Time Out
by Dan Rutledge

It’s down to the nitty-gritty time. There are only five games on the Week 8 Southeastern Conference football lineup and all of them are big ones to the teams involved since, for the first time this season, all of the games are conference matchups.

Which is the BIG one? Good question.

With a log jam at the top of the Eastern Division, the Vanderbilt (5-1 overall, 3-1 in conference play) -Georgia (5-1, 2-1) battle has title implications. Vandy is tied with Florida for the division lead and Georgia wants desperately to get back to what it feels is its rightful spot at the top of the heap (Line: Georgia by 14 _).

But most eyes will be on CBS at 2:30 p.m. when the undefeated and No. 2-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (6-0, 3-0) hosts the Ole Miss Rebels (3-3, 1-2) in Tuscaloosa (Line: Alabama by 13). There are rumblings that warn of an upset … but don’t pay any attention to them. There will be no upset or near one.

For Bama, it will be a case of head coach Nick Saban’s “process” continuing to unfold. Oh, if the Tide had flattened Kentucky like a steam roller in its last outing two Saturdays ago and hadn’t had a week off in between, it could be close. And there are those that point out that Houston Nutt, who moved over from Arkansas to take the reins at Oxford this season, always gives Alabama trouble. That has been true, but will not be true this time around.

Saban was probably secretly glad his charges didn’t roll unabated two weeks ago. It gave him a perfect excuse to bear down hard and say, “See what happens when you don’t play all-out every play?” And the week off gave the Bama players time to get rid of any overconfidence they may have had before Saban beat on them all week.

To tell the truth, yours truly doesn’t understand why the Tide is only a 13-point favorite at home to a team that on which it holds a 44-9-2 all-time series lead. More than that, Bama has a pretty convincing 22-1 record against the Rebs when the game is played in Tuscaloosa. Now it is true that the last three wins of the series were won by a mere 3 points. But that was due to the three previous editions of the Tide having a problem sustaining a big lead.

That was then. This is now.

This Bama team seems to have developed an immunity to its old habit of falling short of expectations. The 2008 Tide’s success has gone beyond most pundit’s expectations. This column, if you will remember, said in its preseason ramble that Clemson was ripe for an upset and the schedule was such that Bama should come into the Georgia game unbeaten and ready to make a move up in the polls. Saban and all of the Alabama Family should be glad that the voters elevated Texas to No. 1, leaving the Tide at No. 2. Being No. 1 this soon in the season is a trap that is hard to get out of … note the number of teams that have already been No.1 this season, only to immediately lose. (Of course, I don’t know how long the Tide can keep out of the top spot if it keeps winning … and when Missouri upsets the high-in-the-sky Texas Longhorns Saturday, it may be inevitable.)

Alabama’s John Parker Wilson has been having the kind of season he was expected to have when he graduated from Hoover High and headed to Tuscaloosa. Don’t be surprised if he winds up the nation’s top QB before it is all over. The Tide has proved to be a solid and talented team on offense — not surprising considering the experience in the offensive backfield and on the offensive line. What has been surprising is the defense, which has been transformed into one of the best in the nation against the run with the addition of 300-plus-pound noseguard Terrance Cody. Folks have found it tough, impossible, to run up the middle against the Tide. Look for Cody to win some national honors, too.

The other games this week have Arkansas (3-3, 1-2) at Kentucky (4-2, 0-2) (Line: Kentucky by 9), Mississippi State (2-4, 1-2) at still-winless-in-SEC-play Tennessee (2-4, 0-3) (Line: Tennessee by 7 _) and LSU (4-1, 2-1) trying for redemption at still-in-the-Eastern-hunt South Carolina (5-2, 2-2) (Line: LSU by 3).

WEEKEND TV LINEUP
Saturday’s boob tube lineup follows (all times CST):
11 a.m.
Georgia Tech at Clemson (ESPN), Purdue at Northwestern (ESPN2), Connecticut at Rutgers (ESPNU), Wisconsin at Iowa (Big Ten TV)
11:30 a.m.
Vandy at Georgia (Raycom Sports)
2:30 p.m.
USC at Wash. St. (FSNS), Ole Miss at Alabama (CBS), North Carolina at Virginia. (ESPN2), Kansas at Oklahoma (ABC), Miami at Duke (ESPNU)
3:30 p.m.
Michigan at Penn St. (ESPN)
6 p.m.
Arkansas at Kentucky (ESPNU)
7 p.m.
LSU at South Carolina (ESPN), Ohio at Temple (ESPN2), Missouri at Texas (ABC), Illinois at Indiana (Big Ten TV), Virginia Tech at Boston College (ESPN2)

Time Out for SEC Sports
by Dan Rutledge

As on old sportscaster used to say, Whoa Nellie! The Southeastern Conference football season of 2008 is shaping up to be one of the best ever in the grand ole conference — and that’s saying a lot. But the national sports talking heads are almost unanimous in their opinion — the SEC is the best league in the land.

And the numbers back up that assertion. There have been SEC teams atop the AP poll many weeks in many seasons. And there have been many weeks through the years in which the SEC has had multiple teams listed among the top 10 teams in the land.

But this week is the first time in history that the league has had as many as five — that’s half — teams in the AP top 10 poll. SEC teams accounted for almost 30 (29.6) percent of the total number of points in this week’s poll. Georgia fell on spot to No. 3, Florida follows at No. 4, LSU is No. 6, No. 9 Alabama jumped Auburn, coming in at No. 10.

After three weeks of having one or two real games on the menu and the rest sort of practice games against inferior opposition, the fourth week of the grid season gets down to business with big league matchups all over the place. With Alabama at Arkansas, Florida at Tennessee, and LSU at Auburn, it is hard to say which is the most interesting or the most important.

So we’ll start alphabetically, and look over the Crimson Tide-Razorbacks matchup. (Line: Alabama by 9).

First, the SEC opener for both schools will be big, very big, for both teams. Both teams come in undefeated and, as history tells it, with the rest of their season on the line. No series in recent years has been as pivotal in determining both teams places in the regional standings.

Because of its place on the calendar — late September — it has been a true measuring stick for how each team stands. A victory usually propels the winner to a good season while a defeat sends the loser in the other direction.

Since Arkansas has joined the SEC in 1992, Alabama has racked up an 88-26-1 record in years it has won the Tide-Hogs contest. That track record includes a half dozen 10-win seasons. When the Tide has fallen to the Razorbacks, it has an overall record of 37-45 and four losing seasons.

Terrance Cody at nosetackle has been the big story — pun intended — of the season for the Tide defense. Bama leads the nation in rushing defense, giving up less than 50 yards per game on the ground. Cody is the main reason. So far, it has taken two men to handle him.

The game within the game this week will be the matchup everyone is waiting to see. Cody will face his toughest challenge yet in Arkansas center Jonathan Luigs, who won the Rimington Trophy as the best center in football last year. If Luigs can handle Cody alone, it will change the entire Alabama defense. If the 365-pounder does his usual job on Luigs, it will be a long day for the Hogs.

In Auburn we will have a pair of jinxes going against the favored Tigers from Baton Rouge. First, there is the Curse of Jordan-Hare. Since 2000, LSU has struggled to score points, getting 17, 7, 9 and 3 points while losing four games. On the other hand there is the GameDay Bump. ESPN’s College GameDay show is coming to Auburn for the showdown with LSU (Line: LSU by 3). Auburn is undefeated when GameDay comes to the Plains. In 2006 the Eagles beat Florida after hosting GameDay and in 2004, Georgia was the victim.

The Florida-Tennessee game (Line: Florida by 7) is always a big early win for whoever gets the W as far as the Eastern Division race is concerned. Ole Miss (2-1) is the favorite Line: (Ole Miss by 6 1/2) against Vandy, but the Commodores are undefeated and could pull off the upset.

Georgia plays an interesting intra-conference contest at Arizona State (Line: Georgia by 7). It will be the first meeting for the two teams. Any trip west is difficult and the Bulldogs will have to overcome a bowl-like atmosphere. It will be interesting.

Mississippi State (1-2) will be trying to turn its season around with as trip to Atlanta to take on ACC foe Georgia Tech (1-2) (Line: Tech by 8 1/2). And in the patsy game of the week, South Carolina will host tiny Wofford (No Line). The Gamecocks (1-2) need the break to get back on track after suffering a pair of painful and close defeats.

WEEKEND TV LINEUP

The weekend television lineup includes, as always, a Friday night contest. This week’s game is the third Big 12-Big East matchup in a week on ESPN, pitting Baylor against undefeated Connecticut. Colorado and West Virginia got the weekend TV schedule off to an early start on Thursday.

Saturday’s games are as follows.

11 a.m.
Alabama at Arkansas (Lincoln Financial), Ole Miss at Ga. Tech (CW), East Carolina at N.C. St. (ESPN), Iowa at Pitt (ESPN2)
Noon
Central Fla. at Boston Colllege (ESPNU), Akron at Army (ESPN Classic)
2:30 p.m.
Miami at Texas A&M (ABC), Florida at Tennessee (CBS), Marshall at Southern Miss (CSS), Notre Dame at Michigan St. (ESPN)
3 p.m
Utah at Air Force (Versus)
4 p.m.
South Fla. at Fla. International (ESPNU)
6 p.m.
Rice at Texas (FSNS)’ Wake Forest at FSU (ESPN2)
6:45 p.m.
LSU at Auburn (ESPN)
7 p.m.
Georgia at Arizona St. (ABC)
7:15 p.m.
Fresno St. at Toledo (ESPNU)

Another take from our sister blog, RosenbushCafe.com.

by Dan Rutledge

Another great football season is being kicked off this weekend in the Southeastern Conference and all over the nation.

The big game for the weekend is, of course, Alabama vs. Clemson Saturday night in the Georgia Dome.

Second-year head coach Nick Saban, who is expected to up the ante from last year’s so-so season this time around, has what he likes – a big, inter-sectional opener played on a neutral field. The schedule says the game is a home game for Clemson, but the contest won’t be played in South Carolina. It won’t be played in Alabama either. This war will be waged in another state entirely, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

It’s a good set up for the Tide to get a big boost in the standings and in confidence that will serve them well down the road this season. This one is a ready made upset folks!

Clemson comes in a big favorite at No. 9 in the nation, while Alabama is barely made it onto the pre-season poll, coming in at No. 25. Clemson has all of its backfield and most of its defense back as well as some talented newcomers.

BUT (yes I meant the capital letters) … the Tigers lost their entire offense line. It takes several games, sometimes a half season, for an offensive line to jell and become a cohesive unit. And that is when you are replacing one or two members.

But the whole darn line? If you can’t block, it’s hard to run the ball. And if your quarterback doesn’t have time to throw, it doesn’t make any difference how talented the receivers.

Bama has a seasoned quarterback (who should have been All-SEC last year) in John Parker Wilson as well as some good players coming back Add to that several freshmen from the nation’s No.1-rated incoming class, such as Foley High’s Julio Jones, who are expected to play a lot if not start and you can see what I mean.

Or, tune in to ABC at 7 p.m. Saturday and see for yourself.

Vanderbilt (34-13 over Miami-Ohio) and South Carolina (34-0 over N.C. State) kicked off the SEC season with Thursday night victories.

Most of the other SEC teams will start the year with cream-puff lite games — No. 1 pre-season pick Georgia hosting Georgia State, Florida at home to Hawaii, LSU entertaining Appalachian State (no, the Catamounts can’t do it again; beating Michigan in last year’s opening was not parity, it was a fluke), Auburn hosting Louisiana-Monroe (no, even though they shocked Alabama last year, they can’t pull the big upset again either), and Arkansas hosting Western Illinois.

Mississippi State will open on the road, but should have little trouble at Louisiana Tech. Kentucky and Ole Miss will have a little more of a challenge in their first outings. The Wildcats will be on the road in an in-state grudge match against neighboring Louisville. The two schools don’t like each other and love to win against the other. That alone will make it a good one.

Ole Miss is at home but is also playing one of those grudge matches. Memphis isn’t officially an in-state rival, but the two schools are close and like Kentucky-Louisville, love to beat the other.

WEEKEND TV LINEUP

The weekend television lineup began on Thursday night and will feature two Friday night games as well. This week’s Fridays include Temple at Army (Lincoln Financial) at 6 p.m. and SMU at Rice (ESPN) at 7 p.m.

Saturday’s schedule, other than pay-for-view:
11 a.m. — East Carolina at Virginia Tech (ESPN), Syracuse at Northwestern (ESPN2), Bowling Green at Pitt (ESPNU)
11:30 a.m. — Hawaii at Florida (Lincoln Financial), Missouri at Kansas St. (FSN South)
2:30 p.m. — Southern Cal at Virginia (ABC), Utah at Michigan (ESPN2), Oklahoma St. at Wash. St. (FSN), Delaware at Maryland (ESPNU),
4 p.m. — Appalachian St. at LSU (ESPN)
5 p.m. — TCU at New Mexico (VS)
6:30 p.m. — Boson College at Kent St. (ESPNU)
6:45 p.m. — Miss. St. at La. Tech (ESPN2)
7 p.m. — Alabama vs. Clemson at Georgia Dome (ABC)
7:30 p.m. — Illinois at Missouri (ESPN)
9 p.m. — Washington at Oregon (FSN)