Arkansas kicks Florida to the curb. Vols handle Dawgs.

I said just below that the Gates were not as good as their shiny new #20 ranking, but I do believe that they are much better than they showed in the 19-point drubbing they just took in Fayetteville. I predicted and Arkansas victory, but I most surely didn't expect a blowout, and the final score does not even come close to reflecting the absolute domination the Razorbacks visited upon the hapless Gators.

GatorPilot at Orange and Blue Hue has this:

When the shots don’t drop, this team will lose. When young teams get behind, things can occasionally snowball. That is what happened for this group today. Arkansas starts three seniors and have lights-out sophomore guard in Patrick Beverly. They showed why they were a pre-season SEC contender and they were in top form today. With the two-time defending national champs in the building, the crowd was loud and wanted blood.

I think he is exactly right. The Gators just threw in a clunker this game, much like Vanderbilt did in the O-Dome last weekend. They are young and tender, and the tough, grizzled old Razorbacks just took them to the woodshed. Florida will have a few games like that one this year, and they really must improve their defensive intensity.

Mlmintampa at Alligator Army sees it this way:

I think it's significant to mention this today because while Arkansas is not back at the level of "40 Minutes Of Hell", their defense is good enough, with a home crowd, to stop UF's offense. Is Florida better than the Hogs? Maybe. Records say yes but Arkansas has an RPI of 41 with a SOS of 61. The Gators are 43 and a SOS of 150. We again are having the same conversation we had before the Kentucky game; who is better? A tested team or a talented team?

There is really no knowing the answer to his question, but a lot can be said for experience. Talent is important, but you have to suffer a few depredations at the hands of SEC foes before you can really toughen up enough to be a major force in this league. Florida probably needed this lesson, and may be better for it. Eventually.

So far, nothing really out there from the Razorback faithful. I'll try to catch that up later.

Moving on to the Tennessee vs. Mississippi State game, I called this one much more correctly scorewise. I didn't see the game like I did the previous one. However, a perusal of the statistics provides some insights:

• Turnovers -- Tennessee forced the bulldogs into almost 24% turnovers. Unlike most teams who don't always hurt you off turnovers, the Volunteers almost always do. Here is a classic example -- MSU scored 8 points off 13 UT turnovers. The Vols scored 18 points off 16 MSU turnovers. The ten point differential was more than enough to win the game for the Vols.
• Three point shooting -- Tennessee put up 63 3-point shots, which effectively nullified MSU's great shot blocking. Even so, MSU blocked 10 shots, but that wasn't enough.
• Free throw shooting -- In the end, when MSU came back by getting open looks in the half court and knocking down shots, they couldn't finish because they had trouble making free throws. MSU shot a dismal 59% from the line.

Not much so far from either team's bloggers (basketball just doesn't quite draw the immediate reaction that football does in the SEC), but I will update this post when we do have reaction.

Groundhog day: The big games in the SEC

What are the really big games in the SEC this weekend? Let's see:

• Mississippi State hosting #7 Tennessee
  This game is significant for both teams. Tennessee has won two in a row after dropping one on the road at Kentucky, and the serious roll that MSU has been on through the SEC schedule was derailed slightly at Arkansas earlier this week. MSU needs a win against a ranked foe to propel them into the top 25. Conversely, A second loss in four games would hurt the Volunteer's quest for a 1 or two seed in the NCAA's.
  
  Tennessee will try to get the pace into the 72+ possession range, and if this happens, MSU is in trouble. MSU also tends to turn the ball over a lot. MSU can win by keeping the tempo down -- Tennessee is not a good half-court team, and MSU is 5th in the nation in defensive points/possession.
  
  My Pick: Tennessee wins a squeaker, 79-75
  
  Blog Commentary:
  
  
• Mississippi State: Alrliss, Mississippi State Basketball:
  

  This game could make or break all the sucess we had in January. Win were back in the top two in the SEC, lose and were back fighting to keep the west lead. It could go either way, I hope the team that played UM comed out.

• Tennessee: Tennessee Volunteers v. Mississippi State Bulldogs: stats comparison
  
  
• #20 Florida at Arkansas
  
  The Gators are on a three-game roll, and last week ran a feckless Vanderbilt team out of the O-Dome. As a consequence, they jumped up to #20 in the polls, but trust me when I say that these Gators are not the 20th best team in the nation just yet, especially as unproven as they are with an RPI of 43 and a #150 strength of schedule (compare to the Razorbacks #41 and #61). This is a matchup between two very even teams with different strengths and weaknesses.
  
  Arkansas must handle the Florida pick and roll, and nobody is more capable than former UF assistant, John Pelphrey. Keeping the ball out of Nick Calthes' hands is critical to Arkansas' success, because Calathes has proven that he can kill teams all by himself if you let him touch the ball where he wants to. Arkansas has the edge in athleticism, but they must avoid falling into the wide-open running game that Pelphrey enjoys. Florida is simply better at it, and their biggest weakness is their half-court defense. If Arkansas can force Florida into the half court, the Razorbacks' athleticism will assert itself.
  
  My pick: Arkansas takes down the Gators in a close game, 75-73.
  
  Blog commentary:
  
  
• Gators: GatorPilot, Orange and Blue Hue:
  

  O&B Hue’s Keys to Victory:

  • - Get a true inside out attack going with Speights.
  • - Play Billyball. Wear them out so we can win the game in the final 5:00.
  • - Use the press.
  • - Make the extra pass and keep searching for the open look.
  • - Get points in transition.
  • - Make the shots.

• Razorbacks: HogBlogger:
  

  So what’s my winning formula for these guys?

  • Play very intense defense…including using a strong press often. I think the use of the Wooden-era, UCLA-type ‘token’ press has been the root of many of the lazy habits shown by this team.
  • Pass the ball on offense — don’t dribble it unless for a specific purpose. Quick ball movement is the key that will allow these guys to play better on offense.
  • Emphasize a controlled fast break with secondary options — no long passes.
  • Use ball rotation and pick and roll to get the ball into the paint.
  • Ride Sonny Weems early and often. Post him up…get him the ball in scoring positions…put this team on his back.
  • Play inside-out with Weems and Beverley.
  • Make the post players kick the ball out to the shooters (this means you Charles Thomas — quit getting your shot blocked).

The SEC: Up is down, and Vandy is really down

Who is getting it done in the SEC in basketball this year? There are a few surprises, a few disappointments, and a few real stinkers.

First, the standings:

Overall Standings:
#	Team	Conference			Overall				Comments
		W	L	Pct	W	L	Pct
East-1	Tennessee	5	1	0.833	18	2	0.9		No surprise here. They are the odds-on favorite
East-1	Florida	5	1	0.833	18	3	0.857		Gators expected to be good, but not this good. Favorable early schedule so far, though.
East-3	Kentucky	3	2	0.6	9	9	0.5		Maybe about right, but their overall record stinks.
East-4	Georgia	2	3	0.4	11	7	0.611		About to get worse, most likely.
East-5	Vanderbilt	2	4	0.333	17	4	0.81		What a surprise, but their schedule does get easier.
East-5	South Carolina	2	4	0.333	10	10	0.5		About right. Could move up.
West-1	Mississippi State	5	1	0.833	14	6	0.7		Significantly better than expected. The remainder is a bit tougher, but not that much. Can win the West
West-2	Arkansas	4	2	0.667	15	5	0.75		About right, but beating MSU has them on the move up.
West-3	Mississippi	3	3	0.5	16	3	0.842		Surprised early, but having road trouble. Still have to go to Arkansas, Kentucky, and Alabama.
West-4	Auburn	2	4	0.333	12	7	0.632		Maybe better than expected, but likely to get worse.
West-5	Alabama	1	5	0.167	12	9	0.571		WTF? Loss to Georgia on the road. They still have to play the tough road games.
West-5	LSU	1	5	0.167	8	12	0.4		I'm not sure I expected them to be this bad.

Right now, The SEC has 4 teams in the AP top 25 with one on the verge, and 5 in the coach's poll. The SEC currently ranks 5th in the RPI just below the Big East. The ACC is on top of that measurement. As of right now, you would have to figure that the SEC will get 5 teams into the tournament, although six is a real possibility if things don't change too much at the top.

Up until Wednesday, the Mississippi State Bulldogs were looking very strong, but that stopped abruptly at Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday. Joswalt at RazorBlog has the details:

Jarvis Varnado can't block shots while he's sitting on the bench.

He also won't block them if he's under the basket and the other team is shooting 3-pointers, and Arkansas made more than enough perimeter shots for a 78-58 win over Varnado and Mississippi State (No. 25 ESPN/USA Today) on Wednesday night.

Vanado has been a holy terror this year, leading the nation in blocked shots. But if you stay away from him or keep him on the bench, he can't help, and the Razorbacks defeated a rising MSU team by 20 points. Arliss at Mississippi State Basketball is a man of few words about this one:

That was ugly! Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. I'm glad that one was over. It makes me sick to talk of it anymore. Lets move on and rebound against the Vols on Saturday. Go Dawgs!!!

Sometimes, it's better to forget the bad ones and just look forward. MSU has been tough this year, and they get to find out just how tough against the Vols in the Hump this weekend. A quick look at the Bulldogs' turnover statistics (15.2/game) against a team that is better than anyone in the league at prying the ball away doesn't give me a whole lot of confidence in the Dawgs' chances. Not only that, Chris Lofton is on something of a tear lately, and as joswalt said above, Varnado can't block three pointers.

But the Dawgs have the 5th best defensive points/possession statistic in the entire USA, and are holding teams to 31% 3-point shooting (well, except for Arkansas). But the Vols get a lot of their offense from turning people over in the backcourt and getting layups. If that happens, MSU is in deep doo-doo.

Vanderbilt is surely tanking at the moment. They lost ugly Wednesday to Ole Miss, and are the Commodores worried? Well, Bobby O'Shea at Vanderbilt Sports Line says that Vandy fans may have reached a good time to ... panic!

I know it's hard to tell over the radio, but something about the way this team is playing leads me to believe we are either lazy or dumb. It's possible it could be both. Still, I am now giving VSL Nation permission to panic.

A perusal of the stats finds much more than rebounding as an issue. Vandy's offensive efficiency was an incredibly dismal 89.2, and their effective FG% was only 42.8%! Butt-ugly, that is the term for Vandy's offense, and without their offense, they are way vulnerable. Shan Foster, who was shooting a remarkable 50% from 3 as little as two weeks ago, has gone 9/35 in the last 3 games for a whopping 28%. Won't get it done. No way. Andrew Ogilvy, who was dominant in the paint up until the Kentucky game, has gone from a 65+% shooter to 37% from the floor the last 4 games. The object of the game is still to put the ball in the basket, guys.

Parish Alford asks, was it good D or bad O:

Good D or Bad O: A little of both I think. I saw Ole Miss work hard at contesting shots, but I also saw Vanderbilt get back, get feet set and get some good looks that were just missed.
On the whole I think shots were contested better. Even a few 3s the Commodores hit were made over defenders charging out and hands extended.

Having not seen the game, I can't speak to his point authoritatively, but I can say this -- when we look at the stats over the last 4 games for Vandy's offense, I think there is a much stronger argument for bad O than good D. No knock on Ole Miss, but Vandy has been cranking out some stinkers lately. But then again, you don't get to 89% OE without some help.

Around the SEC bloggers

We are in that time of year where the remnants of the college football season is, in the words of Montgomery Gentry:

Gone like a freight-train, gone like yesterday
Gone like a soldier in the civil war, bang bang

That's right. Gone. We are in that long, 7-month period where recruiting and the NFL draft will be the only things to talk about, and glory on the field is over half a year away.

Ethanator1088, The SEC Football Blogger, thinks that this is a good time to reminisce a little, like back to Auburn's 2004 undefeated season in which it was denied the Hajj to the BCS championship:

Let me get right to the point. Auburn was gypped. They were cheated. They were “ done wrong”. They should have won the national championship. This is the best reason for a college playoff. I do not care if you are an Auburn fan. If a team goes undefeated through the SEC, they deserve a shot at the National Championship. It is idiotic to think otherwise.

After castigating Booty and Cotu below for whining, I'll bet you think I am going to do the same thing here. But you would be wrong. I think Ethanator1088 is right. Auburn wasn't necessarily robbed because they were a better team than either of the eventual contestants, although I think I could make a sound argument they were. Rather, they were robbed by the system which forces a choice between two of three virtually equal teams in every respect without giving them a chance to settle the matter on the field.

Of course, I have agitated over this all year long, and since we are entering the interregnum between this season and next, I expect to agitate some more. But not today.

Moving to the sport that tends to occupy our attention during said interregnum, it seems that Ole Miss easily dispatched a tough Mississippi State [UPDATE: OOOps. Got that one backward. Thanks to Marcus for pointing out my egregious error, and apologies to MSU for my faux pas. Too much blogging lately.] Mississippi State dispatched an Ole Miss team that has been on a roll yesterday at the Hump. Strands of Crepe Paper has the word:

The score on this one says it all. State beat us tonight like a drum at a sold out Humphrey Coliseum. Charles Rhodes completely had his way inside, scoring 26 points on 12 of 14 shooting. Curtis, Kenny Williams and Malcolm White were continuously schooled inside and stayed in foul trouble.

Ole Miss has announced its arrival as an SEC force, for this year at least. I really expected MSU to do better, and as a Kentucky Wildcat fan, this isn't encouraging after MSU beat Kentucky in a tough game at the Hump. As a Kentucky fan, the MSU loss now doesn't seem so bad. Kudos to Ole Miss MSU, and Parrish Alford tells the tale from the Rebel side of things:

What’s next? State wasn’t a must-win game. The biggest loss in the last two games was at Auburn, because that’s a place the Rebels were favored and a road game they could have won. It was going to be far more difficult to win at State.

To my mind, the ultimate act of disrespect to a rival is to say something like the above. Just another game. Meant nothing. Ouch.

Turning back to football, Third Saturday in Blogtober has an update on Alabama's search for a new Offensive Coordinator, and the name ... Jim McElwain. Your reaction is probably the same as mine, and his: Jim Mc-who? The Tide Druid is also reporting on this.

Joel at Rocky Top Talk is reporting that Eric Ainge was named the offensive MVP for the South in the Senior Bowl. Kudos to Ainge and the Vols. In more Volunteer news, Georgia went up to Tennessee to challenge the knot-headed Volunteers in hoops, and got sent home bloodied and humbled. Lawvol at Gate 21 has the call:

In the process of laying it to the Dawgs, Tennessee secured its 27th consecutive victory in the Tommy Bowl. and improved to 17-2 on the season. Chris Lofton — apparently feeling the juice once more — scored 27 points, including 6 three-pointers. Lofton has been steadily improving over the last few games, which is good considering now is when the Vols will need his shooting ability most — in the heart of the SEC schedule.

Paul Westerdawg at The Georgia Sports Blog has the view from the other side:

Here's my issue with the game...no the program as a whole. My source of frustration if you will. I'm no hoops guru, but I know three things to pretty much be unshakable, unwavering hoops truths:

1. If you don't hustle defensively on the road, you don't win.

2. If you don't pass well or move without the ball effectively, you're easy to defend. I think it was Bobby Knight who said, "The easiest man to defend is the man standing still."

3. Moving and passing intelligently do NOT depend on talent.

Speaking as a person who is a hoops guru (well, I like to think so, anyway), I think he is dead right in all three areas.

Finally, the Bleacher Report gores one of my all-time favorite oxen -- Bobby Petrino. Seems the game of musical defensive coordinators has left Petrino the odd man out, and not Spurrier after all:

[Ellis] Johnson left his position at Mississippi State around a month ago to be the new defensive coordinator at Arkansas.

Then he moved on to join sleazeball extraordinaire, Bobby Petrino, to rebuild the Razorbacks. Well, that marriage also lasted just a month.

Now Arkansas is the odd man out: The only party without a defensive coordinator. I think it is great. Petrino deserves it.

See, it seems that Spurrier stole Johnson away from Petrino. Ah, [dis]loyalty -- it's not just for head coaches anymore.

Awards, rewards, and searches around the SEC

Well, I guess the biggest news so far today (or actually, yesterday) is that Tommy Tuberville finally signed his extension with Auburn, thereby largely ending the Tubby-to-Arkansas and Tubby-to-A&M speculation that has been percolating on the Plains. War Eagle Reader says, "Fear the extension:"

Tommy Tuberville is the grandfather who doesn’t know what a blog is, the Dad who talks to the media on his cell-phone while at the mall (telling them things, oh, like that he’s never been contacted by Texas A&M) while his son is buying a game for something called a Playstation.

Tuberville is the football coach who has repeatedly accomplished what no other Auburn coach has accomplished. Tuberville is the man with the 9 trillion square foot new Auburn house (it is beautiful) who loves Auburn, who’s aging Mom is reportedly in love with the place, and Tommy Tuberville is the man who cried at the thought of leaving (or from the joy of staying).

Hmm. Well, okee-doakee then. I guess all is good down in Auburn, and the Tiger fans can sit back, relax and enjoy the bowl season. Meanwhile, Arkansas is still without a coach, and the search continues. Whole Hog Sports reports that Tommy Bowden doesn't want the job:

Clemson Coach Tommy Bowden apparently had an overnight change of heart, declining an overture from Arkansas to succeed Houston Nutt as the Razorbacks’ head football coach.

A source close to the negotiation said Arkansas was ready to present Bowden a multiyear contract worth more than $ 2 million per year, but in a news conference announcing his acceptance of a raise and contract extension at Clemson, Bowden said he was “never offered” a job by Long during talks Monday night.

The Hog Blogger says Bowden was a crappy choice anyway:

Jeff Long scours the entire nation, and he comes back with Tommy Bowden? Really? If Long is foolish enough to think he can wow fans with a big name who isn’t actually a good coach, (Dave Wannstedt?) this is not the job for him. We’re all for giving guys a chance, but this offer makes absolutely no sense. There’s a reason Bowden has been on the hot seat for what seems like forever. People may have given Nutt a hard time for only winning ten games once, but Bowden has pulled it off in a grand total of zero seasons. In Mike Leach’s case, at least he plays in a division with three of the premier programs in college football and has an excuse for never winning anything.

He has a point. Tommy Bowden has been anything but impressive at Clemson, and you all remember that lil' ol' UK beat them convincingly in last year's Music City Bowl when the Tigers were heavily favored. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for Tommy Bowden's coaching prowess.

Heisman Pundit wonders if there is a Tebow backlash building for the Heisman:

For the record, I don't think there is a Tebow backlash going on. I do think that what we are seeing is a race that is not a landslide, like we have been used to in recent years. The voices rising up against Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and Troy Smith were few and far between. In a relatively close race, there is going to be a variety of opinions. In a chaotic race like this year's, even more so.

So what does this mean? Well, HP goes on to say he thinks Tebow will win comfortably, but McFadden is still an issue. Senator Blutarsky is on point:

Ladies and gentlemen, Knowshon Moreno is your SEC freshman of the year. Unanimously so.

As a sidenote, it’s interesting that McFadden was named offensive player of the year and not Tebow. Could that be a foreshadowing of the Heisman vote?

Hmm. Sophomores are known to have difficulty winning the Heisman. McFadden had an incredible year, as did Tebow. Part of the reason Tebow's was so incredible was his relative youth. Will this work against him in the Heisman voting? I note that Heisman Pundit's final straw poll showed only a 2-vote differential between Tebow and McFadden, 23-21. Tebow has been holding in the 20-23 range for 3 weeks and has apparently topped out, while McFadden has lately been moving up dramatically. This one could be close. And in another late development, McFadden has won the SEC offensive player of the year award.

And in case anyone didn't notice, Sylvester Croom strikes again, taking Coach of the Year honors. Kyle Veazey has the goods:

Back from The Hump, where I spoke with Ben Hansbrough.

But you guys probably don't care too much about that right now, seeing as how Sylvester Croom has just been named Southeastern Conference coach of the year by his peers.

More to come on clarionledger.com

Congratulations to Coach Croom on his well-deserved recognition. Mississippi State has really improved this year, and Croom has shown that he is a better coach than many gave him credit for. [UPDATE] Croom also won the AP Coach of the Year award.

That's all for now.

Some Friday SEC Action

Some hot and heavy action in the SEC for a Friday. We have one really important game today for the SEC (Arkansas at LSU) and one game that is really important for the two teams involved (Mississippi at Mississippi State, otherwise known as the Egg Bowl).

Well, the Egg Bowl is over and done, and MSU wins 17-14. Jeremy at Mississippi State Sports reports:

After trailing the rebels for most of the game, the Bulldogs tied the game on a punt return for a touchdown by Derek Pegues. Adam Carlson put the Dogs on top with a 48-yard field goal with 12 seconds left to play.

MSU is now 7-5, and has some really interesting bowl possibilities. MSU hasn't been to a bowl since 2000, so this has got to feel really, really good to Bulldog fans. Congratulations to MSU and to Coach Croom on a fine year. MSU is a team on the rise in the SEC.

Parish Alford, writing for Ole Miss, had this cryptic post:

I hope everyone saw it. You wouldn’t believe it otherwise. Read it tomorrow in the Daily Journal.

I will. Apparently, MSU came back from a 14-0 deficit after 3 quarters with scores including a 75 yard punt return and ended with a 48-yard career field goal for the MSU kicker. Croom was apparently running around the stadium with the MSU flag. Big day for the Dawgs.

As I write this, LSU is in serious jeopardy against Arkansas. Arkansas has just scored the go-ahead touchdown, 28-21, and now the Tigers have all of 5 minutes left to save their shot at the BCS title game. It doesn't look good for the Tigers. Fanhouse has the tale at the moment, and LSU needs another miracle comeback to save its championship hopes.

Dawgs and Cats, and Croom calls the Hogs!

Today was the beginning of the fall signing period for basketball. There were a few interesting things happening.

First of all, Scotty Hopson, one of the best players in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and a very highly touted recruit who has verbally committed to Mississippi State University, did not sign his LOI today. Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger got in touch with Hopson about it.

What makes this somewhat interesting is that Chris Singleton, who was being heavily recruited by Kentucky and Florida State, chose the graveyard of high school talent over the Wildcats. Suddenly, a scholarship is open at Kentucky. What does this all mean? Nothing, probably, but you never know.

In other bad news for Kentucky, Jodie Meeks, expected to be a leading contributor this year, is out 4-6 weeks with a stress fracture to his groin area. Is it just me, or do the words "fracture" and "groin area" put together like that cause you to cringe a bit? Yikes.

But of course, we are still in the throes of football season, so I think I'll return to that for now.

Kentucky and Georgia got a big game a-happenin' down in Athens this weekend. Kyle King of Dawg Sports is a bit nervous about it, too:

5) UGA 41, UK 31.This game really, really worries me. I just don't think we match up well against their offense. I think our best bet is to establish the run early and keep Woodson and his receivers from establishing a rhythm. If we can get a decent lead, then Knowshon and Thomas can step in to eat up clock. But unlike Auburn's plodding attack, this Kentucky team can put 21 on the board in a hurry. It will be a barn burner. I think the last thing we want is a shootout. As potent as our offense has been of late, there's no reason to go blow for blow with a team who's standard attack is to throw as many punches as possible.

The big thing with Kentucky is not letting them get you in a shootout. If you do that, your chances go down. Kentucky hasn't stopped anyone on defense this year, not even Vanderbilt and South Carolina. But if you let the Cats get in a rhythm, they can put up so many points so fast that only Florida can outscore them. The Dawgs definitely can't. But as Kyle points out, the antidote to André Woodson is to live in the Kentucky backfield, and that is most certainly possible for Georgia.

Dawgs of the World Unite dispatches a submarine on a northern run to espy the goings on in Lexington, but runs into trouble:

Unfortunately, due to a lack of submarine-navigable waters in the area around Lexington, we had to divert the recon team to a mission on behalf of DOTWU's closest blog ally. The crew is currently probing the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts, seeking a potential embarkment point for the DFF IV Maritime Alcohol Consumption Expeditionary Force (DFFIVMACEF). So, this week's report will be based on information pilfered from the internets and our own wild conjecture.

In Kentucky, John Clay reports that Mark Richt wants a "redout", and reports on other strangeness in the activities of the Georgia coach lately. Mark is beginning to scare me. I think he is going all Spurrier on us, and I don't like it. Not one bit.

Not much more coming out the UK folks about the game with Georgia yet. Too much roundball news over there.

Mississippi State could pick up their seventh win this year at Arkansas on Saturday. The question is, which Arkansas team will show up? The one that ran roughshod over the Gamecocks, or the one that was dismissed rudely by Tennessee last weekend? Terry Wood of WholeHogSports is wondering as well:

Throughout the season, Arkansas has had one of the most productive offenses in the Southeastern Conference thanks to the Razorbacks' rushing attack.

But twice in the last month, the Hogs have been held to a near standstill by Auburn and Tennessee.

Meanwhile, Gregg Ellis says that for Croom, it's all about respect:

Sylvester Croom just wants respect. Period. And right now, he doesn't feel his team is getting its due.

To begin with, he was irritated the oddsmakers listed Alabama as the favorite this past weekend, even though MSU defeated the Tide last year in Tuscaloosa and was coming off an impressive win at Kentucky two weeks ago.

Croom is definitely getting the job done this year, much like Kentucky did last year. If he gets to 7 or 8 games, MSU could get a very nice bowl indeed, especially having beaten as many ranked teams as they have.

Better late than never

OOPS! Wednesday I said I would look at two teams today, and two teams tomorrow, meaning Thursday -- and yet, I didn't post on Thursday, or Friday for that matter. Oh, well, life happens.

So now, we shall proceed to look at the two SEC games I didn't look at Wednesday, and without further ado ...

Mississippi State at Kentucky

This game is important for Kentucky. They are still in the SEC East race, but there is no way they can get to Catlanta without help. But more important even than that is the perception shared by many in the SEC that Kentucky cannot sustain their level of play, and is due to return to form and drop games they should win.

Kentucky Sports Radio takes a look at the UK-MSU game, and raises the specter of Happy Gilmore:

After a hard-fought, human-growth-hormone induced loss, it will be nice for the Cats to get back to their winning ways by going all Bob Barker on the Bulldogs (Does he mean Bob Barker as in when Bob Barker fought Happy Gilmore, or is that an allusion to neutering your dog? Both, kids.) The thought here is that Kentucky wins in such convincing fashion that College Gameday will actually be on the Vanderbilt campus in a couple of weeks to again witness the majesty that is UK Football.

Heh. Well, whatever, but if the Gameday boys show up in Nashville, be looking for the 5th Horseman to ride into town as well.

Greg Ellis from Inside Mississippi State was flying to Lexington for the game, but wound up in Louisville:

I was supposed to land in Lexington. Funny thing, though. I didn’t. Instead, I landed in Louisville. Thanks, Northwest, for overbooking. Wouldn’t have been so bad had my hotel not been in Lexington, along with the rental car. Oh well, that’s baseball. But, I finally made it. That’s all that counts. Just three hours late.

Man, what a drag. Enjoy the game, Greg.

Ole Miss at Auburn

The Tigers are coming off a disappointing loss at LSU in a game they arguably should have won. Ole Miss comes off a brutal beating at the hands of the Arkansas Razorbacks. Ryan at The Auburner hasn't quite moved on from LSU:

The general reaction on the plains has been mostly depression mixed with anger… if that’s even possible. The emotional cycle that has been going on this week goes like so:

1) Remembrance: The worst part of the cycle. Just when you think you have forgotten about the weekend and had moved on with your life only to relive the moment that Les Miles escaped death… again. This phase is often brought about by something that slightly resembles the… ‘Incident.’ For instance, I was driving up Donahue and noticed a sign for “Gourmet Tiger”… WRITTEN IN PURPLE! After that blow to my mood, I had trouble driving faster than 5 miles per hour.

2) Anger: Comes about 45 seconds after the first phase. It’s hard to beat ourselves up for losing on a roll of the dice. This stage consists mostly of questioning the referee’s sexual orientation and Les Miles’ alliance with Satan.

3) Arrest: Vandalism, assault, tax fraud, you name it. You can’t be held responsible for your actions as a result of phase 2. Les Miles took unnecessary gambles and it worked out great for him, why not me?

4) Bail: This is where you find out who your true friends are.

5) Trying to forget: It’s hard, but at some point you gotta move on… or just try to think of something else. Hakuna Matata anyone?

6) Remembrance: Rinse and repeat.

The Plainsmen are playing some of the best football in the league right now, and have redeemed their earlier loss to the MSU Bulldogs. But they have to beat Ole Miss to retain even an outside shot at the West, and even then, they will need help from LSU.

WorldClassGlass thinks the Rebels will have difficulty defeating the Plainsmen in Jordan-Hare, and isn't looking forward to the game:

We all know the Rebels story and it has been a bad season for them. They have been competitive in their two biggest games at home, but are coming off a week in which they played their worst football in the Coach O era.

While I think the Rebels will not play as bad as they did last week, I think they will have a lot of trouble hanging with the Tigers. This is a very big game for the future of the season for the Tigers. With an early evening kickoff(UMAA does not know what that is), the atmosphere at Jordan Hare should be rocking and the fans should be pumped up.

All that being said, I think the Tigers will beat the Rebels by about two or three touchdowns. It will be interesting to see if Seth Adams will return to play similar to earlier this season or if he will continue his interception filled play as the past several games.

I always enjoy the trip to Auburn and look forward to another trip, however I am not looking forward to the game.

As a Kentucky fan, I know exactly what this feels like. Up until the last couple of years, any fine Kentucky blogger could have written sentiments exactly like this one. Rebuilding is difficult, even near-impossible in the SEC when you are are mired in the lower tier. Every year brings more of the same frustration.

Ole Miss, at one time, was a dominant power in the SEC. Will we ever see a return of those halcyon days?

Some quick SEC previews from around the blogosphere

Today, we'll be letting some of the SEC's best bloggers tell us what they expect this Saturday.

Georgia at Vanderbilt

Hunker Down Dawg Blawg, Georgia:

We need this game in a bad way. We have to right the ship and get out of Nashville with a win. At this point, after what I saw last week, I don’t even care about style points or anything like that. While a stylish blowout win a la Ole Miss two weeks ago (my how two weeks can certainly change one’s perception of this team) would certainly make me feel better about things, at this point, I just think we all need a win. We can’t let that complete meltdown last week result in the spiral out of control we saw last year.

Nashville Ballerz, Vanderbilt:

Here’s the truth: Vanderbilt is good enough to play in a bowl game this season but not good enough to overcome shoddy quarterback play. Whether it’s Nickson or Adams at the controls Saturday, one needs to get the VU offense moving again and keep this season on track while there’s still time.

LSU at Kentucky

A Sea of Blue, Kentucky:

Our offensive line will face a challenge of Davidian proportions. If they can find some formula to protect Woodson and create holes for our backs to hit through LSU's mighty defensive front, great things can happen for UK. LSU can't win a shootout with anybody, but normally, they don't have to face one.

LSUPhootball, LSU:

Monica Says: In order for Kentucky to win this game, LSU has to tackle the same way they did against Florida during the 1st half, Jarmon and Woodyard need to stop LSU’s rushing attack, and Woodson needs to be mistake-free, which isn’t that much of a stretch considering he’s thrown 18 TD’s and 2 interceptions. Coach Rich Brooks also needs to mix up the play calling and utilize Little and not rely on Woodson as much as he has this year.

Tennessee at Mississippi State

Rocky Top Talk, Tennessee:

Vols to the Wall asks the question on every Vol fan's mind: Can Tennessee run the table? College Football News apparently thinks we can at least get to the SEC Championship game because they have us slated for the Capital One Bowl (as the SEC No. 2) against Wisky. And yeah, Mississippi may be Josh McNeil's home, but Dave Hooker states the obvious anyway: There's nothing sexy about Mississippi State, but cautions us to not take the Bulldogs too lightly. Indeed, Mississippi State's defensive front presents some problems. And finally, on the Vols' front, Ghost of Neyland is headed out for vacation, but he's left a poem in his wake.

Kyle Veazey, MSU:

In today's Clarion-Ledger, the main Mississippi State story is on the offensive line. It has played well thus far, sure, but J.B. Grimes thinks it can play much, much better. The notebook is led with some of the MSU staff affiliations to UT — Pat Washington, Woody McCorvey, Brad Pendergrass.

Alabama at Mississippi

Roll Bama Roll, Alabama:

Nico:
I feel strongly that we'll win, but that it won't be an easy layup by any stretch of the imagination. We just aren't a team that's capable of blowing mediocre teams out of the water yet, and until we're there, I'll be nervous. This one will probably be down to the wire as usual.

World Class Glass, Ole Miss:

So this game is a toss up for me. I feel like it can go one way or the other. I think the Rebels will come into the game fired up like they have the past several home SEC games and will be in this game for a couple of quarters. On the other side Alabama will probably be more focused for this game than any other one this season. If the Rebels are going to beat Saban while he is at Alabama, they better do it now before he begins to recruit his players.

Auburn at Arkansas

Track Em Tigers, Auburn:

You can bet Darren McFadden and Felix Jones will get their yards. The key for the Auburn defense will be stopping the big play. Last year, McFadden reeled off a 63 yard run that broke Auburn’s back. In all, Arkansas had six runs that accounted for 144 yards of rushing. Things will have to be different this year for Auburn to have a chance.

The Hog Source, Arkansas:

I reluctantly admit it. This game carries our season in it’s hands. It just seems like if we fail as this one task, the significance of all that follows dwindles to dust.

What's the buzz?

With all the chaos in the top 25 this season, you have to wonder who if anybody is going to rise to challenge LSU, who is the only top team so far who has demonstrated the consistency to be ranked at the top. USC, subject of most of the pre-season hype, has fallen to lowly Stanford and in the process, promoted a redshirt freshman to starting QB for the Cardinal. This weekend, LSU brings its powerful, athletic team into Commonwealth Stadium to try to tame the Kentucky Wildcats. Some are wondering about a letdown by the Tigers and a surge by the recently-defeated Cats.

But there is a lot more going on than #1 playing this week. First of all, we get to find out if last Satuday's game between the Vols and the Dawgs was a fluke, or the real thing. Tennessee travels to Starkville to visit the other Bulldogs of the conference. This is MSU's chance to show the SEC it is much better than expected, and Tennessee's chance to return to relevance in the race for the East.

Then, there is Georgia at Vanderbilt. It is easy to lose whatever faith we had in Vanderbilt after their meltdown on the Plains. Still, Earl Bennett hasn't left the squad, and Chris Nickson, as bad as he has been lately, could still rise up to bite the Dawgs in Nashville. Diezba at Star and Stripe has discarded the sack cloth and ashes and takes a frank look at the Commodores' problems. He also notes that Georgia seems preoccupied with the thumping delivered to them by Vanderbilt's arch foe, but still hasn't forgotten about last year:

Down in Georgia, they're trying to find time to spare from their Tennessee-debacle recriminations (remember their score against Yew Tee was barely better than our score against the Tigers) to focus on previewing us.

In the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, David Ching writes that the quarterback who led Vanderbilt to shock the 'Dawgs at homecoming last year may not be starting this game. So much for hoping they'd forgot about that little win between the Hedges.

Kyle King at Dawg Sports definitely hasn't forgotten, and describes an outlook reminding me very much of Vandy fatalism:

UGA 24, Vandy 17. These teams are each coming off a road game in which they got dominated to the tune of a 28-0 halftime score, and lost by nearly identical final scores (us to Great Pumpkin U. and the 'Dores to the Tommy Tuberville School for Oversized Prosthetic Aural Devices). This one will be a dogfight, and Bulldog Nation's mood afterward is likely to be either continued trepidation (because a close win against Vanderbilt doesn't prove much) or outright meltdown (back-to-back losses to Vandy would send our fans, me included, into spasms of animalistic rage which can only be sated by the destruction of some cheap handtools). Back tomorrow with Thursday's cocktail and some recruiting news. Until then . . .

"Animalistic rage." Well, that sounds fearful, indeed, and handtool destruction is never pretty. But if I read Kyle correctly, only a dead-bang blowout of Auburnian proportions would yield any positive feelings whatever to the Dawg faithful. A simple victory would be joyless.

Speaking of Auburn, they are visiting Darren McFadden and the Razorbacks in a Western division showdown that neither team can afford to lose, but one of them will. Walking on Sunshine at Razorbloggers thinks the Hogs are going to have to go "all in" on this one:

Is it just me…or does anyone else like watching poker on TV? From ESPN’s World Series of Poker to Poker Superstars and the World Poker Tour, you can watch it all day if you want. For the Razorbacks, the game with the Auburn Tigers on Saturday is essentially an ‘all in‘ bet: a chance to double up…or go broke.

I think he's right. The Hogs lose this, and they go 0-3 in the SEC, 0-2 in the West, and McFadden's Hiesman hopes start to fade into the sunset.

Jay Coulter writing for Track Em Tigers knows that Arkansas will be a tough out, and notes that Tuberville is only .500 against the Hogs in Fayetteville. He also notes that ace Razorback receiver Marcus Monk looks doubtful for the game -- advantage Auburn. But Quentin Groves, Auburn's talented defensive end, is also questionable for the game.

Halfway through the season, where do we find ourselves?

We've reached the halfway point in the 2007 SEC season, so it's time to review where we are, and what lies ahead.

Surprisingly good

Three SEC teams have been surprisingly good so far:

• Kentucky
• South Carolina
• Mississippi State

Kentucky was expected to have a good season by Kentucky standards, but few expected them to have only one loss after six games. A doormat since the mid-1960's, Kentucky is usually lucky to have two or three wins at this point.

Mississippi State was expected to have a weak team this year. But at 4-2 with a victory over perennial SEC contender Auburn who owns the East's West's only victory over Florida, MSU is looking at a reasonable chance to reach bowl eligibility. They are even picking up AP top 25 votes.

South Carolina was expected to be a mid-pack performer this year, but suddenly finds itself in the lead in the SEC East with 4 conference games under its belt and only one loss to #1 ranked LSU. Spurrier's declaration that his team could contend for the East this year is looking very prescient at the moment. Spurrier is doing so well, USC even changed its admissions policy to make it easier to admit poor students as football players.

Surprisingly poor

Three SEC teams have been surprisingly bad so far:

• Tennessee
• Georgia
• Arkansas
• Vanderbilt

Tennessee was expected to contend for the East, and although they theoretically still can, they have not lived up to pre-season expectations. This team was expected to be very good, and while they may have turned it around, still have a lot to prove, and I think it might take more than 15 minutes.

Georgia started the season strong, but two losses in conference have put it in a tough position. Losing to South Carolina between the hedges and getting crushed by an underperforming Tennessee team do not bode well for the Dawgs chances in the East. Every remaining game for the Bulldogs is losable.

Arkansas, with Heisman favorite Darren McFadden, was expected to push LSU in the West. That hasn't happened, and the Razorbacks current 0-2 mark must have the Fayetteville Faithful concerned about a possible November end to their season. Hog fans are not happy, but as long as they have McFadden, anything is possible

Vanderbilt was supposed to threaten some of the big boys this year with their many returning players and all-SEC receiver Earl Bennett. So far, though, they have failed their only real test in dramatic fashion, being overwhelmed by Auburn, and looking less than stellar against cupcake Eastern Michigan. The loss to Auburn was so utterly devastating that not even a 3-2 record gives the Commodore faithful much to cheer about, and they seem to be doubting if Vandy is good enough to compete in the league this year. They need a win over underachieving Georgia this Saturday to return to relevance.

Tuesday Morning Quickies

• Paul Westerdawg says it's never too early to hate the Gators.
  
  
• Senator Blutarsky shows us some damned ugly uniforms.
  
  
• Sylvester Croom says MSU is getting way too many penalties. Maybe, but not as many as Tennessee, Alabama or Georgia. Correction to my goof (obvious if you followed the link) -- MSU is the 4th best in penalties, so I don't really know what Croom is complaining about.
  
  
• Arliss at Mississippi State Basketball is counting the days until basketball season, currently at 11 days, 12 hours and some odd minutes.
  
  
• Eric at DeepSouthSports one-ups ESPN on the whole "______________ Saturday" thing.
  
  
• Tuberville to TAMU? Wouldn't shock me.
  
  
• Will Collier says that Auburn has its mojo back. Certainly had it on Saturday.

Gameday!

I am really psyched for today's games, it really will be lots of great football. When you get to week four of the season, the games become more meaningful and difficult -- many of the early season pastries have been gobbled, resumés have been padded, and teams are largely untested, except perhaps once. Now the grind of the conference season sets in.

From an SEC standpoint, I will be pulling hard for Auburn and Tennessee today. UT has really had a rough go early, playing a very difficult early schedule and being largely unsuccessful. Today, they face a pretty tough team in Arkansas State, but the Vols out-talent them 2-1 at least, and in games like this, even underperforming teams like Tennessee can often get by on talent alone.

But Fulmer's job is really getting tenuous right now, and he needs a statement to ease the pressure. If he just eeks by ArkState, he is going to be under more pressure than any coach in the country save Lloyd Carr, and frankly, I wouldn't give $0.2 for his chances of roaming the sidelines in orange next year. If he gets a flawless victory, his odds don't improve much, but at least some of the vitriol will subside slightly. Tennessee fans know that this team is talented, and have faced the toughest schedule to date in the SEC. They can still right the ship and contend for the East, but if they lose or limp away from this game, it is likely to doom Fulmer and demoralize the team to the point that I wouldn't be betting on success.

Auburn is in a somewhat similar position, except they have less talent to lean on than the Vols. New Mexico State will test the Auburn defense, but Hal Mumme teams tend to play below average to poor defense, so even the anemic Auburn offense should be able to put points on the board.

Tommy Tuberville's seat is not nearly so hot as Fulmer's thermonuclear behind, but it is getting uncomfortably warm. His recent season successes should insulate him from one bad season, but I remember a time not too long ago when AU was thinking of replacing him with Bobby Petrino despite the success that Tuberville has had. Auburn is getting bored with Tuberville, and Kentucky basketball fans know what happens when the team becomes boring -- a movement for change begins.

I haven't talked much about Mississippi State, but beating Auburn and now facing a bit of a croissant in Gardner-Webb puts them in an interesting position. They are beginning to look like a team with an outside chance at reaching bowl eligibility. Who would have thunk that at the beginning of the season?

In sum, this should be a great day for college football fans, and a somewhat uncomfortable day for at least two SEC coaches. Enjoy, SEC fans!

Best of the SEC: Big Game Reax

I kind of laid down on previewing these games. I am on the road right now on a mini-vacation, and as a result, updating blogs hasn't exactly been on the top of my list of things to do. But today, I shall get that job done.

I want to look a the results of the big games I identified in my earlier post:

1. Arkansas at Alabama -- Two undefeated teams with a lot to prove, and Alabama proved they are, well, improved. Taking down Arkansas on the road is a signal to the rest of the SEC that 'Bama is back.
   
2. Tennessee at Florida -- Another rivalry, with the SEC East likely on the line. Florida dispatched Tennessee rudely with what looks like the most powerful offense in the SEC.
   
3. MSU at Auburn -- Why is this a big game? Because the Tigers are on their heels after last week's loss to USF, and we have seen (Michigan, anyone?) what a big upset can do to a team with a fragile psyche. Now, we know that Auburn is either truly weak or truly in shock, and I am leaning toward the former.
   
4. Louisville at Kentucky -- The honor of the SEC is on the line, and it is in the hands of ... er ... well, OK, the Wildcats. But they acquitted themselves well, dispatching the #9 team in the land in style. Bourbon distillers around the Commonwealth have noted a major spike in sales due to the celebration, which is still going on in the Bluegrass.
   

Here are some of the comments from the fans of the principles:

Alabama

• The Capstone Report: "The Arkansas game continued to show Alabama has weaknesses. But football is about overcoming weakness."
• Glen Dean, Glen's Rebel Sports Blog: "Man it's good to finally have a real coach at Alabama."
• Newspaper Hack, Journalism is for Rockstars: "Right now, I’m still coming to grips with what I believed at the time was an eight-hour long alcohol-induced hallucinogenic frenzy"
• The Tide Druid: "I have also come to a conclusion about McFadden: You don’t try to stop McFadden. You try to survive McFadden."

Arkansas

• Stephen at Razorback Expats: "All of which is not to say that I’m looking forward to watching a replay of the game anytime soon - just that the authorities now are allowing me to be around sharp objects and to put the laces back into my shoes."
• Tipster Hog, Razorbloggers: "Picking up an Alabama offensive lineman’s helmet and hitting his unprotected head with it? What the heck was he thinking?"

Tennessee

• Jon, Fulmer's Belly: "It has come to pass that we are behind the ball in terms of innovation and ability. With the types of athletes that we have, we shouldn’t be allowing 39 points let alone losing by 39 points."
• Jai Eugene, Loser with Socks: "How does a fine Christian young man handle adversity? He blames others."
• Joel, Rocky Top Talk: "Well, how was your weekend? Not good, huh? We look forward to football season in general, and the Florida game in particular, for nine months, only to find ourselves relegated to a place called Dishumiliarrassment after only the third game of the season. It's postivively debilitating."
• Doug Coffin, The Power T: "Like there is ANY question on what the outcome of this evaluation will be? Gotta fight through the pain to keep the blog rolling. Maybe we'll get some attention."
  

Florida

• Mlmintampa, Alligator Army: "I was in section 35, row 74 on the student side. At halftime, the nearest concession stand ran out of bottled water and Gatorade. HOW THE HELL DO YOU RUN OUT OF GATORADE? WE INVENTED GATORADE! It's like running out of milk at a dairy farm."
• GatorPilot, Orange and Blue Hue: "Sometimes it’s really fun grading out your team. Sometimes it’s painful. Needless to say, this is a fun one… if you’re a Gator fan."

MSU

• Gregg Ellis: "What a win. Where do you rank this among Croom's wins?"

Auburn

• Will Collier, From The Bleachers: "I'm quite happy to give State credit for the win. For all the abuse he's received (much of it deserved), Sylvester Croom has succeeded in at least one crucial respect: he's taught his team not to give up."
• Jerry Hennin, Joe Cribbs Car Wash: "I'm not usually one of the "All we have to do is defeat 'Bama, and it's a great year" types. But honestly? This year, at the JCCW, given all that's happened both over there and on the Plains and how both programs are (completely justifiably) being seen right now, every game between now and the Iron Bowl is practice for that game."

Louisville

• Mike, Card Chronicle: "What can you say? If you don't know how to line up for a quarterback sneak on the goalline, you probably don't deserve to win."

Kentucky

• Tre Pryor, More than Derby: " It’s kind of tough to believe. Kentucky actually won a big football game."
• Rob Gidel, Kentucky Sports Radio: "I'll nit-pick on some coaching decisions later in the week, but I was generally disappointed in the officiating. For whatever reason, Kentucky cannot get an officiating crew that understands the general concept of common sense."

That's it for now.

A little more hindsight, and a little more foresight

Today we'll be continuing to look back at some of last weeks games, then begin looking forward to Saturday.

Ryan at The Auburner looks back at the Kansas State game. He's a little disappointed in Brandon Cox and the O-line, but otherwise gives the team a thumbs up.

The Tide Druid takes a look ahead to the Vanderbilt game, and takes a detailed look at what the Vandy offense did against Richmond, hoping to derive some insight from the statistics. Todd at Roll 'Bama Roll also analyzes the 'Dores offense. Bobby O'Shea at Vanderbilt Sports Line has part of the Vandy side of the story, and Diezba at Star & Stripe has the rest.

Mlmintampa writing for Aligator Army, the new SB Nation Florida blog, takes a look at the Troy Trojans. Meanwhile, The Hog Blogger, who's team just defeated the Trojans, says that Marcus Harrison is back, while casting a baleful glance Houston Nutt's way.

Senator Blutarsky at Get The Picture finally gets around to watching Georgia-OK State, and concludes that the Dawgs were just plain workmanlike in their victory over the Cowboys. Meanwhile, Kyle King of Dawg Sports looks at several SEC upcoming games, and has some interesting observations. For the record, Kyle hates Auburn, and I think he manages to get that into every post he makes. But he still picks them to beat USF this Saturday.

Seth at the Hotty Toddy Blog has a Q& A with Every True Son, a fan blog of their next opponent, Missouri. He also wonders if Missouri is taking Ole Miss seriously.

Travis at Hail Dear 'Ole State wonders "After four years why the hell are we still running plays that don't work?" Good question, that. Kyle Veazey looks at Tulane running back Matt Forté.

Cocknfire at Garnet and Black Attack can't get enough of the Michigan debacle. But he still manages to note Darth Vizor has made a few changes in response to Saturday's close call. Flounder at Leftover Hot Dog blogs Blake.

The day after kickoff: What SEC blogs are saying

Well, the first game of the season has come and gone in the SEC.

First stop -- Mississippi State:

• "On the bloody morning after ..."
  
  
• " ... One tin soldier rides away."
  
  
• ESPNU can't find Starkville with both hands.
  
  
• Derek Pegues just had a case of the cramps. Good news for MSU fans.
  
  
• MSdawg has questions, questions, questions ...
  

From LSU:

• "A win is a win, but as I commented in the game thread, Henig was our MVP." I guess every silver lining must have a cloud somewhere. It sucks to be the MVP of the opposition, though.
  
  
• Richard Pittman at Geaux Tuscaloosa thinks the LSU offense needs some serious work.
  
  
• If LSU returned interceptions for 122 yards and MSU passed for 136 yards, does that mean their net yardage is 14 yards passing? (Just kidding, guys).

From others who had a comment:

• Mergz at Saurian Sagacity has comments about MSU, LSU and a note to Louisville.
  
  
• Scott at The Hog Source also has thoughts.
  
  
• Patrick Donahue at Loser with Socks has doubts about LSU, doubts about MSU, and ... well, just doubts.
  
  
• MaconDawg at Dawgsports: "Michael Henig staying upright long enough to throw 6 interceptions may actually be progress over last season." Well, progress of a sort, I suppose. You also have to love his take on the Louisville game: "So that's what bringing a knife to a gunfight looks like ..." Yeah, I reckon that's right.
  
  
• Senator Blutarsky at Get The Picture has a more sober review.
  
  
• The Tide Druid grades both teams. Alchemist at Eight in the Box adds his perceptions.

UPDATE: Gregg Ellis says that Croom has reinstated Josh Riddell, formerly suspended QB today. I'll bet after last night's 6 interception performance by Henig, this will cause a few eyebrows to elevate. But I'm sure that didn't have anything to do with it ... ;-)

Game Day: Best of the SEC

Today is game day for Mississippi State and LSU, and the kickoff for the 2007 football season. Today, we'll be looking at the teams who have the biggest games this week: MSU, Auburn, Tennessee, Georgia, and LSU.

Kyle Veazey is excited about the new Wendy's in Starkville, but less than thrilled about the Dawgs vs. the Tigers. Jeremy at Mississippi State Sports Blog is more more upbeat, and has links to MSU's game notes for both State and LSU. Travis at Hail Dear 'Ole State scoffs at MSU coach Sylvester Croom's rationalization for dressing out the Dawgs in white uniforms.

On the LSU side, Richard Pittman at Geaux Tuscaloosa describes his game routine. Tigersmack does the Garfield/Les Miles cartoon thing.

Will Collier at From The Bleachers looks forward at Auburn's team, the schedule, and Kansas State. Auburn91 at Track Em Tigers takes a long look at K-State from soup to nuts, and pronounces Saturday's game as likely to be a "low-scoring slugfest."

Jon at Fulmer's Belly is concerned about Erik Ainge's broken pinkie finger. He notes the Florida game falls square in the middle of Ainge's recovery schedule. I think he'd better worry about Cal. Jai Eugene at Loser with Socks does enough tongue-in-cheek worrying for both of them, though. Meanwhile, Joel at Rocky Top Talk has a more serious look at the game, with some help from the Cal blog, The Band is Out on the Field. And Doug Coffin at The Power T measures the heat of Phil Fulmer's seat, and does it in style.

Finally, we look at what will be happening between the hedges in Athens on Saturday. Macondawg at Dawg Sports suggests a special cocktail to commemorate the occasion. Ludakit at the Dawg-gone Blog is more circumspect, and takes a look at the things the Dawgs need to do to win. David Ching at the Georgia Bulldog Blog examines a spreadsheet sent to him by an OSU fan, and analyzes the analysis.

Good luck to all the SEC schools in their first test. May you be injury free and play your best.

Best of the SEC: Game Week

As we all know, this is it -- game week. It's time for all the SEC football teams to show us what they are made of, who's on first, put the petal to the metal, git it on, git 'er done -- well, you "git" it. So all this week, we are going to be looking first to game posts -- the best analysis, the best prognostication, etc., regarding this weekend's games.

While some of us in the SEC will be cupcaking our way through Saturday, a few of us, most notably Tennessee and MSU will not. Georgia has a fairly worthy opponent, and so does Ole Miss. For the rest of us, it is more like a scrimmage weekend, but at least we aren't scrimmaging against ourselves.

• Lexvol at VolNation is ready to get this party started!
  
  
• Jon at Fulmer's Belly is way too excited for words.
  
  
• Joel at Rocky Top Talk has some Cal links for those in need of the opposition's views.
  
  
• Memphis Tider is stoked about game week.
  
  
• Joswalt at RazorBlog has the Arkansas depth chart for the Troy game.
  
  
• Jerry Hinnen at Joe Cribbs Car Wash continues to post his A-U pre-view.
  
  
• Mergz at Saurian Sagacity has a good look at games that matter in Week 1. He utilizes his talent rankings to get his conclusions.
  
  
• Kyle King at Dawg Sports mocks the SEC cupcakery of Florida, Alabama, Kentucky and Arkansas. Davy Crockett also makes an appearance.
  
  
• David Ching at the Georgia Bulldog Blog lauds Mark Reicht for at least trying to extract his foot from his mouth without employing the services of a physician.
  
  
• Richard Pittman of Geaux Tuscaloosa looks at the LSU/Mississippi State contest. Unsurprisingly, he likes LSU's chances.
  
  
• Kyle Veazey asks his readers how he should cover game week on his blog.
  
  
• Parrish Alford has a report on the Ole Miss Game Week press conference.
  
  
• John Clay at Sidelines blog provides the Kentucky depth chart for the Eastern Kentucky game.
  
  
• Seamus O'Toole at Vanderbilt Sports Line has a game week post -- well, sort of.