Although on the surface this is a relatively uneventful week with many teams idle and no games with major national implications, there are some interesting matchups. The best will be Ole Miss at LSU, where Houston Nutt's surging Rebels will try to knock off a reeling LSU squad. Check out Team Speed Kills for more previews.
Before they played Wyoming, I thought the Vols would get it together and win out for their lame duck coach. I was wrong, however, as the Vols proceeded to lose to a terrible team. Vandy, meanwhile, regained its mojo against Kentucky. The Dores played a great game in Lexington, finally winning by force of a strong all-around performance instead of by the miscues of their opponent.
As should be clear, these are two teams heading in different directions. The Vols are in a tailspin, and Vandy wants to improve its bowl chances by getting to seven or eight wins. Last year, the Vols pulled out a close win despite being outplayed, but as they spent all their luck en route to Fulmer's last hurrah in Atlanta, they won't be so fortunate this time around. Dores win this one.
The Citadel at Florida
The only interesting thing about this game is that it will serve as a good measure of how much of a prick Urban Meyer really is. Will he pull Tebow at the end of the first quarter when the score is 35-0 or will Tebow throw a TD pass early in the fourth to make the score 84-3? The truth will probably be somewhere in between, but I'm guessing the it will be closer to the latter than the former.
Arkansas still has a slim shot at becoming bowl eligible if they can beat the Bulldogs and then LSU next week. Both of these teams are pretty bad, although the Razorbacks, who at least have some semblance of an offense, are probably a little better than State. Still, State has a decent defense and has been a tough out at home, having played other middling teams like Auburn and Kentucky pretty tough. I'm going to go with the Bulldogs in a minor upset.
The game is in Baton Rouge and LSU comes in the favorite by a slim margin, but to hear most people talk about it this game is Ole Miss's to lose. The Rebels have played well down the stretch, while the Tigers, although they have a solid record and put a major scare into Bama, have looked very vulnerable. The Tigers D has been gashed a couple of times and QB Jarrett Lee has been a major liability. Moreover, Ole Miss's strong front seven seems to match up well against the Tigers biggest offensive weapon, Charles Scott and the ground game.
Will Jevan Snead lead the Rebels to the upset over one of their biggest rivals? My guess is no. The Tigers played poorly last week against Troy, but this week they won't be caught napping. The potent Ole Miss offense will likely put up lots of yards, but Les Miles has a more talented team and will figure out a way to get it done. LSU wins a nail biter.
Idle: Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina
