We decided to skip the Thursday night games and kick off our picks with the Saturday schedule. As I predicted in my SEC East picks, South Carolina struggled last night against NC State and I think this sets the tone for the season where Coach Spurrier steps down after having had his fill of mediocre pudding. He’s just not cut out for the middle of the pack. We’ll see.
The other “big”game on Thursday was the Oregon at Boise State game. The Cowboys extended their home record on the god-awful blue turf against an inept looking Oregon team. Now, they will finish out their season again a bunch of high school teams and whine about getting a shot at the title. Let’s hope someone puts an end to the madness before we are subjected to more of that hideous blue.
Now, on to the picks:
No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 7 Virginia Tech
SleepWriter: On this one, I am picking the Tide by 10 points. McElroy will do a fine job and the motivation factor should be huge for the Tide with Deaderick cleared to play. VT is always a tough team but they lost their starting RB and the QB threw for 2 TDs and 7 INTs in 173 attempts last season. He can run, which is a threat, but if he can’t pass effectively, the Tide D should rule the day.
UA 28 – VT 17
TonyOrlando: Virginia Tech has a scrambling QB who will be forced to win the game with his arm against this Tide defense. That’s not going to happen, and even allowing for the Hokie’s emphasis on special teams, points will be hard to come by for VT. Alabama’s corps of backs will pile up the yards in this one.
UA 34 – VT 10
No. 11 LSU at Washington
SleepWriter: Washington is on a 14 game losing streak. I don’t see that changing this week. LSU is on a downward slope that started early last season, but they should be able to take on the Huskies and represent the SEC proudly. It would be a huge surprise for LSU to lose this one, and that is the only concern – will they go into a late night game complacent?
LSU 24 – Washington 9
TonyOrlando: Les Miles will try his best to bungle this one, but still won’t be able to. LSU is still stocked with talent, and Washington will run into a buzzsaw.
LSU 30 – Washington 7
No. 13 Georgia at No. 9 Oklahoma State
SleepWriter: Oklahoma State is ranked higher and the talking heads on ESPN are calling it for them, but I like Georgia. Coach Richt has a chance to make an early statement this season. State is a high scoring team, but they don’t play SEC defenses very often. It comes down to who is more prepared to start the season. Georgia in a close game.
Georgia 21 – OK State 17
TonyOrlando: We disagree here. Georgia is all about unfulfilled promise. The Cowboy want to avenge their 2007 loss to the Dawgs, while Georgia has to replace QB Matt Stafford. Mark Richt is 34-3 out of conference, but gets his 4th loss here.
OK State 31 – Georgia 28
Louisiana Tech at Auburn
SleepWriter: Auburn should win this game. Period. However, La Tech always delivers a tough game and, frankly, they have a lot of experienced players. If you don’t count the win against 1-AA Tennessee-Martin, Auburn has not won a game against a top division team since September 27 of last year when they squeaked out a 14-12 win over an inept Tennessee team. My head tells me that Auburn should win this game at home, but until I see what they look like this season, I can’t pick them with any confidence. I predict a close game.
LaTech 17 – Auburn 9
TonyOrlando: This is tough. Auburn is an unknown with a new coach and reshuffled talent. La Tech is, well, La Tech. Auburn will have a rocky season, but their fans will have false hope after a win here.
Auburn 21 – La. Tech 10
No. 8 Mississippi at Memphis
SleepWriter: I am not buying into the Ole Miss hype. They will not win the West. They are the only team in the West never to have played in the SEC championship game. That won’t change this season, in my opinion. But they are my second favorite SEC team and I hope they do well. Memphis is an Ole Miss town, which was a nice surprise when I moved there in 1995. This game should be like a home game for the Rebels and they should have no problem with the Tigers. It could turn into a high scoring affair, but I am not picking a lot of high scores this early in the year.
Ole Miss 32 – Memphis 10
TonyOrlando: Ole Miss is the media darling of the SEC West. Houston Nutt has the Rebels believing, and Jevan Snead is the real deal. Ole Miss wants to make the statement that they’re in the hunt for the SEC, and more. While I think those dreams will come back to earth before the season is out, they will start out 1-0.
Ole Miss 34 – Memphis 7
Miami (FL) at No. 18 Florida State
SleepWriter: Stepping out of conference for this one, I have not been impressed with FSU in a while. Miami has a new QB and new coordinators on offense and defense. It makes sense that FSU will win this game. Miami could easily start the season 0-4 (FSU, Ga. Tech, Va. Tech, and Oklahoma) but I think the magic may have worn off at FSU and the NCAA sanctions will only hit them worse over the next few seasons. I may regret this pick, but it is early. In an upset…
Miami 21 – FSU 14
TonyOrlando: One of those games where I hope a rogue asteroid hits the stadium. The only reason I will watch this game is to see the fight that will inevitably break out during the NCAA-mandated pre-game handshake. After that, FSU probably squeaks by.
FSU 17 – Miami 14