SEC
East
Florida
| Georgia
| Kentucky
| South Carolina
| Tennessee
| Vanderbilt
West
Alabama
| Arkansas
| Auburn
| LSU |
Ole Miss
| Miss State
SEC Fearless Predictions
Sept. 1 | Sept.
8 |
Sept. 15 | Sept.
22 |
Sept. 29
Oct. 6 | Oct.
13 |
Oct. 20 | Oct.
27 |
Nov.
10 |
Nov. 17 | Nov.
24 | Dec.
1
How are the picks so far? SU: 56-13 ... ATS:
37-22-2
SEC Fearless Predictions, Week
10,
Part 2
SEC Game of
the Week
LSU
(7-1) at Alabama
(6-2)
5:00
PM
CBS
Why to watch: It's Nick Saban
against his old program, it's LSU
getting back on the field after an
alleged bar fight involving backup QB
Ryan Perrilloux and LB Derrick Odom, and
oh yeah, and there are the SEC West and
national title implications. LSU remains
No. 3 in the BCS ranking as it sits and
waits for Ohio State and/or Boston
College to screw up, but it about more
than that. With an unbeaten Arizona
State still out there, Oregon starting
to get more respect, and a slew of other
teams in the mix, LSU doesn't just have
to win, it has to win impressively.
Style points might be the furthest thing
from LSU's mind as it has to deal with
an Alabama team able to take control of
the West with a win. Beat LSU, and it'll
take just one more SEC win for the Tide
to play for the championship. LSU has
won the last four in the series and six
of the last seven. Alabama hasn't beaten
the Tigers at home since 1999.
Why
LSU might win: Can Bama keep John
Parker Wilson upright? The Tide
offensive line has been great at times,
but it's given up its share of sacks and
has gotten Wilson battered around a
little bit. Ole Miss, particularly Greg
Hardy, was able to do whatever it wanted
when it came to getting into the
backfield, and LSU should have similar
success. Defensively, Bama has faced two
teams, Arkansas and Houston, that can
run. The Hogs rumbled for 301 yards and
two touchdowns, and the Cougars got a
100-yard day out of Anthony Alridge.
Even though LSU can run, with the second
best ground attack in the SEC, it'll
have a few issues since ...
Why Alabama might win: ...
Perrilloux isn't going to play thanks to
team-imposed suspension. He might just
be a backup, but he's a dimension the
Tide would rather not have to deal with.
LSU, for all its hype and statistics,
haven't been as strong defensively as
the numbers appear. Kentucky was the
first balances offense the Tigers faced,
and it was able to crank out 375 yards
and the win. Auburn only got 296 yards,
but its average attack was able to move
when it had to. Alabama has been fine
when its back has been against the wall,
coming through clutch on both sides of
the ball in several close wins. As long
as there's a bit of offensive balance,
and as long as the turnovers are kept to
a bare minimum, the Tide is good enough
to pull this off.
Who to watch:
Saban and Miles. The coaches have played
down the obvious storyline this week,
but it hasn't worked out well with both
campuses and both teams buzzing. Saban
has said all the right things and isn't
playing up the importance of facing his
old program any more than this just
being a really big game, but that's
simply not true. A win over LSU wouldn't
just bring Bama to the doorstep of
winning the West, it would show that in
just one year, Saban has shifted the
West's balance of power away from LSU;
the Tide will only be getting better.
For Miles, this is a must-win if only to
keep the still uncertain fan base
believing that he's the man who can lead
the program to a national title like
Saban did. Woe to anyone who criticizes
Miles, the LSU fans will rally, but he's
constantly having to prove himself.
Beating Saban should go a long way to
cementing him as a championship-worthy
coach.
What will happen: It'll
be a dead-even game for about 50
minutes, and then LSU's running game
will start to pound away and take over.
And then the Tide passing game will wake
up. After struggling all game long,
Bama's receivers will start to beat the
LSU corners late and take the lead. LSU
will have one final chance, and unlike
the Auburn game, won't come through.
CFN Prediction:
Alabama
23 ... LSU 20 ...
Line: LSU -7.5
Must See Rating: (5
Heidi Klum on
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show -
1 Heidi Klum on Oprah) ...
4.5
|
SEC Saturday,
November 3rd |
Vanderbilt
(5-3)
at Florida
(5-3)
12:30
PM
GamePlan
Why to watch: If there was an award
for the team that gave Florida the most
trouble the last two years without
actually accomplishing anything,
Vanderbilt would win in a landslide. The
Commodores gave the 2006 national title
team all it could handle in a 25-19
Gator win. Florida needed extra time to
get by Jay Cutler and the boys in a
49-32 classic in 2005. This year, Vandy
still has slim dreams of winning the
East with the Gators, Kentucky and
Tennessee yet to play, but more
realistic is a shot a the program's
first bowl game since 1982, which might
all but be assured with a win in The
Swamp. Florida is beaten up, battered
and bruised, but even after getting
blasted by Georgia last week, it can
still win the East by winning out and
getting Bulldog losses to Kentucky and
Auburn. The Gators have lost three of
their last four games, and with a trip
to South Carolina next week, could
potentially go on an epic slide if they
can't take care of business. Vandy is 0
for its last 16 against Florida, with
the last win coming in 1988. The last
win at Florida came in 1945 in a 7-0
barnburner.
Why
Vanderbilt might win: The Florida
offensive line got ripped apart by
Georgia last week, and could be in big
trouble against the aggressive Commodore
defensive front. Vandy leads the SEC in
sacks and should be able to sell out to
get to Tim Tebow and keep him from
getting the passing game going. Tebow
was held to -15 rushing yards last week
on 13 carries, even though he ran for
two scores, and while he's been
ultra-efficient throwing the ball, he
has to get time and he has to be
healthy. He's playing through a banged
up shoulder that limited the Florida
play-calling against the Bulldogs.
Florida needs Tebow to run to win, and
that's not going to be easy.
Why Florida might win: Florida's
secondary has had major problems all
year long, but the run defense has been
tight. Vandy might have receiver
weapons, but they don't get the ball
nearly enough in one of the SEC's most
inefficient passing games. To have any
shot at winning, the Commodores have to
get the ground game cranking, and it
needs to force a ton of Florida
mistakes, and while they've been
consistent on the ground, they haven't
been explosive. Florida can hit the home
run against Vandy, but Vandy can't hit
the home run on Florida.
Who to watch:
Yes, the Commodores will have to run the
ball well to get its offense working,
but it'll be very, very tempting to open
up the passing attack against a suspect
Gator secondary. That means the SEC's
all-time leader in receptions, Earl
Bennett, will need extra attention. 19
of Bennett's 215 career catches have
come against Florida, highlighted by a
brilliant 13-catch, 157-yard, one
touchdown day in last year's loss. As
good as the junior has been this year,
he only has one touchdown since scoring
three in the season-opening win over
Richmond, and hasn't scored in four
weeks.
What will happen: Florida
is beaten up, battered and down after
the SEC title shot has basically gone
bye-bye in the last few weeks. Once
again, Vanderbilt will push the rock to
the top of the mountain, but won't be
able to get it over. Gator all-around
star Percy Harvin will make sure of that
with two huge plays that'll change the
momentum of the game late.
CFN Prediction:
Florida 31 ...
Vanderbilt
20 ...
Line: Florida -16.5
Must See Rating: (5
Heidi Klum on
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show -
1 Heidi Klum on Oprah) ...
2.5
Troy
(6-2) at Georgia
(6-2)
1:00
PM
Why to watch: Looking for a possible
letdown upset of the week? Everything is
set up perfectly for Georgia to be a
victim against a hot Troy team in a
big-time sandwich game. The Bulldogs are
coming off a controversial
statement-game win over Florida to be
one of the leaders in the SEC title
chase, and it has Auburn and Kentucky at
home over the next few weeks to deal
with. While it'll be easy to look past a
team from the Sun Belt, especially one
that lost to Arkansas by 20 and Florida
by 28, this isn't just any non-BCS team.
Troy showed against Oklahoma State that
it can play, with a stunning 41-23 win
setting the tone for a six-game winning
streak on the way to a likely second
straight Sun Belt championship. This is
a veteran team with the make-up to pull
off the shocker.
Why
Troy might win: The defense is
standing on its head. Fine, so UL
Monroe, Florida International, North
Texas and Arkansas State aren't LSU,
Florida, Texas and Arkansas, but the
Trojan defense has still be impressive
over the last month, holding those four
Sun Belt teams to just 30 total points
with seven points or fewer being scored
in three of those games. The run defense
hasn't allowed a thing, but the real key
has been the pass rush, getting 9.5
sacks against North Texas and five
against Arkansas State. However ...
Why Georgia might win: ...
Georgia's offensive line has done a
great job of keeping Matthew Stafford
clean. This is a young O line that's
spent the year improving and working the
kinks out, and it came up with a strong
pass protection performance two weeks
ago against a Vanderbilt defense that
leads the league in sacks. Troy has to
be perfect, and it won't be. The offense
has lost six fumbles in the past two
weeks and has given way five
interceptions.
Who to watch:
Georgia has its new rushing star.
Redshirt freshman Knowshon Moreno was
having a nice year in the rotation, and
then he got his chance to take over the
offense against Vanderbilt with 157
yards. He tore up the Florida defense
for 188 yards and three scores on a
workmanlike 33 carries, which showed his
toughness, but was also a problem going
into the back stretch. While he's a
power back when running between the
tackles, he's not a huge battering ram
and could get worn down a bit. Georgia
needs him for the SEC race, so the hope
is to spread the ball around and keep
him fresh.
What will happen: Troy's
defense will keep this from getting out
of hand, while QB Omar Haugabook will
basically do what Tim Tebow couldn't
last week. In the end, turnovers will be
the problem with a great effort being
wasted thanks to four giveaways.
CFN Prediction: Georgia
23 ... Troy
17 ...
Line: Georgia -16.5
Must See Rating: (5
Heidi Klum on
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show -
1 Heidi Klum on Oprah) ...
2
Northwestern State
(3-5) at Ole Miss
(2-7)
2:00
PM
Why to watch: Ole Miss gets a
desperately needed break from its awful
season with three straight losses and an
0-6 SEC record. After scoring just 11
points in the past two weeks in losses
to Arkansas and Auburn, the Rebels
desperately need something to make
themselves feel better before the coming
storm of LSU next week. Northwestern
State has a good running offense, with a
funky attack that has the ability to
crank out 300-yard rushing games.
However, the Demons didn't exactly get
the offense working against the one FBS
team it faced, Texas Tech, in a 75-7
loss.
Why
Northwestern State might win: NSU
likes to run the ball, and Ole Miss
hasn't stopped anyone's running game.
The Demons aren't going to power the
ball on the Rebel defensive front, but
they could make plays on the outside and
tear off a few big runs if Byron
Lawrence and Germayne Edward can get in
space. Over the last two weeks, Arkansas
ran for 293 yards on the Rebels and
Auburn tore off 231. Getting at least
250 is a must for NSU.
Why Ole Miss might win: It
doesn't matter who the quarterback is,
he'll have time. The Ole Miss O line has
had a nightmare of a time in pass
protection, but that won't be a problem
against a NSU defensive front that's
generating no pressure whatsoever
against mediocre FCS teams. That's
partly due to a scheme that forces the
linemen to try to help out the
linebackers against the run first and
foremost, but it's also partly due to a
lack of talent when it comes to getting
to the quarterback. If Ole Miss doesn't
get an efficient passing day this week,
it'll never happen.
Who to watch:
Ole Miss sophomore Greg Hardy had
established himself as one of the SEC's
premier pass rushers with eight sacks,
and then he screwed up and got himself
suspended for violating team rules. His
absence has meant senior Viciente
DeLoach has had to step up and become a
regular producer, and while he's not
Hardy, he wasn't bad against Auburn
making six tackles. He's always had the
quickness to go along with good size,
and now he has to put it all together
over the final few weeks.
What will happen: Ole
Miss will take out plenty of
frustrations in what'll be its last win
of the year.
CFN Prediction: Ole Miss
45 ... Northwestern State 10 ...
Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5
Heidi Klum on
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show -
1 Heidi Klum on Oprah) ...
1
SEC Fearless Predictions, Week
10,
Part 2