Saturday thoughts / picks

A few points and picks to make on Saturday morning:

Auburn

--As has been pointed out elsewhere, Tubby’s not going to Miami when the inevitable sack comes for Larry Coker. Other than South Beach (admittedly a hell of a draw, especially to someone like Tubby we’re guessing, but not a football-related one), what does Miami have to offer Tubby that Auburn doesn’t? Maybe a slightly larger national footprint? Rats the size of Boston terriers in the bowels of the Orange Bowl? The opportunity to recruit directly against Petrino, Bowden, and Meyer? Somehow, I don’t think these enticements will persuade him to give up on a program he’s built with his own two hands into, well, the sort of program he’s always wanted.
--Something I may not have made clear enough in my recap yesterday: LSU is a terrific team with a defense that I imagine still has Borges waking up sweating in the night. Would not be surprised at all to see them go 11-1. If the JCCW had an AP ballot, they’d easily still be in the top 5.
--Interesting tidbit this week from Ivan Maisel, who revealed that Tubby was behind the switch to the Irons-led sledgehammer attack in the second half drive. The talk-radio brigade would probably like to spin this into some big brewing conflict, but it’s pretty obvious Borges doesn’t mind taking strongly-worded suggestions for a week … as long as it’s maybe not all season.
--Speaking of Irons, if Auburn goes on to bigger and better things (i.e. an SEC title. The JCCW isn’t even thinking about … that other thing) Auburn fans will need to come up with a clever and catchy nickname for the touchdown drive against LSU. Too bad “The Drive” has already been taken. “The Iron March”?

Elsewhere…

--Bob Stoops to his team: “Men, from the start of our time together we’ve talked about responsibility. How you need to deny it at all costs. How we’re each called, as a part of this team, to pass the buck. If you fail, if you come up short, I want you to look in the mirror. Then tilt it in another direction so it’s showing someone else. I don’t want to hear any of this ‘I’m sorry coach, I failed, it’s my fault.’ I want you to come to that sideline, look me square in the eye, and tell me which of your opponents, or the officials, or second cousins or team cooks is the reason you came up short. It’s called responsibility, men, and the Oklahoma Sooners don’t want any part of it.”
--MgoBlog takes an appropriate torch to what is only one example of a multitude of horrid college football “analysis” out there. Ah…cathartic.

Picks

I can’t believe I picked a Michigan St. game last week. The Spartans should change their nickname to the Philosophical Rivers—you will never, ever see the same Michigan St. team twice. Which is why I went 2-2 with a push last week and am still mired at 5-5 on the season (3-3 NFL). But maybe THIS is the week things turn around…

Kentucky (+27 ½) over FLORIDA: 27 ½ points, after the way Kentucky took apart the Rebels last week and given the inevitable Florida letdown after last week? I know they’re on the road and I know they’re Kentucky, but …

OLE MISS (-2 ½) over Wake Forest: Seems like the Rebels are due for another halfway-acceptable performance, and Wake is banged up beyond all recognition.

West Virginia (-21 ½) over EAST CAROLINA: Uh, is East Carolina any better than Maryland?

Rice (+31 ½) over FLORIDA ST.: Are the Seminoles really going to score 32 points on anyone outside I-AA?

BOISE ST (-14 ½) over Hawaii: Hawaii hard-core sucks playing at Boise, as I recall.

One extra for last week’s push…

LSU (-37) over Tulane: 45-3 one more time sounds about right.

NFL: Seahawks (-3 ½) over Giants, Panthers (-3) over Bucs, Texans (+4) over Redskins