Nick Saban is kinda likable..

Week 4 Picks!

article by Thomas Danielson, senior writer, secfootballpodcast.com

#1 Florida (3-0) (1-0) at Kentucky (2-0) (0-0)

<--Tom's pick
Tim Tebow rolls on to a 2-0 mark in the SEC. Kentucky has a good football team this year, just not what it takes to beat the Gators. Even after last week when they struggled to 23 points, a win is a win, and the Gators will get this one. PatD's pick: UF 38-17

#3 Alabama (3-0) (0-0) vs Arkansas (1-1) (0-1)

<--Tom's pick
Do the Razorbacks actually have what it takes to get a win? Yes. Is it possible they can beat the Tide at home? Yes. Will it happen? No. At least I don't think so. The Bama D is the best in the SEC right now. Greg McElroy's offense doesn't look bad either. The Tide is playing better football than anyone else in the SEC right now(which means they're the best team in the country), and they won their conference opener too. PatD's pick: Bama 38-13

5 LSU (3-0) (1-0) at Miss State (2-1) (1-1)

<-- Tom's pick
This is actually an intimidating game for the #5 Tigers this weekend and here's why: Miss State has a lot of loud fans and they love to ring cowbells. The Tigers have been winning this match-up for so long it's now a burden from fans and coaches alike to always win it. The Bulldogs won on the road last week against Vandy, allowing only a field goal. Despite all these reasons I'll take the Tigers on the spread. Jefferson is no stranger to road games. 38-17. PatD's pick: LSU 28-16

#7 Ole Miss (2-0) (0-0) at South Carolina (2-1) (0-1)

<--Tom's pick
Finally the Rebels get a chance to show everyone in the Nation who they are and why they're in everyones top 10, even #4 in the AP! Surely the Rebels will put on a showcase. South Carolina fell in a shoot out to Georgia, but showed they can contain a good QB when they beat NC St 7-3. I'm really looking forward to see some points in this one. I'll take the Rebs on the road by two touchdowns! PatD's pick: USC 30-27

#21Georgia (2-1) (2-0) vs Arizona St (2-0) (0-0)

<--Tom's pick
The Sun Devils whipped Idaho St and ran up 38 points on UL-Monroe, but that doesn't tell us very much does it? The Bulldogs on the other hand lost to a ranked opponent, and have since piled up 90+ points on two good programs in the SEC! I think the Dogs handle the light work at home, and send these Devils back west with an ugly loss. The Bulldogs big, 45-28. I hope they wear black! PatD's pick: UGA 34-21

Also Auburn, Tenn, and Vandy will all get the W this weekend. PatD's upset alert: Rice over Vanderbilt.

SEC Football Podcast National Top 11

article by Thomas Danielson, senior writer, secfootballpodcast.com
The race for the BCS is on after top 25 teams clash and eyebrows are raised from coast to coast as USC made their annual loss early on the road in the Pac-10. At Washington, as we all know, who is now ranked #24 in the nation. The Gators made enemies of gamblers from everywhere, mildly beating the Vols by 10 points. Texas gets revenge on the Red Raiders and also rolls on with a 10 point win. Bama looks so good right now it's ridiculous. Penn St and LSU both get their 3rd workmanlike win in a row, though the Tigers recieve brownie points for an old season opener win. The infamous Canes climb a few more rings in the ladder for yet another impressive Top 25/conference win. Ole Miss played someone from somewhere and beat them by a lot of points, Snead still not impressive. Cal has the Heisman Favourite in Best and is now the team to beat in the Pac-10. Cincy has a conf. road win and a nice one at Oregon St just this past weekend. Oklahoma rejoins the Top 11 for beating last two opponents 110-0, and the new QB might be a clone of the old one. The Noles stomp out BYU at home and from the Top 11, their own loss to the U not looking so bad right now. The Huskers lost a close one, and ruined my dreams for them thus far. V-Tech, Georgia, and Auburn are all knocking on the door to get in next week's Top class.

SEC Football Podcast National Top 11

#1 Florida Gators (3-0) (1-0) W vs Tenn 23-13 LW #1
#2 Texas Longhorns (3-0) (1-0) W vs Texas Tech 34-24 LW #2
#3 Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0) (0-0) W vs North Tex 53-7 LW #4
#4 Penn St Nittany Lions (3-0) (0-0) W vs Temple 31-6 LW #5
#5 LSU Tigers (3-0) (1-0) W vs ULL 31-3 LW #6
#6 Miami Hurricanes (2-0) (2-0) W vs #10 G-Tech 33-17 LW #9
#7 Ole Miss Rebels (2-0) (0-0) W vs SE LA 52-6 LW #7
#8 Cal Golden Bears (3-0) (0-0) W at Minnesota 35-21 LW UNR
#9 Cincy Bearcats (3-0) (1-0) W at Oregon St 28-18 LW UNR
#10 Oklahoma Sooners (2-1) (0-0) W vs Tulsa 45-0 LW UNR
#11 Florida State Seminoles (2-1) (0-1) W at #8 BYU 54-28 LW UNR

Dropped out:
#3 USC Trojans (2-1) (0-1) L at Washington 13-16
#8 BYU Cougars (2-1) (0-0) L vs Florida St 28-54
#10 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (2-1) (1-1) L at #9 Miami 17-33
#11 Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-1) (0-0) L at V-Tech 15-16

Week 3 Predictions

article by Thomas Danielson, senior writer, SECfootballpodcast.com

Tennessee (1-1) (0-0) at #1 Florida (2-0) (0-0)

Tom's Pick -->

The Gators have already scored 118 points and allowed only 9. Lane Kiffin might wish he were still working for Al Davis after this weekend. Tennessee managed to make their offense look good against the worst team in FBS, and terrible against UCLA. This is going to be a train wreck for the Vols on offense, but I do expect the defense to play fairly well. Still, I have Florida covering the 29 points because Tenn might not score a single TD. (Podcast Pat's Pick: FL 31-3)

Auburn (2-0) (1-0) vs West Virginia (2-0) (0-0)

<--Tom's Pick

The Tigers went to Morgantown last year and lost by 17. They also had a losing season while Pat White took his team to a 9-4 finish and his 4th consecutive bowl win. Now the tides have turned for both teams. West VA comes to the Plains and no longer have the veteran QB. Auburn has looked great thus far running the Malzahn offense and I expect them to advance to 3-0 playing at home. (Podcast Pat's Pick: AU 34-20)

Georgia (1-1) (1-0) at Arkansas (2-0) (0-0)

Tom's Pick -->
SEC game of the week. Wait! Not the Vols and the Gators? Of course not. This one could go either way. Tyler Wilson ended up having the start in week 1(looking much better than Cox) and will have the start at home against the Bulldogs. Georgia was lucky to escape with a win over South Carolina. I do not expect them to luck out again. I'm taking the Razorbacks in this one with home field advantage. Maybe 31-24. (Podcast Pat's pick: UGA 28-27)

Mississippi St (1-1) (0-1) at Vanderbilt (1-1) (0-1)

Tom's Pick --> <-- Podcast Pat's pick The Bulldogs ended Vandy's 5-0 start last year to put them on a 4 game losing streak. Well that game was at Mississippi State, this time it's in Nashville. These teams look to be about the same, ranking at the bottom of the conference. Basically this game will decide who is the worst team in the SEC. Vandy has had coach Johnson for 7 years and returned 18 starters from last year. I like the Dores in this one. Vandy over State something like 28-17. (Podcast Pat's pick: VU 27-20)

Kentucky (1-0) (0-0) vs Louisville (1-0) (0-0)

<-- Tom's Pick
I'm hoping this one turns out like last year when the Wildcats crushed the Cardinals in the season opener 27-2. Kentucky looked mighty fine in their 42-0 win over Miami OH on Sept. 5th. With 2 weeks of rest and preparation to get ready for a team who is trying to rebuild this season, I'm taking the Cats to win by a few touchdowns. Another PatD blowout, 45-17. (Podcast Pat's pick: UK 30-17)

#4 Alabama, #6 LSU, #7 Ole Miss, and South Carolina are all winners this week, easily.

Thomas' National Top 11

article by Thomas Danielson, senior writer, SECfootballpodcast.com

The college football season is heating up like NBA Jam heading into week 3! The Gators continue to dominate and won't miss a step next week when Tennessee comes to the Swamp fot their anual ass whipping. Texas and Bama had the first half jitters against weak opponents, but both were able to turn it around in 2nd half play when the depth chart started to show. USC wins again vs Ohio St, this time at Ohio St, and pushes them out of our Top 10. Penn had another lack-luster victory, much the same as LSU, but a win is a win. Ole Miss was idle so they got jumped by the Tigers. If you don't like it here's why: Ole Miss beat a C-USA team then rests two weeks for SE Louisiana. Blah. The Tigs went all the way to Washington, then beat an SEC team. BYU blew up Tulane in the Super Dome. Suprise, suprise. Now #9 Miami hosts our #10 Georgia Tech tomorrow night on ESPN. The winner will decide which team we keep in the top 10 and which one we send packing (I'm so rooting for the Canes). The other newest member and first top 11 ranking in SEC Football Podcast.. is the Nebraska Cornhuskers! Who have they beat, Tom, and why are they in the top 11? Well, nobody, but they do travel to Virginia Tech this weekend and I expect them to win and earn that top 11 spot. Furthermore when's the last time you saw Florida, Texas, Alabama, Miami and Nebraska all back in the Top 11? Beautiful. C'mon, Boise? Get it together AP.

SEC Football Podcast National Top 11

#1 Florida Gators (2-0) (0-0) W vs Troy 56-6 LW #1
#2 Texas Longhorns (2-0) (0-0) W at Wyoming 41-10 LW #2
#3 USC Trojans (2-0) (0-0) W at #10 Ohio St 18-15 LW #3
#4 Alabama Crimson Tide (2-0) (0-0) W vs Florida Intl 40-14 LW #4
#5 Penn St Nittany Lions (2-0) (0-0) W vs Syracuse 28-7 LW #5
#6 LSU Tigers (2-0) (1-0) W vs Vandy 23-9 LW #8
#7 Ole Miss Rebels (1-0) (0-0) Bye Week LW #7
#8 BYU Cougars (2-0) (0-0) W at Tulane 54-3 LW #9
#9 Miami Hurricanes (1-0) (1-0) Bye Week LW #11
#10 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (2-0) (1-0) W vs Clemson 30-27 LW UNR
#11 Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-0) (0-0) W vs Arkansas St 38-9 LW UNR

Dropped out:
#5 Oklahoma St Cowboys (1-1) (0-0) L vs Houston 35-45
#10 Ohio St Buckeyes (1-1) (0-0) L vs #3 USC 15-18

Gators Look To Quiet Kiffin, Vols - ESPN VIDEO

    The first real rankings of the season come after the first week has been played.  If you lose in week one I don't care what your ranking is in the top 11, or who you lost to because there are too many other good teams around who haven't lost yet.  OU and V-Tech should have scheduled a tasty appetizer for the opener rather than upset enemy #1 and a national title contender.  Face.  The defending Champs scored 9 TDs on their week one morale game, one of which B James returned on a kickoff for 85yds.  Colt McCoy made it rain and showed he's as nasty as ever, while OU dropped off the map with Bradford getting hurt and a loss.  USC moves up closer to the top for being USC, and winning by 53 points.  Bama's in the slingshot already to the title game with a huge victory over the Hookies in Atalanta.  Penn St looked okay against the MAC.  That's it.  Snead didn't look like a Heisman candidate until the 2nd half.  LSU's QB threw 3 TDs and rushed for 42 yds to escape with a win at Washington!  BYU crashed the top 11 party by right of conquest on the road against the Sooners!  Cougars are the forerunners for BCS buster rights, and show Utah what it takes to start a title run.  Ohio St let Navy hang around long enough to be a 2 pt conversion away from tying the game for overtime.  Buckeye D held.  Whew.  Miami at #18 Florida St.  Miami 38, FSU 34.  If you didn't watch it you missed out because it was a thriller, coming down to the last play.. Miami D holds!  The U's next 3 games are vs #15 G-Tech, at #14 V-Tech, and vs #13 OU.  They're back.
article by Thomas Danielson, senior writer
 
SEC Football Podcast National Top 11
 
#1 Florida Gators (1-0) (0-0) W vs Char Southern 62-3 LW #1
#2 Texas Longhorns (1-0) (0-0) W vs UL-Monroe 59-20 LW #2
#3 USC Trojans (1-0) (0-0) W vs San Jose St 56-3 LW #4
#4 Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0) (0-0) W vs #6 V-Tech LW #9
#5 Penn St Nittany Lions (1-0) (0-0) W vs Akron 31-7 LW #5
#6 Oklahoma St Cowboys (1-0) (0-0) W vs UGA LW #11
#7 Ole Miss Rebels (1-0) (0-0) W at Memphis 45-14 LW #7
#8 LSU Tigers (1-0) (0-0) W at Washington 31-23 LW #8
#9 BYU Cougars (1-0) (0-0) W at #3 OU 14-13 LW UNR
#10 Ohio St Buckeyes (1-0) (0-0) W vs Navy 31-27 LW #10
#11 Miami Hurricanes (1-0) (1-0) W at Florida St 38-34 LW UNR
 
Dropped out:
#3 Oklahoma Sooners (0-1) (0-0) L vs BYU 13-14
#6 V-Tech Hookies (0-1) (0-0) L vs #9 Alabama 24-34

Tom says 12-0 start for the SEC in Week 1

article by Thomas Danielson, senior writer, www.secfootballpodcast.com (this link will bring you to what you're already reading.)

The wait for SEC football is finally over. It's September and college football is finally about to begin. If you asked any fan of any team in the SEC if his or her team is going to win in opening weekend, they'd tell you, "you're damn right we are." That's what we want and expect out of teams down here in the south, to dominate the nation and win big in the best conference in FBS!

Top Ten opponents like ACC's V-Tech and Big 12's Ok State against two of the SEC's premiere teams, bah, bring it on. I'd like to see some action by Bama's Jones, Arenas, Ingram, Mcclain, Hightower, and see if Richt's new QB can outshine a vet like Zach Robinson. These two would be big wins and showcase Bama and Georgia flexing their muscles early in the AP standings.

Allow me to make it plain and simple for week 1. I'll just go on to say the SEC will have a clean 12-0 start for the first week of the season. Besides Bama and Georgia, the Gamecocks have the toughest challenge and that's against a middler from the ACC, North Carolina State. Do teams like Washington, Memphis, Missouri St, W. Kentucky, W. Carolina, or Miami OH really sound like they have the edge on SEC teams? I didn't think so. It's going to be a nice start. 12-0. I just hope nobody blows it this early, surely all our teams are favored... especially by us!

Thomas D's Southeastern Conference Picks

article by Thomas Danielson, senior writer, secfootballpodcast.com

Eastern Division

1. Florida Gators - Prediction (13-1) Tim Tebow is back again as a Senior in 2009, this time to win it all. The Heisman, SEC Championship, National Championship, and any other awards the NCAA cares to hand out. The Gators haven't lost a game since The Promise following their one-point loss to Ole Miss last year. Surely the Gators will lose once in '09 with games vs. Tenn, UGA, Florida St, and on the road against LSU and South Carolina. That's about it, everyone else on their schedule is Gator bait. The defense will most likely be the best in the land returning all 11 starters. Demps and Rainey will need to step it up to replace Percy Harvin.

2. Tennessee Volunteers - Prediction (9-4) We all know the big stories about Lane and Monty Kiffin. I don't even need to go there, but I will ask one question: What are these guys going to do that Phil Fulmer could not? Answer: The Vols had the 3rd best overall D in the nation and the best in the SEC last year.. so an acclaimed Pro defensive coordinator is taking over, surely they can only get better. Crompton is back to lead(word used lightly) the offense again as a senior. He needs to make major strides on improving his decision making and accuracy.

3. Georgia Bulldogs - Prediction (9-4) Non-conference games at Oklahoma St, vs Arizona St, and at Georgia Tech.. plus Ark, LSU, and Auburn along with the SEC East to contend with, not an easy schedule for any team. The Dogs return 7 on offense, minus Stafford and Moreno, and 6 on defense. Lots of holes to fill for coack Mark Richt. The good news is Rivals.com has UGA at No. 6 in the nation for a recruiting class, and were top ten last year as well.

4. South Carolina Gamecocks - Prediction (8-5) Spurrier enters his 5th season for the Gamecocks and is 28-22 overall. Stephen Garcia has been named the starter at QB, but many critics question whether or not he can win many football games. The defense was a solid 13th overall in the nation last year due to an awesome secondary. Now one sophomore steps in and two freshmen will be playing at corner and safety... so we'll see if Spurrier's O can score more points to help balance things out.

5. Kentucky Wildcats - Prediction (7-6) UK finished last in the SEC East last year with a 2-6 conf. record. Still managed to win 6 games and beat the Conf. USA Champs in the Liberty Bowl. Mike Hartline is healthy and starting at QB for the Cats. I'm hoping to see his numbers improve with Randall Cobb as his primary target. The D should also do a little better as they were the worst in the SEC last year.

6. Vanderbilt Commodores - Prediction (3-9) That's actually a favorable finish in my opinion, these guys just might go 1-7 this year in the SEC. As a matter of fact, I said the same thing of Bobby Johnson's team last season and they had an even 4-4 conf. record. I wouldn't bet on that happening again. The only good news is that 18 starters return from a bowl winning team.

Western Division

1. LSU Tigers - Prediction (10-4) Yeah, yeah. So I'm picking the Tigers to win the west again. I can't stop thinking about that Peach Bowl blow-out to end last season. Tigers QB Jordan Jefferson seems to be the key ingredient that was missing all last season. John Chavis had Tenn playing the best D in the SEC last year, despite having a worse offense than Miss St. I wonder the wonders he'll work with LSU's talent and recruits. Tigers will roll non-conference schedule, and maybe edge out a 5-4 conf. record with a SEC Champ loss to UF.

2. Ole Miss Rebels - Prediction (10-3) Rebels return 16 starters from a Cotton Bowl Champ team, first winning season since '03. Jevan Snead is the real deal at quarterback, with weapons like Dexter McCluster and Shay Hodge making big plays. A consistently good rushing attack will balance out the O and put Snead in the Heisman race. The Rebs had the 4th best rushing D in the nation last year. They lost two all-american linemen to the first round of the draft. Nutt pulled in another Top 25 recruiting class to fill those gaps. With their favorable schedule the Rebels will be the #1 contender in the SEC West.

3. Alabama Crimson Tide - Prediction (9-4) It's hard to say that Alabama doesn't have a big target on their backs this year. Everyone in the SEC will want revenge against Saban's squad. They return 15 starters from a 12-2 team, although only 4 for the offense that finished 63rd overall. Julio Jones is only one player. The Tide relied heavily on the defense last year, winning 3 conf. games by less than a TD. I see them pounding the ball on most teams, but not scoring points like Ole Miss or LSU.

4. Arkansas Razorbacks - Prediction (8-5) Very much like Tenn, I expect these guys to have a huge turn-around for '09. Bobby Petrino brings in a Top 25 recruiting class with 12 new linemen coming in, counting both sides of the ball. 17 starters return from a team that went 5-7 (2-6). They did have a few key wins last year over LSU, Auburn, and Tulsa. They also lost 4 games by a TD or less.

5. Auburn Tigers - Prediction (7-6) Another new coach, Gene Chizik, coming to Auburn from a 2 yr stint at Iowa State where he only won 5 games. The thing I don't understand is that Tubberville's spread offense was a bust so he got canned. Now Chizik is also bringing in a new spread offense. Weird. Although Gus Malzahn (new O coordinator) had success with Tulsa in Conf. USA, Tony Franklin also had success with the spread in the Sunbelt. THIS IS THE SEC! Get it together Auburn, I-form is the only thing that works!! (unless u have Tim Tebow)

6. Mississippi State Bulldogs - Prediction (5-7) Maybe these guys can pull off a 3-1 non-conf. record and 3-5 in the SEC, landing them at .500 and bowl eligible. Nothing would make boosters and fans alike happier in Starkville. Everything has changed for the Dogs in '09. Over 30,000 fans turned out for the spring game this year (that's 25,000 more than last year) to see Dan Mullen's spread attack. The D finished 35th overall last year, while the offense was a mangy 113th. Hopefully both sides of the ball can meet somewhere in the middle and we can see MS St win some games this year.