SEC Preview: Auburn @ Miss. State

Line: Auburn -2
Series: Auburn 58-23-2

Auburn travels to Starkvegas tonight to challenge the Western Bulldogs to another 3-2 tickle fight (2008). But with the performances of quarterbacks Cam Newton and Tyler Russell last week, it's safe to say at least one touchdown will be scored between the two cow colleges this time. So polish off those cowbells State fans because you can actually bring them again this year, and Ted Roof is calling the Auburn D.

In one of the few Thursday night games not featured in Columbia or on the Flats, the storyline will circle around two former Gators. Cam Newton, a former Dan Mullen pupil in Gainesville, has found a new home at Auburn and looked very comfortable in High School's offense last Saturday. Unfortunately, the Tigers coaching staff is concerned over some missing laptops with tonight's game plan on them.

Ring Responsibly? Yeah, right.

Meanwhile, Mullen is building a better Miss. State in the West. The maroon and white was only 1:39 away from shutting out Memphis in a 49-7 win, and QB Tyler Russell was named SEC Freshman of the Week, completing 13 of 16 passes. Manny Diaz was hired as defensive coordinator and brings with him an aggressive scheme in four successful seasons at Middle Tennessee. His squad finished second nationally in tackles for loss in 2009. Diaz' name was also bandied about in Georgia's defensive coordinator search.

The cowbells will be ringing tonight as Mullen notches his first big win, but not last, of the 2010 campaign.

Prediction: Miss. State in an upset, 31-24.

SEC Weekend Games of Interest: The Off Week Edition

Just as the Dawgs have an off week to rest, work and improve, so will the SEC Weekend Games of interest. However, I still have to give you some picks and hopefully improve on our 42-6 record. Without any other wait, here is what’s happening in your neck of the woods:

Arkansas at Mississippi: In the battle of high profile transfer QB’s, Ryan Mallett is better than Jevan Sneed and one keeps rising up the NFL Draft Board while the other falls. I don’t expect this game to be close and it's going to be a blowout, whoever wins. I’m going with Arkansas, 33-21.

Tennessee at Alabama: The Third Saturday in October, played on the forth weekend of the month. This should be a tighter game than the spread, but Tennessee won't have the same luck with Alabama’s defense that they did with Georgia’s. The Tide roll 21-10.

Vanderbilt at South Carolina: Is it possible, can the Ole Ball Coach and the Gamecocks fall to Vandy for a third straight year? No, Cackalacky runs past a weak Commodore squad 27-7.

Louisiana Monroe at Kentucky: Kentucky’s freshman QB Morgan Newton looked good early against Auburn last week and both he and Will Fidler should split time in demolishing the WarHawks. Kentucky is the pick, 35-10.

Florida at Mississippi State: Florida hasn’t won in Starkville since 1985 and should end the streak this week. Once again we pick the Gators, but against the spread as their defense dominates, 28-7.

Auburn at LSU: LSU has had plenty of time to recover from their 13-3 loss to Florida two weeks ago and should be licking their chops to face an Auburn defense that is reeling after 2 consecutive losses. This should be a tight game for three quarters, but I look for the Bayou Bengals to pull away in the fourth behind Charles Scott and the night home crowd. LSU wins 27-13.

That does it for this week. Enjoy some college football and a cold beverage because fall is in full swing. Go Dawgs!

SEC Weekend Games of Interest: 10/17/2009

Glad that you guys have made it back for another week of picks and good times. Vandy really screwed us last week as our only loss, giving us a 38-5 mark for the season. Seriously, you can never pick Army over Vanderbilt, it’s just one of those unwritten rules of College Football. Without any further wait, here is what is happening in your neck of the woods:

Mississippi State at Middle Tennessee State: I had the honor of going to Murfreesboro, Tennessee once in my life to play the MTSU Blue Raiders in a rugby match. I don’t care if the town is ranked one of the top 100 cities in the country to live by Money magazine, there isn’t much to see and you want to get out fast. Going back to the game, Miss State has played some hard nosed football over the last three weeks and hasn’t gotten a W to show for it. Expect them to play tough again this week and to easily defeat Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders do have a pretty good player in Dwight Dasher at QB who was a great Georgia High School player for Charlton County and he leads MTSU in both rushing and passing, but won’t beat the western Bulldogs. MSU fans celebrate a 35-21 win in Nashville, hopefully with some UGA fans.

UAB at the University of Mississippi: One name tells me everything I need to know about this game: Neil Callaway. Ole Miss wins 38-17.

Arkansas at Florida: Arkansas played a tough game against the Gators last season in Fayetteville that was pretty close until Casey Dick started throwing the ball to the other team and Corch Meyers ran up the score. While Arkansas is an improved team, it looks like we are at the point of the season where Florida and Alabama are going to try and outdo each other and Bama beat these guys 41-7. I am interested in seeing how Ryan Mallet plays against a Gator defense that has only surrendered two touchdowns all season, especially after playing so poorly against the Crimson Tide. One big positive for Arkansas was seeing RB Michael Smith get on track against Auburn. He is one of the most dynamic backs in the SEC and if he gets into a rhythm in Gainesville, this game could stay closer than most people expect. Ultimately, Florida has too much firepower on both sides of the ball for the Razorbacks to pull this game out and the Gators win 38-14.

Kentucky at Auburn: The Tigers hit a tough road block last week in Fayetteville and look to recover against a Kentucky team that is hampered by injuries. The Wildcats lost starting QB Mike Hartline for the season and after watching their back up, Will Fidler, against South Carolina, I now know why Hartline had such a long leash to suck so much. Kentucky will try some new things to get the offense going with an inexperienced signal caller and will try to establish Derrick Locke on the ground after Arkansas and EB Michael Smith had a lot of success against the API defense. Auburn will definitely be looking for blood after last week’s loss and RB Ben Tate should have another big day. Ultimately, both teams have given up a decent share of points on the season and I expect Auburn to come out on top with a 35-24 victory.

South Carolina at Alabama: Homecoming in Tuscaloosa will be a daunting task for the Ole Ball Coach and his Gamecocks. South Carolina has had a great start to the season and a huge road win would really give them a leg up in the Eastern Division and in the polls. QB Stephen Garcia really looks like he is getting comfortable under center and the aforementioned Spurrier will no doubt have some tricks up his sleeve for the Crimson Tide. Unfortunately for the Gamecocks, their opponent doesn’t need any tricks. They are as sound defensively and offensively as anyone in the nation and will have Garcia on the run, making mistakes and turning the ball over. Last week, I said that Bama was due to play some bad football, but this night game at Bryant-Denny won’t be it. Look for a good night from Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson as the Tide roll 31-13.

That does it for this week, good luck again to everyone on the road. Go Dawgs!

SEC Weekend Games of Interest: 10/10/2009

Sorry for the delay in getting this post up, but better late than never. Another stellar weekend of undefeated picks puts our season record at 33-4. As always, here’s Bubba’s very biased look at the SEC Weekend and what is happening in your neck of the woods:


Auburn at Arkansas: I’m really looking forward to this game and to what Auburn can do on the road against a real offense. One great thing for the Tigers here though is that they saw a strong defense on the road last week against Tennessee and that facet of the game will definitively be missing in Fayetteville from the Razorbacks. Auburn QB Chris Todd should have a big day in conjunction with Ben Tate at RB, but Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett has been stellar with the exception of the Alabama game and is licking his chops to face an Auburn defense that has given up a fair amount of points for a 5-0 club. There will be plenty of entertainment in this match-up as the SEC’s top two passing offenses go at it and I’m going with the Razorbacks 38-34. It’s just what happens, Arkansas beats Auburn in weird football games.


Vanderbilt at Army: Besides not being very good, Vandy has established one trend so far this year, look terrible against SEC teams and strong in non-conference battles. Seriously, any team that can win at Rice can win at Army. The Commodores win 27-14 and hope to find decent QB play in the process.


Kentucky at South Cacakalacky: I’ve said for the last year and a half that UK QB Mike Hartline isn’t very good and it seems like he’s getting worse, especially against SEC competition. It’s unfortunate because Kentucky has very good playmakers in RB Derrick Locke and WR Randall Cobb but no one to consistently manage the game or distribute the ball to them. Granted, the Alabama defense will make most guys look bad. However, South Carolina is no slouch defensively themselves and will continue to put pressure on the inconsistent Wildcat offense. Things get worse for the UK defense with stud CB Trevard Lindley being out and this can only help the development of Gamecock QB Stephen Garcia. Ultimately, Carolina wins this game 31-17 by playing tough D and not turning the ball over.


Houston at Mississippi State: Both MSU and Houston have been awful defensively and that can only mean that we are bound to see high scoring in Starkville, or should I say Stark Vegas. Houston and QB Chase Keenum sling the ball all over the place and will most likely have success doing the same with all those pesky cowbells ringing in their ears. Unfortunately for Houston, the western Bulldogs have a big, punishing back in Anthony Dixon and the Cougars are going to look like they are playing two hand touch with him running through the line. In all seriousness, this is an interesting game, because if Mississippi State bows up and plays physical, they can come out of this with a big win. Unfortunately for them, Houston just has too much firepower and leaves Stark Vegas with a 48-40 win.


Alabama at Ole Miss: Simple question, If Ole Miss couldn’t establish any consistency on offense against South Cacakalacky and Vanderbilt, where are they going find it against a scary Nick Saban defense? Simple answer, they’re not. Alabama is rolling along on both sides of the ball and as well as they are playing, they’re due to play some mediocre football, especially mid-way through the season. That being said, Jevan Snead looks lost and it will take easily his and Dexter McCluster’s best games of the year for the Rebels to pull out a victory. That being said, this is traditionally a tight ball game and Oxford will be rocking. Look for Ole Miss’s defense led by Greg Hardy to give the Tide a test, but for Bama to roll back across the Mississippi state line with a 24-14 win.


Florida at Louisiana State University: Here it goes; Tim Tebow is a game time decision. In other words, he ain’t starting folks. I fully expect him to be dressed and on the sideline, but have no reason to believe that John Brantley will not make his first career start in Baton Rouge on Saturday night. Concussions are fickle business and you never know how a player, especially one who doesn’t shy away from contact like a linebacker, or Tim Tebow, are going to respond. Getting to the game, LSU is a very good and very talented team, but it is hard to figure out what kind of challenge they are going to provide Florida. Florida could potentially have a first time starter/injury hampered QB in Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night, but what good does that do when the Tiger defense hasn’t mustered a sack in their last 3 games? Florida still has one of the best defenses in the nation and what have you seen from Jordan Jefferson that would make you expect them to consistently move the ball and score against the Gators? You couldn’t have created a better situation to upset the country’s #1 team and defending National Champions than you have in Baton Rouge Saturday night and this will help the Bayou Bengals keep it close. However, Florida will be prepared and won’t hand this game over to LSU like they did in 2007 and the Gators win 27-21.


Stay safe and good luck to all of the traveling fans on the road this weekend. To everyone else, enjoy your favorite team and beverage at home. Go Dawgs!

SEC Weekend Games of Interest: 10/3/2009

Welcome back for another week of predictions and questionable assumptions. We managed another strong week record wise going 7-0, giving us a 27-4 mark five weeks into the season. It's great to be at this point of the year were the SEC schedule is really kicking in and here is what's happening in your neck of the woods:

Alabama at Kentucky: The Wildcats catch a tough break in having to face Florida and Bama in consecutive weeks, but at least they get to play both games in Lexington (it really didn’t help them last week). Kentucky hung tight against the Tide last year in Tuscaloosa with a great defensive effort, but I don’t see that happening this season as UK will easily be out-manned on offense and defense. Greg McElroy has gotten better every week and can facilitate some big plays for Bama and this is really going to be a comparison game to see how the performance of Alabama matches up against what Florida did to these same Wildcats last Saturday. Big difference, Greg McElroy isn’t carted off the field and doesn’t have a coach sleeping in his room after the game. Bama waxes 38-10.

Ole Miss at Vanderbilt: I would say that Ole Miss should be on the lookout for another upset this week, but they are playing a Vandy team that has been pretty bad to this point and hasn’t shown much against SEC competition. Rebel QB Jevan Sneed looked lost last Thursday in Columbia and needs a strong day in Nashville as the Commodores pulled this game out last year on the strength of 4 picks from the struggling QB. Overall, Houston Nutt’s team has been very flat and if they continue to play flat, they will lose a lot of unexpected games. However, they still have an electric athlete in Dexter McCluster (Just give the guy the ball out of the backfield, he needs the ball in his hands) and a monster defensive front, and should control the lines of scrimmage on their way to a 27-17 win.

South Carolina State at South Carolina: It’s going to be an epic grudge match between MEAC Powerhouse SCS Bulldogs and the Gamecocks of South Carolina. State is coming off of a 27-10 drubbing of Winston-Salem and is hot after opening the year 3-0. It’s really going to be tough for Stephen Garcia and company to match up with the Bulldog defensive front. It could be a long day for South Carolina, that is if this were an alternate universe. Carolina rolls 42-14.

North Avenue Trade School at Starkville Community College: This looks to be an interesting game as Mississippi State showed last week they can play against a more talented squad. The 2-2 Bulldogs are going to have to play assignment football and stout defense against the Yellow Jackets it have a chance. Another key will be keeping the Jackets off the field, as Miami did in Tech’s only loss. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they don’t have the playmakers at this point to control the clock as needed even though Anthony Dixon had a sold game in this matchup last year and took the Bayou Bengals for 106 yards last week. The key here will most likely be in the turnover department, as both squads have shown a tendency to throw the ball to the opposing team. However, GTU should feel good coming back to Atlanta with a 31-17 win.

Texas A&M vs. Arkansas: These two teams get the honor of reviving their SWC rivalry in Dallas at the new Cowboy Stadium. Texas A&M has quietly gotten off to a 3-0 start and has been scoring some points in the process. Junior QB Jerrod Johnson hasn’t thrown a pick against his 9 TD passes and is more than a threat running the ball with 38 carries and 196 yards as well. The questionable part of this Aggie squad has been their defense, especially the secondary, which bodes well for Arkansas and Ryan Mallett. I don’t expect much defense in this game and it should be a pretty entertaining shootout. Ultimately, the Razorbacks can’t afford to drop a third straight game with the SEC schedule that lies ahead of them. Arkansas makes the most plays in this track meet, winning 42-38.

Auburn at Tennessee: Personally, I’m really looking forward to this game to see how good the Auburn offense is, especially on the road, and how Tennessee can play against an SEC team other than Florida. The Volunteers didn’t play with nearly the intensity last weekend against Ohio that they did against the Gators and if they put that effort up against an Auburn squad that has been building confidence, it could be a frustrating night in Knoxville. While Tennessee still has plenty of questions, we still don’t know how good Chris Todd and company are, and Tennessee will easily have the best defense and scheme that the Tigers have seen so far this season. The one certain thing is this game will definitely be more entertaining than last year's 14-12 meltdown that set college football back decades. Ultimately, Tennessee still has very poor QB play and I expect Auburn to go on the road and win 24-17.

That does it for this week. Good luck to all and may the Jim Beam flow like wine in Athens this weekend. Go Dawgs!

SEC Weekend Games of Interest: 9/26/2009

Another week and more big time football, for the most part. While I was wrong about Florida scoring until they were bored last week, the Gators still won and that gave us a 7-1 clip, bringing our season record to 20-4. We still have a few JV match-ups on the menu and some action in the Thursday Night Lights department, oh goodie. Without any further adieu, here is what’s happening in your neck of the woods.

The Thursday Night Appetizer:

Ole Miss at South Carolina: I’m one of the people that isn’t completely sold on this Ole Miss team and it’s not because Houston Nutt can’t coach with expectations. I know they have a great group of talent and expect them to have a solid year, they are not however, one of the 10 best teams in the country. Jevan Snead is still mind numbingly inconsistent and he is not complemented by a dominant running game at this point. Dexter McCluster is a great talent, but still not a RB. And while the combination of RBs Brian Bolden and Enrique Davis is talented, both players are still sophomores on a team that hasn’t been tested. All of this, combined with the fact that South Carolina won in Oxford last season, give me some doubts about this early season duel.

Expectations for South Cackalacky on the other hand have been fairly modest and it seems like the Gamecocks are really embracing this attitude. Stephen Garcia has been improving and the OBC looks to have found a serviceable combination of RBs in Brian Maddox and freshman Jarvis Giles. The big question tonight will be how the Carolina defense contains the Rebel offense and this is a perfect showcase for Eric Norwood to show his amazing skills nationally. The same thing can be said about the Ole Miss defense and their outstanding DE Greg Hardy. It’s bound to be a strange game if my prediction comes true and I’m picking the Gamecocks in this one, 28-24.

The Kid’s Table:

Ball State at East Alabama Male College: Gene Chizik couldn’t have and a better 4-game stretch to open his career on the Plains and the hiring of this Malzahn character is paying some dividends. I don’t know anything about Ball State and you shouldn’t either. However, after this weekend, I know they will have a fat loss to the Tigers. Auburn rolls 45-10.

Ohio at Tennessee: Hopefully, Lane Kiffin plays to win in this game as Jonathan Crompton probably throws 3 TDs but still throws 2 picks. No Kindergarten Kiffin humor this week, he pretty much does that on his own. Vols win 42-7.

Vanderbilt at Rice: Vanderbilt has been pretty inconsistent offensively to open the year. At some point in this game, expect McKenzie “I’ve been here 7 years” Adams to take some snaps as starting QB Larry Smith isn’t making the early season cut. Rice throws the ball a lot and has given up 140 points this year. It will be ugly but Vandy wins 24-21.

Big Boy Football:

LSU at Mississippi State: LSU is similar to Ole Miss in a lot of ways and there are still lots of questions that need to be asked of this squad, mostly on offense. LSU is much stronger defensively compared to last season and hasn’t allowed a touchdown in the last 6 quarters of football, improving with each game under DC John Chavis.

Mississippi State on the other hand pulled out a tough game in Nashville last weekend behind the tough running of senior RB Anthony Dixon. This game will most likely be similar to the last couple of games played by LSU and will be pretty quick with plenty of running on both sides of the ball. Expect the superior athletes of LSU to pull through and for the Bayou Bengals to have some momentum coming into Athens next week off of a 31-13 victory.

Arkansas at Alabama: Usually a good early season match up that produces some surprising results, Arkansas is a threat with their offense to challenge the Crimson Tide. Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, the Arkansas defense will be getting off the bus with Ryan Mallett when they arrive in Tuscaloosa. Mallett and his company of wide receivers can stretch the field vertically against any team in the country. But it will be hard for the lurch of a QB to throw the ball when he is lying on the ground. It will also be hard for Mallett to throw the ball while Bama’s trio of RB’s Mark Ingram, Roy Upchurch, and Trent Richardson control the clock all day, not mention that Greg McElroy is a big upgrade over JPW and Julio Jones could be back this week. Arkansas will hang tough but be out matched in this premium 3:30 CBS game and the Tide should roll to 4-0 with a 35-21 win.

Florida at Kentucky: I’ve said week after week that Kentucky is on the right path with Rich Brooks/Joker Phillips and they are. But, they are still lacking on offense and will need some serious help on special teams to challenge the Gators into the 4th quarter. Having Derrick Locke back is a huge help for the Wildcats this year, but there aren’t enough athletes on the field for UK to consistently drive the ball on the Gators with the elusively challenged Mike Hartline at QB.

Florida on the other hand is still looking to identify their down field playmakers and this is where UK can present the biggest challenge for Urban Meyer’s game plan, as Trevard Lindley is one of the best DBs the SEC has to offer. Ultimately, superior depth will take over for the Gators and I suspect they will be motivated to make a statement after their performance against Tennessee last week. The plane ride back to Gainesville will be easy with a 38-14 win.

That does it got this week. Looking forward to being in Athens with a Bourbon and Coke this week, Fayetteville was a long way away. Go Dawgs!

SEC Weekend Games of Interest: 9/19/2009

Welcome back to another week of games and good times. We were 4-1 last week, improving our record to 13-3. Really didn’t see the UCLA win happening, but then again, I really didn’t see Tennessee being that good either. There are 8 SEC games on the schedule this week (excluding UGA) and, due to time constraints, we are really only going to focus on the four squads playing real competition. Here’s what is going on in your neck of the woods:

First, here are the picks for the four Junior Varsity games:

North Texas at Alabama: North Texas hired a High School coach as its head coach three years ago for a reason, Bama dominates 35-7.

Louisiana Lafayette at Louisiana State: Jordan Jefferson may not be the answer yet for the Tigers. However, he should be able to throw a couple of touchdown passes here and LSU wins 45-17.

Florida Atlantic at South Carolina: I can’t joke FAU too much, they have won two consecutive bowl games and have a really old, semi-viable coach in Howard Schnellenberger (Sounds like their opponent, but without the bowl wins). However, South Cacaklacky is expected to win these types of games at home. There is the potential for this to get interesting, but it won’t be and the Gamecocks win 28-14.

Southeast Louisiana at Ole Miss: Really, Ole Miss is playing SE Louisiana, this is a joke. We know nothing about the Rebels at this point other than they are super talented and this game won’t alter that perception. Hopefully Jevan Sneed will play better than he did against the Memphis Tigers; he didn’t look too hot in that one. The University of Mississippi wins 42-3.

And now, for the big boy table:

Louisville at Kentucky: The battle of the Commonwealth resumes for another year and I’m sure the basketball version will be far more entertaining this season than the football game. Someone check the restroom stalls in this one.

Louisville has been falling since Bobby Petrino left three years ago and Steve Kragthorpe has not been the answer for the Cardinals. To make matters worse, Louisville is a young team breaking in a new QB and a completely new defensive front four with the absence of DC Ron English (now the Head Coach at Eastern Michigan).

I continue to be impressed with what Rich Brooks and Joker Phillips have done upgrading Kentucky’s talent and attitude. While their offense left a lot to be desired last year, they have brought back some experience with QB Mike Hartline, RB Derrick Locke and will try as much as they can to get the ball in the hands of sophomore WR/QB Randall Cobb. Even with the offensive questions of 2008, the Wildcats dominated this game 27-2 last season at Papa Johns Field and I don’t expect things to be any better this season for the Cards. UK plays solid football and walks away with a 30-14 victory.

Tennessee at Florida: When Lane Kiffin took the Tennessee job, he pretty much started his career against Florida 0-1. He didn’t make matters any better by insulting Urban Meyer, who has proven to be a great Head Coach and recruiter, especially since he has a few years of it under his belt compared to Lane. There really isn’t much you can say about this game, it shouldn’t be close and it won’t be. Jonathan Crompton still isn’t very good and he’s probably going to look like this in the pocket:

There is just too much continuity and talent for the Gators on both offense and defense for Tennessee to sustain anything in this match up. The most intriguing aspect of this game will be Old Man Kiffin’s game plan against Tim Tebow and the Florida offense. If he can slow Florida, it will give other SEC squads some ideas in future games. However, there is no score prediction in this one, Florida scores until they get bored.

Mississippi State at Vanderbilt: Vandy hung tough last week on the road in Death Valley and should have some energy hosting the Western Division Bulldogs this week. Not to mention, Mississippi State handed the Commodores their first loss of the season in 2008 and Bobby Johnson will want to redeem that loss in front of the home crowd.

You don't just walk into Vanderbilt Stadium and walk out with a win. Scratch that, most teams do.

MSU didn’t have the game they wanted on the Plains last week and were embarrassed by an improving Auburn offense. Let’s be honest, we still have no clue how good Auburn will be on offense and this really makes me question the integrity of the Bulldog defense. They are still having issues with their spread offense and while senior QB Tyson Lee makes the fewest mistakes, sophomore QB Chris Relf gives them the best chance for big plays. Overall, this is a mismatch for a Vanderbilt squad that has learned how to keep games tight and win. The Commodore defense kept LSU in check and should make the offensive plays to control this game, winning 24-13.

West Virginia at the Alabama Polytechnic Institute: Auburn has been impressive in two games this year and this will be their biggest test to date. Both of these squads own wins over competitive non-BCS opponents and WVA’s 35-20 win over East Carolina last week would be a solid win for almost any squad. Jarrett Brown is West Virginia’s new starting QB and while he hasn't been a starting QB in the past, he has played a lot. This guy can play. I remember watching him lead the Mountaineers to a come-from-behind win against Rutgers as a redshirt freshman in 2006. He is a much more proficient passer than Pat White and is bigger with good athleticism.

This should be a fun game and expect some points to be put up in Jordan-Hare Saturday evening. There will be some big runs from both Noel Devine and freshman Tiger speedster Onterio McCalebb. Overall, Auburn should have the bigger, more physical team. If Chris Todd limits his mistakes and Ben Tate gets on track, look for plenty of toilet paper on Toomer’s Corner and a 35-31 Auburn victory.

That does it for this week. BulldawgJosh and I will be in Fayetteville this weekend, but more on that later. Everyone enjoy their respective games this weekend.

SEC Weekend Games of Interest: 9/12/2009

Welcome to week two of College Football and the opening weekend for almost half of the Southeastern Conference. To recap last week, we went 9-2 with South Cackalacky (wow, N.C. State was bad) and Alabama proving me wrong as the two blemishes on the record. There are five games, excluding UGA, on the menu this week and without any further wait, here is what’s happening in your neck of the woods:

Troy at Florida: No real surprises in this one, just depends on what the Gator coaching staff wants work on in this scrimmage before Tennessee and the Kiffinator come to town on the 19th. Troy was especially bad last week in blowing a 14-0 lead against Bowling Green University, losing 31-14. Levi Brown has some experience at QB for Troy, but that isn’t saying a whole lot when you’re a Sunbelt team playing the Gators.

It is appropriate that Florida, and most of the SEC, plays Troy every year since they were founded as a teachers college. I’m glad that they have settled on the name Troy University and have stuck with it for the last few years, but it probably won’t be long before Southern Cal and the "Men of Troy" come along and sue for that as well.

Florida rolls 56-10 and this is the closest that Tim Tebow will be to a Trojan for quite some time. It’s a shame they don’t play Oregon State.

UCLA at Tennessee: A rematch of one of last season’s most surprising games, if Tennessee loses this one, they really have some issues. The best thing about this match up is that we get to put a picture of Rich Neuheisel on Bubba ‘N Earl for the first time of the year.

"Life is good, I get to coach football and run the UCLA NCAA Basketball Pool. Free admission this year."

The Kiffin experience looked rough the first 5 minutes of the game last week, but quickly got on track against Western Kentucky. Yes, Jonathan Crompton threw 5 touchdown passes, but he also threw 2 interceptions. If UCLA can get a little bit of pressure and frustrate JC, they may have a chance. However, Montario Hardesty and Brice Brown will get the ball a lot and I don’t think it will mater if Crompton has happy feet or not (at least not until next week in Gainesville). At home, UT wins 31-17.

Florida International at Alabama: Alabama looked like a Nick Saban coached team last Saturday against Virginia Tech and ground down a very fast and good defense in the 4th quarter. New QB Greg McElroy had a tough test for his first start and he really settled in as the game went on. Look for the Tide to play physically again this week and it won’t take nearly as long to grind down the hapless Panthers of FIU, Alabama waxes 49-7.

Beware the Sunbelt Bama. People don't forget.

Vanderbilt at LSU: The SEC opener for both squads, LSU is going to want to make a statement in this one after a close win at Washington where the Tiger D was abused for over 478 yards of total offense by the Huskies.

"Wow, Washington's QB is big. Can I buy one of those?"

The Commodores from Nashville had an easy time last weekend with Western Carolina and we don’t know a whole lot about them from that performance. New QB Larry Smith was efficient and he’s going to have to play the game of his life to keep Vandy in the game at Tiger Stadium. I’m not quite sold on this LSU team, but you can’t argue against the talent. While Vanderbilt will play hard for 4 quarters, look for LSU to easily control the line of scrimmage while big back Charles Scott has his first 100-yard game of the year. Louisiana State wins 31-14 and after the game Less (get it) Miles calls Snoop Dogg and says something about candy bars and Mad Hatters.

Mississippi State at Auburn: Mississippi State beat Auburn the last time they were on the Plains and will be looking to do it again in what is usually a strange ball game.

You would drink too after seeing 5 total points scored in one game. It's like the Braves visited the Plains, but without the 5 runs.

This is an intriguing match-up for the weekend and will be a great test for both first year coaches. Both Gene Chizik and Dan Mullen had successful debuts last week, with the Tigers facing a tougher Sunbel.., I mean WAC, opponent in Louisiana Tech. However, for the Western Division Bulldogs, this is a completely different monster than Jackson State. It will be tough for the young QB’s of Mississippi State in this road night game and if Coach Chizik has proven something other than the fact he can lose games at Iowa State, it’s that he can coach a tough defense. Auburn rolls 24-10 making sure that Gene Chizik has a shot and doubling his pre-Auburn career win total next week.

That does it for this week, enjoy the weekend and hope to see you guys on North Campus in Athens Saturday.

SEC Weekend Games of Interest: The "Thank God Football is Back" Edition

Thanks for joining Bubba ‘N Earl for the first week of NCAA Football, it’s so awesome to be back. Like most of you, I’ve spent most of the summer waiting for this week to come. We were pretty successful with our preview picks last season and hope to continue the glory in 2009. I have two ground rules: 1) If your team is playing a 1-AA team, they will be made fun of and not much will be written. 2) If you are not a charter member of the SEC and have never played in an SEC Title game (That means you South Carolina), you get a funny nick name: The Southern University of Carolina (SUC) sounds good for now (Thanks to AUMaverick for coming up with that one).

Here is what is happening this week in your neck of the woods:

South Carolina at North Carolina State: It’s Thursday Night Football and there is Techno music in the stands, South Cackalacky should be comfortable…. This is ACC Country.

This is just as bad as the Techno Dance of the ACC

The OBC takes his squad to Raleigh to face what looks to be N.C. State’s best team under Tom O’Brien. Both squads are looking to make a statement early and the Gamecocks ended up steam rolling the Wolfpack in the 2008 season opener. In my mind, these are two teams moving in completely different directions and I expect N.C. State to be a solid contender in the ACC. South Carolina seems to be pretty average and lacking an identity at this point. Its QB Stephen Garcia can be a good player, but is very inconsistent and Spurrier just isn’t the same coach he was at Florida. Look for SUC to be hurt by their lack of depth on the defensive line and I see a sophomore All-ACC QB Russell Wilson leading the Fighting Tom O’Brien’s to a 27-17 victory.

Kentucky vs. Miami of Ohio: Kentucky keeps improving under the Rich Brooks/Joker Phillips tandem but its 2008 season was plagued by poor QB play. The Wildcats have outstanding young receivers (no UGA fan needs any more proof that Randall Cobb is a playmaker) and what may be the best defensive backfield in the league led by senior corner Trevard Lindley. However, Kentucky needs second year starting QB Mike Hartline to show some progress against the Miami North RedHawks, especially with rivals Louisville, Florida and Alabama looming in consecutive weeks.

No point behind this picture, Just looks like Hockey season at UK is Awesome

To be honest, I know very little about Miami of Ohio in regards to their current football team. The RedHawks are breaking in a new Head Coach in Mike Haywood and he probably wishes his job had included Ben Rothlisberger. Look for Kentucky to overpower in this one and win in a somewhat modest fashion, 30-10.

Western Kentucky at Tennessee: The biggest question in this game isn’t whether Lane Kiffin will win his first game as UT Head Coach, but will the stadium be full. Not much to be said about this game. Expect a heavy dose of freshman Brice Brown and high percentage passing to build Jonathan Crompton’s confidence.

Dad, What's a Tampa 2? Can I get it on my Shoes?

Tennessee wins 37-7, expect to hear about it too.

Jackson State at Mississippi State: Jackson Sate looks to be the perfect game to kick off the Dan Mullen experience in Starkville and the cowbells should be active. We have all season to talk about the former Florida Offensive Coordinator and we won't know exactly what to expect from them until we see the on-field product. The western Bulldogs still haven’t named a starting QB and senior Tyson Lee and sophomore Chris Relf could split playing time in the new spread system.

One thing is for sure in this game and that is workhorse RB Anthony Dixon. Sylvester Croom didn’t leave the cupboard completely bare as far as the defense is concerned either. MSU rolls in this one, 38-10.

Charleston Southern at Florida: No comment. The Gators roll and I don’t even want to predict a score, it will be that bad. Charleston Southern was founded as a Baptist college in 1964 and the University's mission is “promoting academic excellence in a Christian environment". Tim Tebow should feel at home and I heard he will lead a Bible study after the game with the entire CSU team while not having sex with the Charleston Southern cheerleaders.

Seriously, rules should state that if a prominent Bull Gator pays enough money, he gets to play in this one.

Louisiana Tech at Auburn: La. Tech pulled an early season upset last year by defeating Mississippi State and Derek Dooley will have his Bulldogs ready to do it again on the Plains.

Auburn is coming off a much scrutinized offseason and there are a lot of questions that need to be answered in this game. Can Chris Todd be the man at QB? Will the fast paced Gus Malzahn offense work with the same personnel that failed last year? How will the defense respond with Gene Chizik back in town?

Opening week gets a little tougher than the Tigers would like as La. Tech is no pushover, returning its top QB and RB from last season as well as a very strong defensive line from an 8-5 bowl winning team. Derek Dooly will keep his team close, but Gene Chizik needs to prove something in his first game and I like Auburn to pull this one out, 24-14.

Missouri State at Arkansas: This won’t be close and the Ryan Mallet era gets off to a roaring start for the Razorbacks. The best thing about Missouri State playing Arkansas is it provides an opportunity for BNE’s first Random Pop Culture Factoid of the Week. Actor John Goodman is an alumnus of what was then Southwest Missouri State University, where he was a football player. Here’s to you Walter Sobchak.

Western Carolina at Vanderbilt: Back in spring of 2005, my brother and I went to a UGA baseball game where the Diamond Dawgs were playing the Catamounts of Western Carolina. We sat in right field with Streit and BFR and couldn’t figure out what a Catamount was at the time (It’s a mountain cat by the way). My brother, Joel, took the liberty to ask the right fielder this same perplexing question and upon him ignoring us, various other insults were hurled his way.

Meet #4 Steven Strausbaugh

Ironically, WCU won the game that day. Don’t expect them to have the same luck in Nashville on Saturday as the Commodores roll 31-14 behind newly named starting QB Larry Smith.

Alabama vs. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University: The premier southern football game of the week marks the return of Alabama (and Virginia Tech for that matter) to the Georgia Dome. There is no doubt that the Crimson Tide will be stout on defense and the same can be said about the Va. Tech Hokies. The biggest question for both squads is how their individual offenses will handle this big time match up. With Va. Tech’s Daniel Evans out, Bama has the edge at tailback with the physical Mark Ingram, while the Hokies have the more experienced QB in Tyrod Taylor.

Looking at this game, the biggest clincher for me is Alabama breaking in three new starters on the offensive line. I think new Tide QB Greg McElroy has the tools to be a solid SEC starter, but it will be tough with a swarming Va. Tech defense putting constant pressure on him. Just like when Nick Saban had all of last summer to game plan for Clemson, Frank Beamer and Bud Foster have planned all summer to face a first timer behind center. Look for some big plays from WR Julio Jones to keep Bama in a low scoring affair. In the end, the Hokies leave Atlanta with a 17-14 win.

Louisiana State at Washington: This should be a good early test for the Bayou Bengals as they have to travel cross country and officially start the Steve Sarkisian era for the Huskies. LSU is a favorite to challenge for the SEC West this year with a lot of young talent. A lot of pressure is on the shoulders of sophomore QB Jordan Jefferson and traveling across the country is always tough for a young starting QB. Ultimately, it will most likely be a tough year for Washington, but I think they have the guy that can bring them back in Sarkisian. Washington’s QB Jake Locker is a physical specimen and a darn fine player. I expect an energized UDub team to push LSU and LSU to respond with a tougher than expected 37-24 victory.

Ole Miss at Memphis: I’m not super high on Ole Miss this season and expect them to finish around 8-4. That being said, this is a very talented Rebel squad led by Houston Nutt and Jevan Snead.

"Let me just have a piece of that SEC West Title"

Memphis is coming off a 6-7 season that saw it lose to South Florida in a bowl game. The strength of Tommy West’s squad (Side Note: Can anyone else believe that Tommy West is still a head coach?) will be its offense. The Tigers return its top passer and rusher from 2008 and this should be a good test for Ole Miss to start its season, especially on the road. I always like that the Rebels play Memphis every season and if past seasons are any indication, plenty of points will be tossed around. Ultimately, Ole Miss should out-athlete their opponent and I see a score in the range of 45-21. If Houston Nutt’s bunch is going to turn some heads in the SEC this season, they need an early defensive statement here.

That does it for this week. Enjoy a Makers Mark and Coke this weekend with your College Football this weekend. Go Dawgs!

SEC Weekend Games of Interest: The "I'm Back" Edition

It’s been a while since I’ve written this post and I’m sorry for the absence. Earl was able to cover for me while I was in New Orleans/Baton Rouge and did a fine job. We were too busy the past two weeks to have this posted, but I will try to make up for it. Here is what’s happening in your neck of the woods:

Louisiana Monroe at Ole Miss: The slayers-of-all-things-Alabama travel to the University of Mississippi this week in hopes of pulling an upset similar to last year. Unfortunately, for them, Bama isn’t on the schedule this season and Ole Miss won’t get caught with their pants down.

"You may catch some of Jevan's britches, but you ain't catching mine"

Houston Nutt is looking to improve the Rebel’s bowl stock and needs a neat and decisive victory. A win here could give them a lot of momentum going into their upcoming game with LSU and we are talking about a Warhawk team that gave up 34 points to the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama. Jevan Sneed is still maddeningly inconsistent, but the strong running of TB Cordera Eason and WR Dexter McCluster should carry Ole Miss over a ULM team that gives up 207 yards per game on the ground. Ole Miss wins 34-24.

South Carolina at Florida: Pretty Sure that BFR’s head will explode if he watches any of this game in a sober state. That is why it is imperative that we pour bourbon down his throat while we are on the Plains. His hate of all things Spurrier and all things Florida is truly unparalleled.

This man has a serious dislike of all things Gator. That is, unless he sees Urban Meyer and the 'Ole Ball Coach being eaten by one.

Steve Spurrier has always hung tough against his former team and I honestly expect him to have a good game plan and a well motivated football team in Gainesville Saturday. The Florida secondary is still the weak part of their squad. If the SC offensive line can hold (big if), Carolina should be able to get a few yards and points. Unfortunately, the Gamecocks are still inconsistent with the running game and Florida will stuff this up and make young Garcia and Smelley win in the Marsh with their arms. Carolina’s D is outstanding, but ultimately the Gators' speed in the skill positions will win out over the size of South Carolina’s linebackers. Florida is the pick here, 38-17.

Mississippi State at Alabama: I refuse to say anything good about this game just because it took the 7:45 ESPN time slot over the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. Instead we will focus on the fact that Bama has not scored an offensive TD against the western Bulldogs in two years. Bama also lost to UL-Monroe last year:

This is about all I've got against 'Bama this year and that sucks.

Mississippi State is not good and Alabama is really good and that about sums up the entire football game. Bama will run the ball, play base defense and have a winning margin somewhere around 21 points. Final score here is Alabama 27, MSU 6.

Troy State University at LSU: This match up is pretty simple to call. LSU will run the ball a lot with Charles Scott and Keiland Williams. They are also likely to pull the redshirt off of Freshman QB Jordan Jefferson, something Less (Get It?) Miles and company should have done weeks ago.

"Yes, it did appear that the Alabama defense did not want to play dodgeball with Jarrett"

I don’t know much about Troy State. However, I do know that the name of the University should still be Troy State. Would you go and shorten Georgia State University to Georgia University? No, you wouldn’t. Troy is not that important and definitely not important enough to be called Troy University. That being said, my high school’s band director was a Troy State graduate and was a cool guy so I can’t really hold anything against them. Miss Michigan 2000 and current Fox News Entertainment correspondent Jill Dobson is also a Troy Graduate:

"Yes, I should have gone to Michigan - Scratch that, Appalachian State"

The Trojans are 6-3 on the season and throw the ball pretty well with quarterback Levi Brown. They traditionally hang tough with big time opponents and will give the Bayou Bengals some early trouble before fading at the end. Look for a 45-21 LSU victory.

Vanderbilt at Kentucky: Snore...but at least it is an SEC game and it is on TV. The second coming of Pat White, the illustrious and accomplished QB/RB/WR Randall Cobb, will lead UK to a 24-17 victory.

That does it for this week. The Maker's Mark will be out in Alabama this Saturday and we look forward to seeing plenty of Dawg fans there.