So, yeah, I’m looking forward to a rare Saturday away from LSU football, a chance to vegetate and watch games all day like
a civilian.
It also gives me a chance to see up close, live and hi-def personal just how misguided this picking business can be.
It’s not pretty when you see all the hard work, the good 4 or 5 minutes of honest research, just disintegrate in front of
your eyes as it unfolds all morning, afternoon and well into the night.
But let’s do it anyway.
Mississippi State at Alabama: Something’s
seriously wrong with this picture. Here we are on the last playing date
in October with two undefeated SEC schools
in a bare-knuckles showdown, both of them ranked and one of them
the presumed national champion in waiting, and between them
they have played (beat) one (1) ranked team. Combined they are 7-0
in the SEC. Combined their SEC opponents are 3-26 in conference
games. Not exactly the Game of the Century. But I hear Bama, which
did beat Michigan for the only ranked win, really is pretty
good. … AlaSaban, 26-8.
Kentucky at Missouri: OK, Mizzou, we’re trying to help here, but victories in the SEC don’t just grow on trees, you understand? You already whiffed
on Vanderbilt. Blow this one and I’m not sure what we can do for you. … Mizzou, 32-22.
Tennessee at South Carolina: Derek Dooley, of the being-on-the-hot-seat Dooleys, isn’t getting a lot of credit for Tennessee being a lot more competitive
in the SEC this year. Merely covering here won’t help much. … Gamecocks, 26-18.
Ole Miss at Arkansas (Little Rock):
If you have a spare coin left after seeking advice here, flip it for
this game. I know I don’t have a clue with the kind-of-OK
Rebels and the not-as-gosh-awful-as-they-started Razorbacks.
Rebels replacing LSU as Hogs’ even-year SEC game in Little Rock.
… Pork, 38-32.
You Read it Here First — Georgia vs. Florida (Jacksonville): Trust me on this one. This is why you don’t do the comparative scores of common opponents when analyzing this stuff. Pay
it no heed. Every game has to stand on its own, even what used to be known as the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.
… Ugas, 16-11.
Texas A&M at Auburn: There is no real explanation, nor any logical excuse, for Auburn to be this historically bad. But that’s not the Aggies’
problem. … A&M, 43-22.
UMass at Vanderbilt: Sounds like the beginning of a long and storied rivalry to me. … Vandy, 32-16.
Notre Dame at Oklahoma: Notre Dame has been winning so ugly the Irish have become LSU-North. And yet persistently over-optimistic Irish fans are
pleased as punch. For now. … Boomers, 31-18.
South Alabama at UL-Monroe: The Fighting Warhawks are more comfortable as huge underdogs but are learning to win the walkovers. … ULMs, 39-15.
Louisiana Tech at New Mexico State: The Bulldogs could probably pass their way back to Ruston in about six or seven plays and one penalty. … Tech, 57-22.
UAB at Tulane: This pillow fight doesn’t look pretty. Just try to get the Superdome cleared in time for Saints (Drew Brees) vs. Broncos
(Peyton Manning) on Sunday night. … UAB, 19-12.
Ugly Uniform Game of the Week — Texas at Kansas:
The way teams blindly mix and match these days something horribly
mind-boggling will turn up. But at first glance, minus
the usual habitual offenders, it looks like a fairly fashionable
day for college football. Texas at home is fine, but on the
road the all-whites always look like grandpa running around in his
long underwear. … Horns, 39-18.
•••
Scooter Hobbs covers LSU athletics. Email him at shobbs@americanpress.com