Once again, it has been a busy week, but the internet isn't working where I'm presently at, so instead of doing work I've decided to write a post for the blog. This week has been a fun week to talk about SEC football given what happened this past Saturday, and I've been wanting to weigh in on that. There was entertainment, embarrassment, and some downright head scratching, so let's wade on into the pool.
I think it is fair to say my predictions for both Alabama and Georgia in my previous post were, if not spot on, at least reasonably close to the mark. Having seen Alabama snatch victory from us too many times, I was never truly concerned about the outcome. Four quarters, Texas, four quarters. All fifteen minutes of four quarters. As for Sanford, well, I guess it's only twelve minutes for one of those quarters. There was no real reason to get too aggressive in a game where the outcome was not in doubt, but I'd have liked to have seen more from the offense in the second half. Still, I'm never mad about a shutout, and we are now #1, so all in all it was a good day for the dawgs.
Adding to the pleasure of our win was Florida's loss. I can stand by my preseason predictions for one more week, it appears. The Utah win was great for the gators, but UK isn't the pushover they once were. Saturday proved that. Arkansas confirmed they are good against Carolina, but Carolina had me doubting my third place pick for them. Until Tennessee did their level best to give away the game against Pitt. Mizzou and Vandy, you need to go to your room and think about what you've done, and then write a five page apology letter to the conference. Overall, my picks on the East remain in tact.
Auburn, you appear about where I expected, though I'd like to see more against the likes of San Jose State. Mississippi State took care of business, and in the desert by a pirate, that is solid. LSU, beating up a twelve year old paraplegic doesn't offset what happened in week one. What happened in College Station is more humiliating, though. Brian Kelly, you need to go to your room for being such a bully. You can come out after you've written a five page thank you note to Jimbo Fisher.
Jimbo Fisher, you need to go to your room and think about what you've done...and what you might want to say to the boosters at the end of the season. The only way you shouldn't get flogged for that nonsense is if you make the playoffs. Sam Pittman and Nick Saban-it's on yall to protect the honor of the conference and your division and prevent that from happening. Ole Miss, you now have one more cupcake to eat before playing real games. Enjoy this weekends snack. (That was a dig on Tech, in case you didn't catch it).
Kirby and the Dawgs go from playing his former boss to playing a former assistant. Under Beamer, I can't muster the same animosity for Carolina I had when they were coached by Spurrior, but I still have a latent anger and twinge of fear of the Gamecocks. This team has ruined our season more than once, so I can't take them lightly. For them, no conference game matters more than this one, and for us they are maybe the fourth or fifth most important conference opponent at this point. It's always an emotional mismatch, and a noon game in Columbia is as close as you can get to playing in Dante's Inferno.
One of my bartenders is a Carolina fan, and a true one at that. The only thing he lacks is the constant belief that every year is the year of the gamecock, which I find both unsettling and weirdly endearing. I always liked Coach Beamer, as well. Spencer Rattler, on the other hand, just looks like a dude who gets rattled, so my expectation that QB play would be a strength for the Gamecocks appears unfounded. Of course, our luck is such that this is the game in which it all clicks for him. Given our defense, though, I think that just means we don't sack him twelve times. They don't have the defense to slow us all the way down. It should be a comfortable win, but with some meaningful tests.
I'm working on a post about the restaurant business that I should have ready for tomorrow, so I'll let this be my post game and pregame post. I also need to go do actual work, which means finding internet somewhere. Once I do that, I'll post this and then do my actual job before heading into a restaurant to do my other actual job. Until tomorrow, may your soup be warm, your beer be cold, and your bar tab affordable. And GO DAWGS!