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

LCB Picks: SEC and VA Games of the Week

There are a lot of interesting and possibly great match-ups this weekend. I wish I could cover them all, but I'm running a little late on time. So, for this week, my picks are going to be slightly abbreviated. And yes, I do know I have all week to write this piece. Time management has always been an issue of mine. Just know that I'm working on it.

Editors Note: This season, on top of the usual SEC picks, we will be picking the best games on the Virginia D-1 slate. We, as in the LCB, all spent our formative years in Virginia. So, we probably should have been doing this all along.

SEC Games of the Week
(14) Arkansas v (3) Alabama @ 3:30 on CBS:
After a quick perusal on the google machine, it appears that Arkansas has turned into a fashionable upset pick for this game. I would guess it's due to the youth of Alabama's defensive front and the awesomeness of QB Tyler Wilson, which to me is always a funny reason (the youth, not the awesome QB) for a team to be favored. Aren't all of these guys young and inexperienced?  Sure, the freshman need to adapt to the speed of play in the SEC and realize they can't just touch a guy to insure a tackle (Fun-da-men-tals kids, WRAP HIM UP!). But that's why each FBS team has so many roster spots, to provide the depth needed to avoid starting a bunch of underclassmen. To be honest, the only teams that can use "youth" and "inexperience" as an excuse are the ones dealing with coaching turnover or a high amount of attrition. Alabama doesn't fit that bill. But it doesn't even matter, I could never pick Arkansas over Bama. Not, at least, with Trent Richardson playing for the Tide. Alabama 31, Arkansas 27.

(2) LSU v (16) WVU @ 8:00 on ABC:
This game, to me at least, holds more intrigue in the stands than it does on the field. Two of the more notoriously rowdy fanbases coming together for a night game in Morgantown. Couldn't these AD's just think of those poor couches for once? LSU 24, WVU 17.

VA Game of the Week
(8) James Madison v (16) William & Mary @ 7:00 on PPV:
If you read last week, you would know that I thought Liberty was the better team. I was clearly wrong as the Dukes overcame the challenge of playing in Lynchburg. What do they get for it? A trip to Williamsburg to play a ranked opponent that plays much better at home than anywhere else.

With lots of rain in the forecast, the weather is likely to be less than ideal. Add that to the fact that both teams have fantastic defenses and questions surrounding the quarterback position, and you get the most important ingredients to an ugly football game. Speaking of quarterbacks, JMU doesn't know which Justin Thorpe they're going to get, the one who almost blew the game against woeful CCSU or the one who helped lead them to victory over a ranked Liberty squad on the road. As for the Tribe, they just handed the reins from Michael Paulus to Michael Graham. This was a non-decision, as Paulus just couldn't seem to return to his pre-inury form and was hurting more than he was helping.  However,  if Graham's not the answer they're looking for and they can't find a way to move the ball with any consistency, it will be a long year in Williamsburg. Anyways, I like JMU to win, because they have Dae'Quan Scott and W&M doesn't. JMU 17, W&M 14.