The Vol Is Out Of The Bag....

.... a teleprompter may be a good investment for Lane Kiffin.

And....

The Florida Gator's and Urban Meyer are a bunch of cheaters! They cheat and still cannot get the players they want! What?! That is what the University of Tennessee Vols coach, Lane Kiffin, said.

National Signing Day was over and it's common to see coaches give their "state of the program" to anyone who'll listen. Kiffin loves the mic and his latest stand up routine will be hard to beat.

In a room filled with reporters and Vol faithful, Kiffin lays down the law on Gator Coach Urban Meyer ( & Bama via Nick Saban):

"I’m going to turn Florida in right now in front of you,” Kiffin told the crowd. “Nu’Keese was here on campus (on his recruiting visit) and his phone kept ringing." “One of our coaches said, ‘Nu’Keese, who’s that?’ He said, ‘Urban Meyer.’

“Just so you know, when a recruit is on another campus, you can’t call him. I love the fact that Urban had to cheat and still didn’t get him.”

On Saban and Bama:
“Nick Saban (Alabama’s coach) should have started his press conference (Wednesday) by saying, ‘Our great class that we signed ... I’d really like to thank Lance (Thompson) because Lance signed eight of those guys.”

Then, Lance Thompson chimes in with some shots over the bow:
“He ain’t getting any more of my (recruits),” Thompson said of Saban. “Just for your information, Utah had no five-stars (recruits), and they kicked the lining out of our tails,” said Thompson in reference to Alabama’s loss to Utah in the Sugar Bowl."

Here's the best quote of it all from Kiffin: "My comments were not intended to offend anyone at the University of Florida,'' Kiffin said in the statement.---LOL

On the (Lance) Thompson comment about Bama vs Utah....they "kicked the lining out of our tails" with no five stars, eh? Umm, Coach Thompson, what does that say about you as a position coach being a coach for the Bama team that Utah beat? Just curious.

You can't see this stuff everyday folks! Here is the kicker, Kiffin didn't know what the heck he was taking about and, evidently, doesn't know the rules of engagement when it comes to NCAA recruiting. Shouldn't and coach in his position know the rules before spouting off? I'd say: yes. With the reprimand from the SEC office, I say they agree. But, to label and accuse a team of illegal recruiting...in a public forum...good gosh!

He called out Spurrier on his recruiting test for making a higher grade than him when he first got to UT. He said he "stole Auburn's best recruiter" Eddie Gran from the Tigers...how can you steal someone from a school that was let go? Now this? Without going through a practice or game yet? Wow.

Kiffin is and has already writing checks his Vols most likely won't be able to cash next year. Out of Meyer, Saban, Spurrier, and Miles (for what he is doing with LSU involving recruiting), somebody/somebodies is gonna get some revenge. Florida is my pick to do it with the fire power they have. Who wants to bet when UF hangs 50+ on the Vols next year, Kiffin is the first to label Meyer as "classless"?

Recruiting is dirty and cut throat and, today, Kiffin made it a lot worse. When has the Tide, Gators, Gamecocks, and the LSU Tigers all agreed on something? Never. Now, they all have a deeper hatred for the Vols. Just imagine SEC Media Days this summer?! Wow.

Wouldn't it be funny if all the things Al Davis said when firing Kiffin were actually true? In my opinion, Kiffin just made himself a lot more enemies. However, I don't think he and UT will be able to back it up. There is a train coming from lot of directions....Bama, LSU, Florida, Auburn, & South Carolina.

Kiffin better mature as a head coach in the SEC and do it quickly. Also, with these antics, his program better be clean as a whistle.

Makes me want to go to the Swamp next year and watch a beatdown Urban Meyer style.

(shaking my head),

Ricky

Ho hum...

My stomach hurts and I don't know if I am getting sick, worrying about the Presidential election next week, or is it just that Auburn plays Saturday and I'm scared to watch...

Well, I went with my heart picking Auburn over West Virginia, but my gut was telling me what would happen. In the first half of the WVU game, I actually thought some other team had stole the Auburn offense's road white uni's! The offense showed signs of life off the heels of two interceptions from the defense.

All was well, AU led at the half (as they have in every game). The second half rolls around, and, WHAP!, back to Auburn of of 2008 and blew another halftime lead. Auburn didn't make adjustments (hence the 33 yard of total offense in the second half), bu, lord have mercy, WVU did! All the credit goes to WVU, Pat White, and the (first) Noel Devine as they absolutely shredded Auburn's defense.

Honestly, I think the defense just broke from holding it together all year. They've kept AU in every game with little to no offensive help and they wore down. Or, did they just plain say: "heck with this...!"? Injuries played a part as well, but it was only a matter of time.

This Auburn team is in shambles with no leadership. Tuberville....wow. That's all that needs to be said. He gave up in that WVU game as well, in my opinion, and, most importantly, GOT BEAT BY BILL STEWART!. Whatever this funk Auburn is going through right now starts at the top! Period. Right now, a majority of the fanbase is numb to the losses, however I think they are looking more towards the fireworks that will go off immediately after the Iron Bowl. What fireworks? We'll all have to wait and see, but it sure is going to be a show. Tub gone, offensive assisitant(s) gone, my man Muschamp coming in????? (Jeopardy music)

In the meantime, I'm still sporting the Auburn threads and taking my lumps. Josh Bynes is still a beast in my book as is Antonio Coleman. Fannin, Tate, and Lester are workhorses when used effectively.

___________________________________________________________________

AUBURN (4-4) @ OLE MISS(4-4) (11:30 CST)

Auburn has some guys coming back from injuries at key positions and it will be a matter of playing a complete game on both sides of the ball. Ole Miss is a dangerous 4-4 team and is heading in the opposite (positive) direction of the Tigers right now. Jevan Snead is a good QB and will only get better.

Fool me once shame on me, fool me with 4 losses out of the past 5 games....shame on me again. Not this time. Save the "keys to the game" jargon this week. I've said it all year that Ole Miss will either beat Auburn or Alabama--they squeaked out a win in Tuscaloosa. So, I am sticking to my guns....Auburn hasn't given me any reason to think they will beat a surging Rebel team that has a coach that plays to win football games.

OVER my beloved

Sorry, just being objective here. Will I be happy with a win? Yes. Would I be shocked? Nope, its Ole Miss. If it makes anyone feel better I think Auburn BEATS Georgia or Alabama though--just the way ol' Tub does things. If you can remember, it's the "loses games he isn't supposed to, wins games he isn't supposed to" coaching style.

Other games:

#1 Texas over #7 Texas Tech

**ESPN'S GameDay is in the state of Texas, again, covering the Longhorns again.

**Texas has been through a gauntlet of teams over the past 3 weeks and most likely their final test on their road to the BCS title game

**Will be a "must see" game with G. Harrell and C. McCoy throwing the ball all over the yard!

**Texas Tech was an underdog last week and put up 63 points--on the road!

#8 Florida over #6 Georgia

**Urban Meyer will beat the dawg out of Georgia if given the opportunity after Mark Richt's little "storm the field" stunt last year.

**Florida is just a better team in my opinion and fast as all heck!

**With a win, the Gators have an inside track to the SEC Championship game and plays Texas in the BCS title game.

#15 Florida State over Georgia Tech

**This is a game that could go either way, but I think FSU is playing well enough right now to get the win

**Either team may find themselves winning the ACC.

Hook'em Horns!

Ricky

CFB Week 8 in review....

Well, it was another good weekend of college football. The BCS standings come out today and I expect Texas to be #1, Bama #2, and Penn State close behind at #3. We'll see how #4-#8 shakes out.

I went 7-3 in my picks. I picked some upsets that I seriously thought could happen and I picked some games that were just torn to shreds. That's the way it goes and it's a good thing that I don't bet on games. Ha.

Game of the Week review: Alabama tops Ole Miss. Well, Ole Miss had opportunities to win in Bryant Denney despite a 24-3 Bama lead at the half. When the Rebels took the early 3-0 lead, it was the first time that Bama had trailed in a game since the '07 Iron Bowl. Bama continued to pummel their opponents in the first half as they have done all year, however their continued lack of offensive production in the second half almost got them beat Saturday.

Coffee wasn't a factor for the Tide only pulling in 52 rushing yards and a 4th quarter fumble that could have been deadly. John Parker Wilson had a good day throwing for two TD's, but the Ole Miss defense was in his grill all day.

Ole Miss did enough to get the win, but so did the Bama defense. The 'Rebs were able to run the ball effectively while cutting the legs out on the Bama running game. The "Wild Rebel" formation was nothing to crow about. Throwing up 17 unanswered points in the second half is worth a look. Jevan Snead is legit. Also, Houston Nutt plays to win football games and I love that. He leaves it all on the field.

The big blow was Bama possibly losing Terrance Cody for the year, but is seems he will be out two games, at least, depending on an MRI. Alabama wasn't the same team when he left the game in the 3rd quarter.

While the game was close to getting out of hand, something told me it would be a nailbiter. Indeed it was. It was another win, a dirty one, but the only thing that really matters is the score when the game clock hits 0:00 in the 4th quarter. Bama travels to depleted Tennessee next week to take on the Vols. Could the dangling Phil Fulmer pull one off over the Tide? It's possible.

Now, I've said all year, Ole Miss will either beat Alabama or Auburn. So, that means.....freakin' A! Maybe I'll be worng. I just want a win over West Virginia Thursday.

Texas drilled Mizzouri Newsflash: Mizzou isn't a bad football team. Texas is just that good! My lord, Colt McCoy is a flat out stud, and he's just a junior. Congrats again to my man Muschamp.

Maryland unloaded on Wake Forest Eh, I actually thought Wake would win this one, but Maryland is not too shabby. Who'll win the ACC?!

Texas Tech beat Texas AM, but had a little resistance from the Aggies for a bit

Georgia pulled away from Vanderbilt. Vandy didn't go away easy though and played pretty well. After their good start, will they get bowl eligible!?

Ohio State blistered Michigan State. Yes, I actually thought the Spartans would get the win. (sigh)

Oklahoma rebounds from the Texas loss and beat Kansas in a shootout. Sam Bradford....468 yards passing. Umm, yeah. The Sooners had 674 yards of total offense!

Penn State meant business against Michigan. Don't fret, Rich Rodriquez will repay the favor with these teams beating him very soon.

Boston College edges out Virginia Tech

LSU escaped a near upset by South Carolina Anyone else think you are about to see how good of a coach Les Miles is or isn't? I do.

Looking at most of the teams above and their offensive production, points, yards, etc.....WHY DOES OFFENSE SEEM TO BE SO HARD AT AUBURN? Geez.

WDE,

-R

Auburn is off, so what the hay! CFB Week 8 Preview...

STLBTS’s Game of the Week: Ole Miss @ #2 Alabama

Coach Houston Nutt rolls his Ole Miss Rebels into Tuscaloosa to take on the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide for what could be an exciting game. You give Coach Nutt some good/decent athletes and an unlimited text message account on his cell phone…he is dangerous (a little rim shot there!). Alabama leads the overall series between the Rebs 44-9-2 and has won 20 of 23 contests between the two SEC schools. Addiotnally, Bama has won four straight and have only lost once to the Rebels in Tuscaloosa. Noteworthy, the last three meetings have all been decided by three points!

Ole Miss is coming off a dreadful loss to South Carolina at home, however the Rebels and Nutt are not a team to be taken likely. Nutt has an astounding 5-7 record when it comes to his team as an underdog against Top 5 teams. Most recently by knocking off the Florida Gators in the Swamp, a triple overtime win over the #1 ranked LSU Tigers last year, and a painful win over my Auburn Tigers in 2006 when they were ranked #2 in the country—all on the road in hostile stadiums! Impressive. Heck, Nutt runs the ball last year (2007) at the end of the game, he beats Alabama at home. Offense-The Rebels have weapons to put points on the scoreboard with Jevan Snead under center and ranked 3rd in the SEC in rushing. Don’t let the “Wild Rebel” formation bite’cha! On defense, they have a certain defensive end back that caused hell for the Tide last year in Greg Hardy. However, thus far, the Rebs haven’t shown they can stop the run.

So, which Rebel team will show up Saturday? Who knows.

Alabama is coming off a bye week after careless 17-14 win over Kentucky. The Tide committed three turnovers in the game along with 10 penalties for 92 yards that could have very well ended their national title run. But, it didn’t. On offense, Bama has outscored opponents a whopping 88-0 in the first quarter this year and has scored on its opening possession in four of their six games. Also, they haven’t trailed in a game yet. Nice. Glen Coffee leads the way for the SEC’s top ground game averaging 226.3 yards a game. Why? The offensive line is making a difference up front no matter who is running the rock. Defensively, Bama is only allowing a mere 50.8 yards on the ground from opposing offenses (2nd best the in nation behind TCU who thumped BYU Thursday night).

Can the Rebels lack of run defense play to a (big) strength for the Tide’s power running game? Well, yes. Duh.

Keys to the game:
Ole Miss: STOP THE RUN, limit turnovers & careless mistakes (having 15 in the 5 games), & pressure John Parker Wilson.
Alabama: RUN THE FOOTBALL, limit penalties, create turnovers & contain Jevan Snead.

So, can Ole Miss beat Alabama on Saturday? You betcha’. Should they? No. History shows that Nick Saban’s teams don’t play well coming off bye weeks. Hmmmm…

**Pick: Alabama over Ole Miss (striaght up), Ole Miss over Alabama (point spread)

#1 Texas over #11 Missouri
**ESPN’s GameDay might as well buy real estate in Austin, TX as they are there again for the second straight week to see the ‘Horns take on Chase Daniel and the Tigers. Texas is coming off a huge, emotional win over the Sooners even though Sam Bradford threw for 387 yards and 5 TD’s. Eh…? Mizzou is coming off a loss where Daniel tossed for 390 yards. It is known that Texas’s defense will give up some yards and points. My man, Will Muschamp, will have another challenge on his hand this week! Colt McCoy was a beast last week and will be heavily relied upon again this week to keep the Longhorns on the road to the BCS National Championship. Texas has won the past four meetings by an average of 23 points.

#21 Wake Forest over Maryland
**My pick to win the ACC

#7 Texas Tech over Texas A&M
**This one will be uuuugly!

#10 Georgia over #22 Vanderbilt
** MacKenzi Adams goes in at QB for the “Dores. Won’t make a difference.

#20 Michigan State OVER #12 Ohio State
**Call me crazy, but I think the Buckeyes goes down courtesy of Javon Ringer.

#4 Oklahoma over #16 Kansas
**Will be another shootout, but the Sooners have too many weapons

#3 Penn State over Michigan
**Paterno and Penn St are looking to end a nine game losing streak against the Wolverines—they’ll get it Saturday. Penn St is beating teams by a 34 point margin. Michigan is coming off a loss to (holy) Toledo!

#17 Virginia Tech over Boston College
**The last road loss the Hokies had on the road was against Boston College in 2006. BC has won three straight games at home when going against ranked opponents.

#13 LSU over South Carolina
**LSU will win, but Spurrier & the Cocks won’t be a push over.

War Eagle,

-R

The aftermath of Week 7....

Wow. What a day, weekend, week it has been in college football.

I went 4-4 on my picks.

• The "Red River Shootout" between Oklahoma and Texas was a very entertaining game and indeed a "shootout". It was a race to the finish and merely two teams trying to outscore each other because the defenses seemed like they couldn't stop anyone. Texas has some studs. McCoy is a player and has a lot of weapons around him. They came in under the radar and left knocking #1 Oklahoma. The Sooners didn't play a bad game, however. Texas will play in the BCS National Championship in my opinion. It was a great game to watch. I said Texas should jump to #1 one in the polls, the AP poll agrees with me. We'll see if the Coaches Poll concurs with me as well. It would be a major jump if they went to #1. Longhorn trivia here....The last time Texas hired a defensive coordinator from Auburn, what was so significant about it?
• Vandy went down as expected vs. Miss St.
• Georgia pulled off one vs. Tennessee, but UT could have won it.
• Listen when I say Butch Davis will/would out coach Weis and UNC would beat Notre Dame.
• "Mizzou over Oklahoma State....Another offense that is easy on the eyes with Chase Daniel—will be a rout!"--Pffft!! Boy, I was wrong there. Three second half INT's will do that for ya. Big win for Ok St., big loss for Mizzou--big loss.
• Texas Tech beat Nebraska as they should have, but it took OT to do it.
• LSU's Francois come out this week and runs his Tigah trap about laying the wood to Florida's Tebow. Funny...HE DIDN'T EVEN PLAY IN THE GAME OR TRAVEL WITH THE TEAM! LSU reported an injury to Francois, but suspension maybe? I stayed with my LSU pick against my will to change it prior to the game (sigh). Florida beat the jambalaya out of LSU. Tim Tebow is a beast and maybe be the best college QB to ever play the game.

Good day of college football. Oh, the parity. Am I a bad person that I couldn't care less about Major League Baseball and the NFL? I'm sorry, but I don't.

• Oh, I forgot Auburn....No, Auburn needs it own post. Coming soon.

WDE,

-R

CFB, week "Siete"....

Amid the Franklin firing, uneasiness, and uncertainty is running wild on the Plains. However, Auburn still has a game to play Saturday with the Arkansas Razorbacks coming to town. Thoughts swirl about what Auburn will look like offensively, but the off the field stories lead the pack.

The happy feet, yet offensive guru, Bobby Petrino returns to Auburn for the first time after leaving his offensive coordinator position in 2002 for a head job at Louisville. A small stint at Louisville and a couple minutes with the Atlanta Falcons landed him in Arkansas yelling “woo pig sooie”. It has been media whirlwind reliving the happenings back in 2003.

On Thursday, Tuberville tabbed Steve Ensminger as the interim play caller for the Tigers. Ironically, it was Ensminger, along with Hugh Nall, that called the shots in ’03….the infamous “Nallminger” offense. That duo didn’t produce a Tiger touchdown until game three and finished with a 7-5 record—almost the end of the Tub’s era.

The Razorback offense comes into Jordan Hare only scoring 10 points in the past two games, ranked 11th in scoring offense in the SEC, and an offensive line giving up a league leading 21 sacks. Contrastingly, they move the football up and down the field, but don’t have the points or the wins to show for it. Weird, huh?

Defensively, they have holes—a lot of them. Many past opponents have exploited that. Hence being ranked last in scoring defense in the SEC.

Who knows what the Auburn offense will put on the field Saturday, but I am sure it will be run heavy to set up the pass-- smash mouth football. I foresee an offense full of excitement and looking to make a statement. I expect the line to be aggressive as ever, opening up holes for the backs (see: 1st half of the Vandy game). Mario Fannin’s return to the backfield should provide an extra boost along with the possible return of Brad Lester; Ben Tate will continue to show up for work. I believe Burns will get A LOT more snaps.

The Auburn defense got a little banged up against Vandy and most likely will start a freshman cornerback, Neiko Thorpe. They will be tested by Casey Dick.

Keys to the game:
Arky: Keep pressure on Auburn’s defense with the run/pass balance, play good defense without giving up the big play. Get Casey Dick hurt and play the back up QB! (Backup QB’s have handed AU their two losses this year)

AU: Execute on offense & score points. Period. Contain the arm of Casey Dick and stop the run—bend, but don’t break. Where have the special teams gone? Make an extra point, kick a field goal….somethin’!

Auburn protects the house….**#20 AU 24 over ARK 17**

Other games: Last week, 4-1

#1 Oklahoma over # 5 Texas
**ESPN’s GameDay—Red River Shootout
**Oklahoma’s offense and Sam Bradford are fun to watch. Muschamp is still my boy; Applewhite is still beloved by Bama fans.
**Colt McCoy leads the Longhorns in rushing. What?!

Miss St over #13 Vandy
*Must win for Miss St.; Cinderella loses its slipper.

#10 Georgia over Tennessee
**Hmmm, very tempting, but…Fulmer gets kicked in the Vols again; Redemption for UGA from ’07.

#22 UNC over Notre Dame
**Butch Davis outcoaches Weis

#4 LSU over #11 Florida
**First time two previous national champs meet in 18 years. The home team has NEVER lost
**Ricky Jean_Francois ='s stooopid! , but I’m sticking with the “Hat” on this one.

#3 Mizzou over #17 Oklahoma St
**Another offense that is easy on the eyes with Chase Daniel—will be a rout!

#7 Texas Tech over Nebraska
**Eww!