Tag: UGA

As we head into Week 5, I am 20-13 on the year. This weekend I will be using the betED lines for my picks. On with the show!

3 Alabama at Kentucky
The Tide rolls into Lexington favored by 16 points, and I think they can do just that, and bring home a 35-17 victory.

21 Mississippi at Vanderbilt
I think everyone and their crazy black sheep bastard uncle living in attic knew Mississippi was over rated. At the same time Vanderbilt has let me down a little this year. Mississippi is giving up 10 points, and part of me wants to say this should be a 13 point game. Maybe I am going against the grain on this one, but I do not think Ole Miss covers; I am going with Vanderbilt and the points. Not to win mind you; just taking the 10 points.

S. Carolina St at South Carolina
This one is off the board for good reason. Of course the fighting chickens will win easily, but the question is by how much? I say 35 points.

Texas A&M at Arkansas
This one is pretty much a pick ‘em. Harkens back to the old Southwest Conference days. I do not like either team in this match up; personal preference and for picking purposes. The Hogs are giving up 1, and I guess I will go with a mediocre SEC team over a mediocre Big-12 team.

25 Georgia Tech at Mississippi St
I do not see how the bumblebees can be favored by 5.5, unless everyone thinks that the Western Bulldogs played way over their heads last week against LSU. I am going to take Mississippi St and the points. Not sure that they will actually win, but I think they can cover.

Auburn at Tennessee
Around here the popular pick seems to be Auburn by a good 10 points, but the line calls for Tennessee by 2.5. Seems kind of strange to me. Lord knows I hate taking Auburn, and Tennessee is just as bad. If I remove the emotional part of this, I think that the home team wins by 3, which means they cover.

4 LSU at 18 Georgia
To me this is the shocking line of the week. How are the Dawgs favored by 3.5? Does this mean that at #4, LSU is way over rated? It is not as if the Bulldogs are a Top 10 team. Georgia has struggled mightily in every game, and this one will not be different. Because the defense is so suspect, I can see another 38-33 type of game, but it pains me to say that I have to take LSU and the points. Of course I want a Georgia victory, but I have my doubts. I hope they prove me wrong!

Go Dawgs!

Today the ajc posted an article about Georgia adding Idaho State to its 2010 schedule.

Located in Pocatello, Idaho, and a member of the Big Sky Conference, Idaho State will play in Athens on Nov. 6, 2010. The school is a member of the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-AA.

Georgia’s other non-conference opponents next year are Louisiana Lafayette (in Athens), Colorado (in Boulder) and Georgia Tech (in Athens).

Idaho State is winless this season (0-4), including a 50-3 loss to Arizona State, which Georgia beat 20-17 last weekend.

Embarrassing. I do not know what else to call it except embarrassing. You cannot convince me that Georgia could not find a more compelling and willing non conference opponent.

Going into this weekend’s SEC action I was 15-10. I did pretty good in Week 4 with three misses (Georgia – more on this one further down, Kentucky, LSU) to five wins (Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt) bringing my total on the early year to 20-13.

Big Picture Take 1 – Penn St goes down to Iowa
Much like Ohio St a few weeks ago, I am glad Penn St can be removed from National Championship consideration. This team gets way too much hype for a chump schedule. A 21-10 loss, at home mind you, to Iowa is pretty bad for a team that was supposedly elite.

Big Picture Take 2 – Cal stumbles badly
To me California’s #6 ranking was like Mississippi’s #4 ranking – premature and not at all earned, which continues to expose flaws in how current Poll system. Cal was mauled 42-3 on the road to Oregon. I have no idea what this means for the Pac-10; all their top teams are stumbling. BTW, newly anointed Pac-10 stalwart, dragon slayer (that would be USC for those of you keeping score at home), #24 Washington took one on the chin 34-14 from Stanford.

Big Picture Take 3 – What about Tebow?
Tim Tebow took a hell of a hit, and all of a sudden Texas and Alabama have a real shot to pass the Gators. Don’t think for a minute that Florida is not a good team without Tebow; they are and are better than most teams. The fact is that Tim Tebow is a leader; the heart and soul of Gator Nation. Florida gets a week off to rest up for LSU, but depending on Tebow’s status, the National Championship picture just opened up a little. With Tebow healthy the game features Florida and someone else. Without a healthy Tebow, it is anyone’s race.

WTF is wrong with Georgia?
A win is a win I guess. Years from now; hopefully weeks from now, Georgia’s 20-17 escape over visiting Arizona St will just be remembered as a win. Much like Georgia was ranked too high last year, maybe Arizona St was overrated last year. Maybe at the end of this year Arizona St will sit at the top the Pac-10, which would make my current contempt for this mediocre Georgia team a little more respectable.

I am not sure where to start, but what I do know is that last week’s game against Arkansas exposed Georgia for what it is – overrated, which is a bitter pill to swallow. How is a team overrated when they are only #21 in the land? Georgia’s 52-41 win over Arkansas made Cox look like a world beater, and continued to make Coach Richt look like a fool for not removing Defensive Coordinator Willie Martinez. So what happened when Alabama played host to Arizona yesterday? Alabama shut down Arkansas 35-7.

You have to assume that all the turnovers (2 INTs and 1 fumble) kept Arizona St in the game. The defensive is just too up and down – inconsistent. Arizona St only mustered 204 total yards, which by any measure makes a case for redemption by Martinez. The simple fact is that the game should have never been this close, and Georgia inexplicable put Arizona St in a position to steal a victory between the Hedges. Thank goodness for A.J. Green. Not only did he 8 receptions for 153 yards and a TD, he also blocked a potential go ahead FG by the Sun Devils.

At times the play calling by Offensive Coordinator Mike Bobo was atrocious. Just keep going back to the FB since it was so ineffective the previous five times? Cox almost literally threw away the game. Bobo’s gaffs are a little more forgivable than Martinez. At least with Bobo you can say that he is still learning his craft, and he only has Cox to work with or some potential freshmen studs that many not be ready yet.

Make no mistake, the Bulldogs are plenty talented, but they are completely undisciplined, which spells poor coaching. Of course I have never been good at phonics, and do not spell very well, so your opinions may vary. In this “what have you done lately for me” SEC environment, I am not suggesting that Richt step down, be fired, etc. I am suggesting that it is time for Richt to seriously consider stepping into the offensive and defensive game planning sessions because I have to assume that Richt is too loyal to his staff to make any personnel changes.

Next week looms big – LSU comes calling and I have a feeling that it is not going to be pretty. Of course hope springs eternal. LSU almost lost to Mississippi St, and maybe Georgia overlooked the Sun Devils. Is it possible that the game winning field goal as time expired, and subsequent celebration is a turning point for this Bulldogs team? Hope springs eternal …

Going into Week 4 I was 15-10, but thanks to my brilliant (but obvious) pick of the Fighting Chickens over Ole Miss, I am 1-0 on the week, and 16-10 on the year. On to the rest picks!

Heard this one on the radio: What is the difference between Brett Favre and Mississippi? Favre is still #4. Ouch, but funny enough to post.

7 LSU vs. Miss. St
The Dogs from Mississippi may be improved (hey, they snuck up on Vanderbilt), but there is not enough talent on this squad to eat the Cats. State is getting 13 paltry points, but that will not be near enough for the drubbing they are going to receive. LSU is the pick.

Arkansas vs. 3 Alabama
Last weekend Georgia made the Hogs look like they had some sort of world class, high scoring offense, but this weekend reality will sat in when they visit the Tide. The Elephants have not been good to me this year – against the spread I am 0-2. I have tried going with them and again them, and this week there is a whopping 17.5 points at play. I have a feeling I am going 0-3, but I am going to say that Alabama covers.

1 Florida vs. Kentucky
Now that the Gators are past the emotional train wreck (i.e. Volunteers of Tennessee) of last week, they will get back on track to true #1 in the nation dominating form. Three TDs is a hell of a lot of points to cover in the SEC. The Wildcats are not a bad club, and while they are not a danger to beat Florida, I am going to say Kentucky covers the 21.5.

Ball St vs. Auburn
What a difference a year makes, but are the Tigers from the Plains really giving up 33 points? The Cardinals (0-3) are awful; they lost their opener to lowly North Texas. I guess the question is not if Ball St is 33 points bad, but Chizik’s boys really 33 points better than anyone? The line is too high; Auburn does not cover. WTF is a Chizik?

Ohio vs. Tennessee
The Volunteers are 1-2 so this match up with the mid major Bobcats from the MAC is a must win game. I have not seen anything out of Tennessee that predicts they can cover 22.5. Of course they will win, but not cover; Ohio and the points.

Vanderbilt vs. Rice
It is always funny seeing the Commodores giving up points. Things have changed. Last week the smarty pants from Vanderbilt let me down, and this week they are giving up 7 points to 0-3 Rice. The Owls are allowing 46.6 points per game, while only scoring 19 points per game. So why is the line only 7 points? I smell a trap, but I am going to say Vanderbilt covers.

Arizona St vs. 21 Georgia
The undefeated Sun Devils comes calling on the Dawgs. The line is 11.5, and it seems like Georgia never covers the spread. Besides the obvious questions about Georgia’s defense, what does Arizona St have under the hood? They have beaten up Idaho State and Louisiana-Monroe, so unless they are ready to unleash some hidden furry, I do not see how a semi decent PAC team can beat up on Georgia. Bulldogs win outright … something along the lines of 33-17, which smells like a cover.

Go Dawgs!

Going into this weekend’s SEC action I was a respectable 11-6; I pushed with four misses (Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, Vanderbilt) and four wins (LSU, South Carolina, Auburn, Georgia). On the early year I am 15-10.

How ‘bout them Dawgs? 52-41 over Arkansas. At times it was not pretty. I do not know WTF happened to the defense, and I cannot remember a more undisciplined team. I really don’t get it, but as always, I am grateful for the victory.

Go Dawgs!

Can we skip right past Week 2? Four misses (Florida, Auburn, Alabama, LSU) and only a couple of hits (Tennessee, Georgia) leaves me at 11-6 on the year. Not bad, but not so hot.

This week I am using Sheridan’s odds from USA Today as of Sep 18. On with the picks!

Louisville at Kentucky
The cats get to eat some red birds. 14 is a lot of points to cover, but I am going to roll the dice and go with Kentucky.

North Texas at No. 4 Alabama
I hate to see the Mean Green get stampeded by the elephants, but it is going to happen. Alabama let me down last week, and this week the number to cover is a huge 39.5. The Tide will win, but not cover.

Tennessee at No. 1 Florida
Oh boy! This is the one everyone is talking about. The over/under is a mere 53. Florida by 30? Oh yes my friends. The Volunteers are going to get their asses handed to them, and it will not look so pretty.

Louisiana-Lafayette at No. 9 LSU
What’s the point in this one? LSU covers the 26.5 easily.

Mississippi State at Vanderbilt
This is an interesting matchup. I say Vanderbilt bounces back from the LSU game and covers the 9 they are laying to those other Bulldogs.

Florida Atlantic at South Carolina
Florida Atlantic continues their SEC tour. They prevented Alabama from covering last week, but I think South Carolina easily covers the 20.5 this week.

West Virginia at Auburn
The Tigers are favored by 7.5, which is just going to make the folks on the Plains downright unbearable after they start off 3-0, with SEC Championship talk aflutter. Tigers cover.

Southeastern Louisiana at No. 5 Mississippi
Good for SE Louisiana, but I wish there was a limit to one of these games every 3 years. No line on this one. Ridiculous scheduling.

No. 23 Georgia at Arkansas
Arkansas is giving up 2.5 to the Bulldogs. Two questions. If the Hogs are favored, why are they not the ranked team? On what merits do the Hogs get to give up points? Georgia by 13!

Go Dawgs!

According to the AP, Houston is now #21 in the nation, which is the result of jumping up and beating a #5 Oklahoma St team. Poor Oklahoma St; they fall to #16. How does all this affect Georgia? The Bulldogs were ranked #21, but fell two spots to #23 when everyone realized that their loss to the Cowboys looks that much worse. Who cares about a hard fought win over South Carolina?

In the Coaches Poll, poor Houston’s win over #6 Oklahoma St was not good enough for the Cougars to crack the Top 25, but the Cowboys tumbled all the way to #17.

This weekend games are only slightly interesting, but going against the odds may make for a more difficult selection process. Good thing the mortgage is paid. On the year I am 9-2; on with the predictions.

Troy vs. 1 Florida
Troy, the current king of the Sun Belt Conference is going to go into the Swamp and full the full affects of the Gators, but to everyone’s surprise Florida will not cover the 36.5 they are giving up on this one. Not because Florida is not the #1 team in the land, but 36.5 is just too damn many points to give up to a well coached Troy team. I can see this one ending up 53-16.

UCLA vs. Tennessee
Revenge and all that crap is at play as UCLA comes calling on Tennessee. If I were just throwing down some picks, I would say Volunteers, but that 10 they are laying scares me a little. I have waffled on this one all week. The pick is UCLA with the points, but Tennessee to pull away late. Let’s call it 27-17.

Miss. St vs. Auburn
I went against the Tigers last week and I am going to do the same again this week. Giving 14 points to the Bulldogs of the West is just too much. Look for a tight low scoring game, which Auburn will win, but not cover.

Vanderbilt vs. 11 LSU
I think this one is one of the most interesting matchups of the weekend. LSU is giving up 14, which seems a little like a trap for those who have not watched Vanderbilt’s marked improvement over the last few years. The Commodores are a well coached team, but I do not think they will have the depth to escape Death Valley. I am going with the trap; LSU outright.

Florida Int. vs. 4 Alabama
Golden Panthers are in for a world of hurt later today as the Tide will easily roll and cover the 33.5 they are giving up for their home opener.

Mississippi, Arkansas, and Kentucky
The Rebels, Hogs, and Kitty-Kats are all at home building strength to overcome my Week 3 predictions.

South Carolina vs. 21 Georgia
I don’t know what to do with this one. As a homer the pick is Georgia, but they are giving up 7 and the line has been as high as 8. Recent history suggests that this one will be closer than the pundits expect:

• 2008 14-7 (W)
• 2007 16-12 (L)
• 2006 18-0 (W)
• 2005 17-15 (W)
• 2004 20-16 (W)

We know that the Fighting Chickens have a stout defense. The same can be said for the Dawgs after they held the Cowboys in check; relatively speaking compared to Oklahoma St. normal Big 12 offensive statistics. I think we also know that both teams have questions on offense. Rumors have spread like wildfire that Cox is injured. When things go in the ditch, everyone’s favorite player is the backup QB. If Logan Gray sees much the Bulldogs are going to win big because that means Gray is going to see a lot of Red Zone actions. Then again it could mean that Cox is injured or ineffective. Talking about being indecisive…

The pick is Georgia to win by 5, so they will not cover. Of course I could care less as long at the Dawgs do not start 0-2, which would be a travesty of epic proportions in the collective minds of Bulldog Nation.

I was one of the first (but certainly not the last) to say that Cox was not the QB to lead the Dawgs to glory. The ajc has posted Cox’s response to this and other criticism?

Cox apparently anticipated the criticism that followed his performance.

“After the game, me and Joe were, like, the only ones in the locker room just talking [about] how people are going to be talking,” receiver A.J. Green said. “And I was, like, ‘Joe, you don’t need to worry about that. You’re going to be fine. Just don’t worry about what people say about you.’ ”

“I’m sure there was stuff said,” Cox said. “It’s not tough [to ignore], to be honest with you, because half the people that have things to say after a game have never played a down of football in their life. I wouldn’t criticize somebody for something I’ve never … done before.”

Fair enough. Point for Cox, but he is way under exaggerating. It is more like 99% of us have never played a down of football except for pickup games.

In the latest AP Poll, Georgia is now 21 after their kick in the pants from Oklahoma State. Riddle me this Batman. How does Oklahoma State (at the time 9) beat Georgia (at the time 13) and move up 4 spots to 5, but Georgia falls 8 spots to 21?

If a victory over Georgia is worth moving into the Top 5, how come a lost to a Top 10 team (now Top 5), warrants such a demotion for the Dawgs?

To be honest, I have no problems with a 21 AP ranking, I just think it is ridiculous that there is such a disparity in the way these votes are cast.

I ended up 9-2 after week 1, which is not all that bad, but I was too optimistic about Georgia (homer) and I was flat out wrong about Auburn.

Going into week two I noticed that Georgia is giving 8 points to South Carolina. Are you kidding me? The Gamecocks always play the Bulldogs close, and about last weekends debacle in Stillwater, I am surprised that the Dawgs are not dogs at home (or at least even odds).

Upcoming there are not a lot of interesting games to look forward to this weekend. UCLA visits Tennessee, which is an opportunity for UCLA to gain a measure of revenge and earn some much needed SEC respect. Vanderbilt gets to see how they measure up to LSU. Finally, South Carolina comes calling on Georgia in Athens; this is always a bigger game for the fighting chickens than Georgia.

8-2 on Saturday play, unfortunately I was wrong on the Georgia game.

I am not much for saying that poor officiating cost a team a game. It happens; it is part of the breaks over the course of the game. In the case of the home cooking in Stillwater, Georgia had a couple of huge calls go against them, including one personal foul that set up the backbreaking TD to put Cowboys up for good at 24-10.

How bad was the call? The announcers continued to talk about it for at least 10 minutes. It was that bad. With that said …

I really thought that good things were in store for the Dawgs after they opened up on a great drive, but it because quickly apparent that on offense the Bulldogs could not sustain any sort of rhythm.

Cox is not the answer. Probably a good kid; smart … nice … all the intangibles, but if Georgia drops the South Carolina (home) or Arkansas (road) game, it will be time to bring this experiment to a close and concentrate on next year’s QB.

A college football team loses a quarterback and a running back in the first round of the NFL draft, and what do we hear? That they’ll be more of a team. That they’ll be better up front. That they’ll spread things around and function as well — maybe even better — as before. Nobody in Athens ever said, “Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno were holding us back.” At times, it just sounded that way.

Well, try this. Georgia just opened the season scoring 10 points against an Oklahoma State defense that ranked 93rd in the nation last season, which has been fairly the program standard. How does that make you feel going into SEC play? If can they manage only a field goal in their last 11 possessions against a defense poor by even Big 12 standards, how will they fare against South Carolina, or LSU, or anybody?

What else did we learn? The Bulldogs have to figure out how to get more touches for Green (4 receptions for 52 yards). I wonder if Samuel is the answer (20 carries for 87 yards); he looked tough enough, but often went down on ankle tackles.

Georgia has one week to right the ship before the Fighting Chickens come a calling. When was the last time Georgia started 0-2, or maybe 1-2? This year may go south in a hurry.

The first week of the season brings new hope to a lot of teams. Is this the year of Ole Miss? Can Vanderbilt make it to a bowl can for consecutive years? Will Alabama or Florida make another National Championship run, marking 4 years of SEC glory?

Kentucky vs. Miami (OH)
The Wildcats are favored by 15, which should be plenty. No chance of an upset.

W. Kentucky vs. Tennessee
The Lane Kiffin era officially begins with a ridiculous matchup. Vols by 30, which means they cover the 29.5 line.

Jackson St. vs. Miss. St.
The “other” Bulldogs should be embarrassed for this travesty of an opening game. I understand that some schools need to find a filler team on their schedule, and the fillers often need the money, but this one is ridiculous.

Louisiana Tech vs. Auburn
Auburn may be favored by almost a TD, but the Tigers from the Plains will be the SEC Shame of the Week. If fans were saying WTF is a Chizik imagine their surprise after this upset.

Missouri St. vs. Arkansas
The Hogs will run wild, but no one will care. Another silly SEC opening day matchup. This kind of scheduling should be banned.

5 Alabama vs. 7 Virginia Tech
Perhaps the best matchup on the plate, certainly the best of the night after the Dawgs/Cowboy game wraps up. The Tide is favored by almost a TD; I say they roll.

11 LSU vs. Washington
Horary of decent scheduling. SEC vs. Pac-10. Even if it does not feature a top Pac-10 team, at least LSU is more than willing to travel to get a better than decent opening day matchup.

CSU vs. 1 Florida
Speechless. No comment. Gator fans everywhere should be appalled.

W. Carolina vs. Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt is going to be well on their way to a 6 win season.

13 Georgia vs. 9 Oklahoma St.
Saving the best for last, we find our beloved Dawgs 5.5 point dogs. I do not get all the love for the Cowboys. This is like déjà vu all over again; remember what happened a couple of years ago when the Oklahoma St. paid a visit to Athens? All the pundits said that Georgia was in for a rude surprise, but the Dawgs romped 35-14.

While I do not think this one will be a repeat of the 2007 game, I do think the top of the SEC is better than the top of the Big-12, which does not know how to play defense. Wild-wild-west and all that.

If the Dawgs can keep the Cowboys in the mid-20s, Georgia will pull out a victory and be on their way to a solid season. If the Dawgs get in a scoring race this one will not end well, and it will not get any easier as the Dawgs will have to come home and get ready for the Fighting Chickens.

Georgia 31-27. Go Dawgs!

*I did not get this written in time to predict South Carolina’s 7-3 victory over N. Carolina St., but it is a safe bet that I would have gone SEC over ACC.

Two items from this column (via The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer) caught my attention. First up is the prediction that the SEC will not capture the BCS title this year.

The SEC’s run of three consecutive BCS titles will end.

Rationale: Said another way, Florida won’t repeat. Not because the Gators aren’t very good. But even very good teams need good fortune to win it all. It’s a hunch the Gators won’t get those breaks. And if Florida doesn’t win it all, who from the SEC will? Not Mississippi (good but overrated), not LSU (not that good and overrated), not Georgia (underrated but not good enough) and not Alabama (a couple of recruiting classes away).

I think this is very valid. This may be the year that the Big 12 (Texas or Oklahoma), USC, or God forbid Ohio St. jumps back into the top spot.

Next was this bit about the Bumble Bees of Georgia Tech …

Georgia Tech, ranked 15th in the preseason Associated Press poll, will not finish in the Top 25.

Rationale: The Yellow Jackets slipped to 22nd in the final AP poll last year after that thorough butt-whipping by LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Five of their nine wins last year came by four or fewer points. Simply put, they overachieved last year and still almost fell from the rankings. Vanderbilt replaces Gardner-Webb on the non-conference schedule. (What, was LaGrange College booked up?) Tech’s winning streak against Georgia will end at one

Let’s hope that the Ramblin’ Wreck falls from grace. No matter what happens to the Dawgs this year, they have to end Tech’s winning streak at one.

Welcome to the 2009 season. Florida (1), Alabama (5), LSU (9), Mississippi (10), and Georgia (13) all SEC teams at the top of the first poll of the year. Landing five teams in the Top 13 spots affords me the opportunity to offer up five questions:

• Can Florida repeat?
• Is the SEC West really that good?
• Can Houston Nutt manage the pressure of a Top 10 team?
• Can Georgia successfully replace Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford?
• Is the SEC really that much better than the rest of the country?

When it is all said and done I think Georgia will have a hard time cracking the Top 10 this year. I think they will lose once game against Oklahoma State, South Carolina, or Arkansas. The Dawgs will beat Arizona State. The will lose to LSU or Tennessee, and then beat Vanderbilt, which will take them into the Florida game with a 5-2 record. The Gators will win yet again, but the Dawgs will recover handily against Tennessee Tech bringing them into the home stretch with a 6-3 record. I can see the Bulldogs stumbling twice in the final three games, but I am going to say they win two out of three against Auburn, Kentucky, and Georgia Tech. 8-4 or ouch.

Normally you would say an 8-4 record is not terrible, but by Georgia standards it would be horrible. The Dawgs are going to have to find a way to flip one or two of those defeats into victories. 9-3 or 10-2 look so much better than 8-4, and would be a far better indication of the talent on this squad. I hope I am piss poor at predictions.

Go Dawgs!