It's Time for Football!!
Will it be another big battle for the SEC EAST CELLAR?Well, tomorrow it all begins. Put the kids to sleep, get the couch ready, and let's get something besides baseball rolling on Sportcenter. It's time for football season. Mississippi State kicks off the SEC season this year verse South Carolina. Steve Spurrier has never won in Starkville, and his last beating in Starkville lead to one of the most hilarious moments a year later. After State upset Florida in Starkville, the next year, Florida romped the bullies and Spurrier after the game said he scored the last touchdown for the waterboy. All that to say, I think Spurrier will have his first victory in Starkville this Thursday, but crazier things have happened. Let's play football!
To kick off the season, Alex and I made our prediction regarding the SEC, the SEC championship game, and the National Championship game. The predictions are as follows.
Alex's Picks
SEC EAST:
1) Georgia (7-1) - Richt seems to always get the best out of nothing. They can run the ball and play defense. This is a very tough year, I just think they will be last team standing.
2) Tennessee (6-2) - I think they will suprise alot and bounce back with a decent year. The Cal game will determine alot about them. Florida early, LSU late, and Georgia on road..they will lose 2/3
3) Florida (5-3) - I know every magazine has them winning the division, but no running game, poor offensive line--bad SEC combo
4) South Carolina (4-4) - Reality comes crashing downfor Spurrier
5) Kentucky (2-6) - same old same old
6) Vanderbilt (1-7) - Last year was there one chance
to go to a bowl, they blew it
SEC WEST
1) Auburn(7-1) - Loaded, but not like 2004. If KennyIrons gets hurt, they are in trouble
2) LSU (6-2) - They have talent to go undefeated, buta coach who will drag them down further each year
3) Arkansas (5-3) - Houston Nutt is coaching for hisjob, usually at his best there
4) Alabama (4-4) - No Brodie = No leadership = lesswins
5) Ole Miss (4-4) - I think Shaeffer could do somegreat things when ball is in his hand. Orgeron's system may come around this year
6) Miss. State (1-7) - They are bad...very bad
SEC championship: Auburn over Georgia, Auburn will revenge the regular season loss at home to Georgia ina close game.
National Championship: Ohio State over Auburn in BCS championship game
Brian’s Picks
SEC Final Standings
West
1) Auburn Tigers- Tuberville has got himself the best runningback in the SEC. If Brandon Cox can show some improvement from last year, the defense and the running game will do the rest.
2) LSU Tigers – The loss to Auburn in their SEC opener will be the difference.
3) Alabama – Kenneth Darby will do his best, but without Brodie or a 100% Prothro, the Tide will lose a few key games.
4) Ole Miss – My heart didn’t let me put them in 5th. The defensive line and offensive line are big question marks, but my love for Ole Miss boosts them above Arkansas and State.
5) Arkansas – The Nutthouse is going to be on the hotseat after this year
6) Miss. State – Croom’s defense will be solid this year, but no Norwood means no getting out of the SEC cellar. By the way, the Atlanta falcons got a steal in Norwood. That guy was unbelievable.
East
1) Florida – call me crazy, but I’m going out on a limb and saying that Chris Leake leads them to the SEC Championship game.
2) Georgia – The lack of experience at qb will keep them out of championship. Although rumor has it from Highland Park, Texas that Matt Stafford is the real deal.
3) South Carolina – Spurrier wins another upset against Tennessee and vaults them into another bowl game and third place finish in the East.
4) Tennessee- I might be wrong on this one, because honestly this could be the year things click for Ainge. I just wouldn’t mind seeing the Vols go down again this year. Fat Phil’s misery is my joy. Sorry Alex
5) Kentucky – Rafael Little will put the team on his shoulders and carry them past Vanderbilt.
6) Vanderbilt – another tough year for the “Dores.” Always might upset Ole Miss though.
SEC Championship Florida vs. Auburn – Auburn routs Florida as they have their eyes set on the National Championship.
Nat’l Championship Game
Auburn vs. West Virginia – Ok, I’m probably wrong, but didn’t want to go with Ohio State. Auburn wins the National title and at least gets some comfort from the NCAA debacle 2 years ago.
posted by Brian @ 6:02 PM
14 comments
14 Comments:
As much as i would love to see an SEC team in the Nat'l Title game it will not happen. The stupid BCS will find some way to screw that up and put some soft Pac-10 team up in the top of its rankings. I agree with everything except I think South Carolina will finish 2nd in the east Florida 3rd and Tenn 4th. I hope Tenn loses almost every game now they have the infamous DC at the helm of their offense. Make no mistake if Tenn is down a touchdown in the 4th quarter and they have the ball on the other teams 45 and its 3rd and more than 10 yards, expect a draw.
what is this w/ people picking sc to do well? they have 10 returning starters from a very mediocre team, and not a lot of recruiting. mark may picked them to win the east! anyhow, predictions are really worthless, and they only show our insecurities as we hope our teams get recognized by the "experts." i hate predictions b/c it's a win/win situation for the predicter. there should be a severe penalty for making a prediction and being wrong. maybe we'd think more about it then. also, if tennessee was down two scores in the 4th quarter, they'd try to throw a touchdown pass as time expired
Ok...if it's not already known on 'sweet emotion', I'm a die hard vols fan. I knew we wern't loved, but I can already see the burning hatred--ouch. I guess i'll just have to be delt all the smack talk from the Ole Miss boys. Just another season, pretty standard.
Joel....I did not pick South Carolina high, I have them 4-4. you want love, give it first
I bear no burning hatred for Tennessee. They have a storied tradition, and Knoxville can be a fun place to go, for a day or two. They also have, in my opinion, the best fight song in the league.
However, I wholeheartedly dislike Tennessee fans. I didn't think anyone could rival Alabama and LSU for non-alumni, toothless, Deliverance extra, utterly obnoxious fans... until I went to Neyland stadium for the first time.
Also, Tennessee fans are the cockiest SEC fans with whom I've come in contact, and the funny thing is that they've got no reason to talk all the smack they do to Ole Miss fans. We're not even in the same division, but Tennessee fans bring a level of animosity I've never experienced from any other SEC East school's fans. Maybe it's the physical proximity... I don't know.
Charles Blanchard
I'm pretty sure 99% of the Ole Miss fan base doesn't really concern itself with Tennessee. At least nobody I have ever come in contact with. If they were in the West it would be a different story. I work with a bunch of Tennessee fans and I totally agree with Charles' assessment of their fans. Totally obnoxious and self-indulgent to the point of humor. I have never heard a bigger bunch of babies than I did last year while Tennessee had a bad year. They were all throwing in the towell and calling for everyone's resignation after the 2nd loss. I still think LSU has the most annoying fans though.
Wow...the college football season has turned up the animosity. My point proven, the SEC has the greatest football fan base. Enjoy the debating, let's just get the season started.
This is when we all take our shots...the beauty of being an Ole Miss fan is that we are coming off such dismal seasons that its almost not worth it to smack talk with us.
I agree with some of the comments above concerning Tennessee fans. Not all are like that, but the most vocal ones seem to be under the impression Tennessee invented college football. The team's performance should not lead to such an elitist attitude. Oh, and Rocky Top is a good song until you hear it for the 12th time in a quarter.
I also agree with the South Carolina comment above. They lost most of their defensive starters and even Spurrier talks about their total lack of depth. This team also was ranked above 100 in both total offense and defense last year. I think it will be a struggle for this team to go 4-4 in the SEC.
Finally, although I think it will be close, I hope the USC/Arkansas game is like last years. Tied at 7 midway through the first, then it's 35-7 midway through the second. If SC hung 70 on them again, I would probably laugh until I cried.
I would like to see Arkansas hang in there, and even (yeah right) beat USC, just because I hate the Pac-10. It's not the Pac-10's fault, either. It's the Worldwide Leader's fault, for shoving that pansy conference down the rest of our throats. LSU beat the tar out of Oklahoma in '03, but would've beat the hell out of a USC team that nearly lost to a dismal Cal. Every Trojan with two brain cells was offering libations to the gods in 2004, thankful that they didn't have to play Auburn. Why don't those west-coast vaginas saddle-up and play a major player in the SEC? Because they'd get their butts handed to them, that's why.
And in case anyone wants to bring up Arizona State and LSU last season, LSU was dealing with a little thing called Hurricane Katrina. Perhaps you've heard of it?
Also, I propose that all previous references to Mark May be stricken from the record, and all future references be banned, simply because of the fact that in the Worldwide Leader's mock NCAA football tournament (their analytical methods simply take one's breath away) he only had one SEC team - Auburn - remaining in the field of 8, and said Iowa would thump Auburn soundly. Seriously though, Kenny Irons could run all over Iowa even if he was behind a CUSA offensive line - or Ole Miss's.
It's football season, guys. Sorry to type so much; it's just been building up for so long.
Charles
I can't argue with any of the comments about Tennessee fans, i do have to confess my football family in knoxville is not the most respectable bunch. We are ashamedly cocky at times, but in the SEC...who isn't?? Many screamed and moaned last fall--it honestly was very reminiscent of the "fireronzook.com" bandwagon in florida. We are bad, but Stephen is right---we are not 'inbred cajuins' who pee on you. Also, go to a night game at 'the swamp', you will fear for your very life.
also, Vol fans have long respected Ole Miss, the grove is a glorious tradition i long to experience one day....Charles is right, Mark May is a loon
No doubt, LSU fans are the most obnoxious. Its really ridiculous that the SEC hasn't done something about it. Remember...was it two years ago that they were starting fires and rocking the team buses. The SEC could drop one hammer and it would quit. I can't wait to watch football. I'm starting to regret my South Carolina #3 pick. But the pick has been made. I just love watching Steve Spurrier get so wound op.
after further review of Mark May's comments tonight on ESPN (He' not buying all the Notre Dame hype)....we are temporarily on his bandwagon, until further review. He might be the only guy at the entire ESPN network that isn't bowing down at the whisper of ND.....I'm sure Brian would agree with me here...thanks Joel
if you missed it, mark may duly noted that nd beat nobody last year and went 9-3. then he pulled out a kool-aid packet and said "see this? it's kool-aid. i ain't drinking the kool-aid." in regard to nd national title talk. that threw my entire worldview for a loop. i'm not sure how to reconcile that with the presuppositions i brought to the table tonight before the game.
alex, the only reason i said that about ut was because of fulmer scoring that touchdown on the last play last year, and calling a timeout to do so. also, your 4-4 pick for sc looks better by the minute. i'm pretty sure i could line up and be a factor against that o-line
The College Gameday guys did a little blurb about how the ACC is better than the SEC now since the merger...pretty convincing...ACC has a lot more 1st round draft picks, a better bowl record, and a winning record vs. the SEC over the last 3 yrs or something like that.
ACC is a little down this year, though, so I'd still go w/SEC as best conference.
joel's alarm went off at 9:15 and he was really happy about it. that can mean only one of two things: 1) he got laid
2) he's going to a football game
i'll give you a hint: i'm not married.
i've been waiting in severe pain for this day...
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