SEC Items of the interest
Third Saturday in October. It's a great name for a great rivalry that is as intense as any midseason game anywhere. It is magnified when it features two top-10 teams and could very well be round one of a two-round tussle in 2016 between Tennessee and Alabama. The Tide is ranked No. 1 in the country; Tennessee is ranked ninth. Each has a litany of future NFL players on its roster, but a lot of the Vols who will make their living on Sundays are banged up. A game that UT fans would love to have has become a big 'what if' type of setting considering the number of crucial injuries - especially on defense - for the Vols. In truth, for Tennessee, which has become almost a two-touchdown underdog at home, to win this one and end its 0-for-Saban streak against you know who, Josh Dobbs will have to be the national player of the week and enter the Heisman chase.
Ole Miss at Arkansas. We knew one of these teams would have one of the top QBs in the league. Then Arkansas pulled out another Allen brother, Austin only threw for more than 4 bills against 11 future NFL defensive dudes wearing Crimson. Alabama-Tennessee may have more national intrigue but the Rebels and Hogs could be a ton of fun Saturday night because of the two guys pulling the triggers. It also highlights the dearth of quality quarterback play in this league. By the numbers, your top five QBs in passer rating in the SEC will be in Fayetteville on Saturday with Chad Kelly ranked one and Allen right behind him. From there, it's the less than Heisman-connected names of Sean White (Auburn), Jalen Hurts (Alabama) and Drew Lock (Missouri).
Friday night lights. Mississippi State invades Mormon territory on a rare Friday night reeling from an absolute beatdown last week at home at the hands of the Auburn Tigers. State is still trying to find its answer at quarterback, but a large part of the Bulldogs struggles last week were because their best offensive player - receiver Fred Ross - struggled mightily with multiple dropped passes and two muffed punts. To win at BYU on a rare Friday night kick, Ross will need to be spectacular. Period.
Vanderbilt education. We all expect Georgia to be able to run the football enough to handle the Commodores on Saturday, right? I mean, right? Well, the more interesting subplot to watch with the Bulldogs right now is the early education of freshman quarterback Jacob Eason. (Or as Brent Musburger calls him, "Jason" Eason, which we are sure was Mr. and Mrs. Eason's next choice.) One week he's making a sideline throw to almost break Tennessee's heart. (Seriously, UT landed a Hail Mary to win the game; Eason threw a 45-yard bullet on the money over a poorly placed corner. The only Hail in that puppy was UGA fans saying, "Hail Yes, this kid's a freshman.") The last week Eason was as bad as any quarterback in an SEC win we can ever remember. Call it growing pains, and we still believe the kid that delivered the dart is going to be a star and the kid that dropped a stinker at South Carolina will be a distant memory.
Georgia freshman receiver Riley Ridley gives the Bulldogs their short-lived 31-28 lead with 10 seconds remaining of Saturday's eventual 34-31 loss to Tennessee.Fab 4 picks
We are heading the turn toward the finish, and before we get to picks, let's review some of the bad (or good) beats from last week.
There were four very notable endings last week for those of us hunting entertainment and paying extra attention to the numbers beyond the scoreboard. Follow along.
There was Georgia's 28-14 win, that eased by the total of 42. (The total, for those wondering, is a set number of points Vegas believes will be scored by the two teams - as in total points - and entertainment hunters can wager that 'over' the total or 'under' the total will be more entertaining.) The total went over when Georgia speedster Terry Godwin returned an onside kick for a TD late in the fourth quarter, a move that even coach Kirby Smart said afterward he thought Godwin should have just covered the ball and fallen to the ground.
That leads us to USC-Colorado last week, with the Trojans giving 5 at a ranked Colorado team. The Buffalos were down 21-14 with less than five minutes to play and decided to kick a field goal on fourth-and-5 inside the USC 30. Leading 21-17, USC connected on a pass on third down to JuJu Smith-Schuster, who broke into clear and was headed for a TD. But Smith-Schuster channeled his inner coach - call it a 'Smart' play - and fell to the ground in the clear and USC ran out the clock to win the game by four and lose the entertainment by a point.
We had two games in this space last week that fell into this category. Bowling Green, getting 12 and down 30-17 late, converted a fourth-and-27 for a 37-yard Hail Mary TD that bounced off a group of players twice and was caught to cover the number. On the other end of the spectrum, despite getting waxed by Fab 4 picks fav Mike Leach and Washington State, Stanford scored on the last play of the game to lose 42-16 to slide past the over of 57.
And that's why we call it entertainment.
On to the picks, which, say it with us, are for entertainment purposes only. We are expecting a rebound after we went 3-4 - a mark that included losses in both games that fell under the power of Hurricane Andrew - for our first losing week of the season. (All lines are from Vegasinsider.com as of Thursday morning.)
Notre Dame minus-3 over Stanford. The Irish are bad; Stanford is worse. Buy the half to hedge a backdoor cover, but it may be immaterial, especially if Stanford All-America Christian McCaffrey doesn't play. Notre Dame is better, and now add in the desperation factor for Brian Kelly and Co.
Texas-Iowa State over the 68. These teams have been involved in high-scoring games that exceeded the total in eight of 11 games. Texas can score but can't stop a runny nose. Iowa State is spunky, considering the Cyclones have gone from one of the worst teams in the country to one that is averaging almost 300 passing yards a game with a QB rotation that includes former Georgia player Jacob Park. So when this game is 38-31 late in the third, you can appreciate your entertainment and look elsewhere.
Ohio State minus-10 over Wisconsin. Ohio State is the most complete team in the country. (Sorry Johnny Tide Fans.) By all accounts, the Buckeyes were flat against Indiana, and still won by three TDs. Wisconsin is good defensively, but they simply can't score enough to keep pace.
BYU minus-7 over Mississippi State. This game is Friday so mark your calendars accordingly. This game also is in an awful spot for a MSU team trying to find some offensive identity. Heading to Provo is hardly the place to go and figure something out against a team that has Taysom Hill at quarterback and bruising running Jamaal Williams. Those guys are better and more experienced than the Auburn tandem of Sean White and Kam Pittway, which torched MSU last weekend.
Nebraska minus-3 over Indiana. We have been on the Cornhuskers for a while this year, and they are 3-1-1 against the number and are coming off a bye week. Indiana has improved and at times impressed this season, but the Hoosiers are coming off a very physical and taxing loss at Ohio State. That's the SEC version of playing a week after facing Alabama or LSU when it comes the aches and pains.
Washington State minus-6.5 over UCLA. After disappointing losses to start the season, Washington State has found its stride. The Cougars helped pull back the curtain on Oregon and Stanford with blowout wins, and now gets to return home for a date with equally underachieving UCLA, which lost to Arizona State last week. Even more damaging for the Bruins may be the unknown status of quarterback Josh Rosen, who injured his throwing should last week, and has coach Jim Mora using phrases like, "considering his long-term health" when discussing Rosen's availability.
Northwestern-Michigan State under 44. Two defensive-minded teams with offensive questions, especially for the Spartans, who may be getting the worst QB play in the country right now. This one will be played in the teens, so 44 is a very agreeable price.
Memphis-Tulane over the 53. Two sneaky good offenses and a Tulane team that will keep it close enough throughout that will cause the Tigers to keep their foot on the gas.
Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) eludes Alabama's Jonathan Allen (93) as he heads downfield. College football intrigue
We are at the halfway point for a lot of college football teams.
We also are less than three weeks from the first college football playoff rankings.
There are two potential games this week - Alabama going to Tennessee and Ohio State going to Wisconsin - that could alter the rankings.
And in truth, while we don't expect either of those to alter the hierarchy of the sport, it's important to remember this: In the first two years of the college football playoff system, seven of the eight teams that made the field were ranked outside of the top eight of the first released poll.
So maybe the bug surprises are still to come, but if we know anything about college football it is that the surprises are certainly out there.
This and that
- Arguably the best opening round of Fast Money on Family Feud ever right here. https://www.yahoo.com/tv/family-feud-contestants-unbelievable-score-in-fast-money-round-215021091.html The lady got 194 of the 200 points needed to win.
- Game 5 between the Dodgers and Nationals is tonight, and elimination baseball is good times.
- Also on the docket is Denver at San Diego in the NFL. (Chargers are plus-3 at home.) Interesting stat: What to guess which NFL team has had the lead for the most amount of game time this season? Yep, it's the Chargers, who are 1-4 overall.
Today's questions
First, speaking of the Chargers, would you rather have Philip Rivers of Eli Manning? Does the two Super Bowls completely alter the perspective of those two guys, because Rivers' numbers are better almost across the board?
As for a Rushmore, since it's Jerry Rice birthday, let's go with the Rushmore of wide receivers in NFL history and the best football players from HBCUs?
Go, and remember the mailbag.