Saturday, November 24, 2012
Looking at the final regular-season weekend of SEC action.
All eyes will be on Tuscaloosa, AL, on Saturday for the annual Auburn-Alabama rivalry. This is always a fierce one, and this year it carries strong implications for the SEC title and BCS national championship picture. Alabama can clinch the SEC West title with a win. And no one is giving Auburn, winless in the SEC this year, much of a chance. (Game time: 3:30 p.m., CBS). Shades of 1972. That year, Alabama was heavily favored over Auburn when the teams met. But in one of the most memorable upsets in college football history, Auburn blocked two punts, returning them both for touchdowns in a 17-16 victory. The plays were strikingly similar: Auburn's Bill Newton broke through to block both punts, and Auburn DB David Langner picked them both up…
Saturday, November 10, 2012
A look at this weekend's SEC action.
Now comes another type of test for No. 1 Alabama. After last Saturday's come-from-behind victory over LSU at Baton Rouge, the Crimson Tide will have to deal with a possible letdown when No. 15 Texas A&M comes to Tuscaloosa (game time: 3:30 p.m., CBS). The game carries huge implications for the SEC. Alabama (6-0 in SEC) still must win Saturday and later this year vs. Auburn to be assured of the SEC West title. An A&M win Saturday and later vs. Missouri could give the SEC West title to the Aggies (4-2 in SEC). This week, Alabama will have to deal with an A&M spread offense that is averaging 251 yards rushing (first in SEC) and 308 yards per game (second in SEC) passing. Also, the Aggies are averaging scoring 44 points per game. That will be …
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Checking this weekend's SEC football action.
College football is all about rivalries, but Alabama-LSU is moving into a class of its own. Saturday's game in Baton Rouge, La., is the third straight meeting between the teams that will have a direct impact on the No. 1 ranking and the eventual BCS national championship game. (Game time: 8 p.m., CBS). The top-ranked Crimson Tide (5-0 in SEC), of course, defeated No. 5 LSU (3-1 in SEC) for the BCS title in 2011, after the Tigers defeated Bama in the regular season and went on to win the SEC title. (Alabama edged out Oklahoma State in voting to earn the right to play for the 2011 title.) The Tide has not been seriously challenged in 2012, but LSU has lost to Florida and barely survived South Carolina. And again it bears mentioning that LSU …
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Here's a look at the weekend's SEC action.
Don't look now, but Mississippi State is in the thick of the SEC title race. The Bulldogs from Starkville, Miss., are unbeaten in the SEC at 3-0 as they prepare to travel to Tuscaloosa and Saturday's game with No. 1 Alabama (4-0 in SEC). Game time is 8:30 p.m., ESPN. Mississippi State has enjoyed steady success under head coach Dan Mullen, a former University of Florida coach who took over in 2009. The team went to bowls in 2010 and 2011, and with seven wins overall in 2012, it is bowl-eligible again. Now, Mississippi State can achieve more by beating No. 1 Alabama. Do you think Mississippi State will upset Alabama? Who do you think will win the SEC title game in Atlanta? Tell us in the comments below. "It should be a great challenge for …
Friday, October 12, 2012
Previewing the weekend football action around the conference.
Football in the SEC offers a challenge every week, and the latest example of this comes Saturday (Oct. 13), when No. 3 South Carolina travels to the bedlam that is Baton Rouge, La., and LSU (Game time: 8 p.m., ESPN). Both teams will be dealing with strong emotions. The Gamecocks, of course, are coming off that 35-7 pasting of Georgia. So Coach Steve Spurrier's team will have to be on guard against a letdown. -- Do you think South Carolina will defeat LSU on Saturday? Tell us your SEC choices in the comments below. And LSU, once ranked No. 2, is coming off a 14-6 loss at Florida that dropped the Tigers to No. 9 (AP). So they will have revenge on their minds. They will not be able to afford another SEC loss if they hope to repeat as SEC West…
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Looking at Saturday's football action around the SEC.
The "Derek Dooley returns to Athens" story line is an old one, as Georgia ruined the storybook angle with a victory over Tennessee in Athens in 2010. However, Dooley -- son of legendary UGA coach Vince Dooley -- brings an improved Vols team to Athens on Saturday. (Game time: 3:30 p.m., CBS.) Tennessee (3-1, 0-1) opened its 2012 season with a 35-21 victory over N.C. State in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta. And the Vols also led SEC East rival Florida in the second half before the Gators pulled away, 37-20, on big plays and turnovers. Georgia is cruising at No. 5 nationally (AP), with a 4-0 record, 2-0 SEC. The Bulldogs have a quality QB in junior Aaron Murray, but also noteworthy is that UGA has allowed just 23 points in its SEC victories …
