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Nice predictions again. Being a fan of the SEC no victory comes as a surprise to me anymore. Upsets happen all the time thats why Ole Miss beating Florida didn't surprise me. Bama's performance shocked me a lot in the first half. Then when I went back and looked a little more closely I noticed a few things. Moreno had more yards per carry than Coffee did, don't know why Richt didn't use him more. Their defense tackled very poorly. The one play that really stood out to me was Upchurch's screen that he took on the 4th quarter TD drive. He should have been stuffed for minimal to no gain on the play except UGA wasn't tackling anyone so much as they were putting shoulders into them. A good player will make you pay if you don't wrap up and drive them to the ground. Upchurch did. Bama was giving UGA short underneath routes all night why Stafford should have saw that and has to make better reads. Cody got weaker as the game went along that is when UGA should have tried to mix in more runs instead of allowing Stafford to throw into double and triple coverage. Bama held on though and a W is a W I don't care if you win 1 or 21.

I could see them laying an egg this week against UK if the game was in Lexington. Knowing its in Tuscaloosa. I think Bama wins the game by a score similar to the Tulane game.

Like you I agree Florida is going to make BBQ out of the Pigs.

Ole Miss are read, set, go for the let down following the big win in Gainsville.

UT has opened their QB compitition back up and hopefully petitioned the league for permission to use stick'em on Fosters hands. Any team that can't master the art of the handoff is going to be doomed in the SEC. May get caught looking ahead at their game with the Dawgs next week.

Gameday in Nashville. Auburn-Vandy, second time gameday has been to an Auburn game this year. Hopefully for their sake Bama broke the Corso curse if he puts that Tiger head on. Vandy has played good ball this year. Their defense is really good. Auburn is going to work Burns into the game more this week which is absolutely the right thing to do. Why run the spread option if you have a QB that is no threat to run the ball. Todd is only a threat to himself the very few times he does actually keep it. Burns on the other hand is a running threat which will cause Vandy to put 8 in the box which is the perfect time for Burns to hit the TE on seam routes and the recievers on crossing routes. I think if Burns gets 20-25 snaps the game isn't close, but if he only gets 5-10 it could get interesting. Look for 7 more from the defense to cancel out the home field advantage.

You're right about the confidence for OSU, Pryor hasn't been around so he's like the Chinese gymnasts, too young to know about the pressure, and Wells still think he's the best player in college football. Those two will lead.

UK wil be tougher than they look, since of course they have an Ohio kid at QB, haha.

Good picks, I still like Purdont in an upset bid, but wouldn't put any money on it.

Notice to Alabama! LSU was in the same situation last year when we played Kentucky. Granted the game is at BD stadium and not Lexington but an inspired UK team can sneak up on you. Don't think that Nick Saban is above looking past some teams. LSU lost in a great season to UAB under Tricky, I'm a scum-bag, money hungry, dick sucking, Nick Saban. Oh I'm sorry, did I say that out loud. Ya know I often wonder how Bama fans would feel about Nick if he wins big this year and decides to leave for the NFL again, fails again, and then decides to come back to your conference and to the west......I don't know, Arkansas for example? Just imagine that for a minute (Be objective) and you will be able to comprehend LSU fans disdain for the man.

QUOTE(#3):

Originally posted 11:31 AM ET  10.03 by CenLA Tiger

Notice to Alabama! LSU was in the same situation last year when we played Kentucky. Granted the game is at BD stadium and not Lexington but an inspired UK team can sneak up on you. Don't think that Nick Saban is above looking past some teams. LSU lost in a great season to UAB under Tricky, I'm a scum-bag, money hungry, dick sucking, Nick Saban. Oh I'm sorry, did I say that out loud. Ya know I often wonder how Bama fans would feel about Nick if he wins big this year and decides to leave for the NFL again, fails again, and then decides to come back to your conference and to the west......I don't know, Arkansas for example? Just imagine that for a minute (Be objective) and you will be able to comprehend LSU fans disdain for the man.

Your mistaken. Bama fans would be worse about it. They would take it personal like Nick had just ran off with their daughters. No offense Bruce.

LOL, non taken. But you are so right. Hey, you got to consider the coaching roller coaster we have been on. Dubose was an idiot. Franchione deserted. Price turned out to be a perv. Shula was a letdown.

However, for 32 million bucks, a legion of adoring fans, celebrity galore, and magazine covers, why would Saban want to leave? This job is an egotist's wet dream.

Bryant had a huge ego. And he passed up being Governor or Senator to stay where he was the King.

I don't care if Saban is a prick. I don't care if he has no personality. Like most Bama fans, I don't care if he has "666" tattooed on him somewhere - as long as he keeps winning. You have to take into account the mindset of fans in my age group (45-55). We grew up watching Bama dominate and continuously in the national mix. Maybe we got spoiled and maybe college football isn't built that way anymore, but it is what we have come to expect.

I dont think Saban would leave Bama like he did LSU. Afterall, who wouldnt leave LSU if a better opportunity came along?

Not that is some funny stuff right there Bama fan. You need to go argue with LSUDYNASTY or DOMEPATROL to get an LSU fan to bite on that one. By the way, congratulations on your first post buddy. Glad to see you on FN. OK guys back to the conversation. by the way, I was supposed to have left for the skating rink about 20 minutes ago and pick up SOLO cups on the way. My two boys are having a party tonight, well they usually skate first and then eat cake. I get sucked in every time I log on.

OK in response to the leaving comment I would say that any SEC team would be hard to leave if the opportunity presented itself. I mean in the south a successful college football coach is practically a demi god. If you think about the advantages a college coach has over a pro and it's pretty remarkable. I think I'll do a blog about this but here's a teaser. A college coach for the most part has his aulmni settle in the area or at least the state. Fans stay faithful for life. So what does this mean? Well fer are a few examples: There are Alum that own Cadillac or Mercedes dealerships, car done, Own real estate business, house, below market value. The bank is going to give you a dirt cheap loan because the presidents son plays for the band and he a real big fan. You get free meals at every restaurant in town, golf membership paid, etc, etc, etc. College football is the way to go. In the Pro's, the players are the focus, they could be there for years (Favre, Peyton, Payton, Elway, and so forth) Well gotta go get those SOLO cups. See ya

Just my point CenLa. Why would he want to leave? I will be the first to admit that Saban seems to have a king-size ego. So where better to enjoy that ego than at Alabama, where SUCCESSFUL coaches are raised to preposterous levels. Don't you think that now, looking back, Francione kicks his own **** for leaving? Now I don't think that he is nearly the coach that Saban is, but he had the fans behind him and he was winning. As the old cliche goes, do you think Saban could get a free lunch anywhere in Alabama? If a coach has an ego that needs to be stroked, there is no place in the world like Alabama.

Well Bruce, I could add UF also. Just look how they loved Spurrier. Everyone and their momma hated that guy. But to Gator fans, he was the savior...Just my two cents worth.

Great point BR549. I think that there are some Gator fans that still wish that he would come back. I believe that they would welcome him back with open arms.

BruceS1G and CenLA Tiger you are both right about reasons that Saban would be slow to leave but I add into it the power, control factor. It's somewhat like the demi-god idea but it is very hard to come by even in SEC school. When Saban made his deal with Alabama he was coming off the heals of being an NFL coach with very limited control (Think Raiders). In order to come Saban demanded complete control of the team including publicity, finances etc... According to the Forbes article this is way beyond what most teams, even most SEC teams are willing to offer. Note how few head coaches are ADs in this day and time. As opposed to the days of Bear Bryant and Vince Dooley and all these others that were both. Mal Moore and the University gave him what he wanted minus the title of AD but with a good part of the job. It would take a lot more than demi-god status but the whole full god status within the program to draw him away. And hey, Saban may be a control freak but you gotta love that he makes it work.

Bru, Good stuff, I like your game comments. For me picking upsets is hit or miss and I'm not picking Arkansas over the Gators but I feel the Hogs are also highly pissed off and could make it interesting. And I'm glad you added some other than SEC contests in your blog. A couple of high profile games outside of the slow, weak and boring SEC gives your blog more interest. Oops, sorry about the crappy rhetoric, just trying to add some entertainment value.

Here 's something on a personal note that I thought I would mention. Last Saturday night I stayed in my seat at the LSU vs. MSU game until the crowd left. Traffic has been horrible in and around BR since Gustav and I wanted it to clear before I left. Went it died down a little i went back to my tailgating spot to grab another sandwich and a link of Boudin. I BS'd with my buddies for a little while and started walking back past the stadium toward my truck that was parked in the projects past the Pete Marovich assembly center and the track and field complex. As I was passing the players exit I saw big Herm, Tyson Jackson, and Rahem Alem. There was a crowd of little kids standing around them getting autographs and the guys were awesome with the kids! they took their time and talked to each one of them. As I stood at a distance and just watched I was impressed with their interest and compassion for these little fans. Just as I was about to walk away Charles Alexander waked out and the kids eyes lit up they all sprinted toward him. As soon as he noticed them him smiled and yelled "hey guys, can I have your autographs"! It was really cool. He took his time with them as the others did and the kids walked away comparing their memorabelia with each other. That was a really cool snapshot and one I won't forget. This to me is what makes Colege Football in the South so special. It's not just a game, it's an event bordering on a holiday each time we have a home game. Ya just can't beat it.

Great Stuff, CenLa! That is the reason we all love college football.

Yea and the program may list Herman Johnson as 6'7" , 356 but he looked 8'3" , 475lbs Ha! That's one big dude. I can wait til that big guard takes on Bama's big nose tackle.

QUOTE(#16):

Originally posted 06:47 PM ET  10.04 by CenLA Tiger

Yea and the program may list Herman Johnson as 6'7" , 356 but he looked 8'3" , 475lbs Ha! That's one big dude. I can wait til that big guard takes on Bama's big nose tackle.

If Bama comes to Tiger Stadium and plays like the have today, it will be a long, long game for the Tide. They get the "W" but it sure was ugly.

Honestly? Brutally honest? If Coach Saban left right now? I'd thank him and wish him luck. Even if he came back to the SEC. In less than 2 years, he has recruited more talent to Alabama than I have seen in a very long time. This last class was rated at being equivalent to the Derrick Thomas class and there were some great players in that class - I think Dt is in the football HoF. I'd be hugely disappointed that he left, but I'd also be thankful he brought us so much. You may not believe that, but it is true.

We almost laid an egg to Kentucky today. We managed to pull it out. It's kind of scary when the coach says, "The crowd pretty much won the game by disrupting the KY QB so much he had delay of games, false starts, and had to call time outs. He couldn't hear or be heard when calling audibles. We're not consistent and I am not sold that we are #2 right now. But polls are living and changable and I'm sure we will suffer the consequences of looking crappy today.

I'll also say this about Coach Saban. Fans of other teams need to get past this. Coach Saban's former LSU players, Wayne Huizenga, and many others have no problem at all with how it all fell out. Most of the Dolphins said they had no problem with the way it fell out. Coach admits he handled it unwisely, but the major players, other than the fans, hold no grudge. It's bordering on obsession. I'm not trying to insult anyone, especially CenLA Tiger, who is a very gracious person. But, some of the stories I have heard are scary. I know a guy who went on a church trip to Louisiana and somehow or another the bus or their name indicated Alabama and he said the reaction by Louisiana people to the people on the bus was hostile to the point of being almost scary.

I wonder if Saban wouldn't be very happy to see Alabama slip a few positions in the polls. It would definitely give him something to focus this young team on.

They just need to keep winning. Remember '92? Bama didn't blow-out every opponent on the schedule. That year, Southern Miss and Tennessee were 7 point wins (17-10 in both games) and La Tech 13-0. Even Miss State was on a 9 point win (30-21). So huge win margins aren't the difference. Bama won that season with a smothering defense and a strong ground game. That seems to be the strong points this year. But the key is to just keep winning. Everything else will work out if they do.

Hey, Saban's great, but Les Miles is no letdown. I mean, what was LSU to do? Let Les go for Nick! LSU had a commitment, and obviously that word meant something. I'm happy that it worked out for everybody. Les is a great coach and I'm happy he's here. Sure, Nick is a great recruiter, and we will be battling for some of the same players, but Les has a way with young men that brings out the best in them. Plus, he's a stand-up guy. LSU will be fine without Nick Saban. I'm happy that Nick is still in the SEC. Great coaches are one of the reasons why the SEC is as great as it is.