Oh-em-gee!

This weekend is going to be a barnburner folks. Just make sure it’s not your barn that’s burning! Enough with the jokes. This weekend is serious.

What’s the game plan? The defense is good, but so is Bama’s offense? Can the run game work? Can Hartline lead us to victory? Let’s see what Al thinks.

Alabama is no. 2. They best in the SEC. They finished awfully against Georgia. This is a trap waiting to happen. Can UK roll the Tide? Looks like we’ll find out.

The SEC East is up for grabs. Step one to grabbing the crown is beating Alabama. The time is now.

As a kid, I kind of liked the board game Mouse Trap. Mainly just the big cage that would fall down on your mouse if you did something wrong.

And coming this Saturday, I feel like UK has just rolled the dice, praying that huge mouse trap cage doesn’t fall on them.

Let’s look at the situation. First, K.J. Black is a good athlete if he shakes his injury in time. Second, WKU runs the spread, with a mobile quarterback. Now let’s walk down memory lane. First, the past few years UK has struggled with mobile quarterbacks (Norfolk State isn’t included). Second, Middle Tennessee State ran the spread and UK had trouble with it.

Uh-oh.

Throw in Micah Johnson’s absence due to injury and the possibility of Ricky Lumpkin being out too and trouble could be brewing. Off a bye week, looking ahead to a beautiful game at Alabama, on CBS for all to see. UK just might be looking right past their in-state foe.

And that would be a bad idea. Sure, WKU only has two wins and one of them is Eastern Kentucky University. But they played Alabama. I wonder if Brooks is just using the same game tape for the next two weeks?

Sure, you’d think after the close call against MTSU, The Cats would be ready. But an off weekend breeds security and it’ll be tough to get pumped against WKU.

So Rich Brooks just has to wait and see if the cage slams down on his team.

This is a great week of SEC football coming up. It might be the best total package weekend in the SEC this year. Four games stand out.

Florida @ Tennessee

I know the games are always close at Knoxville, but have you seen Tennessee this year? They played like absolute garbage against UCLA and didn’t look that much better when they beat UAB last week. I still don’t have the kind of trust in Jonathan Crompton to convince myself that Tennessee will keep this one close. On the other hand, Florida has done everything a championship contender is supposed to do in the first three weeks of this young season. I think I saw on ESPN that they were outscoring opponents 65-3 in the first three quarters of the game. That is scary precision, folks. I like Florida to roll in this one, let’s say 49-17.

Alabama @ Arkansas

This will tell us something about both teams. Is Alabama for real, or did they just catch fire against Clemson and their games against Tulane and WKU indicative of how they will play the rest of the season? Is Arkansas as bad as they have looked in 4th quarter comeback wins against Western Illinois and UL-Monroe? I’d say that yes, Alabama is for real, and yes, Arkansas is that bad. The Razorbacks are just missing the kind of talent all around that is necessary to achieve any kind of success this year, and I think the Crimson Tide will win comfortably. I think we’ll go with 38-14 in this one.

Vanderbilt @ Mississippi

The two most underrated teams in the conference square off in Oxford Saturday. Vanderbilt has been great on defense this season, just like they have been throughout the Bobby Johnson era. Ole Miss showed the world just how good Houston Nutt is when they were a blown pass interference call away from beating Wake Forest, the best team in the ACC. Jevan Sneed is the best quarterback you haven’t seen so far this season. I might be inclined to call this one a must win for Vandy because of their struggles against Florida, Georgia and Kentucky. They play a few more OOC games, so in order for them to get that sixth win, they’ll have to take this one. I think the Rebels win a very close defensive slugfest. Let’s call it 14-10.

LSU @ Auburn

Now we’re talking the good stuff. I had Auburn winning the West and eventually the entire conference this year, but I didn’t plan on them benching their quarterback after only one week. Chris Todd did not fare very well in that offensive explosion in the land of the cowbells, and the more I watch LSU, the more I think they can win this thing again. Charles Scott has been the best offensive player in the conference up to this point, and if something happens to him, no SEC team has a deeper pool of runners than LSU. I’ll say this: If LSU wins this game, they will go on to win the national championship again. However, you can’t just waltz into Jordan-Hare and expect to beat Tommy Tuberville in a big game. I think the War Eagle Tigers will beat the Bayou Bengal Tigers in a classic. Auburn wins, 24-21.

In other news, I think Georgia will make like a Mountain West team and destroy Arizona State in the desert.

I’m Seth Stogsdill, and watch me be completely wrong on all of these picks except Alabama/Arkansas.

With UK having an off week, it’s time to tackle some things about that good old Southeastern Conference that just may or may not be true. Feel free to add anything you want in the comments.

Myth No. 1: Vanderbilt is good enough to go bowling
Let’s be for real here guys. The ‘Dores give up 350/yards a game, worse in the SEC. They’re highest profile win is a 1-2 South Carolina team that lives off it’s coaches name. Maybe Vandy can go bowling, but let’s wait until they get blown out by Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and maybe UK. Also, Ole Miss will probably beat them this week.

Myth No. 2: Auburn’s offense is good enough to help them win the SEC West
Here’s the thing, when you score only three points in a game, you don’t have an offense. When you score three points and still win, you have one helluva defense, but no offense. And Auburn isn’t winning the SEC West. It’s going to be either LSU again or a surging Alabama.

Myth No. 3: Tennessee/Mississippi State are darkhorse candidates to win their divisions
Well, the Dawgs have lost to Lousiana Tech and sit at a pretty 1-2. They can’t score and their defense isn’t that tough either. Tennessee got whooped by UCLA who got killed, and I mean killed, by BYU. Plus they play Florida this weekend, and it’s going to be ugly. No way either of these teams finish better than fourth in their division.

When we signed up to do this SEC Power Poll thing, they hide a secret line in the contract that said once a week we must write a post, answering select questions while sitting at a roundtable. Just kidding. But this is the SEC power poll roundtable and you can find the original post and links to our members over at Garnet and Black Attack

1. Pretend for a minute that Vanderbilt wasn’t 2-0, then answer this question: What has been the most surprising thing in the SEC so far this season?

How bad South Carolina, Arkansas and Mississippi State have been. Seriously guys? We knew Arkansas would suffer after losing everyone. And I never believed the Croom train was that serious, but some did. And South Carolina makes the list because they are about to be 0-2 in the SEC. All three of these guys are dragged their butts across the floor and it’s embrassing the SEC.

2. Conference action has either just begun for most teams, or will Sept. 20. (The exception is Kentucky, which I believe plays I-AA teams until mid-November.) From what you’ve seen so far, how will your team fare in your division? If it’s not going to win, which team will?

UK is going to finish third in the SEC East. I know, I’m crazy right? Well sorry, I’m not. Florida and Georgia will fight for the top crown and the invite to Atlanta. But you can’t look me straight in the face and say with any certainty that other historical precedent, that UK can’t beat Tennessee, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. History is meant to be re-written. If you must have an SEC East winner, it’s Florida.

3. Which SEC player that few of us are paying attention to is poised to have a breakout season? Try to choose someone not on your team.

Mark Ingram, freshman running back for Alabama. In his first year, he already has a 5.6 yard per carry average. He tore up Clemson for just under 100 yards. He was effective against Tulane. You want to know why John Parker Wilson looks good? Because this dude can run.

4. Both Arkansas and LSU have had games delayed because of hurricanes. If you could choose a game on your team’s current schedule to get postponed because of inclement weather, which game would you choose and why?

Alabama. UK is going to have a huge head going into Tuscaloosa, having a 4-0 record and possibly a Top 25 ranking. The defense will think it’s amazing. That isn’t going to fly down ‘Bama, at all. UK needs to have a game where they wake up, where they are scared crapless before they go to Alabama. Otherwise, this is going to be ugly.

5. So, the Large Haldron Collider hasn’t destroyed the Earth — so far, anyway. But had the world ended Wednesday morning, which SEC game would you have most regretted missing? Assuming, of course, you had been around to regret it. (Head…hurts…)

Florida vs. Georgia. The Cocktail party will be huge this year. A national championship, a conference championship and pride are on the line. Last year’s game put Georgia on their current path to the NC this year. If Florida wins, it’ll knock UGA out and let Tebow and Co. take their place.

Last week the SEC went 7-1 in non-conference games. The lone loss came when Wake Forest kicked a field goal as time expired to beat Mississippi 30-28. Elsewhere, the only close game occurred in Little Rock where Arkansas trailed Louisiana Monroe for most of the game but managed to pull out a victory late in the game. This week, we get two more SEC matchups while the rest of the conference continues with out-of-conference opponents.

GAME OF THE WEEK

GEORGIA @ SOUTH CAROLINA 3:30 pm CBS
This was a tough choice but I guess I’ll go with the game that’s being nationally televised. Georgia visits South Carolina at 3:30 pm with live game coverage airing on CBS. The Dawgs pounded Central Michigan last week 56-17 but have lost two defensive players to season ending injuries in the first two weeks of the season. This will be the Dawgs first trip outside of Athens this year as they travel up the road to Columbia. South Carolina comes into this game off of a loss at Vanderbilt last Thursday night. The offense for the Cocks has yet to find it’s flow but the defense has picked up the slack for the most part. Who would have ever guessed a Spurrier team would be led by it’s defense.
PREDICTION: Georgia 38, USC 17

AUBURN @ MISSISSIPPI STATE 7 pm ESPN
This was the second best game of the week in my opinion. Auburn won it’s first two games fairly easily over Louisiana Monroe and Southern Miss, with the latter being a lot closer than the first. Mississippi State hasn’t had quite as easy of a first couple of weeks. They traveled to Louisiana Tech for their first game and came back with a loss 22-14. Last week they had a much easier game against SE Louisiana where they won 34-10. Last time I checked, Auburn is not in Louisiana which is not good news for MSU.
PREDICTION: AUBURN 34, MSU 7

UAB @ TENNESSEE 12:30 pm Raycom
The Vols return to action after a week to think about their loss at UCLA. Hopefully they worked on getting points off of turnovers a little in practice. They should cruise easily this week but I’ve seen stranger things happen. UAB has lost their first two games to Tulsa and Florida Atlantic. They apparently don’t have much of a defense because they allowed 45 and 49 points in their first two games. I look for Rocky Top to be played plenty of times this weekend.
PREDICTION: TENNESSEE 42, UAB 17

WESTERN KENTUCKY @ ALABAMA 7 pm
This games features the next two opponents for the Wildcats after this weekend. WKU comes to town in two weeks and UK travels to Tuscaloosa in three weeks. Western beat rival Eastern Kentucky last week pretty easily but I guarantee this week will be a little tougher. Alabama comes in 2-0 after wins over Clemson and Tulane. Last week’s game wasn’t as a strong of performance as the previous week’s but it got the job done. I think the Tide will move to 3-0 this week.
PREDICTION: ALABAMA 24, WKU 7

NORTH TEXAS @ LSU 8 pm
In this game, I look for LSU to score at least 49 points. If they don’t I will be a little surprised. This shouldn’t be much of a game but I guess after last year, nothing is a definite. I look for the Tigers to roll.
PREDICTION: LSU 56, NORTH TEXAS 10

RICE @ VANDERBILT 7 pm
Vanderbilt could quite possibly enter the rankings with a win on Saturday over Rice and some help from the teams in front of them. Of course, they would be behind UK if they do because I look for the Cats to be ranked by this time next week. After beating South Carolina last week, the Dores look to keep the momentum up as they play their last non-conference game before the heart of the league schedule begins. It should be a good one as Rice scores a ton of points and beat Memphis last week.
PREDICTION: VANDY 35, RICE 28

SAMFORD @ MISSISSIPPI 7 pm
In a game of who cares, I look for Ole Miss to get back to winning with an easy victory over Samford. Samford is 2-0 with victories over West Georgia and Faulkner but I think Ole Miss should be too strong for them.
PREDICTION: OLE MISS 34, SAMFORD 14

Arkansas was supposed to visit Texas in a matchup of old Southwest Conference rivals but Hurricane Ike has postponed that game until September 27. Nice job Ike!

Florida is off this week as they prepare for Tennessee next week.

That’s all for this week. I’m DJ and I think the Kentucky 6A 7th Region could compete in the Big East or ACC this year. With St X, Trinity, and Male, I think they could probably win several league games this year. GO CATS!!

Last week the league as a whole went 10-2 against non-conference opponents with Tennessee and Mississippi State suffering the only two losses. Thanks guys! Last night we got our first glimpse of league action with South Carolina visited Vanderbilt and left with a 24-17 defeat at the hands of the Commodores. On Saturday, the rest of the league continues with out-of-conference opponents.

We told you before we are very thankful to be invited to be part of the SEC Power Poll. And even more thankful to be able to air our comments and ballot here. So this is what was just turned in. You get the first look! In reverse order.

12. Mississippi State
Anyone who put Croom higher thsn 10 in a ranking of SEC coaches should publicily apologize. Those who believed the Bulldogs were anything but a one-year wonder, please excuse yourselves. We’ll wait.

11. Arkansas
Petrino comes deathly close to hell, but the Razorbacks still pull out a comeback win over Western Ill. Will fight MSU for the most crappy team this year.

10. Tennessee
Hang it up Fulmer. Claw-fense my butt. How about a defense that has 4 INTs in the first half and a team that can’t score on those mistakes. You’re awful. Say hello to fifth place in the SEC for us.

9. Vanderbilt
Gets lucky since three other teams played bad.

8. Ole Miss
See: Vanderbilt. Real test comes this week.

7. Kentucky
Did you see that defense? Did you see the awful play of four of UK’s conference opponents? Looking good for the Cats.

6. South Carolina
Maybe Spurrier has something brewing in Columbia. Finally.

5. Alabama
Saban has a growing monster in Tuscaloosa.

4. Auburn
Still waiting to see if they can rise up and take the SEC West

3. LSU
Their handling of App State proved they weren’t ready to hand over the SEC to anyone else.

2. Georgia.
Playing Georgia Southern means nothing except you get to stay where I think you should be.

1. Florida
If those freshmen speedsters continue to play well = championship.

“You could time that race with a sun dial.”

After the big win Sunday and before the SEC schedule opens up there are quite a few things UK fans need to be paying attention to:

1) What kind of effect will the big UL win have on recruiting?

***And as I type, word is coming out that Ridge Wilson has pledged his services.***
That’s great. There were quite a few commitments last season directly after the big wins as prospects feel their is a lot going for them at UK, but they just need to see it concretely to be sure. Keep an eye on the names Deuce Finch (attended the game, likely deciding between UK/UL), Ed Hazelett (6′8″ OT/TE has given high praise to UK recently), Justin Brown (Dr. John Newton’s recruiting target), Brooks Michel (Morgan Newton’s Minnesota committed OL teammate), and Courtney Dalcourt (Franklin-Simpson athlete). These are just a few guys we know may have been keeping a real close eye on the game Sunday. With an already large and talented class, a few more big names could make this the best class in the Rich Brooks era.

2) Quarterback questions. Yes, plural. How much time will the freshman sensation Randall Cobb be given at QB to see what he can do in a game situation? Who will be given the backup spot, Fidler or Cobb? Is the problem with Hartline’s deep ball just a matter of jitters, or does he really have an issue with it? Will Deaunte Mason stick at QB?

3) Which of these three OOC opponents will give the Cats the most fits? My vote, after seeing the results of the Western Kentucky-Indiana game will have to be MTSU. They aren’t the same team that gave UK trouble a few years back though. Still, no matter how good the defense is, one or two freak plays can easily give any one team 14 quick points against any one other team. Can we count on this offense to be able to match and beat that?

4) Joker kept the play-calling extremely conservative after Ashton Cobb’s defensive TD. Will that trend continue leading up to the big Alabama game?

5) Speaking of Alabama. Would it be better for Kentucky if the Tide wins or loses the UGA game the week before? Or does it even matter since the game is in Tuscaloosa?

6) What freshman will be given, or given more, playing time to become more integral parts of the team before SEC play? Randall Cobb is obviously going to factor in, as will Gene McCaskill and Matt Roark at WR. Denny Trevathan will probably see some time at LB. Winston Guy played special teams yesterday, will he see time in the defensive sets? What about the freshman lineman? I’m not sure any saw action against Louisville.

7) Assuming the cats are 4-0 heading to Alabama, what kind of ranking will they be sitting on and what kind of hype will that game have? Kenny called it earlier, can you say CBS?

How far down will the Louisville meltdown go?

Lots on the plate, not a lot of time as I plan to head off to the Kentucky State Fair here in Louisville today. So we’ll make these quick.

First off, CBS looks to have made a mistake and released their tentative schedule for football this year. Although the station usually waits 10 days before a game to decide, in order to allow for changes during the season, it also looks like they do actually highlight some games on the calendar for the future. And UK is only highlighted twice.

10/04 – 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Florida @ Arkansas or Kentucky @ Alabama (CBS HD)
11/08 – 2:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Alabama @ LSU or Georgia @ Kentucky (CBS HD)

Looks like CBS expects UK to possibly be 4-0 going into Tuscaloosa. As for Georgia/UK, looks like CBS is buying into that being the Dawgs trap game. Either way, hope the Cats can get on national TV again.

Secondly, the real reason why practice was canceled Monday has arrived. ESPN’s Chris Low sat down with Rich Brooks and has a two part transcipt posted on his SEC blog on ESPN.com. Part 1 here. Part 2 here.

He also writes about Jeremy Jarmon. We wrote about Jarmon’s acting abilities back in the spring. Get with the program ESPN. Here’s the best part of all three interviews:

What’s your plan at quarterback right now?

RB: (Sophomore) Mike Hartline would start, and we would see how the game went. If we were not moving the ball, I might make a change to (true freshman) Randall Cobb just to see if I could shake things up. Hartline can run a little, but Cobb can run really well. There’s a possibility early on to have a change-of-pace deal at quarterback, but my biggest concern is getting our offensive line gelled in the next two weeks

Randall Cobb = the athletic ability of Curtis Pulley without the liability on and off the field. Yipee!

That’s all for you to chew on now, but later in the week we’ll bring you the ballots of our SEC Power Poll friends to see how much they dissed Rich Brooks. They better hope they didn’t!