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Friday, November 14, 2008
Georgia takes care of business at Auburn
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After a few weeks of getting beat up pretty good, your humble scribe bounced back with an 8-2 record last week. I said that Penn State- Iowa would be close but I didn’t have the guts to pick the Hawkeyes. If you saw a Cincinnati win over West Virginia coming, then more power to you.
That gives us an overall record of 70-40 for the season. It’s hard to believe how fast those 11 weeks have flown by.
This week looks like the calm before next week’s storm of big games. That’s when surprises usually happen. Let’s see if there are any surprises in this week’s edition of the Fearless Friday Forecast:
1. Georgia (8-2) at Auburn (5-5): On paper it looks like Georgia might be in trouble at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Bulldogs lost another offensive lineman this week. The defense is not playing well and giving up a ton of points. Fans are upset because Georgia didn’t live up to the preseason expectations. After barely escaping Kentucky with a win, this could be a trap game for Georgia.
Nope.
As long as Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno and A.J. Green can make it off the bus healthy, Georgia should be fine. Whatever is ailing Georgia’s defense will be cured when it meets Auburn’s offense. Georgia 24, Auburn 7.
2. South Carolina (7-3) at Florida (8-1): The Gators are the hottest team in the country right now and appear to have a clearly defined path to the BCS championship game. What would knock the Gator Express into the ditch would be an upset loss to the Head Ball Coach, Steve Spurrier. Two years ago Florida had to block a field goal on the last play of the game to beat South Carolina and keep its national championship hopes alive. If Spurrier can come up with some kind of offense to hold on to the ball, this one could be close. Gators still win. Florida 28, South Carolina 21.
3. Miss. State (3-6) at Alabama (10-0): Like Florida, No. 1 Alabama has already clinched a spot in the SEC championship game on Dec. 6. Mississippi State has been struggling all season but Sylvester Croom always has something special for his alma mater. Mississippi State has won two straight games against Alabama. My sense is that the Crimson Tide defense will be hitting on all cylinders now that NT Terrence Cody is at full speed again. Alabama 27, Miss. State 14.
4. Vanderbilt (5-4) at Kentucky (6-4): Vanderbilt will try yet again to become eligible for its first bowl since 1982. Kentucky lost a heartbreaker to Georgia but in the process found its quarterback of the future in Randall Cobb. Cobb ran for 82 yards and three touchdowns against the Bulldogs. He gives Kentucky a much- needed running dimension on offense. That will be enough to beat the Commodores at home. Kentucky 24, Vanderbilt 17.
5. Boston College (6-3) at Florida State (7-2): The top two defenses in the ACC square off in what is bound to be a low scoring game. Boston College picked up a shutout last week against Notre Dame (17-0). Florida State rallied from a 10-0 deficit to take care of Clemson 41-27. The difference in this game is that Florida State’s defense will be able to force BC QB Chris Crane into turnovers. The Seminoles also have a running threat in quarterback Christian Ponder. Florida State 21, Boston College 13.
6. Duke (4-5) at Clemson (4-5): Dabo Swinney looked like he might be coaching his way into a job when Clemson took a 10-0 lead against Florida State last week. Now Swinney needs to take a step towards getting the Tigers bowl eligible. Clemson gets a slight edge because it is playing at home but a word of warning for the Tigers: This ain’t your old Duke. If you come out flat against David Cutcliffe’s team, you’ll get beat. Clemson 17, Duke 14.
7. North Carolina (7-2) at Maryland (6-3): Miami’s 16-14 win over Virginia Tech Thursday night puts North Carolina in control of its own destiny in the ACC Coastal. The Virginia Tech defense gave Maryland quarterback Chris Turner a hard time last week. North Carolina’s defense is better as it leads the nation in interceptions with 18. This will be close because Maryland is tough at home (4-0). North Carolina 28, Maryland 24.
8. Wake Forest (6-3) at N.C. State (3-5): If Maryland loses again, then Wake Forest (4-2 ACC) controls its own destiny in the ACC Atlantic. The Deacons were impressive last week with a solid 28-17 win over Virginia. The running game is finally working again and that should be enough to beat the Wolfpack in Raleigh. Wake Forest 23, N.C. State 17.
9. Ohio State (8-2) at Illinois (5-5): A year ago Illinois handed Ohio State it’s only loss in the regular season by beating the Buckeyes in Columbus. Despite the Illinois record, this is a dangerous game for Ohio State, which can still go to the Rose Bowl if it wins out and Michigan State beats Penn State next week. Illinois quarterback Juice Williams puts a scare into the Buckeyes but Jim Tressel’s team still finds a way to win. Ohio State 21, Illinois 17.
10. Texas (9-1) at Kansas (6-4): Despite its one-point loss to No. 2 Texas Tech on Nov. 1, Texas can still reach the Big 12 championship game if it beats Kansas and Texas A&M while Texas Tech loses next week at Oklahoma. This looks a little like a trap game because the Jayhawks can throw it pretty well with quarterback Todd Reesing. But Kansas gave up 45 last week to Nebraska. Colt McCoy and the Longhorns will score at least 50. Texas 52, Kansas 28.
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