Mark's Week Two Thoughts

It's 3:30 and I have been in heaven since 11 a.m. watching football non-stop. I've decided a few of my pre-season predictions are probably wrong. Here are a few of my thoughts:

South Carolina is better than I thought. Spurrier may kill freshman Marcus Lattimore if he keeps giving him 37 carries, but he needed them all today to take down Georgia.

Georgia's offense is not very good without A.J. Green. I like Murray, but it's pretty tough when you have to play with a hand behind your back. His best receiver is now a tight end, Orson Charles. The South Carolina D probably had a lot to do with it, but 6 points ain't gonna cut it.

Florida looks vulnerable. Brad, Shawn and I have been talking all day about how bad the Gators have looked through two weeks, and I am not feeling very confident about my SEC East pick.

Oklahoma was looking past Utah State to Florida State. The Sooners offense has clicked on all cylinders in the first half against the Seminoles, as Landry Jones is torching the secondary to the tune of 13-16 for 173 yards and 2 TDs in the first half.

Miami is faster than Ohio State. I've heard Herbie and everyone in the media who wants people to think the Big-10 is worth a crap say that the Buckeyes have closed the speed gap that has plagued them in big games against quality teams from the south, but guess what...they're wrong. I can't really put my finger on what Ohio State's issue is, because speed isn't all of it, but I don't see OSU beating a quality SEC team in the near future.

Boise State's quality win just disappeared. Virginia Tech losing to JAMES MADISON (isn't he Billy's brother?) takes the one win the Broncos could hang their hat on and flings it in the fire.

Football in HD is probably the awesomest (yeah, I said it) thing since sliced bread, and I will continue to partake in its splendor through Monday Night Football!

Your thoughts???

Early Football Ramblings

Saturday's first games aren't even over yet, and I have some serious thinking to do.

Florida is having all kinds of trouble with Miami (Ohio) and the fighting Szczerbiak's. A hundred yards of total offense well into the fourth quarter in the Swamp. So many bad snaps and stupid penalties I lost count, and shaky play-calling from Urban Meyer have me re-thinking my prediction of the Gators over Georgia in the SEC-East. Georgia has a lot to do with that though, as Aaron Murray and the 'Dogs have been very impressive without A.J. Green and Washaun Ealey on the offensive side of the ball. Georgia has thoroughly dominated Louisiana-Lafayette on both sides of the ball. It has been a beat-down in every facet of the game. Murray has shown touch on the deep ball, great decision making (even running for a touchdown) and poise in the pocket. I will be interested in how this shakes out.

I'm hoping the Hogs can show up big tonight and put a beat-down on the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech.

Mark's SEC West Forecast

An extension of my SEC picks, as promised:

1.

Alabama: A returning Heisman trophy winner, an undefeated QB and a horde of talent will be too much for Arkansas to overtake, and the Tide will roll back into Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game for a third straight year. The defense will need to replace eight starters (not counting Hightower), but another highly rated recruiting class and defensive whiz Nick Saban should allow Alabama to stay atop the league.

2.

Yet another step in the Bobby Petrino world-takeover will vault the Hogs into national prominence behind the arm of Ryan Mallett and the offensive genius of Petrino. Expectations are sky high, and anything less than 9-3 will be viewed as a disappointment in God's country. A tough road game between the hedges in Athens against Georgia and a home tilt against the defending national champions will tell this season's tale. I expect a split in those two and I'm starting to lean more toward 10-2 than 9-3. The Kool-Aid tastes delicious!

3.

I'm definitely not drinking the Herbstreit beverage, so I certainly won't be going nuts by picking Auburn to be any higher than third. The gimmicky offense and suspect defense haven't changed, and lest we forget, the head coach is still a nobody. No more words should be wasted on the Tigers with an identity crisis. Can anyone explain how a Tigers team cries War EAGLE? I don't care for the story so spare me.

4.

LSU is always super-athletic and talented, as they seem to always recruit well. The talent had better win out over coaching, however, because the Mad Hatter Les Miles is a moron. If they can out-play his ineptitude they have a shot, but 4th (at best 3rd) is where they'll end up.

5.

Jeremiah Masoli's on-again off-again eligibility aside, the QB Killa will work his magic this year and there will no doubt be hundreds of smoke draws, fullback dump-offs to the flats, and one-man routes from offensive (insert sarcasm) mastermind Houston Dale Nutt. The addition of Masoli could re-arrange this list as Auburn, LSU and Ole Miss could easily switch places, but this is my prediction. May be wishful thinking, but here's hoping they don't win a game.

6.

Dan Mullen will have the Bulldogs out of the cellar very soon, but it won't be this year. All-everything RB Anthony Dixon is gone, and there just is not enough talent to equate to enough wins to pull the 'Dogs out of the doldrums.