There are 5 SEC West teams in the top 10 of the AP Poll. I know it's early and probably meaningless as they havent been playing a ton of games yet but still, pretty strong division. anyways my teams...
SC at Vandy - hey Vandy gets a win. Ugly and almost embarassing win but a win nonetheless. Looked like Dorrell was forced to scrap the west coast offense(which does not work in college) and got to a more running spread option game and voila, the offense puts points on the board. Imagine that. Anyways Vandy will be lucky to keep this within 2 TDs.
Troy at UGA - tough loss. So much for being a trendy playoff contender. Relatively easy SEC schedule but they still have Mizzou and Auburn on the schedule. Road games at Arkansas and at Kentucky. If the Hogs get that running game going they are tough. And the fighting Stoops actually look like theyve got some athletes and play with passion. They had Florida beat.
other games....
Cougs watch - UVA at BYU - I'm going to start following the Cougars more closely until they lose a game. I'd like to see them go undefeated and give the playoff committee something to think about. They were beating Houston by double digits most of the game but ended up a single digit final. They need style points. Anyways I think this could be one of their toughest remaining games. Hoos are playing well. Coulda/Shoulda beat UCLA if not for a bunch of flukey defensive scores. And they took down a good Louisville team this past weekend. Cougars better not sleep on Virginia.
Auburn at Kansas St - I'm really excited for this game. Kansas St didnt look too hot against Iowa St so your first thought is Auburn should roll. But Snyder is sneaky with these big games. And when you arent familiar with an opponent, could be an advantage for K-State. Not to mention Manhattan can be a tough place... especially for teams who havent been. You know the fans will be going nuts. I've actually driven through Manhattan before and you want to talk about middle of nowhere, this is it. It's probably one of those things where this would a lot tougher way back in the day when teams would have to bus to road games. Getting a direct flight makes the home field advantage a little less.
Clemson at FSU - You have to think FSU rolls. They beat a better Clemson team last year in Clemson. Granted FSU doesnt look quite as good but neither does Clemson. And its in Tallahassee. I'm still waiting for a team to have FSU in a tight ballgame or on the ropes to see how they respond. The only time last year was in the title game against Auburn when FSU had to drive for the win. But that short pass with the miss tackle that turned into a huge gain took a lot of the pressure off.
Florida at Alabama - sounds better on paper and Gators have the athletes to get a few big plays and make it close. But Bama is too good. And Muschamp is probably done in Gainesville.
Oklahoma at WVU - West Virginia played Bama a little closer than most thought. And then went on the road to beat Maryland even though they were sloppy with the ball and had 4 turnovers. Tough to win on the road when the turnover battle is that bad. OU seems to be rolling so have to think they win but will be their toughest test so far.
Miss St at LSU - State is one of the two SEC West teams NOT in the top 10 nationally. They havent played anybody yet... just local midmajor teams. havent had much of a problem with any of them. LSU didnt look great against Wisconsin but got the win. And then bumbled around against ULMonroe last week. I havent been overly impressed with the Bengals. Dont like their QB situation with Jennings. They should win but they cant sleep on State. Mullen needs a win against a bigtime opponent.
Miami at Nebraska - This sounds really good on paper. But been a long time since either team was a good as their hey day. Miami QB Kaaya seem to have a coming out party last week but gotta think Nebraska will shut him down.
Utah - Michigan - Probably a more interesting matchup when they agreed to play. But I like seeing matchups from two conferences far away.
New Mexico at New Mexico St - The Rio Grande Rivalry. Apparently they've been playing each other since 1894! Thats older than Ohio St-Michigan or OU-Texas or a lot of the other classic rivalries. In fact, I'm pretty sure New Mexico wasnt even officially a state back then!
#4 Montana at #1 North Dakota St - Okay I probably wont watch this. But it's a huge matchup in IAA. And these rankings arent even up to date. Come out later today. The team ranked #3 SE Louisiana lost this past weekend... but they lost to a IA school in Tulane so not sure if that will drop them. Anyways huge matchup in the FargoDome! Grizzlies vs the Bison, two of my favorite mascots. I'm predicting a Bison stampede!
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Scouting well is all that matters. Draft philosophy is all fluff.
