Ahab and Starbuck: The Dueling Identities of the Baltimore Ravens

A little known fact about Captain Ahab
is that his last name was Lewis.

Some have found this flouting of emotion obnoxious, while others have found it to be inspirational. SNL found it to be hilarious as they had Kenan Thompson’s caricature of Lewis proclaim that upon winning the Super Bowl he will pass through the stadium’s roof and into heaven. People can take Lewis’ devotion in many ways, but as Americans, we should all be wary of the role Lewis assumes when he proclaims that his team has a higher purpose, when he denotes spiritual significance onto a game of inches and yards that are measured not in acts of faith but in the palpability of chain links.

LCB 2013 NCAA Football Predictions

Well, with another college season done, it's never too early to start ranking teams for next year, so without any further ado and after much deliberation, here are our early rankings for next season.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

Coming off its secon national title, Nick Saban's squad will have to overcome a weak early schedule that includes non-SEC opponents such as little known Virginia Tech.

2. Georgia Bulldogs

UGA will be losing a lot on defense, but they will still feature an amazing tandem of sophmore running backs and got great news when quarterback Aaron Murray announced he would return for his final year of eligibility. However, their biggest challenge, like 'Bama, may be their weak schedule which includes several non-SEC schools, like Clemson and Georgia Tech, who have very little football tradition.

3. Texas A&M Aggies

The Aggies weak schedule (about half their games are against non-SEC schools) should prevent Heisman winner Johnny Manziel from feeling any sort of sophmore slump. In other words, Scoooobiiiieeee Dooooobiiieeeee Dooooooo!!!

4. Florida Gators

If Florida can rebound from an embarrassing bowl loss, it should be able to play well enough in overcoming its weak non-conference schedule that features such second rate schools as Florida State and Miami.

5. LSU Tigers

LSU features a non-conference schedule similar to A&M's which could really hinder them come BCS time. Their Athletic Director should probably work on scheduling every other SEC team on their schedule twice.

6. South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina's title hopes probably depend on their ability to beat Clemson by more points than Georgia. If they can do that, then defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney should be able to carry them against much weaker and lesser known opponents such as North Carolina.

7. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Coming off an 8-5 season, the Bulldogs will have to do their best to overcome a rather weak schedule that sees them playing several non-SEC schools.

8. Vanderbilt Commodores

Coming off a 9-4 campaign and having given its coach an extension, the Commodores should look to build off their success by playing several games against non-SEC schools.

9. Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas must hope that it can rebound from a weak 2012 campaign and an even weaker schedule. They will only play Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State once apiece.

10. Missouri Tigers

Other than playing Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida once apiece Missouri's schedule is rather weak and could hurt them down the stretch when the computers start deciding who will play whom come Bowl season.

Others Receiving Votes:
Tennesse Volunteers, Kentucky Wildcats, Ole Miss Rebels, Auburn Tigers

LCB Picks: SEC & VA Games of the Week

SEC
(3) USC v (9) LSU @ 8:00 on :
LSU is still over-ranked. They have good weapons on offense, a stout defense but horrible leadership at QB. Until that changes, the Tigers will be overmatched against the top of the SEC. With the Tiger offense sputtering, Lattimore will see the ball plenty; a perfect mix for a Gamecock win. USC 24, LSU 10.

The rest of SEC:
There are actually quite a few quality games in the SEC this week. However, they either feature teams with disappointing records or teams that are ranked too high (see: Texas A&M). Alabama rolls over Missou. Florida faces off against the SEC's most disappointing team, Vandy. The Gators should win easily. Auburn v Ole Miss and Kentucky v Arkansas, make two great pillow fights; I'll take the Rebs and Hogs. Tennessee travels to Starkville to play ranked and unbeaten Miss. State. A team who should have lost by now, but have yet to be tested (SEC wins include Arkansas and UK). I like the Vols in the apparent upset. Lastly is (22) Texas A&M and (23) Louisiana Tech, a game that features one of the best offenses in the south (it's also the best in the WAC). I like La. Tech to take the win, as I don't see the Aggies being able to keep pace with the quick hitting offense of the Techsters.

VA
Villanova v (3) ODU @ 3:30 on Monarch Media: 
It's homecoming today in Norfolk. Supposedly, ODU has one of the best homecomings in the country, according to this site I'd never heard of before seeing this ranking. Eh, we'll take it. The ODU defense has struggled mightily this season. However, I believe it's directly related to how quick the ODU offense scores, leaving the defense little time to recover on the sidelines. I don't see this game changing that much. ODU will score early, often and win. However, in the second half, the defense will falter a bit when they hit the wall, making this game closer than it should be. ODU 49, Villanova 38.

The rest of VA:
Both Virginia schools in the ACC have been huge disappointments and until they improve their play, highlighting their games is just a waste of time. VT plays the much-improved Duke Blue Devils. It's a game they should win, but will they? For Beamer's sake, I hope so. This is starting to resemble the Volunteers downfall that ultimately led to the firing of Fulmer. As for UVA, I have made it no secret that I think London took long to start Sims. Instead of taking his lumps against the OOC teams, he's doing it against conference rivals that are clicking on all-cylinders. UVA should start to play better on offense but at this point, the rest of the season should be about preparing for next year. (4) JMU and W&M face off. The Dukes should win this one handily. The rest of VA's FCS squads aren't really worth noting at this point.

LCB Picks: SEC & VA Picks

SEC
Tennessee v (5) UGA @ 3:30 on CBS:
Another bad week of games in the SEC. Tyler Wilson and Arkansas travel to Texas A&M, giving the Aggies their first SEC win. John L. Smith is just an awful substitute for Bobby Petrino, even with all the chaos and lack of loyalty the latter can bring. South Carolina plays Kentucky in Lexington. We all know how this ends and it won't be pretty. LSU plays defending CAA champion Towson. Towson has an extremely talented RB in Terrance West. But they have no chance in Baton Rouge. Ole Miss goes to Alabama, moving their SEC record to 0-1. Missou takes on UCF in Orlando. This could actually be worth watching, but neither team is really good enough to enforce it as a must-watch. I like UCF with the upset.

Now, most of those games aren't much worse than this as UT still hasn't been able to build depth neccessary to push the best of the SEC for four quarters. The saving grace is the rivalry. UT leads the series (21-18-2) but UGA has won the last two. To end the streak, UT will need to get a sizable lead before the 4th. With their complete lack of a running game and a questionable secondary, I don't really see the Vols being able to hold a small lead late in the game. With their receiving corps, the Vols always have a chance to get a jump on the competition. However, with Jarvis Jones coming after Bray and Aaron Murray passing against the aforementioned weak secondary, I like UGA in a close one. UGA 20, UT 14.

VA
Nothing to see here, seriously. VT plays Cincinnati at Fed Ex Field. After losing another early-season game against a supposedly lesser opponent, VTs season capsule should almost mirror 3 of the last 4 seasons (save for 2009). UVA hosts unbeaten Louisiana Tech. This is the second game that could have been a good one. But the QB controversy is still unsettled and until it is, they'll struggle. The winless Tribe of W&M play host to the truly awful Georgia State Panthers. Whoever loses this game will go winless. Lastly, the 4th ranked ODU Monarchs and NCAA record-holder Taylor Heinicke play at UofR. The Spiders sit at 3-1, however they haven't been tested this season and are coming off a season where they went winless in the CAA. Until the Spiders beat someone of note, their games won't be of note. JMU, VMI and Liberty all on the bye.

LCB Picks: SEC and VA Games of the Week

SEC
Missouri v (7) South Carolina @ 3:30 on CBS:
Their is a slew of terrible games in the SEC this weekend. The Vandy-Georgia game could be and was expected to be good, but all signs point to the Dores returning to mediocrity and cruise-control for the Dawgs. Florida hosts the awful Kentucky Wildcats. It's a game they could overlook and lose but they'd have to overlook a ton to lose to this terrible excuse for an SEC team. Tennessee hosts the Akron Zips, moving the Vols to 3-1. This will surely reignite the fans hope for the season, only for them to fall flat on their face in Athens next week. Tyler Wilson returns for the Hogs to face-off against Rutgers, should be a real barnburner. For some reason, Ole Miss travels to Tulane. LSU travels to Alabama to stomp Auburn. FAU gets the treat of traveling to Tuscaloosa to be destroyed by Bama. Mississippi State and Texas A&M host South Alabama (transitioning FCS) and South Carolina State (FCS HBCU). Overall, just an awful slate. That leaves us with Missou traveling to Columbia. The Tigers are a good team. In most conferences, they would push for the conference title. However, they don't have the depth needed to keep pace for four quarters in the SEC. Marcus Lattimore has a big game, Jadaveon Clowney gets a couple sacks and Columbia rejoices. USC-E 31, Missou 17.

VA
(18) New Hampshire v (5) ODU @ 12:00 on CSN:
I don't know much about New Hampshire. The school is in Durham, NH, the mascot is the Wildcat, Dan Kreider played there, they are a perennial playoff team, they run the spread, they have a balanced attack and a decent defense. I also know that their 600-mile trip to Norfolk will be an unpleasant one. Coach Dee has the defense of ODU headed in the right direction, as the once-porous unit has not allowed a single point in either the first or third quarter through the first three games. If they can just keep the Wildcat offense out of the endzone a couple of drives, they'll give the nation's leading passer, Taylor Heinicke, all the space he needs to move the Monarchs to 4-0. I like the Monarchs to create a couple turnovers, win the game and continue Heinicke's Walter Payton campaign. ODU 45, UNH 28.

Elsewhere in the Commonwealth:
Virginia goes to Fort Worth to take on Casey Paschall and the #17 Horned Frogs. While this is a big game for the Cavaliers, Michael Rocco is still starting, turning this game into a must-watch to a probable blow-out. After their upsetting loss to Pitt, VT tries to rebound at Lane against Bowling Green. It should be a slaughter. I say "should be" because they should have beaten Pitt, a team who lost to Youngstown State. JMU makes the trip Kingston to play CAA cellar dweller Rhode Island. Liberty ends their OOC slate with Lehigh, a good team, for the Patriot League. Liberty gets the W, their first of the season. W&M hosts Delaware, a team that should move their record to 0-4. The Tribe troubles come from an inability to score caused by a bad QB and unimaginative play-calling. Lastly, Richmond moves to 3-1 with their trip to the Georgia Dome with a win over the mighty and future-SBC Georgia State Panthers.

LCB Picks: SEC and VA Games of the Week

SEC

(18) Florida v (23) Tennessee @6:00 on ESPN:
Texas plays Ole Miss, but that'll be a blood bath which will make the less enlightened believe the Big 12 and SEC are comparable when they aren't even playing the same game. Alabama and Arkansas are also playing. And while the game has been great of recent, Knile Davis is scared to hit the hole and Tyler Wilson is banged up. Alabama rolls.

The only game that really matters this weekend in the SEC has Tennessee playing host to the Gators. This game will decide who keeps their job and who returns to coordinator duties next season. Muschamp, while having a respectable record, isn't living up to the impossible standard set by Urban Meyer and Steve Spurrier. Dooley's seat has been hot since he sat in it. However, thankfully, Dooley has been able to find gems at the wide receiver spot via transfers. Denarius Moore was the first and now he has unearthed Cordarelle Patterson. He has the ability to score every time the ball comes within feet of him while also dragging the safeties towards his position, leaving superstar Justin Hunter and Zach Rogers with limited coverage. The deep ball is the big threat and if the Gators can't stop it, there is now way they'll keep up in the scoring column. I don't see them stopping it. The streak ends with the first Volunteer win over UF since 2004. UT 42, UF 17.

Virginia
William & Mary v (15)* Towson @12:00 on NBC Sports Network:
The Tribe brings a good defense, a bad quarterback, over-the-top expectations and a loss against NEC and no-schollie requirement Lafayette. The Tigers are coming into the game with confidence from their first CAA championship in their history on the back of talented running back Terrance West. They also come in fresh, having taken last week off after an opening week battle against FBS Kent State. Towson uses their break to their advantage, edging the Tribe at home 27-14.

(5)* James Madison v (9)West Virginia @4:30 on Root Sports:
Mickey Matthews' team will pound the ball and play tough defense in order to shorten the game in any way possible; it won't be enough. Geno and the Mountaineers are just too much for any FCS team. The only chance the Dukes have is if the Mountaineers replicate the Oakland Raiders of Monday night and lose their starting long snapper, get a couple kicks blocked and get taken advantage of on defense. The likelihood of that happening is not very good. WVU 52, JMU 17.

Around the rest of VA:
(13) Virginia Tech plays Pitt, in what should be an awful display of offense. However, Tech will reign and remain among the unbeaten for at least another week. UVA will make the mistake of starting Michael Rocco one more week, this time against the Paul Johnson's Yellow Jackets. It could be a good game but until UVA beats a ranked team or benches Rocco, they'll just be another mediocre ACC team. Norfolk State begins it's MEAC slate with Howard. And while behind in academics, they should blow the Bills away on the field. Hampton will get it's first win of the season against FAMU. Liberty tries to bounce back after it's loss against the Green and Gold with a game against FCS power Montana. It doesn't work. Richmond plays VMI, in order to guarantee at least one win against an FCS Virginia foe for the season. (4) ODU plays host to Campbell, where they will test themselves against the triple option and destroy another ill-equipped out of conference foe. ODU rolls.

*FCS rankings