AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2007 > November > 02
Friday, November 2, 2007
The stars say Bama will beat LSU
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The record was 6-4 again last week because I didn’t have the guts to pick Georgia, Kentucky finally had their letdown against Mississippi State, Texas A&M didn’t man up against Kansas, and Arizona State continued to defy the odds and beat California. That gives us a record of 61-29 in what has to go down as the craziest seasons these old eyes have ever seen.
So let’s begin what promises to be a November to remember with another edition of the Fearless Friday Forecast.
1. LSU at Alabama: Logically, we should go with LSU in this game. The Tigers have more athletes, especially on defense, and are still in the hunt for the national championship. But every now and then the stars are aligned just right for an undermanned team at home to create some magic. The stars point to the Crimson Tide on Saturday. Alabama 20, LSU 17.
2. Troy at Georgia: Surely, after hearing about the Trojans and Omar Haugabook all week, the Bulldogs will be ready against the team that could win the Sun Belt Conference. Georgia needs to start building momentum towards next week’s big showdown with Auburn. Georgia 31, Troy 17.
3. South Carolina at Arkansas: The Gamecocks will have to get over a bitter defeat at Tennessee last week. Because if they beat the Hogs Saturday and knock off Florida next week in Columbia, South Carolina can still win the SEC East. Arkansas and coach Houston Nutt are literally fighting for their football lives. Gamecocks win in a squeaker. South Carolina 17, Arkansas 16.
4. Vanderbilt at Florida: The Gators are in the same situation as South Carolina. If they take care of Vandy today on Homecoming, next week’s game with the Gamecocks could be huge. Florida is really beat up and will have to win this game on guts. Florida 21, Vanderbilt 14.
5. Florida State at Boston College: In a wild season of upsets, we’re about due for another one. No. 2 BC escaped with a win at Virginia Tech last week and is due for a letdown. Florida State has a number of fast athletes on defense and they could give QB Matt Ryan some problems. This one will rock the BCS. Florida State 17, Boston College 10.
6. Wake Forest at Virginia: Wake Forest has won six straight since starting the season 0-2 and, if Boston College loses, the Deacons are right back in the ACC Atlantic race. Virginia finally ran out of luck last week against N.C. State but the Cavaliers are still in control in the Coastal Division. That will not be the case after Saturday. Wake Forest 24, Virginia 17.
7. Clemson at Duke: The Tigers are gearing up for two huge home games against Wake Forest (Nov. 10) and Boston College (Nov. 17). But the Tigers sometimes lay an egg when their fans least expect it. That won’t happen on Saturday because Cullen Harper of Alpharetta is giving Clemson great play at quarterback. Clemson 31, Duke 10.
8. Arizona State at Oregon: The Sun Devils (8-0) have overachieved in their first year under Dennis Erickson. Quarterback Rudy Carpenter is nursing a sore thumb and that is never good. Oregon’s Dennis Dixon runs the spread option better than anyone and that’s not good for Arizona State, either. For the Sun Devils, the streak ends here. Oregon 35, Arizona State 21.
9. Wisconsin at Ohio State: Wisconsin has won three straight at Ohio State and three of the last four meetings overall with the Buckeyes. But Ohio State is an efficient team and quarterback Todd Boeckman is getting better every game. It’s tempting to go with the Badgers in an upset, but Ohio State (9-0) looks like a team that may soon be punching its ticket to New Orleans.
10. Nebraska at Kansas: It’s been almost 100 years since Kansas was 9-0 in the sport of football and we keep waiting on the Fighting Manginos to come back to earth. But the Jayhawks are the real deal on defense and quarterback Todd Reesing, who is averaging 272.3 yards of total offense per game, is starting to impress some people. Looks like Kansas may just roll until the Nov. 24 showdown with Missouri in Kansas City. Kansas 28, Nebraska 17.
