Trick or treat in the SEC.

Come as yourself.

The decision not to wear a costume either means an individual is too lame to party or too cool to party. Sometimes being too cool is actually lame, and sometimes being too lame is actually cool. Texas A&M’s season started off well, and then it started going not so well. Alabama bullied them down the stretch, and Ole Miss finished the job with a 23-3 thumping.

SEC Week 14

Rivalry week is here. Well, it actually started on Thursday with LSU beating Texas A&M and continued yesterday with Arkansas losing to the new power from the East, Mizzou. But anyways, let's start with the SEC-ACC Challenge and make our way to the two games everyone is waiting for.

South Carolina v Clemson

The Gamecocks try to extend their streak to six over the Tigers in (the other) Death Valley against the top rated defense in the country. Deshaun Watson is back for the best ACC team outside of Florida, making this a much tougher game for SC. Take the home team by 10.

Georgia Tech v Georgia

The combined 18-4 record for the schools is the best in this series since 1966. This clean, old fashioned hate game has changed quite a bit since Dooley and Dodd were patrolling the sidelines, but the hate remains. GT's option offense has been unstoppable, but UGA has been playing its best ball of the season. And though they won't have their bell cow, Todd Gurley, handling the rock, Nick Chubb is about as good of a back as you can ask for. I like the Dawgs by 7. And you should too; last season a 20 point lead wasn't enough for GT to win this game.

Kentucky v Louisville

Since basketball season has started, UK's defense has given up 56 points per game. Calipari's team has only given up more than 56 points once this season in their 6 wins. The Cats faithful have moved on to basketball season, and, apparently, so too has their defense. Louisville wins easily.

Florida v Florida State

Everyone is rooting for Muschamp and his Gators to win this, right? But what's more likely: the Seminoles go through the motions for the first 3 1/2 quarters to wake up and win on their final drive. FSU by 3.

Tennessee v Vanderbilt

All week long Derek Mason, the Commodore head coach, has refused to say Tennessee. Instead, he continually refers to them as the "Team out East". This isn't Michigan-Ohio State, Derek. And you don't have a chance in this one. Tennessee will remind Vandy and all their fans of their place in the state. They don't call it the Volunteer state for nothing. Vols by a lot.

Mississippi State v Ole Miss

Just a few weeks ago this seemed like it would decide the SEC Championship. Now that the Bulldogs need an Auburn win to get in and the Rebels are reeling (losing three straight in the SEC), the Egg Bowl has lost a little luster. Still, this is the most important one in a long time and is a must watch game. I like State to win, but I think the Rebs remind us why they were ranked third at one point. State by 3.

Auburn v Alabama
This game has the chance to be either dismal or amazing. If the Iron Bowl is as good as last year's, the edge goes to Auburn. In their two wins over the last four games in the series, they've won by 1 and 6 points respectively. If the game is a blowout, it means Bama wins handily. In their two wins over the last four games in the series, they've won by 49 and 28 respectively. I'll give the edge to the Crimson Tide. While they aren't as dominant as Tide teams of recent memory, their defense is still the best in the country. They are stout enough to allow their offense time to find a groove. Something I'm not sure the Tigers will be able to do. They will need to be at the top of their game to win this and maybe have a miracle or two to extend their Iron Bowl streak to two. Alabama by 13.

SEC Week 12 Preview

Two weeks ago, there was a chance that this weekend would be loaded with SEC games that would help decide the final four for CFP. Georgia was struck down by a mix of a dumb rule and blunt honesty from the best skill player in the country. The Dawgs [sans Gurley] looked like many on Frat Beach at the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, aimless and flustered.* Auburn got jumped all over, made one of the best comebacks we will see all year and fumbled it away. Twice. That leaves us with what will probably be the best game all season, which we will get to shortly. However, there are other games with varying levels of importance that we must talk about first.

South Carolina v Florida
Why is this game listed first? To me, it's the most interesting game of the week outside of Tuscaloosa. The gamecocks have NFL talent and are terribly mediocre. It's as if Steve Spurrier died and Al Groh is just Weekend at Bernies-ing the old ball coach. Groh would totally luck into Mike Bobo forgetting he had Todd Gurley and then lose to Kentucky.

As for the Gators, they are at full Muschamp. If you watched taped games of the 2014 Gators, one would assume they were all from different coaching eras. Zook against UK (3 OT win, making the easy one look really hard), Spurrier versus the Vols (who else enjoys beating them more?) and Urban versus the Dawgs. What era will we see against South Carolina? Doug Dickey? Maybe more Zook? Let's go with Spurrier. UF 24, USC 10.

Kentucky v Tennessee
The two worst defenses in the SEC, outside of Nashville, face-off in must wins for both teams. Tennessee needs to win two of its' last three games to gain bowl eligibility. One of those games is versus Missouri. That's not one they can really bank on winning. Kentucky has five wins and two games left, UT and Louisville. While the Cardinals should be weaker with their QB out with an injury, they should have no issue beating their in-state rival. Both teams need this game. However, only one has Josh Dobbs and only one has given up 169 points in the last four games. The latter is Kentucky, the former will be the victor. UT 42, UK 35.

Missouri v Texas A&M
The (other, other) Tigers have the easiest schedule in the SEC this year. They get to play in the weakest SEC East in decades and this is their first game against the west (there other being against Arkansas). Had they not blown a game against Indiana, they would still have a shot at the CFP. Despite getting their doors blown off by UGA and by all statistical measures being a fairly average team. Now, in November, they finally venture west. Against a team who cannot pass against a zone. And a defense who has given up an average of 46.4 points to teams with a pulse ranked teams. Mizzou has a pulse but they shouldn't be anywhere near the top 25. A&M should continue to surprise, despite the bad defense and Kenny Trill's inability to read the defense. This loss will put the SEC race back into Georgia's hands. And with Gurley back, they may just spoil the SEC's chances at their ninth straight trip to the title game and an eighth title in nine years. A&M 48, Mizzou 24

LSU v Arkansas
The Hogs haven't won an SEC game since October 13, 2012, when they beat Kentucky 49 to 7 under John L. Smith. They won two SEC games that season. Meaning, they've gone 2-17 since Bobby Petrino crashed his motorcycle. And while the Hogs are only winless in the league because of the division it plays in, this isn't the weekend where that streak ends. LSU is just too good for the Hogs and Mizzou will be the streak ender. LSU 24, Ark 14.

Auburn v Georgia
As I mentioned earlier, the Tigers are recovering from an absolutely brutal loss. One they managed to fumble away, not once but twice. Georgia on the otherhand is celebrating the return of their best player since Herschel Walker. I like Georgia to win this border war. Afterall, they already blew their shot at a national championship. This is when Richt's teams play their best. UGA 38, AU 35

Mississippi State v Alabama
The SEC needs Alabama need to win this game, both teams to win out and TCU or Baylor to drop a game. It's their only chance of having two teams in the CFP, something the SEC West deserves by just being head-and-shoulders better than everyone else. However, what will likely happen. Alabama loses this weekend,knocking them out of the race. Mississippi State loses to Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl and then lets Todd Gurley run all over them in Atlanta. The SEC would be a victim of its' own awesomeness, cannibalizing itself out of the final four.

Given that grim outlook, I really have no idea what will happen in this game. Alabama has been very hard to read this season. Last week, they waited almost four quarters to decide to play offense against LSU. And if not for a terrible kick-off, they'd be out of the CFP race. Against A&M, they made us all wonder how they ever lost. Eviscerating the Aggies in every facet of the game and making them look more like an FCS squad than a top 25 team. Now, I'm not sure if Kiffin has a little bit of Bobo in him or if Saban really is tempering the offense. But the play-calling seems to avoid the best receiver in football for extended periods of the game. That's a total Bobo move. Get Cooper the GD ball and watch the Tide roll.

As for Mississippi State, at times they seem to be destined for greatness. And others, they seem to be the same old team who sat at the bottom of the SEC almost annually. But they have something Bama doesn't. And it'll sound very cliche but I'm not sure there is any other way to explain it. They have a quarterback in Dak Prescott who just seems to want it more than everyone else. He's got that same aura that Cam Newton and Tim Tebow had before him. With a defense as good as the Bulldogs', you cannot give Dak a chance to win a game. After watching that gif, I'll take the cowbells. MSU 17, Bama 13.

*We [non-Gator fans] should all be thankful for this loss by the Dawgs. That game should all but guarantee Muschamp is back as the head coach in the Swamp next season. That's a win for everyone.

SEC Week 6 Preview

In this critical week of SEC play, I'm subbing in for Langston, who had to make the noontime kickoff of the ODU game. So, since some games have begun and others are about to start, let's begin talking some football on a day that really does feel like a true October Saturday:

#6 Aggies v. #12 Bulldogs
This game has already begun, with Mississippi State currently up 28 to 10. The Aggies came into Starkville with an undefeated record, and, prior to last week's overtime win against the Razorbacks, their closest game had been a 24 point victory over South Carolina. If the current score against the Bulldogs holds, the Aggies will be at risk of falling behind in the SEC West; after all, their next two games are against Ole Miss and Alabama.

College Football Week One: Sound and Fury That Signifies Nothing?

The beginning of the first season of the rest of our lives where we have an actual playoff to settle everything "on the field" leaves me slightly confused. What I mean is, how much weight does what happens in week one carry? I guess it's the same as every year, with wins by Texas A&M and Georgia looking pretty swell right now. But what happens if South Carolina and Clemson just simply aren't that good? It seems as though entrance into the college football version of the "Final Four" is mostly going to be determined by the conference championship games (or whoever emerges as the Big 12 regular season champs). Even so, right now is all about winning games and trying to jostle for position to be in the running at the end. As a former cross-country runner, I can appreciate that. On to the first week superlatives, with some observations from a game I covered for Stats Inc.                                        

Staring into the Eyes of Giants: Georgia vs. Auburn

Goliath, being a giant and all, casts a shadow that goes well beyond the walls of a Sunday School room or even the farthest church pew from the pulpit, and like any figure from ancient times, he goes by many names and comes in many forms. The first Goliath I ever met was William Lattimore: he was the fastest kid in the third grade, and despite shooting a basketball like a Mujahideen with a rocket launcher, he never missed. Then there was Quentin Moses who in middle school stood like a Philistine above a bunch of musty-smelling adolescent Hebrews, and the list could go on to include Michael Hudson of Battlefield Middle or Reed Fairchild of Spotsylvania Middle. Different names. Same effect. When coach asked you to guard one of them one on one or you found yourself eye to eye with them across an imaginary yard marker, you knew they were better, that your legs weren't fast enough, that your arms weren't long enough--that you needed the miracle of a slingshot to slay the giant standing before you.

LCB Picks: SEC Championship Game

(2) Auburn v (18) South Carolina @ 4:00 on CBS
Langston: It's been a historic week, from the discovery of a massive amount of red dwarf stars (dramatically increasing the chances of finding extraterrestrial life) to the unearthing of a new life form. One would think with developments like these that nothing else would be much of importance, but one would be wrong. There was the guy who ate his cocaine to get out of a minor traffic ticket and Cam Newton's being cleared to play. These are things that matter. Many propose that the NCAA opened the floodgates to latch-ons, hang-arounds, and general slimeballs by clearing Cam Newton to play. Supposedly, they've done this thanks to a lack of damning evidence, even though poppa Newton admitted his intent to milk his sons talents for all he could. He gets off, for now, with a wag of the finger. Mississippi State gets off with a minuscule breakup. I still wonder why all of the question marks surround Newton and not State. Their institution had Kenny Rogers bargaining on their behalf with Cecil Newton? Do you really think they report this to the SEC if Newton signs with State? Fuck and no. But I digress. Cam is cleared and now we can focus on arguably the biggest game in both schools histories.

South Carolina has never won an SEC Championship or played in a BCS bowl, their lone conference championship came in the ACC, in 1969. On the other hand, Auburn has gone undefeated  five times, yet only one of those years ended with an AP National Championship. That was in 1957. This game could turn the tide for the Spurrier era in SC, taking it from underachieving to the most successful in the programs history. Auburn, with a win, would finally get the BCS National Championship bid it earned in 2004 and set up for their first National Championship in the modern-era.

South Carolina's chances lie in the legs of Marcus Lattimore, their true freshman RB. In their three losses, Lattimore didn't touch the ball enough. Against Arkansas he only had 11 carries, as Spurrier tried to keep up with the Hogs pass heavy offense at the same time forgetting that he has maybe the best back in the country. Against Kentucky, he touched the ball 15 times. And in their first loss of the season, against Auburn, he had just 14 carries. After this game, I commented that it's clear Spurrier has no idea what to do with a back as talented as Lattimore and I'm still not sure he knows how to best utilize his star back. Comparatively, in their three wins against ranked teams he carried the ball 40, 23, and 37 times respectively, this includes their biggest win of the season over #1 ranked Alabama. If SC has any shot in this game, Lattimore will have to touch the ball early and often. And even if Spurrier has it figured out, I still don't know if it will be enough.

Cam Newton is a freight train. On every play, you can guarantee every defender keeps one eye on the phenom, and yet he continues to make big plays throughout. And that gives reason enough to like Auburn, they make up for getting robbed in 2004. (Coincidentally, they lost their bid to a team (USC) who ended up getting stripped and could presumably follow in their footsteps.) Nick Fairley will hit Stephen Garcia, maybe even questionably, throughout the game. Spurrier's visor will hit the ground a minimum of three times. And Cam will grow his legend. Auburn 42, SC 34.

Auburn's Dirty Play

Russ brought these compilation videos of Auburn's Nick Fairley to my attention in the comments section of our SEC picks last week.  He probably thought watching them might make me feel better after last week's Georgia-Auburn game--they didn't.  I still believe that anytime Auburn is undefeated it's a sure sign that there's something amiss with college football, and it may not have anything to do with pay for play scandals.




Now, I'm definitely biased because I'm a Georgia fan, but these plays suggest to me that Nick Fairley is a dirty player and if he's not dirty, he's definitely living on that line.  I'm not sure the Georgia offensive linemen should have retaliated against him.  It makes it feel like they sunk down to Fairley's level, but I'm not sure what a group of linemen are supposed to do when they've watched a guy not just go after their quarterback but go head hunting on multiple plays.

Is Fairley talented?  Extremely.  But he's also putting others and himself at risk with the savage manner in which he plays.  When a guy like this begins to develop a reputation, almost anything he does will be deemed dirty and the players of other teams will watch him through a lens of "if this guy so much as breathes on my quarterback, I'm coming after him."  But it's not just other players that will watch Fairley more closely: it's the refs as well.  Because of his play, number ninety is now under a microscope with the Iron Bowl coming up, and one has to think that the SEC can not continue to let him maim quarterbacks in this manner.



In the above video, it's possible that Aaron Murray and Nick Fairley's face masks got tangled together, but because of Fairley's reputation, it isn't difficult to imagine that he's intentionally bearing down on Murray's helmet as a means of taunting.  And that's the problem with Fairley's play, it makes everything he does questionable, and while Auburn thoroughly outplayed Georgia in the last three quarters of the South's oldest rivalry last week, Fairley's conduct escalated the hostilities in the game to the point where two of his teammates will now miss the first half of their game against Alabama for throwing punches.  Fairley's play is hurting his own team, and this pattern of play goes beyond the Georgia game, as shown by the following play against LSU:



Auburn is currently being investigated for whether or not it paid Heisman Trophy candidate Cam Newton to play at their school, but sometimes being a dirty program is as much about what you do on the field and not just what you do off of it.

LCB SEC Picks: Game of the Week

Georgia v (2) Auburn @ 3:30 on CBS
Langston:
The Cam Newton story feels too Salem Witchy for my tastes, as I have a hard time believing a college kid would call a coach (someone acted on his behalf, or without his knowledge) and demand pay-for-play and an even harder time believing this story would have gained any steam if Auburn was 8-2 and out of the BCS and SEC race. I don't know if he's getting or gotten money, but if he is/has, he is one of many elite athletes getting ducats for playing the game.

If you don't think is a witch-hunt, think again. Why the delay of all this information coming out? Mississippi State supposedly reported this to the SEC last January, most likely after they found out their bid was too low. ESPN learned of this in August, and yet nothing hits the wire until Auburn gets the number one spot in the BCS rankings. Acting on this breaking information, every reporter bolts to be the first to break the next Cam controversy, whether it was speeding tickets, stolen laptops or Florida leaking private educational information illegally two years after he left. It's all inconsequential and petty, that is until they show us proof that he knowingly took cash, and it's just making everyone involved look just as dirty as the allegations.

Now, this game is important because every Auburn game for the rest of the season has a huge effect on the rest of the country, and more-so than just the effects on the BCS title game. If War Eagle loses, the SEC, NCAA, and BCS will be bailed out from a potentially embarrassing situation. If they continue to win and Cam does get suspended or found to be taking the cash, everyone involved looks terrible. The SEC has had this information since last January, if they let him play this season knowing he was trying to get paid, they look like they don't care and are probably looking at some legal repercussions themselves. If he gets suspended after the SEC title game, your talking about a Newton-less Auburn team in the national title game against Oregon, in what would sure to be a blowout. Could there be a bigger nightmare scenario for the BCS, when there are teams like Boise and TCU that are still undefeated? I don't think so. As for the NCAA, I doubt they want to make stripping a team of a National Title an annual rite of passage.

As for the winner of this game, I can see it going either way, basically because Cam's playing status is still up in the air. If he plays, I see this being a close one, with Auburn winning by four to seven. If he doesn't, Auburn probably goes into a depression and Georgia rolls.

LCB SEC Picks: Games Of The Week

(6) Alabama v (10) LSU @ 3:30 on CBS
Teach:These teams don't like each other, but what they may both share is a hatred for Auburn.  Auburn is currently undefeated and poised to win the SEC West; however, Auburn's whole season now lies in the shadows of how they recruited Cam Newton, which makes this game something more than a battle over Nick Saban's reputation as either a devil or an angel: these two teams are now playing for the right to say, "It should have been us.  It would have been us."

LCB SEC Picks: Games of the Week

Georgia v (12) Arkansas @ 12:00 on ESPN

Teach: Last week, South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore ran all over, through, and around the Georgia defense for 182 yards, and while his talent sparked feelings of helplessness in the way that only a dynamo can, the inability of Bulldawg defenders to wrap up, when tackling, was also largely to blame.  Sadly, this problem has become a bit of a tradition in Athens the last few years, no matter who the defensive coordinator is.  In his first major college football game, redshirt freshman Aaron Murray looked more than capable of being a big time quarterback, completing two thirds of his passes, without any interceptions, and maybe if Washaun Ealey hadn't fumbled away a scoring opportunity the rest of the SEC would be forced to take notice.  The other problem for the Georgia offense is that they are still without their best player AJ Green and that will not change today, which will make Murray's task of keeping pace with Ryan Mallett and Arkansas' offense more difficult.  I believe the game will be close through three quarters and then the Bulldawgs will simply run out of steam or continue to look for the big hit, rather than wrap up.  Arkansas wins, in Athens, 28-17, and UGA is doomed, in the SEC East, with an 0-2 start.  

Mississippi State v (15) LSU @ 7:00 on ESPNU
Teach: What to make of Mississippi St.?  Last year, they racked up three conference wins, against Vandy, Kentucky, and rival Ole Miss.  They lost to LSU last year 30-26 in one of their more competitive SEC games; all their other conference losses were by double digits, including a 49-24 loss to Auburn.  This year, they only lost to the blue and orange Tigers by a field goal.  Is it a sign of a stronger team?  Could be.  They've got a new coach (in his second year), which always causes alumni to poke out their chests with eternal optimism, but some things are greater than the lives of individual men, like Mississippi State's mediocrity: LSU wins 28-14, keeping pace with the rest of the teams in a loaded SEC West.


Clemson v (16) Auburn @ 7:00 on ESPN
Teach: How can one take anything baring the label ACC seriously anymore?  They're the Blockbuster of college football conferences, rapidly closing down shop, at the hands of Netflix and Redbox upstarts.  It is truly pathetic, and I don't see how anyone could buy stock in one of their teams going up against any team from one of the real BCS conferences.  Versatile quarterback Cameron Newton, who has thrown for 322 yards and rushed 241 yards, while averaging seven yards a carry, in two games this season will lead the Tigers to victory over the other tigers 21-17.

LCB Picks: SEC Games of the Week

Ole Miss vs. Auburn @ 12:21 on SEC Network:
Langston: Auburn has lost three straight games, and the biggest reason is the ability for SEC defenses to evolve during the season. Chris Todd opened up the season playing great football leading them to a 5-0 start, but the SEC defenses picked up on the flaws and in-turn reminded us how bad Todd can play. Ole Miss comes in to this week as winners of the last two, with Jevan Snead finally looking like the QB we expected him to be and the defenses improvements under Tyrone Mix. In this game, I see both streaks continuing. Ole Miss 28, Auburn 17.

Teach: I would like to pick Auburn in this game, but Ole Miss is just playing better. Auburn will have to wait until next week against Furman to halt their slide. Ole Miss 24 Auburn 17

UGA vs. Florida @ 3:30 on CBS:
Langston: Just like Teach does with Tennessee, I become a fan of UGA once a year. It just so happens that this is the week. If I had it my way, the game would end with the Dawgs winning by ninety-eight points, Tebow crying at the 50, and Urban Meyer questioning the SEC officials penalty calls. However the Georgia defense is still being led by Willie Martinez, leaving me no choice but to pick Florida to win. UF 21, UGA 10.

Teach: I don't expect much from this game that I will like. The one silver lining I can find is that after today I will never have to see Tim Tebow line up against my Georgia Bulldawgs ever again. Good riddance. We should stomp and celebrate in the endzone like it's 2007 just because of that. Florida 24 Georgia 14

Deckfight Game of the Week
Georgia Tech vs. Vandy @ 7:30 on SEC Network: Leave it to Vandy to schedule non-conference game against a top 15 opponent. Like the quintuple-threat option isn't pain in the neck enough. The question is instead if Georgia Tech playing Vandy pulls their BCS hopes down. No one seems to realize that the Jackets have one loss, while USC gets all the hype. They're right behind LSU and Oregon. The Rambling Wreck is no joke.
Georgia Tech 23 Vandy 14

UT-Auburn recap

Only 49 days until the Vols basketball season starts.