SEC Week 1 Predictions

                                                Courtesy of hellogiggles.com

On a scale of 1-10 how excited am I that College Football is back?  Eleven!  We got a nice little appetizer on Thursday with Vanderbilt blowing a lead in the 4th Quarter to a South Carolina team that may win 4 games this year.  The Tennessee/App State game though was far more intriguing with Volunteer Nation spending 3 hours cancelling their hotel reservations for December 3rd in Atlanta.  They ultimately escaped with a win, despite playing like Derek Dooley was coaching them against the Mountaineers.  

                                           Courtesy of fansrule.com

The best is yet to come though with what is a historically awesome slate of Week 1 games across the nation.  Outside of the SEC, some of the top games see Oklahoma take on Houston and Texas suits up against Notre Dame,   But this post is about the SEC, so we're going to focus on those games.  

                                               Courtesy of imgur.com

South Alabama

at Mississippi State    -29.5

Lay Em!  Mississippi State against a bad Sun Belt team in the first game of the season; Dan Mullen will run this score up and State will cover.  No Doubt.  No Doubt In My Mind.  Multiple QBs will play.   Mississippi State 48  South Alabama 10.  

                                                Courtesy of gifsoup.com

Mizzou

at West Virginia    -9.5

Give me the Mountaineers at home.  Mizzou is going to take a while to get back on top, and the Dancing Outlaws have been hungry for blood for a while.  West Virginia 30 Mizzou 17.  

                                               Courtesy of imgur.com

UCLA

at Texas A&M    -3

UCLA has the better QB and the better coach, but playing in the middle of the afternoon in College Station in early September?  The UCLA players are going to be at the point of heat exhaustion by the 4th quarter.  Aggies 23 Bruins 20.  

                                                Courtesy of packers.com

LSU    -10

vs Wisconsin    at Lambeau Field

The Fighting Tigers win this one, but I think Wisky keeps it close all day.  Les is going to refuse to throw the football and Fournette will have at least 30 carries.  I have to admit that's a pretty cool location for a neutral site game.  LSU 20 Wisconsin 13.  

                                              Courtesy of cbssports.com

LA Tech

at Arkansas    -26

26 points is a lot for an Arkansas team breaking in a new QB, RB, and TE, but LA Tech is playing their 2nd string QB after their starter is suspended for being charged with drunk driving.  I'll take the Hogs to win and cover in Fayetteville.  Arkansas 41  LA Tech 14.

                                          Courtesy of thesportsledger.com

Georgia    -3

vs North Carolina     at Georgia Dome

Georgia announced this week that Greyson Lambert would be starting the opener against the Tar Heels in Atlanta.  I think that's a mistake and Jacob Eason will be the starter by Week 3.  The Chick Fil-A vs Bojangles Bowl kicks off at 5:30 on ESPN.  I'm going with the upset, as UNC edges out a win on a last second field goal, 27-24.  

                                                       Courtesy of secsportsfan.com

Southern Miss

at Kentucky    -6.5

Kentucky wins because this game is in September, but Southern Miss covers.  The Golden Eagles give Kentucky all they can handle at home, but the Wildcats start 1-0 in Lexington.  Kentucky 22 Southern Miss 20.  

                                                     Courtesy of tampabay.com

UMass 

at Florida    -35.5

The Gators win but don't cover.  UMass was 3-9 last year and they're bad, but 7 touchdowns is a monster number.  Florida 42  UMass 10.  

                                                   Courtesy of pinterest.com

USC

vs Alabama   -10.5       at Jerry's World

Lay Em!  You think Bo Scarborough works out?  It really doesn't matter who they plug in, I'm picking Bama until someone beats them.  Alabama 31 Southern Cal 17.  

 Courtesy of usatoday.com

Clemson   -7.5

at Auburn

Is this a joke?  Is Cam Newton playing for Auburn?  Give me the Clemson Tigers to win and cover.  This one is close for the first 2-3 minutes, depending on when Clemson gets the ball.  You think Auburn hates Dabo now?  Wait until he succeeds Nick Saban as the next coach at Alabama.   Clemson 34 Auburn 17.  

                                                               Courtesy of therebelwalk.com

Ole Miss

vs Florida State   -4.5        at Camping World....Look It's the Citrus Bowl

Is Chad Kelly auditioning for a remake of Mississippi Burning?  I guarantee you he's the only person from Buffalo, NY who owns that suit.  This game comes down to Deondre Francois.  If he plays well, Florida State wins.  If he struggles and the Rebs can slow down Dalvin Cook, Ole Miss wins.  We have to wait until Monday night for what is arguably the best game of the week, but it'll be worth it.  Ole Miss steals a win in Orlando 28-27.

                                                 Courtesy of huffingtonpost.com

Thank goodness College Football is back in full force.  Enjoy the long weekend.  Cheers!

  

Championship Saturday & SEC Bowl Projections

                                               Courtesy of instagram.com/visitaustria/

Ok before we get started on games, December 5th is Krampus Day.  Krampus is basically the Alpine nightmare counter to Santa Claus, who wreaks havoc upon naughty children.  He is very popular in Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland, where they hold Krampusnacht, whereby people dressed as Krampus, fueled by schnapps and beer, parade up and down the streets terrorizing those who have been terrible human beings this year.  Look for him tonight outside the athletic departments of Georgia and LSU.  


So, now that you won't be able to sleep this evening, let's take a look at the Championship games being played today and where each SEC Team might be headed.

                                                       Courtesy of fansided.com

SEC Championship

Florida
Alabama   -17

If Alabama loses this game, its because the game is officially fixed.  I feel like this Bama team could run the ball 75 times and never throw it and still cover the spread against Florida.  Florida might be the worst 10-2 power 5 team in college football right now.  They've struggled ever since Will Grier has had to sit out, barely beating Florida Atlantic and getting destroyed by Florida State.  I think Derrick Henry runs for at least 150 yards today and Bama wins 31-6.  

                                                             Courtesy of s3.amazonaws.com

PAC 12 Championship

USC
Stanford     -4

Stanford absolutely gritted out a win against Notre Dame last week.  They've got 2 losses this year; one against Northwestern in the first game of the year, and the other against Oregon.  They play good defense and run the ball well.  USC lost to Stanford 41-31 this year at home, and I know it's difficult to beat a team twice in one year, but I just think Stanford is better than USC and gets a win tonight in Santa Clara 27-20.

                                                                  Courtesy of bleachereport.com

ACC Championship

North Carolina
Clemson     -4.5

While the ACC Championship game has been somewhat of a joke lately, this is a dream match up for Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.  You get the two biggest programs in North and South Carolina meeting in Charlotte, with the winner likely going to the College Football Playoff.   Despite the people in love with Ohio State, I think if Carolina wins they'll go to the playoff.  They'd have beaten the No. 1 team in the country and finished 11-1 with their only loss coming at a neutral site in the first game of the year.  I've gone back and forth on this game all week, including this morning.  I'd like to see UNC win and chaos ensue, but I think Clemson has too much talent and wins this one in a close game.  Clemson 34 UNC 31.

                                                             Courtesy of theonlycolors.com

B1G TEN Championship

Michigan State         -3.5
Iowa

Iowa finished the regular season 12-0 and Michigan State's only loss came to Nebraska, but they have quality wins over Michigan and Ohio State.  Clearly, the winner of this game is going to the College Football Playoff.  Kirk Ferentz was on the hot seat at the beginning of this year, and he then proceeds to go out and wins every game.  While, the B1G TEN West is not exactly the toughest division in college football, it's still impressive to go 12-0.  This game should be old school football with tough defense and a commitment to the run.  I like Iowa, but I think Michigan State has better talent and a better coach, so I'm going with Sparty to get the win 20-16.  


So, that has the College Football Playoff seeding likely looking like this:

ORANGE BOWL

1.  Clemson
4.  Oklahoma


COTTON BOWL

2.  Alabama
3.  Michigan State

SEC BOWL PROJECTIONS

                                                    Courtesy of thesportsjury.com

COTTON BOWL

Alabama

Michigan State

                                                        Courtesy of allstatesugarbowl.org

SUGAR BOWL

Ole Miss

Baylor

                                       Courtesy of Floridacitrussports.com

CITRUS BOWL

Florida

Michigan

                                                         Courtesy of trackemtigers.com

OUTBACK BOWL

Georgia

Northwestern

                                                               Courtesy of taxslayerbowl.com

TAXSLAYER BOWL

LSU

Penn State

                                                         Courtesy of 1029thebuzz.com

MUSIC CITY BOWL

Tennessee

Miami

                                                 Courtesy of wikipedia.org

TEXAS BOWL

Texas A&M
Texas Tech

                                                        Courtesy of louisville.com

BELK BOWL

Mississippi State

Virginia Tech

                                                      Courtesy of sports-odds.com

LIBERTY BOWL

Arkansas

Kansas State

                                                        Courtesy of wbrc.com

BIRMINGHAM BOWL

Auburn

Memphis

                                                       Courtesy of baxbo.com

Enjoy Championship Saturday, we'll be decorating for Christmas at my house with the games on in the background.  Cheers!

SEC Week 13 Predictions

                   Courtesy of seccountry.com

With the SEC regular season coming to a close, let's take a look at what we learned so far this season before we get to the games this week.

                                                      Courtesy of saturdayblitz.com

1.  Auburn was overhyped by everyone, your's truly included.  

The Auburn Tigers looked like everyone's trendy pick to make the College Football Playoff, but after a close win against Jacksonville State in Week 2, it became blatantly evident that Auburn wasn't going to make it to Atlanta, let alone to the CFP.  They could never get it going on offense and haven't been impressive even in their wins.  They'll make a bowl this year, but they're likely headed to Birmingham or Shreveport. 

                                                                         Courtesy of Foxsports.com

2.  Alabama is still Alabama.

Alabama is likely going to head back to Atlanta and the College Football Playoff, barring a complete collapse.  They have beaten every team they faced this year, outside of the Rebels, who played a flawless game against the Tide in Tuscaloosa.  The only thing between them and the playoffs are a mediocre Auburn team, and a Florida team that they should crush in the SEC Championship next week.

                                                             Courtesy of gifsoup.com

3.  The Les Miles Era at LSU will end on Saturday.

Regardless of your personal opinion of Les, it's undeniable that he's been a great coach at LSU.  His record is exemplary, but Saturday will likely be his last regular season game as the head coach in Baton Rouge.  It's a sad day for anyone who is a fan of SEC football.  The administration did not handle this well, despite it's inevitability, and Les was a media correspondent's dream interview, because you'd always get something unique.  The Tiger faithful better hope Jimbo Fisher or someone as good is locked in to be the next coach in Baton Rouge, or they could be in for a rough next couple of years.  Thanks for the memories Les.

                                                                          Courtesy of cbssports.com

4.  Dan Mullen is likely headed elsewhere after this year.  

For the record, I'm not a Dan Mullen fan, but objectively he's a great coach.  Not a good coach, a great coach! His ability to win games at a place where no one has really won before, outside of one great season by Jackie Sherrill, is remarkable.  He has never been able to get 5 star talent to Starkville, but he's done a great job at developing the players he did recruit to come to State.  He has rallied the Mississippi State fan base, largely by starting a public relation's war with Ole Miss since he stepped foot on campus.  They've embraced the little brother mantra, and it's been a brilliant strategy.  He's likely going to cash in on his high stock value and head to Virginia Tech or some other school at the end of the season, but MSU should be proud of the job he has done.  

                                                       Courtesy of trbimg.com

5.  Jim McElwain will easily win SEC Coach of the Year

Winning the SEC East wasn't that difficult considering the competition, but McElwain's ability to meander through the schedule and finish with 1 conference loss is impressive.  Clearly the Gators aren't the same team without Will Grier, but they are still going to go to Atlanta, likely finishing at 11-1 or 10-2 and no one predicted that at the beginning of the year.  It'll be interesting to see how the Gators handle Florida State, which have their own issues with Jimbo being in flux.

                                                        Courtesy of foxsports.com
6.  Tennessee and Arkansas look improved, but they aren't there yet.

For those of you who think Tennessee and Arkansas are back, they aren't.  They are improved, but Arkansas is one fluke play away from being 6-6 and Tennessee beat 1 SEC team with a winning record.  Yes, the Vols had a lot of close games and they'll tell you how they won their last 4-5 games, but their last 5 games were against Kentucky, South Carolina, North Texas, Missouri, and Vandy.  If they didn't go 5-0 in that stretch, they should be embarrassed.  They have one quality win this year and that was against Georgia.  Arkansas on the other hand was up and down all year.  They lost to Toledo and Texas Tech in the state of Arkansas, and beat LSU and Ole Miss on the road.  Both fan bases will be energized heading into next season, but they should be cautiously optimistic rather than betting the farm on these programs.  

                                                               Courtesy of djournal.com

7.  Ole Miss is going to wonder what could have been.  

Ole Miss is going to be haunted by the 4th and 25 Arkansas play for years.  The same way Ole Miss will wonder what would have happened had Eli not fallen down against LSU in 2003, the Rebel faithful will say had the 4th and 25 play not been converted, a win in the Egg Bowl would mean Ole Miss would be headed to Atlanta.  The Rebels didn't do themselves any favors losing to a Memphis team they clearly weren't prepared for, and dropping an early game to Florida with a pre-ineligible Will Grier, but the Arkansas game is what people will remember.  If you told the Rebels at the beginning of the season that they'd have wins over Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M, and LSU, and they'd still have 3 losses they'd have said you were crazy.  They have a minute chance, should Auburn beat Alabama in the Iron Bowl, but the Rebels likely won't be headed to Atlanta.  

                                                       Courtesy of southernpigskin.com

8.  Mark Richt's seat is getting hot, but Georgia will probably stay the course.

It's mighty quiet in Athens.  Georgia will likely finish the season at 9-3, should they beat a bad Georgia Tech team, but that means they'll probably finish in 3rd place in the SEC East, due to their loss to Tennessee.  Is Mark Richt a bad coach?  No, of course not, but he's had some issues getting over the hump, and with the talent Georgia has that's tough to stomach.  I think Georgia gives him one more year if he beats Georgia Tech, but should the Dawgs lose in an upset, they'll likely agree to mutually part ways.  It's upsetting because Richt is a great person who tries to run a clean program, but the Georgia boosters are growing impatient in Athens.

                                                            Courtesy of universityherald.com


It's been a fun ride, Arkansas dominated Missouri yesterday to get to 7-5 and keep the Tigers out of a bowl; with one regular season week of SEC football left, let's take a look at the rest of Week 13's games.

                                                          Courtesy of bleacherreport.com

Georgia   -4
at Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech is 3-8 with a win over FSU.  Their other 2 wins are against Alcorn State and Tulane.  How does that happen?  Georgia on the other hand needed overtime to beat Georgia Southern...at home.  They are 8-3 this year, but they haven't beaten a quality opponent all season.  Obviously, an 8-3 team should beat a 3-8 team, but these two teams are a lot closer than their records.  I'll go with the Bulldogs to pull out a close win, but don't be surprised if Georgia Tech makes it a game and pulls out a win at home.  Georgia 23 Georgia Tech 20.    

                                                           Courtesy of kykernal.com

Louisville    -6
at Kentucky

While this rivalry is more interesting on the hard court, the football match up between Kentucky and Louisville is not without its own passion.  Kentucky needs to get this win to get bowl eligible, while Louisville sits at 6-5.  Louisville has played a lot of close games all year, both in wins and losses.  They started out the year 0-3 with losses to Auburn, Houston, and Clemson, and then went on to win 6 out of their next 7 games.  Kentucky hasn't looked good against any quality opponent all year.  Their 5 wins have come against ULL, South Carolina, Mizzou, Eastern Kentucky, and UNC-Charlotte.  All signs point to Louisville winning this game, and they are clearly the better team, but I'm reluctantly going with the upset based solely since Kentucky is playing at home, and they desperately want to get to a bowl.  Wildcats 24 Cardinals 20.   

                                                      Courtesy of foxcarolina.com

Clemson     -19
at South Carolina

How is this line only 19 points?  I know that's a lot of points in a rivalry game, but Clemson is on a mission and South Carolina is already on the phone with Kirby Smart's agent.  These two schools couldn't be more polar opposites right now.  This game is going to be a blowout.  Clemson 45 South Carolina 7.  

                                                        Courtesy of rolltidewareagle.com

Alabama     -14.5
at Auburn

You won't find a bigger fan of the Auburn Tigers on Saturday than me.  I know Cam Newton will be at this game, but outside of him suiting up for the Tigers and playing, they ain't beating Alabama.  The Crimson Tide is better in literally every phase of the game.  Alabama wins big 38 - 10.  Enjoy 3 hours of Verne and Gary mispronouncing everyone's names and praising Nick Saban, America.  

                                                                Courtesy of timesfreepress.com

Vanderbilt
at Tennessee   -18.5

I know Vandy got shut out by Texas A&M, which is an amazing accomplishment, because Texas A&M's defense is not exactly the '85 Bears, but I think they somehow bounce back in this game.  Don't get me wrong, I don't think they'll beat Tennessee, but I do think they do enough to not get completely embarrassed.  Tennessee barely beat Mizzou and South Carolina, so I think Vandy will at least put up a fight, being that this is their last game of the year.  Tennessee gets to 8-4 and the Vols Hype Train gets started up again.  Vols 27 Commodores 13.  

                                                     Courtesy of espn.go.com

Ole Miss    -1
at Mississippi State

Ole Miss has the better overall team.  Dak Prescott is a phenomenal player and he deserves a statue in Starkville, but Chad Kelly has put up comparable numbers this year, and likely will set the single season passing record for a program that has seen 2 Mannings walk through the door.  Ole Miss has a better defense and receiving corps, while State has their entire offense based around one amazing player, and when he's on, may the Good Lord help you.  This game's outcome is going to be based solely on the performance of Dak Prescott.  There's no team outside of LSU that's more dependent on one player, and Ole Miss hasn't fared well against good QBs.  If he plays lights out, State will win in a close game, but if he struggles, the Rebels will be victorious in Starkville.  Looking at the last 20 years, I don't think there's a bigger home field advantage in a rivalry game, than there is between Mississippi State and Ole Miss.  Until the visiting team wins this game, I'm going with the home team to get the victory.  This may be the last battle between two elite coaches in Mullen and Freeze, so enjoy the game on ESPN 2.  Again, I fully hope I'm wrong, but I've watched too many Egg Bowls to go with the visiting team.  Mississippi State 31 Ole Miss 28.  

                                                     Courtesy of gamedayr.com

Florida
at Florida State   -2.5

I don't think anyone outside of a Florida booster would say this is a shocker, but Florida State should win this game.  There's been a lot of news out of Tallahassee this week, from Jimbo leaving for LSU, to the Jameis Winston investigation being mismanaged and possibly reopened.  That having been said, Florida barely beat the fighting Archimedes of Florida Atlantic last week.  Their QB issues are well known, and FSU is the better team.  Going to Tallahassee is going to be a rough adventure for the Gators.  They'll be rewarded for a great season by going to Atlanta next week, where they'll be trounced by Alabama.  FSU 27 Florida 17.

                                                    Courtesy of usathebiglead.com

Texas A&M
at LSU   -5.5

I spent Thanksgiving with my wife's family, who are all LSU fans.  They brought up a very good point; when LSU knows they are done, they are done.  After the Alabama game, the Tigers packed it in.  They aren't fighting for much at 9-3, but the one thing they'll rally around is Les for his final game on Saturday.  LSU has too much talent and with this being the last game for Les Miles, they'll pull through at home against the Aggies.  Texas A&M's defense still has trouble stopping teams not named Vanderbilt, and I think Leonard Fournette has a bounce back game to close out the year.  I'd be shocked if Les goes out with a loss.  Win this one for Les, LSU!  LSU 30 Texas A&M 17.

                                                               Courtesy of fansided.com

It's been a fun season.  I'll do my SEC Championship: Alabama vs. Florida predictions next week.  Spoiler Alert:  Alabama in a blowout!  Cheers!

SEC Week 11 Predictions

                                                                         Courtesy of usathebiglead.com

Welp, last week showed us that playing Arkansas during overtime is not a wise decision.  After the 4th and 25 play that has gotten about as much attention in Oxford as the Zapruder film, the Hogs were able to pull off an overtime win on the road to get to 5-4.  Ole Miss dropped to 7-3, and now in a complete twist of irony, will be cheering for the Mississippi State Bulldogs to upset the Crimson Tide, to keep their hopes of getting to Atlanta alive.  

                                                       Courtesy of al.com

In the rest of the SEC, Leonard Fournette found kryptonite in the name of the Alabama defense, as the Tigers lost to the Tide 30-16.  The real star of the show was Derrick Henry, who rushed for 210 yards and 3 Touchdowns.  He may have jumped Fournette as the front runner for the Heisman with that performance.  Auburn got back on track as they jumped up to 5-4 with a win over Texas A&M.  On the other side of the conference in the SEC East, Florida clinched a trip to Atlanta, after sleepwalking through 3 1/2 quarters against Vandy, but the Gators just aren't the same without Will Grier.  No matter who they face out of the West, they'll likely be an underdog. To close out the rest of the SEC, Georgia took care of business against a Kentucky team that needs to win 2 of its last 3 to get to a bowl, and Tennessee outlasted South Carolina 27-24 in Knoxville.

                                          Courtesy of mythicalmonkey.blogspot.com

This week sees a rematch of the Prayer at Jordan-Hare, with Georgia headed to Auburn.  Bama heads to Starkvegas in a game that could decide who goes to Atlanta, and Arkansas heads to Baton Rouge in the Battle for the Golden Boot.  So, let's get to some games!

                                                                    Courtesy of bleacherreport.com

Georgia
at Auburn   Even

The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry kicks off at noon today on CBS.  It's likely that both Malzahn and Richt will play multiple QBs in this game, so that makes it even less predictable.  If this game was in Athens I'd go with Georgia, but being that it's on The Plains, I'm going with the Tigers to win a close game.  Jeremy Johnson looked a lot better against Texas A&M, and Georgia has struggled against almost every SEC team not named Kentucky this year.   Auburn pulls out a close victory 27-24.

                                  Courtesy of gatorbytes.blog.palmbeachpost.com

Florida    -7.5
at South Carolina

The Battle for Steve Spurrier's Heart takes place in Columbia today.  Florida clinched the SEC East last week, despite a weak performance against Vandy, while South Carolina gave Tennessee a scare in Knoxville.  If Florida wants to go to more than just the Sugar Bowl they're going to have to keep winning and I think they'll continue that today in Columbia.   This game will ultimately come down to talent and Florida has more of it than the Gamecocks.  They'll play conservative and rely on running the ball and their defense, but that should be enough to get the win as the Gamecocks see their postseason hopes come to an end, dropping to 3-7.  Florida 24 South Carolina 16.

                                                             Courtesy of bleacherreport.com

North Texas
at Tennessee  -41

41 POINTS!  Normally, I'd say go with North Texas, but after looking a little closer at North Texas, I saw they are 1-8, and they lost 66-7 to Portland State....at Home!  Go with the Vols, to get an easy win in a game that should be over as soon as Tennessee scores the first touchdown.  The Vols get bowl eligible today in a blowout.  Tennessee 55 North Texas 10.

                                                                          Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com

Alabama   -8
at Mississippi State

Alabama took care of business against LSU last week, and they'll head to Starkvegas this week in The Battle of Highway 82.  This is probably one of the quietest rivalries in the SEC, but both teams have some of the most passionate fans in college football, and you can guarantee that the cowbells will be ringing today.  If State hopes to have any chance, they are going to have to throw the ball down the field with accuracy.  Alabama will stack the box and make Dak beat them with his arm.  I think he'll have a good game, but I question whether that Mississippi State defense can stop Henry and the Tide.  Alabama has a 2 score lead late in this game, but State scores a late touchdown to cover the spread.  Alabama 30 Mississippi State 24.

                                                                  Courtesy of vucommodores.com

Kentucky
at Vanderbilt   -3

3-6 Vandy hosts a 4-5 Kentucky team, that has lost 4 in a row after starting out 4-1.  The biggest challenge for Kentucky is going to be scoring against that Vandy defense.  With the exception of the Houston game, Vanderbilt hasn't given up 20 points in a game since September.  The problem is Vandy has only scored 20 points in a game once all year.  This game has low scoring defensive struggle written all over it.  Being that it's in Nashville, I'll go with Vandy to get the win.  Vandy 16 Kentucky 13.

                                                          Courtesy of tamu.247sports.com

Western Carolina
at Texas A&M   -36


The Aggies get back to winning this week against the boys from Cullowhee.  They should dominate the Catamounts in College Station in route to getting to 7-3, but that defense will still give up some points.  Texas A&M wins 48-17.

                                                              Courtesy of 1130thetiger.com

Arkansas
at LSU   -7

One team is coming off an exhilarating overtime win, while the other is coming off a crushing loss to their rival.  The Battle for the Golden Boot is the 7PM ESPN game live from Death Valley.  Fully understanding this is a Les Miles cliche, but LSU at night in Death Valley...it's where dreams go to die.  Believe me, I saw it last year, first hand.  Fournette was shut down last week against Bama, but he should have a better performance against an Arkansas team that gave up 52 points in Oxford.  The Tigers edge the Hogs to go to 8-1, and Arkansas has to wait another week to get bowl eligible.  LSU 31 Arkansas 24.

                                                       Courtesy of sportsonearth.com

BYU   -4.5
at Missouri   

Normally, I'd go with BYU, as Mizzou hasn't given any reason for anyone to show faith in them this year.  But this week has seen all eyes on the campus of the University of Missouri.  After a boycott by the Mizzou football team, and with news coming out yesterday that Gary Pinkel will retire after this year due to health issues, I think this is a game that rests solely on emotion.  The game will be played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, and I think the "Win this one for Gary" effect gives Mizzou an upset win.  Mizzou 20 BYU 17.


After the horrible events in Paris last night, we could all use a little something to celebrate and make us remember what's fun about life.  Here's to what's hopefully an enjoyable Saturday.  Cheers!