Saban talking up Razorbacks not a bonus
A great thing about an 11 a.m. kickoff is there is plenty of time to get home and watch some pretty good SEC matchups, and some of this week’s games should be close.
Starting this Saturday, almost immediately after the University of Arkansas’ game against Alabama, yours truly will have an exclusive column on arkansasonline.com, to which all subscribers have access. The regular column will still appear in Sunday’s paper and online Sunday morning.
Went 6-3 last week as my Arkansas upset of Texas A&M ran out of time. Season record is now 45-11 and without further ado, here’s this week’s picks: The Crimson Tide have a quarterback who is a Heisman favorite. The Hogs’ quarterback didn’t start the first game. Alabama has walked through the early part of the schedule, and its defense seems to be getting better. Nick Saban said some nice things this week about the Razorbacks improving. That’s not necessarily a good thing. Alabama 57-14
There may not be a bigger showdown in the Sun Belt Conference during the regular season. The Mountaineers were picked to win the Sun Belt East, the Red Wolves the West. Since an overtime loss to No. 11 Penn State, the Mountaineers are 3-0 and have outscored their opponents by a combined 169-23. Jonesboro should be rocking for this game. Red Wolves came within seconds of beating Georgia Southern. Arkansas State 3835, OT
Who would have guessed the Bulldogs, with 17 starters back, would miss former coach Dan Mullen this much? They are 0-2 in SEC play. The Tigers are 1-1 and the biggest question is how did they beat Washington in the season opener? The Tigers need a breakout game as they are overranked at No. 8. Cowbells will be ringing. State 27-24 Mississippi
Talk about misunderstood, the Tigers are undefeated with victories over Miami and at Auburn, but many of their faithful expect the bubble to burst on any given Saturday. The Gators escaped Mullen’s homecoming last week in Starkville but will have to find some speed to keep up with the Tigers’ defense. LSU 28-21
If the Commodores win the toss, they should get on their buses and leave. It is the only thing that is going their way in Athens. The Bulldogs may not be putting up the gawdy offensive numbers that the Tide are, but the fewest touchdowns they have scored in a game is five and that was against Tennessee last week. Georgia 49-21
The Warhawks are riding a three-game losing streak and the best news of the day is they are facing just a fourhour bus ride, which may seem longer on the way home. The Rebels couldn’t match LSU’s speed or depth and the only team to have a lead on Alabama this season went down hard. Might start a little slow, but the Rebels give the Grove a reason to party hearty. Ole Miss 45-17
The Wildcats are undefeated, including a 3-0 start in SEC play, and this is a month that could give them some dreams. But November may not be a month to remember. The Aggies, whether Jimbo Fisher knows it not, struggled with the Razorbacks, especially on offense. They are home, but it won’t be enough. Kentucky 28-24
The Gamecocks haven’t been quite as impressive as expected. Their victories were against Coastal Carolina and Vanderbilt, and both were at home. The Tigers have a road victory over Purdue and an extra week to prepare for the Gamecocks. That should be enough. Missouri 35-24