CFN: SEC Predictions

[DKW 86 7,441]

http://cfn.scout.com/2/588785.html

SEC Game of the Week

Auburn (9-2) at Alabama (6-5) 3:30 PM EST CBS Saturday November 18th

Why to Watch: Michawho vs. Ohio what? While the rest of the free world will be watching some other rivalry game, all of Alabama, at least those who weren't able to get a ticket, will be fully focused on one of the few sporting events that occupies daily discussion for a full 365 days out of the year around some parts. Auburn has won four straight in the series, but even in a brutal rivalry like this, might be a bit down after seeing its national title hopes get blown out of the water with a horrendous performance in last week's 37-15 loss to Georgia. Alabama is looking for its first halfway decent win since beating Hawaii in the opener and could use a boost to keep the Mike Shula era on track. His job isn't in any sort of jeopardy, but a loss would turn up the pressure this off-season; coaches who drop four in a row to the Tigers don't last long around Tuscaloosa. Losers of two straight, including an inexcusable gaffe against Mississippi State, the Tide desperately needs this win to move up in the SEC bowl pecking order. Fine, watch the Wolverine and Buckeyes and TiVo this for later. (Note to the PA announcer at the game: warn the fans before announcing the Michigan-OSU score. Someone out there will try to do the impossible and go all day without finding out who won.)

Why Auburn Might Win: Alabama's offense, specifically the running game, has decided to take the last few games off. Inconsistent all season long, the ground game has been ineffective over the last four weeks gaining just 339 yards including mediocre days against FIU and Mississippi State. This is a one-dimensional team that has a hard time with good pass rushers. If the Tiger line is motivated and finds the groove it got into against Florida a few weeks ago, it could be a long day for the Tide attack. However ...

Why Alabama Might Win: ... the Tiger defense made Georgia QB Matthew Stafford look like Matt Hasselbeck. If there isn't consistent pressure, Bama QB John Parker Wilson should be able to pick the slightly overrated Auburn secondary clean for at least 250 yards. On the other side of the ball, it's not like the Auburn offense is doing anything lately. Basically, the Tigers played one whale of a defensive game against LSU, were breathtaking in the second half against Florida, and have been totally mediocre against everyone else.

Who to Watch: Four for 12, 35 yards, one touchdown, four interceptions. That's not the line a starting quarterback for a national title hopeful should have this late in the season, but that's what Auburn's Brandon Cox came up with in a stinker against Georgia. While he's been fine yardage-wise all year, he hasn't made the receivers around him better and has gotten into a nasty habit of forcing throws that aren't there. Speaking of disappointments, this is the last chance for Alabama RB Ken Darby to break out of a season long funk. He's averaging 4.2 yards per carry, but he has yet to run for a score and got into the end zone for the first time last week against LSU on a catch. With only 108 yards in two games against Auburn, he needs to be a key factor to take the heat off the passing game.

What Will Happen: Auburn's not going to clunk two games in a row. The offense will be a little crisper and just effective enough to overcome the emotion of the Alabama home crowd and two big catches from D.J. Hall..

CFN Prediction: Auburn 20 ... Alabama 13 ... Line: Auburn -3

Must See Rating: (5 skip the birth of your first born - 1 The Bachelor: Rome) ... 3.5

Western Carolina (2-8) at Florida (9-1) 12 PM EST GamePlan Saturday November 18th

Why to Watch: Florida is in the thick of the national title hunt, but it needs to start playing like a national title contender to get anyone excited about seeing it go against Ohio State or Michigan. 9-1 is 9-1, but the loss to Auburn doesn't quite look as forgivable as it did a few weeks ago and lackluster wins over Georgia, Vanderbilt and South Carolina have inspired a collective yawn. That can change in a big hurry if Urban Meyer's club can use this light scrimmage over a bad Western Carolina team to get the offense on track for Florida State and the SEC title game, Florida might be more than just the only viable option to play in the national championship, it might play like it deserves to be there. WCU has lost eight straight scoring just 16 points over the last three games.

Why Western Carolina Might Win: It won't, but this is the team's season-ender and it should play with the same fire the Gators will reserve for the SEC championship. The only way this stays under a 40-point loss is if the Gators aren't into it and starts turning the ball over. If the Florida offense isn't crisp, the Catamounts could keep this close for a half.

Why Florida Might Win: Oh yeah, the defense. While everyone keeps talking about the mediocre Gator offense that's only consistency is its inconsistency, the defense has been terrific. Western Carolina will be lucky to be in the positive on rushing yards and doesn't have nearly enough pop in the passing game to make any sort of a dent. The Catamount defense won't generate a lick of pressure meaning ...

Who to Watch: ... this has to be the game Chris Leak plays like a national title caliber passer. Interceptions have been a problem throwing at least one in every game except the win over Alabama and threw three against Vanderbilt. Will this be the game when Tim Tebow gets work in stretches? The Gators should be in control from the beginning, so if they want to see what The Legend can do getting to do running the offense for a half, here's the chance.

What Will Happen: Enjoy seeing what the Gator backups look like.

CFN Prediction: Florida 45 ... Western Carolina 0 ... Line: No Line

Must See Rating: (5 skip the birth of your first born - 1 The Bachelor: Rome) ... 1

Tennessee (7-3) at Vanderbilt (4-7) 12:30 PM EST GamePlan Saturday November 18th

Why to Watch: It's the season finale for a spunky Vanderbilt team that saw its bowl dreams go up in smoke with a close loss to Florida and a 38-26 clunker against Kentucky. Beating Tennessee for a second straight year would be a nice door prize. The Vols lost their last two games against LSU and Arkansas partly due to Erik Ainge's ankle injury and partly because the run defense got steamrolled over. Needing two more wins to be in contention for one of the SEC's top bowls, Tennessee, who hasn't lost at Vanderbilt since 1982, needs to get back on track or the Music City might be calling.

Why Tennessee Might Win: With Ainge likely back under center, it's going to be raining footballs on the awful Vanderbilt secondary. It was below average al season long, and then it came up with its two worst performances of the year giving up 298 yards to Florida and 446 to Kentucky. The Commodores don't have the corners to handle Tennessee's receiver speed one on one, and the safeties aren't strong enough to provide adequate help on the deep passes. Three words that'll be said a lot during this game ... yards, after, catch.

Why Vanderbilt Might Win: LSU had a hard time consistently running on anyone and it was able to crank out 231 yards Tennessee, while Arkansas ran for 259 (but the Hogs are going nuts on everyone). The secondary hasn't exactly been a prize, either, giving up seven touchdown passes in the last three games. In other words, the Volunteer defense is slipping. The Commodore offense is just starting to hit its stride, even though it might be a bit too late, so if it can generate a few turnovers and keep the Volunteers from dominating with their passing game, this might be close because ...

Who to Watch: ... Chris Nickson has caught fire. The sophomore quarterback is one of the SEC's rising stars after bombing away for an average of 331 yards a game (thanks to a 446-yard performance against Kentucky) over the last three with five touchdowns. He hadn't hit the 200-yard mark over his first eight games, and then things started to click. Sophomore WR Earl Bennett has had a lot to do with that catching 24 passes for 377 yards and two scores in his last two games. For Tennessee, the ground game gets a big boost with the return of LaMarcus Coker from a knee injury.

What Will Happen: Tennessee's offense will crank out huge yards on three big plays early to put it away. WR Robert Meachem will finish with over 200 yards.

CFN Prediction: Tennessee 34 ... Vanderbilt 24 ... Line: Tennessee -8.5

Must See Rating: (5 skip the birth of your first born - 1 The Bachelor: Rome) ... 2.5

Middle Tennessee (7-3) at South Carolina (5-5) 12:30 PM EST GamePlan Saturday November 18th

Why to Watch: Trrrrraaaapppppp. South Carolina has spent an emotional few weeks losing heartbreakers to Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida with loads of fanfare and media attention around each game. The hard-luck Gamecocks have lost four games by a touchdown or less, and after the circus that was Steve Spurrier's return to Gainesville, they have to try to get back the intensity and not look ahead to the showdown against rival Clemson next week. Middle Tennessee is just decent enough to pull off the shocker with one of the Sun Belt's best defenses. At 6-0 in conference play and with seven wins, the Blue Raiders are this close to a bowl bid. They'll be more than a speed bump for USC.

Why Middle Tennessee Might Win: No way, no how will the Gamecocks be mentally in this. They just can't be with a letdown way overdue after so many intense games. Middle Tennessee's running game has been fantastic over the last few weeks, while South Carolina has been pushed around a little bit on the defensive front by Arkansas and Florida. Fine, so the Blue Raider offensive line isn't SEC-worthy, but it's playing well.

Why South Carolina Might Win: Middle Tennessee has played three good teams this year, Maryland, Oklahoma and Louisville, and lost by a total of 127 to 27. The secondary wasn't even close to being effective in any of the three games, and was thrown on by the two Sun Belt teams that can throw, Florida Atlantic and UL Monroe. All Blake Mitchell and the USC passing game has to be is efficient and the offense will move at will. On defense, the front line should be camped out in the Blue Raider backfield.

Who to Watch: Fans of good linebacker play will enjoy this. SEC fans know all about Jasper Brinkley, who'll soon be making lots of money at the next level. A rock against the run, the junior should easily make double-digit stops against Eugene Gross and the Blue Raider ground game. For Middle Tennessee, senior J.K. Sabb is way overdue for a great game. While he leads the team in tackles, he hasn't been nearly the same disruptive force he was over the first half of the season when he was a fixture in opposing backfields. It'll be up to him to be the main man against the USC running attack.

What Will Happen: Middle Tennessee will provide a push early, and then Sidney Rice will take over with two big touchdown catches in the second half.

CFN Prediction: South Carolina 31 ... Middle Tennessee 17 ... Line: South Carolina -15.5

Must See Rating: (5 skip the birth of your first born - 1 The Bachelor: Rome) ... 2

UL Monroe (2-7) at Kentucky (6-4) 1 PM EST Saturday November 18th

Why to Watch: Kentucky is bowl eligible, and now it's time for the gravy with a date with one of the nation's worst teams followed up by a game at Tennessee. On a three game winning streak, UK is currently second in the SEC East and pushing for a solid bowl position, but it can't let down now. The Warhawks stunned Florida International last week to break a seven game losing streak and could use a decent performance before closing out the year with a weak North Texas squad and rival UL Lafayette.

Why UL Monroe Might Win: Kentucky might be winning, but it's defense isn't stopping anyone currently ranked second-to-last in the nation allowing 465.5 yards per game. The biggest problem continues to be a secondary that's not getting fixed allowing a nation's worst 283.4 yards per game Vanderbilt, hardly Texas Tech or Hawaii when it comes to throwing the ball, ripped off 446 yards and a touchdown last week. UL Monroe's offense doesn't score much, but it leads the Sun Belt with 316 yards per game. 200 yards passing shouldn't be a problem, but ...

Why Kentucky Might Win: ... ULM's secondary is about to get ripped apart. The defensive front is awful at getting into the backfield meaning UK's Andre Woodson should get all the time in the world to go ballistic. The junior threw for 450 yards and four touchdowns last week against the Commodores. The Warhawk offense won't be able to keep up the pace.

Who to Watch: Who'll be under center for ULM? Kinsmon Lancaster has been the main man all season long, but he got knocked out against FIU with an injured hand and had problems with it in practice this week. Some believe sophomore Chance Payne deserves the nod after completing ten of 11 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown in relief. Lancaster might start this week, but Payne will probably finish.

What Will Happen: Kentucky has won seven games twice since 1984. Make it a three.

CFN Prediction: Kentucky 38 ... UL Monroe 13 ... Line: Kentucky -19

Must See Rating: (5 skip the birth of your first born - 1 The Bachelor: Rome) ... 1.5

Arkansas (9-1) at Mississippi State (3-7) 2:30 PM EST Saturday November 18th

Why to Watch: Would anyone have ever in a million years, in any sort of way you could've played out a simulation of the season in some computer, thought Arkansas would not only have a shot to win the SEC West, but could do it before having to face LSU? Yup, all it'll take is a win over Mississippi State and the Hogs are playing Florida for the SEC title, and maybe more. Deep in the national title chase, style points count, so it's not just about beating the Bulldogs, its about how easily it can be done. That might be so easy considering Sylvester Croom's team appears to have turned a major corner having come this close to beating Georgia and Kentucky and getting past Alabama 24-16 two weeks ago. That was a nice win, but screwing up Arkansas would be even bigger.

Why Arkansas Might Win: Can anyone slow down the Hog running game? The offensive line is playing at another level over the last few weeks opening up just enough daylight for Darren McFadden and Felix Jones to tear off huge yards. Granted, Arkansas doesn't throw the ball much, but the line leads the nation in sacks allowed giving up a mere six so far. Meanwhile, the MSU offensive line has had a nightmare of a time protecting the quarterback; the Hog defensive front should be camped out in the backfield.

Why Mississippi State Might Win: Arkansas hasn't been great against hot quarterbacks Besides the opening day USC debacle against John David Booty, Alabama's John Parker Wilson ripped up the Hogs for 243 yards and three touchdowns completing 16 of 20 passes. South Carolina's Blake Mitchell came off the bench to throw for 213 yards and two scores. MSU's hard throwing Michael Henig threw for 384 yards and three touchdowns against Kentucky and 143 yards and two scores against Alabama. If he can hit on a few big pass plays, MSU might be able to stay alive.

Who to Watch: All year long, it appeared Tennessee's Robert Meachem and Alabama's D.J. Hall would be locks for the first-team All-SEC slots. That might have changed over the last three games as Arkansas junior Marcus Monk has been every bit as hot as the running game catching 21 passes for 380 yards and five touchdowns. At 6-6 and 220 pounds, he's a matchup nightmare in single coverage and nearly unstoppable around the goal line. On the other side, MSU's number two receiver, Jamayel Smith, will try to go despite injuring his hand falling in practice. If he's not effective, that'll mean the Hog secondary can focus that much more on top target Tony Dixon.

What Will Happen: West Virginia ran for 315 yards and five touchdowns on MSU a few weeks ago. Arkansas won't do that, but it'll do enough to offset a tough start against a swarming MSU D to avoid the road upset and go on to the LSU game on a ten-game winning streak.

CFN Prediction: Arkansas 31 ... Mississippi State 13 ... Line: Arkansas -14

Must See Rating: (5 skip the birth of your first born - 1 The Bachelor: Rome) ... 3

Ole Miss (3-7) at LSU (8-2) 8 PM EST GamePlan Saturday November 18th

Why to Watch: Is Ole Miss going to be more than just another LSU home sacrificial lamb? There are home field advantages, and then there's LSU, who ripped through all seven of its home games with frightening ease. Yes, the 28-14 win over Alabama was a bit of a struggle for about a quarter, but it wasn't that close. The Rebels broke a three-game losing streak with a win over Northwestern Sate before getting two weeks off to prepare. This is an improving team that'll need every trick and every big play to go its way. LSU is still in the SEC title hunt, but ...

Why Ole Miss Might Win: ... Arkansas plays Mississippi State in the afternoon, so if the Hogs win as expected, and takes the SEC West crown, LSU might have a hard time finding the intensity. If the Bulldogs win, LSU will provide a 40-point beatdown, but Ole Miss has to be mentally prepared for the possibility of getting a flat team out of the gate. An early march for a touchdown would do wonders for momentum.

Why LSU Might Win: The Ole Miss offense had a nice performance against Alabama, but cranking out points has been tough. LSU averages 34 points per game; Ole Miss hasn't scored more than 28 all year. Tiger QB JaMarcus Russell is hard to bring down even if pass rushers have a free shot at him, and against the anemic Rebel pass rush, he shouldn't have problems bombing away at will if head coach Ed Orgeron and his staff haven't used the last two weeks to devise some funky way of getting into the backfield.

Who to Watch: When you think of some of the all-time great SEC receivers, LSU's Dwayne Bowe doesn't ring much of a bell. The senior owns the LSU career receiving touchdown mark catching his 23rd last week, and now he can erase Tommy Hodson and Wendell Davis from the top of the record books if he can hook up with Russell for a score making them the top pitch-catch combo in school history. Bowe isn't flashy, but he's ultra-solid and as consistent as they come catching four or more passes in every game but the blowout win over Arizona; he caught a mere three for 65 yards and a score against the Wildcats. He's also a fantastic blocker.

What Will Happen: LSU will overcome the emotion of not getting to play for the West title next week by coming out with a few long early drives to get the crowd into the game. Ole Miss won't have nearly enough in the bag to keep pace after the first half.

CFN Prediction: LSU 40 ... Ole Miss 10 ... Line: LSU -27.5

Must See Rating: (5 skip the birth of your first born - 1 The Bachelor: Rome) ... 2.5

[AURaptor 1,126]

What's the track record for their predictions this season?

[aucanucktiger 1,798]

Interesting...Mike Shula's job isn't in jeapardy, huh?

[HOU_AU_90 0]

Thank damn goodness, I hope they keep Sheila forever. That asshat is EXACTLY where I want him. I hope that Mal Moore and every other spuat decision maker continues to support one of the best spuat coaches I have ever seen on their sidelines. The longer the media and fans give him a "we were on probation" free ride, the better.

[AuburnGrad02' 0]

What's the track record for their predictions this season?

SU: 68-11 ... ATS: 41-29-1

That's just for the SEC

[Tigermike 3,055]

Auburn 20 ... Alabama 13

That sounds fine with me!

WAR EAGLE!!!

BEAT BAMA!!!!

WAR EAGLE!!!

[tigernt'town 4]

i don't care if the score is 3, 2, just win baby!!!!!!

[AUMom 1]

i don't care if the score is 3, 2, just win baby!!!!!!

I really want to beat them convincingly, but if it ends up 3-2 US, then WAR EAGLE!!!

JUST BEAT BAMA!!!!!

[WarTiger 3,923]

Interesting...Mike Shula's job isn't in jeapardy, huh?

Cool.. Best news I've heard in quite a while. Now, let's just go out and RUN right over them.

keep mike shula forEVER..

BEAT UAT

DEATH TO ALL THAT IS DARK PINK