LCB Picks: SEC Games of the Week

Tennessee vs. Alabama @ 3:30 on CBS:
Langston: There are a lot of reasons for someone to pick Bama to win the battle of "The Third Saturday in October"; Ranked #1 in the country, they have the best defense in the country, Mark Ingraham, Crompton, it's being played in Tuscaloosa, etc, etc. However there are a couple reasons for UT fans to believe the Vols actually have a shot at this; Alabama's QB Greg McElroy hasn't been very sharp since his nearly perfect game against Arkansas, having completed just 46 percent of his passes with no touchdowns and two interceptions. The pressure of being ranked number one against UT, something they haven't been since 1980, could cause them to play tight in the opening quarters. They run a pro-style offense. The same style offense UGA employs, and failed to get inside the 30 for the entire game with against UT. So as you can see, there is a smatter of hope for Vol fans. But Bama has Mount Cody, and that man is a force. Plus, I picked against UT in the UGA game, and that turned out pretty well. Bama 24, UT 17

Teach: I have a student named Lance in my 6th period. He's got a solid B right now. He's a die hard Tennessee fan. Dallas, on the other hand, has a solid D, and is a die hard Alabama fan. Whenever he writes his name on an assignment, he follows his John Hancock with the words "Roll Tide Roll," and the Tide will roll this week. I agree with the AP poll; this is the best team in the country, and they'll defeat the Vols 31-17 this week, behind their defense and running game, and it very well could be 'Bama's success on the field that's making it so hard for Dallas to do any homework over the weekend.

Auburn vs. LSU @ 7:30 on ESPN2:
Langston: This is starting to look like the NFL picks, where the best games aren't really that great. Maybe it's because there are only two teams in the SEC that really stand out. Or maybe it's due to the lack of pro caliber QBs currently starting in the SEC. Oh well, the defense and running games are still better than any other conference and once Tebow is gone, it will revert back to being a 6 team race. I like LSU in this game, thanks to Les Miles. Who seems to win all the time, despite his teams' QBs. LSU 34, Auburn 27.

Teach: Auburn started the year off 5-0, and they looked like a possible speed bump for this year's BCS. Then they played some actual teams, and they are now sitting at 5-2, 2-2 in the SEC. They lost by 21 on the road to Arkansas, who should have beaten Florida last week, which is respectable, but then they turned around and lost to Kentucky by a touchdown at home. Auburn isn't great, but they're not terrible either. Chris Todd has thrown 12 touchdowns and only two interceptions, and their starting running back Ben Tate averages 5.7 yard per carry. The problem is these stats have come against mediocre to subpar competition; the team's biggest win is against West Virginia. Meanwhile, LSU has a win at Georgia and only lost to Florida 13-3. LSU also has a defense built better than a New Orleans levy. Maybe that was a bad comparison, but this team has only allowed teams to score over 20 points twice all season. LSU wins 20 to 10, earning the right to call Auburn the Kittens for a second straight year. Meow.

Deckfight Game of the Week
Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina @ 7:00 on ESPNU: Almost forgot about writing this up, because well everyone forgets about Vanderbilt this time of the year, mainly because they're 2-5 and have averaged 7.3 points against SEC teams this year, according to this. The young'uns on a team like South Carolina will not tell the old media guy at the paper that they will not "look past" Vanderbilt, but in fact they will "look past" Vanderbilt. At 5-2, USC still has a decent bowl game to play for, and I'm sure Spurrier has found some "bulletin board material" (do they really still use bulletin boards?) about how Vandy upset the sixth-ranked Gamecocks in 2007. I also liked the Gamecocks better when their quarterback was Smelley, just because I think that's funny. Smelley.

I was at the game last week for a loss to the Bulldogs and it sucked, though I counted a lot of North Face jackets in the crowd and we drank $3 hot chocolate out of styrofoam cups while watching the cars go past on West End and my friend stuffed a Jimmy John's sub in his pants and he made it through the gates unscathed.

I feel like Spurrier will want to put on an exhibition.

USC 42 Vandy 14