The Calm Before The Storm
Brought to you by our good friends at CN Cattle! Give Sean a call at 334-444-1495 for the best selection of high-quality USDA inspected local beef! During these inflationary times, fill your freezer with CN Cattle!
The calm before the storm. A quiet or peaceful period before a time during which there is great activity, argument, or difficulty. Also known as the Iron Bowl on rivalry weekend in college football. We all endure storms periodically throughout our lives. Some we embrace while others seem to blow up on us at the worst times. When I was a child, we spent a lot of time at beautiful Lake Martin in Alabama. Like many other “cabins” at the lake during that time, ours had a screened-in porch with a tin roof over it. There was nothing like anticipating a summer shower, taking the day activities to the porch, enjoying the cooler wind blowing in and listening to the big rain drops bounce off the natural sound board above us. Fair warning, there is a storm brewing on the horizon for next week.
But before you head for your screened-in porch to relax and hunker down, there is business to be taken care of this Saturday in college football before the storm of rivalry weekend. Historically, well at least for the last 10-15 years, most teams in the SEC have scheduled less than desirable cupcakes the weekend before the last regular season game of the season. 13/14 SEC teams will play this weekend minus Vanderbilt who started the season one week earlier than every other league team in later August. In a scheduling anomaly, the six teams in the Eastern Division will face off against one another while all seven teams in the Western Division will compete against the likes of FIU, Abilene Christian, and Louisiana-Monroe. In fact, the seven teams that Western Division members will play are a combined 35-36 on the season. Only 3 of those teams have winning records which included UT-Chattanooga, New Mexico State and Georgia State.
https://www.secsports.com/schedule/football
UTC +45.5 at Alabama – Tide, 55, UTC 13
ULM +37.5 at Ole Miss – Rebels 60, ULM 10
USM +14 at Miss State – Bulldogs 27, USM 20
ABC at Texas A&M – No line as of post time
NMSU +24 at Auburn – Tigers 45, NMSU 20
FIU +30 at Arkansas – Hogs 48, FIU 13
GSU +30, LSU – Bayou Bengals 49, GSU 17
Now onto some more competitive looking games on paper in the east.
UGA –10 at Tennessee – Has there been a more disappointing team in the SEC this season not named Arkansas other than Tennessee? Walking out of the Orange Bowl at the end of the season after dismantling Clemson 31-14, the college football world anticipated a big season in 2023 from the Volunteers. As for Georgia, the Bulldogs continue to bark on top of the college football world going on almost three years. This dawg team gets better every game in 2023 offensively, defensively and Kirby Smart is quickly establishing himself plus his staff as the best in college football. These two teams are going in completely different directions. UGA 38, UT 20.
UF +11 at Missouri – Speaking of two programs headed in separate directions, Missouri is hotter than a two-dollar pistol while the only thing hot in Gainesville is head coach Billy Napier’s seat. Sitting at #9 in the most recent BCS rankings, Missouri is on the cusp of a major bowl invitation while Florida is looking for one more win this season to become bowl eligible. With games left against Missouri and #5 Florida State, that seems highly unlikely. It will be a cold, windy and raw night in Columbia, MO for the reptilians travelling north out of the swamp. UM 42, UF 21.
UK –1.5 at South Carolina – Nothing would be finer for a struggling South Carolina than a division win over 6-4 Kentucky on Saturday night. Sitting at 4-6 now, the Gamecocks are riding a two-game winning streak while the Wildcats are coming off at beating from the hands of Alabama. South Carolina’s best win this season was two weeks ago against another Gamecock team in underrated 7-3 Jacksonville State. Other than Eastern Kentucky in week two, UK has not beaten a winning team this season. Carolina QB Spencer Rattler is the best player on the field for this game and has been one of the bright spots for either of these teams this season. USC 31, UK 27.
https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
It is a noticeably light week around the country this week nationally. There are only two AP Top 25 matchups, both in the Pac 12 and one is big. AP ranked #5 will travel to Corvalis to take on AP ranked #10 Oregon State. While #16 Utah takes on #19 Arizona. A few other games around the country with possible national implications include Michigan at Maryland, Louisville travelling to Miami and undefeated James Madison will hike the Appalachian trail to Boone, NC for a game against the Mountaineers. Let us take a shot at handicapping every other AP Top 25 game other than SEC matchups for the first time ever below.
Michigan –19.5 at Maryland – Turtle soup lunch for Wolverines UM 35, Terps 21.
Ohio State –27.5 at Minnesota – Buckeyes bury Gophers here OSU 44, UM 21.
North Alabama (NL) at Florida State – No line here FSU 55, UNA 0.
Washington +2.5 at Oregon State – Stinks to high heaven here OSU 28, UW 27.
Oregon –23.5 at Arizona State – Ducks cannot swim in deserts OU 45, ASU 28.
Texas –7.5 at Iowa State – Cyclones beat battered teams only UT 36, ISU 20.
Louisville –1.5 at Miami – Cardinals head south for winter UL 28, UM 24.
Penn State –21 at Rutgers – Nittany Lions only beat bad teams PSU 38, UR 24.
Oklahoma –25 at BYU – Prairie riders struggle in mountain air OU 35, BYU 25.
Utah –1.5 at Arizona – Wildcats hotter than desert they live in UA 23, UU 17.
Tulane –9.5 at Florida ATL – Green wave tsunami alert here UT 44, FAU 10.
James Madison –9 at Appy State – Mountain music GOY ASU 27, JMU 25.
Notre Dame – 24 at Wake Forest – Irish beat bad teams badly ND 48, WF 21.
UNC +6.5 at Clemson – No defense here in shootout UC 35, UNC 31.
Kansas St –9.5 at Kansas – Little Apple will be rocking UK 28, KSU 27.
OK State –6.5 at Houston – How are Cowboys ranked OSU 27, UH 20.
UMass +27.5 at Liberty – Minutemen fight for liberty UL 44, UM 20.
RFA is 18-5-1 against the spread the last two weeks!
Time to fade Uncle TBONE!
FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!!