Welcome to November...chilly mornings...fall afternoons...and football.
Big games on tap this weekend for the big schools - USC and Clemson need to get some wins. It would be nice if The Citadel could beat the 4-game slide and upset Wofford, but Wofford (besides their last game against Appalachian State) has done well this year - so it won't be easy. And congrats to the South Carolina State Bulldogs - good win last night as they continue to fight for the MEAC title.
And don't forget tonight's games - Calhoun County and Calhoun Academy are both at home in the first round of the playoffs...get out there are support your teams!!!!
On To This Week's Games
IN THE ACC
North Carolina State (2-6, 0-4 in ACC) at Duke (4-4, 1-3 in ACC)
Tom O'Brien and the Wild Dawgs hop in the taxi for the short trip to Durham to try to tackle a bunch of Devils, but that ain't gonna be too easy. David Cutcliffe has a little something brewin' in Duke-ville, and the boys in blue have some goals in mind for the rest of the year - and losing to the Wolfpack ain't on that list. Duke...one step closer to bowl eligibility. I hope you were sitting down when you read that.
Rod's Reject - in a close one - N.C. State
Virginia (5-4, 3-2 in ACC) at Wake Forest (5-3, 3-2 in ACC)
Winston-Salem is the place for this afternoon battle as Al Groh loads the Sword Toters on the ship and set sail for Demon-town. Jim Grobe and his Preachermen have had a serious back-sliding lately, and have all intentions to repent and make Saturday a better day. But it won't be easy.
Rod's Reject - Virginia
#20 Georgia Tech (7-2, 4-2 in ACC) at #19 North Carolina (6-2, 2-2 in ACC)
Paul Johnson and the Humble Bumbles invade Chapel Hill at High Noon Saturday, takin' clear aim at the tail end of a bunch of goats. As much as Yellow Jackets like to fly, these Jackets clearly look to dominate the ground game, and may find much success against the Blue Billies. Butch Davis and the Tar Heels will fend off the swarm to begin with, but the Jackets will eventually find targets for their stingers.
Rod's Reject - North Carolina
Notre Dame (5-3) at Boston College (5-3, 2-3 in ACC)
Charlie Weis and the Golden Domers come calling again on an ACC team (lost earlier this year to North Carolina), and they may end up finding this opponent a little easier to handle. Jeff Jagodzinski and the Eagles are a tough team, but have been hit hard with injuries. And I think that will be too much to overcome this week.
Rod's Reject - Boston College
IN THE SEC
#5 Florida (7-1, 5-1 in SEC) at Vanderbilt (5-3, 3-2 in SEC)
Urban Meyer and the Toothy Crew slither into Nashville Saturday lookin' to lay a whoopin' on some sea sailors, but Bobby Johnson and the Ship Steerers ain't gonna be whooped so easily (in the 1st Quarter, anyway). A Gator win gets them into the SEC Championship Game, while Vanderbilt is in week/year umptysquat of trying to just get bowl eligible. Ain't gonna happen this week.
Rod's Reject - in a rout - Vanderbilt
Wyoming (3-6, 1-5 in Mountain West) at Tennessee (3-6, 1-5 in SEC)
Don't know what to expect from the Tennessee crowd at this one. Either 20,000 empty seats or a full stadium to support the team the rest of the year. But look at the records for these two teams, y'all. Can't be a lot of excitement in Knoxville either way Saturday.
Rod's Reject - Wyoming
Tennessee-Martin (7-2, 5-1 in Ohio Valley I-AA) at Auburn (4-5, 2-4 in SEC)
Another one to watch - lots of talk about Tommy Tuberville lately, but this week, the Tigers should have a more favorable match-up than in recent weeks. The Skyhawks do lead their conference, and they do score a lot of points. But, they give up a bunch, too. The Skyhawks' biggest win? Victory over Concordia College 87-21. But this won't be Concordia College this week. Too much War Eagle - on both sides of the ball.
Rod's Reject - UT-Martin
#13 Georgia (7-2, 4-2 in SEC) at Kentucky (6-3, 2-3 in SEC)
Mark Richt and the Dawgs have had a week to lick their wounds and sew up all the Gator scratches and head into Lexington Saturday hopin' to get things back on track. But the Blue Cats won't be the best host and Rich Brooks and his Wildcats will try to do their part to keep the Dawgs out on the porch, but they will be successful for only so long.
Rod's Reject - Kentucky
#1 Alabama (9-0, 5-0 in SEC) at #16 LSU (6-2, 3-2 in SEC)
The Battle in the Bayou!! Lots of ways to look at this one and it's one of the tough ones to pick this week. Nick Saban and the Tide have tough defense, good-steady offense, and they are definitely on a Roll. LSU has looked vulnerable, but they are playing at home and you figure at some point the big, undefeated team will fall. Will it be this week?
Rod's Reject - in a close one - LSU
THE BIG TWO
Clemson (4-4, 2-3 in ACC) at #22 Florida State (6-2, 3-2 in ACC)
Only in the ACC can a team like Clemson, with a 2-3 conference mark, really have a legitimate chance at going to the ACC Championship Game. Realize I said legitimate, not realistic. However, if Dabo Swinney and the Tigers run the ACC table, they've got a chance. But the hard part of that is they're gonna have to do it on the road, and Tallahassee ain't a place you want to play to start that winning streak. Bobby Bowden and the Seminoles ain't the cat's meow like they were several years ago, but the 2008 version looks to be pretty good, and they will look to do everything they can to stay on top of the Atlantic Division. But they will have to fight the full 60 minutes to do it.
Rod's Reject - in a nailbiter - Clemson
Arkansas (4-5, 1-4 in SEC) at South Carolina (6-3, 3-3 in SEC)
On paper, this one looks like a game where the G-Cock fans can go to the game, holler a little, and wait for the rout to happen. Most realistic G-Cock fans are nervous about this one, and each one they play. Bobby Petrino and the Hawgs bring a pretty young bunch on swine into Columbia Saturday and they will be ready to show the visiting crowd that they came to play. Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks, though, are anxious to prove a couple of things (1) the Hawgs won't run the ball on them for over 500 yards this year and (2) that last year's end-of-the-season slide ain't gonna happen to them this year. I think they will be successful in proving those points.
Rod's Reject - Arkansas
Friday, November 7, 2008
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