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Friday, August 29, 2008
The Fearless Friday Forecast
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Man, I never thought this day would get here. A lot sure has happened since January 7, when LSU body-slammed Ohio State in New Orleans to give the SEC its second straight national championship. Just a few of the highlights:
**—A tornado hit the Georgia Dome in March, but now it’s all spiffy again and ready for Saturday night’s showdown between Alabama and Clemson.
**—The BCS commissioners thought about going to a four-team playoff (or at least they say they did.) But they decided that the status quo in the post-season for the next six years.
**—Georgia parlayed an impressive win over Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl into a unanimous No. 1 ranking and now must defend it against an unprecedented schedule.
**—Speaking of Georgia, we lost UGA VI in June. Regardless of who you pull for you have to admit that he was a Damn good dog. I sent some of the video of his funeral at Sanford Stadium to my friends around the country. In it the Rev. Claude McBride ends the service by saying: “Sic’ em UGA. Woof. Woof. Amen!” I’m sorry, folks, but you just don’t get that in the Big Ten. UGA VII makes his debut tomorrow in Athens.
And finally, not a moment too soon, we have the first Fearless Friday Forecast of the 2008 season. As first weekends go, this one is pretty good. But here’s today’s question: Was last season, with all of the craziness, just an aberration or a sign of things to come? Is there an Appalachian State over Michigan out there this weekend?
I sure hope so.
Let’s get on the with the picks:
1. Georgia Southern at Georgia: The Bulldogs get an early tee time (12:30 p.m.) on Saturday and they should make the most of it. This is a game where Georgia needs to work on that offensive line, which needs to rally a little bit after the loss of LT Trinton Sturdivant. We also need to see who is going to get the football after Knowshon Moreno completes his obligatory 15-18 carries. It’s time for Georgia to start getting their ducks in a row for that Sept. 13 trip to South Carolina. Georgia 45, Georgia Southern 14.
2. Clemson vs. Alabama (Georgia Dome): Early in the summer it appeared that Clemson just had too much firepower for the Crimson Tide. But it looks like Alabama will have a little more pop in the offense with the addition of freshman WR Julio Jones and they now have a mammoth athlete at the nose tackle in Terrence Cody. I still think Clemson wins the game but it’s going to be tight. Very, very tight. Clemson 20, Alabama 17.
3. Appalachian State at LSU: After what Appalachian State did at Michigan’s Big House in the 2007 opener, there is no chance that the Tigers are going to overlook the Mountaineers from Boone, who have won three straight Division I-AA national championships. Appalachian State lost a bunch of good players but it still has quarterback Armanti Edwards, who drives good defenses crazy with his ability to move around and avoid pressure. LSU wins the game but Edwards and the Mountaineers keep it uncomfortably close for three quarters. LSU 31, Appalachian State 17.
4. Hawaii at Florida: It doesn’t look like Percy Harvin is going to play for the Gators but it won’t matter. June Jones is not the coach any more and QB Colt Brennan is also long gone. Florida gets the chance to field test its new offense which has surrounded QB Tim Tebow with several more weapons. The defense will have a confidence booster against the Hawaii offensive line. The last time Hawaii lined up against a team from the SEC (Georgia in the Sugar Bowl) it didn’t look pretty. This one will not look pretty either Florida 56, Hawaii 17.
5. Louisiana-Monroe at Auburn: Tony Franklin’s spread offense is put on display for the home folks at Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time. We are still waiting to see who will take the first snap-Kodi Burns or Chris Todd-but at the end of the day it won’t matter. Both can do some things to make the defense nervous. Auburn can’t afford to take ULM lightly because of what happened last November in Tuscaloosa. A lot of people (this writer included) are picking Auburn to replace LSU, the defending national champions, atop the SEC West. We’ll get an early indication in this one whether or not Auburn has the right stuff for that. Auburn 31, ULM 13.
6. Memphis at Ole Miss: Ole Miss has not been this excited about a football season since Eli Manning was a senior in 2003. That’s because new coach Houston Nutt inherited enough good players from Ed Orgeron to lead the Rebels to a bowl game this season. Quarterback Jevan Snead, a transfer from Texas, is finally eligible But don’t underestimate Memphis, which just an hour up the road. Tommy West’s team (7-6) finished strong after a 2-4 start last season and returns 16 starters. This is a rivalry game and anything can happen. Ole Miss 31, Memphis 24.
7. Tennessee at UCLA (Monday): For the second straight season the Volunteers open the season out on the West Coast. This trip, however, will be a lot more fun than the 2007 beat down (45-31) the Vols suffered at California. Yes, there are a lot of questions on the Tennessee team as there is a new offensive coordinator (Dave Clawson), new quarterback (Jonathan Crompton) and the hope that the Vols don’t have the same old defense (which finished 11th in the SEC last season). UCLA lost its first two quarterbacks and is down to junior college transfer Kevin Craft. This is not how new coach Rick Neuheisel wanted to start out. Tennessee 27, UCLA 17.
8. Kentucky at Louisville (Sunday): After a historic 2007 season that saw Kentucky beat LSU, the eventual national champions, in Lexington, there is an assumption that the Wildcats will fall back from the eight-victory level in 2008. Nobody lost more offensive firepower than the ‘Cats with the departure of QB Andre Woodson and a bunch of really good playmakers. But Coach Rich Brooks insists this is the deepest team he’s had at Kentucky and that this is clearly the best defense the Wildcats have had in a while. Louisville is still rebuilding post-Bobby Petrino. Kentucky wins with defense. Kentucky 24, Louisville 17.
9. Southern Cal at Virginia: Quarterback Mark Sanchez is going to answer the bell after dislocating this kneecap earlier in the summer. That is bad news for the Cavaliers. With Sanchez running the show, USC is good enough to win them all and play in South Florida for the national title. The last two times the Trojans started the season in the East (2003, 2004) they went on to win at least a share of the national championship. Southern Cal 30, Virginia 14.
10. Missouri vs. Illinois (St. Louis): This will be a very good quarterback battle between Missouri’s Chase Daniel and Juice Williams of Illinois. The Tigers get the edge because they have Jeremy Maclin, the most explosive player this side of Percy Harvin. Some are picking Missouri to beat Oklahoma for the Big 12 championship. We’ll find out in a hurry if the Gary Pinkel’s crew is the real deal. Missouri 31, Illinois 20.
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