LCB Picks: SEC Games of the Week

Arkansas vs. -15.5 Alabama @ 3:30 on CBS :
Langston: I was watching "Full Color Football" on Showtime, it's a documentary mini-series on the AFL. On the episode that aired Friday, it focused on the Chargers and the Bills, showing how different the paths were for the two teams successes in the early '60's. The Chargers based on an overpowering offense and the Bills with a shut-down defense.There are two reasons that I bring up this show. Firstly, because if you have a chance you should watch the show. Secondly, because they showed a lot of clips of Jack Kemp throwing the ball 40 or 50 yards with an effortless motion. It was almost as if he was just in his back-yard throwing with some friends. I bring up the latter point because it reminds me of how it looks when Ryan Mallet throws the ball. It's as if he's only messing around until he finds something better to do.

As for the game, I can see Mallet and Childs connecting a couple times to keep the game close enough to beat the spread. But Alabama's held their past two opponents to 62 combined yards rushing, and with that type of defense, I can't imagine them losing to a team that allowed 52 points last week. Tide 45 Hogs 28.

Teach: Arkansas looked really good in the first half of their game against Georgia, but, once they stopped getting turnovers, they lost their lead. Still, I came away impressed with the Razorback offense, especially 6'3" wide receiver Greg Childs. Talent wise, players like Childs give Arkansas a chance in this game, but I can't see them pulling off a road win in Bobby Petrino's first year as coach against Nick Saban's #3 Alabama. Alabama's defensive line looked devastatingly good against Virginia Tech in the season opener, and the Tide can't afford to drop this game with Ole Miss and LSU still left on the schedule: Alabama 31 Arkansas 17.

Arizona State vs. -7 Georgia @ 7:00 on ESPNU :
Langston: This one is pretty simple. Georgia's been tested against top flight opponents and come out on top in two straight games. Arizona State is 2-0 but hasn't played anyone worth mentioning. Georgia won last year's game in Tempe 27-10, outgaining the Sun Devils 461-212 in total yards and 176-4 on the ground. Arizona State is 3-27 against top 25 opponents and 0-4 against SEC opponents. Add it all up and you get a Georgia victory, though I think State has the chance to keep it close enough to keep Dawg fans sweating. UGA 35 ASU 27.

Teach: Eventually, Georgia's lack of a defense will cost them, but it won't happen against ASU. Joe Cox is a real college quarterback and that's made Georgia an entertaining team, if not a real contender. Wide receiver A.J. Green is moonlight on the water, and his growth begs the question about how good this offense might have been if either Matthew Stafford or Knowshon Moreno had stayed one more year. I expect Georgia to win this game 38-28, but what I hope to see some signs of improvement on the defensive end; after all, three of UGA's next four games include #7 LSU, going to Tennessee, and a match-up with #1 Florida.

Deckfight Game of the Week
Vanderbilt vs. -6.5 Rice @ 8:00 on CSS:

There's a coy familiarity with these teams. They don't know one another, yet they know one another. Like Vietnam Vets, they know what each has gone through, the horrors that the other side has seen. None of the players on either team ever dreamed of playing at their respective schools; they grew up dreaming of playing at Texas or LSU or Tennessee or Arkansas and now here they are. Once they realized how good they weren't going to be, they filtered through the recruiting letters and their parents said, "you will get a good education, I don't care if you get beat up every weekend."

So these teams will go easy on one another, as their "respective" fans are secretly listening to the results of their own state's UT. Vandy needs a win here for them to stop the skid off the side of a cliff. And I know nothing of Rice, but will make a guess in Vandy's favor nevertheless.

Vanderbilt 35 Rice 24.