What a Weekend
What did we learn on Saturday by watching SEC football games?
First of all, don't ever listen to my predictions. After going 3-4 this weekend with my picks, I'm going to have to step it up this week to gain your trust and my confidence back.
After I got over how poorly my picks turned out, I realized that Saturday was an incredible day of SEC football.
Our game (Georgia-Kentucky) was phenomenal, even if it was a little sloppy. Being up close to witness fans tearing down goalposts is something I'll never forget.
The game that was being billed as the weekend's best lived up to the hype. LSU-Tennessee provided us with some memorable plays (like Robert Meachem's touchdown grab), controversy (did JaMarcus Russell fumble?) and a finish that will be talked about for several years to come.
It certainly looked like Russell fumbled to me. But since I can't do anything about that, let me complain about something else.
How does Russell get named SEC Offensive Player of the Week? I know he led the Tigers on a gutsy 15-play, 80-yard drive to win in Knoxville, but did anyone even watch the South Carolina-Arkansas game? That guy Darren McFadden (219 yards and two TDs rushing) did it again, and again, and again against the Gamecocks in another big SEC road victory for Arkansas. Plus, Russell threw three interceptions on Saturday. He played well, but McFadden was better.
Speaking of the Arkansas-South Carolina game, who knew two quarterbacks would lose their jobs? Arkansas' Mitch Mustain threw an interception on his first pass, and now he's benched for Casey Dick, who played well Saturday. This is an interesting decision by Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt, considering Mustain has yet to lose as a starter. But you'd have to think his mistakes would eventually lead to a loss, especially with Tennessee and LSU still left on the schedule. I like the move by the Razorbacks.
It's a good move by Steve Spurrier as well, who said Blake Mitchell played well enough to start this week at Florida. The Gamecocks can afford to experiment with something new at this point in the year, and you might as well see what Mitchell has got since Syvelle Newton will be gone next year.
Mississippi State really went into Alabama and won? Sylvester Croom's seat just cooled off. Mike Shula's, on the other hand, that's another story. It's shocking to hear people talk about Shula's job in jeopardy when I think about how great the Tide was last season.
The Gators have clinched the SEC East, but they need to start playing better. It was another average offensive effort, and even though Vanderbilt is good, I think UF has enough talent to beat the Commodores by more than six points. The big news is the dismissal of DT Marcus Thomas from the team. He is a difference maker, and UF will suffer without him.
It's fun to go into the final weeks of the season with three teams still alive in the SEC West to go to the Conference Championship. Arkansas has a one game lead over Auburn and the tie breaker. The Hogs are in good shape, but they have a tough schedule. LSU is also still in the picture. The Tigers have a date with the Razorbacks in Arkansas on November 24th.
It should be an exciting finish.
I think there are two things we can learn from this weekend's action. First of all, the parity in the SEC is remarkable. UF nearly lost to Vanderbilt, which would have been unfathomable years ago. Kentucky beat Georgia. People are still scratching their heads over that one, but they shouldn't be. The Wildcats have talent and Georgia is obviously in a down year.
Bottom line, there are no certain wins in this conference.
The other thing I learned is that there is still no right answer to this question: Which team is the best in the SEC?
Florida? UF lost to Auburn.
Auburn? Auburn lost to Arkansas.
Arkansas? Arkansas was blown out by Southern Cal.
Tennessee? They've lost twice.
Ditto for LSU.
Ohio State, Michigan, and Louisville should go to sleep every night thankful they don't belong to the Southeastern Conference.
