Friday, October 23, 2009

SEC Predictions Week 8

There was no change in the lead as Michael has a nice lead with an overall record of (44-10) while Jay and Eddie trail with both overall records at (41-13). We all went 5-1 last week, but the lone loss hurt badly because it was Auburn. Let's see how we fare this week:

Michael McCoy's Picks:
Arkansas at Ole Miss - Ole Miss
Tennessee at Alabama - Alabama
Vanderbilt at South Carolina - South Carolina
Louisiana-Monroe at Kentucky - Kentucky
Florida at Mississippi State - Florida

Auburn at LSU:

The last couple of weeks have been rough, but the seven point loss to Kentucky at home probably hurt more than the twenty-one point loss to Arkansas in Fayetteville. Things don't get any easier this week when Auburn travels to Baton Rouge to face LSU, who is coming off their first Saturday night loss in over fifty games. They'll not want to repeat that experience again. Much is made of how off weeks can benefit a team's freshness, but the off week that LSU had is of main concern to me because LSU offensive coordinator Gary Crowton will have cooked up alot of surprises no doubt to get his struggling offense going. Of course, given the defensive weakness of Auburn up front, LSU would do well to just run the ball straight ahead. The biggest concern heading into this game for Auburn, though, is whether or not the offense can get back on track, specifically in the passing game. Ben Tate is running like a man possessed and looks All-SEC calibre, but Chris Todd's play has fallen off in recent weeks, fueling much speculation about the health of his arm and shoulder. This game will go a long way in telling us what his true status is. If Todd is truly alright, this team, even with a flawed defense, remains capable enough on offense to win most games it plays, including LSU in Baton Rouge. But there are too many question marks for me to expect Auburn to win on Saturday. I think they can, but they'll have to play their best game of the year. LSU's defense is not dominating, but it gets the job done, and while their offense hasn't really clicked yet, they still have the players and athletes to burn any defense. Special teams have been better for Auburn recently, but Trindon Holliday will give Boulware's boys a true litmus test. I think special teams gives LSU good field position all night and they take advantage of a soft defense to win the game, despite another valiant effort from Ben Tate. I'll say Auburn 17 LSU 27.

Eddie McC0y's Picks:
Arkansas at Ole Miss - Arkansas
Tennessee at Alabama - Tennessee (Yeah, I called it)
Vanderbilt at South Carolina - South Carolina
Louisiana-Monroe at Kentucky - Kentucky
Florida at Mississippi State - Florida

Auburn at LSU:

Well, Auburn has taken a nose dive the last two weeks and I look for that to stop if the season can be salvaged for a decent bowl. LSU has the most favorable matchups of any of the SEC games that remain except for the fact that we play at Baton Rouge on a Saturday night. If Auburn is indeed allowed to wear the white Jersey's, that will be an automatic win because LSU and purple jersey's don't mix. I look for Chris Todd to show me he still has it and is not hurt as bad as some suggest. If he doesn't do it here, I don't think he can do it in any of the remaining SEC games. This is purely a gut prediction because the matchups still don't favor Auburn in my opinion. If the Auburn offense of the first 5 games shows up, Auburn will win and if it doesn't, then LSU will be printing up Charles Scott for Heisman posters. I'm betting on the Auburn offense breaking out of it's shell. I'll say Auburn 30, LSU 24.

Jay Skipworth's Picks:
Arkansas at Ole Miss - Ole Miss
Tennessee at Alabama - Alabama
Vanderbilt at South Carolina - South Carolina
Louisiana-Monroe at Kentucky - Kentucky
Florida at Mississippi State - Florida

Auburn at LSU:

Auburn’s offense has gone in the tank the last two weeks and put a thin defense in bad position leading to two straight losses in the conference. LSU’s defense is good, but the offense is a huge disappointment, especially the running game. Conventional wisdom says LSU, at home, will blow Auburn out as the Tigers have snoozed through the last two games. However, the games in this series have been close for many years and I expect nothing less this week. In the end, Auburn can’t stop any team, even a bad offense and LSU can stop teams, especially bad offenses. LSU 17, Auburn 10.

You can view a more detailed rundown of Jay's picks at his BC Column linked below:

http://blogcritics.org/sports/article/sec-week-eight-previews-and-picks/

Let's hope i'm right this week on the Auburn pick. War Eagle!

2 comments:

scottatl said...

Still depressed over last week.....I just hope we show up.

Unknown said...

Auburn and Tennessee pull some shockers, Bama fans burn Nick Saban in effigy, and a cult of Malzahn forms.