WEEK 10 PREDICTIONS AND PREDELICTIONS

GEORGIA at KENTUCKY: The Dawgs are in dire need of an offensive outburst. Kentucky’s defense provides the ideal opportunity. However, the Cats are fighting for bowl eligibility and want this game badly. Even if Georgia can get the offense cranked up, the Cats are quite capable of scoring points themselves. Andre Woodson is a tough and scrappy QB with a live arm and some quick receivers. He is not as big as the Hefty Lefty was, but at 6-5 and 230, he is a load like Jamarcus Russell but with better feet. The Dawgs will need to pressure him because he has the experience and skill to move the team consistently if given time to throw. Hopefully for Georgia, the porous UK secondary will allow Stafford to post some nice numbers for a change and the passing game can open up the running game for Kregg Lumpkin. This is a great opportunity to see the four receivers set and let Stafford take snaps in the gun, something we were promised last week but never given. After spreading it out, the run game will begin to grind out some decent numbers. My guess is that Lumpkin will go over 100 yards, most of them coming in the second half. Georgia’s receivers will still drop passes and a few turnovers will ultimately keep the game closer than Dawgs fans would like. At the end of the day, Georgia will leave Commonwealth as victors. GEORGIA 33 – Kentucky 24.

LSU at TENNESSEE: The match up last year between these two teams was totally wacked out and Les Miles pulled one of the boneheadedest moves I have ever witnessed. He tried to call time out after his team intercepted a pass, even though: (a) the clock would stop automatically for change of possession (maybe he was thinking it was already 2006 with the new rules) and (b) he was out of time outs. I shit you not; a student manager (or what appeared to be such) grabbed him from behind to keep him from going onto the field asking for a time out. Anyway, as you know, Tennessee came back from a deep deficit to win the game and then proceeded to fall apart throughout the rest of the season. Now, the Vols will host the Tigers in Neyland and Ainge is gimpy. You know LSU will have their ears pinned back and will bring heavy heat early and often to pressure and punish Ainge. If his wheel doesn’t hold up deep into the game, the Vols will be sunk. However, if Cutcliffe can scheme enough blitz beating calls early on to neutralize the LSU charge, then this one will be a slugfest. The fate of this stellar season for Tennessee rides ultimately on their ability to run the ball effectively tomorrow. Ainge will not be 100% no matter how long he lasts, so the Vol running attack must get them first down and favorable yardage on first down. If they can run it, they will win. Unfortunately, I don’t think they will be able to run it well enough and Ainge will be swarmed from the jump. LSU 24 – TENNESSEE 17.

ARKANSAS at SOUTH CAROLINA: The Evil Genius needs this win to remain in the hunt for an attractive bowl date. Arkansas needs the win to retain their inside track to Atlanta for the SECCG. Nobody can stop the Arkansas running attack. Darren McFadden is a joy to watch unless you are the defense charged with trying to stop him. South Carolina has an athletic and physical defense and they will make a decent showing. On the other side, The Cock-n-Fire offense has shown some flashes of brilliance with Syvelle Newton at quarterback. It seems to me that USC will score their share of points in this game, but can they stop the Arkansas ground attack often enough to send the Hogs home with an L? I think they will, in overtime. SOUTH CAROLINA 28 – ARKANSAS 21.

FLORIDA at VANDERBILT: The Gators have run a gauntlet this season and this is not the weekend to hit cruise control. Vanderbilt is a disciplined team that has just enough talent to make you pay for making the mistake of thinking that they are Duke-esque just because they are smart. Trust a Dawg, we know. The Gators will not take the ‘Dores lightly because they were one bogus celebration call from losing to Vandy in the Swamp last year. The Gators have their eye on a date in the desert and they very well could get there, but they will have to work for 60 minutes without a rest tomorrow to vanquish Vandy. Sorry Gator-haters, Vandy is all out of major upsets for 2006. The Gator D shoulders the load again. FLORIDA 24 – VANDERBILT 19.

OKLAHOMA STATE at TEXAS: Kyle drew lots of flames when he declared this as his National Game of Disinterest. Careful to not make the same mistake, I have made this my first selection outside of the SEC. This game comes down to this: Are you a Cowboy fan? If so, watch the first half. Are you a Texas fan? If so, watch the second half. At least that has been the pattern for three straight years. OSU takes a nice lead into the locker room. Then the Longhorn scabs change uniforms with the scholarship athletes who go out in the second half and post basketball numbers as they win going away. However, this year, Texas may have mistaken Texas Tech as OSU last weekend as they allowed the Red Raiders to run up 31 first half points before rolling unencumbered for the final 30 minutes to victory. State is not as good this year as they were the past three years. Texas, they ain’t bad. I think this is the year that Texas wins both halves (although the first half will be pretty close.) TEXAS 37 – OSU 21.

OKLAHOMA at TEXAS A&M: While I am in the Big 12, let’s do this game. Oklahoma is without Adrian Peterson and going into College Station where the Aggies have the whole 12^th man gig and what not. This game perplexes me because Army, whom I love, but is not so good, took the Aggies to the wire in College Station. Yet, A&M is 8-1 and ranked in the top 25. There biggest win was against Missouri. I really don’t like Coach Frankandbeans. But I have a feeling that they will somehow beat Oklahoma tomorrow. You know what this means? This means that you should load up on Oklahoma with your bookmaker, pronto. TEXAS A&M 32 – OKLAHOMA 30.

BOSTON COLLEGE at WAKE FOREST: BC is coached by a Navy grad, so I have to like them whenever possible. Wake is everybody’s other Cinderella this year (you know, besides Rutgers). Wake’s only loss was a close one against Clemson who benefited from a huge game changing defensive touchdown of 66 yards of rumbling by a defensive lineman. BC lost to NC State on a last second touchdown. So both teams are so close and both are still in the hunt for a trip to the River City (birthplace of the Mullet) for the ACCCG. I think that BC is the better team though neither has a dominant body of work. Let’s just say BC 30 – WAKE FOREST 24.

NAVY at DUKE: I am going to go out on a limb and say that this game features the highest cumulative IQ of all college football matchups in Division 1-A this year. That doesn’t necessarily translate into great football however. Navy has been on a skid since starting QB Brian Hampton went down on the first series against Rutgers. Duke has been on a skid since Darth Visor left for Florida back in 1990. If Navy had Hampton, I would be convinced that Navy would win this game. But, with Hampton out, I am a little concerned that the Blue Devils may have just enough desire left to post their first win and drop Navy to 5-4. On the other hand, Navy does have a quarterback with what has to be the most unpronounceable name in all of college football, Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada. That is two hyphens in one name. Maybe that will be enough to keep the Duke defense off balance. NAVY 35 – DUKE 24.

Ok ladies, that is all for this week. Have a great weekend.