LSU DAWG
Georgia -7 @ South Carolina PLAY OF THE WEEK – This is one of those spreads that jumps off the page at you, at least to me. Only 7? I know why…South Carolina has a good defense and they typically play Georgia very, very close. The Cocks beat UGA last year SU and have played them to within 4 points 2 of the last 3 years prior to that. However, I'm not buying…at all! This is Georgia's best team since 2004 and one of South Carolina's worst. Furthermore, the revenge factor will be in full effect for Georgia's players and, more importantly, their coaching staff. Georgia also blanked the Cocks 18-0 the last time they visited Columbia. South Carolina will need to figure out how to score some points, and I'm not sure they'll get that done against Georgia. South Carolina should score under 14 points for the whole game, and Georgia should score significantly more, probably between 28 and 35. Georgia wins big.
Mississippi State +10.5 vs. Auburn – I'm going to bet against Auburn this week for the same reason I did last week. I'm not crazy about their offense at this point in the season. They've certainly shown me that they can run the ball, but their dink and dunk version of the spread offense won't get it done consistently against a defense as good as Mississippi State's. Auburn doesn't have the playmakers on the edge to really make their offense scary, and the big play threat is virtually non-existent. Combined with State's tough defense and their commitment to run the ball, the game should speed up considerably. Auburn's defense is good and Mississippi State's offense is woeful, but I think they'll get enough done to keep the score differential in single digits.
Kentucky -16.5 vs. Middle Tennessee – While most, including myself, figured Kentucky would come back down to Earth this year after losing a ton of talent, they have been impressive thus far. What's most impressive is that they're doing it with defense, not offense. They are giving up under 200 yards per game thus far, and one of their opponents was against Louisville, not a total pushover. This line is somewhat low partially because Middle Tennessee upset Maryland last week. Two things: First, Maryland really stinks. Second, Middle Tennessee will have the classic let-down game while Kentucky continues to roll.
Vanderbilt -7 vs. Rice – Vanderbilt is coming off a big win against South Carolina last Thursday night. With their nice 2-0 start, their team is looking at a potential bowl game this year, which would be the first such trip since 1981. For that reason, I think Vandy knows they NEED to win their OOC games if they have a chance, and I think they'll be focused here. They have also had 10 days to prepare since they played last Thursday. Rice has been impressive thus far too, especially on offense scoring 98 points in 2 games. Their defense has been pretty bad though. All in all, I like the matchup of Vandy's tough defense holding down Rice enough to win this game by double digits. Vandy's offense should perform very well against the weak secondary.
Arkansas / Texas – Postponed
Note: No play on LSU/North Texas. Love LSU in any kind of teaser for this game though, but I generally stay away from picking these blowout/cupcake type games.
