Foster the People - Houdini
Got shackles on, my words are tied.
Fear can make you compromise.
With the lights turned up, it's hard to hide.
Sometimes I want to disappear!
(Raise up to your ability)
You never knew that I could find
What could come when we realize
Some won't stop with the compromise.
Welcome, welcome, old friends and new! Thanks for stopping by the House of Hooch once again this week! Our song this week is all about rising above yourself and achieving your potential. The Bulldogs had a horrible outing last weekend, and worse still it came during our match with the number one team in the nation. But as the coaches and players will tell you, you should never lose to an opponent two weeks in a row. Bama beat the Dawgs last Saturday, and if they dwell on it they'll let Bama beat them again this weekend, too. Fortunately I don't think Dan Mullen will let our boys dwell too long on the loss. I still believe, and I know all of you do too, so let's get down to the nitty gritty!
(I have been busy with work and real life this week so I didn't get this done until late, and I think the Professor was also tied up this week, so you'll have to make due with only my incoherent ramblings this week. Anyway, better late than never...)
Missouri at Florida
Florida is undefeated in the Swamp this year, and hasn't allowed so much as a touchdown in those four games. Although the Gators lost to Georgia last weekend they are still a defensive machine, and if their defense can get penetration and force a hobbled James Franklin to make bad decisions with the ball they should be in good shape to win this one. Missouri's D-line is no joke, though, and the Gators offense has been less than spectacular. This should be an interesting game to watch...
Missouri 10 - Florida 24
Troy at Tennessee
Two solid offenses, two lackluster defenses. Whoever manages to get some stops on defense is going to come out the winner in this one. My money is on the Vols, as they will definitely need this win to have any hope of making a bowl this year, and allowing Derek Dooley to keep his job. Lose this one, and the coaching carousel will start spinning a little faster...
Troy 17 - Tennessee 30
Tulsa at Arkansas
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| But shit, it was 99 cents! |
Yet again, the offenses far outstrip the defenses for these two teams... The Razorbacks lost a heartbreaker to Ole Miss in Little Rock last weekend, and now face a 7-1 CUSA team that can put up points in a hurry. The problem for the Golden Hurricanes (btw, thanks to R. Kelly this team name conjures up some pretty disturbing mental images...) is that their pass defense is ranking around the 94th or so in the country, and the Hawgs QB Tyler Wilson is sharp. Arkansas should win this one by two touchdowns, although the separation may come late in the game.
Tulsa 24 - Arkansas 40
New Mexico State at Auburn
This should be a good way to boost Auburn QB Jonathan Wallace's confidence before going into games with Georgia, Texas A&M and Bama to round out the season (ouch). Wallace will need all the confidence he can get with that road ahead of him, and Gene Chizik is eager to show Auburn fans that he is worth the money and the headache he's currently costing them, so I wouldn't expect Auburn to take their foot off the gas until very late in the game or they're up by 3 TDs or more.
New Mexico State 14 - Auburn 30
Ole Miss at Georgia
Ole Miss at Georgia... "are you kidding?" That's what people said a few years ago, and then an unlikely team of Rebels beat the Gators in the Swamp, prompting Little Timmy Tebow to deliver a tearful speech declaring that no team would ever work harder to make up for such a glaring gaff. Well this could be Bo Wallace's chance to make Florida regret taking them lightly. Has Hugh Freeze elevated the Rebel's game to the level where they will be competitive with the Gators, or is it just a pipe dream? Florida, MSU and Georgia are all one loss SEC teams vying for a BCS bowl berth... and if LSU beats Bama they will both be 1 loss SEC teams as well, leaving the West wide open. However I just don't see the Eastern Bulldogs tripping up in this game, as their defense is too strong.
Ole Miss 14 - Georgia 28
Vanderbilt at Kentucky
The Eastern Cellar Dwellers battle it out, but contrary to the norm it's Vandy who is favored over the Wildcats this year. The Commodores are 4-4, Kentucky is 1-8. ("You feel that sting, big boy? That's pride FUCKIN with ya...") I'm callin Vandy the winner on the road...
Vanderbilt 28 - Kentucky 14
Alabama at LSU
This is the marquee match up this weekend, but if anybody cares the MSU/A&M game still has relevance(depending on the outcome of this one)... If LSU manages to pull off the (it's got to be labelled an) upset, then it's a 3-way race for the title in the SEC West. Bama, LSU and MSU would be one-loss teams until somebody slips up, which would be the following week(which is when LSU plays host to the Bulldogs in Baton Rouge, assuming MSU defeats the Aggies this weekend... and yes I enjoy parentheses from time to time).
You want proof that the SEC West is still the dominant division of the most dominant conference in college football today? This is the third straight times the teams have met with both ranked among top five. Do you understand the significance of the previous sentence? Third STRAIGHT(as in 2010, 2011 and 2012, in a row people) time these two (SEC West) teams have faced off while BOTH being ranked in the top five IN THE NATION.(I swear I'll leave off the CAPS now, but I can't make any promises about the parentheses)
You want me to pick a winner? Fine. I will have to go with the safe bet, even though my heart and head both want LSU to win just so we're still in the race. Bama is just ridiculously talented, both players and coaches. That's not just me paying lip service to a Crimson Tide team that wiped the floor with us last week (granted, given our performance last week we would've lost the Troy and Tennessee games easily). Here we go...
Alabama 34 - LSU 28
Texas A&M at MSU
This game's significance has increased after last weekend's loss to Alabama. It was always an important game, as are all SEC matches, but now that the rest of the division is starting to take shape this will be a decisive game. The Bulldogs are going to either come out still pouting and obsessing about the loss, or they are going to come out hungry, and ready to prove that they're more than a match for the Aggies. I expect it will be the latter.
Obviously the lynch pin to the Aggies offense is Johnny Football... he's a great passer who scrambles well. His numbers on the season look very good... against bad teams. Although they average 45 points per game, in their two losses on the season (Florida and LSU) TAMU was held to 20 and 24 points respectively. MSU has seen dual threat QB's before in players such as Denard Robinson, the Michigan QB when the Bulldogs faced the Wolverines two years ago in the Gator Bowl. Manziel is probably a better passer while Robinson is better with his feet, but they're both serviceable in both departments. You can just bet that the MSU secondary is eager to redeem themselves after an abysmal outing last weekend, though, and I expect we will see at least one INT, maybe more if we're lucky.
On the other side of the ball, Tyler Russell and the offense are also out to prove a point, and the Aggies defense looks far more likely a victim than the one they faced in Tuscaloosa, although they do have Damontre Moore, who has 18 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks on the season. With the notable exception of the barn burner with LA Tech the Aggies have held opponents to 22 points per game. The offense will have to execute cleanly if they want to move the ball and put up points. And they will likely have to put up more than 24 to win the day, depending on how well the defense plays.
This game could very easily get out of hand early, but if the Dawgs shake off the loss to a damn good Bama team and come ready to play there's no reason they can't win, especially in their own house. I still believe, and 8-1 looks mighty fine to me...
MSU 30 - TAMU 24
And that'll do it for this weekend preview! Thanks as always for stopping by, and be sure to like us on Facebook and retweet us on the Twitterz... Have a great weekend, #HailState and #GoDawgs!
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