KEEP THE SHINE IN WEEK NINE

After a couple of soft weeks we rebounded very nicely, going 7-1 with our weekend picks. If Tennessee could have slowed the Alabama juggernaut we might have gone 8-0 since we thought Bama would not cover the 28 point spread. But they did, which should come as no surprise since Alabama has hung 50+ points on almost every opponent this season.

Bottomline, we are making money and hopefully you are too.

SIDELINES

• we wish Nick Saban would quit complaining about poor student attendance at home games. The Bama fans will learn fast enough that success doesn't last forever. And one day, sooner than later, Saban will be leaving Tuscaloosa and the party will end. Spoiled.

• just as Georgia Tech fans were arranging for moving vans, Paul Johnson's Jackets pulled another huge road win, this time against the Va Tech gobblers, 49-28. Be sure to check out Tobias Oliver, fill in qb, who racked up 203 rushing yards, 3 TDs on 39 carries. He's not the back up qb for long.

THIS WEEKEND....

We have another great slate of games including the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party featuring the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida Gators in their annual football fest in Jacksonville.

To better understand the dynamics of this game, we’ve asked long time contributor, Kirby Girl to give us her take on the game. We also have newcomer, Two Bits Joe, a Florida grad, for his comments on the Gators and why they will prevail in Jacksonville. Please welcome Two Bits Joe to the wonderful world of Woolard's Weekend Winners!

The tension between these two is nothing short of a nuclear standoff. So much so that these two work colleagues have drawn up legal agreements specifying sanctions in the event their respective team wins. Michael Avenatti would be proud.

IN THEIR WORDS…

SHE SAYS…..

Jacked up in Jacksonville. Let the Big Dawg eat.

WWW…The Dawgs were humbled in Death Valley, only their second regular-season loss in as many years. What do they need to fix to have any hope of making it back to Atlanta in December?

KIRBY GIRL...Turnovers – frankly too many mistakes and what seemed to be a lack of discipline from the team showed vs the Tigers. These Dawgs are young and talented but I’d love to see the upperclassmen mature and develop into leaders to win big games.

WWW…What's your best WLCP memory?

KIRBY GIRL...There is something special about GA/FL and the genuine hate for Tim Tebow and the gator chomp. But, there is nothing quite like walking into the stadium and seeing the fans split 50/50 down the middle, and (if its anything like last year) seeing the Florida side completely empty by halftime.

WWW…Ok, so who wins: Year 3 Kirby Smart or Year 1 Dan Mullen?

KIRBY GIRL...Really, is that even a question? I believe Kirby put the fear of God in the Dawgs and we are going to come out with some heat after a lousy showing in Creole country.

WWW…Most likely, the winner of this game faces the Tide in Atlanta for the SEC Championship. How bad does your team get beat?

KIRBY GIRL...The Dawgs haven’t forgotten last January and I know they will be ready for a re-match.

HE SAYS….

The chomp will prevail

WWW…There's clearly a major difference in these Gators from Dan McElwain's team that finished 4-7. What are the biggest changes that have lead to Mullen's success back in Gainesville?

TWO BITS JOE… ATTITUDE!!!! Ever since his first day on the job, Mac brought with him a sense of delusion, entitlement, and pure laziness. Mac spent his offseasons eating PB&J's in his office instead of recruiting and it showed. The talent on the field diminished and their hunger to win was gone. He once said he could teach a dog how to play football. Guess he couldn't teach a bunch of 3 and 4 star athletes.... and yes I say 3 and 4 stars because in his 3 years, he never recruited a single 5 star. Pathetic. Now Dan.... Well Dan is just the man. He showed the Gator Nation how much he wanted to be a part of it and our players are responding. He tailored a system around Feleipe's strengths instead of the McElwain method - running the same garbage offense year after year regardless of your QB's skill set. Dan got to work immediately. Brought in the right players, got the Jumpman sponsorship, brought in a good coaching staff. But our success this year all boils down to one thing: a change in ATTITUDE.

WWW…What's your best WLCP memory?

TWO BITS JOE… I've actually only been once for the game 2012 and it was a year we lost. We put up a good fight though and if it weren't for a late goal line fumble by Jordan Reed, I still believe we would've won that game.. Anyways, my favorite memory was probably during the tailgate a woman (Georgia fan) called the police on me for watching her TV from like 50 feet away. Typical classless Georgia fan (editor's note: were you fully clothed?)

WWW…Isaiah Crowell once brought an actual bulldog to a press conference. Which current Florida Gator would be most likely to bring a live gator to a media event?

TWO BITS JOE… Kadarius Toney would bring a live gator. Check out his instagram, he's always hanging out with snakes. I guess he just likes reptiles. If you were wondering, he's #4 on offense, you may see him in the endzone a few times on Saturday.

WWW…ok, so who wins: Year 3 Kirby Smart or Year 1 Dan Mullen?

TWO BITS JOE…of course Dan. Florida has been steadfast all year. We're going to use the first part of the game to establish the passing game with Feleipe. Expect some short, easy completions to build up his confidence. We'll mix in the run with Jordan Scarlett and Lamical Perine as the game progresses and then unleash Dameon "Day Money" Pierce in the 4th on an exhausted Georgia D-Line. While all of that's happening on offense, the Florida defense led by our enforcer Chauncey Gardner-Johnson will be making Fromm or Fields uncomfortable all game. They might want to get that 3rd stringer warmed up as well.. Jachai Polite and the rest of our boys in the trenches have been hammering QB's all year long. 

WWW…most likely, the winner of this game faces the Tide in Atlanta for the SEC Championship. How bad does your team get beat?

TWO BITS JOE…let's just say, there may be a rematch between Florida and Bama in the College Football playoff (editor’s note: “may” doesn’t sound terribly confident…and side steps the real question of who wins such a matchup…which would be Alabama by 21).

THE GREAT EIGHT™ for WEEK NINE

#9 FLORIDA v #7 GEORGIA…the Gators are playing with house money and on Florida turf. Given where they’ve been, they have made great strides with new head coach Dan Mullen who is turning out to be one of the best hires of the off season. Meanwhile, Georgia, as usual, had lofty projections for 2018, including a return trip to the CFP. So this game has big time ramifications for the Pups. Lose, and the calls for third year head coach Kirby’s head will ring out. That’s pretty much how UGA fans roll. Just ask Mark Richt. Win, and the Dawg’s chances of making a serious run at a national championship remain alive, albeit thin. In any case, this classic will be just that…a classic of two long time rivals fighting for SEC East dominance. As we’ve said before, UGA has so many weapons especially if Fromm settles in early, and Florida is no LSU. So Dawg fans will have a happy ride home up I-75 feeling pretty good about gigging the Gators and their climb back into national prominence. Dawgs pee on the Gators.

#2 CLEMSON @ FLORIDA STATE…this appears to be an uphill battle for the Seminoles who have not defeated a ranked team since the end of the 2016 season in the Orange Bowl. Meanwhile, Clemson seems to be getting stronger, after knocking off a very athletic NC State, 41-7.  Key to the game? Clemson receivers Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross. Watch for Clemson qb Trevor Lawrence to target them early and often. Take the Tigers over the Noles. Tigers chomp FSU.

#20 WISCONSIN @ NORTHWESTERN…it may be cold on the lake but this game promises to have a lot of sizzle as the winner has the inside track to the Big Ten West division. The Badgers have played in 5 of the 7 Big Ten Championship Games while Northwestern won a title share back in 2000. Key to the game is no secret for Wisconsin: rb Jonathan Taylor, #1 in America with 158+ rushing yards per game. He’ll be facing a Wildcat defense that has struggled against the run. Wisconsin has won 3 of the last 5 with Northwestern. Tomorrow they make that 4 of 6. Badgers run over the Wildcats.

#12 KENTUCKY @ MISSOURI…when was the last time the Wildcats were ranked you might ask? October 14, 2008 at #8 in the AP Poll. And we’re not talking basketball. As a longtime outsider in the SEC East, Kentucky has slowly climbed up the division to claim a share of the top spot with Georgia and Florida. A win over favored Mizzou would be huge, and it could happen. The key is rb Benny Snell who is ranked #4 nationally in rushing and averages 5.2 ypc. He’s a load to bring down. Countering Snell is the Tigers’ qb Drew Lock and his cannon arm. Look for him to take several deep shots down the field to exploit Kentucky’s struggling secondary. In an UPSET SPECIAL, take the Wildcats as Snell has another standout game. Cats claw the Tigers.

#14 WASHINGTON STATE @ #24 STANFORD…this is one of the better games on Saturday as two Top 25 teams compete for control of the Pac-12. Key to the game is the Cougar passing attack versus Stanford’s secondary. Wassu leads the nation in passing yards per game, 392, while the Cardinal defense ranks 98^th in passing yards allowed per game (252). And that could be the difference. In another UPSET SPECIAL, Cougars claw the Cardinal.

#18 IOWA @ #17 PENN STATE…while Penn State has evolved into an also ran for Big Ten title hopes, the Hawkeyes are making a lot of noise and are in the thick of things in the West Division with the Badgers and Wildcats. So this game has some serious implications. Iowa rolls into Happy Valley with a qb, Nate Stanley, riding a hot arm, passing for over 30 yards in 3 of the previous 4 games. While Penn State seems due to have a winning effort, we like Iowa in this one.  Hawkeyes handle the Nittany Lions.

TEXAS @ OKLAHOMA STATE…the Cowboys started off the season 3-0 but now are hoping to end a two-game skid after losing to Kansas State, 31-12. That’s going to be a tall order against the Longhorns, undefeated in Big 12 play. The only thing that could derail Texas is if qb Sam Ehlinger can’t go. Regardless, we still think the Longhorns have plenty of weapons and a very capable qb backup, Shane Buechele, if necessary. Take Texas over the Cowpokes.

NOTRE DAME v NAVY…the Irish are 7-0 and rocking along but here comes that pesky option ground game of Navy. While this isn’t the Navy of the past few seasons, the running game is strong and poised to give the Gold Domers headaches. The problem is that the Middie defense has done little to help, especially against the pass. And that’s music to the ears of Irish qb Ian Book, who’s hitting on 75% of his passes.  The 23.5 point spread is awfully tempting but we think Notre Dame covers. Irish over the Midshipmen.

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