Brain Droppings

The season is winding down and that bring's a tear to my eye. It's been a wild ride thus far and it doesn't seem as if it will let up with some huge games still to be played down the stretch. I, for one, can't wait. On a personal note though, I would like to complain about the fact that my pick of LSU this week lost in the scorecast. Sure, Alabama technically covered....in overtime. LSU played toe to toe with the tide for the whole game only to be victims of a coin toss. Of course, that's why it's called gambling I suppose but I was on my way to a 3-1 weekend instead I toil away at .500. That game wouldn't have mattered in our standings as McFather also lost and I at least gained some ground on him this weekend. Anyways, on to my thoughts...

Thuds - Auburn - We all knew that the luck was going to run out at some point. I just didn't think it would be against a Texas A&M team that Alabama beat 59-0. I was on a guys trip to Lexington and offered a $10 bet on Auburn to win at halftime. No one took me up on it despite a 35-17 lead for the Aggies. That's the perception of Auburn. Something is going to go their way. It almost did too. Then they were cursed with the same fumble-itis that plagued Ole Miss against them last week. Amazingly, they still aren't out of the wacky SEC West and have a huge game against UGA this weekend. Notre Dame - Hear that? It's the band wagon emptying. Notre Dame had one good loss all year. That's why they were ranked close to the top 10. That's it. Their win against a pedestrian Stanford team was a bit of a fluke. The Irish still have an opportunity to play in an upper tier bowl game. I hope they get Marshall. K-State - I thought this was the game of the weekend. TCU absolutely handed it to Bill Snyder's crew. Beat Baylor and they can still finish tied for first in the Big 12 but the playoff push is over for the Wildcats. That's too bad. I liked the way they played and have nothing but respect for the 131 year old Snyder.

Studs - UGA Freshmen - Isaih McKenzie ran a punt and a kickoff back for a TD. Nick Chubb is self explanatory. Sony Michel came back from injury to put up 84 yards. Lorenzo Carter is making plays on defense. Dominick Sanders is a fixture in the secondary. I know everyone hyped the "Dream Team" a couple of years ago, but this crop has been ridiculously productive. Now if they can just get past those stupid losses. Blake Sims - Listen, I predicted he would struggle in the atmosphere of Death Valley and for 98% of the game, he did. Then he made the plays needed to get Bama the tie and the win when it mattered most. A lot of people thought this kid was just holding a spot for Jacob Coker. Coker isn't even a thought when Sims is struggling. The Egg Bowl - CBS chose to televise the Egg Bowl over the Iron Bowl this year. This may be the biggest upset of the season. Especially since there's a chance neither team could be controlling their own destiny. If Alabama wins this week against State then they will control their own destiny in the West. Plus, it's the two teams that have played for the last 5 National Championships and who played one of the classic games of all time last year.

Playoffs - (1) Mississippi State (2) Florida State (3) Oregon (4) TCU - You read that right. Alabama doesn't have the same resume at this point as Oregon and TCU. A win against State and Auburn takes care of that though. Arizona State also controls it's own destiny and could knock Oregon out. The Baylor/TCU dynamic is most interesting. Baylor holds the head to head but TCU has a better resume at this point. Baylor will catch up if they keep winning. The stretch run will be very interesting. If FSU manages to lose a game then it becomes a complete free for all too.

Next Week - Bama/Miss State. Georgia/Auburn. Miami/FSU. Clemson/Georgia Tech. Missouri/A&M. Even Ohio State/Minnesota. The Tide and Bulldogs are the biggest game nationally by far. But these other are extremely important in their conference races. Should be a fun weekend.

SEC
14) Vandy - May have found a QB but another tough loss.
13) Arkansas - Still winless in the SEC under Bilemma.
12) South Carolina - Reeling from their loss to the Volunteers but a chance to beat the Gators this weekend.
11) Tennessee - They have a QB and a chance to win again against Kentucky.
10) Kentucky - They've fallen flat after a big start. Have to win one more to get bowl eligible.
9) Florida - Still a chance to win the East with some help.
8) Texas A&M - Where has that been since opening weekend?
7) Mizzou - I still don't trust the offense but they just manage to win.
6) LSU - Defense has rounded into shape but the offense can't score against legitimate defenses.
5) Georgia - Defense still has holes.
4) Ole Miss - Can the offense step up without it's best player down the stretch?
3) Auburn - The brutal schedule continues with a road trip to Athens this week.
2) Alabama - Looking to return to the #1 and reclaim their spot in the SEC.
1) Miss State - Win this week and a playoff birth isn't far behind.