A Look at Week 13 in the SEC

Last week I was 7-1 bringing my season total to 78-13 heading into the final week of the regular season. The only game I missed was Vanderbilt-Tennessee, which had a wacky ending with a Tennessee interception in overtime ending the game. So I was close, but no cigar. There were so many upsets outside of the SEC, that the SEC West now features the #1, 2, and 3 teams in the nation. Talk about a strong division.

Week 13 brings the best slate of games that I believe we have seen all season. It's rivalry week, and so you know that there is a lot on the line for these teams. You never know what may happen in rivalry games, as unexpected upsets seem to be the norm and games are usually always close, even when the game features two teams who don't look that close on paper. It should be a great weekend...

Game of the Week

LSU QB Jordan Jefferson

#3 Arkansas at #1 LSU (Friday, 2:30 PM, CBS): Game of the Century #2? Quite possibly. It helps that LSU will have this game at home, but this is the final test of the regular season for the Bengal Tigers, and it will be a tough one. Arkansas has been playing really well lately, and have vastly improved since they played Alabama in Week 4 of the season. However, LSU is really hot as well. They were beating Ole Miss so badly last week that they decided to take a knee with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Jordan Jefferson has taken over the starting role from Jarrett Lee after Lee threw two picks against Alabama, and Jefferson has not looked back. However, this will be his first major test as the starter. I think he passes the test and the Tigers will hold true to my prediction that they will be in the national title game this year. Death Valley and LSU's top-two defense will be too much for the Razorbacks.
    Prediction: LSU 27-24

Top Tier Games
#2 Alabama at #24 Auburn (3:30 PM, CBS): The Iron Bowl. The biggest rivalry in sports. This game will decide bragging rights in the state of Alabama for the next 364 days. Alabama has a lot on the line, as they are looking to try and lock up the #2 spot in the polls to be able to play a rematch against LSU in the National Title game. Or, they also still have the potential to make it to the SEC championship should LSU lose to Arkansas or Georgia. I won't get into all the tie breaker rules, but just know that it is still a possibility. Auburn has not been playing well lately. The Tigers were throttled by Georgia two weeks ago, and did not have the most impressive of showings against Samford last weekend.
      However, one strength of Ted Roof's Auburn defense over the years has been the ability to stop the power run game, which Alabama relies heavily on. For example, Auburn held talented South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore to an average 49.5 yards per game the last two years and also held Alabama to an average of 69 rushing yards per game as a team in 2009-2010. Auburn will have a similar gameplan in place in hopes to stop Heisman candidate Trent Richardson, who is averaging 125 yards rushing per game this season. That it is a tall order, but I think that they will accomplish it to an extent, making this game closer than a lot of the experts think. Nevertheless, it is going to be near impossible for an Auburn offense that has really struggled this year to score on Alabama's top ranked defense. Auburn's offensive line has just been plain bad, and that will not change this week as I expect Alabama's defensive line and linebackers to dominate the line of scrimmage. The only thing stopping this from being a total blowout is that it is the Iron Bowl, and it is at Auburn.
      Prediction: Alabama 27-10

#17 Clemson at #12 South Carolina (7:45 PM, ESPN): This should be an excellent matchup. Clemson was poised to make a run at a National Championship appearance this year before Georgia Tech derailed their dreams a few weeks ago, and then NC State unexpectedly demolished the Tigers this past week. South Carolina's defense has been phenomenal, but their offense has been very suspect. QB Connor Shaw is not quite as developed as a passer as they had hoped, and losing Marcus Lattimore for the season has also placed a strain on the offensive production. Clemson's offense will be able to find ways to score on South Carolina's defense, and South Carolina will not be able to keep up offensively. Clemson will simply outscore South Carolina for the victory.
     Prediction: Clemson 28-21

#13 Georgia at #23 Georgia Tech (12:00 PM, ESPN): This is a battle to be the state of Georgia's best team, and the game is usually a fight. Georgia is playing in hopes that they can sneak into a BCS bowl. The Bulldogs did not play very well against Kentucky last week, but look for them to rebound and improve from that performance as they try to stifle Paul Johnson's unique triple option attack.
     Prediction: Georgia 27-21

Florida State at Florida (7:00 PM, ESPN2): These two teams have fallen out of national relevance, but that doesn't diminish the importance that both programs will place on this game. Florida State is coming off a disappointing loss to Virginia, and Florida allowed Furman to score 22 points in the first quarter last week. Florida State has the #7 ranked defense in the country in terms of total defense, and that will be too much for a Florida team that has struggled with its offense lately.
    Predicition: Florida State 24-13

The Rest
Vanderbilt at Wake Forest (3:30 PM, CBS): Vanderbilt just can't get any breaks. They have lost narrowly in several games now, including last week's overtime loss to Tennessee. If quarterback Jordan Rodgers can take care of the football, the Commodores will win this game against a sneaky Wake Forest team. Vanderbilt will finally get over the proverbial hump this week with a victory, and become bowl eligible for the first time since 2008.
    Prediction: Vanderbilt 31-28

Tennessee at Kentucky (12:21 PM, SEC Network): Tennessee got a lot of momentum from the return of quarterback Tyler Bray last week. He made a huge difference in the offensive performance, throwing for 189 yards and two touchdowns and leading the Vols to victory. Most importantly, he got the ball to wide receiver Da'Rick Rogers's hands, who is one of UT's best playmakers. Rogers cashed in, catching 10 passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Kentucky is the worst team in the SEC East. The Wildcats only have one SEC win so far this season, and this week will not bring their second. Tennessee will win and become bowl eligible in their last chance to do so.
    Prediction: Tennessee 31-13

Ole Miss at Mississippi State (7:00 PM, ESPNU): This game has not mattered on a national scale in a long time. Ole Miss is really bad this year, but Mississippi State isn't a whole lot better. Mississippi State had high expectations coming into the year after a nine win 2009, but has not lived up to the hype by only winning five games including only one SEC win. However, Mississippi State is good enough to win this year's Egg Bowl and will get its sixth win for the chance to go to a lower tier bowl game.
     Prediction: Mississippi State 27-17
*All Times Eastern

Lucas's Week 12 Record: 7-1
Lucas's Season Record: 78-13

A Look at Week 10 in the SEC

   My picks were 5-0 last week. Georgia beat Florida in the game of the week and were able to stay alive in the race for the SEC East, but will need some help from other SEC teams to overtake South Carolina and reach the SEC Championship game. South Carolina pulled out a win in Knoxville, which is never an easy task, and Arkansas scraped by a surging Vanderbilt team.

   Now on to Week 10. Everything has been building up to this week, and it's finally here...

Game of the Week

Nick Saban (left) and Les Miles (right) have been preparing for
this epic showdown all season

#1 LSU at #2 Alabama (8:00 PM, CBS): Clash of the Titans. It's what we have all been waiting for. This game has been billed as the "game of the century" by many. While I don't necessarily agree with that, it definitely is one of the most anticipated regular season matchups in recent memory. There are reports that media credential requests are currently around 600. That is a huge number. Alabama's press box only seats around 150. That goes to show the importance and hype of this monstrous meeting of two SEC giants. In essence, this game could be considered the de facto national championship, as whichever team wins this game will have a good chance to go undefeated the rest of the way until the actual National Championship in January. Alabama has one big edge being the home field team. These teams to be very evenly matched as they both feature similar strengths. Both are very strong on defense (Alabama is ranked first nationally in total defense, LSU is fourth), and both feature solid rushing attacks (both are in the top 30 in rushing yards per game). However, LSU seems to be more complete. With two seasoned quarterbacks in seniors Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson leading the way, LSU's offense has the edge over Alabama. Couple strong quarterback play with talented receivers Reuben Randle and Odell Beckham, LSU can throw on you if they need to, and I don't have as much confidence in Alabama's ability to do that. I think this game will show just how much the Crimson Tide misses Julio Jones and what he was able to do for the Tide's offense that they lack this year. Their only big time receiver is Marquis Maze, who will be the focus of the vaunted LSU secondary.
   LSU is also more tested than Alabama. LSU dismantled Oregon in the season opener, who by the way are 7-1 on the season and ranked #8 in the nation. They also beat West Virginia, Florida, and Auburn easily. Alabama has signature wins over Penn State, Arkansas, and Florida, and although they are impressive, they are not as quite as impressive as LSU's victories.
    Alabama does have a very good running back in junior Heisman candidate Trent Richardson. Richardson is tied with Auburn's Michael Dyer as the top rusher in the SEC and has looked quite impressive over the course of the season. However, LSU has two quality backs in sophomores Michael Ford and Spencer Ware who will run over and around you at any given moment.
    I chose LSU to win the National Championship this summer, and there is no way I am deviating from that prediction now. I expect this game to be a defensive slug-fest and very low scoring, but "The Hat" Les Miles will find a way to pull out the victory in then end.
    Prediction: LSU 17-13

Top Tier Games
#9 South Carolina at #7 Arkansas (7:15 PM, ESPN): This game features a top ten matchup with two teams that have been somewhat struggling as of late. South Carolina was able to eek out wins against Mississippi State and Tennesse, and now no longer have running back Marcus Lattimore. However, freshman Brandon Wilds filled in admirably in his absence last week against Tennessee and was able to run for 137 yards on 28 carries. He is no Marcus Lattimore, but Wilds is definitely a threat to an Arkansas defense that is giving up 131 yards per game on the ground. Arkansas narrowly escaped getting beat by both Ole Miss and Vanderbilt, two teams who would seem to be over-matched against Arkansas on paper. However, expect Arkansas to play up to their competition this week.This will be South Carolina's first real test without Lattimore and it will not go as well as the game against Tennessee. Home field advantage gives Arkansas the edge, and the Razorbacks will be able to pull out a victory against the Gamecocks.
    Prediction: Arkansas 27-13

Vanderbilt at Florida (12:15 PM, SEC Network): Vanderbilt has played its last two SEC opponents, Georgia and Arkansas, very close and look to be a team that is on the rise. Junior quarterback Jordan Rodgers, while not throwing for a lot of yards, has averaged just over 80 yards rushing since he took over as the starter three games ago. Junior running back Zac Stacy has added the running threat that Vandy needed and has really come on strong, averaging 141 yards rushing over the last three games. However, Florida had running back Jeff Demps and quarterback John Brantley return from injury against UGA last week, and both made and a noticeable difference in the production of the offense. Demps had a long catch for 72 yards and Brantley threw for 245 yards and a touchdown. Those two re-additions combined with Florida's home field advantage in The Swamp will allow them to win this game.
    Prediction: Florida 24-14

The Rest
Ole Miss at Kentucky (3:30 PM, ESPNU): The battle for the worst team in the SEC is on. Ole Miss has looked somewhat better the last two weeks, playing Auburn close in the first half and requiring Arkansas to come back from a 17 point deficit to beat them. Kentucky has not showed any glimmer of hope at any point in their season.
    Prediction: Ole Miss 21-17


New Mexico State at #18 Georgia (12:30 PM, CSS): Georgia had to suspend tailbacks Isaiah Crowell, Carlton Thomas, and Ken Malcome after all three failed drug tests and also have tailback Richard Samuel out with an injury. That only leaves former walk-on Brandon Harton and walk-on Kyle Karempelis as the only ones left to handle all of the carries. But it is New Mexico State after all, so that won't matter. 
     Prediction: Georgia 31-13


Middle Tennesse at Tennessee (7 PM, FSS): This game will be a much better scenario for freshman quarterback Justin Worley to get his feet under him than last week against South Carolina turned out to be. The Vols turned to Worley for the first time last week, and he completed 10 of 26 passes for 105 yards and two interceptions. Hopefully he will be able to find more of a rhythm against the Blue Raiders as the Vols roll to victory.
     Prediction: Tennessee 31-13


UT Martin at Mississippi State (7:30 PM, CSS): Mississippi State was able to get their first SEC victory against Kentucky last week, but still need a few more victories to become bowl eligible. Most likely the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss will determine whether or not the Bulldogs have a postseason this year. MSU wins easily over UT Martin as they inch closer to a bowl berth.
    Prediction: Mississippi State 34-16
*All Times Eastern

Lucas's Week 9 Record: 5-0
Lucas's Season Record: 60-9


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A Look at Week 7 in the SEC

       Last week featured few surprises. LSU, Alabama, and South Carolina dominated, Mississippi State struggled with an inferior opponent, and Georgia-Tennessee ended up being a tight one. The only pick missed in Week 6 was Auburn over Arkansas. To be honest, I had a bad feeling about it once I found out that Auburn's leading receiver Emory Blake would not be available for the game. Indeed, their passing game suffered. As a team they were 9-25 passing for 104 yards and three interceptions. It's difficult to win any game in the SEC with those numbers. Not to mention, they had 11 penalties for 105 yards and at least three crucial drops. Arkansas took advantage, piling up 262 passing yards on the way to a 38-14 blowout.
      Georgia's defense showed up well again, and Tyler Bray broke the base of the thumb on his throwing hand and may be out for the rest of the season. To add insult to injury, Tauren Poole injured his hamstring and is out for this week at least. That was recipe for a 20-12 UGA victory. UGA will still need a little help if they want to win the East, however, as they lost the head-to-head battle against South Carolina in Week 2.

Now on to Week 7....

Game of the Week

Florida's freshman QB Jacoby Brissett

Florida at #24 Auburn (7:00 PM, ESPN): Both teams come into this game with a 4-2 record. Auburn's passing game has been very suspect the past three or four games, and that's something they will look to get corrected. Barrett Trotter will remain the starting quarterback this week, but you have to figure he will have a short leash. If he struggles after the first quarter or so we may see Clint Moseley get his first real action - but will it be too late? Auburn has really shown the ability to pound the ball on the ground, and if they can get some semblance of a passing game they may be able to win 8 games this year. Florida will be without starting quarterback John Brantley once again, and it looks like true freshman Jacoby Brissett is the favorite to start this weekend. Brissett got his first start against LSU last Saturday and completed 8 of 14 passes for 94 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He will be entering another hostile environment, which does not bode well for Florida. According to auburnsports.com's Justin Hokanson, since 2000 Auburn is 23-4 in night games at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The true freshman quarterback will definitely be tested. Also, Florida has given up 464 rushing yards in their two losses, which plays right into Auburn's strength. Look for Auburn to pound it out on the ground and get a score or two from Michael Dyer, as well as taking advantage of Florida's mistakes on offense. This will be a close one, and both teams are on the ropes, but Auburn's home field advantage will allow them to escape with a victory despite a basically even matchup.
     Prediction: Auburn 27 Florida 23

Second Tier Games
#1 LSU at Tennessee (3:30 PM, CBS): LSU travels to Neyland Stadium to take on the Vols. This game has all the makings of a blowout as LSU's tenacious defense will be coming after a Tennessee offense without QB Tyler Bray, RB Tauren Poole, and WR Justin Hunter. Tennessee doesn't seem to have much of a chance without their top playmakers at all three skill positions. LSU is still on course to remain undefeated when they face off with an undefeated Alabama for a pseudo National Championship of sorts on November 5th. LSU fans just hope Les Miles's loyalty to Jordan Jefferson won't mess things up in the meantime. LSU in a romp.
     Prediction: LSU 44 Tennessee 10


#15 South Carolina at Mississippi State (12:21 PM, SEC Network): South Carolina was able to ignite its passing game last week against Kentucky by turning to sophomore QB Connor Shaw. Shaw was promoted to QB1 after Garcia had another poor showing against Auburn the previous week. The move seemed to have really worked as Shaw threw for 311 yards and 4 touchdowns. Granted it was Kentucky, but the offense looked better than it had with Garcia at the helm against similarly weak opponents ECU and Navy. Garcia is apparently no longer an option as he was reportedly kicked off the team. South Carolina will try to build on last week's momentum as they take on a struggling Mississippi State team. Last week, Mississippi State trailed UAB 3-0 at the half, but put in backup Tyler Russell for the second half and he threw three TDs in the second half for the bulldogs. It remains to be seen which quarterback will start this week for MSU, but neither will be enough to defeat South Carolina.
     Prediction: South Carolina 34 Mississippi State 17


Georgia at Vanderbilt (7:00 PM, FSS): Georgia was able to pull out a win last week on the road in Neyland Stadium, which is always a tough place to play. Freshman RB Isaiah Crowell impressed again, running for 58 yards and two key touchdowns. Vanderbilt has been struggling mightily since starting 3-0 as they have not scored a touchdown in their last two games. Georgia should be able to handle them pretty easily.
    Prediction: Georgia 31 Vanderbilt 6


#2 Alabama at Ole Miss (6:00 PM, ESPN2): Is there even any question as to who will win this game? Ole Miss is challenging Kentucky to be the worst team in the SEC, and Alabama is challenging LSU to be the best team in the SEC. Ole Miss fans should probably just stay in The Grove during this game because it won't be pretty.
    Prediction: Alabama 47 Ole Miss 3

Bonus Non-SEC Game

Can Baylor's Robert Griffin III lead
them to victory over the Aggies?

#20 Baylor at #21 Texas A&M (12:00 PM, FX): We all remember the beginning of the season when Baylor went back and forth with TCU and finally was able to win the game with stellar play from QB Robert Griffin III. Texas A&M has had a string of bad losses giving up big halftime leads to Oklahoma State's and Arkansas's. Baylor's only loss comes at the hands of a talented Kansas State team. Baylor's offense is remarkably similar to that of Oklahoma State and Arkansas, and it has to make you think that they will have similar success against the Aggies. I've tried to find a reason to pick the Texas A&M in this game, but I just don't see how the Aggies will stop Griffin. They will have to battle the "here we go again" mentality even if they have a lead, and that does bode well for them against another high-powered offense.
     Prediction: Baylor 38 Texas A&M 34
*All Times Eastern




Lucas's Week 6 Record: 5-1
Lucas's Season Record: 45-8

A Look at Week 6 in the SEC

Last weeks games featured a major upset in the form of the Auburn Tigers defeating #10 South Carolina. That was an upset that honestly I could see coming because of Steve Spurrier's South Carolina track record of choking at least once a season, but at the time I had no reason to believe that Auburn could play well enough to win. I ended with a 7-1 record last week bringing my season total to 40-7. Hopefully the streak will continue as we have a few intriguing games on tap for this week.

On to Week 6...

Game of the Week

Auburn will look to upset Arkansas this week

#15 Auburn at #10 Arkansas (7:00 PM, ESPN): Auburn's defense improved dramatically last week against South Carolina. They will need a similar performance to defeat a good Arkansas team. Arkansas erases an 18 point halftime deficit to defeat Texas A&M behind a 510 yard effort through the air by quarterback Tyler Wilson. However, Arkansas looked very vulnerable against the run giving up 381 total yards on the ground and 230 to Aggies' running back Christine Michael. Auburn will undoubtedly look to attack the hogs in a similar fashion. Gus Malzahn showed no hesitation in giving Michael Dyer the ball over and over again last week on the way to 41 carries for 141 yards. Auburn will most likely employ a similar game plan this week in effort to control time of possession and keep their defense and Tyler Wilson off the field as much as possible. I also like what Malzahn has done with true freshman QB Kiehl Frazier, who will likely see more and more of the game plan as the season progresses. Frazier has added an element to Auburn's offense that they have needed and enabled them to run the zone read that was such an important play for them last year. As a result, they have been much more effective on third down than they were at the beginning of the season. Auburn pulls off their second upset in as many weeks.
     Prediction: Auburn 31 Arkansas 27

Top Tier Games

Georgia will lean on freshman Isaiah
Crowell against Tennessee

Georgia at Tennessee (7:00 PM, ESPN2): Tennessee lost arguably the best receiver in the SEC to injury against Florida in Justin Hunter. That will really hurt this team, and they have had to rely solely on Da'Rick Rogers, who stepped up excellently against Buffalo on his way to 180 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, Tennessee has not been able to get their running game on track all season, and that limits them at times because they have to rely completely on Tyler Bray, which is a difficult load for any quarterback to carry. Tennessee has only run for 444 yards on the season, which is good enough for last in the SEC and 107th out of 120 FBS teams. Georgia struggled to start the season, but have turned it on as of late, which is in a large part due to the emergence of true freshman running back Isaiah Crowell. Georgia has increased his carries in the last two games, and as a result he ran for 147 and 104 yards, respectively. Getting the running game going is crucial to their success because quarterback Aaron Murray is much better out of the play action than he is as a drop back QB. Although Murray threw 3 interceptions against Mississippi State last week, he will most likely improve that number this week as Tennessee has not been a big threat to intercept the ball this season. They have just 1 interception on the year, which ranks them tied for second to last in the FBS. Georgia will win this game by running the ball and playing solid third down defense.
      Prediction: Georgia 28 Tennessee 24

#17 Florida at #1 LSU (3:30 PM, CBS): On paper this looks like a solid match up between two ranked teams. However, Florida lost QB John Brantley last week to injury against Alabama and he won't play this week against LSU. That means Florida will be throwing true freshman Jeff Driskel into the fire at Death Valley. That doesn't bode well for their chances of success. LSU's vaunted defense has to be licking their chops, and I expect Tyrann Mathieu to remind Driskel that this is no longer high school. It will be interesting to watch exactly how much Les Miles will play Jordan Jefferson this week. He came in last week against Kentucky as a change of pace quarterback and rushed 4 times for 29 yards. I don't think Les Miles will deviate from starting Jarrett Lee yet, and I expect to see Jefferson in a similar change of pace role this week. But I wouldn't be surprised if Jefferson's role increases over the next few games as he clearly wants his starting job back. LSU wins this game with dominating defense against an over-matched Florida offense.
     Prediction: LSU 27 Florida 13

Bottom Tier Games
Kentucky at #18 South Carolina (12:21 PM, SEC Network): South Carolina will try a new quarterback this week after Stephen Garcia threw 2 interceptions and completed just 39% of his passes against Auburn last week. Coach Steve Spurrier is turning to sophomore Connor Shaw in hopes that Shaw can ignite what has turned out to be a stagnant South Carolina offense. Kentucky is the perfect opponent for Shaw to get his feet wet. Kentucky has been challenging Ole Miss as possibly being the worst team in the SEC and have struggled all season.
     Prediction: South Carolina 31 Kentucky 10

Vanderbilt at #2 Alabama (7:00 PM, ESPNU): Vanderbilt has surprised some folks this year with a 3-1 record and wins over Ole Miss and UConn. They won't be surprising anyone this Saturday.
     Prediction: Alabama 31 Vanderbilt 3

Mississippi State at UAB (12:00 PM, FSN): Mississippi State travels to Legion Field to take on the UAB Blazers. The bulldogs will try and get their offense back on track against a poor 0-4 UAB squad.
      Prediction: Mississippi State 27 UAB 7
*All Times Eastern

Lucas' Week 5 Record: 7-1
Lucas' Season Record: 40-7

A Look at Week 4 in the SEC

I continued my trend of missing on two games per week in Week 3. I missed on Auburn and Kentucky. I knew that the Kentucky game would be a coin toss, and unfortunately I chose the wrong side of the coin. However, I did not expect what I saw from Auburn against Clemson on Saturday. The defense looked atrocious. The main causes for that seem to be poor tackling, bad angles, and inexperience. Auburn's defense have looked bad for the last three years, and would have been a lot worse last year if not for Nick Fairley and an experienced group of seniors. No one knows whether to place the blame on Defensive Coordinator Ted Roof, or Head Coach Gene Chizik because he is known to be a defensive mind. Regardless, if things don't change this season I think it's likely that Roof will be relieved of his duties in the offseason.

Now on to Week 4...

Game of the Week

Alabama's secondary will
try to shut down Tyler Wilson

#14 Arkansas at #3 Alabama (3:30 PM, CBS): Bobby Petrino's hogs will look to bring their high powered air attack to Tuscaloosa and pull out a win. In my Summer SEC West Predictions, I had Arkansas finishing above Alabama in the West standings. However, the loss of Knile Davis to an ankle injury after I wrote that has made Arkansas too one dimensional. I no longer see Arkansas being able to finish higher than Alabama. This game sets up to be very entertaining though, as it's strength on strength with Arkansas' passing game against Alabama's defense. If you remember last year, Arkansas had Alabama on the ropes early in that game in Fayetteville, but I don't see that there's any way Arkansas can upset Alabama in Bryant-Denny this year. Alabama's secondary is too good, and Tyler Wilson is too inexperienced in big games to be able to defeat a good Alabama team in a hostile environment. Alabama's defense wins out.
    Prediction: Alabama 27-17


Top Tier Games

LSU's Tyrann Mathieu

#2 LSU at #16 West Virginia (8:00 PM, ABC): LSU faces a difficult non-conference road test this week in having to travel to 16th ranked West Virginia. LSU needs to step up and win this game to prove that they are truly a national championship contender. I felt like LSU had a good chance to win the SEC and make the national championship before the season, and I still feel that way. Their defense really has looked phenomenal, and Jarrett Lee is doing enough to win. As Edward Aschoff of ESPN writes, LSU should continue to start Lee even if Jordan Jefferson comes back from suspension. He is not making many bad mistakes so far this season, and that's all they really need. Also, playmaker Russell Shepard is set to return from suspension this week, and that is big for LSU. He is by far their most dynamic offensive player and should make their offense better immediately.
    Prediction: LSU 28-10

Vanderbilt at #12 South Carolina (7:00 PM, ESPN): Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina? A top tier game? It looks to be so this year. Vanderbilt has looked very impressive in route to three straight wins to opens the season. They absolutely stomped Ole Miss last week 30-7. If South Carolina looks past Vanderblit because they have been a gimme in the past, they may be in for a surprise. However, I think South Carolina should be passed that by now after having a scare from Navy last week.
   Prediction: South Carolina 27-21

Second Tier Game
Georgia at Ole Miss (12:30 PM, SEC Network): This is a battle between two 1-2 teams that seem to be flailing right now. Georgia got their first win of the season last week against Coastal Carolina, and that may be what they needed to get back on track. Ole Miss has looked absolutely horrendous so far this season. If Georgia loses to Ole Miss then the fire Mark Richt train will be in full motion if it already isn't. But I don't expect that to happen.
    Prediction: Georgia 31-17

Bonus Non-SEC Game
#7 Oklahoma State at #8 Texas A&M (3:30 PM, ABC): This game is going to be exciting to watch as two top ten Big 12 members face off. Oklahoma State has looked very impressive so far this season. Senior quarterback Brandon Weeden has thrown for over 1,100 yards in just three games, and has arguably the best receiver in the NCAA at his disposal in Justin Blackmon. Texas A&M has looked good as well, stomping SMU and Idaho in the first two games of their season. However, I'm going with the Oklahoma State Cowboys and their top three ranked offense.
    Prediction: Oklahoma State 31-21


The Rest
FAU at Auburn (7:00 PM, FSN): 44-17 Auburn
LA Tech at Mississippi State (7 PM, ESPNU): 31-10 Mississippi State
#15 Florida at Kentucky (7 PM, ESPN): 38-7 Florida

Lucas' Week 3 Record: 7-2
Lucas' Season Record: 25-6

A Look at Week 1 in the SEC

So it's been a while since I last posted an article mainly because I didn't have much to write about until football season cranked up. Well here it is, Week 1 and you can smell football in the air.

Unfortunately, there are not a whole lot of good games in the SEC this week as most schools are looking to gain some experience and pick up an easy win. Here are my thoughts on the first games of the new 2011 season in the SEC:

LSU faces Oregon in the biggest game of opening week.

Big out of conference games:
#4 LSU vs. #3 Oregon (Sat. 8:00pm EST, ABC): This is possibly the biggest match up in all of college football for week 1. This is one of the tougher games to predict, but look for LSU will challenge with dominating defense. LSU's recent QB change will be a big distraction in preparing for this game, and Oregon has a lot of talent returning from a runner up National Champion finish in 2010. Oregon's offense proves to be too much.
              Prediction: 31-27 Oregon.

#5 Boise State vs. #19 Georgia (Sat. 8:00pm EST, ESPN): This is easily the second biggest game of the weekend. This game will come down to the wire as Georgia tries to cope with the loss of AJ Green and break in a freshman running back while Boise State boasts the experience of their Heisman candidate in Senior QB Kellen Moore. In the end, the SEC will show its power as UGA will come out victorious, but it won't be easy.
              Prediction: 24-21 Georgia

Potential to be close games:
Ole Miss vs. BYU (Sat 4:45pm EST, ESPN): If there was any other SEC team playing BYU I would say there is no chance that it's not a blowout, but then again it's Ole Miss. BYU, the newest independent school in college football, is going to provide a big test for Ole Miss.
              Prediction: 20-17 BYU

#23 Auburn vs Utah State (Sat 12:00pm EST, ESPN2): Your immediate reaction is to write this game off as a blow out, but then you have to look at Auburn's depth chart. They are starting only 3 seniors on offense and 1 on defense, and only 2 of those 4 have started a game previously. Also, over half of their starters are only freshmen or sophomores, with countless other underclassmen littering the two deep. That tells me that this game is going to be up and down as a young Auburn team gets some valuable first game experience. Auburn will probably have some big plays, but give up some big plays as well.
              Prediction: 35-24 Auburn


Not that exciting, but somewhat intriguing: 
#12 South Carolina vs. East Carolina (7:00pm EST, FSN): The two schools could be considered bordering state rivals, and ECU has been a decent non-AQ school in the past. But who are we kidding? Skip Holtz doesn't coach ECU anymore and this isn't going to be very close. However, it could be fun to watch Marcus Lattimore and Alshon Jeffrey torch ECU's defense.
              Prediction: 38-17 South Carolina

Laughers:
#2 Alabama vs. Kent State (Sat 12:21pm EST, SEC Network): Prediction: 63-7 Alabama
#15 Arkansas vs. Missouri State (Sat 7:00pm EST, PPV): Prediction: 49-10 Arkansas
Mississippi State at Memphis (8:00pm EST, FSN): Prediction: 42-10 MSU
Tennessee vs. Montana (Sat 6:00pm EST, PPV): Prediction: 35-10 Tennessee
#22 Florida vs. Florida Atlantic (Sat 7:00pm EST, ESPNU): Prediction: 35-13 Florida
Kentucky vs. Western KY (Thurs 9:15pm EST, ESPNU): Prediction: 31-14 Kentucky
Vanderbilt vs. Elon (Sat. 7:30pm EST, CSS): Prediction: 28-7 Vanderbilt

Are you ready for some football?!? I know I am!

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