Langston: The Iron Bowl is one of the best rivalries in the land, and for the first time since 2002 there is a lot on the line; A national championship appearance and a whole lot of awards for both Mark Ingrham and Terrence Cody. But as we all know, this game, is more important for the bragging rights in the state of Alabam.Coaches with great records have been fired for not winning this game. Coaches have become legends for winning this game year-in and out for years. This is the game, where if the team stinks but stills wins the Iron Bowl, the season is deemed a success. Alabama has won 23 straight regular season games, but they haven't won the Iron Bowl in succession since 1988-89. Auburn has held the upper hand in this series for the better part of the past decade, but they are unranked and going against the number one team in the land. I'll take Bama winning big, making Auburn and their fans question if Chizik really is the right man for the job. Bama 38, Aubrun 21.
Teach: I went against 'Bama once all year, in the LSU game, and SEC officials broke into LCB headquarters as if it were Watergate just to spite me. I don't know if that analogy made much sense, but a lot of calls in the conference this year have left coaches, fans, and players scratching their heads. Auburn will be scratching their heads this weekend as they ponder how quickly the tables in this rivalry have turned (last year 'Bama broke a 6 year drought in the Iron Bowl with a 36-0 victory) with the hiring of Saban by the Crimson Tide and the "resigning" of Tuberville from the Tigers. Alabama wins 28 to 20, with Auburn's extra week to prepare the only thing keeping the game that close.
Florida State vs. Florida @ 3:30 on CBS:
Langston: It was not long ago that Florida played second fiddle to the Noles. The tables have definitely turned in this battle of the Sunshine State. The Gators have won 6 straight in the series, with two national championships along the way. While the Noles, have had trouble just staying bowl eligible. If Florida wins, they keep their shot at their third BCS National Title. If Florida State wins, Bobby Bowden may not be forced to retire. I'll take the boosters having to tell Bobby it's time. Florida 35, State 24.
Teach: I remember when this game was the marquee matchup, not just of the weekend, but of the entire football season. Those days are no longer with us. This game is now a "maybe the 'Noles can just keep it close" matchup, with Bobby Bowden doing his best impression of Colonel Aureliano Buendia from One Hundred Years of Solitude. Seriously, I think Bowden just sits locked in his office all day making his old championship rings into little gold fishes. The Gators win their sixth in a row in this series 35 to 17.
Tennessee vs. Kentucky @ 7:00 on ESPNU:
Langston: The Border Battle or the Battle for the Beer Barrell, hasn't been so much a battle as it has been a demolishing of UK. Tennessee has won twenty-four straight in the series, with only a couple close games in the twenty plus years. This lopsided series has led to becoming the lowest attended game by Vol fans, with a little help from Thanksgiving break. It was once a heated rivalry for both sides, and has turned into a statement game for Kentucky. One they fail, year-in and out, to make. I'll take the Volunteers making this season look a lot prettier on paper, with a 28-14 victory.
Teach: Does this game have a title? Isn't it something like the Bourbon Bowl? I know both of these teams made me drink plenty of Jim Beam, as they are both responsible for the most demoralizing moments of this year's Georgia season. This game bears watching simply because it's a game that should be a bigger rivalry than it actually is, and this year the game actually has Bowl implications for both teams. Kentucky can get to eight wins with a victory while UT can even up the two teams' records, at 7-5, with a win. Who do you think a Bowl committee selects to play in their game if both teams are sitting at seven wins a piece? Hmmmmm...they wear orange and their coach doesn't ever shut up...I wonder...who could it be...Kentucky continues to surprise and impress with a 31 to 28 victory.
Georgia vs. Georgia Tech @ 8:00 on ABC/ESPN2:
Langston: I got to see Georgia Tech play earlier this season and it was a thing of beauty, but to be fair they were playing the woeful Virgina Cavaliers. When Paul Johnson came to the Yellow Jackets from Navy, few even noticed the hire, mostly because he wasn't bringing a new offense to the school--he was bringing an old offense that coaches and players have seen since Pop Warner, but he added a wrinkle to the triple option that no one saw coming, the passing game.With Nesbitt finally grasping all elements of the offense, the rambling wreck is rolling again, and it's a thing of beauty. I'll take the Jackets winning this one late in the fourth, with a 24-21 victory.
Teach: When Caleb King scored the game winning touchdown against Auburn, I thought, "okay, we're 6-4 now. We'll beat Kentucky to be 7-4 headed into Atlanta against the Jackets with a chance for an eighth win and to play the role of spoiler." This scenario still felt pretty plausible going into the fourth quarter against UK, and then the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse pulled out their garden shears and clipped the Hedges down to their roots, leaving Sanford Stadium looking like Dresden during World War Two. Okay, maybe that's unnecessary hyperbole, but I was taking this Georgia season in stride until last Saturday, and, now, I'm starting to feel my Ray Goff inferiority complex rear its ugly head again. I never thought the words would come out of my mouth, but no matter how I try to say, "Georgia will win this Saturday," the words come out, "Georgia Tech beats Georgia 24 to 20." It's like a scene from Liar Liar.
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