Chaotic Miles Pulls a Rabbit Out of the Hat

We can speculate later. We can scrutinize the Tigers 16-14 win over the Tennessee Volunteers later in the week. We can rip apart Les Miles time management issues later in the week. We can discuss the mistake-prone offense LSU runs later. That will be addressed, but for now let's bask in the fact LSU won yet another game.

And what an ending.

Having recently graduated LSU I knew getting tickets to LSU home games would be that much more challenging, and the price would be even more steep. My motivation for getting tickets to LSU games was being in the stadium and experiencing those wins when all odds pointed to an LSU loss.

Even if the clock showed zero.

There is something magical about being in a stadium when your team finds a way to win at the very last moment. That moment, that instance when your team pulls out a victory everyone is just happy. There are no mixed emotions. There is no breaking down of the game, highlighting who and what looked good. Nobody downgrades the victory. No, for a short while after your team finds a win there is just a feeling by all of your teams fans of joy. Joy because after the odds were stacked against your team and defeat seemed imminent, they somehow won. How they looked doing it is irrelevant at that moment you are going crazy with 92,000+ of your closest friends. I will go a step farther and see it's even more enjoyable when you are in the student section. You spend four quarters screaming your lungs out for your team hoping that somehow they just find a way to win. At the end of the day a victory is the most essential part of your day of tailgating and rooting for your team. If a loss results, all the trouble you went through was not worth it in the end.

After back up quarterback Jarrett Lee completed a 4th and 14 I thought LSU would score with a little less than a minute remaining. I figured Les Miles and his staff would finish the drive, more importantly prevent any chaos from ensuing. But moments later I saw myself watching LSU pull the same time management garbage they pulled against Ole Miss last year. With 32 seconds left the Tigers ran a short run to the right side with Jordan Jefferson.

The clock ticked. LSU decided it needed to substitute different players into the game. The clock continued to tick. Certain players where confused on what was going on. The clock continued to tick. And then with only a mere two seconds remaining the ball was snapped. Jefferson, unaware of the snap, had to chase down the ball and jump on it. The game was over. The 5:41 drive was for nothing, the tailgating was for nothing. Les Miles, in the most critical moments of the game, managed to gag once again.

Or did he.

As it has been so characteristic during his tenure at LSU, Miles pulled a trick out of his hat. During the substitution chaos Tennessee had too many players run on the field. After the Tennessee team celebrated and Coach Derek Dooley and his players screamed in celebration and Tiger Nation cursed, a flag was seen on the field.

LSU would be granted one more play after the Tennessee penalty. Only moments earlier Tiger Stadium let off a noise we can only hope will never be heard again. Les Miles, LSU's chaotic coach, mismanaged the clock and yet again embarrassed the team and university...or so we thought.

On the untimed last play of the game the stadium lay in dead silence as we all hoped to witness the impossible - watch LSU win a game with no time left. Stevan Ridley was given a toss to the left of the offensive line. He side stepped one defender and met the last one on the goal line. In one last burst of energy Ridley passed the goal line and Tiger Stadium let off a euphoric cry of happiness. Les Miles, the Mad Hatter, had somehow, someway managed to pull a victory out of his hat in one of the most unlikely ways.

When the chips where down and the clock struck zero, Les Miles and his insanity managed to get LSU a victory.

They say cats have nine lives. In that case how many lives does Les Miles have?

College Football Analysis After Week 11

With the season coming to a close the season is really taking shape as to who is really legit and who was nothing more than overhype.

24 LSU 16 Louisiana Tech

I have seen a lot of games at Tiger Stadium, but this one takes the cake as the worst game I have ever seen in person. One week after a devastating loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU came out of the gates flat. The team overlooked a pumped up Louisiana Tech team and in turn LSU was fighting for four quarters to win. Two main things stuck out about this game - Jarrett Lee and LSU's game plan.

Jarrett Lee: Last year Lee threw 16 interceptions as a freshman at quarterback. Of those 16 interceptions, 7 were returned for touchdowns. It was a horrific experience for Lee, the team, and the LSU fan base. But we were told that was water under the bridge. We were told that Lee had matured and that last year was no reason to cast him in the fire. He was a 19 year old freshman for crying out loud. If anything this Louisiana Tech game was the biggest game of his career. When the clock struck zero Lee's stats was appalling. He finished 7 of 22 for 105 yards against a 3-7 Louisiana Tech team! I never expected Lee to play lights out (he is the backup after all), but I did expect to see improvement from last year and I did expect him to show LSU that he indeed does have lots of potential for the future.

I saw neither. I saw a deer in the headlights quarterback who, outside the first couple of drives, really struggled. I really must say I was blown away on the lack of progress Lee showed on the field Saturday. He has no confidence in himself and when a play breaks down he panics. Before you know it the ball is sailing out of bounds again. Sure that's better than a pick six but there comes a certain point when you have to say, 'What are you doing?' And worse his teammates do not have confidence in him. After what seemed like the 100th overthrown ball to Brandon Lafell, Lafell ripped off his chin strap in frustration. When he does get a throw off Lee's pass seems to hang in the air for an unbelievable amount of time.

I hope Jarrett Lee has a great life and turns out to be a great father with a successful career, but I do not think (or want) him to be LSU's quarterback. He does not have it. If he truly wants to continue pursuing a career as a quarterback he needs to transfer because I honestly do not see any reason to think things will change for the better.

The second thing I wanted to talk about deals LSU's offensive game plan. In short the game plan sucked. Period. I am still baffled as to why offensive coordinator Gary Crowton called some of the plays he called. At quarterback is Jarrett Lee, a man who has no confidence in himself. After a nightmarish freshman year Lee is now terrified to throw the ball. With all that taken into account why would Crowton think the best way to beat Louisiana Tech was to throw the ball? LSU was running the ball on Tech. Senior running back Keiland Williams was having his way with the Tech defense, yet for some reason Crowton would always resort back to throwing the ball. Why? Why? Why? At the end of the day what helped LSU avoid an upset? RUNNING THE BALL. I can only hope Crowton gets things together for Ole Miss, otherwise confidence will be lost in him as well.

With all that considered I do have to give credit to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Head coach Derek Dooley (former LSU special teams coach) made his players believe they could beat LSU in Tiger Stadium on Saturday night. For much of the game that dream seemed like it could really become a reality. Using a wildcat offense and a series of trick plays, Tech was able to keep the game close. I know this has been a difficult year for the Bulldogs as they are now 3-7, but rest assured Dooley is a special coach who continue to improve Tech each and every year.


55 Stanford 21 USC

Two weeks ago the USC Trojans got destroyed in Autzen Stadium to the Oregon Ducks 47-20. The game was the biggest blowout in Pete Carroll's career at USC. No way a loss could get any worse than what USC experienced that Saturday, right? Wrong. Someone forgot to tell the Stanford Cardinals they are not supposed to be fighting for the Pac-10 title. Someone forgot to tell Jim Harbaugh's crew this is a game they are supposed to lose.

Two years Stanford beat USC 24-23 in the Coliseum in arguably the biggest upset in college football history. (Stanford was a 41 point underdog.) For their homecoming game and only two weeks removed from the Oregon embarrassment it was expected that USC would rebound in a big way. Going into the fourth quarter Stanford held a narrow 28-21 lead.

But then it all collapsed. By the time the clocked ticked zero Stanford had cruised to an unheard of 55-21 victory over USC. There are several things that stick out about this game. First, where is USC's defense? Consistently, year in and year out Carroll has a team with defense, but this year the unit has looked atrocious at times. The second thing that stuck out ties in with the first. I was blown away by the success Toby Gerhart. All season Gerhart has been torturing opponents, yet in the back of my mind I felt USC would still neutralize him come Saturday.

At day's end Gerhart had 29 carries for 178 yards and 3 touchdowns. I think it's fair to say that Gerhart did whatever, whenever, against the Trojans.

Now the big question is, is this a sign for things to come for a Harbaugh-led Stanford squad or are they just this year's Ole Miss? It will be interesting to see.


45 Wisconsin 24 Michigan

Four weeks into the season and the Wolverines were 4-0. Now Rich Rod's crew stands at 5-6 with the final game in the Big House against Ohio State. So yes you read that right, in order to avoid a second consecutive losing season UM has to beat the 10th ranked team in the country. The minor defensive holes for the Wolverines have blown up as the season has progressed and in turn the Wolverine fan base has begun to show frustration with Rich Rod's job so far. Keep in mind this is only his second year, he is installing a completely new system, the defense is weak, and lastly, but most importantly there's a true freshman playing quarterback. Also keep in mind that three of the Wolverines' losses have been by an average of 3 points. This is a team that will improve in the future. Give it time.

On the other side the Wisconsin Badgers have slowly gone through this season under the radar with an impressive 8-2 record. Coming into the season Coach Bret Bielema was definitely starting to get on the hot seat, but I doubt that's the case anymore. The Badgers only two losses have been to Ohio State and Iowa. The best news they have is their top quarterback (Scott Tolzien), running back (John Clay), and wide receiver (Nick Toon) will all be back next year. Look for Wisconsin to be a dark horse sleeper for next year's Big 10 title.


24 Cincinnati 21 West Virginia

Cincy has had a pretty easy time with it's opponents this year, but things this week things changed. With 2 minutes left Cincy kicked a field goal to go up 24-14 so the final was closer than the actual outcome, but rest assured WV put up a fight. With all that said, unless Cincinnati falls flat on it's face against Illinois on November 27th, you can assume that Cincinnati will be playing at Pittsburgh December 5th in easily one of the biggest games of the year. Winner of that game will get a BCS bowl.

Currently West Virginia is 7-3, but the team still has a home match up with Pittsburgh (a team who's season they would love to ruin after what happened in 2007)and a road game against Rutgers. If the Mountaineers dropped those final two the team will finish 7-5 and things will start to get a little uneasy in Morgantown with how Bill Stewart's tenure has gone. Yes, going 9-4 last year and 7-5 this year is not bad, but keep in mind this program was flying high when Rich Rod was in town. Fans expect more.


27 Pittsburgh 22 Notre Dame

Charlie Weis you are going to be fired. With 12:44 left in the game ND was down 27-9. The team was able to rally, but again Weis's team fell to a ranked squad. And to top it off ND (already with 4 losses) still has to play Connecticut and Stanford. On paper and from what we have seen I can not see Notre Dame beating Stanford so you are looking at another 7-5 season. That's not Notre Dame. Maybe at Temple or Baylor, but not Notre Dame. Weis has been given enough time and still his teams are, well, average.

Also, I have to say I'm awfully impressed with how well Pittsburgh is doing. In particular Coach Dave Wannstedt who has this Panther team two wins away from a BCS bowl. During his first season Wannstedt went 5-6, the following year he went 6-6, and then the next year in 2007 his team went 5-7. Looking at his first 3 years at Pitt (16-19) it makes you think why Wannstedt was not let go. I honestly think the thing that really factored into him coming back last year was the monumental upset Pittsburgh pulled over West Virginia in 2007. The Mountaineers were one win away from going to the BCS National Championship. All they had to do was beat a 4-7 Pitt team that was a 24 point underdog. Pitt won 13-9 and since that game both programs have been going in opposite directions. That win has catapulted Pitt into believing that they can compete with the nation's best.


24 Florida 14 South Carolina

Florida continued its winning streak to 20 games, but at the same time the team was not over the top impressive. A lot of that has to do with great South Carolina defense. A couple things stood out to me. First, with this loss Spurrier is 34-27 at South Carolina. The Ole Ball Coach really is not much of a coach anymore as his teams rarely finish the season strong. The Gamecocks do consistently play tough, but in the end they lose. Their biggest win in Spurrier's tenure was a six point win over a then top 5 ranked Ole Miss team. Would South Carolina ever think about firing Spurrier? Each year it's the same story. Start strong, finish awful.

Florida has the regular season wrapped up. They play Florida International followed by Florida State, so you can pretty much start talking about the SEC Championship Game. That is a tough game to say the least on who I think will prevail. On one hand I say, 'This is Florida and Tim Tebow. The quarterback advantage for Florida is the clear reason the Gators will win again.' But on the other side I have to think, 'Alabama lost last year and has spent an entire year anxiously awaiting a rematch. Rarely do teams beat Nick Saban twice with the same game plan. If Florida wants any shot of beating Alabama they have to change their game plan.' Because of the events that happened late in the fourth quarter in the LSU/Alabama game I will not be watching the SEC Championship Game, but I can pretty much guarantee it will be a defensive struggle. I will take Florida 24-16.


42 Ole Miss 17 Tennessee

Just when you thought Ole Miss's season was going to completely unravel the team came out and beat up a good Tennessee defense. Dexter McCluster ran for 282 yards and 4 touchdowns! REREAD THAT THREE MORE TIMES! This is not Madden, this is real life! Wow! Despite a season that has had some major disappointments, the Rebels still have a very good chance of finishing the season strong. Their ability to score points against a good defense shows that this team can take down LSU this Saturday. Put it this way - if Ole Miss beats LSU and Mississippi State, and wins their bowl game then you have yourself a 10-3 season. Not bad at all.

With that loss the Vols slip to 5-5. Their two remaining games are against Vandy and Kentucky. If Kiffin's crew finishes strong they will get a bowl. Kiffin has this program going in the right direction. Think of it like this - the Vols do not have the top notch athletes they use too, yet they hung with Florida and almost beat Alabama. Once they get the athletes things will really change. The future is bright.

College Football Analysis After Week 8

Sorry for taking so long to get another post out. I was actually kidnapped by a wild pack of bandits who desperately wanted me to turn over my 2001 Camry to them.

I would not give in to their threats...


12 Alabama 10 Tennessee

For much of year the Crimson Tide were looked at by all as the most complete team. The defense was one of the best and the offense had a running game close to unstoppable. The best luck anyone had was South Carolina who fell 20-6. No one had ever hung with Alabama. No one had ever really made the Tide fight to the end.

That was until Tennessee.

Prior to this game not much of a chance was given to the Vols, but after the 12-10 score stood Kiffin and crew got respect. Yet I'm positive his team is still very unhappy with the outcome. It always seems the importance of special teams is pushed behind offense and defense, yet as the UT/Bama game shows you the special teams is just as important as any of those three. 3 missed field goals, including a potentially game winning 44 yarder with 4 seconds left. Unfortunately for the Vols Terrence "Train" Cody broke through the line and destroyed the Orange Crew's dreams of ruining Bama's season. It was interesting to note that once in field goal range Kiffin thought it was a gimme. Gary Anderson is the NFL's all-time leading scorer. If he was kicking a 44 yarder in his prime I would still be nervous. This was a college kicker! Point is UT needed to get closer. The fact that Kiffin did not have the urge to move further ahead only highlights even more the little confidence he has in QB Jonathan Crompton.

In two big games this year (Florida and Alabama) Kiffin has managed to put together a very impressive game plan. His teams were very heavy underdogs yet they still had a chance to win in the end. Once Kiffin starts really getting some athletes Tennessee will be a force.

So what did we learn about Alabama? First, they are vulnerable. They, like every other team this year, do have flaws. Biggest thing is QB Greg McElroy still has some maturing to do. Tennessee knew Mark Ingram was Bama's biggest weapon and they neutralized him much of the game. McElroy has to be able to pick up the slack. Second, despite not playing the best game Alabama found a way to win. That is something that needs to be noted. Sooner or later there will be a game that Alabama finds themselves in where they are not playing there best, yet they have to fight to the end. This was that. Even when the odds where against them the team hung in there and blocked a field goal to, as Cody says, "save the season."


15 Iowa 13 Michigan State

I love when the claims come out that a one loss USC team would go over an undefeated Iowa team. Wow. Can someone please give the Hawkeyes some love? I can only help but think the only reason USC would go over Iowa is because I don't know maybe the fact that USC is in Los Angeles and Iowa is, well, in the middle of Iowa. Anyway onto the game.

In yet another Big 10 slug fest the Hawkeyes found themselves behind (13-9) late in the fourth quarter at Spartan Stadium. With a mere two seconds the Iowa Hawkeyes managed to convert a 4th and Goal that yet again resulted in a heart attacks across Iowa. Iowa is not the most glamorous team, but in all honesty few teams have a better knack at finding a way to win than the Hawkeyes. Look at there schedule right now. In week 1 they blocked two field goals by Northern Iowa in the final seconds to preserve a 17-16 victory. Okay so it was only Northern Iowa. September 26 Iowa triumphs over Penn State 21-10...in Happy Valley. And there's the home win over Michigan 30-28 and the road victory at Wisconsin where the team came from behind to win 20-10. And finally there's this victory at Michigan State on the last play. How is that not an impressive resume?! The Big 10 is a lot stronger than it was two years ago. I can only hope the voters see this.

There are four games remaining for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Sure they could trip up against Indiana, Northwestern, or a solid Minnesota but let's me honest the biggest remaining test is a November 17th showdown in Columbus against Ohio State. It will be tough, but again hasn't the season been like that the whole time?


31 LSU 10 Auburn

LSU fans have waited an awful long time to finally see some offense. After a dreadful showing in a 13-3 loss to Florida, LSU came out firing on all cylinders against the War Eagles. Unlike every other game this year, LSU punched the ball in for touchdowns (not field goals) right from the get-go. Had it not been for Jefferson's fumble in the first quarter it would of 21-0 after one quarter. And finally Russell Shepard got to see pay dirt. On a 69 yard scamper Shepard burst through the War Eagle defense and put the score at 31-3. Also worth noting is the LSU defense. Each game Defensive Coordinator John Chavis's crew looks better and better. LSU fans can only hope the Tigers can keep this complete game effort as LSU gets ready for a November 7th showdown against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Jordan Jefferson played the best game of his career Saturday. His ability to get better every week is what makes this LSU team so potentially dangerous. If he can really get a handle on this LSU offense like he did against Auburn then watch out.

On the other side are the Auburn "Tigers". Through five games the War Eagles were 5-0 and hype began to form that maybe Auburn is better than we thought they were. After all there offense was running through everyone. Now fast forward to the present. First the War Eagles got dominated by Arkansas, then they lost at home to Kentucky who just lost their starting quarterback and finally they got dominated much worse than the score at Tiger Stadium against LSU. Auburn is currently 5-3 and you can not help but think that it might get worse. Auburn still has to play Ole Miss (this weekend), Georgia, and Alabama. Gene Chizik needs to get things under control before things really get chaotic.


29 Florida 19 Mississippi State

Something is not right in Gainesville. Prior to the season the Gators were touted as potentially the greatest team ever. Now granted most likely the team will go undefeated and win the national championship, but still it has to be noted how much the team is, well, struggling. It was a one score game going into the fourth quarter. Sure you can say that Bulldog coach Dan Mullen use to be Florida's offensive coordinator, but again this is supposed to be the greatest college football team ever. Tebow does not look like Tebow. He threw two pick sixes! Florida was fortunate to not have their interception in the fourth quarter overturned (the referees once again went brain dead), otherwise it would of be a one score game deep in the fourth quarter. Now I have to ask how does LSU's struggles against the Bulldogs look now? Maybe not so bad. If the Bulldogs took Florida to the brink you can not help but think that maybe, like Kiffin, once Mullen gets the athletes the wins will start happening.

2009 SEC East Football Preview

College football is roughly two months away. Even so, us, the obsessive fans, are already beginning our predictions and speculations on every possible thing.

Come on don't lie. You already know how each player will do on every team and how many yards so-and-so will rush for and how awful so-and-so will be, right?

Today I am going to touch on each team in the SEC. This is short and sweet and basically I want to get out the single biggest question the nation of college football will have about this team.

I will continue my college football preview as the summer progresses.

SEC East

1. Florida: Fresh off the 2008 BCS National Championship (second in three years) the Gators are the clear front runner for the 2009 title. All 11 starters will be returning to the defense and on offense a guy by the name of Tim Tebow will be back as well. The underlining question for the Gator unit is can they keep the same intensity and repeat? The nation knows Florida is for real and it's that bulls eye on their head that will cause Urban Meyer's crew to never take an opponent softly. Without Percy Harvin, now a Minnesota Viking, how will this Florida offense do? Will it plug someone else in and continue to pound their opponents or will the loss of Harvin be bigger than anyone imagined? Only time will tell.

The Florida Gators have a lighter schedule compared to past years meaning a repeat is a strong possibility. With that said there still are some games that Florida has circled. October 10th Florida travels to Baton Rouge to play LSU (this game shall be known as Judgment Day) and October 31st Florida will play the Georgia Bulldogs.

Can Florida trip up in these games? You betcha. Going into Tiger Stadium on Saturday night is by no means easy, and a deep rivalry, like the one with Georgia, can always swing either way. Any chance for a hiccup game against an opponent you would never think would give Florida trouble? Can't see any, but look for Troy, September 12, to score some points. Sure they'll lose 50-26, but Troy scores.

2. Georgia: Going into the 2008 season the Bulldogs were a National Title contender. There was a lot of talk that 2008 would be the year that Coach Mark Richt finally put it all together and wins a title. Well, things went bad before you knew it. They lost to Alabama 41-30. (It was 31-0 at halftime.) Then, November 1st Florida flat out embarrassed UGA by winning 49-10. Finally, Georgia Tech mounted a second half comeback to beat the Bulldogs 45-42. After the season Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno leaft for the NFL and Athens, Ga. is left in the dust....

...or so we were led to believe.

The three losses last year for Georgia were painful and this 2009 squad wants to prove to the nation Richt's team is back. Georgia will make noise, but the main question is how will new quarterback senior Joe Cox do? If Cox can grab the reins of the season early on Georgia could be a sleeper in the SEC. Whatever you do watch the Florida/Georgia game this year. Georgia fans are still pretty angry about Florida running up the score in last year's 49-10 slaughter. Don't think the Georgia players will not be pumped for that game?


3. Tennessee: If you like football and do not know who Lane Kiffin is than I can pretty much assume you live under a rock. New Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin has already made his impact on the SEC...and he is yet to coach a game. First it was the snagging of coaches from other SEC teams, then it was the accusations against Florida coach Urban Meyer, then it was the building up of an under-the-radar recruiting class by grabbing studs like Janzen Jackson and Bryce Brown at the last minute, and finally it was the recruiting violations. Kiffin has a big task in rebuilding the UT football program, but it will need time. The main thing is how successful will the Vols be in year one? Let's put it this way, if the Tennessee Volunteers finish with 8 or 9 wins you can sure that Vol Nation will be foaming at the mouth on the potential this coach has. How will this team do once it really starts recruiting?

Do not get your hopes up because Tennessee will be annihilated September 19 at The Swamp against Florida. But, look for Tennessee to pull off at least one upset in these three games.

October 10 Georgia
October 24 @ Alabama
November 14 @ Ole Miss


4. South Carolina: Steve Spurrier did not arrive in Columbia, SC last night. In fact this will be the Old Ball Coach's 5th year with the Gamecocks. With a 28-22 record critics begin to wonder will Spurrier ever build a team for South Carolina that will be stronger than one or two games over .500. Coming back this year for the Gamecocks will be Stephen Garcia who has the poetential to be the best QB Spurrier has ever had at South Carolina. The biggest issue for this team will be replacing the top three playmakers on both sides of the ball, including cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, safety Emanuel Cook and linebacker Jasper Brinkley on defense. After a spring practice where Spurrier left in frustration due a poor performance by the team one has to think if this South Carolina team will ever leave the land of mediocrity. With a schedule that includes games at Georgia, Alabama, and Tennesse, and home against Ole Miss and Florida don't look for that to change.


5. Vanderbilt: The Commodores 2008 season was one of the most incredible of the year. Not only did Vandy finish with a 7-6 record (4-4 SEC), the Commodores also won their Music City Bowl game against Boston College 17-16. Coach Bobby Johnson continously gets applauded for turning around a football program that has always struggled in the SEC. Main question is can Bobby Johnson and his crew keep this going into another year? The team returns 19 starters, not including former QB Mackenzi Adams. In steps Larry Smith who started the last two games of the year. Even with games at LSU and Florida, and home against Georgia and Ole Miss, the Commodores should still be able to enter bowl season for the second consecutive year. But keep in mind that in the history of Vanderbilt football (119 years) never have the Commodores gone to bowl games in consecutive seasons.


6. Kentucky: Last year's Kentucky team surprised a lot of people, myself included. One year after losing lightining-in-a-bottle Andre Woodson the Wildcats were still able to get into the bowl season. QB Mike Hartline came into the position last year with a lot of pressure, but remarkablely was able to guide Kentucky to a 7-6 record. Even better the team beat East Carolina (an early season sleeper) 25-19 in the Liberty Bowl. Much like Coach Bobby Johnson of Vanderbilt, Coach Rich Brooks of Kentucky is faced with the pressure of keeping the momentum going. The best thing happening to the Wildcats is the team will go back to running a similar offense to when Woodson was still in town. Last year the team strayed away from it because a new QB was in town. As Brooks says passing works best for the Wildcats. Despite a promising outlook for the offense the biggest issue for Kentucky will be the defense and its consistency. Cornerback Trevard Lindley is an All-American prospect, but will he be enough to get a fourth straight bowl game? Doubt it.


Up next SEC West...

3 Strong Reasons Why Lane Kiffin Being Successful is Good for the SEC and LSU

No coach has had more of a splash in the Southern Eastern Conference recently than Lane Kiffin. He has done nothing short of stir up drama, but rest assured I do think his success will ultimately prove good for the SEC and LSU. Even as an LSU fan who's team lost out on recruits Bryce Brown and Janzen Jackson to Tennessee, I still stay strong to this thinking.

Tennessee v. Florida

In the past this game was an SEC favorite. Remember in 2004 when Tennessee beat Florida 30-28? The game then was a early season fan-favorite fist fight. It was early in the year, but the implications of the game where huge. But in recent years the game has featured nothing more than lopsided Florida victories. Last year Florida pounded Tennessee 30-6 in Neyland Stadium, the year before Florida pounded Tennessee 59-20 in the Swamp. Since 1993, Florida is 12-4 against the Volunteers. If Kiffin can get a good team together than this rivalry can be resurrected. It's unlikely that this year Kiffin's club will beat Florida considering the talent Florida has compared to Tennessee, but I do expect the Vols to hang with the Gators for three quarters.

Overall, Kiffin does well, this rivalry is watchable again.


More recruits to Tennessee

If Tennessee gets good again than more recruits will head to Vol Nation from Alabama. Now granted I know the negative aspect of UT getting good is LSU losing some recruits. That is frustrating, but that's part of the game. With that said, I still think LSU's recruiting class turned out, hmm alright this year. Wouldn't you agree?

But back to the subject, right now Nick Saban runs Alabama. He gets the best recruits there and frankly I have always been a fan of sharing so Kiffin hopefully you can get Alabama to share. Same can be said about Florida. Urban Meyer runs that state, wouldn't be too terrible if some sharing took place in the Sunshine State as well.


LSU rarely plays Tennessee

This is the one some many LSU fans fail to grasp. Yes, I am well aware LSU plays Tennesee in Baton Rouge in 2010 and then in Knoxville in 2011, but after that LSU will play Tennessee about once every four years. Since 1993 LSU has squared off with Tennessee only seven times, but keep in mind two of those games where in the SEC Championship. Overall, five matchups in 13 years. If anything Tennessee becoming good again is a thorn in the side of Florida and Alabama because those two schools have to play the Vols every year no questions asked.

2008 March Madness: My Pathetic Attempt...

Again, I'll try my best to predict March Madness. Let me be honest as much as I love this tournament I have come to realize I am terrible on predicting.


It's awful. It's pathetic...but here I go. Enjoy.



EAST

Opening Round

1 UNC over 16b Mount St. Mary's
8 Indiana over 9 Arkansas
5 Notre Dame over 12 George Mason
4 Washington State over 13 Winthrop
11 St. Joe's over 6 Oklahoma
3 Louisville over 14 Boise State
7 Butler over 10 South Alabama
2 Tennessee over 15 American


UNC will cruise by the Play-In winner Mount St. Mary's with little effort; Indiana will defeat the Hogs because of their stellar guard play lead by Eric Gordon; ND will get past the first round for once and defeat a George Mason school with lofty expectations; Wazzu will beat Winthrop in a nail biter; St. Joe's will prove they deserved a bid by defeating an Oklahoma team by nearly double-digits; Louisville (my underdog for the region) will pull away from BSU in the final 5 minutes; Butler will get by South Alabama by 10+ points because of their experience and American's magical run will be over before it started as UT has a chip on their shoulder after the disturbing showing in the SEC Tourney.




Second Round


1 UNC over 8 Indiana
4 Wazzu over 5 Notre Dame
3 Louisville over 11 St. Joe's
2 Tennessee over 7 Butler


UNC again will not have much trouble with their opponent, Indiana, who will really have nothing in store to stop Pyscho-T; Wazzu will again creep on as they defeat Notre Dame in an old-fashion defensive showdown; Louisville will prevail over SJ easily and for my big early missed opportunity game, Butler will lose a heartbreaker to a Tennessee Vol team poised to win the region.


Sweet 16


1 UNC over 4 Wazzu
3 Louisville over 2 Tennessee


With nothing to stop Mr. Tyler, UNC will again move to the Elite 8 with not much trouble; Louisville will defeat an over hyped Vol team that nearly lost to Butler the week before.



Elite 8

3 Louisville over 1 UNC


Definitely the upset of the region. Pitino finally gets his club deep into the tournament with an unlikely upset of the tournament-favorite Tar Heels. Bottom line: Hansbrough can't win the game by himself.




MIDWEST


Opening Round

1 Kansas defeats 16 Portland State
9 Kent State over 8 UNLV
5 Clemson over 12 Villanova
4 Vandy over 13 Siena
11 Kansas State over 6 USC
3 Wisconsin over 14 Cal-State Fullerton
10 Davidson over 7 Gonzaga
2 Georgetown over UMBC


Kansas, without a sweat, rolls past PSU in the second half after a slow first half; Kent State trips up UNLV to again make a statement the MAC is overlooked; Clemson beats 'Nova convincingly to show the Duke upset was no fluke; Vandy defeats a Saints' team that will give the Tennessee school a run for their money; Wisconsin defeats Fullerton with their old boring style of basketball; Davidson finally gets it right and gets past the first round with a closing moment victory over John Stockton's Alma mater and the Hoyas win over UMBC because I don't know what "UMBC" stands for.

Second Round

1 Kansas over 9 Kent State
5 Clemson over 4 Vandy
11 Kansas State over 3 Wisconsin
2 Georgetown over 10 Davidson


Kansas gets huge scare, but comes from behind to beat the Flashes; Clemson takes down Vandy in one of the best games of tourney; Michael Beasley and Co. continue their tournament run with the defeat of the 1940s style basketball squad of Badgers and Georgetown easily prevails over Davidson as Roy Hibbert becomes too much to handle.


Sweet 16


1 Kansas over 5 Clemson
2 Georgetown over 11 Kansas State


Odd thing is I actually had Clemson winning this game for a while, then I changed it at the last minute. Kansas will win this game because of the superior level of talent AND the Clemson's inexperience in such big games in the tourney. And much like the Clemson game, I switched my decision on this one as well. The Hoyas head to the Elite 8 for the second straight year.


Elite 8


1 Kansas over 2 Georgetown


I see a very lopsided win for the Jayhawks on this day. I have never been overly impressed by the Hoyas this year and a juggernaut team such as Kansas will prove my point. I think this is finally the year the Jayhawks stop tripping up in the tourney early on.


SOUTH

Opening Round


1 Memphis over 16 Texas-Arlington
9 Oregon over 8 Mississippi State
12 Temple over 5 Michigan State
4 Pitt over 13 Oral Roberts
6 Marquette over 11 Kentucky
3 Stanford over 14 Cornell
10 St. Mary's over 7 Miami (FL)
2 Texas over 15 Austin Peay


Memphis is my favorite for the tourney so Arlington should be no trouble; Oregon wins over MSU simply because choosing the 8/9 games is nothing short of a coin flip; Temple takes down Izzo's squad only because every now and then the Spartans choke in the first round; Marquette (tough one) makes the committee realize that yes, UK did not deserve to get a bid; Stanford wins over Cornell because it's Cornell; St. Mary's is victorious over The U because the Gaels have a reputation for making noise in the tourney and the Longhorns prevail because of the guard play differences amongst the schools.


By the way this is the best cheer ever. In the 1970s, Fly Williams was a basketball at Austin Peay. The stands use to yell, "The Fly is open! Let's go Peay!"


Clever.

Second Round

1 Memphis over 9 Oregon

4 Pittsburgh over 12 Temple

3 Stanford over 6 Marquette

2 Texas over 10 St. Mary's

Memphis cruises past the Ducks in what will be known as a No Contest; Pittsburgh wins simply because they are the ultimate sleeper; the Cardinals defeat Marquette because I really think this Stanford team is better than given credit for and Texas defeats St. Mary's it what will be a surprisingly close game.

Sweet 16

1 Memphis over 4 Pittsburgh

3 Stanford over 2 Texas

Memphis beats Pitt in a nail biter because I thought about this match up too long and changed my mind. On the contrary, Stanford again moves on as the Longhorns yet again do not live up to expectations.

Elite 8

1 Memphis over 3 Stanford


This is a team on a mission. The Tigers lost a mere one game during the season. This squad is not going down this early. Memphis will win this by at least 7 points.


WEST


Opening Round


1 UCLA over 16 Miss. Valley St.
9 Texas A&M over 8 BYU
12 Western Kentucky over 5 Drake
4 UConn over 13 San Diego
11 Baylor over 6 Purdue
3 Xavier over 14 Georgia
10 Arizona over 7 West Virginia
2 Duke over 15 Belmont


UCLA will handle MVSU; A&M beats the Cougars because of a coin flip; Western Kentucky defeats this Drake squad because of more March Madness experience; UConn squeaks one out against St. Diego; Baylor defeats Purdon't as the team begins playing like it's the start of the season; Xavier, my big sleeper, ends UGA's dream week with a brutal thrashing of a Bulldog; 'Zona takes down WV with superior guard play and Duke, without error, takes down Belmont.


Second Round


1 UCLA over 9 Texas A&M
4 UConn over 12 Western Kentucky
3 Xavier over 11 Baylor
2 Duke over 10 Arizona


UCLA defense is again too much for the Aggies as the Bruins advance with ease; UConn continues to sneak into another round by defeating the surprising Hilltoppers; Xavier lets the magical run continue and Duke exploits the Wildcats nationally on why the team had 14 losses.


Sweet 16


1 UCLA over 4 UConn
3 Xavier over 2 Duke


UCLA defeats UConn by at least 10 points because of an absolute mismatch in talent and Xavier slays the Blue Devils in a game for the ages.


Elite 8


1 UCLA over 3 Xavier


The run is over as UCLA stops the Musketeers from continuing there magic anymore. Bruins make third consecutive Final Four.


Final Four


1 Kansas over 3 Louisville
1 Memphis over 1 UCLA


Kansas stops Pitino's team's race for glory behind senior leadership and Memphis takes down the Bruins for their second straight Final Four exit because of Memphis's team of destiny standing.


Championship


1 Memphis over 1 Kansas


No surprise but the Memphis Tigers win the national championship for the first time ever. Memphis pulls out a 7 point win because of the team's consistency throughout the season. The Tigers have been waiting for this!


I'd be happy to read the predictions you guys have. Do not think you have type as much as me. Just let me know who you have in the Final Four and what big upsets you have.