The Fearless Friday Forecast
We went 8-2 last week as Tennessee was brought back down to Earth by UCLA and Notre Dame used some questionable clock management and fell at Michigan. That’s a two-week record of 15-5 but starting this week and next week things get a little harder as some of the cupcakes are going to be replaced by conference games.
Without further delay, let’s get to the Fearless Friday Forecast:
1. Georgia at Arkansas: The Bulldogs have had two tough games while Arkansas had last week off. Logically, Georgia should be in real trouble in Fayetteville, which is why they are the underdog according to the boys in Vegas. I just have the feeling that QB Joe Cox is going to play well again. I also think Georgia will be able to run the ball and milk the clock, keeping the ball away from Bobby Petrino’s offense. Georgia 17, Arkansas 14.
2. Tennessee at Florida: Yes, Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin used his mouth to write a check that his team cannot cash. But Kiffin knew that when he accused Urban Meyer of cheating. Kiffin bought himself some good will with the Tennessee fans, but on Saturday the bill finally arrives. What I’m wondering is how long Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton will last in this game before he gives way to Nick Stephens. It is going to get ugly. Florida 48, Tennessee 9.
3. North Texas at Alabama: Wide receiver Julio Jones (bruised kneecap) and running back Roy Upchurch (high ankle sprain) may not go in this game. It won’t really matter as this game should be about getting the offensive line and quarterback Greg McElroy ready for next week’s SEC opener with Arkansas. Alabama 42, North Texas 7.
4. West Virginia at Auburn: West Virginia will never be able to replace Pat White, but they have found a very good quarterback in Jarrett Brown, who had four touchdown passes in last week’s 35-20 win over East Carolina. Auburn has 1,145 yards and 86 points in its first two games. This one looks like a shootout. Auburn 38, West Virginia 31.
5. Florida State at BYU: Florida State coach Bobby Bowden really needs this game. The Seminoles lost a heart breaker to Miami on Sept. 7 and needed to rally with two scores in the final 35 seconds to beat Jacksonville State. BYU has quarterback Max Hall who has a chance to play himself into the Heisman Trophy discussion. The Cougars also know that a win over Florida State, coupled with their Sept. 5 victory over Oklahoma, puts them right in the middle of the BCS discussion. BYU 31, Florida State 24.
6. Boston College at Clemson: The Tigers are still upset about the loss at Georgia Tech last week. They’ll take it out on the Eagles and go to 1-1 in the ACC. Clemson 24, Boston College 14.
7. Nebraska at Virginia Tech: Nebraska is looking for a signature victory to use as a measuring stick of the program’s progress under Bo Pelini. Virginia Tech, thought to be the ACC’s best hope for a national championship contender, needs to win to avoid a 1-2 start. Virginia Tech 17, Nebraska 14.
8. Texas Tech at Texas: Michael Crabtree’s touchdown catch to beat Texas was the signature moment of the 2008 season. The loss simply cost Texas a shot at the Big 12 championship AND the national championship. The Longhorns are determined to win them all in 2009 and get to the BCS championship game. Texas 35, Texas Tech 20.
9. Florida Atlantic at South Carolina: Coach Steve Spurrier let quarterback Stephen Garcia throw it 53 times in last week’s high-scoring loss to Georgia. How many times will he throw it against the Owls of Howard Schnellenberger? South Carolina 31, Florida Atlantic 10.
10. Southern California at Washington: The Trojans, who won a very tough game at Ohio State (18-15) last Saturday, go on the road for the second straight week. This time they may be without Matt Barkley, who has a bruised right shoulder. I can’t go with the Huskies in a straight up win. But this one will be closer than a lot of people think. Southern California 21, Washington 17.
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230 comments Add your comment
Gen Neyland
September 19th, 2009
1:59 pm
shane #1 : Some said landing on the moon was impossible, fighting our way out of Bastogne could never happen, no way the Biscayne would ever become a discontinued car model or Michigan loses to APP ST…Long shots are the American way…Go Vols
Kevin
September 19th, 2009
2:15 pm
Lets see Ga will win over arkansas coach who left the falcons n said i quit n went to little rock be close 45-24 Ga wins….as for fla vs vols no contest 55-10 gators tebow 356 yards passin 104 rushin 4 tds in air 1 on ground the end n tebow wins a hiesman trophy again n Natl champs again…
shane#1
September 19th, 2009
2:31 pm
Gen, first the Olds, then the Pontiac, now the Biscayne? When will it stop? Thank God Packard is still around!
TrueCrimson
September 19th, 2009
3:09 pm
Gen Neyland,
It will be a story for the ages if it happens. I have friends and family in both TN & FL, so I don’t have a favorite in this game, but if the Vols win it, it will be the game of the year.
TrueCrimson
September 19th, 2009
3:20 pm
53 – 7
Star looked good with the 3rd string O-Line.
RTR!!!
TrueCrimson
September 19th, 2009
6:31 pm
Well…
I hate it for you guys who might’ve bet on the big Florida blowout. There are no ‘moral victories’ in football — but Tennessee shouldn’t be ashamed of this performance.
rico43
September 19th, 2009
7:06 pm
Turns out there’s more than one Kiffin in Knoxville, and at least one of them knows something about defense.
And Tony, too bad you didn’t completely follow your gut feeling about USC-Washington.
TrueCrimson
September 19th, 2009
7:10 pm
USC coaching staff decides that it is best to choke early.
Bonus Question: What do Lou Holtz and Mike Golic have in common with Georgia Tech fans this weekend?
Bonus Answer: Crow Casserole.
Gen Neyland
September 19th, 2009
7:31 pm
First : Barnhart blew this one. Pedal to the Metal my arse. Too bad, Tony. A 10 point spread beat your call of whatever your call was which was a blowout if I remember correctly. Hate to lose, but we played ‘em good at their house. This will bag a couple more recruits and hey, Tebow leaves after 2009 … See ya’ll on Monday. Congrats Gators…
Gen Neyland
September 19th, 2009
7:33 pm
…I’m hearing footsteps approaching.
TrueCrimson
September 19th, 2009
8:32 pm
It may very well be that the fumble on the pitch to the RB marked the exact moment at which Georgia began to lose this game.
Atlanta Gator
September 19th, 2009
8:50 pm
Congratulations, Gen Neyland. Your boys played the “mighty Gators” to a near standstill. If the Volunteers had an SEC-caliber passing game, they would have won today.
TrueCrimson
September 19th, 2009
9:23 pm
Looked like the Dawgs might panic, but good job hanging in there and coming back against the Hawgs.
shane#1
September 20th, 2009
1:50 am
General, very well played Sir! Your troops have again produced the blueprint for beating the Gators. One must do as Auburn and Ole Miss have done, make no mistakes on offense and play good defense. Let St Tebow make a mistake and you have a w!
Chris F
September 20th, 2009
5:59 am
I was disappointed by Florida’s performance, there is no reason for a team with that much talent to play so poorly. Even Tebow sucked. UT has good defense but this game shouldn’t have been that close.
Very happy that USCw got knocked the f*** out. Was also pulling for Texas Tech.
I am not trying to be a homer but Bama may very well be the best team in the country. McElroy is awesome! Ingram and Richardson dominating! I am trying to resist speaking too soon but Florida better look out. Bama is well rounded and strong on both sides of the ball. Very hard to defend 4-5 receivers and 3-4 backs at one time.
Top 10 will probably look like this.
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. Ole Miss
5. Penn State
6. California
7. LSU
8. Boise State
9. Ohio State
10. Oklahoma
TrueCrimson
September 20th, 2009
8:46 am
With week 3 in the books, I am standing by my earlier prediction that the SEC, top to bottom, is not only improved, but is VERY good this year. That would portend major upsets as the season plays out. I just hope that the Tide can avoid being the victim of one of these upsets.
Arkansas offense is impressive. They will test the Tide secondary next week. Kentucky played well. They came closer than anyone in the SEC (besides Florida) to beating Bama last year. Auburn weathered the storm to prove that they are back in contention. Toomer’s Drug can go ahead and place that TP order now.
Georgia… an SEC win is a win — celebrate it! Tennessee shocked many by hanging tough against Superman and Company. All in all, pretty impressive display of quality football in the SEC this weekend.
OOC: Seminoles have their way with the Mormon Cougars. Tony, your ‘airplane ride’ handicap theory doesn’t pan out. These kids nowadays LOVE to fly the friendly skies. VA Tech keeps finding ways to play over their heads against superior competition.
Y’all please pick up your litter on your way out and we’ll see you all next week!
RTR!!!
ORANGESWARM
September 20th, 2009
11:34 am
Did you ever drink the GATORade (48-9)???? Swallow some of the orange flavor and like it. We lost the game but the war is on 23-13 final and Tebow and Urbie had all they could handle and was glad to take a knee to kill the clock. Watch how you pick the UT games from now on–it’s going to be a lot different than Fulmeritis. This staff knows how to coach and RECRUIT!
Lord of The Lizards
September 20th, 2009
1:59 pm
Look back on page 1 and you will see that I predicted a 10 point UF win. Both Tebow and Berry played like warriors, each refusing to back down in a very physical game. And as far as providing the “blueprint” on beating the Gators, didn’t everybody say that about Ole Miss last year? How’d that work out?? I think this is actually good for the Gators, as now they can put down all those press clippings and just play ball.
Volman
September 20th, 2009
2:58 pm
TONY BARNHART I HOPE YOU EAT CROW ABOUT THE TENNESSEE/FLORIDA SCORE, YOU IDIOT.
Lord of The Lizards
September 20th, 2009
5:05 pm
And by the way. how do you provide a blueprint for beating someone when you lost the game?? I’m not upset at all that the 5TH IN A ROW over the Vols was a struggle….I’ll take 5 more like that RIGHT NOW.
Da dawg pound
September 20th, 2009
7:28 pm
Lord of the Lizards,
I wouldn’t call it a blueprint for beating the gators but the fact of the matter is that the Vols outphysicaled Florida at the point of attack on both sides of the ball. They constantly gashed the interior Florida D between the tackles with power football. On the opposite side Florida was able to get good yardage running the ball on the edge sometimes but they could not run effectively against the interior of the Vol defense. They pushed you guys around a lot and the only time you stopped their power running was when you put 8 guys in the box. UT has virtually no vertical passing game and that is why you won.
We have a better O-line than UT and a much stouter interior D with Owens and Weston than UT and better overall depth and talent. If UT manhandled you then we would have done the same. The difference is that we have a vertical passing game as evidenced in the Ark game. Our pass D needs a lot of shoring up but Tebow isn’t exactly a pro style qb now is he? Ryan Mallet is leading the nation in passing efficiency and will be a surefire pro qb. Tebow is not pro material and just can’t make the same throws that Mallet made against us and Arky is better than you think, at least offensively anyway. My money say that they give the bammers a tough time next week also.
Seems like your guys got a little soft, a little complacent during the offseason with Brandon Spikes coming into the season 10 lbs overweight as an example.
Before you annoint yourselves another title you better think about the way UT pushed you around with no passing game. Even if you get by us and win the east you got problems. The bammers are looking powerful with both their D, their qb, and their O-line which was supposed to be their weakness. If you had played them yesterday instead of UT they would ground you into hamburger and beat the living hell out of you. You know it, da dawg pound here knows it, and unfortunately for you the bammers probably now know it.
This one game against the vols proves you aint all that even if you did win. We’ve taken note of this and so has the rest of the conference.
Mikey
September 20th, 2009
8:21 pm
Back on page one I called my shot with USCw losing to Washington.
I also made big money on the FL-TENN game as the 30 point spread was way too much considering what we saw out of the Gators was against JV teams prior to Saturday.
My Dawgs need some pass D – cannot have these shootouts every week…
BTW, anyone still think Cox can’t throw the deep ball? Anyone? Anyone?
Bueller ? ……crickets……..
Eric C.
September 20th, 2009
8:25 pm
Perspective from a Dawg fan…after reading the article about the Gators flu scare, I’m thinking Meyer is a moron. How do you let Demps play with a 101 fever and let him freaking infect the rest of the team? I’m sure it was interesting in the huddle…did Demps have a mask on? Sneeze, cough, vomit…oops, sorry guys. Oh, darn Tim, I hope you didn’t just drink from my cup! He played like &*&% as it was and didn’t help the team…what a freaking stupid move!!!
Perspective
September 20th, 2009
9:16 pm
Mikey,
What do you want? A freaking pat on the back? Aint you jes the bright one know it all. I think your bs myself. Joe Cox also threw against the statistically worst defense in the sec last year and one of the worst in the country, especially against the pass. What you got to say? Crickets. Chirp Chirp
TrueCrimson
September 20th, 2009
10:26 pm
Lord of The Lizards 5:05 pm
I’m not upset at all that the 5TH IN A ROW over the Vols was a struggle….I’ll take 5 more like that RIGHT NOW.
LoL,
Back in 1966 (AKA shoulda been NC-9), Bama defeated Tennessee by a score of 11-10. In 1990 the score was 9-6. There have been some close scores in the series and several ties. The first game in the series ended in a 6-6 tie. A win is a win. Some of those close wins were the best ones.
Hm. Found a wiki link on the 1966 season — brings back some memories.
The 1966 college football season was marked by controversy as the year of “The Tie”, a November 19 game between the two top-ranked teams, Michigan State and Notre Dame. Neither team participated in a post-season bowl game. At the same time, 1966 was the first year that the professional football season would end with a Super Bowl. During the 20th Century, the NCAA had no playoff for the college football teams that would later be described as “Division I-A”. The NCAA Football Guide, however, did note an “unofficial national champion” based on the top ranked teams in the “wire service” (AP and UPI) polls.
The “writers’ poll” by Associated Press (AP) was the most popular, followed by the “coaches’ poll” by United Press International) (UPI). In 1966, both services issued their final polls at the close of the regular season, but before teams competed in bowl games. The Associated Press presented the “AP Trophy” to the winner.
The AP poll in 1966 consisted of the votes of as many as 63 sportswriters, though not all of them voted in every poll. Those who cast votes would give their opinion of the ten best teams. Under a point system of 10 points for first place, 9 for second, etc., the “overall” ranking was determined. In the preseason poll for 1966, Alabama was slightly ahead of Michigan State in first place votes (15 vs. 12) and points.
The American Broadcasting Company began showing College football on television in color this season. By the NCAA rules, only 8 national and 5 regional telecasts were allowed during the season.
1966 College Football Season
Total # of Teams: 120
Preseason AP #1: Alabama
Number of Bowls: 9
Champions: Michigan State & Notre Dame(split title)
Heisman: Steve Spurrier, Florida QB
Jeff
September 21st, 2009
6:44 am
(((((((((((LMAO TECH OUT of POLL))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Saint Simon
September 21st, 2009
6:45 am
Call me an idiot but can someone help me find my beloved team in the Top 25- I know they were there just last week but now I cant find them
AU
September 22nd, 2009
1:08 pm
TrueCrimson,
Should have been 9 in 1966 huh? I’m thinking more like #2. I guess using the Bamer logic, they should have given it to you guys again. Wasn’t the “little sister’s of the poor” poll available that year to claim? Here’s a list of 1965 and prior 8 “championships”…
1925 National Championship- Alabama claims they share this one with Dartmouth. Who awarded the NC? Houlgate and Helms. Houlgate started his system in 1927. So Bama won their 1925 NC using a formula that didn’t exist until 1927? Helms Athletic Foundation started in 1941. Another incredible retroactive NC.
The Associated Press Poll has been active since 1936. The AP took their final poll prior to bowl games from 1936 – 1964 and in 1966 and 1967. They took their final poll after the bowl games in 1965 and from 1968 – Current.
1926 National Championship- Alabama claims they share this one with 3 other teams with equal or better records! Once again it is the Helms Athletic Foundation in 1941 that awards it!
1930 National Championship- The Davis poll says that Bama tied Notre Dame for NC this year. This was the only one to award it to Bama. Notre Dame was named NC in 6 polls! Parke Davis is another retroactive system! He (an individual, not an organization) did his in 1933!
1934 National Championship- Alabama says they share this with two other teams. The awarders are Dunkel, Williamson, and Football Thesaurus. Dunkel was an individual who came up with his own system. Williamson was a geologist who came up with his own system. Football Thesaurus first appeared in 1946!
1941 National Championship- This is a complete joke. The AP ranked Alabama 20th in the nation with 14 teams with better records in the top 20. Once again it is the Football Thesaurus that retroactively awards it. Alabama finished 3rd in the SEC that year. Mississippi State won the SEC title..yet Bama claims a National title!
1961 National Championship- Finally a legitimate NC. .
1964 National Championship- While the AP did award the NC to Bama (10-1-0), Arkansas had the better record, 11-0. Alabama played Texas in their bowl and LOST. The AP final poll was before the bowl.
1965 National Championship- The AP gave this to Bama. That year there were three teams with better records than Bama. Bama 9-1-1, Michigan St 10-1-0, Arkansas 10-1-0, Nebraska 10-1-0.
Samoys
October 3rd, 2009
9:16 am
lot about you
Roberto
October 4th, 2009
4:11 am
cool blog