Time to Tee it Up

Ok folks, it's the night before the biggest game in Athens in a long, long time. I just drove by Myers Quad and the Gameday set is ready to go. Hope everyone has their best black funeral clothes ready.

This edition of my weekly picks is going to have to be a little abbreviated. We are having an epic tailgate on North Campus tomorrow and I have a lot to do to get ready for it, not to mention my trip to Clarke Central tonight to cover their game with Heritage (Glads by 10).

Before I get started though, how about them Beavers? Oregon State shocked the college football world by knocking off No. 1 USC 27-21 in Corvallis. So much for all of that talk about USC being an unstoppable force (similar to Paul Johnson). The Beavers looked like a team posessed, and held off a late Trojan charge to nail this one down. USC's loss opens the door for Oklahoma and Georgia to inhabit the top two spots in the polls, should both teams win this weekend.

Tennessee at No. 15 Auburn

Alright everyone, this one is the "you heard it here first upset special." As absolutely horrible as Tennessee has looked this year, I'm calling for a Vol victory on The Plains. I know, it's going to be a tough order to hand the Tigers their second consecutive home loss but I just have a feeling. I really have nothing to go on other than that. Crompton has looked awful. The whole Tennessee offense has been nothing short of inept. But Auburn doesn't impress me either, and I just see this as one of those Phil Fulmer job-saving wins. If the Great Pumpkin drops this one, chances are very good his seat gets uncomfortably hot and the Vols could start 2-4.

UT 17-AUB 16

No. 24 TCU at No. 2 Oklahoma

The Sooners hope to occupy USC's recently-vacated top spot on the polls, but they'll have to get by the pesky Horned Frogs. I think the Horned Frogs will be just that...pesky. TCU has a solid defense and could hold down Oklahoma's dymanic offense for a while, but not for long. Look for this to be one of those "gather all of your friends around the TV to root against OU because they're losing in the first quarter" games. However, I think the Sooners have too much offense with Sam Bradford and DeMarco Murray.

OU 35-TCU 23

No. 8 Alabama at No. 3 Georgia

Ahh the main event. Nick Saban brings to Athens a Crimson Tide team that is definitely not short on swagger. The verbal barbs have been going back and forth this week, starting with Bama's strength coach calling the game a funeral for Georgia, hence the blackout.

Evil Richt answered back by wearing all black to his press conference and telling reporters, "(he's) going to a funeral."

Alabama punt returner Xavier Arenas was asked about the abilities of Georgia's Knowshon Moreno, to which Arenas replied, "So? Have you seen my highlights?"

On cue, Richt was asked about Arenas' abilities, to which Richt replied,"He's pretty good. Have you seen his highlights?"

Moral of the story: this one is going to be fun.

Alabama is obviously Georgia's stiffest test so far this season, but I dont think the Tide is the best team Georgia will play all year. Alabama mugged an undercoached Clemson team, struggled with Tulane, and pounded a lame-duck Arkansas squad. Sure, they haven't allowed a rushing touchdown all year, but Clemson ran the ball all of like 15 times. Tulane and Arkansas aren't exactly rushing juggernauts.

Meanwhile, Georgia's offense is the epitome of balance. Knowshon Moreno rushed for 149 yards last week, while Matthew Stafford passed for a career-high 285 yards.

What really sets Georgia as a truly tough offense is the emergence of freshman A.J. Green. The Dawgs already had a bona fide threat in Mohamed Massaquoi, and Green's rise to prominence gives Stafford another deadly option. In fact, look for secondaries to start rolling coverage towards Green and freeing up Mo Mass. Oh yeah, and that No. 24 kid is pretty good too. If Saban puts eight in the box to stop Moreno, Stafford has proven he is quite proficient in finding his new receiving threats.

Alabama boasts a freshman phenom of their own in physical specimen Julio Jones. Jones obviously has all the tools to be great, but Bama Bangs ambassador John Parker Wilson has trouble getting the ball to him. Look for Georgia to stuff the Bama running game and force a shaky Wilson to beat them.

The last time Saban set foot between the hedges, he was blasted by 30 points in 2004 when he was with LSU. Combine that with all the bulletin board material provided by the Tide this week and the ghosts of Mikey Henderson, and I think the Dawgs are going to handle this one more emphatically than people are predicting.

Dawgs 27-Tide 13

Remember folks, I was a perfect 10-for-10 last week. I'm only doing the three games this week because as I said, I am extremely busy today. Let me know that you think though. Do you see these games turning out like I do or am I wrong?

And don't forget to check out Chip Towers' UGA blog at www.ajc.com. Chip said some extremely kind things about me on his blog yesterday and it's definitely worth your time to check out his work. Be sure to add to the discussion board, as he could use some voices of reason to drown out the lunatic fringe that seems to hijack the blog from time to time.

See everyone tomorrow on North Campus!