JD's Deuce Points (Trick or Treat?)

1. The "Family" Visit

Hello bloggers. I hope you all feel like you put on clothes that just got out of the dryer! My goal is to continue blogging again on a weekly basis with my Deuce Points, but coaching has taken my energy to the woodshed and locked it into a rusted vault. 

Anyways, to pick you up where I last left off, I'm sure you are wondering how Lady is doing...for those of who are reading me for the first time, Lady is my dog. She is a Labrador Retriever who is on the market.

My brother and his wife came in last night from West Virginia to visit us over the weekend for Halloween. Even though today is Halloween, our neighborhood trick-or-treats on Thursdays to keep the kids safe, if you know what I mean (cough cough). 

My wife and I decided to dress Lady up like Peter Pan to go around the neighborhood trick-or-treating for Milk Bones. What we didn't realize though was that my brother brought his dog, Wendy, down from West Virginia. You see, Wendy is a Labrador Retriever too. That's where all the trouble began. 

Lady has been all over Wendy since she has been here. My wife and I are beginning to think that Lady is having a gender identity crisis because we are dressing her up as a male (Peter Pan). And then, throw in the fact that my brother's dog is named Wendy, it makes things even more confusing. 

Eventually, my wife and I had to tell Lady that Wendy is her cousin and that it's only kosher for them to just be friends. 

2. Get Lucky

Like the legend of the Phoenix, you soar above the whistling oaks and scour the earth like a wounded beetle. 

I sense a scent I haven't seen in a while, but smell an unfamiliar sight. I call, where are you? You don't respond. I'm done. I can't take it anymore. Leave me to my own devices. 

Let's open a K-Mart. 

Week 10 Scorecast and Synopsis

Here are the picks for Week 10. Keep in mind that the panelists' records and picks are made
based on the spread.

Synopses:

Jeremy

1. Florida State @ Louisville - Looks like the betting public likes Louisville here as the line has dropped through the week. I think this is just people wishing FSU will lose. The Cardinals defense has been solid but their best opponent has been Clemson. The Noles havent been able to run the ball consistently so I'm not sure it will matter if Karlos Williams plays or not. I think the Cardinals can keep it close but I have to go with the Noles to get the win and cover. FSU 31-21

2. TCU @ West Virginia - All I can say is the scoreboard may break in this game. TCU put up 82 last week. West Virginia is capable. They may have the best WR in the country so pay attention to Kevin White. However, I just feel as if TCU is the more complete team here. I think this will be an up and down game but TCU has enough fire power behind Trevone Boykin to get the win.  TCU 42 - 35

3. Florida vs. Georgia - So tough as a Georgia fan to think we are going to run away in this game. The sting of the 90's and 2000's are quite fresh. Here's my problem with the Gators though; How are they going to score? Treon Harris is supposed to come in and give Florida a lift but the best stat on his resume is  leading the Gators on a game winning drive against a horrible Tennessee team. The Gators defense is solid but I have faith in the UGA line to continue doing a fine job up front and opening holes for whoever the running back is. The game will be ugly as Will Muschamp is fighting for his life (probably won't matter though) but the Dawgs get it done. UGA 28-14

4. Auburn @ Ole Miss - I think this game is going to be an absolute slug fest. Ole Miss is fighting for it's life after their loss to LSU last week. Auburn already knows it has no room for error either. Auburn doesn't seem to be the same team on the road this year. They struggled in a win against Kansas State and looked pedestrian at times against Miss State. I don't have a ton of faith in Bo Wallace but I think the Landsharks give him every opportunity by limiting the Auburn offense. Ole Miss wins a squeaker. Ole Miss 28-24


Brian

1. Florida State @ Louisville - Jeez. Can they both lose? Between Jameis Winston and Bobby Petrino, there's more than enough dislike to go around. I'm sure Louisville will keep this game interesting for a while, but Florida State has superior talent and mojo. Florida State 35-17

2. TCU @ West Virginia - TCU sure did score a lot of points last week versus Texas Tech. Seemed a bit like they were running up the score, but impressive nonetheless. TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin has been lights out lately. I take TCU to keep rolling. TCU 42-28

3. Florida vs. Georgia - I know, I know. Florida is bad. Muschamp is likely gone. Georgia has played well lately. You know what? In rivalry games, sometimes all these factors just don't matter. Even though UGA is riding a 3 game win streak against the Gators, I've seen Georgia lose and make games versus Florida interesting way too many times. I think Georgia wins, but doesn't cover. Georgia 21-10

4. Auburn @ Ole Miss - I watched a decent amount of the Ole Miss @ LSU game last weekend. I was pretty disappointed with Ole Miss's offense and thought the Land Sharks played more like Land Groupers for a lot of the game. If it weren't for 4 LSU turnovers, LSU may have won by more. However, I was equally unimpressed with Auburn's defense against South Carolina. I expect Auburn's offense to give them enough to beat the Black Rebel Bears in Oxford. Auburn 35 Ole Miss 20

Keppel

1. Florida State @ Louisville - Florida State is favored I pick Florida State

2. TCU @ West Virginia - TCU is favored I pick TCU

3. Florida vs. Georgia - Georgia is favored I pick Georgia

4. Auburn @ Ole Miss - Ole Miss is favored I pick Ole Miss even though I don't want to

Week 9 Poll and SEC Standings

I'm not sure why Hugh Freeze allowed Chris Jericho to have one more throw against LSU. I was pretty unimpressed with Ole Miss's offense against LSU. Sure, it's hard to play at Death Valley, but Mississippi State put up a much better performance than Ole Miss. And, the Land Sharks played more like the Land Groupers at times. Here was my poll at the end of Week 8. Here is my update at the end of Week 9. 

Further, below the rankings, I will list a few superlatives from the week. 

Week 9 Top 10

1. Mississippi State

2. Florida State

3. Alabama

4. Auburn

5. Georgia

6. Notre Dame

7. Ole Miss

8. Oregon

9. Michigan State

10. TCU

Week 9 SEC Standings

1. Mississippi State

2. Alabama

3. Auburn

4. Georgia

5. Ole Miss

6. LSU

7. Arkansas

8. Missouri

9. Texas A&M

10. South Carolina

11. Kentucky

12. Florida

13. Tennessee

14. Anchor Down. 

Team of the Week: LSU

A-Holes of the Week: TCU. 82 points? C'mon now. 

Failed execution of the week: Kentucky's Onside Kick vs. Mississippi State 

Current Projected SEC Champion: Alabama. Mississippi State is still top dog until they lose, but Alabama has looked awfully good lately. I don't expect MSU to win at Alabama. 

Brain Droppings

We're headed into the final month of the season and there is still so much to be decided. The number of one loss teams is starting to mount and the initial "playoff poll" comes out on Tuesday. The question is, how do you differentiate between losses. I see Oregon in a lot of people's playoff. Do you count that they lost at home to another one loss team while missing 4 offensive tackles? What about Auburn? They lost on the road to the current #1 team in the country. Michigan State lost the first week of their season to another playoff contender and likely top 10 team. Is that enough to differentiate them from Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia, TCU, or Kansas State? I'll be intrigued by the initial standings. Folks who still take their cues from the meaningless AP or Coaches' Poll may be surprised. But before all that...on to the week that was.

Thuds - Bo Wallace - There he is. The guy that makes poor decisions and costs the Rebels ball games has returned in emphatic fashion. Nevermind that you need merely a FG to limp into OT against a difficult opponent on the road. Just wing it into the endzone. Oops. Auburn at home next could end the dream for Ole'. 12:00 Games - I ended up with very little time to actually watch football on Saturday. The time I did have was right after the 12:00 kicks. They were all awful. Texas/K-State, Nebraska/Rutgers, and Arkansas/UAB were all stinkers. I found myself looking forward to the Marshall/FAU game. Hell, I even spent some time watching Yale play. That's how bad the noon games were. Atlanta Falcons -  I know we concentrate on CFB most of the time but the Falcons are so horrendous, it must be mentioned. How do you blow a 21 point halftime lead in the NFL? More so, you have a first down just before the 2 minute warning and your opponent has 1 time out left. How do they get the ball with 1:50 left? Then, how do you allow a 35 yard pass play so easily on their first play. To cap it all off, the Lions missed a FG only to get a second chance when they were penalized for Delay of Game. As a long time Falcons fan, this was the most Falcons game ever.

Studs - Amari Cooper - I have no desire to laude Lane Kiffin in his return to Neyland. However, I will say this, even the dumbest offensive coordinator in America would make sure Cooper toughed the ball. He touched it often and by the end of the 1st Quarter had 185 yards of receiving.Wow. Death Valley - The real one. In Baton Rouge. Les Miles described this place as 'where dreams go to die.' Winning at night is a near impossibility here. This is one place I've never been but I know the outside of the stadium is just as crazy as the inside. Did y'all see that whole pig they had roasted on Gameday. Alabama is a better football team, but they haven't been amazing on the road. They have to visit in a couple of weeks. I think Bama will get the W but I wouldn't want to play LSU in the next few years. Patrick Towles - We don't put losers on the studs category very often, but Patrick Towles outplayed Dak Prescott on Saturday. State got the win but the Kentucky QB gave the rest of their opponents something to think about going forward. I know as a UGA fan I'll be sweating that visit to Lexington in a few weeks.

Playoffs - (1) Mississippi State (2) FSU (3) Alabama (4) Oregon - Honestly, other than State and the Noles I don't know who to go with. State and Bama play each other in a few weeks. Let's say State loses and is shut out of the SEC Championship game by a 1 loss Alabama, will they get left out? I kind of doubt it. However, I see polls with 3 SEC teams in it and I'm still having a hard time fathoming the committee letting two in. I'm also not sure Oregon is best of the rest. TCU looks pretty legit. So does K-State. Just a tough call.

Next Week - Ole Miss and Auburn will be playing an elimination game on Saturday night in Oxford. It's not the first for Auburn and it won't be the last if they win. It's the first for Ole Miss. Perhaps the last remaining land mine on FSU's schedule is Thursday night against Louisville. Stanford and Oregon are going at it on the West Coast and TCU at West Virginia may have 150 scored in it. Throw in the Cocktail Party and it's a solid slate of games.

SEC Rankings:
14) Commodadores - Showed some fight against Mizzou. Hey, they got Old Dominion coming up!
13) Tennessee - Showed signs of life after falling behind by 4 scores to Alabama. It's the little things.
12) Florida - Didn't lose on their bye week Congrats!
11) South Carolina - Their defense is bad. Great effort against Auburn but another L in a miserable season
10) Arkansas - This team would be ok in the East. Not saying they'd win it but they wouldn't be at the bottom.
9) Texas A&M - Can they get some magic back from the beginning of the season?
8) Mizzou - Their offense is a travesty. They only have one SEC loss but a big game with Kentucky on the horizon.
7) Kentucky - What will they have left in the tank after a valiant effort against State?
6) LSU - Their offense is still a ? but their defense looked solid on Saturday night. This young team is starting to come into form.
5) Georgia - Will Todd Gurley return? UGA wants an answer today if possible.
4) Ole Miss - Their D is still nasty. Bo Wallace drives the team though. Big game against Auburn this week.
3) Auburn - Would they have beaten Carolina in Columbia? Doesn't matter now but something to ask. Schedule doesn't lighten.
2) Alabama - I think we are getting ready to learn an awful lot about the Tide. Their best win so far is probably against WVU.
1) Mississippi State - They keep living the dream in Starksville.

Week 9 Scorecast and Synopsis

Here are the picks for Week 9. Keep in mind that the panelists' records and picks are based
against the spread.

Synopses:

Jeremy

1. Ohio State @ Penn State - Penn State got off to a great start under new HC Humpty Hump. However, they've cooled off a bit losing to a horrible Michigan team and a very mediocre Northwestern team. Ohio State lost to what we now know is a very mediocre Virginia Tech team. I think the Buckeyes just have too much talent here. Franklin will have the Nittany Lions ready to play and the Buckeyes have some holes on defense but I think the second half will allow OSU to pull away. Ohio State 35-20

2. USC @ Utah - Tough match-up. Utah has been under the radar with their only loss to Washington State in a game they should've won. USC should've beaten Arizona State but probably shouldn't have beaten Stanford or Arizona. I'm going to lean Utes here because they are at home in a tight ball game. Utah 30-27

3. South Carolina @ Auburn - Auburn is the clear pick here, right? They're at home. They're coming off of a bye. Carolina's defense is atrocious. Something just seems up. Maybe Auburn starts to look ahead to Ole Miss, but I just get the feeling the HBC will keep this game close. Auburn wins but Cocks cover. Auburn 45-31

4. Ole Miss @ LSU - The Ole Miss gauntlet continues. Sure they got Bama out of the way and won a trap game against A&M but after a breather against Tennessee, they get LSU and Auburn. This game is at night because of a blunder by CBS taking State and Kentucky in the 3:30 time slot. That makes things harder on the Rebels. LSU is improving and will be ready but I think the Landsharks are too much for them to overcome. Ole Miss 24-17


Brian

1. Ohio State @ Penn State - Penn St has been struggling lately. Ohio St hasn't exactly played anyone since losing to Virginia Tech, but I trust that Urban Meyer has them progressing. This was tough to pick since it is at Penn St, but I think the Buckeyes will take care of business. Ohio State 28-14

2. USC @ Utah - Cody Kessler led the Trojans to victory over Colorado with 7 TDs. Maybe this means USC is hitting its stride. I don't know a ton about Utah; so, I will stick with USC winning this one. USC 35-32

3. South Carolina @ Auburn - Auburn is definitely a better team than South Carolina. However, I do believe Spurrier will find a way to keep the Gamecocks competitive in this one. Auburn will win, but slightly under the spread. Auburn 42-28

4. Ole Miss @ LSU - I'm not sure why Ole Miss isn't favored by more points. Yes, LSU played well against Kentucky and Death Valley is hard to play at, but Ole Miss's defense has been amazing this season. Pair a great defense against a mediocre offense (LSU), and the Rebels will win. Ole Miss 31-13

Keppel

1. Ohio State @ Penn State - Ohio St is favored I pick Ohio St

2. USC @ Utah - USC is favored I pick USC

3. South Carolina @ Auburn - Auburn is favored I pick Auburn

4. Ole Miss @ LSU - Ole Miss is favored I pick Ole Miss

Trivia Challenge (Week 20)

WEEK 20 TRIVIA QUESTION (10/23)

No Outside Resources. This means you cannot use other people, the internet, or other means to help your answer. E-Mail answers to groundrulehuddle@gmail.com.

This is the final week. There will be 4 parts, each worth 15 points (total of 60 points).

College Football (worth 5 points each)

At the end of September 2014, name the 3 programs (only Power 5 Conference programs) with the most wins all-time.

Major League Baseball (worth 5 points each)

According to MLB.com, name the 3 MLB Franchises with the most World Series Titles (as of 2014). MLB.com calculated World Series wins based on the City the franchise is currently in. For example, if you were answering for the Braves, you would answer 1 due to the 1995 World Series title in Atlanta. 

National Basketball Association (worth 5 points each)

Name the 3 NBA Franchises with the oldest NBA arenas (based on when the arena opened)?

National Football League (worth 5 points each)

Name the 3 active NFL players who have rushed over 10,000 yards in their career?

After Week 19 Scoreboard
Name	Week Score	Cumulative
Bruce*	0	81
Bryan	0	127
Derrick	0	82
Josh*	0	90
Jarred	0	14
Jim	0	5
David*	0	140
*Note: Extra points for Blog Submission

Week 8 Poll and SEC Standings

Since losing Todd Gurley, Georgia has been playing with a chip on their shoulder. How does their win against Arkansas shake things up? Here was my poll at the end of Week 7.  Here is my update at the end of Week 8. 

Further, below the rankings, I will list the best SEC offensive and defensive units at the midpoint.

Week 8 Top 10

1. Mississippi State

2. Ole Miss

3. Florida State

4. Auburn

5. Alabama

6. Georgia

7. Notre Dame

8. Oregon

9. Michigan State

10. TCU

Week 8 SEC Standings

1. Mississippi State

2. Ole Miss

3. Auburn

4. Alabama

5. Georgia

6. LSU

7. Arkansas

8. Missouri

9. Texas A&M

10. South Carolina

11. Kentucky

12. Florida

13. Tennessee

14. Anchor Down. 

SEC Unit Rankings

Offense - Mississippi State

Quarterbacks - Auburn (Marshall/Johnson)

Offensive Line - Georgia

Runningbacks - Georgia (Gurley/Michel/Chubb/Marshall)

Wide Receivers - Auburn (Coates/Williams/Bray)


Defense - Ole Miss

Defensive Line - Alabama

Linebackers - Georgia

Secondary - Ole Miss