I know I am getting these in rather last minute, so if you were waiting to make a trip to the bookie solely based upon my visions of the future, I apologize for the delay, and then I have to say, "You must be fool crazy," a phrase from a former English teacher of mine, believe it or not. Actually, I am off to a 6-1 start having seen Auburn's loss to Clemson, a tight victory by South Carolina over Navy, and the Dores beating Ole Miss, though by a much larger margin than I or anybody saw coming. I was wrong as well about Kentucky getting the best of Charlie Strong. I took last weekend off from the prediction game, but I am back, and this is what I see for Saturday in the SEC.
MISS. STATE at GEORGIA - Dog Eat Dog (FSN 12 PM Eastern) - Vegas says Georgia by 7 - Miss. State seems to have run out of the mojo created by their win over Michigan in the Gator Bowl and have gone back to being Miss. State again. That means pretty much no offense. Though Dan Mullen has not beaten any SEC West team outside of Ole Miss, he does have a better track record with Eastern teams. But Georgia at home with Aaron Murray, I have to go with the Eastern Bulldogs on this one. And I believe you gamblers can count on Georgia covering as well.
KENTUCKY at LSU - The Team From The Bluegrass State vs. The Team Whose Coach Eats Grass (SEC Network 12 PM Eastern) - Vegas says LSU by 30.5 - I can't imagine many of us Hog fans will be tuning in for this one, for the Hogs will be kicking off at the same time. The LSU / Kentucky game is not one that you think of very often when you think of SEC matchups, but it has produced some memorable games. Who can't forget the scene at Commonwealth Stadium when LSU won the game with a Hail Mary pass while the Kentucky bench and fans were too busy celebrating a victory that wasn't. And then Kentucky got its revenge by beating LSU in overtime in 2007. The only advantage Kentucky has here is that it is an early kickoff in Baton Rouge. Expect the Tigers and their fans to be sluggish, but they get it done in the end, but not by 30.5 points. Say, something just under that.
BUFFALO at TENNESSEE - The Twenty Bucks If You Can Name Their Conference Team vs. The Team Whose Mascot, Smokey, and Their Best Receiver Both Have Torn ACLs. (CSS 12:30 Eastern) - Vegas says Tennessee by 28.5 - Another game that we Razorback fans will not be paying any attention to, and neither will the rest of America outside of Knoxville and possibly Buffalo (hey, the Bills are undefeated!). Here is hoping that Smokey gets to feeling better. I know the Vols on and off the field want a feel good win after their 1,289th loss to Florida last weekend, and I believe they'll get it and then some. Their Tyler will have a day of touchdowns, but still expect some bad luck to strike the Vols somehow. Maybe the Tennessee river floods the parking lot during half-time? Who knows. And, yeah, I think they cover. Lots of Rocky Top will be played.
AUBURN at SOUTH CAROLINA - Show Me the Money vs. Show Me More Lattimore - (CBS 3:30 Eastern) - Vegas says South Carolina by 10 - I love the weekends when CBS does a double header, and I hope to enjoy them both with a fond victory over the Aggies feeding my hunger for more college football. IF the Hogs lose, I might not have much of an appetite for this game. I need my time in the corner to sulk, haha, if the Hogs have another stinker of a game. I see Spurrier giving the ball to Lattimore over and over. He'll be drained of life by the time we play him - I hope. This Auburn defense gives up tons of yardage and points, so why not feed the beast as Petrino puts it. But count on Garcia to make it interesting at points. The Gamecocks win it, but it will be a fourth quarter victory right at seven points, I say. I am not completely sold on the Gamecocks. They'll screw around and let Auburn come back on them.
OLE MISS at FRESNO STATE - Faulkner's Hometown Team vs. The Team Faulkner "Might" Have Heard Of While Writing In Hollywood - (ESPN 2 at 9:15 Eastern) - Vegas says Fresno State by 3.5 - Sitting at 1-3, Colonel Nutt badly needs a win against ANYBODY! He couldn't beat the Bulldogs of Georgia at home, but I have a strange feeling that he'll beat the California Bulldogs away from home. Doesn't Houston Nutt operate out of Bizzaro World? I say Ole Miss wins, and then let the string of "We didn't let go of the rope" and "precious" and "special" spew forth. If he has to go back to Oxford 1-4, he might look up Faulkner's grave and ask if he can join him. But there might not be room in there, for A.D. Boone will likely have beaten him to it.
ALABAMA at FLORIDA - The Team That Has Something Stuck On Their Shoes That Smells Like Bacon vs. Suddenly Arkansas's Favorite Team In The SEC East - (CBS 8 PM Eastern) - Vegas says Bama by 4 points - The game of the day, no matter where Gameday is going! As a Razorback fan, you can't help but look at this game as a measuring stick for the Hogs. Was the Tide's play last weekend the first swell of a national championship caliber season, or were the Hogs just that bad? I don't think Florida allows Alabama to score on them all the many ways that Arkansas did. But in the end, to the consternation of many Hog fans, Alabama wins the game in overtime. CBS is due a thriller, and I think this will be it.