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PREDICTIONS ARE BACK! Week 3, Auburn Tigers… (UPDATED!!!)
Posted by The Chosen Blogger on Mar 28, 2008
Well…predictions are back people! I apologize for the delay but my job made the research and thought that goes into this endeavor prohibitive. Because of my rather hectic schedule, I will not be able to go into the written detail that went into the previous two entries. Nevertheless, you can trust that I have researched each team and my predictions are still binding…that is you can heckle me endlessly next season if my predictions prove to be bunk.
So here we go with the new format!
Reasons they will be good: Tony Franklin sure looked good with his spread attack against Clemson. Kodi Burns looked more than capable of leading a spread offense through a tough SEC schedule. They have a lot of returning starters on both the offensive and defensive line…which is huge in the SEC. Quentin Groves…Pat Simms….who are they? Marks and Coleman are more than capable of filling those big shoes. The SEC West is going to be down and Auburn should be more than talented enough to win a lot of games this year.
Reasons they will choke: IF Kodi Burns can hold off Chris Todd, DeRon Furr and Neil Caudle (that’s a big if), can the guy navigate a full SEC season……remember……Clemson didn’t have game film of this new spread offense….other teams will be better prepared. Auburn has a history of choking when they have the personnel to have a good season.
The Season:
8/30 - La. Monroe (Auburn, AL) - Auburn 41-10
9/6 - Southern Miss (Auburn, AL) - Auburn 32 - 7
9/13 - Mississippi State (Starkville, MS) - Auburn 24 - 14
9/20 - LSU (Auburn, AL) - Auburn 31-10
9/27 - Tennessee (Auburn, AL) - Auburn 21-14
10/4 - Vanderbilt (Nashvegas, TN) - Auburn 31 - 17
10/11 - Arkansas (Auburn, AL) - Auburn 41 - 17
10/23 - West Virginia (Morgantown, WV) - Auburn 28 - 17
11/1 - Ole Miss (Oxford, MS) - Auburn 24 - 17
11/8 - Tennessee Martin (Auburn, AL) - Auburn 45 - 3
11 / 15 - Georgia (Auburn, AL) - Georgia 31 - 24
11/29 - Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL) - Alabama 27 - 20
Record: 10-2
Wins: La. Monroe, Southern Miss, Miss. State, LSU, Tennessee, Vandy, Arkansas, West Virginia, Ole Miss, UT Martin
Losses: Georgia, Alabama
Conclusion: Auburn has a strong season which is a result of their returning talent and the relative weakness of the SEC West. They should coast through most of the season, but they will run into a juggernaut on November 15th in Georgia. As for Alabama, the Tide will be finishing strong by the end of the season and Auburn will still be reeling from a thrashing by the Bulldogs (the game will not really be as close as the score suggests) and even with a week off, Alabama will be shouting “fear the finger” after winning a thrilling SEC West championship game.
UPDATE! (3/29/08, 12:38pm) So the ever controversial sports journalist Paul Finebaum has decided to take a page from the Chosn Blogger and predict Auburn’s season. Here is how his prediction stacks up against mine.
Finebaum predicts an 8-4 season with Auburn losing to Georgia, Alabama, West Virginia and LSU. I obviously do not buy into the notion that LSU is going to be any good next year. Furthermore, I strongly believe that West Virginia’s streak is over. Auburn will have a formidable defense returning next year…and that will equate to more than 8 victories.
Was There Ever Any Question?
Posted by The Chosen Blogger on Mar 16, 2008
5 and 0….
Let’s say that one more time…
5 and 0…
Now, in most sports, 5 and 0 may indicate a good start…but only if your competition didn’t consist of cupcakes and no-names. 5 and 0 is and indication that you have the potential to have a good season…
5 and 0…
Tiger Woods is now 5 and 0 in his last five starts. He has not lost a golf tournament that he has played in…that is almost unheard of in golf where you are not only competing against the best of the best of the best, but against tricked out golf courses that would have the rest of us 15 handicappers struggling to break a Ben Franklin (add to that the fact that Bay Hill’s greens were less than satisfactory…rolling at different speeds due to the dreaded Nematode).
5 and 0…
The guy comes back from a less than mediocre Thursday and Friday…several shots off the lead…and rolls in a 25 foot birdie on 18 that broke severely right to left, an amazingly difficult shot, and it wasn’t even in question. On Saturday he hits a feather soft fade around a tree to within 7 feet of the pin (birdie…was there ever any question?) and follows that on the next hole with a screaming draw to within 4 for a tap in…just enough to put him in a tie for lead after starting the day in the middle of the pack.
Now I ask you…was there ever any question?
Was there ever any question that Woods would win Bay Hill after burying the competition in each tournament he has played in the last seven months?
Was there ever any question that Woods would win Arnold Palmer’s tournament for the fifth time ever?
Was there any question that Woods would collect his 65th victory and tie Ben Hogan in total victories?
Was there ever any question that Tiger would simply find a way, even though he was having a less than stellar week striking the ball?
Is there any question as to whether he is not the greatest golfer of all time…..perhaps even the greatest athlete?
He could conclusively answer both of these questions with his play this year…
And I, for one, hope he answers in the affirmative by winning every damn tournament he enters….
P.S. I know you Auburn fans are anxiously waiting my fearless prediction….sorry about the delay…I have a job and that has precluded me from the careful analysis and thought that goes into my prediction. It is coming soon…so stay tuned.
Auburn Prediction Delayed…
Posted by The Chosen Blogger on Mar 3, 2008
I’m on vacation…so all of you out there in bloggerland are just going to have to get over it. (P.S….playing in a golf tourney next weekend too….so expect a two week delay…)
Week 2, Predicting the Razorbacks
Posted by The Chosen Blogger on Feb 24, 2008
If I were to assign a unique “theme” to each and every SEC team this season, then I would probably have the easiest time determining which “theme” to assign the Arkansas Razorbacks…replacement…The Razorbacks are doing a whole lot of replacing this year….a lot of BIG TIME replacing if you want to get right down to the core of it. A whole lot of well publicized, consequential, meaningful replacing that most everyone has heard about.
First of all, they replace (oftentimes more than once) a coaching staff. Houston Nutt, the successful if not at times unstable head coach is replaced by former Falcons part-time-interim Head Coach Bobby Petrino. There was also a two time shakeup at the Defensive Coordinator position as 49ers assistant Willy Robinson came in after Ellis Johnson bolted quickly for South Carolina. Read the rest of this entry »
Alabama Crimson Tide Update…
Posted by The Chosen Blogger on Feb 18, 2008
Due to a recent situation concerning the status of LSU’s Quarterback Heir Apparent Ryan Perrilloux, I have been forced to amend my score prediction for the Alabama/ LSU game. Here is what I had written…
LSU, 11/8/07, Baton Rouge: The Bengal Tigers lose about 10 starters from this year’s top ranked team. While LSU will have talent at each position, that talent will no longer be able to cover up Les Miles’ simply idiotic coaching. LSU will continue to be undisciplined and will make too many mistakes. Look for Alabama to take back Baton Rogue and win their second in November…Bama 27-17.
Here is my updated prediction.
LSU, 11/8/07, Baton Rouge: The Bengal Tigers lose about 10 senior starters from this year’s top ranked team. Along with these massive losses, LSU’’s relatively experienced and very talented Quarterback Ryan Perrilloux is, for all intents and purposes, off the team. While LSU will have talent at each position, that talent will no longer be able to cover up Les Miles’ simply idiotic coaching. LSU will continue to be undisciplined and will make too many mistakes. The loss of their experienced quarterback should only seal the deal more for the Crimson Tide. Look for Alabama to take back Baton Rogue and win their second in November…Bama 27-7.
Consider a Division 1 Career in Football a Thing of the Past, PART 2!! (UPDATED)
Posted by The Chosen Blogger on Feb 18, 2008
There is a lot of smoke building around the rumor that LSU Quarterback Heir Apparent Ryan Perrilloux may have been suspended indefinitely from the team for an un-specified violation of team rules. Perrilloux, who has been skating on thin ice after a high profile incident that kept him home for the Alabama game, was a very highly rated Quarterback out of High School and is seen as the guy who will bring LSU yet again to the “promised land.”
If this is true, and Perrilloux is out…look for me to amend the LSU, Alabama score as LSU’s backup is severely inexperienced…
stay tuned…………
Update 1, 4:48
It has been confirmed that Ryan Perrilloux has been “suspended indefinitely” from LSU’s football team…
Lawyers, GUNS, and Money
Posted by The Chosen Blogger on Feb 13, 2008
Talk about some hard-core sketchyness out in the wide world of sports…
Sporting ‘agent’ Lloyd Lake, who was schedule to give a deposition against alleged client Reggie Bush, walked out of the law firm because a hired bodyguard for Bush flashed his piece in a threatening manner several times. Now, that fact in and of itself is sketchy enough…but here is the kicker…
The ‘bodyguard’ who intimidated this material witness was with Bush Attorney David Cornwell….the same David Cornwell who works for ESPN…So, I was unsurprised to find this story tucked away in the deep recesses of ESPN’s ‘news’ site (you will have to do some clicking to find the story…it ain’t on the front page….).
Do you ever get that feeling of exasperation? The strange realization that even though you expected something, you are still amazed? This is how I feel about ESPN’s “Journalism.” A guy flashes a weapon at a highly charged, extremely relevant sports deposition, and not only does it get second page coverage…but it is relatively buried in the second page. Add to that the fact that the guy packing heat is with an ESPN legal analyst who happens to be representing Reggie Bush in this whole matter and you have a story which is beyond absurd.
I have said it before and I will say it again…ESPN is a joke of a news organization which is on par with Fox News as it relates to journalistic standards. T.V. sports ‘news’ will never be without interest conflicts until a network comes along that refuses to sign contracts for large sporting events….and that, I’m afraid, is not economically viable. I guess its Sports Illustrated or bust…..
Next Year’s SEC…Right Now! UPDATED 2/18/08
Posted by The Chosen Blogger on Feb 12, 2008
This is, as far as I’m concerned, the most awful, saddest, most miserable time of the year. Football is over, done, caput…and I have to wait two months for the Masters (I could care less about round-ball). So, in order to keep my mind occupied on what is important in life, I have decided to, over the next 12 weeks, predict the SEC game by freaking game.
I know I know…it’s entirely too early. Spring practice has not even started and no one could possibly know what is going to happen a month after the end of the ‘07-’08 season. I say to those nay-sayers: ‘DAMN THE TORPEDOES…FULL SPEED AHEAD.” I will let history judge my predictions…so you have every right to call me out at the end of next year’s football season…it will only make me work harder to predict the ‘09-’10 season.
So…without tarrying any longer, I present to you the first entry of my 12 week foray into the crystal ball. I give you…THE SEC WEST….
The Alabama Crimson Tide
Cannibalism, Infanticide, Dairy Queen and Super Bowl Commericals.
Posted by The Chosen Blogger on Jan 31, 2008
I know…it’s a stretch to somehow connect this to sports, but while watching King of the Hill reruns, I stumbled upon this disturbing past Super Bowl Commercial
Popcorn anyone???
This Divorce is Getting Messier by the Hour (UPDATED from SNOWY South Carolina!)
Posted by The Chosen Blogger on Jan 17, 2008
The evidence that Rich Rodriguez is a top notch low-life grows by the day.
The newest bit of evidence comes from the Charleston Daily Mail. Seems Sargent RichRod (SAY RICHROD!) was doing a bit of Michigan recruiting on a WVU cell phone shortly after he informed his team that he was leaving. Adding to that was the fact that the not-so-media-embattled coach was calling recruits during the recruiting dead period wherein coaches are forbidden from calling prospects.
On a related note, I went to ESPN.com this morning to read up on this new bit of info on the RichRod saga. I was also looking forward to reading about the Reggie Bush/ USC scandal that is boiling ever more vigorously by the day. I was sadly disappointed…
Update 1 (11:52, Greenville S.C. Time…) Sargent RichRod finally broke his silence on all of the very-well-publicized-by=ESPN reports of various acts of impropriety.
“The things they are saying are not true,” Rodriguez told the Blade. “It’s a lie. How can you put out lies and think it’s OK? They don’t care what the truth is, they just want to smear Rich Rodriguez.”
Besides suing Rodriguez to collect a $4 million buyout clause in his contract, West Virginia University is continuing its investigation into missing records associated with the program under Rodriguez.
“It’s very frustrating,” Rodriguez told the Blade. “I knew there’d be some emotions involved when I left, but I wanted to take the high road. I’ve chosen to move on, but it’s almost like it’s something new every day, and it’s totally ridiculous.”
I think that it was a mistake for Mr. Rodriquez to come out and make a statement, especially when in the midst of contentious litigation. Note that he does not ever deny shredding every document in his office.
While I’m not sure whether he does or does not have the right to go and destroy his files (that is currently a legal question as of now, I do know that it was a dirty, nasty thing to do. And while I do not by any means believe that Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban is a saint, he and other coaches typically show the common courtesy of leaving behind appropriate and necessary personal notes for the incoming staff.
Either way, my opinion of Mr. Rodriguez is no different than it was an hour ago…he is a slimy character.
Update 2 (12:05, Greenville S.C. Time) One more thing…do you ever trust a guy who speaks about himself in the third person?
“It’s a lie. How can you put out lies and think it’s OK? They don’t care what the truth is, they just want to smear Rich Rodriguez.”
Just a personal thing…