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 Weeks 10 Predictions

                                                           Courtesy of www.nola.com 

Unless you've been living under a rock or don't have ESPN/SEC Network, you know that this weekend will see The Mad Hatter against Lord Saban.   These two teams have been the 1A and 1B of the SEC West since Saban came to Tuscaloosa.  They'll meet on Saturday Night in T-Town for what many consider to be an elimination game for the SEC West Championship. 

                                                        Courtesy of gamedayr.com

We'll get to that game in a minute, but let's look at the other SEC games starting with the Fighting Starkvillians against the We Are Completely Missourable Columbia Tigers!  Hey State, bold move to wear all white in a monsoon.  It didn't really matter though, because Missouri didn't tackle you enough to get them dirty anyway.  Mizzou, thank goodness you were wearing all black because your offense is clearly in mourning.  State dominated this game in Columbia, winning 31-13, but to be fair Missouri did actually score an offensive touchdown for the first time in a month, so there's some improvement.  The Dak Attack threw for 4 TDs against a supposedly good Mizzou defense, while Missouri mustered 107 yards through the air.  

                                                                      Courtesy of miamiherald.com

I still can't believe this team went from SEC East Champion in back to back years to the worst team in the SEC in less than 12 months.  Missouri gets BYU at home next week, while State hosts Alabama which means the Tide faithful will either be building another statute to Nick Saban or burning him in effigy depending how this week's game goes.  Let's see how the rest of the SEC games will play out.

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Vanderbilt
at Florida   -20.5

Spoiler alert.  Florida wins big.  Go ask Jim McElwain what he's doing to prepare for whomever the Commodores play at QB.  He'll tell you he's finishing his beer and hoping that the best lawyers in Florida can overturn Will Grier's suspension in time for the FSU game.  Give me the Gators to win and cover.  Florida 35 Vandy 10.

                                                     Courtesy of saturdaydownsouth.com

Kentucky
at Georgia   -16

The biggest debate in this game might be which fan base is more excited for football season to end.  I think Mark Richt's days are coming to a close in Athens.  It's tough to see a coach who's likely going to go 9-3 move on, because he's under appreciated, but he's also failed to win the SEC since 2005.  Georgia at home against a mediocre Kentucky team?  I'll go with the Bulldogs to win, but Kentucky somehow makes a backdoor cover.  Georgia 24 Kentucky 10.

                                                                    Courtesy of saturdaydownsout.com

Arkansas
at Ole Miss  -10

Thank you CBS for putting Verne and Gary on the Bama - LSU game.  Ole Miss and Arkansas fans couldn't be more thrilled and the rest of the country couldn't be more upset.  On paper Ole Miss should win this game big, but with the weather tomorrow in Oxford scheduled to be rainy, it could be a lot closer than it should.  I'm still going with the Rebels at home to get the win, but Arkansas keeps it close until the 4th quarter.  Ole Miss will have virtually everyone back on defense, so they should be able to stop Arkansas's power running game, and I don't think Arkansas's defense is good enough to stop the Rebels offense, even in the rain.  Rebels 34 Razorbacks 20.

                                                                Courtesy of tennessee.247sports.com

South Carolina
at Tennessee   -17

If Tennessee loses this game, God Help Butch Jones.   The good news is that it's highly unlikely.  The Vols should finish 8-4 in the regular season, with November games against South Carolina, North Texas, Missouri, and Vanderbilt.  If they don't go 4-0 in that stretch, Butch should be fired on principle alone.  Tennessee has far more talent than the Gamecocks and they'll roll at home in Knoxville.  Tennessee 42 South Carolina 14.

                                                           Courtesy of collegespun.com

Auburn
at Texas A&M   -7

The Battle of Overrated Coaches takes place in Aggie Land between Auburn and Texas A&M on Saturday night on the SEC Network.  The Aggies have finally solidified their QB in Kyler Murray, while the Tigers are likely going to go with a far less than healthy Sean White.  This game might actually be a decent contest, but being that the Aggies are playing at home and have a healthier QB, I'm going with Texas A&M to get the win and cover late.  Texas A&M 31 Auburn 22.  Those helmets last week were awesome though.  

                                                              Courtesy of al.com

                                                        
LSU
at Alabama   -7

Well, at least these two guys seems to be getting along.  Alright, here we go.  The loser of this game is pretty much done in the SEC West race.  Both teams have very good defenses, and focus their offense on their feature running back.  Additionally, both the Tigers and the Tide have QBs who can make plays when they have to, but aren't the strength of their offense.  All week the experts have pointed to Brandon Harris as the X factor, and I agree that if LSU is going to win, it's going to have to do so on the arm/legs of Brandon Harris.  Alabama's front 7 isn't going to let Fournette run all over them the way he has on other teams this year.  They'll stack the box, and put single coverage on Dupre and Dural and dare Brandon Harris to throw the ball down the field.  

                                                     Courtesy of totalprosports.com

Oh, the best part about this game is going to be the fans.  LSU and Bama fans at night in the rain in Tuscaloosa.  Surrender cobras and whiskey induced despair is going to be on full display tonight.  I'll say this, I hope things get Les Miles weird tonight.  Like T-Rexing for no apparent reason weird.

                                                         Courtesy of christypaul2013.wordpress.com


Alabama will hand off the ball to Derrick Henry 25-30 times, and tell Jake Coker to only make plays when he has to.  I don't see Saban allowing Lane Kiffin to open up the offense, unless LSU makes some big plays early and jumps out to a lead.   It'll be an extremely conservative game plan, especially with the weather being rainy, which should make for a low scoring game.   If this game was in Baton Rouge, I'd go with the Tigers at night, but I'd be shocked if Bama lost 2 games at home this year, to its two biggest opponents.  I'll go with the Tide to get the win, but LSU covers as Bama scores late to get a close victory.  Bama 20 LSU 17.

                                                     Courtesy of houzz.com

Here's to what should be a fun and rainy weekend.  Cheers.

SEC Week 9 Predictions

                                                       Courtesy of secrant.com


Last week saw Auburn and Arkansas go to 4 Overtimes in Fayetteville, Tennessee outplay Alabama for 3 1/2 quarters but fall behind when it mattered, and Texas A&M get exposed in Oxford.  The biggest game this weekend is the annual World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Actionville between the Bulldogs and Gators.  This game likely decides who goes to Atlanta, so it's easily the most important game of the weekend.  With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, let's take a look at the predictions for Week 9.  

                                                         Courtesy of SBNation.com

Ole Miss  -7.5
at Auburn

Ole Miss and Laquon Treadwell have had this game marked on their calendar since last year.  The Rebels season was crushed last year after Treadwell suffered a horrific injury at the goal line and fumbled the ball, that Auburn recovered to secure a victory.  This game he's going off.  Treadwell has been waiting for this game for 12 months.  Hugh Freeze has said Ole Miss doesn't play revenge games, and if you believe that, you're likely going trick-or-treating tonight.  This game is the definition of a revenge game.  Auburn's defense is shaky, their QB play is shaky, and they spent 4 OTs getting pounded by the Arkansas run game.  Ole Miss is going to come out guns blazing and throw the ball like the 2007 Patriots.  Ole Miss has been hot and cold all season; they haven't had a close game all year.  They either blow out the opponent or get blown out.  This should be an Ole Miss win and cover.  Rebels 35 Tigers 17.

                                                                       Courtesy of zimbio.com

South Carolina
at Texas A&M   - 15.5

Jeez, that's a lot of points.  Kyler Murray will get the start for the Aggies against the Gamecocks, because Kyle Allen was awful against the Rebs last Saturday.  He was 12-34 for 88 yards and 1 INT.  Today, the Aggies get back on track against a bad Gamecock team that has struggled all year.  The Gamecocks are 3-4 and they'll be 3-5 after a sloppy game with bad weather in College Station today.  Aggies 28 Gamecocks 14.

                                                                Courtesy of ocalapost.com

Georgia
at Florida   -2

Mark Richt's seat might get hot if he loses this game.  I don't think he'll be fired this year, but he might look to South Beach if the Bulldogs drop this game.  Mark Richt has thrived though in games where people are calling for his job.  Georgia is breaking in a new QB this week, as Faton Bauta is starting the Dawgs.  Georgia might pull the upset today, but I'm still going with the Gators.  I think it's pretty clear that the Gators are the best team in the SEC East.  Gators 24 Bulldogs 20.

                                                           Courtesy of or-politics.com

UT Martin
at Arkansas  -37

That was a hell of a victory for the Hogs last week as they outlasted Auburn in 4 OTs.  They'll essentially get a bye week against UT Martin.  Look for Arkansas to do what they do best in running the ball.  This game should be over by the end of the 1st quarter.  Arkansas 45 UT Martin 7.

                                            Courtesy of saturdaydownsouth.com

Vanderbilt
at Houston    -10.5

Derek Mason has done a better job than many people thought he would, and he'll probably get one more year to turn things around at Vandy.  Houston is the better team though, and they'll get the win at home against the Commodores.  Tom Herman won't be at Houston next year, as he'll get a much better job, with much better pay.  Cougars 34 Vandy 17.

                                                        Courtesy of tennesseean.com

Tennessee      -9
at Kentucky

Tennessee fans saw their team lose a heart-breaker yet again to Bama on Saturday.  The Vols fell to 3-4, but they'll be favored in every game going forward, so 8-4 is a very reasonable finish for Tennessee, as they have Kentucky, SC, North Texas, Mizzou, and Vandy left on their schedule.  Kentucky is 4-3, but their best win is against a Mizzou team that couldn't find the end zone if their lives depended on it.  Tennessee gets the win in Lexington today.  Vols 32 Kentucky 20.

                                              Courtesy of saturdaydownsouth.com

This is somewhat of a light week for the SEC.  LSU and Bama are both off this week as they get ready for a clash in Tuscaloosa that could decide the SEC West.  Happy Halloween!  Cheers!

   

SEC Week 6 Predictions

                                                                         Courtesy of cbssports.com


Well, if you didn't think the Florida Gators were for real last week, you certainly should after Saturday night.  The Gators dominated Ole Miss from start to finish, and jumped to No. 11 in the polls.  Alabama went to Athens and throttled the Bulldogs in the rain 38-10.  Mizzou looks to have moved on from Maty Mauk, and beat the Gamecocks 24-10.  Auburn played around with San Jose State for 3 quarters before finally putting them away.  LSU defeated Eastern Michigan 44-22.  Vandy barely edged MTSU 17-13, while Kentucky needed overtime to beat Eastern Kentucky at home.  Texas A&M out marooned Mississippi State 30-17, and lastly, Arkansas crushed Tennessee's dreams at a chance to go to Atlanta 24-20. 

                                                                     Courtesy of thestate.com

This week's slate of games sees Georgia heading to Knoxville, the Hogs heading to Tuscaloosa, Florida at Mizzou, and South Carolina playing a "Home" game against LSU in Baton Rouge, due to the massive flooding in the Palmetto State.  The Mississippi schools basically have bye weeks facing New Mexico State and Troy.  So let's see who should emerge victorious in Week 6.

                                                         Courtesy of cbssports.com

New Mexico State
at Ole Miss -45

New Mexico State is awful.  They might be one of the worst teams in college football, but Ole Miss has half of their offensive line in a tub of ice right now, so nice job schedulers.  The Rebels will win comfortably, but I expect Hugh to rest his starters by the half.  I'll actually be in Oxford this week for an 11AM Kickoff.  Even better, my friends and I are driving up from Gluckstadt (yes that is an actual town in Mississippi) for the game, and we have to be in The Grove by 8AM.  What time does Chick-Fil-A open?  Is it frowned upon to make a mimosa on Saturday before the sun rises?  Do I care about either of those things?  Nope.  Rebels 42 Aggies 10.

                                                        Courtesy of charlotteobserver.com

LSU -19.5
at South Carolina (in Baton Rouge)

Bravo Bayou Bengals.  That was a classy move y'all made this week.  South Carolina is starting a QB this week who was originally a walk on.  LSU has Leonard Fournette.  Give me the Tigers to cover, but Miles refuses to run the score up against Spurrier and the Gamecocks.  LSU 35 South Carolina 7.  

                                                                       Courtesy of knoxnews.com

Georgia -2.5
at Tennessee 

I think it's pretty clear Butch Jones is not a good coach.  He's a great recruiter, but as one of my Tennessee friends will tell you, they didn't hire him to recruit.  They hired him to beat Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and to get them to Atlanta, and he hasn't done that.   On the other side Georgia did Georgia things and showed they're good but not great against Alabama.   Until Butch Jones shows me he can win a big game, I'm going with the Bulldogs, 27-24.  

                                                     Courtesy of onlineathens.com

Troy
at Mississippi State -30.5

Dan Mullen's going to run this thing up.  Take the Bulldogs and the points.  Do you think the people sitting behind this guy are pissed?  The guy on the left's expression is priceless, but not as priceless as his long white socks that are rolled in a manner that clearly express his complete lack of giving a damn about anything.  State 48 Troy 13.

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Arkansas
at Alabama - 16.5

May the Good Lord help anyone who has to play Bama for the next couple of weeks.  They went into Athens and just manhandled Georgia.  Now you're going to get a team that does nothing but try and run downhill into the teeth of that Crimson Tide defense.  Morgan Freeman has some words for you Arkansas.  Tide 38 Hogs 7.

                                                                Courtesy of gamedayr.com

Florida -3.5
at Mizzou

Will Grier looks like the real deal in Gainesville.  The Gators are 5-0 and are looking to make it 6 against the Tigers in Columbia.  Hey, until the Gators lose, I'm going with them against an inferior opponent.  Florida wins this one in a close game 24-20.


I'm hoping this won't be my last SEC game of the regular season, but with the season almost half over, who knows.  This time of the year is phenomenal though, with the weather changing, and almost all of the major sports being either in full swing or getting ready to start up.  Enjoy it while it lasts.  Cheers!