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Chewbaccer
Illustrious Potentate
Hard to believe that the regular season is halfway over isn't it? Just seems like yesterday when we were doing our preseason rankings and fans of every team were excited for the upcoming season. Some fans still share the same excitement they did a week before the season, for others(like me), our teams have not lived up to expectations and we're just hoping to salvage something.
It's been a rather eventful week in SEC land. Nick Chubb is likely done for the season with ligament and cartilage damage, but if there's a silver lining, his ACL was in tact. Will Grier will be suspended by the NCAA for an entire calendar year for violating the substance abuse policy, and will be a huge blow for the undefeated Florida Gators. And finally, Steve Spurrier has announced his retirement effective immediately. As a Georgia fan, I can't say I'm sad to see him go, but I have always respected his coaching ability. He turned Florida into one of the premiere programs in the country and is by far the best coach that South Carolina has ever had. Great career, Old Ball Coach.
Last week we saw Georgia blow a 21 point lead to Tennessee, and lose their biggest weapon on offense in the process. It was a crushing blow for Georgia fans and their fate is likely sealed in the SEC East, and if Georgia doesn't turn things around in a hurry, Mark Richt could start feeling his seat get a little warmer. But in every loss, there is also a win. This was a huge win for Tennessee who had blown fourth quarter leads in all three of their losses this season. To make a big comeback to beat a division rival that had won the previous 5 matchups is a big boost of confidence.
Missouri also saw their struggles on offense continue against Florida, and with two conference losses, their fate is also likely sealed. Florida's defense dominated Missouri the entire game, like most every team has done to Missouri this season. Florida is going to need their smothering defense to come up huge the remainder of the season with their quarterback suspended.
It was a rather weak slate of games last week, so there's really not much else to talk about regarding the games, so let's move on to this week.
The Byes
Tennessee- They have a lot of momentum heading into their bye week. They'll need the rest, they get Bama next week.
Arkansas- They lead Bama for most of the game, but they let them pull away in the fourth quarter. Times are tough in Fayetteville, maybe they can regroup in their off week.
They're Mid Majors, But I Wouldn't Call Them Cupcakes
Ole Miss @ Memphis- Kind of odd for a contending SEC West team to go on the road to face a team from the American Conference, but Memphis and Oxford aren't too far away and I'm sure the Ole Miss faithful will travel. Memphis comes into this game undefeated, and a win here would likely make them the front runners to be the mid major to get a New Years day bowl game. What was originally scheduled as a cupcake will turn into a big game for Ole Miss. At the end of the day though, Memohis has struggled a bit on defense, and I don't think they have the talent to matchup with Ole Miss's wide receivers, and Ole Miss has the talent on defense to stop them. Final Score: Ole Miss 38-17
Louisiana Tech @ Mississippi State- While Louisiana Tech isn't a threat to play on New Years, they are a decent team, and one that can bite you if you take them lightly. Florida reject, Jeff Driskel is the quarterback for LA Tech, and I'm sure he'd love nothing more than to upset an SEC team. For the game, Miss State's defense should be too much for LA Tech to overcome, and Dak Prescott can pick apart a weak defense. Final Score: Mississippi State 34-21
Eh, At Least They're Conference Games
Auburn @ Kentucky- Thursday night special. Who would have thought that Kentucky would be a pretty decent favorite in this game? Auburn has gone into full free fall mode, they don't have a quarterback, their defense has been struggling, and they're going to have a tough time beating any decent team. Kentucky has played down to their competition a couple times this season, but they've managed a 4-1 record, and that 5 point loss to Florida doesn't look too bad right now. Much like any conference game Auburn is involved in this season, I look for them to struggle on offense and make the opposing defense look a lot better than they actually are, and I look for Patrick Towles and Stanley Williams to put up some big numbers against Auburn's defense. With the game in Lexington, this is my lock conference pick of the week. Final Score: Kentucky 28-10
Vanderbilt @ South Carolina- I won't lie, I probably won't be flipping over to this game at any point on Saturday. Both of these teams have looked pretty pathetic on offense, and South Carolina just had Steve Spurrier retire on them, and when you're forced to have an interim head coach coaching his first game, the results are rarely good, at least not immediately. South Carolina is coming off a beatdown at the hands of LSU in a game that was supposed to be a home game, but due to flooding, had to be played in Baton Rouge. Neither one of these teams will go bowling this season, but of the two, I have seem a vast improvement in Vanderbilt's defense this season, and really that's the only side of the ball for either team that looks to have any life. Webb is no Fournette, but I also think he'll get his against the Gamecock defense. Didn't think I would be predicting a road conference win for Vandy this season, but here I am. Final Score: Vanderbilt 24-14
Which Team Can Avoid a 3 Game Skid?
Missouri @ Georgia- Both of these teams are coming off of back to back losses, and both could really use a win just to get something going to salvage the season. Missouri has struggled on offense. Georgia has struggled with the passing game, and now they don't have Nick Chubb. During Missouri's stint in the SEC, they have faired better on the road than they have at home, and after last season's 34-0 home loss to Georgia, I'm sure they'll be looking for a little bit of redemption. Preseason, this looked like it could be a game to determine who would win the SEC East. Given what we have seen, this game is now just to try and turn a season around for both teams. Talent wise, Georgia is the better team, but I don't think that will really matter come Saturday. Georgia is coming off of a devastating loss in Knoxville where they blew a 21 point lead and the struggles at quarterback continued. I said last week that the outcome of the game with Tennessee would determine whether Georgia would bounce back or fall apart after the Bama beatdown, and that was before Chubb got hurt. Coming off of back to back crushing losses, losing their best player, I really don't see anything but a downward sprial for Georgia the rest of the season, and there's a good chance Mark Richt will be out of a job after they play Georgia Tech just to see which team will be bowl eligible. Final Score: Missouri 24-10
It's been a rather eventful week in SEC land. Nick Chubb is likely done for the season with ligament and cartilage damage, but if there's a silver lining, his ACL was in tact. Will Grier will be suspended by the NCAA for an entire calendar year for violating the substance abuse policy, and will be a huge blow for the undefeated Florida Gators. And finally, Steve Spurrier has announced his retirement effective immediately. As a Georgia fan, I can't say I'm sad to see him go, but I have always respected his coaching ability. He turned Florida into one of the premiere programs in the country and is by far the best coach that South Carolina has ever had. Great career, Old Ball Coach.
Last week we saw Georgia blow a 21 point lead to Tennessee, and lose their biggest weapon on offense in the process. It was a crushing blow for Georgia fans and their fate is likely sealed in the SEC East, and if Georgia doesn't turn things around in a hurry, Mark Richt could start feeling his seat get a little warmer. But in every loss, there is also a win. This was a huge win for Tennessee who had blown fourth quarter leads in all three of their losses this season. To make a big comeback to beat a division rival that had won the previous 5 matchups is a big boost of confidence.
Missouri also saw their struggles on offense continue against Florida, and with two conference losses, their fate is also likely sealed. Florida's defense dominated Missouri the entire game, like most every team has done to Missouri this season. Florida is going to need their smothering defense to come up huge the remainder of the season with their quarterback suspended.
It was a rather weak slate of games last week, so there's really not much else to talk about regarding the games, so let's move on to this week.
The Byes
Tennessee- They have a lot of momentum heading into their bye week. They'll need the rest, they get Bama next week.
Arkansas- They lead Bama for most of the game, but they let them pull away in the fourth quarter. Times are tough in Fayetteville, maybe they can regroup in their off week.
They're Mid Majors, But I Wouldn't Call Them Cupcakes
Ole Miss @ Memphis- Kind of odd for a contending SEC West team to go on the road to face a team from the American Conference, but Memphis and Oxford aren't too far away and I'm sure the Ole Miss faithful will travel. Memphis comes into this game undefeated, and a win here would likely make them the front runners to be the mid major to get a New Years day bowl game. What was originally scheduled as a cupcake will turn into a big game for Ole Miss. At the end of the day though, Memohis has struggled a bit on defense, and I don't think they have the talent to matchup with Ole Miss's wide receivers, and Ole Miss has the talent on defense to stop them. Final Score: Ole Miss 38-17
Louisiana Tech @ Mississippi State- While Louisiana Tech isn't a threat to play on New Years, they are a decent team, and one that can bite you if you take them lightly. Florida reject, Jeff Driskel is the quarterback for LA Tech, and I'm sure he'd love nothing more than to upset an SEC team. For the game, Miss State's defense should be too much for LA Tech to overcome, and Dak Prescott can pick apart a weak defense. Final Score: Mississippi State 34-21
Eh, At Least They're Conference Games
Auburn @ Kentucky- Thursday night special. Who would have thought that Kentucky would be a pretty decent favorite in this game? Auburn has gone into full free fall mode, they don't have a quarterback, their defense has been struggling, and they're going to have a tough time beating any decent team. Kentucky has played down to their competition a couple times this season, but they've managed a 4-1 record, and that 5 point loss to Florida doesn't look too bad right now. Much like any conference game Auburn is involved in this season, I look for them to struggle on offense and make the opposing defense look a lot better than they actually are, and I look for Patrick Towles and Stanley Williams to put up some big numbers against Auburn's defense. With the game in Lexington, this is my lock conference pick of the week. Final Score: Kentucky 28-10
Vanderbilt @ South Carolina- I won't lie, I probably won't be flipping over to this game at any point on Saturday. Both of these teams have looked pretty pathetic on offense, and South Carolina just had Steve Spurrier retire on them, and when you're forced to have an interim head coach coaching his first game, the results are rarely good, at least not immediately. South Carolina is coming off a beatdown at the hands of LSU in a game that was supposed to be a home game, but due to flooding, had to be played in Baton Rouge. Neither one of these teams will go bowling this season, but of the two, I have seem a vast improvement in Vanderbilt's defense this season, and really that's the only side of the ball for either team that looks to have any life. Webb is no Fournette, but I also think he'll get his against the Gamecock defense. Didn't think I would be predicting a road conference win for Vandy this season, but here I am. Final Score: Vanderbilt 24-14
Which Team Can Avoid a 3 Game Skid?
Missouri @ Georgia- Both of these teams are coming off of back to back losses, and both could really use a win just to get something going to salvage the season. Missouri has struggled on offense. Georgia has struggled with the passing game, and now they don't have Nick Chubb. During Missouri's stint in the SEC, they have faired better on the road than they have at home, and after last season's 34-0 home loss to Georgia, I'm sure they'll be looking for a little bit of redemption. Preseason, this looked like it could be a game to determine who would win the SEC East. Given what we have seen, this game is now just to try and turn a season around for both teams. Talent wise, Georgia is the better team, but I don't think that will really matter come Saturday. Georgia is coming off of a devastating loss in Knoxville where they blew a 21 point lead and the struggles at quarterback continued. I said last week that the outcome of the game with Tennessee would determine whether Georgia would bounce back or fall apart after the Bama beatdown, and that was before Chubb got hurt. Coming off of back to back crushing losses, losing their best player, I really don't see anything but a downward sprial for Georgia the rest of the season, and there's a good chance Mark Richt will be out of a job after they play Georgia Tech just to see which team will be bowl eligible. Final Score: Missouri 24-10