Weekly ‘Weakly SEC Football Predictions’ | 2014, Week 11

By Eric Taylor -

Week 10 Results (3-4) | Overall Record (54-17)

GatorGrade A: You know those lame jokes people tell when they refer to a game played a many a fortnight ago where one team scored a ton of points and that guy says, “OOOH! Looks like Team X just scored again! HEHEHEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHA!” How lame is that? Am I right?

Well, anyway. So, Florida just ran for another touchdown! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA WOOOOO HOOOOOO!

I really do feel bad for Georgia fans. There is no reason why Georgia should lose to Florida. So many times — save the past three years — Florida beat a Georgia team that was considered a better team. It’s to the point that Tennessee and Georgia fans could form a support group. Late 80s/early 90s Third Saturday In October Johnny Majors thinks it’s out of hand.

Offensive stats are becoming a bit inflated as of late, but Florida has not gotten this memo…. until Saturday when the Gators ran for FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN YARDS!!!!!! That’s 418 yards. That’s 1,254 feet. A quarter of a mile, if you will. There’s not a rule change in the book favoring the offense that can excuse that defensive performance. Maybe for a record-breaking day through the air, but not on the ground.

I’m beginning to wonder if the NCAA didn’t reinstate Georgia’s eligibility to lose to Florida again as a consolation for the Todd Gurley appeal denial.

The dumbest conversations being had at the moment are the “Do you think Muschamp will save his job with a win over Georgia?” My answer to that is, “Only if Mark Richt loses his for losing.” Luckily, that question will now become, “You think Muchamp’ll keep ‘at job if he takes care of the Criminoles? Heh heh heh.”

Welp. There’s another 32-yard gain for Kelvin Taylor followed by a 14-yard touchdown run for Matt Jones. I apologize, Bulldog fan. I see and feel your pain. You’re good people and I hope and pray you can find a way to get to Atlanta over a team you beat 34-0.

Joshua Dobbs and weaves: Tennessee has a quarterback. Not only that, they have found a guy they can rally around. All Dobbs did Saturday in the Vols’ 45-42 overtime win over South Carolina was lead the team in rushing with 166 yards and 3 touchdowns on 24 carries while going 23-for-40 and 301 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception.

The spark Dobbs has provided is not subtle with energy, leadership and game management. He’s anything but a game manager. If anything, he’s a game saver. Accumulating five touchdowns and 467 total yards is amazing. Leading the team on two touchdown drives in the final two minutes to force overtime is dang near improbable and unbelievable.

With that being said, South Carolina usually just needs someone to fulfill prophecy. The Gamecocks have yet to see a fourth quarter in 2014 on which they didn’t want to choke. This Carolina team lead by two scores in the fourth quarter against Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee and lost all three.

A terrible break… literally: You know where I’m going here. Ole Miss sophomore receiver Laquon Treadwell’s final play of 2014 was tragic. It looked heroic and triumphant at first glance, but replay proved it to be just another dagger in an already broken Rebel heart. I think the next rule change for player safety will be penalizing a defensive player 15 yards for leaving his feet and hanging on a player to bring them down. That sounds crazy, but so did a horse collar rule. There would obviously be a need for clarification. Will the penalty be reviewable? Will a flag only be thrown if he’s hanging on the jersey and/or above the waist with both feet off the ground? I’m not sure. Maybe there’s no need for the rule, but when there’s an injury that occurs on more than one occasion from a similar tackle, AKA the horse collar tackle of 10 years ago, there will be a crowd of people who want to prevent those type of tackles. The more injuries occur to high-profile players, the more regulations are sought to decrease those injuries.

College Football Playoff Selection Committee Top 25: The CFP Selection Committee Top 25 has been released and November is setting up to be WOAHvember. Yeah. I don’t like to brag, but I came up with that play on November on my own. Mississippi State, Florida State, Auburn and Oregon are this week’s Top 4. Let’s break that down just a bit before predicting stuff.

No.’s 1 (MSU) and 3 (AU) will play No. 5 (Alabama) on November 15 and 29, respectively. Alabama will play both teams at home after traveling to Baton Rouge this week. Alabama running the table would push Mississippi State out of the top spot, but it’s not out of the question that they would only fall to No. 4 at the lowest. It would potentially push Auburn out of the Top 4 with Oregon holding on to a No. 3 or 4 spot at the end of the regular season.

The next week is conference championship week. Alabama would play in the SEC Championship Game versus a team in the East that decides they are tired of losing. Oregon would likely play a team from Arizona in the Pac-12 title game. No. 3 or 4 Mississippi State just sits there while Alabama plays in the conference championship game and Kansas State or TCU could be sitting there at No. 5 (KSU and TCU play this weekend in Ft. Worth) while Oregon plays Arizona (or Arizona State). Florida State would probably meet Coach K and the Blue Devils in a rematch of last year’s ACC Championship Game. What if Alabama, FSU or Oregon lose? Does a TCU or Kansas State move up as a conference champion…

I can’t write anymore. LSU could blow Alabama’s season right out of the water this weekend and the Big 12 will be begging TCU to beat Kansas State only because Kansas State’s only loss was at home to Auburn out of the SEC. That would more than likely keep Kansas State on the outside looking in at the Top 4.

Week 10′s Weakly Comparison

Weakest Two
1. Florida 38, Georgia 20 (Like everyone else on Earth, predicted Georgia 46, Florida 13)
2. If we’re being honest, all the picks but the two (or three or so) below are bad.

Awesome Two
1. Tennessee 45, South Carolina 42 (Predicted Tennessee 20, South Carolina 17)
2. Texas A&M 21, ULM 16 (Predicted Texas A&M 34, ULM 28)
3. Auburn 35, Ole Miss 31 (Predicted Auburn 23, South Carolina 17)
3a. Mississippi State 17, Arkansas 10 (Predicted Arkansas 20, MSU 17)… This one might have come true had Arkansas found a way to get in the end zone in either of its two failed attempts in the fourth quarter. They didn’t so this pick becomes my “If Ifs and Buts were Candy and Nuts” pick of the week. I’m looking for a sponsor. I’m looking at you, Planters… or Low T Center.

Week 11 Predictions

We have been humbled here at the Weakly Headquarters. Even more than our normal humble that we love to tell everyone about so they will understand how humble we really are. Last week’s 3-4 record proved that my picks can indeed be weakly. I took a chance on a few games and still won three, so when you think about it long enough and with enough of a slant and Weakly colored glasses, we did really well in Week 10.

Keep reading. I type words with football sayings and stats that justify one prediction over another in a way that appears reasonable, but in the end is nothing more than a chicken wing on a string.

All Times Eastern | Utilizing the College Football Playoff Selection Committee Rankings

Saturday, November 8, 2014

#20 Georgia (6-2, 4-2 SEC) at Kentucky (2-4, 5-4 SEC)
Noon ET | ESPN

Moving on: Georgia better have a very short-term memory as they prepare to travel to Lexington to face Kentucky. The Bulldogs last visit to Lexington was far from dominant. Georgia defeated Kentucky, 29-24, in a surprising thriller that kept Georgia on pace to play in the SEC Championship Game, ironically, when they had lost to South Carolina 35-7 earlier in the season. The Bulldogs will need Karma to pass over Sanford Stadium if they don’t want Missouri getting the same privilege they enjoyed in 2012. But, yeah, they just need to go to Lexington and win and not worry about such things. 

A fine line: There’s a very thin line that separates parody and bad teams within a division. What side of this fine line do we find the SEC East? To the naked and untrained eye the East is full of mediocre teams. What if it’s parody? Being that I can’t recall right off hand an SEC East team that defeated a team out of the West in a game of significance, I’d say our nude eyes are seeing just fine. The East ain’t very good. With that being said, I think Georgia can prove they are still the best in the East (or at least best in Lexington) this Saturday, but it won’t be easy. Next week is when Georgia will look to make a statement against Auburn.
FINAL SCORE: Georgia 27, Kentucky 17

Presbyterian (5-4) at #11 Ole Miss (7-2, 3-2 SEC)
Noon ET | SEC Network

Is Presbyterian a Baptist or Methodist college?: I can look it up on Wikipedia or something, but I was just asking for a friend. He’s Catholic and is looking for a school that caters primary to his religion of choice.

So ummmmmmmmm: “I was thinking maybe we could all go get lunch while this game is on so we can be back in time for the A&M-Auburn game,” everyone will say Saturday at noon on November 8th. The highest-ranked, two-loss team in the CFP Selection Committee Top 25 will do enough to win this one.
FINAL SCORE: Ole Miss 52, Presbyterian 0

Texas A&M (6-3, 2-3 SEC) at #3 Auburn (7-1, 4-1 SEC)
3:30pm ET | CBS

Gaggies: Auburn is something like a 21-point favorite in this game. Kenny Hill is suspended for the Aggies for breaking team rules. and not playing well enough to justify the rules weren’t really that big of a deal. Texas A&M has been pretty well at peak stank level since their last win (other than ULM last week) on September 27 when Arkansas tripped on Jerry Jones’ ego in overtime at Cowboys Stadium. Since that game, A&M has been outscored 142-51 in three consecutive SEC games. The defense is awful and the offense is sputtering. Gaggies, indeed.

Auburn will need a drool cup: With the Aggies playing awful football — especially on defense — Auburn should score at least 117 points on 1,421 yards rushing. Based on the current trend in the SEC, that means A&M will win 21-19. 

The drool cup should be justified by the end of Saturday. This game will be ugly and the biggest challenge for Auburn will be staying healthy.
FINAL SCORE: Auburn 48, Texas A&M 20

UT Martin (5-5) at #1 Mississippi State (8-0, 5-0 SEC)
4:00pm ET | SEC Network

Did you know Pat Summitt went to UT Martin?: Well, she did.

Stay/Get healthy: Dak Prescott will try to get a little workout in early in this one before hiding on the sideline from about the first two minutes of the second half until the end of the game. While Alabama pounds pads with LSU for 3.5 hours in Baton Rouge, Mississippi State will be warming up and staying healthy.
FINAL SCORE: Mississippi State 55, UT Martin 3

Florida (4-3, 3-3 SEC) at Vanderbilt  (3-6, 0-5 SEC)
7:30pm ET | SEC Network

New life: Florida ran for all kinds of yards last week in Jacksonville. I mean, 418 yards of rushing. The field is 100 yards long. They ran the ball the length of the field four times and added 18 yards. Muschamp may not have saved his job with the dominant win over Georgia, but Jeremy Foley may have an actual decision to make at the end of the year rather than a press conference announcing the inevitable.

Vanderbilt is at home: 
This is an irrelevant fact.
FINAL SCORE: Florida 34, Vanderbilt 0

#5 Alabama (7-1, 4-1 SEC) at #16 LSU (7-2, 3-2 SEC)
8:00pm ET | CBS

Same teams, different uniforms and coaching: You could basically allow each team to swap jerseys and more than likely no one could tell the difference. The only difference in this game, other than the unis, is coaching. Although, that hasn’t always mattered. Les Miles was doing pretty well in his career vs. Saban after the 9-6 overtime time in the Game of the Century November 5th, 2011. Then the rematch happened and Saban has ruled Les since, although it took a miracle drive in the final minute to win in Alabama’s last trip to Baton Rouge in 2012.

Big. Strong. Fast. And quick. Both teams are loaded with athletic freaks of nature. Alabama has a little more experience, but LSU can match Alabama at nearly every position with size and speed. Again, same teams, different uniforms.

Yep, Saban won’t be there much longer: It still seems like the talk is how Nick Saban will leave Alabama at some point and probably sooner than later. There’s also talk each and every season that Les Miles will either succumb to Michigan’s home allure or be forced out by fans with power and money that are outdone with the bad losses and perceived absent-minded game management and decisions. All that chatter takes place around this, the EIGHTH Bama-LSU matchup between the two coaches. Have any two SEC coaches played that many times consecutively since Phillip Fulmer and Steve Spurrier?

In the end it comes down to…: This series has been dictated by who would make the final last mistake. The team that has less of the “OH NO! WHAT WAS HE THINKING!” moments tends to win. LSU fans seem to say this more than they’d like to admit when watching Les Miles on the sideline, but Les Miles is just the type of coach to beat Saban. Saban is meticulous and you can’t outwork him. Miles is so off-the-cuff and unpredictable that he may do something that not even he was prepared for and end up winning. You can’t prepare for Les. Expect another classic like 2012.
FINAL SCORE: Alabama 21, LSU 13

Open Date: Tennessee, South Carolina, Arkansas & Missouri

Eric Taylor is a contributor to FBSchedules.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricFromSpfld or contact him via email at Eric.Taylor –at– stadiumjourney –dot– com.

Comments (5)

The only thing I will disagree about the picks will be Florida vs Vandy, not that it matters but I think with the emotional win over Georgia & Vandy being at home. Not sure what Gator team will show up & if the Gators can pull off two solid games back to back wins, I can at least see Vandy putting up 14 points, not saying Vandy is going to win at all but I think they will play Florida hard.

I was told I wouldn’t have to do math in this journalism business. You can knock that off any time now.

It’s also good to see my friends at Presbyterian making their way onto our site. They may not fare well this weekend, but you’ll find a ton of great people in Clinton, South Carolina.

I will go Georgia, Ole Miss, Auburn, MSU, Vandy, and LSU. I see a let down coming in Gainesville, and strange things keep happening in Death Valley this year. I will say that if Bama gets past this one, I think they win out and win the SEC. But, LSU is not out of anything just yet and will be playing like it. At this point, the goal in Lexington should be to get one more and get back to a bowl.