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. 3 | Nov.
10 |
Nov. 17 | Dec.
1
How are the picks so far? SU: 70-18 ... ATS:
46-30-2
SEC Fearless Predictions, Week
13,
Part 2
SEC Game of
the Week
Tennessee
(8-3) at Kentucky
(7-4)
1:30
PM CBS
Why to watch: There might be
several more intriguing SEC battles this
week with Alabama-Auburn and Arkansas-LSU
generating more interest, but this is
the league's most important game since
it determined the SEC championship.
Everyone else is in the clubhouse. LSU
has won the West, Georgia will face the
Tigers with a Kentucky win over the Vols,
and Tennessee will be in with a win.
This might be the best Kentucky team in
decades, and it'll have to be after
losing 22 straight to the Vols with the
last win coming in 1984. The Cats have
struggled down the stretch losing three
of their last four games with the
one-time killer offense having problems
consistently producing points. Tennessee
has gotten hot at just the right time
winning four straight and seven of the
last eight, but Georgia has gotten even
hotter. Many fans would rather see the
all grown up Bulldogs get their shot
against LSU, but Tennessee isn't
planning on letting that happen.
Why
Tennessee might win: The Kentucky
offense has been fine, but it hasn't
been anything special over the last few
weeks. Bumps and bruises have been a
problem, but the lack of rushing
production has been the biggest issue.
When the attack was rolling, it was
getting good balance to take some of the
pressure away from Andre Woodson, but
the Cats have only generated 100 yards
in one of the last four games after
going over 100 in the first seven games.
It's no coincidence that all three games
that UK didn't hit the century mark
resulted in losses. The UT run defense
has hardly been a brick wall, but it's
just good enough to not be a liability.
Why Kentucky might win: The Vols
haven't been great on the road. 7-0 at
home, they're 1-3 on the road with the
one win coming over Mississippi State.
In Andre Woodson's final home game, he
should get all the time he wants to
operate behind a struggling offensive
line that won't have problems in pass
protection against a Tennessee defensive
front that's not generating any pressure
whatsoever. The Vols have only come up
with 15 sacks on the year and just 55
tackles for loss. On the defensive side,
the secondary has been terrific and
should be able to keep the big pass
plays to a minimum.
Who to watch:
The NFL scouts will be scrutinizing the
key final regular season games for both
quarterbacks. Woodson is considered the
far better prospect than Tennessee's
Erik Ainge, but if the Vol senior can
produce under pressure and pull off the
win, his stock could quickly go up
further. While Ainge hasn't had the
talent around him he enjoyed last year,
he has come through with a tremendous
season with 20 touchdown passes and just
five interceptions with no picks thrown
in the last three games. He hasn't
always been sharp, but he has produced
when he has had to. A win here would
prove he can make everyone around him
better while leading the way to a title.
For Woodson, he needs to get back a bit
of the mojo he had after beating LSU and
rolling against Florida. He has hardly
been bad, but he hasn't been the No. 1
overall pick type of playmaker some were
making him out to be just a month ago.
It's all about generating a buzz, and he
needs to create one by knocking
Tennessee out of the SEC race.
What will happen:
Tennessee has answered every challenge
and come through with every clutch play
over the last month to be in a position
to play for the SEC title. Kentucky will
change all that by breaking the long
series losing streak with a huge day
from Woodson. The UK pass defense will
do just enough to slow down Ainge with a
big late stop to get the party started
in Athens.
CFN Prediction:
Kentucky
31 ... Tennessee 27
...
Line: Kentucky -3
Must See
Rating: (5
The inside of your eyelids after eating two pounds of turkey
- 1 The inside of a gym with
every 120 calories equaling a mile on the treadmill) ...3.5
|
SEC
Friday,
November 23rd |
Ole Miss (3-8) at Mississippi State
(6-5)
12:30
PM GamePlan
Why to watch: Mississippi
State has come up with its best season
since 2000 with a 6-5 season that'll
lead to a bowl game, and now it's about
closing out with a win over its rival to
secure an even better 13th game. Losers
of four of the last five in the Egg
Bowl, the Bulldogs have their best
chance to establish dominance in the
state with a win, and to possibly finish
third in the final SEC West standings.
For Ole Miss, the season-finale is a
chance to finally get something positive
out of another lost year. 0-7 in SEC
play and joining Vanderbilt as the only
SEC teams not eligible for a bowl (with
the Commodores getting a shot at the
sixth win this week), a win over
Mississippi State would do wonders for
the program's attitude going into the
off-season. Head coach Ed Orgeron isn't
going to be fired, but things could get
steamy if his Rebels lose in a blowout.
Why
Ole Miss might win: All of a sudden,
Ole Miss has a little bit of offensive
balance with the running game rumbling
as well as it has all season long. Part
of the reason is more production from
the quarterbacks, and part of it is
BenJarvus Green-Ellis getting back on
track. The Rebels got 210 rushing yards
on Northwestern State, and then proved
the production wasn't a fluke with 201
yards against LSU. MSU's strength
is its pass defense and can be pushed
around a bit by a good running game. Ole
Miss will have to get Green-Ellis going
early, and it'll have to get QB Brent
Schaeffer scrambling like he did against
LSU.
Why Mississippi State might win:
The Bulldog defensive line could control
the game from the start. The Rebel
offensive front hasn't been bad, with
Michael Oher having an all-star of a
season, but it gives up sacks and will
give up a few plays in the backfield.
Titus Brown leads a strong front wall
that's just good enough to disrupt the
Ole Miss running game and put enough
pressure on Schaeffer to force a few
mistakes. On the other side of the ball,
MSU will want to run as much as
possible, and it shouldn't have much of
a problem cranking out yards in chunks
against a Rebel run defense that's
allowed 200 rushing yards or more in
three of the last four games.
Who to watch:
Is Schaeffer going to close out with a
bang? After a strange, tumultuous,
disappointing career that started as a
hot prospect at Tennessee before finding
his way to Oxford, he can change his
legacy with a win in his final game. He
finally, finally started to play
like the all-around weapon Rebel fans
were hoping he'd be with 208 passing
yards and 94 rushing yards in the loss
to LSU. He provided a spark as the type
of playmaker who could make the offense
dangerous, and he'll need to do even
more to come away with a win.
What will happen: This
rivalry usually follows form with the
better team almost always coming
through. The two teams are more even
than the records might appear, but MSU
is playing far, far better defense. The
Bulldog defensive front seven won't let
Schaeffer have his second strong game in
a row.
CFN Prediction:
Mississippi State
31 ... Ole Miss 20
...
Line: Mississippi State -6.5
Must See
Rating: (5
The inside of your eyelids after eating two pounds of turkey
- 1 The inside of a gym with
every 120 calories equaling a mile on the treadmill) ...2
Arkansas (7-4) at LSU
(10-1)
2:30
PM CBS
Why to watch: Get your red
No. 5 jersey out, Ohio State fans. Find
your Arkansas pom-poms out, West
Virginia die-hards. LSU might be the
unquestioned No. 1 team in America at
the moment, but it has a nasty two game
finishing kick against the Hogs and in
the SEC Championship game to get through
before it can let out a big exhale and
make plans for New Orleans in January,
and not on the first. On a four-game
winning streak, it's all there for the
taking with a fifth win in a row in the
series. For Arkansas, it's already
headed to a bowl game, but it could use
a great win, with the only victory of
note so far this year coming against
South Carolina, a huge national
statement for the Houston Nutt résumé,
for whatever he ends up doing after this
year, and it's a chance for Darren
McFadden to make one final statement in
the Heisman race. Out of the mix at the
moment, if he cranks out a huge day and
the Hogs win, he'll be right in the
thick of the chase again.
Why
Arkansas might win: The LSU run
defense has statistically been
tremendous, ranking among the best in
the country all year long, but it got
worked on a bit by Ole Miss last week
and hasn't faced a ground game anywhere
near as potent as this one. The Hogs are
getting Felix Jones back, who missed
almost all of the MSU game with a deep
thigh bruise, while McFadden is overdue
for one more blow-up performance after
being held in check over the last two
weeks. The Hog offensive line is just
good enough to allow its backs to get to
the second level, and then all bets are
off. Last year McFadden tore off 215
yards and a score against the Tigers,
while Jones cranked out 137 yards and a
touchdown
Why LSU might win: If you can
throw the ball overhand, you can
probably torch the Arkansas secondary.
Mississippi State and Wesley Carroll,
not exactly Texas Tech East, threw for
421 yards and four touchdowns on the
Hogs. South Carolina bombed away for 364
yards and two scores. Oddly enough, the
Hogs won those two games and lost to
Tennessee when it allowed just 128 yards
through the air. Offenses aren't afraid
to push the ball deep on the Arkansas
safeties, but the real key for LSU will
be the yards after the catch. If Matt
Flynn can get the ball to Early Doucet
and the rest of his targets on the move,
the chances will be there for some
back-breaking home runs.
Who to watch:
What made last year's game so wild
wasn't that Arkansas was able to run
amok, it was that it was able to run
amok with absolutely no threat of a
passing game for the Tiger secondary to
worry about. In the end, Casey Dick's
nightmare performance cost the Hogs the
game, which didn't really matter since
they'd already won the SEC West, but his
3-of-17, 29-yard, one touchdown, one
interception game is the stuff off SEC
legend. Fast forward to last week when
he came up with the best game of his
career completing 14 of 17 passes for
199 yards and four touchdowns against
Mississippi State, and now there's hope
he can add a little balance against an
LSU defense that'll tee off on McFadden
and Jones if the passing game isn't
clicking. Dick doesn't have to throw for
300 yards, but he has to hit his open
receivers and he has to keep the chains
moving.
What will happen:
Arkansas is the SEC's wild card because
of McFadden, Jones and the running game.
While the Hogs might have their moments,
the defense isn't going to do nearly
enough to slow down an LSU offense
that'll come up with its best
performance in a big game since early
September.
CFN Prediction:
LSU
45 ... Arkansas 24
...
Line: LSU -12
Must See
Rating: (5
The inside of your eyelids after eating two pounds of turkey
- 1 The inside of a gym with
every 120 calories equaling a mile on the treadmill) ...4
|
SEC Saturday,
November 24th |
Wake Forest
(7-4) at Vanderbilt
(5-6)
2:00
PM
Why to watch:
By beating NC State last Saturday, Wake
Forest locked down back-to-back bowl
games for the first time in school
history. You’ll have to forgive a
green-with-envy Vanderbilt, which hasn’t
bowled since 1982, and blew an ideal
opportunity last week in Knoxville to
end the drought leading Tennessee by 15
points in the final quarter before the
bottom fell out in one of the most
crushing defeats of the Bobby Johnson
era. Vanderbilt has gone the distance
with the Volunteers, Georgia, and
Kentucky before losing each game by 11
points combined. At 6-6, the ‘Dores
will be bowl eligible, which is code for
one win shy of an invitation. Wake has
been Wake all year, wowing no one, yet
scaring everyone that mistakenly takes
it lightly. The Demon Deacons will be
looking for win No. 8 in Nashville along
with a chance to improve their
postseason positioning.
Why Wake Forest might win: After
last week’s collapse at Tennessee, how
in the world does Vandy get back up for
a non-conference game? Commodore QB
Mackenzi Adams has shown flashes of
potential as a sophomore, but his
progress will be temporarily halted by
an aggressive Deacon secondary that’s
filled with thieves. Wake Forest has
picked off 16 passes, led by gambling CB
Alphonso Smith’s six, a concern for a
young hurler that’s been battling
inconsistency. If the SEC’s worst pass
offense doesn’t click, the Deacons can
focus their attention to stopping Cassen
Jackson-Garrison and the running game.
Why Vanderbilt might win: The
Commodores have been able to stay with
more talented this fall because the
defense has been outstanding in all but
the Florida game. Led by LBs Jonathan
Goff and Marcus Buggs, and S D.J. Moore,
Vanderbilt has held opponents to 21
points and 327 yards a game. The
methodical and predictable Wake Forest
offense will have a tough time moving
the chains on a veteran defense that
limits the long plays and doesn’t miss
many tackles.
Who to watch: If there’s a
headliner on the Wake Forest offense
it’s WR Kenny Moore, who may not have
jets, but possesses terrific football
speed. The most versatile player in
Winston-Salem, he has a school-record 78
catches for 860 yards and five
touchdowns, adding 34 carries for 307
yards and three more scores. Oh, he’s
also one of the league’s most dangerous
punt returners, so Vanderbilt figures to
have No. 21 in the crosshairs at all
times.
What will happen: If moral
victories counted toward bowl
eligibility, Vanderbilt might be packing
its bags for the Music City Bowl. The
Commodores will lose another close one,
bowing to the Wake Forest defense late
in a toss-up game.
CFN Prediction:
Wake Forest
27 ... Vanderbilt 21
...
Line: Wake Forest -2
Must See
Rating: (5
The inside of your eyelids after eating two pounds of turkey
- 1 The inside of a gym with
every 120 calories equaling a mile on the treadmill) ...2.5
SEC Fearless Predictions, Week
13,
Part 2