Week 8 in the SEC is starting to look like the throwback to the days when guys named Bo and Woody from the Big Ten ruled the world. Known as the Big Two and Little Eight, since Michigan and Ohio State ruled the conference, the same can be said this year as the SEC has the Big Two, and the Little Ten.
Alabama, despite sleepwalking through the first half against Tennessee, and LSU, are clearly the two best teams in the SEC, and the Nation. No other team in the SEC is even close. With a week off for the media machine to start churning, we are in for an all-time classic matchup in the SEC on November 5th.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, let's look at the week that was in the SEC
CoShik Williams ran for a career-high 148 yards as Kentucky stunned this writer, as well as the rest of the offensive world as they routed Jacksonville State 38-14.
CoShik Williams. That sounds like a name you use when you are in a bar and you are trying to pick up women. It just rolls off the tongue, just the way Williams rolled up and down the field in the Wildcats route. I use to use the name Wally Stinchwagon when I was trying to work it with the ladies, so it is no wonder I stayed single for so long.
UK was ranked 118th out of 120 in total offense and their first three possessions of the game did little to improve on that stat. One first down, two punts and a lost fumble. This week, they gained 253 yards in the first half, which is two more yards than they gained in their previous two games COMBINED. Now that's progress!
Did you hear Vandy QB Jordan Rodgers brother plays QB for the Green Bay Packers? Well, it might just be known that way if the younger Rodgers keeps playing like this.
Rodgers rushed for 96 yards, passed for 186 and kept Army off balance all night. His success opened up the rushing lanes for Zac Stacy as he rumbled for a career high 198 yards and three TD's in the Doores romp over the Black Knights.
With the win, Vandy needs just two more victories to make the post-season. Did you ever think they would be in a better position to make it to a bowl game than Tennessee? Could the November 19th battle in Knoxville be Vandy's opportunity to slam the door on UT's post-season chances? Stay tuned.
Could things get any worse for the Rebels? After being hammered last week by Alabama, they were a huge underdog to Arkansas this week, but came out and took a 17-0 lead in the second quarter. However, 29 unanswered points later, Arkansas crushed the Rebs hopes of an SEC victory as they prevailed 29-24.
Talk about breaking what is left of your fan base's heart. Is it time to show Houston Nutt the door? Right now, that's dividing the community in Oxford, as the Ole Miss family is not sure which way to go on this one.
In fact, I haven't seen a family this divided since Greg Brady started calling himself Johnny Bravo and threw the rest of his family under the bus so he could have a recording deal all to himself.
However, it was not all bad as Ole Miss set a school record yesterday. Um, hold on a sec..wait, this might not be such a good thing. The loss gave Ole Miss the dubious distinction of now having lost ten straight SEC games. Former Rebels coach, and College Football Hall of Fame member, Johnny Vaught, must be rolling over in his grave right now. He built Ole Miss into a national power in the 50's and 60's, but now, all they are now are national doormats.
Before this week's games, I had LSU and Alabama neck and neck as far as who the better team was. After this week, it is no contest. LSU is the best team in the South and in all the land.
Once again, Les Miles had to suspend a few players, and once again, LSU played better without them as they routed Auburn 45-10. What is it about LSU suspending players and then going out and dominating an opponent?
For his next trick, Les Miles will suspend the whole team before the Alabama game, comb the local high schools for replacement players, then go out and win 62-0. I see that working, not because Miles is such a smart coach, but because that voodoo magic from the Bayou is working its spell over the SEC, and I have a feeling it won't be stopped this year.
Not since the 1981 season when the Vols ran into Herschel Walker and Marcus Allen in successive weeks have there been 14 days of a whoop ass put on the Big Orange. In those games, UT was beaten 44-0 by Georgia, then 43-0 by USC.
Fast forward 30 years later as the Vols were blasted by LSU, 38-7 last week, and by Bama this week, 37-6. Give Tennessee credit, they made it a game in both contests through the first 30 minutes, but depth and overall talent spelled their doom.
So dominating was Alabama's defense in the second half, they allowed ZERO first downs, and only six for the entire game. Ouch!
So dominate was the Alabama offense in the second half, they put up 31 unanswered points, and outgained Tennessee 280-41. Yeech!
The "What did he just say" award of the night goes to Alabama guard Alfred McCullough, when asked about the halftime score. "We weren't aware of the score. It had no affect at all."
I agree. The Tide offense had no effect at all against a bad Tennessee team in the first half. I guess McCullough slept deeper than most of the Bama players in the first half.
Tyrann Mathieu, who has gotten a lot of ink this season, and rightfully so since he is a dynamic player, is really not a star in my eyes anymore.
I saw him last week against Tennessee pretty well. Reason why is that I saw him, but never heard his name over the PA because he did nothing. The only thing he did was run up and talk trash to the player getting up after being tackled by someone else.
Now he was caught for using the Bob Marley method of conditioning. Look, Honey Graham, or whatever the hell your silly little nickname is, shut your mouth, stop being so selfish and play football. You are embarrassing your teammates and your school.
Is it just me, or is the TV Red Cap the most hated man in the stadium? Just when it seems you get into the flow of a game, here he comes on the field with his arm raised like he is asking for permission to use the restroom.
We have to thank TV and the millions of dollars it produces for that one. Because money rules everything, TV has the right to dictate when and how we get to watch the game. You ever wonder what the Red Cap pre-season meetings are like? I am sure they all gather round the Jack Daniels booth and swap stories and try to help each other get through the rigors of being the most hated man in the stadium every week.
"Yeah, last year during the Auburn game, Verne Lundquist referred to me as a Sky Cap, instead of a Red Cap. Now that's a little over the line as far as I am concerned."
"I remember a bunch of punks began smarting off to me during the Georgia-Kentucky game a few years ago and asked if my Speedo matched my hat."
"I was voted the second best Red Cap in all of college football by the fans on SEC Sportsfan.com. When I looked to see who number #1 was, it read, "Everyone Else."
Speaking of LSU, my nod for the best name in the SEC, has to be LSU's Barkevious Mingo. Mingo, a sophomore Defensive End from West Monroe, La. had four tackles and two sacks totaling something like four billion yards.
Replacing the former number one name in the SEC, Baccarri Rambo, Mingo must keep Vern Lundquist up nights trying to teach himself now to say his name correctly.
Here's 2011 SEC Football Week 9 Preview and other SEC Football Predictions.
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