in a colossal showdown in the SEC West with potential SEC title hopes on the line. There’s a lot of football left after this Saturday, but this would be a critical win for the program that gets the job done in Starkville. Alabama with another road test, this time in Fayetteville against a much improved Arkansas Razorbacks team that features an electric running game streamlined by a powerful, athletic offensive line and a dynamic pair of running backs. Both AU and Bama are in extremely hostile environments, so winning at Davis Wade Stadium and Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium respectively would be huge momentum builders for both programs. Huge game in College Station as well as the Ole Miss Rebels, fresh off a victory over the Crimson Tide, faces a Texas A&M team that got crushed by State on the road last Saturday and seeking some redemption. The question is, will  Ole Miss be able to  refocus after maybe its biggest victory in program history? Georgia @ Missouri is kind of under the radar, but a key game in the SEC East with both teams fighting it out for a spot from the East in the SEC Championship game in Atlanta on December 6 in the Georgia Dome. LSU @ Florida in maybe not as much of a  marquee of a game as it usually is, but it will still be interesting to see if the Hat and company can rebound after the embarrassment at Auburn last Saturday, and if Florida can recover from the off field incident involving their freshman quarterback is being investigated on an assault charge on Sunday. The quarterback, Treon Harris, was suspended indefinitely by Coach Will Muschamp, so the struggling Jeff Driskel will get the start. Could be an offensive struggle down in the Swamp as LSU’s quarterbacks have not been too swift either. Some pretty interesting games nationally as well. Here’s a look at this week’s action.

Last week: 6-9; upset city got the best of me,

though I did all right against the

spread going 9-6.

Overall: 53-25 (68%)

 

No.2 Auburn (5-0, 2-0 SEC)  @ No.3 Mississippi State (5-0, 2-0)

Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, Mississippi (55,082)

2:30 PM CT/3:30 PM ET

CBS

Verne, Gary, Allie

40% chance of scattered T-storms, wind SW 6 MPH

LIne: AU by 3

An epic with Nick Marshall and Dak Prescott and their teams  battling for temporary supremacy (along with Ole Miss) in the SEC west. Prescott, one of the leaders for the Heisman Trophy along with Georgia’s Todd Gurley, has been terrific this year for the Bulldogs completing 78-of-122 passes (64%) for 1,232 yards, with 13 touchdowns against two interceptions. Dak is also the emotional leader of his team. Prescott has also rushed for 455 yards and six TDs. Nick Marshall, after getting off to a somewhat slow start, had a huge game last week against  LSU, completing 14-of-22 passes for 207 yards and two TDs and rushing for 126 yards on 16 carries (7.4 per rush) and two, sevens. For the year, Nick is 55-of-95 (58%) for 755 yards, eight TDs and one int. He has also rushed for 392 yards and four TDs.  I’d say the quarterbacks are both excellent and about a wash, though I might give a slight edge to Prescott. Auburn’s running game is led by the hard-nosed Cameron Artis-Payne, who has rushed for 594 yards and five TDs. He’s averaging 5.4 yards per pop. Corey Grant has added 245 and two TDs, but hasn’t had the house calls he usually has for the Tigers. Saturday would be a good day for Corey to take one or two to the house. State’s leading rusher is Josh Robinson, who has 592 on the ground of the season with six TDs. Robinson averages 7.5 yards per carry. He’s outstanding. I’d give State a slight edge here too because of Robinson and Prescott. But a very slight edge. Both teams can really pound it on the ground. On the perimeter, I’d give Auburn the advantage with Sammie Coates (9-200, 1 TD) and Duke Williams (25-385, 3 TDs), the best one-two receiving punch in the country. State has some very good receivers too, in Jameon Lewis (15-223, 1 TD) and the big, powerful Da’Runnya Wilson (14-247, 5 TDs). Wilson is 6’5″, 225, so cornerbacks Jonathan Jones and Jonathan Mincy will be on high alert. Lewis was hurt last week, but is probable for the game, and he is an explosive playmaker the Tigers entire defense will have to account for. ***Update- Lewis is out***

Coates is listed at 6’2″, 201, but he looks more like 6’4″ to me. Williams is listed at 6’2″, 216, but he looks bigger. Mainly though, they’re excellent receivers who are game changers in the passing game; more explosive than the State receivers are. Edge AU. The offensive lines are close, but I’d give the edge to AU again here. Reese Dismukes is such a leader and the guys around him are extremely physical and athletic. State’s got a good line too, but like the Tigers a little better because of their leadership with Dismukes and guard Chad Slade.

On defense, I’d give State a slight edge. Linebacker Bernardrick McKinney leads the team with 36 tackles and six tackles for loss of -22 along with three sacks. Defensive end Preston Smith leads the team in sacks with 3.5. The defense has combined for 18 sacks this season, which is 13th in the country. Utah leads the nation with 28. The defense also has nine interceptions on the season; tied for fourth nationally. They are led by linebacker Richie Brown, who has three ints, with all of them coming against A&M last Saturday. But the key stat to me is scoring defense. Auburn is eighth nationally at 14.4 and State is 22nd at 19.4. AU’s defense looked really good last week, but it was against what looked like a pathetic offense in LSU with a freshman quarterback who was clueless in Jordan-Hare Stadium on a Saturday night. But even though AU has an edge in scoring defense,  I would say State has a slight edge overall. They just look a little better to me, though it’ pretty close. Like AU in the kicking game. Auburn’s Quan Bray could take it the distance on a punt which could be a game changer in this one.

So this will be a spectacular matchup against two of the best teams in the country. The last edge I’m giving, and to me it puts this respective team over the top, is Gus Malzahn and his coaching staff over Dan Mullen and his. With everything else so close, I’m going with Auburn due to the Gus factor. The guy is so good in big games. Gus, Nick and the Tigers he gets the job  done again this Saturday in a classic.

Auburn 28, State 24

 

No.7 Alabama (4-1, 1-1) @ Arkansas (3-2, 0-2)

Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Arkansas  (72,000)

6 PM CT/7 PM ET

ESPN

Tess, Brock, Shannon

80% chance of T-storms, 60 degrees, wind, NE 9

Line: Bama by 10

Pretty much a must win for the Crimson Tide to stay in the hunt for the SEC west crown. Maybe not as prolific a game as AU-State, but very important to the teams involved. Alabama has some injury issues as they lost stellar running back Kenyan Drake and, even more importantly, center Ryan Kelly, to injuries. Drake is out for the year with a broken leg and Kelly is out for a couple of weeks with a sprained knee. Also, on defense, Denzel Deval is out for a while with a high ankle sprain. So T.J. Yeldon, Derrick Henry and possibly Altee Tenpenny will have to step it up at running back for the Tide. Tyren Jones is questionable for the game. An even bigger concern is at center where redshirt freshman Bradley Bozeman will get the call. Right tackle Austin Shepherd told Bozeman earlier this week that he probably shouldn’t leave the football facility at all this week in preparation for this game. Perhaps the professors came to S’s or o line coach Mario Cristobal’s office for private classes. Bozeman will really be tested on Saturday. And the defense is going to have to figure out a way to stop the explosive rushing attack of the Razorbacks. Alex Collins has run for 621 yards and six TDs, and Jonathan Williams has accounted for 486 and eight TDs. The line is massive and highly athletic. Quarterback Brandon Allen is good in the play action passing game. He’s completed 58-of-97 passes (60%) for 751 yards, nine TDs and one int.

Blake Sims is completing 70% of his passes (90-of-128) for 1,319 yards, eight TDs and three ints. Blake doesn’t need to turn the ball over on Saturday, though it might be tough to protect the football if it’s raining. This may be a ground and pound game for both sides. Yeldon and Henry and possibly Tenpenny, who is an Arkansas native, need to get the job done for the Crimson Tide to win and Bozeman’s play will be critical as well. The veteran linemen will need to help the young freshman out. And the defense will have to figure out ways to stop Collins and Williams. Kirby and S will most likely load up the box and make Arkansas get it done through the air. Actually, the Hogs will probably do the same thing on defense.

With the weather the way it is expected to be, I’m looking at a lower scoring contest here. The Crimson Tide will get out of Fayetteville with a hard fought victory.

Bama 21, Arkansas 14

No.3 Ole Miss (5-0, 2-0) @ No.14 Texas A&M (5-1, 2-1)

Kyle Field, College Station, Texas (83,002)

8 PM CT/ 9 PM ET

ESPN

Chris, Herbie, Heather Cox

75; 60% scattered T-storms

A&M by 2-2 1/2

I like Bo Wallace and the Rebels to keep the momentum going this week. I’m a believer in the Rebels defense and I think the”Land Sharks”  and enough Ole Miss offense get it done in what could be a rainy night.

Ole Miss 28, A&M 24

 

No.13 Georgia (4-1, 2-1) @ No. 23 Missouri (4-1, 1-0)

Faurot Field, Columbia, Missouri (71,168)

11 AM CT/ Noon ET

CBS

57 mostly cloudy, wind, ENE 10 MPH

Georgia by 3

Todd Gurley has rushed for 773 yards on the season, averaging 8.2 yards per carry with eight TDs. He’ll be the difference in Columbia in what should be an excellent football game.

***Just in: Gurley has just been suspended indefinitely for an NCAA violation– allegedly for signing jerseys maybe for cash–by Coach Mark Richt, so freshman Nick Chubb will be getting the bulk of the carries. Keith Marshall hurt his leg against Troy three weeks ago, so he’s out. Freshman Sony Michel, another five-star stud, is banged up with a shoulder injury, so Chubb and whomever they can come up with will have to carry the load. Still going with the Dawgs, but it’s a lot more of a precarious prediction now. Brendan Douglas will be Chubb’s backup.

Georgia 31, Missouri 28

 

Other scores:

LSU 21, Florida 17

Kentucky 38, La Monroe 14

Tennessee 27, Chattanooga 17

No.5 Baylor 28, No. 9 TCU 24

No.1 FSU 45, Syracuse 17

Clemson 34, Louisville 24

Oklahoma 28, Texas 14

Northwestern 31, Minnesota 28

Penn State 28, Michigan 24

Vanderbilt 17, Charleston Southern 7

UCLA 35, Oregon 34

Arizona 31, USC 30

California 35, Washington 28

Washington State 31, Stanford 28 (Friday, 8

PM CT on ESPN)

UCF 30, BYU 24 (tonight on ESPN @ 6:30 CT)

Tonight in the NFL:

Texans 31, Indy 30

CBS/NFL Network @7:25 PM CT/8:25 PM ET

***Oh, yeah, and by the way:

ALCS: On WTBS, Game 1 Friday @ 8:07 PM ET/7:07 CT

Orioles over Royals in 6

NLCS: On FOX and Fox Sports 1, Game 1, Saturday,

8:07 PM ET/7:07 CT on Fox

Cardinals over Giants in 7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tough one for the Crimson Tide; AU looks like there back to 2013 form, though that was a pretty bad LSU team–the worst I’ve seen in quite a while. They lost too many players to the draft and their freshman quarterback just wasn’t ready for the big stage yet.

I know Alabama fans don’t want to think about the game too much. Ole Miss played a really good game, particularly in the second half. Bo Wallace looked outstanding in the second stanza. They’ve got a good team. On Blake’s last throw that was intercepted, he made an error that some quarterbacks do at times. They get a little anxious and try to get it in the end zone when they can make a 10 yard throw and keep the game winning drive alive. That holding call on O.J. Howard before that last pass was critical to the Tide’s ability to score. It was a somewhat questionable call too. It put Bama in a bad position on down and distance. Blake did have a receiver open to his right; I believe it was Chris Black, but I will have to look at the tape again. If it was Black or whomever, he was wide open about 10 to 12 yards away on the right side of Blake and he had a lot of green grass in front of him. It’s too bad Blake couldn’t find him. Blake played a decent game. The secondary had their issues, but Ole Miss just played the better game on Saturday this time out. Bama still has a lot to play for with the West being a wide open division this season with some very good teams. Auburn, Ole Miss, Ms. State, Alabama and Aa&M, though they have to beat Ole Miss this weekend to stay relevant in the west, all still have a shot at winning the division. Georgia looks like the best team in the East though they have to go to Mizzou this weekend, which will be a major test. If the Dawgs can get by Mizzou, they should be in pretty good shape going forward. If Mizzou wins, they’re in drivers seat. If Georgia wins, they still  have to play Florida in Jacksonville, so it’s not a done deal for them. Florida pulled out an ugly one in Knoxville on Saturday, but they got the job done and remain alive in the East. Georgia also have Auburn between the hedges and they have to play a resurgent Kentucky team under Mark Stoops, who is doing an excellent job.Kentucky is a team that is a factor in the East. So both of the divisions are wide open.

The Auburn Tigers will be majorly tested in Starkville on Saturday. State is for real, and so are the Tigers. Will be a wild scene at Davis Wade Stadium. The cowbells will be piercingly loud throughout the game. This will tell us where Auburn is this season. Sammie Coates is back and played a heckuva game on Saturday. Sammie and Duke Williams are the best one-two punch in the nation at wide receiver, and that’s in no particular order; both are stellar. Quan Bray is an explosive player too, and the running game with Nick going for 119 Saturday and Cameron Artis-Payne going for 126, looks pretty formidable. Artis-Payne may not be Tre Mason just yet, but he’s getting closer and closer. He doesn’t have the breakaway speed that Tre had, but he gets tough yards and Nick can take it to the house. Corey Grant and freshman Roc Thomas could add to that explosiveness going forward.

And the AU defense is playing really well. They’re not a dominating group yet, but they’re aggressive and they have playmakers in the secondary. LSU was pretty bad on offense, but the Auburn defense had a lot  to do with it. Their freshman quarterback, Brandon Harris, looked pretty clueless out there, but Dak Prescott will not be. This will be an epic matchup on Saturday afternoon @ 2:30 PM CT in Starkville. CBS will telecast it.

For Alabama, it’s regroup and get ready for a pretty good Arkansas team. Arkansas should have beaten A&M in Arlington two Saturdays ago. The Hogs scored two touchdowns that were called back. A&M was pretty lucky to win that game, and showed vulnerability on defense, which State took advantage of Saturday. The Tide face the Razorbacks at 5 PM CT on ESPN. Arkansas has that stellar running game with Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins, two hosses in the backfield. Their quarterback, Brandon Allen, can be good at times. He’s kind of like Bo Wallace. You get plenty of good, but some bad too. Alabama still has a lot to play for. There are areas where Alabama needs to improve in, the entire defense, particularly the secondary, the running game needs to be more explosive and the kicking game is still a problem for S. And with center Ryan Kelly hurt, that could pose a bit of a problem for the entire offensive line. Kelly is the leader on the line and redshirt freshman Bradley Bozeman is going to have to pick things up quickly if Kelly can’t make it back this week. The line has played well this season, so maybe they’ll adjust to the new center or maybe Kelly can make it back.

****Note: Kelly has a sprained knee-out two to three weeks; Drake a broken leg-season ending. Denzel Deval has a high ankle sprain-could be three weeks to a month.

That was a tough deal for Kenyan Drake. He was having a good season and brought that explosiveness to the backfield. Hated to see that. Hopefully, Kenyan can come back next year and get back to his form from this season. He’s quite a player. S and Lane should start considering playing Altee Tenpenny at running back some this Saturday. They’re probably going to have to now with Kenyan gone for the year, and Tyren Jones having a broken bone in his finger. Tenpenny was a high four-star and can be a really good player, so that’s a guy they may want to employ this weekend. The defense needs to improve this week. They’ll be tested by that massive line that Arkansas will put out there and their electric running backs. So the d line and linebackers need to be at their best. Tony Brown had his struggles at corner on Saturday, but it was his first start, and he’s loaded with talent, so I think he’ll start figuring  it out. He’s a heckuva talent. Should  be a pretty good battle in Fayetteville as well Saturday night. Five PM CT on ESPN.

It was just a super wild Saturday though all over the country with all the teams that went down. Saturday was only the second time ever that four of the top six teams in the AP were knocked off. The other time was in 1990. The AP poll has been around since 1934. Saturday, No.3 Alabama, No.4 Oklahoma, and No.6 A&M all went down. On Thursday night, No.2 Oregon lost to Arizona. Then there was the incredible play in the Arizona State-USC game in which the Zona State quarterback threw up a Hail Mary as time expired and a receiver caught it and ran in the end zone to clinch the upset of the Trojans. It was unbelievable. Just an incredible weekend. The Kentucky victory over South Carolina was incredible. Running back Jo Jo Kemp was a machine, running for 131 yards on 17 carries and three TDs. Very impressive win for Kentucky. Ball Coach has to be extremely frustrated with his team.

This Saturday’s line up is very impressive, too. Auburn @ State @ 2:30 PM CT on CBS, Georgia @ Missouri @ noon on CBS, Bama @ Arkansas @ 5 PM CT on ESPN, and Ole Miss @ A&M @ 8 PM CT on ESPN are the headliners.  LSU plays @ Florida at 6:30 PM CT on the SEC Network, and a couple of important national games include No.9 TCU @ No.5 Baylor @ 2:30 PM CT on ABC or ESPN2 and No. 12 Oregon @ No. 18 UCLA @ 2:30 PM CT on Fox, though that game has lost some of its relevance as both team lost this past weekend. USC is @ No.10 Arizona too. That Zona team was impressive Thursday night at Oregon.

Auburn is anywhere from a 2 1/2 to 3 point favorite over State, Alabama is a 9 1/2 point favorite over Arkansas, A&M is favored by three over Ole Miss and Georgia is a three point favorite over Missouri. LSU is a 1 /12 to 2 1/2 favorite over Florida. UAB with a big 42-39 victory over Western Kentucky on the road. Good stuff for the Blazers as they continue their improvement under Bill Clark. Blazers host North Texas this Saturday @ 2:30 PM CT on Legion Field.

Will have more as the week progresses leading up to another stellar Saturday.