Two Daves Pick The SEC

Two Daves Pick The SEC
2010 Bowl Edition

Welcome to Two Daves Pick The SEC! Congratulations to the Auburn Tigers for running the table in the toughest conference in all of college football. Put the Cam Newton payoff stuff aside and look what they accomplished on the field. Regardless of the situation, they found a way to win, even being down huge on the road at Alabama.

Here we sit with the last breath of the 2010 college football season. Well, there is signing day in February, spring practice and then two a days in August. Time flies and before you know it, we will be writing the 2011 preseason edition.

Doug says:

Every year, the football season goes by in a flash, and I’m completely shocked by it. This year is no different. Just yesterday, we were talking about #1 Alabama and if they could repeat. Of course, the season has yielded some results that we really didn’t foresee back then, like Auburn going undefeated, Mississippi State getting to a New Year’s Day bowl, Ole Miss failing to gain bowl eligibility despite their easy schedule, Florida and Georgia being barely mediocre, Urban Meyer stepping down, and the Ol’ Ball Coach winning the SEC East. Of course, these are just many more examples of why the SEC is the best conference in the land.

With Meyer out and Mark Richt on the hot seat, the SEC could look quite different next year. We’ll also have a new coach at Vandy, and a couple of more coaches likely on the hot seat next season. Gene Chizik is everyone’s media darling right now, but I think the honeymoon will be over quickly since he will lose almost all of his playmakers. For my money, the best coaching job this year was done by Dan Mullen, who took a QB with a limited skill set, a bunch of undersized receivers, and a mix-and-match backfield to 8 wins and a Gator Bowl berth.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City: North Carolina – Tennessee

Dave says:

I’m impressed that North Carolina is a bowl game, period. After having half of the team suspended for violating team rules and still giving LSU all they wanted in the season opener, they continued to play very good despite the adversity. Now I do not understand how come Ohio State can have players making money on the side and these guys are eligible to play in their bowl game. North Carolina was in the same boat, they took it on the chin. Something is amiss here.

Joining North Carolina in the “we almost beat LSU” club is Tennessee. This Tennessee team pulled out some magic by running the table in November to gain bowl eligibility. Derek Dooley’s best decision of his young career was to start Tyler Bray at QB. He’s a skinny bean pole, but he’s making good decisions and good throws, all against SEC competition.
If the Vols running game were a little stronger and their defense a little more stout, I would pick them. I think the Tar Heels pull this one out.

North Carolina 27 – Tennessee 20

Doug says:

This should’ve been North Carolina’s big year, but eligibility issues cast a dark cloud over the program early in the year. They’ve done a good job of persevering and find themselves in a decent bowl game. Unfortunately, they don’t have a decent opponent. Tennessee has been fairly putrid all year, although they took advantage of a late season cupcake schedule to sneak in the back door of bowl eligibility. Truthfully, they are a different team with Bray at QB, and they will have an enormous home crowd advantage, so I expect this to be a competitive game. In the end, I think NC will prevail.

Tar Heels 31
Rocky Top 28

Autozone Liberty: Georgia – UCF

Dave says:

Speaking of lucky to be here, enter the Georgia Bulldogs. After losing to Colorado, Mark Richt appeared to be road kill. The dogs Aaron Murray improved as the season went on and managed to avoid serious injury from Auburn’s Nick Fairley. Fairley’s cheap hits would have drawn huge fines in the NFL. This is probably A.J. Green’s last season in Athens, there’s a lot of money waiting for him on the other side.

UCF head coach George O’Leary is probably the most thankful man in the world that he did not end up with the Notre Dame job. The problem for O’Leary is that he’s facing SEC talent, not CUSA talent. He’s not facing the impotent Sylvester Croom team he faced in 2007 either, Georgia knows how to put point on the board, and they will do just that.

Adios AJ 42 – CUSA CHAMPS 24

Central Florida

Doug says:

The consensus here is that Georgia will destroy the Conference USA champions. I agree, but you just never know about this Georgia team. They have challenges on the defensive side of the ball, and the Knights have a pretty dynamic offense, so that could pose a matchup problem. Georgia should be able to control the clock just enough to pull it out, but don’t be surprised if the bad guys win this one. Honestly, the SEC East wasn’t much better than Conference USA this year, anyway.

Hairy Dawgs 28
C-USA 27

Chick-Fil-A: South Carolina – Florida State

Dave says:

The Ol’ Ball Coach takes his ass kickin’ chickens back to Atlanta where they will not face the number one team in the nation. They will face a Florida State team that has been rejuvenated with new head coach Jimbo Fisher. Florida State dismantled the Gators in their season finale, and they looked really good doing it. I’ve preached it before, and will continue to do so, Ellis Johnson is a defensive mastermind, he’s had a month to prepare for this game. The same thing can be said for Visor Boy and Jimbo Fisher. Look for this to be a close game with one or two big plays making the difference.

AKC 27 – Dad Gummit 24

Doug says:

The Seminoles shocked me with their dismantling of Florida at the end of the year, and they didn’t look half bad against VT in the ACC championship game. Simply put, FSU is improved, dadgummit. Ol’ Ball Coach always says the Gamecocks are like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get. If we get the team that showed up against Alabama this year, no problem. If we get the team that showed up against Kentucky? Yeah, that could be a problem. Let’s hope for the former.

Cackolackey 28
Free Shoes 24

Outback: Florida – Penn State

Dave says:
In year one A.T. (after Tebow), Florida did not look like we’ve grown accustomed to. The Gators looked beatable, and in fact, they were. Urban’s heart was not into this, you could tell as the season went on. Fortunately he recognized this and stepped aside, that was the right thing to do. Will Muschamp, no longer a head coach in waiting, has hit the ground running in Gainesville, building the future of Gator football.

There are rumors everywhere that Joe Paterno is retiring after this game. I don’t believe it. While he needs to step down so the program can move on, I just don’t know that he will. Hopefully getting 400 wins did the trick for him. He’ll add one more W to the column.

Penn State 27 – Florida 24

Doug says:

Well, if you told me at the beginning of the year that these two teams would meet in the Outback Bowl and the game would be the swan song for one of the coaches, I would say that it’s about time JoePa made his exit. But, while JoePa is continuing on, it’s Urban Meyer who is ready to exit, citing the dreaded “I want to spend time with my family” excuse. He’ll turn up somewhere in a year or two, tanned, rested, and no longer wanting to spend time with his family. Meanwhile, the Gator brass is hoping to catch lightening in a bottle with Will Muschamp. My philosophy is never bet against a man who is unafraid of dropping F-bombs on national television.

Boom, motherf- 21
Pass the Metamucil – 17

Capital One: Alabama – Michigan State

Dave says:

Nick Saban gets to face his former team. Will he be nostalgic? Hell no. He’s the freakin’ Terminator, he kills without prejudice. Another guy heading off to greener pastures will be Julio Jones, likely playing in his last game for Alabama. Ol’ Sparty better get ready for a healthy dose of Ingram and Richardson, these guys will be rested and ready. So will the rest of the Saban machine.

Alabama 37 – Sparty 20

Doug says:

Do you think Nick Saban will feel nostalgic about playing the Spartans? Is it possible that he will have a soft spot in his heart for the team he used to coach? Do you think he has enjoyed watching the resurgence of the Spartans, and the feel-good story of their head coach, Mark Dantonio, who suffered through a heart attack at the start of the year? Nick Saban does not have time for emotions. His computer chip has been programmed to destroy, son, and he’s got Sparty in the crosshairs. Many folks credit Ricky Bobby’s daddy with the motto, “If you ain’t first, you’re last,” but it was Nick Saban who created it, branded it, and has it tattooed in a strategic, unmentionable place. If Dantonio plays his cards right, he might get to see it.

Rolling 31
Happy to be here 17

Progressive Gator: Mississippi State – Michigan

Dave says:

Playing one of the toughest schedules in the nations, nobody would have expected Mississippi State to be in a New Years Day bowl game this year. Dan Mullen did just that, and may have been two or three plays away from a BCS bowl game. Mullen won’t win coach of the year, but he should be, and he will do so one day. He’s brought a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm to Starkville. Rich Rodriguez is on the other end of the spectrum. Many believe Rodriguez is already walking the plank and a loss here pushes him off the edge.

State will have trouble containing Denard Robinson, he’s fast, he’s shifty, and he’ll be 100% healthy. Conversely, Chris Relf, Vick Ballard and LaDarius Perkins will have some huge lanes to run through. It’s been a theme for State this year, win with ball control and a strong running game.

Mstate 31 – Michigan 24

Doug says:

Does Michigan fully understand what they’re getting themselves into here? We all know the drill: stop Denard Robinson, and you stop the Wolverines. Defensively, Michigan doesn’t know the meaning of the word stop. State QB Chris Relf will come to the line, tell the defense who is getting the ball and which gap the ball carrier is taking, and they’ll still run it and get five yards a pop. This game will actually be a great litmus test for the conference. Well, in theory, anyway. Most folks, justifiably, expect the SEC team to roll here.

Not Your Father’s Mississippi State 38
Not Your Father’s Michigan 21

Allstate Sugar: Ohio State – Arkansas

Dave says:

Bobby Petrino did a great job this year, finishing with a strong win over LSU. This should be a bitchslap because Ohio State should be without five players including starting QB Terrell Pryor.
Somehow the NCAA, who punished numerous players immediately for the same behavior, decided to let these guys play in the bowl game and suspend them next season. Like many of them will be there next season, right.

With Ryan Mallet pulling the trigger and the surprising emergence of RB Kniles Davis, Arkansas should put up strong numbers against the Buckeyes. In turn, with Pryor playing, Ohio State will put up numbers against Arkansas too. I just don’t think they can hang with an SEC team, as demonstrated by LSU and Florida.

Arkansas 34 – Cheat and Play, it’s the tOSU way 24

Doug says:

Beating the fool out of Ohio State in a BCS bowl is the SEC’s birthright. LSU, Florida, Arkansas, it doesn’t matter. Jim Tressel probably hasn’t had a good night’s sleep since the matchup was announced. Arkansas scores points by the bucketful against SEC defenses, so why would anyone think they couldn’t do it against a Big 10 defense? Add to this the fact that the game is played indoors, on field turf, and wow, the Razorback offense could be scary here. Bobby Petrino has found himself a permanent home in the Arkansas hills, but his boys will make a temporary home in the Ohio State endzone in this one.

Sooie – 48
Stinky – 24

AT&T Cotton: LSU – Texas A&M

Dave says:

Texas A&M was regularly skull dragging LSU until the Tigers chickened out of this rivalry game (hey to Goob). With RB Steven Ridley being ruled ineligible (if he only played for Ohio State), the Tigers offense will be missing a key component. They do have a cast of talented receivers and the best cornerback in the nation, along with the luckiest coach in the history of the game. He’s also the only one that’s been grazing on the field. Jerry Jones will shoot him if he chooses to graze on his turf.

LSU 28 – TAMU 24

Doug says:

The Aggies should have strength in numbers from a crowd standpoint, but while the coonasses might be outnumbered, they’ll come in, take over, and make everyone uncomfortable anyway. On the football field, A&M doesn’t have the talent to hang with the Tigahs, but like we all know, Lester Miles is the great equalizer. Expect LSU to win on a last-second fake punt or something ridiculous like that.

Coonasses 27
Aggies 24

BBVA Compass: Pittsburgh – Kentucky

Dave says:

Joker Phillips made it to a bowl game in his first season, meanwhile Dave Wannstedt made it to the exit door. This game will be about two things: The suspension of public drunkard QB Mike Hartline and the awe inspiring ability of Randall Cobb. Sure, they will talk about Wannstedt, but Hartline and Cobb get the headlines.

Kentucky 31 – Pitt 27

Doug says:

Wait….in the midst of the BCS bowls, we get this stinker? Legion Field has seen many memorable football matchups, and this isn’t one of them. Kudos to Kentucky for gaining bowl eligibility, but how can anyone get fired up about this? The Wannstache has stepped down as Pitt coach, which is really the only thing that adds to the watchability factor.

Mildcats 31
Pitt 21

Tostitos BCS National Championship: Auburn – Oregon

Dave says:

So here we are, the unstoppable force versus the unstoppable force. If you want to see defense, you need not watch this game. Oregon and Auburn both possess potent offenses. Each has shown they can play some defense, just not with consistency. Each of these teams has a superstar, Oregon with LaMichael James and Auburn with Cam Newton. Newton has shown that despite an ongoing NCAA investigation, he can still bring his A game. Just ask South Carolina about that. This track meet probably comes down to who scores last. Auburn should do just that, and being home a fifth consecutive BCS title for the SEC.

Auburn 45 – Oregon 42

Doug says:
Auburn really has a chance to win a legitimate national championship. Truthfully, they probably have the better team here. I think Chizik is overrated, but the mad scientist, Gus Malzahn, should scheme ways to get Cam Newton in the endzone early and often. Of course, the issue is going to be stopping the dynamic Oregon offense, and a Heisman candidate of their own in LaMichael James. The 400 pound gorilla in the room is the NCAA investigation that is ongoing (don’t believe for a second that it’s over), but that won’t have anything to do with the game, since Auburn has been playing under that cloud for weeks. Expect Auburn to bring home the hardware. They might actually get to keep it for a couple of years, too.

War Tigers 44
Duck Attack 31

Two Daves Pick The SEC
November 26, 2010

Welcome to Two Daves Pick The SEC! It’s a sad time of year as the 2010 college football season winds down this weekend. There were plenty of interesting things this year. Jeremiah Masoli getting kicked out of Oregon only to be greeted lovingly by Houston Nutt, Les Miles demonstrating egregious clock management in a loss to Tennessee that allowed the Tigers to get one more play at the end of regulation and win the game, and endless sea of Georgia players being arrested, Chris Rainey death texting, Les Miles eating grass and the Cam Newton saga. Another year in the SEC, no doubt.

I posted our Iron Bowl picks before the game here:

http://sixpackspeak.yuku.com/topic/57887

I hate Friday games.

Doug says:

I can’t believe this week is pretty much the end of the regular season. The older I get, the quicker these seasons go by, it seems. And what a shame, because it’s been a fun one. We’ve seen the rise of Auburn and South Carolina, and we’ve seen the fall of Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. We’ve been privileged to watch Cam Newton, one of the best talents to come through the conference in some time, and we’ve been disgusted by the alleged behind-the-scenes actions surrounding his recruitment. We’ve witnessed the Jeremiah Masoli eligibility saga, and in hindsight, it seems like so long ago. And of course, we’ve witnessed the coaching soap opera, which only fans of the SEC can get, from Urban Meyer’s health, to Mark Richt’s job status, to Dan Mullen pinging his rivals, to Houston Nutt lecturing his fanbase, to Les Miles eating grass, to Steve Spurrier being, well, Steve Spurrier, to Derek Dooley and Robbie Caldwell’s press conferences, and on and on. We’ve still got this week, championship week, and the bowl season, but it’s sorrowful, indeed, to see the season in the rear view mirror. What are we supposed to do now, watch the NFL?

Auburn at Alabama

Dave:

Hatred in the State of Alabama is redefined in the 2010 Iron Bowl. Auburn hates Alabama, and vice-verse. The twist here is the Cam Newton story. Alabama fans have been hammering Auburn and Newton, whom is guilty until proven innocent in their eyes. I did find it interesting that a week after SEC commissioner Mike Slive did not intervene in the Newton eligibility issue, citing that is up to the institution and not the SEC offices, he did intervene and take out Bruce Pearl out for half of the SEC basketball season.

Both of these teams can hang points on opponents, and each has playmakers. This game comes down to who plays defense better, Alabama or Auburn. The Tigers have used many of their nine lives in wins against Mississippi State, Clemson and Kentucky. I don’t know they can overcome the Tide.

Alabama 31 – Auburn 28

Doug:

The Iron Bowl. This one should live up to the billing. Not much news off the field this week on the Cam Newton front, which is good for the Tigers, as they’ve been able to prepare for this one without distraction. I don’t think it will matter. You see, Auburn, and especially Newton, have been splendid this season, but they’ve done it in a manner that the top dog in the SEC doesn’t generally follow. They’re one dropped pass away from losing to MSU, needed a furious rally to beat Clemson, were nearly upset by Kentucky, and gave up 48 points to Arkansas. Alabama plays defense, son, and can control the line of scrimmage. I don’t care how good Mr. Newton is; this will spell trouble for the Tigers.

Rolling 31
Reeling 28

Kentucky at Tennessee

Dave:

Kentucky is bowl eligible and Tennessee is trying its best to do so as well. Tennessee has new life with Bray leading the offense. Kentucky has one of the best playmakers in the nation in Randall Cobb, but is he enough on the road? I don’t think so.

Tennessee 27 – Kentucky 24

Doug:

With the victory, the Vols can become bowl eligible, which was completely unfathomable just a few short weeks ago. Since installing Bray at QB, Tennessee has been a different team. Kentucky has had a typical Wildcat season, and they’ll be bowling somewhere. They’d love to improve their standing by getting to seven wins, but the Vols just have more at stake here.

Rocky 28
Mildcats 24

LSU at Arkansas

Dave:

LSU’s slim chances at the BCS title game lie within this game. A loss to Arkansas kills LSU’s chances. A win by the Hogs may get them into an upper-tier bowl game. You’ll have an NFL QB in Ryan Mallett facing an NFL CB in Patrick Peterson. Will Mallett challenge Peterson? Can the Hogs defense stop Steven Ridley? These two matchups will determine the winner. My gut is telling me to pick the Hogs, I should listen to it.

Arkansas 34 – LSU 31

Doug:

I’ve been discounting Arkansas all year, and they continue to prove me wrong. Their OT thriller with Mississippi State last week was one of the best games of the season. Well, the problem this week for the Hogs is that they will be going up against arguably the best defensive secondary in the country versus LSU, instead of the porous one MSU threw at them last week. This does not bode well for Ryan Mallett, who is a tremendous talent, but is also easily rattled. The Arkansas defense, particularly in the secondary, is horrendous. Want proof? Mississippi State QB Chris Relf, who couldn’t throw it in the water if he was standing on the beach, completed 20-30 for 225 yards last week. As bad as LSU has been offensively, they have more weapons at the skill position and will be able to take advantage of the Arkansas defense.

Coonasses 31
Hogs 28

Florida at Florida State

Dave:

Jimbo Fisher is not new to the UF-FSU rivalry. In fact, he sat there and watch the Gators maul the Seminoles, which led to the retirement of Bobby Bowden. The Gators have gotten some of their swagger back in recent weeks, and they will handle the Noles in Tallahassee.

Florida 27 – FSU 21

Doug:

Stop the presses, dadgumit. Dadgum Florida State is 8-3, dadgumit. But that’s against an ACC schedule. Florida, even during a down season for them, will not lose this game. They have more talent, they’ve played the tougher schedule, and they’re more battle-tested. They’re the better team. Jimbo Fisher has done a good job while trying to get out of the shadow of dadgum Bobby Bowden, but he also knows what’s up because he’s coached in the SEC before.

Gators 31
Dadgumit 17

Mississippi State at Mississippi

Dave:

Hatred, part II. Mississippi State lost a tough game to Arkansas last weekend, while Ole Miss gave LSU all they wanted and then some. Mississippi State has a lot of trouble throwing the ball, Ole Miss has trouble defending the pass. Jeremiah Masoli and Brandon Bolden will work the bubble and attack State’s defense where is has been bleeding on the edges. It would take a choke of biblical proportion to lose this game at home.

Ole Miss 24 – Mississippi State 17

Doug:

The Battle for the Golden Egg was more fun when it was on Thanksgiving night. There’s nothing better than getting together with the family, gorging yourself on turkey and the trimmings, and then relaxing in front of the tube for three-plus hours of good, old-fashioned hate. Other rivalries get more press coverage, but pound-for-pound, I’d put this one up against any of them. Dan Mullen has done his part to throw gasoline on the fire, running his mouth in the press all week, which takes a lot of stones. Other coaches and some of players have done the same. Houston Nutt didn’t put much importance into this one last year, and he learned his lesson quickly. You’d better believe the Right Rev is preaching his best sermons this week to get his boys fired up. There’s no question that State has the better team, and they’re better coached. But that doesn’t always matter in this one—Ole Miss had the better team last year and got smoked in this game. Generally the home team wins in this one (in fact, the home team has won 10 out of the last 11), so the easy pick is to expect that trend will continue.

Nutts 31
Stones 30

South Carolina at Clemson

Dave:

The AKC takes on archrival Clempson in a game that will not affect their conference standings. I should pick USC straight up. The problem is that lingering issue with USC falling apart late in the season. Will the Chikinz keep it together, or will they fall apart this weekend. Clempson is a good team, it’s a rivalry, I’m not sure who to pick. A flip of the coin says….

AKC 27 – Clempson 26

Doug:

This one is totally unpredictable. Carolina has gone in here with the better team and lost many times. I think this year will be different, though, because Carolina is a different team. They have the SEC East championship in their back pocket, and they’d surely spare us SEC fans the embarrassment of having the SEC East champs lose to an ACC team, wouldn’t they? Clemson is capable of winning this game, certainly, but if I were a betting man, I’d put my money on the OBC.

Cackolackey 28
Clempson 24

Wake Forest at Vanderbilt

Dave:

Vanderbilt’s season will mercifully end this weekend. That’s all I can say nice about them. I don’t have anything nice to say about Wake Forest.

Vannerbilt 17 – Wake Forest 13

Doug:

Of course, we can’t overlook this week’s pillow fight. We’ve got two 2-9 teams trying to end their seasons on a high note. I have historically picked Vanderbilt in this matchup, and I’m historically wrong. I guess I don’t want to be right, because I can’t pick an SEC team to lose to a 2-9 ACC team at home, even if that SEC team is Vanderbilt.

Vandy 27
Easier Than Vandy 21

Georgia Tech at Georgia

Dave:

Paul Johnson and Georgia Tech take their option game to Athens this weekend to face the Dawgs. The Dawgs need a win to go bowling. Can they do it? If Aaron Murray is OK after the repeated cheap shots by Nick Fairley, the Dawgs win. Why Fairley was not suspended for his actions is beyond comprehension. I think UGA is a happy dog this weekend.

Jawga 31 – Jawga Tekk 30

Doug:

Much like Tennessee, Georgia needs a victory in their last game to become bowl eligible. Just a month ago, the Dawgs were BACK, BABY! Yeah, so much for that. It’s been a wreck of a season for Georgia, and you have to wonder if Mark Richt will survive it. Luckily for them, Georgia Tech has taken a step back this year. UGA has been pretty good offensively, which should serve them well this week. If they can just figure out a way to slow down the Paul Johnson Option Express, they should be in good shape. That’s easier said than done, but I think they can do it.

Complete Wreck 34
Rambling Wreck 31

Two Daves Pick The SEC
November 18, 2010

Welcome to Two Daves Pick The SEC! Allegedly, there will be some breaking news tonight on ESPN about the Cam Newton situation. There have been more twits sending out tweets than I care to discuss. One thing that is funny, I mean really funny, is this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiL5UJmkfco

Watch it, my picks will make more sense to you then.

Doug says:

Camgate continues to be the top story in the SEC, while Auburn fans continue to keep their heads in the sand. The team slogan this year is “All In,” and that’s exactly what they’ve done here….they’ve been playing high-stakes poker, they’re down to their final few chips, and they’ve gone all in on a 2-6 off suit. They have their straight draw in tact as long as Newton keeps playing and racking up his Heisman-worthy numbers, but you know that in the end, the river won’t be as sweet as it needs to be. And if you buy into conspiracy theories, you should mosey on over to Tigerdroppings and read all about the underbelly of the Alabama political scene and how all of this may end up being tied together. I don’t know how believable it is, but it’s certainly entertaining, unless you’re an Auburn fan.

Meanwhile, we’re still playing football in this league, and Auburn is clearly the best team in the conference right now. Congratulations to Steve Spurrier for getting his Gamecocks to Atlanta. Winning the SEC East is something of a consolation prize this year, though.

Georgia State at Alabama (Thursday)

Dave:

Bill Curry returns to bammey, only to see satan rip his head off and eat it. Easily the bitchslap of the week. It’s gonna take at least 100 grand to get the son of the preacher man.

Alabama 54 – Jawga State 0

Doug:

Wow. This is the Thursday night game? What a snoozer. The announcers will spend more time talking about Cam Newton than the game. The conversation will probably be more interesting, too.

Rolling 52
Roadkill 0

Troy at South Carolina

Dave:

Troy’s starting QB went down with a nasty leg break earlier this season, very similar to Joe Theisman and Lawrence Taylor. Carolina can lose this one 50-0 and it doesn’t matter, they are finally headed to Atlanta. Kenny Rogers knows what’s going on and the FBI is on the phone.

AKC 31 – Troy 10

Doug:

In past years, Troy has been known to put a scare in folks. Well, this year, Troy isn’t that team. They’re terrible. Look for Spurrier’s boys to take a breather before their annual loss to Clemson.

Cackolackey 42
Roadkill 14

Appalachian State at Florida

Dave:

What do Urban’s boys have left to play for? Well, a better bowl. Outside of that, not much. Don’t expect App State to surprise the Gators like they did Michigan. . Could have been a failin’ grade, or parking tickets left unpaid.

Chomp 37 – Ouch! 13

Doug:

A four loss season for the Gators is truly shocking. It wasn’t too long ago that Appalachian State went to the Big House and beat Michigan. In retrospect, it wasn’t too huge of an upset. That said, it won’t happen here, even against a four-loss Florida team.

Gators 48
Gatorbait 7

Mississippi at LSU

Dave:

After being sodomized by Tennessee, Houston Nutt had the nuttiest press conference he’s probably ever had. Dude has lost it. Then again, he may have never had it. LSU is hoping that the NCAA smacks down Auburn soon so they can play for the SEC title and maybe the BCS title. Lester might have grazed extra this week so he doesn’t drop four in a row to the Nutt. Laptops don’t come for free and stealin’ came so easily.

Atlanta Hopeful 27 – Not bowl eligible 10

Doug:

I want to predict this one as Dave’s b*tchslap of the week, and that is quite the statement considering that there are three helpings of roadkill on the agenda this week. Funny thing, though…Ole Miss always hangs in with LSU, and even wins their fair share against the Tigers. Reverend Nutt went postal on the fanbase last week, reminding them that he’s done in the last two years at Ole Miss what they haven’t done in 50 years prior. Atta boy, Houston. A couple of more rants like that, and Rebel fans will finally understand why Hog fans hated you so much. He’ll have his boys ready to play, no doubt. His problem is that he’s several fries short of a happy meal on the defensive side of the ball.

Coonasses 35
Bears 21

Arkansas at Mississippi State

Dave:

State was squished by Alabama. Satan showed the game plan to beat State, stay away from MLB Chris White, play on the edges, make the corners earn it. Ryan Mallet will have a field day in Starkville, easily putting up 300 yards. Down south there are two things that are very important – preaching and college football.

Arkansas 37 – State 24

Doug:

This one is a bad, bad matchup for MSU. They will be ultra-conservative, try to kill the clock, and keep Ryan Mallett and the high-powered Hog offense on the sidelines. The problem is that they’ll have to score touchdowns every time they have the ball, and Arkansas proved that they can stop the run when they played Carolina. Petrino’s offense + MSU’s secondary = Pointsapalooza for the Hogs. This one will be over early.

Running Hogs 42
Walking Bully 24

Tennessee at Vanderbilt

Dave:

Tennessee demolished Ole Miss last weekend and I expect them to nuke Vanderbilt. The Vols might make it to a bowl game after all. Not since Clemson and Danny Ford has a tiger been this corrupt my lord.

Tennessee 35 – Vanderbilt 17

Doug:

Break up the Vols! Two huge blowouts in consecutive weeks. Okay, it was Memphis and Ole Miss, but still, you get the point. To Orange Nation, the Birmingham Bowl has never looked so good, and they actually feel like they have a shot to get to six wins. They’ll get number five this weekend, but Kentucky is going to give them all they want for number six.

Not so Rocky 38
Still Easy 17

Two Daves Pick The SEC
November 13, 2010

Welcome to Two Daves Pick The SEC! What a week in the wild west. The internet has enabled complete idiots to start viral rumors, true or not. My favorite was a letter allegedly from the NCAA saying that the NCAA doesn’t normally step in midseason, but due to the major violations with Cam Newton, they are stepping in . The best part was the letter being signed by NCAA President Myles Brand. The only problem with this is that Brand died in September of 2009.

As the Camshaft turns continues to produce crazy new things every day. It is becoming clear that Cecil Newton was out pimping his son for cash to play football at Mississippi State. I’m sure that this story will continue to drag out for the next several weeks. My advice? Don’t believe everything you read on the internet, except for the Two Daves, we’re dead on.

Doug says:

Did you know we’ve actually gotten some hate mail from Auburn fans? Why the consternation? Why have a beef with us? Did we get $180K? Did we tape phone conversations with shady agents? Did we buy tests off the internet? If this happened with an Alabama or LSU player, you’d all be laughing and patting us on the back. You know, like Alabama and LSU fans are doing right now.

I get the anger and disappointment. Cam Newton is a great story and a fantastic football player. Auburn is in position to play for the national championship, just one year after their chief arch rival played for one. I just think the anger and disappointment is severely misdirected. For example, why be mad at Mississippi State and Dan Mullen? They did what is dictated to them by SEC rule. Why be mad at Urban Meyer? There’s no evidence that he leaked Newton’s student records. Why be mad at us? We poke fun at everyone. Be mad at Cecil Newton. Be mad at your boosters. Be mad at your coaches, if any of them were involved. Or better yet, don’t be mad at anyone, and just hope and pray that there’s nothing at all to this. If that turns out to be the case, then you can enjoy watching us eat our crow. Deep down, though, you know this isn’t going to end well, and if it doesn’t, that’s nobody’s fault but Auburn’s.

Mississippi at Tennessee

Dave says:

Memphis has to be the most hideous team in the history of Division IA football. Being skulldrug by a pathetic Tennessee team says all I need to hear. The Vols do have a glimmer of hope in frosh QB Tylor Bray, who has been the best looking QB at Tennessee in years. Then we have Ole Miss, who bear-ly managed to get by U La La. The Bears can get some offense going thanks to RB Brandon Bolden. QB Jeremiah Masoli might not get to play this weekend because of a concussion. Houston Nutt is all about helping people, so he’s going to help Masoli onto the field regardless of what the trainers say. Flip a coin on this one.

Tennessee 31 – Mississippi 27

Doug says:

Vol fans, don’t get too excited about that stirring 50 point outburst against Tiger High. Also, don’t get too excited about Jeremiah Masoli’s concussion last week. Masoli will play, and Ole Miss will score points on you in abundance this weekend. The good news is that you should score plenty of points too, since the Bear defense is porous. The Bears are probably glad to be playing this one on the road, because they might actually get to play in front of a decent crowd. What an embarrassing effort by their fans last week! But, I digress. My brain is really telling me to take the home team in this one, but my gut is pushing me toward the Rebs.

We Just Got A Mascot 31
We Don’t Have A Clue 30

Vanderbilt at Kentucky

Dave says:

Kentucky is one win away from bowl eligibility. Fret not Wildcat fans, that win will come tomorrow. Vanderbilt has a laundry list of injured players and have basically mailed it in for the rest of this season. Randall Cobb will probably set some kind of record this weekend.

Kentucky 42 – Vanderbilt 13

Doug says:

Kentucky is trying to get bowl eligible and they should do it this week. Vanderbilt took bad to a whole new level last week, so I don’t expect them to be competitive with anyone down the stretch. Kentucky is doing a good job of building a schedule to guarantee them six wins every year. With Tennessee down so much, they may get to seven this year. They can afford to look ahead a little bit because Vandy is no threat.

Mildcats 42
Easy 14

Georgia at Auburn

Dave says:

Cam Newton has been suspended. You just read this on the internet, so it must be true. Much like Brett Favre, I won’t believe Newton is not playing until I see it. There is no way you sit your rented mule (Hey to Cecil!) when he is over half of your offense. Enter Jawga, who has improved significantly in the last month. UGA’s problem is that they still don’t have a great defense, which is required against Auburn. Even then, it doesn’t guarantee a win, Auburn shredded LSU’s top 10 defense. As long as Cam is playing, Auburn wins.

Auburn 34 – Jawga 24

Doug says:

This game has been overshadowed by the daily installments of As The Cam Turns this week, and it’s a shame, because this has a chance to be a good football game. Georgia’s offense is coming into its own, while Auburn’s offense is an unwieldy beast. Cam Newton has been pretty much unstoppable of late, and I don’t think Georgia has anyone on the defensive side of the ball that will change that. The only thing that could stop Newton in this one is a suspension, but I don’t think we’re there yet. As long as #2 is taking snaps, I’m going to continue to be bullish on the War Tigers.

War Tigers 31
Hairy Dawgs 21.

UTEP at Arkansas

Dave says:

The Pigz scrimmage this weekend in preparation for Mississippi State, as that game may decide who goes to the cotton bowl. Arkansas will have their way with UTEP.

Pigz 44 – UTEP 13

Doug says:

The Miners are a fairly decent C-USA team. All this means is that they should be able to keep it within 40. Arkansas will score early and often, as they tune up for a meaningful matchup with Mississippi State next week.

Hogs 38
Hog Tied 10

Louisiana Monroe at LSU

Dave says:

Another yawner, right? Not exactly. LSU seems to let teams they should destroy hang around. I don’t know if Lester fails to eat grass against non-conference opponents or what. Jarrett Lee made a couple of big plays that led LSU to a huge win over Alabama. There is talk on message boards that LSU could play in Atlanta if this Cam Newton stuff blows up. File that in the believe it when I see it category.

ELLESSYOO 30 – Directional Louisiana 10

Doug says:

Yawn. LSU almost never beats teams like this the way they should, but that doesn’t matter to Lester. Quietly, he has his team positioned to be in the BCS discussion, which is amazing, given their lack of offense thus far. They have Arkansas down the road, but they get this week and a matchup with Ole Miss to fine tune some things and get their offense some confidence. Lester won’t have to eat too much grass this week.

Coonasses 34
Roadkill 14

Mississippi State at Alabama

Dave says:

After two long and painful weeks, the Bulldogs get to play football again. It was bad enough they had to bury teammate Nick Bell, who tragically lost a brief battle with cancer. Throw in the Cam Newton soap opera and these guys probably cannot wait to get on the field and take it out one someone. Alabama saw dreams of a second SEC title go poof as Lester ate grass and beat Nick. Alabama is coming off a physical loss to LSU and may be without Trent Richardson. This game will come down to Greg McElroy and Julio Jones. If these guys have a good game, Bama wins. If not, State wins. If State can control the ball and grind it out, they may win anyway. This one will be much closer than people think.

Alabama 24 – State 23

Doug says:

I’ve heard all of the rationalizations: State is a tough out, a two-loss Bama team has nothing left to play for, blah, blah, blah. The fact of the matter is that Alabama is just plain better than Mississippi State, and that will show on Saturday. State will keep it respectable; it may even go down to the wire, but at the end of the day, I see Bama doing what they need to do here. Besides, can you see Nick Saban losing three conference games? I didn’t think so. If Mullen sticks around and continues to recruit well, this game will start to mean a lot more to both teams very soon.

Crimson 21
Maroon 14

South Carolina at Florida

Dave says:

Dear Visor Boy, I’ve really wanted to believe in you this year, but once again, your team has choked in the biggest possible way. I believe that you will lose out for the rest of the season, much like your entire tenure at USC. Florida seems to have gotten back on track. A win here pretty much seals up the SEC East race.

Florida 31 – USC 17

Doug says:

I’m done with Carolina. Same crap, different year. They’re limping to the finish, just like they seem to do every year. Florida seems to have righted the ship and are in position to win the SEC East with a victory in this one. That speaks volumes about how bad that division is, but it also means that Florida has a renewed interest and something to play for. They’ve got Chris Rainey back and playing well, and they should get Jeff Demps back this week, too.

Gators 24
Cackolackey 21

Two Daves Pick The SEC
November 6, 2010

Welcome to Two Daves Pick The SEC!
Occasionally something happens that puts football in perspective for everyone. The tragic loss of Mississippi State defensive end Nick Bell reminds us that football is indeed only a game. Nick was State’s starting defensive end six weeks ago against Georgia. Two weeks ago, Nick joined his team on the sideline recovering from brain surgery to remove what turned out to be a malignant tumor. Tomorrow, Nick will be laid to rest. Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the Bell family.
Cecil Newton didn’t want to his son to be a rented mule, that is why, he claims, he sent his son to Auburn instead of Mississippi State. If reports are true, it appears that Auburn did not rent, but bought the mule for roughly $200,000. Auburn may pay a much steeper price if all of this pay to play talk is true.

Doug says:
The soap opera that is the SEC has now gone viral with the Cam Newton saga taking front and center stage. If the allegations are even remotely true, Newton will still go on to make millions in the NFL, daddy Newton will have the last laugh, and Auburn will go to jail. And I’m not talking about white collar, resort prison. I’m talking about federal, pound me in the, well, you know, prison. It is interesting that representatives from Mississippi State went public with this, because it’s always a good policy in the SEC to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I hope for Dan Mullen’s sake that there’s no skeletons in his closet.

On a sad note, the entire SEC grieves this week with Mississippi State over the loss of sophomore defensive end Nick Bell. Just a few weeks ago, he was helping his team whip Georgia. Then, suddenly, cancer was discovered and struck him down. What a tragedy for this young man’s family. Godspeed, Nick Bell.

Florida at Vanderbilt

Dave:

How did Ole Miss lose to Vanderbilt? Are the Bears really that bad? Florida jumped out to a big lead over Jawga, then saw the Dawgs fight back to take it to overtime. Chaz Henry made the most of his goat to hero opportunity and nailed a field goal to secure the win for the Gators. I’m sure the Georgia coach signaling choke numerous times was just clearing his throat right before the field goal try.

Chomp Chomp 34 – We own the bears 13

Doug:

Vanderbilt is the medicine that cures Florida’s ills right now, and the Gators could use it. They hung on to beat Georgia last week, but that one looked more like a pillow fight. Vanderbilt is fading into oblivion (or Bolivia, if you’re Mike Tyson), and they’re just hanging on for the end of the season.

Gators 31
Easy 7

Alabama at LSU

Dave:

The marquee game of the week – two top 10 SEC teams duke it out in Red Stick with huge implications. If Alabama wins, they stand a great chance to play for the BCS Title if they can get past the best paid mule, er, quarterback in the SEC. While Alabama should be running the ball down opponents throats, for some reason, they are not effectively doing this as they did last year. LSU had a dominant running defense until the mule and company gashed them. Patrick Peterson vs. Julio Jones will be an interesting matchup. Bama’s fourth string QB is better than any QB that LSU has on their roster right now, and that is the difference in this one. Well, that plus the tide don’t lose in Baton Rouge.

Bammey 24 – ELLESSYOO 20

Doug:
Easily the game of the day. Alabama has curiously struggled to run the ball recently, so they’re relied more on Greg McElroy and Julio Jones. There are worse strategies to pursue, to be sure, but it’s not Alabama football. LSU’s defense is stout enough to prolong Bama’s running struggles and pressure McElroy. Offensively, I don’t expect much out of LSU in this one, so this one should be a low scoring slobber-knocker. The only reason this one isn’t flip-a-coin close, is because when you compare Nick Saban to Les Miles, that’s not a fair fight.

Rolling Tide 17
Coonassses 14

Idaho State at Georgia

Dave:

Jawga, left for dead a few weeks ago, is inching closer and closer to bowl eligibility, provided they don’t choke. Ahem.

Jawga 42 – Paycheck 10

Doug:

Hey Dawgs, you ain’t quite as back as you thought you were. You had a chance to make a statement last week, and it didn’t happen. That’s okay, because you get your late-season breather this week. Try to enjoy this victory instead of crying in your beer about what could have been this year.

Dawgs 41
Roadkill 14

Louisiana-Lafayette at Mississippi

Dave:

The Bears should dominate this game. Of course, they should have annihilated Jacksonville State too. If they had a defense, they would be a lot better off right now. Tyrone Nix will likely be looking for a job after Thanksgiving.

Bears 34 – EWE LA LA 17

Doug:

I would love to say that this is an easy win for the Rebs, but I made that mistake before the Jacksonville State and Vanderbilt games, too. The Bears occasionally look competitive, and they have a perfectly acceptable offense. Their defense is the problem. It shouldn’t be a problem this week.

Bears 48
Junior Coonasses 21

Charleston Southern at Kentucky

Dave:

Another SEC team makes a step towards bowl eligibility. After a tough loss in Starkville, Joker and the Cats return home for what should be an easy game. Randall Cobb should feast upon Charleston Southern. Then again, he feasted in Starkville but the Cats lost. Never mind.

UK 38 – CS 10

Doug:

It’s breather week for the Wildcats, too. The million dollar question for me is what kind of crowd is going to be there to support the Cats. They’re coming off a loss to Mississippi State and struggling to get to bowl eligibility. They’ll get a win closer here.

Mildcats 44
Roadkill 7

Arkansas at South Carolina

Dave:

The injury bug continues to plague the Pigz. Ryan Mallett has had various health issues this fall, and now Greg Childs is out for the year with an ACL. I do not think the Pigz have a plug and play receiver to fill that massive void with Childs out.

I do know Ellis Johnson will have his defense ready for the assault, he’s one of the best defensive coordinators in the nation. If the AKC could keep the offense consistently rolling, the chikinz would have much higher goals than Atlanta. I’ll probably regret this pick.

AKC 24 – WHOOOOOOps 21

Doug:

There are a lot of crappy games on the agenda this week, but there are two really good ones, and this is one of them. This is an opportunity for the AKC to prove themselves and stake their claim to the SEC East title. Historically, however, they seem to fade down the stretch. I really want the AKC to step up and take charge in the East, because it will be a good story for the Ol Ball Coach to go back to Atlanta. Unfortunately, I don’t think his team can score with Arkansas.

Hogs 38
AKC 28

Chattanooga at Auburn

Dave:

Cam “innocent until proven guilty” Newton will continue his assault on the record books and his march towards the Heisman Trophy. Enjoy the ride Aubie, I smell death in the air and I know it won’t be long……..

Auburn 44 – Chattanooga 13

Doug:

Maybe Auburn should bench Cam Newton this week. Then, they can get a win that they won’t have to forfeit at the end of the year. Enjoy the season, Auburn fans. I hope you win out, beat Bama, go to the national championship game, and throttle Oregon. Then, when it all gets stripped from you, your tears will be even sweeter. And don’t misunderstand, Auburn is one of my favorite schools in the conference and I like to see their team do well. Unfortunately, this will be a huge black eye for the conference, so the Tigers will deserve everything they get.

Calm Before The Storm 41
Roadkill 3

Tennessee at Memphis

Dave:

If there is one team in Tennessee that is worse than the Vols, its Larry Porter’s Tigers. This game features UGLY on both sides. The Vols freshman QB Taylor Bray impressed enough to bump Baby Jesus, excuse me, Phil Simms son out of the way for the starting job. Memphis is just the medicine the vols need to head in the right direction.

Rocky Top 34 – da’ hood 17

Doug:

Tennessee is a bad football team this year. Fortunately for them, Memphis might be the worst team in the entire country. I mean, UAB took Tennessee to OT, and Memphis may be using that as motivation, but let’s face facts: UAB would beat Memphis 40-0. If UT doesn’t score 45 in this game, it will be a major upset.

Rocky Top 50
Tiger High 7

Two Daves Pick The SEC
October 30, 2010

Welcome to Two Daves Pick the SEC! With the season now two-thirds over, we enter the home stretch where seasons are made or lost. With their big win over LSU, Auburn leaped to the top spot in the BCS rankings. Dear Boise State, if you want to be considered a real program, why don’t you schedule all of your non-conference games against SEC /Big 10/12 teams ? It’s one thing to beat a decent team then play a bunch of pansies. It’s another to compete against world-class athletes every weekend and be physically challenged beyond comprehension. A strength of schedule in the eighties doesn’t help you at all.

Doug says:
Well, moving into the final third of the season, the SEC picture is as muddy as ever. Any one of four teams has a real shot to win the East at this point, and the west is loaded with five teams ranked in the top 25. Auburn is the BCS #1, but they still have Alabama looming. Alabama still has LSU and an emerging Mississippi State. LSU still has to deal with Arkansas. Who knows what’s going to happen down the stretch.

I will say this….Ole Miss and Kentucky deserve a lot of credit for continuing to play hard and be competitive despite their records. It’s easy (and fun, of course) to make fun of the Bears after their losses to Jax State and Vanderbilt, but the fact of the matter is they’ve played well in losses to Bama and Arkansas. If Houston Nutt would let someone who knows what he’s doing call the plays, they might have even won against the Hogs. As for Kentucky, with questionable fan support and injury problems, they continue to be a tough out every week, falling behind early and making frantic late-game comebacks. They took out Carolina, and very nearly took out Auburn. This is what makes the SEC the best football conference in the land.

Vanderbilt at Arkansas
Dave:
I don’t know what to expect here. Vanderbilt will play decent one weekend and they lay a goose egg the next. Arkansas can put up offense, but they just do not play well on defense. At least there will be nice weather this weekend so there will not be two long delays due to lightning. Maybe Ryan Mallett can stay healthy as well.

Arkansas 38 – Vanderbilt 13
Doug:
The Commodores rearranged the furniture on their offensive staff this week, moving around responsibilities among the coordinator, QB coach, and offensive line coach. They should be more worried about the defense, because Arkansas is going to score in bunches. I don’t know how healthy Ryan Mallett is, but it doesn’t matter. It’s going to be a long, long day in Northeast Arkansas for the Commodores. But hey, graduation rates came out this week and Vanderbilt led the conference, so cumulatively, the rest of the conference thanks you for pulling up the overall numbers. Every institution adds value to the conference in their own unique way.

Sooie 47
Easy 7

Auburn at Mississippi
Dave:
The Bears of African Descent (BAD) host Cam Newton and Nick Fairley this weekend. Oh yeah, the other 20 starters for Auburn will be there as well, further reducing any chance BAD has to win. We know that Auburn can score a lot of points and BAD cannot defend at all. The BAD are capable of putting a decent offensive showing together, they did so at Arkansas. Then again, Arkansas doesn’t play defense either.
That Newton guy, the one that accounts for about 70 percent of Auburn’s offense and whose father didn’t want him to be a “rented mule”, continues to make mind-boggling plays. His 50 yard TD run against LSU was beyond amazing. Barring injury or a meltdown of epic proportion, that play iced the Heisman for Newton. Hey Cecil, does over two-thirds of the offense constitute him being a rented mule?
One can only wonder where Auburn would be today if they had done as the media practically demanded and hired Turner Gill as their head coach? All those “experts” have crawled back into their holes, Gill is showing you what he can do at Kansas. But I digress…..
Auburn 31 – BAD 24

Doug:
Is Cam Newton a legitimate Heisman contender? Does a bear sh** in the Grove?

A lot of talking heads are predicting an upset here. The fact is that Ole Miss doesn’t completely suck on offense, and they should be able to move the ball on Auburn. But let’s be real. Unless Newton gets hurt, Ole Miss historically has problems stopping spread-option offenses, and Auburn will pick up yardage in chunks.

War Tigers 38
Care Bears 21

Kentucky at Mississippi State
Dave:
Mississippi State did all they could to feed UAB a win last weekend. UAB cost themselves the game with numerous dropped passes and a late turnover. Despite their efforts, State became bowl eligible with that win, which marks twice in the last decade.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats had hoped to get injured RB Derrick Locke back on the field this weekend. They already have one of the best receivers in the country in Randall Cobb, the cats can put up some points in a hurry. Maybe State was looking past UAB or just had a letdown after winning at the Swamp. This will be a very close game. If state underestimates UK, they lose. Heck, they might lose anyway. If it’s a physical game, State wins. Should it become a track meet, UK wins.
Note to UK: Anthony Dixon is gone, so you don’t have to worry about him running for another 250+ on you this year.
Mithiiipiii State 31 – UK 30

Doug:
It feels to me that State has been doing it with smoke and mirrors. They’ve beaten Georgia and Florida, but they’ve all been ugly. They’ve been fortunate to play against teams missing key players all year (AJ Green against Georgia, Case Keenum against Houston, Chris Rainey and an injured Jeff Demps against Florida), and they catch a break again this week with Derrick Locke out due to injury. They were extremely flat last week and had to recover from a 4th quarter deficit to beat UAB. An effort like that in this game will get them beat, Locke or no Locke. Kentucky has shown a lot of resilience and they are a better team than their 1-4 conference record indicates. The road team has won the last four meetings in this one, but Sly Croom and his crooked hat are no longer on the sidelines, so I expect that streak to end on Saturday.

Seven Wins? 28
Mildcats 24

Florida at Georgia (Jacksonville)
Dave:
Georgia continues to make huge steps forward, perhaps saving Mark Richt’s job. Florida had a week off to retool its offense after their loss at home to Mississippi State. I don’t see Florida making any major improvements, at least not enough to match the dramatic improvements Jawga has made. The one wildcard here is Chris Rainey. As long as he doesn’t dext (death text) anyone, Rainey should be on the field this weekend. We’ll see ……..
Jawga 27 – UF 23

Doug:

The is the Football Game Formerly Known As The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Maybe we can just rename it as some kind of symbol. Based on past history, that symbol would be a gator with UGA in his mouth. It’s just a fact that Florida has owned this series. But guess what….the DAWGS ARE BACK, baby. Just ask any goateed 300 pounder from South Georgia, and he’ll tell you that, provided you can get him to stop barking long enough to do so.

All of the smack talk aside, Georgia has a good QB who will be tormenting SEC defenses for years to come. They’ve got a game-changing player in AJ Green. And they’ve got a really crappy defense. Fortunately for them, Florida has a really crappy offense. This game is going to come down to how well Florida’s defense plays. As good as Aaron Murray is, he’s still a freshman, and Florida has probably the best secondary in the country. I think this is the difference. That, plus the fact that I just can’t see Florida losing four in a row.

Gators 17
Gator Bait 12

Tennessee at South Carolina
Dave:
The Volunteers are terrible. They are a really, really bad team. South Carolina is trying to avoid another late-season meltdown and actually win games in the last month of the season. This game is at home, where the Cocks play good football. I think Spurrier has the AKC ready for this one.
AKC 34 – Tennessee 24

Doug:

If football games were only 30 minutes long, Tennessee would be a much better football team. Unfortunately for them, they have to play the second half, and that’s where lack of depth, and an inability to make adjustments come into play. Great sign that your coach sucks: Opposing coaches heap praise on your coach about how great of a job he’s doing. After last week’s game, Nick Saban gushed about how good Derek Dooley is doing and how terrible a job Kiffykins did the year before. Mississippi State fans understand this phenomenon very well, since they heard coach after coach heaping praise on Sylvester Croom after skull dragging his football team every week. When you’re hated, that means you’re kicking butt, and nobody hates Derek Dooley right now. There’s always been hatred for the OBC, and it’s well-earned. He should move a step toward winning the east if his team doesn’t lay a stinker in this one like they did against Kentucky.

AKC 35
Great Job, Coach 14

Two Daves Pick The SEC
October 23, 2010

Welcome to Two Daves Pick The SEC! Having suffered losses at home to the Mississippi African Descendant Bears in 2008 and and the Mississippi State Bulldogs last weekend, the University of Florida decided to take on another Mississippi team. This time, it was the Vicksburg, Mississippi high school, known as the Vicksburg Gators. One of the Vicksburg Gators many logos looks similar to one of the Florida logos. High schools often imitate college teams, it happens frequently across the country and most colleges do not claim copyright infringement. Collegiate athletics, particularly in the SEC, have become cash cows, and they are being run like evil Wall Street corporations instead of public institutions. If schools, such as Florida, want to start down that road, then they need to join the rest of the Wall Street companies in paying egregious amounts of income taxes. So Gordon Gekko got out of jail and now works at FU, um, I mean UF. Here’s the story: http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=13352142

I’ve been pimping LSU’s studly CB Patrick Peterson for the Heisman. Peterson is a fantastic player and a game changer. Cam Newton is on Peterson’s heels in my books, and this weekend will weed out one of these two for the Heisman. Newton has put up some amazing numbers and made some amazing plays. If I had to pick today, I might pick Newton over Peterson.

Doug says:

Auburn-Arkansas set SEC football back 100 years last week. Some folks probably enjoy watching a 63-48 barnburner, but I doubt any of them are SEC fans. Once upon a time, we played defense in this league, son. In the end, this will be Auburn’s undoing. I mean, lighting up the scoreboard is fun, but defense wins championships. This is why I think the Iron Bowl will go the way of the Tide this year.

There’s one team that plays defense, for sure, and that’s Mississippi State. They kept Auburn and Georgia in check, and they punched Florida in the mouth last week. That was a classic, black-and-blue, ground-and-pound, SEC classic. Okay, maybe not a *classic*, but you get the point. We now live in a world where Mississippi State will likely become bowl eligible before Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. The end is coming soon, apparently.

Mississippi at Arkansas

Dave:

Sodomy is allegedly illegal in Arkansas. Don’t tell that to the Razorbacks, who are about to mercilessly pound the Mississippi African Descendant Bears. Ryan Mallet saw the final nail in his Heisman coffin get hammered in by his backup last week at Auburn. Arkansas continued to roll up offense in huge numbers with Mallett on the bench. That shows that Petrino has a plug-and-play system and Mallett isn’t exactly a game changer all by himself.

The Bad News Bears and their version of a Rhodes Scholar, Jerrell Powe, were throttled in Tuscaloosa last weekend. Mississippi had about 47 yards of offense in the first half. Powe, a functional illiterate, stepped on Greg McElroy’s throwing hand, and McElroy is lucky it wasn’t broken. I guess Powe figured if he cannot beat him mentally, he will do it physically then. Don’t expect much defense in this game, neither team has one.

WHOOOOO PIG! 34 – Bear Nutt 24

Doug:

Were you aware that Houston Nutt has won the last six matchups in this series? That’s right, the first four were Hog victories over the Rebs, and the last two were Reb victories over the Hogs. Well, streaks are made to be broken. If you’re an SEC purist, this game will be bowling shoe-ugly. If you’re a fan of the WAC, this one might be an instant classic. There will be exactly zero defense played in this game. Offensively, Arkansas has infinitely more weapons than the Bears, even while on their second string QB. Ole Miss lost yet another offensive lineman for the year, so Masoli will be running for his life, which actually works out better for the Bear offense.

Red Pigs 48
Black Bears 35

LSU at Auburn

Dave:

LSU at Auburn

Dave:

This is the marquee game of the week in all of college football.  Two undefeated top ten SEC teams, each with a Heisman contender and the luckiest coach in the history of the NCAA, Les Miles.  LSU fans should also hope that their football team was looking beyond McNeese State last weekend, because they sure didn’t look very good.

Auburn outran Arkansas in a track meet.  Over 100 points and over 1000 yards of offense between the two in a game that featured no defense and resembled a WAC game.  This will be the second major test of Cam Newton.  Cam was held in check by Mississippi State and his former coach Dan Mullen.  Now he faces a solid LSU defense on the road.   

LSU fans are outraged with Les Miles and sick of Jordan Jefferson.  Some even believe that Jefferson has dirt on Miles.  One disgusted fan called Les Miles and let him hear it.  This is priceless:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz81EnGG_ks&feature=player_embedded

So here is what happens:  LSU will keep Auburn in check most of the game, while Auburn does the same.  The more playing time Jefferson sees, the less likely LSU wins.  When it comes to playmakers at QB, Auburn is light years ahead of LSU.  That will be the difference here.

War Beagles 31 – I wish you got my naked pictures away from Jefferson 24

Doug:

This is the game of the century of the week, and it bumps UT-Alabama from its annual 3:30 CBS slot. The War Tiger coaches have kept Cam Newton locked up in the basement all week, feeding him raw steak and Red Bull, and are hoping he doesn’t tear up his cage on the way to the stadium this Saturday. Lester Miles is hoping this one is close enough that he can pull something horrifyingly magnificent from his rear end in the last seconds. Lester is still mired in a QB controversy, so LSU is going to rely on their defense to keep them in the game. Mr. Newton will make that strategy problematic.

War Tigers 27
Coonasses 17

South Carolina at Vanderbilt

Dave:

The Chickens had their asses kicked by Sucky Kentucky. As most believed, the AKC had a letdown of epic proportion after defeating #1 Alabama. In fact, the last SEC road win for USC was at Kentucky two years ago. Spurrier had Atlanta waiting for him on a silver platter and he blew it. It seems every year that Carolina start out strong and fades as the season goes on. I don’t get it.

Vanderbilt was skulldrug by Jawga. That was flat out ugly. That said, I’ll still probably regret this pick.

Chikinz 24 – Vandy 21

Doug:

Way to go, Carolina. You turned the corner against Alabama, and then crashed straight into a wall at Kentucky. The Wildcats are soft against the run, so what does Coach Spurrier do? Throw, throw, throw. Only six run attempts in the second half. I wish I could say I was surprised, but I’m not. Carolina will never get over that hump, it seems. They just can’t stand success. Now that they’re licking their wounds, they have a chance to get well against Vanderbilt. They’re a little dinged up, but it shouldn’t matter. Should it?

Cackolackey 31
Easy 17

UAB at Mississippi State

Dave:

Mississippi State has not been ranked, respected or very good for the last decade. Dan Mullen has changed all of that in 19 games. The Dawgs have assembled a pretty good offense and defense. In fact, LB Chris White was named national defensive player of the week for his dominating performance at Florida. This game has trap written all over it, especially after such a big emotional win last weekend. If State manages to win this one, they will become bowl eligible for only the second time in a decade. If State loses this game, that sixth win might be really hard to come by.

Mithippi State 38 – UAB 13

Doug:

Mississippi State is ranked after their victory over Florida last week. Although that game wasn’t very pretty, and there was a lot of offensive futility in that one, it was kinda cool in an old-school SEC way. I mean, State just lined up and ran the clock out, three yards at a time. Here it is, boys, step up and stop it. This week, those three yards at a time will probably be more like seven or eight, and they’ll probably throw it a little more, too. Tennessee, take note of what an SEC school should do to UAB. Of course, it would be typical Mississippi State for them to lose this game, but I think that’s more likely to happen next week against Kentucky than this week against a middling C-USA team.

Fans will be watching this game 44
Fans will be watching the Alabama game 17

Alabama at Tennessee

Dave:

It wasn’t too long ago when this game was always in the national limelight. Tennessee and Alabama hate each other. Hell, Bama was trying to serve papers to Phil Fulmer, which prevented him from attending SEC media days a few years ago. There is hatred here in both directions. The problem for Vol fans is that they don’t have a good team and Alabama does. Even with an extra week to prepare for this game, Tennessee will not be able to handle the assault from McElroy, Ingram and Richardson. So a sea of orange will grossly outnumber the Crimson in the stadium, but on the field, the tide overtakes the sea.

Alabama 27 – Tennessee 10

Doug:

The Tide has been downright ordinary the last couple of games. Of course, that cost them a perfect season against Carolina, but it didn’t cost them anything against Ole Miss. It probably won’t cost them anything this week either, as this isn’t your father’s Tennessee. I don’t know if this one will even qualify as a rivalry game this year. There will be 108,000 folks in the stadium, and you will probably be able to count on one hand the number of people there that believe Tennessee has a shot.

Rolling 28
Rocky 14

Georgia at Kentucky

Dave:

It only took more than half of the season, but Georgia decided to show up and look like they are supposed to in a bitchslap of Vandy last weekend. If Richt could only stop the off the field problems with arrests. The main question here is, does Kentucky pull a South Carolina and come out flat after a huge win in the previous week? This one is worthy of a coin flip.

Jawga 34 – Kats 31

Doug:

The Dawgs are BACK, baby! That’s right, Red and Black Pride is restored. UGA fans are making their reservations in Atlanta for the SEC championship game. The SEC East really is laughable this year, and the mere fact that Georgia still has a mathematical chance to win it is a testament to that. Kentucky players should be riding high after the amazing comeback victory against Carolina last week, but they’re too busy sending out tweets, reminding folks about how much their fans suck. Kentucky throws the ball decently, and Georgia doesn’t defend the pass all that well, which should make this one interesting. In the end, the Dawgs should prevail and keep the momentum going.

Dogs 38
Cats 35

Two Daves Pick the SEC
October 16, 2010
Welcome to Two Daves Pick the SEC! Dear Greg McElroy, you wonder why most sports fans respect Tim Tebow? When Florida lost, Tebow didn’t blame others, he didn’t point at others. After being upset by Ole Miss, Tebow went before the press and laid out the infamous Tebow Pledge. Then he proceeded to back it up. So while you are wondering if you get accepted for a Rhodes Scholarship, you may want to consider leading your team by example instead of publicly bashing them.
This just in, Ole Miss selects the black bears for their mascot. Hey, they’ve got “black” in their mascot now, so they are cleansed of their history of racism, right?

Doug sez:
Down Goes Frazier! That is the first thing that came to mind when Carolina-Alabama went final. It took him long enough, but Spurrier is back, and the conference is better for it. One of my Ole Miss buddies tells me that SC showed the blueprint for beating Bama and that the Rebs, um, Black Bears have a shot this weekend. They’ve got a shot, all right…in their rear ends.
And now a shout out to my homie Mr. Rice, who lives in Atlanta and is now hating life. You see, now that Georgia has smacked Tennessee and righted the ship, he has to endure the daily, “We’re Back!” proclamations from the barking fanbase. Don’t worry, my man….that’ll all be over by the cocktail party.
Speaking of the cocktail party, Florida sure is scuffling right now, and they are the latest victim of bat-crazy Lester Miles and his traveling carnival show. The Gators get a break this week with Mississippi State, or do they?

Mississippi at Alabama

Dave:
Sure, the Bad News Bears had two weeks to prepare for this game. The absolute last thing I would want to do is head to Tuscaloosa and face a talented Saban team coming off a loss. Everyone already knows Tyrone Nix’s defense wears out in the second half, and they aren’t really that good in the first half. Bama will feed Ingram and Richardson the ball and relentlessly pound on Ole Miss’ version of a Rhodes Scholar, Jerrell Powe.
Alerbammey 34 – Mississippi 17

Doug:
With apologies to Magee, this is the bitchslap of the week. And that’s taking LSU-McNeese into consideration. Alabama is going to do evil things to Ole Miss. I envision Masoli running for his life, which is probably the best chance the Rebs are going to have to get any offense going. Meanwhile, the Tide offense is going to gash a depleted and overmatched Ole Miss defense. If Alabama had won last week, I’d have expected a slow, methodical domination here, but after the loss, this is going to be more of a statement game.
Red Elephants 41 – Black Bears 14

Mississippi State at Florida
Dave:
A meager month ago, who would have thought this game would have the implications that it does. Florida enters the second half of the season on a two game losing streak, while Mississippi State enters sporting a three game winning streak. A Florida loss all but kills any chance for the Gators to make it to Atlanta in December. Then there is the whole Dan Mullen factor.
Mullen will want to show up his old boss on his old field. The question is can he do it? State did just grind out 409 yards rushing all over Houston. Granted, Houston is no Florida, but Mullen has done what Steve Addazio cannot do: adjust his offense to fit the personnel on hand.
So what happens Saturday night in the Swamp? That’s a great question. I think it is a close game, with the team that makes the fewest mistakes pulling out a hard-fought win. Flip a coin on this one.
Mississippi State 24 – Florida 23

Doug:
Once upon a time, Urban Meyer had a brain, and paired with his brain, he won a lot of football games. Unfortunately for him, his brain vacated him and went to Starkville to coach Mississippi State. There’s a lot of “State has a chance in this one” comments floating around for this game. You know, there were a lot of “State has a chance against LSU” comments floating around, too. While the talent gap has closed significantly, and Florida is downright putrid offensively, I still don’t see that the Dawgs are ready to go into the swamp and pull out a win. Not saying they can’t do it, but I just don’t see it at this time.
Reeling Gators 24 – Surging Dawgs 21

Arkansas at Auburn
Dave:
Both of these teams struggled last week. Arkansas held on for dear life and beat Texas A&M, while Auburn needed the heroics (again) of Cam Newton to get in position for a game winning field goal at Kentucky. Maybe both teams were looking to this game? The problem with that thought is that Arkansas has a knack for blowing a game in the second half, just ask Alabama. Auburn fans, don’t be so cocky, your defense got owned by Kensucky.
This game comes down to Ryan Mallett versus Cam Newton. Newton has the advantage in this matchup because of his freakish running threat. That is why Auburn wins this game. OK, Arkansas doesn’t play defense either.
Auburn 31 – Arkansas 27

Doug:
Game of the week. Here are two highly-ranked teams. Here are two dynamic offenses and two suspect defenses. Here are two Heisman-caliber quarterbacks. Here are two teams still in the thick of the SEC race. Auburn comes off a lackluster effort, but they could’ve been looking ahead. Arkansas, similarly, comes off a lackluster effort. I’m not going to flip a coin here because I’m fairly convinced that Auburn should win this one. I just think their defense will fare better than the Hogs D. Will the legend of Cam Newton continue to grow?
War Tigers 27 – Soooie 22

Vanderbilt at Georgia

Dave:
With 11 players arrested this year, Jawga has now had either the entire offense or defense arrested. Tennessee wishes that it had been the offense arrested since the Dawg offense came to life last weekend with the return of AJ Green. Georgia finally started looking like Georgia is supposed to look like. I should reserve that statement, Tennessee is terrible. Really bad. Hideous.
Vanderbilt bitchslapped the EMU’s last weekend. That should bring ramifications from PETA. Those poor, helpless little EMU’s. Robbie Caldwell, you are a sick man! Don’t be shocked if this one goes for the black and gold.
Jawga 24 – Vandy 23.9899843958

Doug:
The Hairy Dawgs are back!!! They whipped the mighty, mighty Vols last week, and suddenly, all thoughts of embarrassing losses to Colorado and Mississippi State have faded away. Now, they have a new UGA roaming the sidelines. The sky is the limit for the Dawgs, and they get to pad their record against the bumbling Commodores. Vandy is coming off a win over Eastern Michigan, and for Vandy, any win is significant.
Hairy Dawgs 31 – Easy 17

South Carolina at Kentucky
Dave:
Here is where we find out if South Carolina is a contender or a pretender. Sure, the AKC cockslapped Bama up and down the field, but can they go to Lexington and play with that same level of effort and intensity? Even Vizor Boy himself acknowledged that how they play against Kentucky and Vanderbilt is what matters. Kentucky went 3.9 quarters with Auburn and Randall Cobb is a dynamic playmaker. Again, this one comes down to defensive genius Ellis Johnson. Sure, I say his name a lot. If there’s a better defensive coordinator in the SEC, I’d love to know who he is. How good is Johnson? Sylvester Croom won eight games in 2007 with Johnson as his defensive coordinator. That is why…..
Chikinz 31 – We still got Ashley Judd 21

Doug:
Historically, teams seem to have a letdown after huge, emotional wins. I don’t think that will apply in this case. Why? Because the AKC are coached by a rejuvenated Steve Spurrier, and they are playing Sucky Kentucky, who expended a lot of emotion of their own in a near-upset of Auburn last week. Look for the countdown to Midnight Madness to pick up steam in Lexington as the Cocks roll on.
AKC 31 – Mildcats 20

McNeese State at LSU
Dave:
I’d really like to make this the bitchslap of the week. Really. There are two things keeping me from that. First, we have LSU coming off a huge emotional win over Florida at the swamp. That plus the fact that LSU doesn’t have a quarterback worth a flip keeps me making that proclamation. LSU still wins easy. Les Miles was feeling so fresh last Saturday, he probably called up Katy Perry and asked her if she’d like to tickle his Elmo.
Zing 34 – Zang 13

Doug:
Lester the Mad Hatter can finally breathe easy this week, knowing he won’t have to call his “FG-Fake, One-Bounce-Blind-Backward-Pass-That-Looks-Like-A-Forward-Pass-To-The-Kicker” play. The conventional stuff should work a little better this week. I’ve never seen a fanbase so uneasy about a 6-0 team, but there comes a point when all the craziness starts to convince folks that LSU is for real and is likely to pull a win from their rear ends in the unlikeliest of ways every week. They’ve still got Alabama and Auburn on the schedule, and they still have significant QB issues, but this team is starting to smell a lot like the first LSU team that Miles coached. That smell is Musk de Miles. If the Tigers win the National Championship this year, Coonasses will be selling that stuff by the ounce.
Big Coonasses 38 – Little Coonasses 14

Two Daves Pick the SEC
October 9, 2010
Welcome to Two Daves Pick the SEC! As I watched the end of the Tennessee-LSU clusterf…. oh yeah, It’s a family show…… the Tennessee-LSU game, I was thinking two things: 1) LSU is going to get a flag for illegal procedure with all those guys running on/off the field 2) Lester will be disemboweled on the 50 yard line for this most recent screwup of biblical proportion in the category of clock management. As Derek Dooley ran on to the field glowing with excitement for his first SEC win, I was amazed there were no flags on the field. Wait, hold the presses there is a flag, but it was on Tennessee. Thirteen men on the field, two more than they should have had. LSU gets one more chance at life. If Tennessee just sits still they win because of LSU’s wretched clock management. I won’t categorize Dooley in the dumb as lester category just yet, he’s a young coach. Lester hasn’t fixed his problem, Gary Crowton. Until Crowton and/or Jordan Jefferson is gone, these clock management problems will continue to plague LSU.

Doug says:

Last week’s LSU-Tennessee debacle set SEC football back 20 years. Two teams that have historically been conference powerhouses took turns trying to out-retard each other. If you ever visit the Lester Miles household and have to use the facilities there, you will surely see a book next to the toilet entitled Clock Management for Dummies by Jackie Sherrill. After watching the Tigahs completely whittle away any chance to win that game, it was apparent that Miles has been doing his homework, because I haven’t seen time managed so poorly since Kang Jackie was roaming the sidelines in Starkville. So, we saw the LSU coaches let the clock run down while they panicked, and naturally, the result was a fumbled snap and ballgame over. Of course, Tennessee countered this by having 13 men on the field, giving LSU a free untimed down from inside the 1 yard line. Brilliant. The last minute of that game actually overshadowed a superb effort by the Vols, but ten years from now, nobody will be talking about that.
In other news, Georgia really sucks, Ole Miss may not be so bad after all (at least offensively), and Alabama continues to roll. Oh, and I am not very good at picking winners so far this year, either.

LSU at Florida

Dave:

Florida is clearly missing Dan Mullen. Mullen adjusts his offense to fit his personnel. The Gators are still trying to run Tebow plays with a prototypical pocket passer, and that isn’t going to work. Alabama ran all over the Gators, but when you have two first round draft picks at running back, that tends to happen.

What else is there to say about LSU? Les Miles has clearly sold his soul to the devil, nobody naturally has that much luck. What used to be an exciting game just doesn’t have that same appeal now. LSU doesn’t have Alabama’s running game, and the offense as a whole just isn’t performing well.
Florida 24 – LSU 23

Doug:

The Lester Miles traveling circus makes its way to the swamp this week.

Unfortunately for him, he can’t count on the Gators handing him the game on a silver platter like Tennessee did last week. I think that when you dump Miles’ decision making in a big pot, and add the lack of a reliable QB, the injured pride of a Gator team that was humiliated by Alabama, and the white-hot passion of 80,000 fans in the swamp, the result is a poison stew for the Tigahs.

Tigerbait 24
Gatorbait 20

Tennessee at Georgia

Dave:
It’s been nice knowing you Mark Richt! Losing to a hideous Colorado team has sealed your fate. The only way you could possibly make your life more miserable would be to lose to Tennessee. Speaking of the Vols, I don’t know how Dooley gets his guys back up off the floor after an epic failure by their coaches. This game should be ugly, neither team knows how to win any more. Remember back in the late 90’s, LSU’s Gerry DiNardo wanted his team to “be like Mississippi State” and win the close games and the SEC West. Well, it appears that both Tennessee and Georgia resemble Mississippi State, however in the Croom regime and both have surpassed State in suckiness. Folks, that’s hard to do.
Jawga 21 – Tennessee 20

Doug says:

It’s full crisis mode in Athens right now. It’s gotten so bad that Mark Richt has decided to change his pregame routine and run out ahead of the team when they take the field, instead of running behind them. Whatever you think will work, coach. Vols coach Derek Dooley is listed as questionable for this game after injuring his shoulder from repeatedly spiking his headset in the last two minutes of the LSU game, and his cardiologist is on speed dial after he went from the euphoric high of a huge upset in Death Valley, to the lowest of lows that come with crapping the bed in historic fashion in front of millions over the span of about 30 seconds. The winner of this compelling matchup will be the team who is the most desperate at this point. I believe that team is Georgia.

Dogged 28
Rocky 24

Auburn at Kentucky

Dave:

Sucky Kentucky! Kentucky didn’t take care of the ball and they lost to a bad Ole Miss team. Auburn skulldrug directional Louisiana and Cam Newton is putting up Heisman numbers. This will be Auburn’s second game outside of the loveliest village on the plains, and I expect they will handle it just fine. Then again, they only won by three in Starkville. Either State is better than thought or Auburn is not. My money is on the former.

Auburn 31 – Kensucky 13

Doug:

Well, we now know that Kentucky is the same old Sucky Kentucky that we’ve always known. New coach, same old crap. I expected Joker’s boys to handle Ole Miss, but it just didn’t happen. Now, they’ve got a Tiger by the tail, even if it’s in their own house. Cam Newton will run wild in Lexington. Cheer up, Cat fans. Calipari’s Felons take the floor in just a few weeks.

Looking for the Heisman 34
Looking to Hoops Season 14

Alabama at South Carolina

Dave:

The ol’ ball coach now faces one of the biggest challenges of his tenure at South Carolina, perhaps his entire coaching career. The Tide comes rolling in off a bitchslap of Florida. The only bad news for Bammey is that Julio Jones has a sore knee. Defensive mastermind Ellis Johnson will dial up a supreme gameplan for the AKC, he is one of the best coordinators in the business. The question becomes how can South Carolina score on Alabama? I don’t know the answer to that question. I think the Carolina defense wears out from being on the field too much. Unlike #4 Ole Miss last year, Bama is a legitimate top 5 team.
Alabama 27 – AKC 17

Doug:

I love Coach Spurrier. He had a beautiful dig on Les Miles this week.

“Sometimes you can be a dumb coach and still win ballgames, as we’ve seen recently.” He was originally talking about previous matchups with Nick Saban, and how in the early days when Spurrier was at Florida and Saban was at LSU, the Ol’ Ball Coach always seemed smarter, but more recently, Saban has won the battle of wits. We all know, and LSU confirms, that the most important thing is talent on the field. That can overcome a lot of stupidity. And looking purely at talent, South Carolina has a lot of it, but not nearly as much as Alabama. This is why the Tide will have their way with Carolina this weekend.

Tide Rolling 27
AKC 6

Eastern Michigan at Vanderbilt

The return of the EMU. There are two things you can usually count on in October: Mariano Rivera mowing batters down and Vanderbilt finding a way to lose. For some strange reason, I think Vanderbilt can pull this game out. Maybe I need medication.

Vandy 24 – large feathered animals 17

Doug:

Now that Vanderbilt is actually playing a winnable non-conference game, let’s see if they can get it done. The rest of the SEC is wondering what that smell is…and it’s Vanderbilt….getting drilled by a bunch of Connecticut Yankees last week. C’mon and redeem yourselves this week, ‘Dores.

Easy Like Sunday Morning 24
Roadkill? 20

Texas A&M vs. Arkansas (in Dallas)
Dave says:
WHOOOOOOO PIG, SOOOOOIE! Yes, I’m sure that Jerry Jones will join in on the calling of the Hogs in his billion dollar mansion. Texas A&M has been plagued with turnovers, which give Mallet and more chances to score and complain to the refs.
SEC 34 – 12th man 20

Doug says:

Jerry Jones loves having his beloved Hogs come into his house. This one could’ve had bigger implications if the Aggies had grown a pair and accepted the invitation to join the SEC over the summer. As it stands, this game really means nothing. There will be a lot of Aggie fans in Dallas, but the Hogs will have their share. At the end of the day, the quality on the field will dictate the winner here, and that is Arkansas, all day.

Sooie 37
Big 12 Proud 17

Mississippi State at Houston

Dave:
Just as Derek Dooley made his young coaching mistake last week, Dan Mullen pulled one last year against Houston. An illegal forward pass was called on Mississippi State against Houston that was in fact legal. Mullen should have called time out and let the refs review it. He didn’t and State lost. Houston is probably glad that Anthony Dixon is gone after his highlight reel 50 yard TD run dragging three cougars with him the last 20 yards. Houston also misses its starting and backup quarterbacks, both lost for the season to injury in the same game. Just as Lester has good luck, Houston has bad luck. Two true freshmen have been battling it out on who gets to start against an SEC team. Note to Mullen, Vick Ballard is your friend, run him early and often.
Mstate 34 – Not Mstate 24

Doug:
There’s actually some storylines associated with this game. Last year, State had the Coogs beat, if not for the moronic C-USA officials protecting the visiting team. Don’t think Dan Mullen has forgotten this. His task of retribution is much easier now that Houston is on their third and fourth string QBs. Add in the fact that Houston has suspended their leading WR for this game for the dreaded “violation of team rules.” Houston probably has enough talent to compete in C-USA without a QB, but against an SEC team? I don’t see it. Look for the Dawgs to inch closer to bowl eligibility.

Cougar Hunters 35
Cougars 20

Two Daves Pick the SEC
October 2, 2010

Welcome to Two Daves Pick the SEC! One-third of the 2010 season is complete and we have been able to clump teams into groups of contenders or pretenders, or just flat out terrible. Ryan Mallett is the whiniest little bitch of a quarterback that I’ve seen in a long time. Every time you turn around, he’s whining and complaining to the officials again. Mallett effectively eliminated himself from Heisman contention against Alabama and defending Heisman winner Mark Ingram.

Speaking of the Heisman, I’m firmly promoting LSU’s studly cornerback Patrick Peterson for Heisman. This guy has tremendous speed and quickness, particularly for his size, and fantastic hands. By himself, he is a big time game changer. Ingram is second on my list, followed closely by Cam Newton, who is rocketing up the list with exceptional performances.

Doug sez:

Well, I was hard on Ole Miss last week, and they actually turned in an SEC-quality performance. Maybe if I go back to being nice and easy on them, they’ll return to their cosmically embarrassing selves. As for the rest of the pack, Georgia is hurting, Spurrier is griping, and Kentucky had their reality check. Alabama toyed with Arkansas before dashing their dreams. Just another week in the SEC.

Alcorn State at Mississippi State

Alcorn State you say? The Alcorn State mentioned by Detective Nick Yemana in an episode of Barney Miller? Why yes it is. By far, the most famous Alcorn alumnus is the late and great Steve “Air” McNair. This will be the first meeting between these two schools as Dan Mullen makes it a point to play schools in Mississippi every year, starting with Jackson State last year.

Mississippi State managed to pull off a win over visiting Jawga in Vegas, probably ending Mark Richt’s tenure in Athens. Sylvester Croom is gone, so Richt didn’t get Croomed, he was Mullenated. As others at sixpackspeak.com call it, danhandled. Either way, starting the season 1-4, 0-3 in the conference, condemns Richt. Jawga shouldn’t fire him for that, they should fire him after 10 arrests of his players this year, with the most recent being Demetre Baker, who got a DUI after the State loss. Baker didn’t even make the trip to Vegas.

Props to State’s safety Nickoe Whitley, who absolutely JACKED UP Jawga’s Washun Eley , separating the ball, Eleay’s helmet and almost his head as Ealey was about to cross the goal line. So I give Whitley the Whack of the Week for that hit. If State plays as crisply as they did against Memphis, this will be a bitchslap. I’m not sold on that Memphis game not being a fluke.

Mithhhippppi State 37 – Alcorn State 10

Doug says:

This is the part where State shows last week’s win over Georgia wasn’t a fluke. The Dawgs play without TE Marcus Green and DL Fletcher Cox (who was dastardly clipped last week by a Georgia thug), but it doesn’t matter. The best performance from the visitors will be at halftime when the tuba players “Get Jiggy With It”. During the game, the only dancing will be Bulldog players moonwalking into the endzone.

Dawgs 58 – Paycheck 7

Florida at Alabama

You want a marquee matchup? Here it is. Defending national champion Alabama hosts the newest Urban Legend, Trey Burton and his coach Urban Meyer. Burton, a true freshman, scored six touchdowns against Sucky Kentucky, breaking a school record set by some guy named Tebow. In five carries, he scored five touchdowns. Welcome to head coaching in the SEC, Joker!

Alabama’s defense was picked apart by Ryan Mallett for the first half against Arkansas. Satan himself did some adjusting at halftime and shut down Mallett. Meanwhile, Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson continued running for miles. It just doesn’t seem fair for one team to have both of these guys.

So this game doesn’t have the luster of the 2009 SEC Championship game, its still the best two teams in the SEC slugging it out. Florida will have to play perfect to win this game. Perfection is far from this team, there are still issues with the center-QB exchanges. If Florida still had Aaron Hernandez, I could see them exploiting the Tide’s secondary. Deonte Thompson just isn’t the playmaker Hernandez was, and he’s the best the Gators have.

The two-headed hammer of Ingram and Richardson will be slowed down at first by the rock of the Gator defense. Just like most other rocks, if you hit them long enough and hard enough with a hammer, they break. That’s exactly what I expect to happen in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama 27 – Florida 17

Doug says:

I’m half-tempted to pick Florida. Seriously. I was surprised by Alabama’s near miss in Fayetteville last week. Maybe I just need to come to the realization that Arkansas is just that good, but I can’t do it. The Tide has a habit of methodically doing what they need to do, but Florida has the talent to hang with them, and when the game comes down to a possession, anything can happen. Since this one is at the Big Trailer Park, I’ll go ahead and give it to the Tide by a whisker.

Crimson Legends 24 – Urban Legends 23

Directional Louisiana at Auburn

Last week I said someone would step up and make a big play to win the game between Auburn and South Carolina. Cam Newton did that, and he did it three or four times. His performance against Clemson and now South Carolina shot him up my Heisman list. Newton’s arm still isn’t perfect, but its good enough, and his legs are more than enough. The only concern for Auburn for the rest of the season is LSU and at Alabama. In the one game outside of the friendly confines of Jordan Hare stadium, Auburn looked beatable. If Mississippi State’s receivers could catch a cold, they probably do beat Auburn. Odds are this year’s Iron Bowl decides who goes to Atlanta.

Auburn 38 – NWSENESWLA 13

Doug says:

So now, Auburn finally gets a breather on the schedule. They need it. Quietly, they are proving that they are going to be a force in the SEC race. They’re already battle-tested, with quality wins over USCe, Clemson, and Mississippi State. More tests are ahead. This is a week for the Tigers to rest and take it easy, and enjoy their accomplishments a little while longer, before the inevitable late season collapse arrives.

War Tigers 55 – Paycheck 10

Kentucky at Mississippi

The mildcats are reeling after being skulldrug in the Swamp. They won’t face anything close to Florida when they visit Vaught Hemingway this weekend. Mississippi lost to Jacksonville State and Vanderbilt at home. They also lost stud DE Kentrell Lockett to a torn ACL last weekend. Kentucky can come in and win this game, if they still have any confidence left after the Florida game. Joker Phillips will have a big test in seeing if he can get his guys up for a game after such a let down. I’d flip a coin for the winner of this one, but Jeremiah Masoli would probably steal that too.

Mississippi 24 – Kentucky 23

Doug says:

I was wrong about Mississippi. Clearly, they haven’t lost a thing from back-to-back Cotton Bowl championships. They’re as strong as ever on both sides of the ball, with brilliant tactician Houston Nutt drawing up the plays that wow the enthusiastic, sellout crowds that pack Vaught Doublewide Stadium. They’ve lost tailback Enrique Davis and all SEC defensive end Kentrell Lockett to injury. And in a move that QB Jeremiah Masoli deemed harsh, Nutt gave promising linebacker Clarence Jackson the boot, since he had the urge to steal him a TV. But guess what: they don’t need ‘em. As long as they’ve got Masoli and Nutt, they’re good. The rest of the SEC better look out.

Surging Rebels 24 – Endangered Wildcats…………….42

Georgia at Colorado

Mark Richt is in unfamiliar territory, Colorado. Having spent most of his coaching career in Florida and Georgia, he gets to go into the mountains and face the Beefaloes. Georgia moved the ball in Starkville pretty well, but penalties and turnovers killed them. Georgia isn’t far off from being a pretty good football team, this might be good medicine for UGA. Getting AJ Green back will be great medicine for the dogs.

Georgia 31 – Colorado 30

Doug says:

Georgia is fine. Everyone calm down. You’ve lost some hard-fought games to some tough opponents. You’ve done without superstar AJ Green. You’ve got good skill players, and your QB, though a freshman, looks poised and mobile. Ok, so your defense sucks, but you can’t have everything. Hunker down, you hairy dawgs, because it will get better. At least until you get to the cocktail party.

Hairy Dawgs 42 – Intramurals, Brother! 17

Tennessee at LSU

If LSU had a quarterback worth a damn, this would be the bitchslap of the week. The Tiger defense is playing at a very high level, while the offense struggles every week. Tennessee plays great for a half, then they fall apart. Just ask Oregon and UAB. This will be Derek Dooley’s first road game as Tennessee’s coach, and he’s lucky its not at night. LSU’s defense, led by Patrick Peterson will feast upon Tennessee’s offense. I don’t know that LSU’s offense will get fed against the Volunteers. There will still be unhappy people on the bayou after this one, the unhappiest 5-0 people you’ll ever know.

Ellessyoo 27 – Tennessee 13

Doug says:

I could be all witty and cute here, but everything I need to say can be summed up in three simple acronyms: OT? UAB? WTF?

Coonasses 34 – Can we bring back Fulmer? 14

Vanderbilt at Uconn
The Commodores head way up north to face a pretty good Uconn team. Uconn is no Mississippi, so the Commodores will have a real fight on their hands. I don’t think they have enough to pull this one off.

Uconn 27 – Vandy 16

Doug says:

Memo to Vandy: You are in the SEC. You don’t have to play quality non-conference opponents. You can lose to Jacksonville State just as easily as Ole Miss can. Do yourself a favor and follow the Rebel Scheduling Method ™ and get yourself some easy non-conference wins. Playing Northwestern and UConn, you’re just asking for a two-win season.

We Play Football Too 24 – Easy Like Sunday Morning 14