LET IT SHINE IN WEEK NINE

Coaches often tell their teams that they have yet to play their best game.

That's how we feel.

We've done exceptionally well so far this season but we think our best is yet to come. Hitting 100% of our picks is our goal. Yes, a bit lofty but that's what we strive for and what we promise to you, our loyal subscribers and fellow scallywags.

WEEKEND REWIND

With that in mind, we went 5-3 last week including a tasty UPSET SPECIAL with Louisville knocking off Florida State 31-28. Cha ching!

We told you to take Tennessee and the points (35 1/2) because Bama would never cover. Oops. Bama did with a 38 point margin! You can tell a great team when the third teamers are aching to put points on the board and their coach lets them do it. And that's why Saban's Tide sets the bar so high in college football.

Coach O continued his ressurrection tour with his LSU Tigers surviving Ole Miss, and Penn State sending a message to the College Football Playoff committee with a 42-13 spanking of Michigan. Ouch.

So we sit at 67% after a complete eight weeks in the book and now we focus on WEEK NINE which has some pretty intriguing match ups and storylines.

THE DRINKING LAMP HAS BEEN LIT

The weekend headliner, of course, is the annual World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Jacksonville featuring the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida Gators.  There ain't a lot of love between these two schools.

For the last 48 hours there's been a steady stream of dirty Winnebagos flowing south to Jacksonville. And as we speak this morning Dawg and Gator fans are partying on Saint Simon Island and Amelia as they lube up for the big game on the banks of the St. Johns River.

For insight into this great classic, Golden Gator is in the house with his thoughts on the big game.

AND NOW A FEW WORDS FROM GOLDEN GATOR

It’s that time football lovers!

Golden Gator and his little pal, Spurrier

Florida versus Georgia! The greatest rivalry in southern football!

Much has changed in the past year, yet much remains the same.

As happens every year, the prognosticators say this is Georgia’s year! Vince Dooley predicts a national championship!

They again say Georgia has the superior players and the best recruiting class.

They say the Gators don’t have a chance! 

Georgia’s a 14 point favorite, the largest spread in decades.

Sound familiar? We hear this every year.

Oh.. one more thing…these Gators have never lost to the Dawgs. Guess talk is cheap…

Some keys

Florida must slow or stop Georgia’s run game and force their true freshman QB to throw the ball. Hopefully, the Gator defensive backs will make some big plays and score defensive points.

Florida won’t win without those points. As much potential as Franks has, he’s a year away from putting the kind of points on the board that win games.

The Gator defense needs to hold Georgia to 24 points or less for the Gators to have a chance….let’s hope the offense can score enough.

It certainly doesn’t help that we’ve now lost another starter for the season. Sharif will be missed at defensive tackle. That makes 21 scholarship football players unable to play for the Gators Saturday. If the backups don’t step up, we’ll be leaving with our huge tails between our legs.

But, remember. This is Georgia vs. Florida. Strange things happen in this game. So lets hope the Gators make it four in a row over the puppy dogs!

Take the Gators and 14… but a Gator win will be tough.

THE GREAT EIGHT™for WEEK NINE

FLORIDA vs #3 GEORGIA...Kirby Smart's pups are starting to hit on all cylinders as they chug their way to an Atlanta showdown with Alabama for the SEC Championship. Meanwhile Florida coach Jim McElwain gets stranger by the minute with his "fake news" death threats that we think was his weird way of motivating his undermanned team. This game will be over by the half. Dawgs finally win one in Jacksonville.

TENNESSEE @ KENTUCKY...beleageured Vol coach Butch Jones is looking to pull an "Orgeron" by going on a five game win streak that just might save his fanny in Knoxville. Their game tomorrow with the Wildcats will speak volumes since a depleted Tennessee team (lost their top RB to high times) limps into Lexington as a 4 1/2 point underdog. Tennessee will be looking to score their first offensive touchdown since the UMass game back in September. That's how bad their offense has become. Wildcats rebound and bite Smokey's butt. Cats win.

#2 PENN STATE @ #6 OHIO STATE...to say this is a HUGE game is an understatement. Plenty of top playmakers will be on display as both teams compete for the inside track for the Big Ten Championship game AND a likely berth in the College Football Playoff. Put your bucks on the Buckeyes.

#7 CLEMSON @ GEORGIA TECH...on paper these teams are pretty evenly matched. But the games are not played on paper. For Clemson, the unranked Yellow Jackets are a dangerous team to face. When the Bees execute the triple option properly, it's a thing of beauty. This will be a great night cap of a game. Take the Jackets and the points (14.5).

#16 MICHIGAN STATE @ NORTHWESTERN...this could be one of the better games on Saturday with both teams picking up steam of late. The Spartans are returning to their old form (pre 2016) and the Wildcats have just gutted out a big win over Iowa, and feature one of its best running backs ever, Justin Jackson. In an UPSET SPECIAL, Cats claw Sparty.

#14 NC STATE @ #9 NOTRE DAME...the Irish really need to win this one if they want to continue climbing the polls and get into the playoff conversations. A tall order for sure. Meanwhile the Wolfpack has quietly put together a 6-1 season and is sneaking up on the Irish. This makes for a compelling game for sure. Take the Irish over the Pack.

#21 SOUTHERN CAL @ ARIZONA STATE...while the once-ranked #3 Trojans are slipping the Sun Devils are climbing and this game will impact the Pac 12 South. USC has dropped two huge road games with losses to Notre Dame and Washington State, and they need to right the ship in Tempe. They have the weapons as long as qb Sam Darnold takes care of the ball. And look for Trojan rb Ronald Jones II to make some noise. Men of Troy in this one.

#11 OKLAHOMA STATE @ #22 WEST VIRGINIA...this game showcases perhaps two of America's top quarterbacks: Mason Rudolph of the Cowboys and Will Grier of WVU. Both can air it out big time and both have some of the top receivers in the country. This game could well be an elimination game for the Big 12, with plenty of points scored. Ride with the Cowboys.

this is a test to see if anyone really reads this far down the page. If you respond in the "comments" window with the word "bite me" your name will be added to the drawing for Woolard's Weekend Winners swag. Good luck!

MAKE MO' MONEY with MARK™