SEC Picks, Tennessee Hate Week Edition

Road teams in Puke Orange:

Alabama 1.4584 * 105, Tennessee -3
Arkansas 28, Ole Miss 26
Kentucky 31, ULM 10
South Carolina 28, Vandy 9
LSU 17, Auburn 9
Florida 34, MSU 14

95 thoughts on “SEC Picks, Tennessee Hate Week Edition”

  1. Mac,

    I don’t know if someone is playing a joke, but your main ad to the top left is a college football store.com one advertising over 1,400 Tennessee items. Reverse jinx? I think you guys’ll be okay.

    Although, I was listening to a radio show the other day that was discussing how different the Dolphins, Saints, and Crimson Tide would all be today if Miami had signed Drew Brees instead of New Orleans in the offseason before 2006. Really gave me one of those “road not taken” moments”

  4. Rama Jama Yella Hamma GO TO HELL ALABAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Tennessee 52 Bama O (O for Orange!)

    This is STILL my favorite Tennessee rivalry!

    Mac is the only Bama fan I know of, so…

  5. @spike “Just don’t stab me in the neck.”

    Don’t cross the streams, man.

    @football picks

    The only pick of interest is GT @ UVA.

  8. Did anyone hear or read anything about how McCann’s second eye surgery go? That must have been almost a week ago now.

  9. Just listened to a decent piece on the radio about how the Dolphins, Saints, and Crimson Tide might all be different today if Miami would have signed Drew Bress instead of Dante Culpepper in the offseason of ’06.

    I forgot how close Miami was to pulling the trigger on that…definitely had one of those “road not taken” moments

  11. Best-case scenario: we wear them anyway, win the toss, select the ball (or Alabama wins the toss and defers, though I don’t know why they’d do that if they know we’re kicking from the 15 in the first half) and get the ball at the 20 with no particular harm done after Bama boots it into the stands.

    Frankly, though, I wouldn’t do it. It’s not like the situation with USC-UCLA where it was obvious UCLA was OK with it so the tradition would continue afterward. Alabama’s never gonna let us where orange in their stadium, and to continue to do it, we’ll have to constantly take 15-yard penalties. And from what they’ve said, they’re never gonna wear crimson in Knoxville, either. What, exactly, is the point? It would’ve been awesome had they embraced it, but they crapped all over it. Whatever. It’s not the end of the world. It was a cool idea, but I think perhaps we should just move on here. It takes two for these sorts of things, and if they’re not gonna play along, I don’t think there’s a whole lot we can do about it.

  14. Still in Amsterdam & today ran into some Mets fan/friends from NYC, who were absolutely giddy about the Yankee loss last night. I guess I understand.

    From previous thread…

    Mike N,
    Nobody’s completely blaming Gary Sheffield for the losses of those 2 series.

    But those are the only 2 series Gary Sheffield ever played for us & we needed more from him. His performance has nothing to do with Chipper or Andruw.

  16. Hudson should find a way to get at least $32M out of the deal. He’s worth more than $8-9MM a year.

  21. So, if we sign Huddy, is our five-man rotation:

    Vasquez
    Jurrgens
    Lowe
    Hudson
    Hanson

    with Kawakami as long relief?

    Dayam!

    A quibble: do we need a lefty in there somewhere?

  22. Can’t find it, but:

    In the spirit of the day, can anyone find and share that hilarious anti-UT rant from the Bama fan?

    “They low down. They some snitches.” – that one.

  23. Anybody else seen the Braves AJC poll. It asks:

    Should the Braves not sign first baseman Adam LaRoche, they should go after free agent …

    Nick Johnson

    Russell Branyan

    Doug Mientkiewicz

    Kevin Millar

    Someone else

    The last unknown “someone else” is winning by a landslide.

  28. And according to Mark Bowman his guess is that Tim Hudson will agree to a three-year extension worth approximately $27 million, and also gain an option for the 2013 season.

    Sounds more than reasonable to me. Git’er done!

  30. Can someone recommend some real men’s cocktails? I had a couple Midori Sours and a Washington Apple last night and couldn’t help but feel like a little bitch, although they tasted awesome.

  32. A man’s drink? Scotch. Jack & Coke.

    But yeah, if you wanna drink, drink whatcha like.

    Still at this music convention in Holland & today I had a meeting with this guy from Curacao. He had a music label, was a brain surgeon & he went to high school with Andruw Jones.

    Said, “Andruw was a quiet guy, but very popular with the ladies. He had many, many girlfriends.

    “After he became a celebrity, he wanted to build a baseball stadium back home, but he got so ‘lazy’ about it, people lost interest & he was actually denied the permit to build.”

  34. I had a Hennessy and Coke as well. It was decent. Same bartender chick from last time. She “forgot” two put two drinks on the tab, so I left a ten-dollar tip. I’ll try a Rusty Nail next time.

  35. For cockatails, Black Russians and Manhattans. Tasty, and yet nothing but a glass full of booze, with no non-alcoholic stuff needed. I prefer tequila straight up though, preferably Corazon or Nacional.

  36. http://tinyurl.com/ykzrn3s

    i sure hope this keeps up and he gets booed out of new york. i would love to see him become available via trade. trading lowe for swisher and signing nady for cheap would be a dream come true for me.

  37. Clearly Swisher is the new A-Fraud. You know, some guys just aren’t made to play in New York. 29AB’s are more than enough to take the measure of the man.

  39. Today’s AFL action:

    Hicks went 1-4 with a walk. Freeman went 1-4.

    Mike Minor pitched 3 scoreless innings allowing 3 hits, 2 walks, and recording a strikeout.

    Jeff Lyman pitched a scoreless inning, allowing a single and hit a batter.

    Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect 9th.

  46. More horrific clock management in the Clemson/Miami game. What the hell is wrong with these coaches?

  48. A win is a win and Alabama escaped with one today. But that’s the S.E.C for ya, it’s never easy in conference.

    Speaking of Craig Kimbrel. Th young right hander is on the fast track to Atlanta. He finished just his second season of pro baseball by being promoted to AAA Gwinnett. From what I hear Kimbrel’s got a nasty slider to complement his high nineties fastball.

    Jason Heyward should dent the Braves 2010 roster sometime during the upcoming season, but Freddie Freeman doesn’t look like he’s ready for big league pitching just yet.

    Therefore resigning Adam LaRoche should be the Braves second priority behind getting Tim Hudson a new contract extension.

  52. Paul Johnson is an ass. He’s gonna win wherever he goes, but he’s an ass.

    Nebraska should move heaven and earth to get him.

  53. I was hoping we’d lose–things are much more interesting in Clemson when we’re not living up to our potential as a national powerhouse.

    :)

  54. you know I actually thought Kiffin and his staff coached a very good game today. The bama staff made some very questionable decisions, but got away with the win. They definitely need an off week and a game like today was perfect for them. Kiffin had the pro mindset on the last drive, gotta try to get a little closer. Either way the last kick was pulled badly, replay shows the kick had no chance

  55. bama didnt try going for it on 4th and inches when they were only up 9-3 at home. bama also threw two straight plays to Julio from the 2 yd line. these red zone offensive plays for Bama are brutal calls. good day for the special teams and for the defense

  56. Alabama screwed up at the end of the first half not trying to run it in against a reeling defense. Not only because they (because of the PI no-call) had to settle for the fieldgoal, but also because it gave UT a chance to drive, which luckily ended in a missed FG.

    I think Ingram was banged up, BTW. He was hardly ever in except when he was getting the ball.

  57. I have to admit that Kiffen outcoached Saban today. Good job Tennessee – all around. If Bama doesn’t turn it around in the red zone they can kiss a nat’l championship goodbye.

    I can’t believe Danielson even brought up the garbage about Cody taking his helmet off at the end. If there is any official that calls that when the clock is ticking to 0, he should never officiate a game again.

    Btw, Danielson (the color guy) was incredibly annoying. He was calling for Crompton to spike it and then UT to kick a field goal like he was the only person in the stadium that had this revelation. He had several moments throughout the game where he showed an incredible grasp for the obvious.

  58. Anyone else watching UF/Mississippi State? I don’t know what to make of it. Should I be encouraged that the defense has only allowed 6 points? Or discouraged that the offense has allowed 13? Encouraged that the offense has been pretty good at moving the ball? Or discouraged that they haven’t scored touchdowns when they’ve gotten it near the endzone?

    I get that the offense isn’t as good as last year and that if this team repeats as national champions, it’ll be on the back of their defense, closer to 2006 than 2008. It’s just weird to watch.

  62. yeah, this Rodgers guy is for real. He should be no lower than two in the Heisman race right now.

  63. Resumes. Funny.

    How ’bout they actually play and we’ll determine who’s better? Bama had a helluva resume coming into that Utah game last year.

    Spike,
    Swisher wouldn’t be the new A-Rod until, say, 2014, but even then, fans wouldn’t have the same expectations because he’s Nick Swisher, not the $25 M man. Ain’t close to the same thing.

    BTW, happy to be coming back to NYC tomorrow. Very curious to hear what kind of level of panic is setting in with Yankee folk if they lose Game 6.

  64. Danielson is an idiot for bringing the Cody helmet issue up anyways. He was saying that they wouldve had a rekick if the flag was thrown. It wouldve been a dead ball penalty, but wouldve been assessed after the play.

  65. They did play last year, and TCU won. While it’d be nice if every team was able to play every other team, that’s just not possible. TCU has beaten a couple average teams and a couple above average teams on the road. Boise has beaten one good team at home and a bunch of scrubs. What would you rather judge teams on, if not who they’ve played and beaten?

  66. Would it not have been a defensive penalty, though? Usually that adds an untimed down, but maybe a dead ball is an exception.

    Agree that it would have been a bad call in spirit, but it least it would have been in response to an actual occurrence on the field, unlike some of the recent late-game inventions by the SEC officials.

  67. BYU’s not as good as I was hoping they were after the Oklahoma victory, but TCU’s a solid team. After the first couple of teams in the rankings, it’s a mob of teams that are all pretty good (but not great). TCU can play with any of them.

  68. In the NFL a few years ago, former Alabama player Dwayne Rudd ripped off his helmet after a kick (I don’t think it was fourth down) and was called for a personal foul, extending (and soon, losing) the game.

    It would have been a stupid penalty, but the officials would have been technically correct. The ball was still live until McClain recovered and downed it.

  70. We found an excellent way to make an expected loss as painful as possible. I almost wish, for the sake of my psyche, that we had never recovered that fumble. Anyway…good game, Bama fans.

  71. I don’t think it would have mattered if the Vols got any closer to kick that ball. That wasn’t that long of a field goal, Lincoln has been kicking the ball flat the last few weeks and got caught twice today.

    I am with Mac, I didn’t under stand why Bama didn’t keep running the ball when they got down in the red zone. At that point Tennessee wasn’t doing anything against the Wild Cat.

    I thought Tennessee out played in every facet of the game outside of special teams and Bama was almost perfect there (return coverage wasn’t great) The Vols are getting better and a game like this will boost our recruiting.

    This was an old school Majors-Bear Third Saturday game.

    Finally, I am not sure Florida or Alabama is the best team in the country. I don’t know who is, but I am not sure it’s these guys.

  72. @69

    OK, blunt and direct and no-nonsense is another (and perhaps more accurate) way to put it.

    Will be interesting to see if blunt and direct and no-nonsense evolves into ass with continued success.

  73. Wow. If Alabama or Florida is the best team in the nation, this is the worst year for college football since the forward pass was legalized.

    The offenses that are run in the SEC are just downright pathetic. Good luck against Texas. You’ll need it.

  74. Texas hasnt come close to an SEC type defense either. They better learn to run the ball or it wont even matter

  75. Looks like this would have been a really good year to have a playoff.

    If Bama or UF run the table, they’re in the championship. Same with Texas, as everyone knows. But, it seems like the kind of year when a Boise State or Cincy could surprise against these teams on a given Saturday. Too bad they probably won’t get the chance.

  76. I had to explain to Alex R. last night (Mrs. Alex R. is an Oregon grad) that there is no way that Oregon would make it to the NC game ahead of an undefeated Boise, no matter what they do.

    The Indians hired Manny Acta as their new manager. I’m sure that will work.

  77. Texas has good skill position players but an offensive coordinator that is, um, challenged. I doubt they are going to figure out how to run the ball down anyone’s throat before the end of the season but all they really need is just a little threat of doing it to keep defenses honest to open up the seams for their passing game. And in my humble estimation, they have faced an SEC type defense in Oklahoma. There is not a better defensive tackle in the nation than OU’s Gerald McCoy.

    The funny thing is, Texas is very much an SEC type team this year. Their Muschamp defense is just as good as Bama’s or the Gators. Their special teams have scored a touchdown in almost every game this season. But while they are the leading team in the country in scoring average per game, their offense has been very suspect. Colt McCoy has felt the pressure of being a Heisman candidate and hasn’t played as well as last year. But I do think they have more offensive upside than either Bama or UF. I think Vegas makes them a 3-4 point favorite at this point.

  78. there shouldnt have to be any explaining to do. Acta is better than what he did in Washington

    the Sec should just cancel the conference title game if UF and UA are undefeated at the end of the regular season. Just move that to the NC game, too much money would be lost Im afraid

  79. Wow, it looks like Mark McGwire is going to take Hal McRae’s spot as the St. Louis hitting coach. From what I had read, Mark McGwire was done with the spotlight. I suppose he’s reconsidered. I hope he does well, to be honest.

    I’ve been fairly unimpressed with the top 2 SEC teams in the past 2 weeks, to be honest. I’ve been getting more and more frustrated with Florida’s offense (and Tebow’s performance, actually) as the weeks go ahead. I don’t know if it’s losing Dan Mullen or a lack of personnel or both, but we have absolutely no vertical passing game, and I think it’s affecting Tebow’s decision making. Now, more than ever, he’s rolling out way too early and not really getting a whole lot when he does.

    I agree with Mac that Mark Ingram must have been hurting. He didn’t look like the guy who destroyed South Carolina a week before. Thank goodness the Vols don’t have a kicking game.

  80. Stupid Falcons.

    The other element is that Alabama was worn out — they really need the bye week — while Tennessee was coming off of a bye. You saw it in the fourth quarter. Alabama isn’t normally a team that flags at the end of the game.

  83. Oklahoma’s defense is better, by a large margin, than any in the SEC outside of Alabama and Florida, and it’s quite a bit better than what Florida has put out there the last two weeks. 74 is a baffling post.

  84. Sickels Braves Prospect review – http://www.minorleagueball.com/2009/10/25/1100362/atlanta-braves-top-20-prospects

    1) Jason Heyward, OF, Grade A: A complete prospect, perfect Five Tool/Seven Skill player.

    2) Freddie Freeman, 1B, Grade B+: We’ll have to see if the wrist injury cuts into his power development, but given his age he gets some slack.

    3) Julio Teheran, RHP, Grade B: I still worry about his health and durability.

    4) Randall Delgado, RHP, Grade B: A rare thing, an Atlanta pitching prospect that might be underrated. Usually Braves guys get too much hype.

    5) Craig Kimbrel, RHP, Grade B: If his command holds up he can be a bullpen force.

    6) Mike Minor, LHP, Grade B-: Borderline Grade B. Excellent pitchability with pretty good stuff. I hope I get to see him in Arizona Fall League.

    7) Christian Bethancourt, C, Grade B-: Grade includes a lot of projection.

    8) J.J. Hoover, RHP, Grade B-: A personal favorite. Need to see him at higher levels, but I love the K/IP and K/BB ratios.

    9) Zeke Spruill, RHP, Grade B-: Younger and more projectable than Hoover, but I worry about his durability.

    10) David Hale, RHP, Grade C+: Power arm from Princeton, another possible relief mainstay if the command is there.

  87. Sickels list is interest for sure, especially when considering that Brandon Hicks and Jeff Lyman are barely mentioned. Then Lee Hyde is left off his list altogether. But it’s just a tally of prospects, most of whom we will never hear from anyway.

  88. Well, Hicks had a terrible season in Double A as the strikeouts came back to haunt him. Lyman and Hyde have never been much more than average prospects.

  89. 88, take it for what you will but the seven Braves playing in the Arizona fall league right now are:

    OF Jason Heyward

    1B Freddie Freeman

    LHP Mike Minor

    RHP Craig Kimbrel

    SS Brandon Hicks

    RHP Jeff Lyman

    LHP Lee Hyde

  91. #83 – good point forgot about the Oklahoma game, but that is the only good defense theyve faced and it showed. They put up 16 pts against OU and they’ve scored more than 34 in every other game. Their leading rusher has only 250yds on the season and no one is averaging more than 42 yds per game on the ground. Texas wouldnt even be in the conversation if Bradford had stayed in that game

  92. God bless my poor little Dawgs this weekend. At least they’ll be rested for the whupping coming their way.

  93. @82–Braves14,
    Haven’t watched many Raiders games this year have you? JaMarcus Russell is pathetic. Yes I’m a Raiders fan.

  94. @83- UF’s defense is the reason they won the last two games. They gave up a couple big plays two weeks ago, but against Mississippi State, the defense was fantastic. They put pressure on the quarterback, they stuffed the run, they generated turnovers…. They outscored Miss. State’s offense! Frankly, they’ve been awesome. And that’s without their best player (Brandon Spikes) and two starters on the defensive line.

    So… No. I don’t think Oklahoma’s put out a better product on defense than UF.

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