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I’ve had a ton of fun writing Saturday Roulette at ArkansasSports360.com the beginning of the 2011 season. I need to thank Chris Bahn for the opportunity, as well as anybody who read the column and picked games along with me. This column has led to several great things, things I never thought I’d have a shot at doing, and I haven’t taken a second of it for granted. I can't tell you how badly I wish it would go on and on, but, you know, life.
I would like to say that if you've ever read any of the content on this site, AS360, follow me on twitter, or whatever, you are my highly targeted, niche audience.
The good news is that I’m not going away, at least not for now [knocking on as much wood as possible]. One of the aforementioned opportunities I’ve gotten is to become the editor of this site, and I'm extremely proud to be leading the SB Nation site for the Razorbacks. If you've been reading this site over the last few months, I think you'll agree that we've assembled a great lineup of contributors and we're only growing and getting better. Thank you for coming and staying and engaging the writers. Our interaction is the best part.
By the way, since the beginning, Saturday Roulette is 98-81-2 (36-27 this year). If a few certain people had listened to us more, monetizing AS360 could have been taken care of [wink]. I'll be posting the column here at Expats now, so for the first time in this space, here are this week’s winners:
Tulsa (+9) @ Arkansas: How many lives does this Razorback team have? We thought they were dead. Then we thought they were really dead. Then we thought they were cremated. Then they came out of a coma for a few weeks, and now the life is out of the room again. I’m not sure if the Hogs are more like this Monty Python clip or this one. I’m taking Tulsa and the points.
Alabama (-8) @ LSU: The whole point-scoring concept has proved difficult for LSU this season. They’ll need Alabama to make a few mistakes like they did in Tuscaloosa last year to have a chance. Unfortunately for them, the Crimson Tide rarely make mistakes this year. Take Alabama.
Ole Miss (+14) @ Georgia: The Bulldogs were once considered dead after being destroyed by South Carolina. Unlike Arkansas, Georgia appears to be thriving at this point. They beat rival Florida last week and now sit in the drivers seat in the East. Which means they’re probably ripe for a let down against an improved Rebels squad coming off a hard-fought victory in Little Rock last week. Two touchdowns is a lot of points, so I’ll roll with Ole Miss.
Texas A&M (-7) @ Mississippi State: Johnny Manziel is destined to end up in the special circle of SEC players that are really good and really hyped to the point that he is loathed by opposing SEC fans more than he is loved by his own fan base. Tim Tebow and Cam Newton started the club. The thing about those players? They’re all winners. The Aggies have only gotten better as the year has gone on. I’m going with the A&M.
Vanderbilt (-7) @ Kentucky: Before the season, James Franklin was a rising star on the coaching hot boards. Then Vanderbilt started 1-3 and everyone stopped talking about him. Now, Vanderbilt is 4-4 and will likely be favored in at least 3 of their last 4 games. Could he climb back in the picture? They’re not slowing down. Pick Vandy.
Oregon (-8) over USC, Texas Tech (-6.5) over Texas, Kansas State (-8.5) over Oklahoma State
Play along! Put your picks in the comments section, and remember, as always, on-field wins and losses can be vacated, but your picks live forever.
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Doc Harper is the editor of ArkansasExpats.com and is a columnist for CollegeFootballNews.com. You can email him at heydocharper@gmail.com and follow him on twitter @doc_harper.