Last Week: 3-3
Season: 44-12
Last week was may worst week of picking of the season. A lot of people had bad weeks, as it was our first real weekend of chaos. If the Oregon-UCLA game is any indication, this weekend will restore order. Or, maybe Thursday night games don't hold mystical powers over Saturdays.
As always, games are listed in schedule order.
It's another round of the Houston Nutt Bowl. The Nuttster is 1-1 so far, having won last year's game in Oxford after dropping the first one in the Natural State 2-0, having won last year's game and narrowly pulling out the one the year before. I have a feeling that Arkansas won't have too much trouble in this one, unless the PCS symptom-free Ryan Mallett is not in as good of shape as Bobby Petrino is saying he is. Ole Miss's defense has not been what anyone figured it would be, and the Razorbacks are great at home.
Arkansas 44, Ole Miss 30
This game is one of your classic offense versus defense games, as LSU's league leading defense goes up against Auburn's high scoring offense. Now while I normally go with defense in these such match ups (and Auburn's defense is not that great), I'm picking Auburn to win this game. LSU's offense has been better than you think it is in SEC play, but I don't know if it can keep up even considering the defenses involved. Cameron Newton has the kind of ability that rules don't generally apply to.
Auburn 38, LSU 33
If I was a South Carolina fan, I'd be really, really nervous about this game. The Gamecocks bit the big one last week against Kentucky, blowing a comfortable lead on the road. They're staring at the possibility of another second half collapse. Now they're going on the road to Nashville, which, while not an intimidating venue, is home to a team that actually had a winning streak over Carolina not that long ago. We'll learn a lot about this Gamecock team, especially with Marcus Lattimore unlikely to get many carries on his sprained ankle. I'm picking the better team, but an upset wouldn't throw me too much.
South Carolina 24, Vanderbilt 10
This game is going one of two ways: either the Bulldogs have a hangover from their big win and will get pushed by UAB like Tennessee was, or Mississippi State throttles the Blazers. I highly doubt we'll see anything in between.
Mississippi State 41, UAB 9
Here's the thing about Tennessee: the first string is pretty good and is capable of hanging with anyone. The Vols just don't have a full second string, and depth is a major issue. However, UT just got a week off to rest up, heal up, and scheme up against an Alabama team that has looked almost rudderless the last two weeks. I think Tennessee will make a game of this until the fourth quarter until the Tide's depth will allow it to pull away.
Alabama 26, Tennessee 16
This is a big, big game for Georgia. Vanderbilt is still Vanderbilt, and Tennessee was a tired, demoralized team after its near miss with LSU. Kentucky's not a national title contender or anything, but the Wildcats are not a bad team by any stretch. They'll challenge the UGA defense, which has been great over the past couple weeks. This contest is also on the road, where the Bulldogs are 0-3 on the year. If Georgia wins this one, it might very well be the favorite in the Cocktail party. If not, all the heat from three weeks ago and more comes back on Mark Richt.
Georgia 31, Kentucky 24
Idle: Florida