Florida (7-2) at South Carolina (6-3) 12:30 pm

Why to watch: If only there was some sort of storyline to go with this one. There's pressure, and then there's what Florida head coach Urban Meyer has to face dealing with Florida's favorite son, Steve Spurrier, looking to do the near-impossible and take South Carolina to the number two spot in the SEC East. While Gators fans certainly want to see their team win, the love for the Ball Coach is still so blinding that there'll be a whole bunch of mixed feelings this Saturday. While the Gamecocks can finish behind Georgia in the SEC East standings with a win (tied with Florida, but winning the tie-breaker), the Gators can represent the East in the SEC Championship game with a win and an Auburn victory over Georgia. LSU-Alabama might be the most intense game of the weekend, but this might be more fun to watch.

Why Florida might win: For all the wins and all the recent success, South Carolina's offense hasn't done a whole bunch. It's only generating 310 yards per game and outside of big numbers put on the board against Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Troy, it isn't scoring a lot. Florida's defense has had its occasional problems, especially last week against Jay Cutler and Vanderbilt, it's unbelievable at forcing turnovers taking away 26 so far. The offense has only given it away nine times. In other words, South Carolina will have to create and make its own breaks with its middling offense. While the stats might not look that good on paper ...

Why South Carolina might win: ... the offense is finding a way to get the job done when it has to. The Gamecock pass defense has been fantastic all season long keeping most efficient passers from getting into any sort of a rhythm. Auburn's Brandon Cox threw well against the Gamecocks, and Cutler threw for 339, but they each hit a few rough patches. The real focus will be on offense, where USC has to take advantage of every opportunity and every long drive. Alabama's offense is having major problems, but it scored 31 on the Gators. Vandy put 42 on the board last week. If the Commodores were able to come up with 419 yards of total offense, South Carolina should be able to move the ball a little bit, especially since ...

Who to watch: ... the Gator secondary is going through a few changes after the loss of CB Vernell Brown to a broken leg. Reggie Lewis stepped in and came up with the game-sealing interception in overtime against Vanderbilt, but he struggled all game long under the pressure on the outside. His problems are forcing the coaching staff to move top safety Reggie Nelson from free to a nickel back giving him even more range, while Kyle Jackson will take back his spot at free safety held earlier this year. With the safeties sure to spend more time helping out the corners than worrying about the run, can Mike Davis and the USC running game be effective? He ran for 61 yards against Tennessee and 89 against Arkansas. He doesn't have to go for 100, but a solid 75 yards would help.

What will happen: Florida's defense will rise up and take control of the game early, but the offense won't come through. Meyer might want this one even more than Spurrier, but he won't get it as Josh Brown will hit four field goals including one in the final minute for the win.

CFN Prediction: South Carolina 19 ... Florida 17 no comments

After one of the greatest victories in South Carolina’s history, the team will travel to the far corner of the southeast; some might not even consider it the southeast. USC will play Arkansas, the home of Bill Clinton, Wal-Mart and Billy-Bob Thornton, on Saturday at 12:30 est. Arkansas will start a freshman QB Casey Dick who has not started a game yet in the fierce SEC. Arkansas has not won a game in the SEC this year and is looking to start a freshman against a defense that is slowly becoming a decent defense. I don’t really agree with Houston Nutt’s decision to take the red-shirt off his prized freshman this late in the season.

Here is the prediction for this weekend from CFN.

Why to watch: When Steve Spurrier took over South Carolina, he tempered talk of winning the SEC title by saying he just wanted to get to a bowl game. After a program-changing win over Tennessee last week, the Gamecocks can become bowl eligible with a win at Arkansas and can be in a position to finish second in the East if they can beat Florida next week. But first off, they have to deal with a desperate Arkansas team on a two game losing streak and is still searching for its first SEC win. Despite all of the problems, a win here might mean the Hogs have a shot at a wining season with winnable games against Ole Miss and Mississippi State ahead before the season finale against LSU.
Why South Carolina might win: After winning in Tennessee, playing at Arkansas won't be that intimidating. The Gamecock offense has exploded on bad SEC teams scoring 44 on Kentucky and 34 against Vanderbilt. The Hog defense gives up a ton of yards with a pass defense that struggles with its consistency. USC's passing game might not be unstoppable, but it's good enough give the Hogs a nasty time.
Why Arkansas might win: South Carolina isn't all that great against the run. The Gamecock run defense got bowled over by Alabama and pounded on by Tennessee, and its in for a long game against the SEC's number one rushing attack that averages 257 yards per game. The Hogs had better run effectively because ...
Who to watch: ... it's starting a freshman quarterback. Casey Dick will lose his redshirt status and try to breathe some life into a dead passing attack. He's a good-sized passer with a nice arm, and he can also run a little bit. South Carolina freshman WR Sidney Rice has turned into one of the league's top receivers catching a touchdown pass in a school-record seven straight games. He has been on fire over the last three games catching 24 passes (8 in each game) for 369 yards and seven touchdowns.
What will happen: Arkansas won't be able to get the job done with a freshman quarterback. The Hog defense will keep it from being ugly, but the Gamecocks aren't going to blow its big chance to become bowl eligible.
CFN Prediction: South Carolina 24 ... Arkansas 20 no comments

Georgia, Florida and South Carolina are the only teams remaining that are mathematically live for the Eastern Division title.

Georgia must finish one game ahead of Florida to represent the Eastern Division. The Bulldogs can win its remaining games (Auburn, Kentucky) or win one game and have Florida lose one of its remaining games (Vanderbilt, South Carolina).

Florida can represent the Eastern Division finishing in a tie with Georgia or one game ahead of Georgia. Florida can win its remaining games and have Georgia lose one or both of its remaining games.

South Carolina can finish in a tie for the Eastern Division along with Georgia at 5-3 and both Georgia and Florida at 5-3. In these scenarios, Georgia must lose its remaining games, South Carolina must win its remaining games (Arkansas, Florida) and Florida can defeat Vanderbilt for a three-way tie or lose to Vanderbilt to create a two-way tie between Georgia and South Carolina.

If there is a three-way tie at 5-3, the last tie-breaker in the three-way model would be used, which is, "The tied team with the highest ranking in the BCS standings following the last weekend or egular-season games shall be the divisional representative in the SEC Championship Game, unless the second of the tied teams is ranked within five-or-fewer places of the highest ranked tied team. In this case, the head-to-head results of the top two tied teams shall determine the representative in the SEC Championship Game."

If there is a two-way tie at 5-3 between Georgia and South Carolina, Georgia advances to the SEC Championship Game due to its 17-15 win over South Carolina earlier this year. no comments

South Carolina is Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week


Pictured: South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier (AP Photo)
10/31/2005
DALLAS (FWAA) -- With their 16-15 win at Tennessee, the South Carolina Gamecocks are the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week, as selected by the pollsters of the FWAA's Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll for games of the weekend of Oct. 29.

Josh Brown hit a 49-yard field goal with 2:45 to end South Carolina's 12-game losing streak vs. the Vols. Quarterback Blake Mitchell was 22-for-36 for 242 yards and Sidney Rice had eight receptions for 112 yards for South Carolina.

"We thought we had a chance to make history if the ball bounced our way, and it did," head coach Steve Spurrier said after the game.

The other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Bowl National Team of the Week nominee for the weekend of Oct. 29:

Rutgers (6-2): The Scarlet Knights clinched their first winning season since 1992 with a 31-21 win over Navy. Their 6-2 start equals the school's best since 1979.
Texas (8-0): Quarterback Vince Young rushed for a career-high 267 yards and two scores and threw two touchdown passes as the Longhorns rallied from a 28-9 deficit to beat Oklahoma State, 47-28.
UCLA (8-0): The Bruins scored 21 points in the final 7:04 and Drew Olson connected with Brandon Breazell on a 23-yard touchdown pass in overtime as the Bruins avoided Stanford's upset bid, 30-27. no comments

It wouldn't be fair to call South Carolina's football season thus far a disappointment, but it also wouldn't be right to label it a success.
An accurate way to describe it is like eating at a buffet. Sure, it's satisfying and fills you up for a while, but a few hours later, you're feeling kind of empty and not that thrilled about eating there again.

-David Cloninger no comments

Some might say that the win over Uk was not all that great, but when you have been playing as poor as Carolina this season, a spark might end up turning the season around. Today the SEC honored two of Carolina's impact players for there performances against the Wildcats.

Simpson, a 6-1, 201-pound sophomore safety, was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week. The Rock Hill, S.C. product tallied a season-best 13 tackles, including nine solo stops with a fumble recovery and an interception in the 44-16 win over the Wildcats. He returned a fumble 19 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter and his pass interception led to another USC TD. With USC head 17-16 in the third quarter, the Carolina defense, led by Simpson, held Kentucky to 82 yards over its final seven drives.

Rice, a redshirt freshman from Gaffney, S.C., was honored as the SEC Freshman of the Week. The 6-4, 192-pounder posted career-highs with eight receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. He has caught a touchdown pass in each of his first five collegiate games, tying the school record set by Jermale Kelly in 1997. no comments

Our Prediction this week as South Carolina returns home from a blow out lose to Auburn last saturday on national TV.

Why to watch: While Vanderbilt is sure to throw its hat back in the ring, this might be a battle to see who finishes last in the SEC East. South Carolina has seen its SEC season go from bad to worse with an 0-3 start punctuated by what Steve Spurrier described as one of the worst losses of his career in last week's 48-7 drubbing by Auburn. With Vanderbilt coming up next week, the Gamecocks have a great chance to turn the ship around before facing Tennessee. Kentucky is still looking for its first win this season over a D-I team, and with Ole Miss and Mississippi State ahead, it has the potential to go on a great run with an upset win in Columbia.
Why Kentucky mmight win: The return game. Don't knock it; when teams are struggling to generate consistent offense, a few big returns can change the game around. The Wildcats have been excellent in the return game averaging 34 yards per kickoff return and 20.7 yards on punt returns. By comparison, the Gamecocks are averaging 20.74 yards on kickoff returns and 3.82 yards on punt returns. USC's running game has yet to show up this season, so if Kentucky can tighten up at all against the pass, it has a shot at the win.
Why South Carolina mmight win: Outside of a flourish in garbage time against Florida, the Kentucky offense hasn't done much against D-I teams this year, and failed miserable on the road in its one chance losing to Indiana 38-14. South Carolina might have quarterback issues at the moment after the injury to Blake Mitchell, but it should still be able to Cock 'n' Fire on a secondary that ranks 106th in the nation in pass efficiency defense. South Carolina has the nation's 19th most efficient passing attack.
Who to watch: There's still a question about Blake Mitchell and if he'll be able to go or not with a high ankle sprain, but there's still hope that he'll be able to go after he practiced earlier in the week. If not, it'll be back to Antonio Heffner for another week. The sophomore saw a little bit of time in each of the first four games, and then he went 15 of 23 for 133 yards and a touchdown against Auburn. That might not look too bad on paper, but he held on to the ball too long and couldn't get the offense moving. Desperate for some sort of a running game, the Gamecocks need Mike Davis to come through. He ran well against Troy, but didn't get much work against Auburn. Against a run defense that allows 214.5 yards per game, this is the game he needs to break out.
What will happen: South Carolina might not be smooth, but it'll be good enough on both sides of the ball to keep UK from having its break out game. The Gamecock defense will come up with one of its better performances before letting up late.
Line: South Carolina -13
Must See Rating: (5 lock yourself in a room to watch — 1 The Adam Corolla Project) ... 2.5
Fearless Prediction: South Carolina 31 ...Kentucky 20 no comments

Best offensive line in college football

For the 2nd college football award of the season we will go with “the best offensive line” 1st let me rule out South Carolina, my school of choice might have the worst offensive line in the NCAA. The best offensive line goes to Minnesota Golden Gophers; they might as well have the best running back in the nation as well. In 4 games Laurence Maroney has rushed for 698 yards, and the offensive line has been doing it’s part to open up the holes for this talented runner. In 2nd place University of Southern Cal, who give Matt enough time to throw a 100 bound medicine ball to a handicapped player.

For more awards this season stay turned no comments

In week 5 of the football season we find 4-0 florida vs. 4-0 Alabama.

Dev thinks that Florida is going to pull this one out but I have a feeling that Alabama's defense is going to give Chris Leak a day to remember.

Foxsports outlook on the game

Keys to the Big Games — Florida at Alabama:

Ryans' Hope — The University of Alabama has been blessed with some of the best linebacker talent college football has ever seen. No matter how far back you go in the history of Alabama football, it's a pretty safe bet that you'll find a linebacker worthy of making plays on par with anyone, anywhere. Bama LB DeMeco Ryans is this year's star linebacker and he'll play a significant role on Saturday. Florida struggled picking up the different blitz packages that Tennessee threw at them in the first half of that game, and there's no question that Tide DC Joe Kines will fashion some of his game plan around using Ryans in the same capacity. Ryans was flat out phenomenal against Arkansas, piling up 15 tackles, two for a loss and a sack, and he should have the chance to add to those stats this weekend. In sure passing situations, the key for Florida is how they protect QB Chris Leak, and keep Ryans out of the backfield. If Florida OC Dan Mullen and Urban Meyer wish to use one of their running backs to man up on Ryans, Leak might be on his backside a few too many times. The Tide LB may only blitz if the Florida offensive line slows down DE Wallace Gilberry and the four man rush, which isn't a 100% guarantee, as it is. But, the speed that Ryans shows off the edge, in combination with Gilberry and company, should create problems for the Florida offense.
TNT — Florida may have the flashier of the two offenses, but the most explosive player on the field will be wearing crimson - #4 Tyrone Prothro. The mighty mite is the one player that Florida may not have an answer for this Saturday. He doesn't get a ton of publicity, but the teams that have tried to corral Prothro have run into issues. Whether it's in the passing game, the kicking game or taking shotgun snaps from center, Prothro will make a play that could turn the tide of the game, no pun intended. And, when he makes a play, he can give the entire offense a boost. In the Southern Miss game, down by 11, he made the catch of the millennium, snagging a throw from Brodie Croyle on the back of a Southern Miss DB. After that catch, the Tide offense caught fire, and put up 20 straight points on the board. He puts a charge into the offense every time that he touches the ball, and Florida hasn't seen a guy this year who can ‘open it up' in as many different ways as Prothro can. Keep an eye on where Prothro lines up throughout the game, and how many ‘various' ways Mike Shula can find to get him the ball. He's a keg of dynamite, waiting to explode, and Saturday will be his show.

Webb of Deceit — With having to live in the shadow of the offense, you'll have to excuse the Florida defense if they have a life size chip on their shoulder. But, this might be the most talented defense that Florida has had in some time, and they may not have ever had a play making corner like Dee Webb. The former Ed White star will be on the spot much of the day, as he'll be matched up with Prothro and DJ Hall, a lesser known, but equally talented receiving threat. Webb's ‘length' is tough for opposing receivers and also for quarterbacks attempting to throw to his side. Not only does Webb cover like a blanket, he's got solid ball skills and breaks on the ball as well as anyone in the SEC. Hall and Prothro are completely different receivers, and Webb's approach to covering them will be a major factor to whether Florida shuts down the Alabama passing game. Webb and Vernell Brown have been strong this year, but this pair of receivers is just as good as what they saw against Tennessee. If Webb is aggressive in coverage early, knocking a ball down or intercepting a pass, Croyle may want to go away from him, limiting his looks to one side of the field. That's a huge advantage for the Gators to say the least.

Conclusion — The Rivalry is back. Back in the early to mid 1990s when the Gators and the Tide battled every year for the SEC championship, now that was fun. And, it's back. Undefeated Gators. Undefeated Tide. This ought to be to be fun. For all that Alabama has going for it, the success of this game, and this season, rests on the capable shoulders of QB Brodie Croyle. With the loss of Ray McDonald at DE, the Gator pass rush isn't as dominant as it could be. If the Tide OL can give Croyle the time, he has the receivers that will get open and make plays. At home, the Tide makes the Bear proud.

Alabama 17 ... Florida 14 no comments

Ok so I will be giving awards out this year on my blog for different things during the season, and this week I will be giving out the "best name in college football."

And the winner is Jim Bob Cooter of the Tennessee Vol's. As a 4th string QB, who will probably never see the field, he has to have something going for him, and it is his name. How could you forget a name like that? If you don't believe me, here is his profile from the UT website.

http://utsports.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/cooter_jimbob00.html

Congrat's Mr. Cooter no comments