SEC Packets: Week Six Schedule and Picks

Opponents	OTS 42-12	Nico 39-15	Todd 42-12
Kentucky at South Carolina 10/4 - 6:30pm CST Columbia, SC ESPN

OTS:
I must say that I love the story of the Wildcats, but I'm afraid they fall in a very close one here. I'm really tempted to go the other way on this one, but I will stick with the Gamecocks. I wouldn't be surprised the least if a big night from Andre Woodson yielded the Wildcats a victory, but it's hard to go against the Gamecocks when they have more overall talent, more overall depth, and likely better coaching staff as well.

Nico:
I think KY somehow manages to win despite being on the road and that they're off to an amazing 6-0 start and bowl eligible halfway through the season.

Todd:
The 'Cats have been good to me so far, so I'm going to ride that horse at least one more week. I really think we'll see something like the UK/Arkansas game here: Lots of scoring, but eventually Kentucky will pull away.

Opponents	OTS 42-12	Nico 39-15	Todd 42-12
Auburn vs Vandy 10/6 - 11:30am CST Auburn, AL Lincoln Financial

OTS:
A week ago I would have been tempted to go with Vanderbilt. After beating Florida on the road, however, you have to give the edge to Auburn. I thought they were done, but as per usual, Tommy Tuberville has more lives than a cat, and he's seemingly escaped disaster yet again. I wouldn't be particularly shocked if the 'Dores were to get it done, but I can't bring myself to pick them.

Nico:
Sure Auburn has looked bad at times this year, but they've also done some things very right (i.e., win at Florida) and Vanderbilt is still...well...Vanderbilt. They're improving yes, but they still haven't improved enough for me to pick them over Auburn

Todd:
Playing it safe has gotten me nowhere, so I'm putting on my gambling goggles and picking every freakish, yet totally possible, upset I can this weekend. I might go down in flames, or I might look like a genius. Either way, this is going to get interesting. It might seem foolish to pick against little brother after their win in the Swamp, but Florida's sluggish offensive performance allowed Auburn to play the kind of football they like: Ball control, strong D, and winning with the kicking game. Last season we saw them lose when they got down early to UGA and Arkansas, and if Vandy can light them up early they should be able to hang on for the win.

Opponents	OTS 42-12	Nico 39-15	Todd 42-12
Ole Miss vs La. Tech 10/6 - 1pm CST Oxford, MS

OTS:
The Rebels aren't all of that bad of a football team, as they took Florida to the wire and played Georgia very close for three quarters. Moreover, Seth Adams is throwing the football really, really well, and the running game isn't half bad. La Tech is a decent team, and I expect it to be relatively close, but I expect that the Rebels will emerge victorious as a big game with the Tide looms.

Nico:
The Rebs finally get a breather with one they should win

Todd:
No more hanging with the big boys for three quarters for Ole Miss. The Rebs should get this one done easily.

Opponents	OTS 42-12	Nico 39-15	Todd 42-12
Mississippi State vs UAB 10/6 - 1:30pm CST Starkville, MS

OTS:
The Bulldogs aren't looking half bad, and they fought South Carolina hard. They'll beat UAB and improve to 4-2.

Nico:
As much as I'd love for UAB to go in Starkville and ruin their homecoming, I don't think it's going to happen. Maybe I'd be picking them if they'd gotten Jimbo Fisher instead of Neil Calloway.

Todd:
The Blazers have shown marked improvement after their absolute manhandling by Michigan State on opening weekend. They had a better showing against Florida State than we did, and stayed close with Tulsa's no huddle offense, losing 30-38 in a tight contest. Insane homer pick? Yes. Definitely, but UAB has a half way, kinda, sorta decent shot at pulling an upset here, so I'm going with the hometown Blazers.

Opponents	OTS 42-12	Nico 39-15	Todd 42-12
Alabama vs Houston 10/6 - 2pm CST Tuscaloosa, AL PPV

OTS:
This game is going to be relatively close, especially if Alabama's offensive struggles continue. Houston is not a bad football team at all, and they have a great offense. Our defense will be tested, and it will be a wide-open spread attack unlike any we've seen in while. Though they aren't a true Run and Shoot team, their attack will remind many casual fans of Hawai'i. Our fans are overlooking this game, but hopefully our team is not. I pick us to win, but Saban and co. better have the Crimson Tide ready to play, or an upset could very easily occur. This is most certainly not a team that could be classified as one of the Sisters of the Poor, we had better be ready.

Nico:
This is by no means a "free win" ala Louisiana-Monroe, FIU, Duke, etc. Houston has some fight in 'em and they will be bringing it. I still expect the Tide to win, but this will probably be the biggest homecoming scare we've had in a while.

Todd:
I'm glad to see Houston on the schedule here. Of all the bitching we do about poor OOC scheduling, I really think that getting good mid-majors like Houston, while not exactly marquee, serves to generate some excitement on a weekend that normally would be kind of ho hum. Houston is a good team, and Art Briles is a good coach, so this should be a good game that we'll have to really show up for in order to win. I am more weirdly excited about this one than I was before Florida State (though, to be honest, I was actually worried sick about that game all Saturday, so that kind of dampened the mood).

Opponents	OTS 42-12	Nico 39-15	Todd 42-12
Georgia at Tennessee 10/6 - 3:30pm CST Knoxville, TN CBS

OTS:
This is the first time since he took over that the Fat One does not have his Vols ranked going into face UGA. After watching Tennessee get annihilated by Florida -- the same team that went on to squeak by Ole Miss and lose to Auburn in the swamp -- I really am not sold on this team at all. I just don't think they are very good, and Georgia is a good football team. Moreover, while the game is in Knoxville, the Dawgs have played much better the past decade on the road than they have in Athens, and that continues this year with a home loss to South Carolina and a road win at Alabama. I think the Dawgs win and do so with relative ease.

Nico:
This game will make Fulmer's seat a bit hotter methinks. Tennessee may well be on their way to another "Season of Which They Do Not Speak."

Todd:
May sound weird, but UT is so inept on defense, that I'm making this my Sandra Bernhard Game of the Week!

I'm sure you all just threw up in your mouthes a little.

Opponents	OTS 42-12	Nico 39-15	Todd 42-12
Arkansas vs Chattanooga 10/6 - 6pm CST Little Rock, AK

OTS:
Another massive night for McFadden and company, no brainer here.

Nico:
McFadden shocks the country by rushing for 1,000 yards in one game.

Todd:
A 1AA snack halfway through the season? Weak. Also, this is such a marquee match that they have to play it in Little Rock? WTF?

Opponents	OTS 42-12	Nico 39-15	Todd 42-12
LSU vs Florida 10/6 - 6:28pm CST Baton Rouge, LA CBS

OTS:
This one could be a pretty good game, to say the least. No I'm not sold on Florida, for obvious reasons, but LSU has looked beatable, and honestly they would have likely gotten best last week had they not played one of the worst FBS teams in the conference. And rest assured that Florida will come into this game desperate for a win, and they should likely play hard. I wouldn't be surprised if Florida pulled out a victory in this one, but for purposes of picking wins and trying to defeat Todd and Nico, I'm going to have to go with LSU to be the victors.

Nico:
There's all this talk of LSU looking beatable, and they are...as are all teams. They are, however, still looking pretty dang good. I know Tulane held them at bay for a half, but LSU poured it on in the second. Teams are bound to have the occasional slip and for now, I'm thinking that first 30 minutes in New Orleans was LSU's first slip of the year. Until they're have to squeak out a last second victory or mount a massive come from behind win, I'm pretty much going to go with them automatically at this point.

Todd:
While it's entirely plausible that Florida could get the win here (LSU has looked exceedingly mortal the past two weeks), I think the Auburn upset really taught us something about the Gators; speed kills, and LSU has plenty of it to go around on defense. Gotta go with LSU on this one.

SPECIAL BONUS PICKS

Since we've finally gotten a weekend's worth of good football to watch, we're stepping up the OOC picks this week.

Opponents	OTS 42-12	Nico 39-15	Todd 42-12
Ohio State at Purdue 10/6 - 7pm CST West Lafayette, IN ABC

OTS:
Ah, the battle for "supremacy" in the Little Ten. This is definitely a big test for the Buckeyes, and I have a lot of respect for Tiller and the influence that he has had on the passing game at Purdue. That said, though, I find it a bit difficult to pick Purdue. Ohio State does look good, and Purdue almost choked away a game last week to Notre Dame, which is arguably the worst BCS conference level team in the country. I wouldn't be shocked if the Buckeyes fell, but Purdue just hasn't faced anyone the quality of Ohio State, and after the impressive road win at Washington, I really don't think that going to Indiana will be that much trouble for the Buckeyes. Ohio State pulls it out.

Nico:
This isn't SEC homerism, but I simply don't care about the Big 10 this year. This will be the first real semi-test of tOSU's season and even a win here might not tell us much about this team. I think they're sitting at #4 right now by default, not by merit.

Todd:
After some early struggles, tOSU has really put things together offensively. That's not to say that Purude won't have their fair share of yardage, but I'd trust the Buckeye defense to be the difference over the Boilermakers anyday.

Opponents	OTS 42-12	Nico 39-15	Todd 42-12
Clemson vs Virginia Tech 10/6 - 7pm CST Clemson, SC ESPN

OTS:
I'm not sold at all on Virginia Tech. I didn't think they were that good last year, and they have done absolutely nothing to date that would indicate they are a good football team this year. Sure LSU is good, but good football teams don't allow themselves to get annihilated 48-7 by anyone, regardless of opponent quality. Clemson isn't particularly good in their own right, but I think they knock off the Hokies. VT didn't fare well the first time they went to Death Valley this year, and they aren't going to pull out the victory when they had to another Death Valley. I imagine Spiller and Davis light them up. If you can't stop Keiland Williams, how are you going to stop C.J. Spiller and James Davis. Clemson pulls it out.

Nico:
I'm not sold on either team, but I'm sold even less on VT. They're another team that's kind of ranked by default. They have played exactly one team worth talking about this year and they were completely destroyed. I'm sure they have a few more losses on their slate including a big loss to Boston College in a few weeks. I'm going with Clemson on this one.

Todd:
I want to go with the Hokies here since Clemson has entered their typical "choking games away in the middle of the season before rallying to finish strong" part of their schedule, but Virginia Tech just isn't that good, barely escaping both ECU and UNC. Something about those Carolina schools seems to be bad hoodoo for the Hokies, so I'm going to bite my tongue, pick Clemson, and kick myself on Sunday when the Hokies manage the win.

Opponents	OTS 42-12	Nico 39-15	Todd 42-12
Oklahoma vs Texas 10/6 - 2:30pm CST Dallas, TX ABC

OTS:
Kansas State exposed Texas as what they are, a mediocre-at-best team that has a lot of problems. I thought they would be great early on, but they aren't. This is likely to be the worst Texas team in years, and the Sooners have to be salivating. Sure they collapsed in the fourth last week, but they have still looked much better than Texas thus far this year and should knock them off with relative ease. There is a reason they are a 10 point favorite in this game. And I'm not sold on Colt McCoy, I think he's returning way too early from a concussion, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him re-injured against the Sooners. Concussions are very serious injuries, and coming back to play OU a week after suffering one usually isn't a good idea.

Nico:
Gotta go with the Sooners here. I know I'm not ever going to catch up to Todd and OTS if I don't make the occasional contrarian pick, but it's too early in the season to make stupid picks, and that's what choosing Texas here would be: stupid.

Todd:
Sorry Peter, but I have to go with the Sooners here. They've looked much better than Texas this season, with the Longhorns sleepwalking through entire halfs and letting weaker opponents hang around too long, while OU destroyed everything in it's path before falling at Colorado. Plus, with McCoy banged up, Texas collapsed down the stretch last year, so I'm betting he doesn't play as well they need him to to get a win.

Opponents	OTS 42-12	Nico 39-15	Todd 42-12
Nebraska at Missouri 10/6 - 9:15pm CST ESPN

OTS:
After watching Nebraska squeak by Ball State and Wake Forest, and watching them get annihilated at the hands of Southern Cal, I can't pick them here. I figure that Missouri plays relatively well and gets the win.

Nico:
This game is kind of a toss-up at this point and early in the season I would've been inclined to go with the Huskers, but they've quickly lost their luster so I'm going with Mizzou since they're the home team.

Todd:
You know, Mizzou has played a lot of games closer than they should have, and even though I don't have a lot of faith in Bill Callahan, I have less in Gary Pinkel. I'm sure I'll regret this pick, but the 'Huskers it is.

Opponents	OTS 42-12	Nico 39-15	Todd 42-12
Oklahoma State at Texas A&M 10/6 - 6:30pm CST

OTS:
I have a hunch that the Aggies are on the verge of a collapse, and I really think the days are getting short for Fran. The 'Pokes put up a lot of points, relatively speaking to the Aggies option attack, and they use that to pull off the win.

Nico:
I will now make a pick contrary to the wisdom of my co-authors in an attempt to catch up. This game too is a total toss up in my mind, so I'm going to try and gain some ground on this one.

Todd:
I just can't see the Aggies stopping Oklahoma State on defense after they let a pretty bad (at least offensively) Miami team whip them up and down. This will probably be high scoring, though.