WINNERS OR WHINERS®...WEEK SEVEN REVIEW

Oh what a difference a week makes!
Despite a couple of late night losses (thank you Tennessee) we did very nicely, posting a 6-2 record this past weekend (that's a 75% winning ratio for you bean counters).

Roadtrippin' to Vegas.

As the Scoreboard sez, we're now sitting at a cumulative 68% which means the boys in Atlantic City and Vegas are actually paying us now. Speaking of Vegas, I'm headed there this weekend to personally meet with Mister Bigs. I'm being comped a room along with some "starter" chips so it'll be interesting. Might even take in a few shows and, of course, hit the floor for some blackjack and craps, all the while keeping an eye on the college game scene.

So, let's do a quick recap of the past weekend.

WEEKEND REWIND®

Ole Miss delivered the goods when they delivered a big "L" to the Auburn Tigers/War Eagles/Plainsmen/Dying Oaks/Ag Schoolers. Things seems to be jelling for Mister Freeze in Oxford and this just might be the season that the Rebs finally move out of the SEC West basement where they've been residing for the last dozen years or so (or ever since they ran good guy David Cutcliffe off the campus). We had this as a W for the Rebs.

Speaking of Coach Cut, the luck of the Dookies ran out in Blacksburg as Virginia Tech rebounded with a 41-20 win. We hated to pick against Cutcliffe but business is business, and we sho do like to win.

Muschamp's undefeated Gators took care of business beating Vandy 31-17 and now sit at a #2 ranking, right behind the Tide. It was a good game until Vandy remembered it was Vandy. And Tebow who? QB Jeff Driskell set a new Florida record for rushing yards by a quarterback breaking Timmy Tebow's 166 yards with his 177. Funny how a head coach can do great things in just his second year (are you listening David Hart??).

Irish eyes were smiling as were we as Notre Dame survived a close one in South Bend by beating Stanford 20-13. The Irish are enjoying a #5 ranking at the mid-season mark.

Bama played some "old man" football and spanked the Mizzou Tiggers 42-10. The Crimson Tide rolled up 362 rushing yards to Mizzou's meager 3. Bet Coach Pinkey wishes his ding dong players had never opened their pie holes and provided the entire SEC with great bulletin board material. I even think Tennessee might beat Missouri (I said "might").

Making mo' money.

The Red River Rivalry was anything but as the Oklahoma Sooners made shish kabobs of the Texas cows, 63-21, and returned to Norman with the Golden Hat. Just when some were questioning Landry Jones' effectiveness the boy rings up 321 passing yards as he becomes just the fourth Sooner quarterback to beat Texas three times. I love it when I'm right!

Coach can't catch a break.

We guessed wrong on our Upset Special as once again Tennessee failed to finish strong in their 41-31 loss to the Mutts of Starkville. Earlier in the week Coach Orange Pants had surgery for a fractured hip which we believe resulted from repeated stamping of his leg in frustration. Nevertheless, the hiney heat is ramping up big time on Rocky Top as the football program in teetering on the verge of collapse with zero conference wins and Alabama and South Carolina on deck.

George the Cat was tripped up by his fellow felines in his BIG PICK of the WEEK as the LSU Tigers squeaked out a two point victory. It's tough to win a night game in the Red Stick and Les Miles knows how to win close ones.

Looking Ahead. 

A great slate of games are coming this weekend with #7 South Carolina-#2 Florida, Virginia Tech-#19 Clemson, #4 Kansas State-#13 West Virginia and the Third Saturday in October with the #1 Crimson Tide visiting Knoxville. The Bama-Vol game will be George the Cat's featured BIG PICK of the Week so be sure to check back for Friday's posting.

Woolard's Weekend Winners® for Week Seven.

Another great weekend; another great slate of games. George the Cat returns with his BIG PICK of the WEEK. He's 3-1 and puts his whiskers on the line with the South Carolina - LSU game.

Here are your winning picks.

 #15 Texas @ #13 Oklahoma...the Red River Rivalry is a classic and one that's on my personal bucket list. The fanfare and the passion of the fans ranks right up there. Both teams need this win badly in order to keep pace with West Virginia and Kansas State.  Texas is 13-13 in its last 26 games but the Longhorns rank 6th in the nation with 48.6 points per game led by QB David Ash. But Oklahoma has a stingy defense allowing only 16 points per game. It will be the best defense the 'Horns have faced thus far. Stoop's Sooners win in Dallas.

#17 Stanford @ #7 Notre Dame...Brian Kelly's Irish have been oneof the real surprises this season, jumping out to a 5-0 start including impressive wins over Michigan and Michigan State. And last weekend they added a 41-3 beat down of the Miami Hurricanes. Even more impressive, the Golden Domers have not allowed a touchdown since their September 8th game with Purdue. The Irish own a 17-9 series advantage and are 10-3 against Stanford in Notre Dame Stadium. Not to be confused with the Four Horsemen but Notre Dame has a potent stable of runners including Atkinson, Riddick, and Wood. They racked up 376 rushing yards last week, the most since 2000. We see Touchdown Jesus raising his hands after this game. And the Irish will be smiling.

Duke @ Virginia Tech...the Hokies have their hands full with Duke, which has the number 4 scoring offense in the ACC and leads the league with fewest sacks allowed. The Tar Heels torched Va Tech last week with 48 points, the most points the Hokies have ever given up to an ACC foe. But this Saturday defensive coordinator Bud Ford rights the ship and denies the Blue Devils their 6th win. Bowl eligibility will have to wait for Cutcliffe's crew. Beamer ball returns in Blacksburg.

#4 Florida @ Vanderbilt...Gone are the days of the "sun and gun" offense with five wide outs and finesse schemes. Muschamp has the Gators playing his kind of game: grind it out on the ground and smash mouth defense. And it will be no different as Florida goes for its 22nd consecutive win over Vandy. Look for Florida RB Mike Gillislee to exceed his 109 yards/game average as the Gators chomp the Commodores.

#1 Alabama @ Missouri...let's see how Mizzou likes "old man football" after Bama gets done beating them like a red headed step child (no offense intended to any one that happens to be red headed and a step-child). Alabama leads the country in total defense and scoring defense (7 ppg), allowing a meager 3.3 yards per play. The only guys smiling besides Alabama fans will be the scalpers in Columbia as the Tide drowns the "show me" staters and shows the pundits why they deserve to stay Numero Uno.

Tennessee @ #19 Mississippi State...I hate to say this but I think this is a do or die game for Coach Orange Pants as most consider this to be a pivotal game for the Vols. After losing conference games to Florida and Georgia, Tennessee tangles with MSU, Alabama, and South Carolina. So the best chance for logging an SEC win during this run is with the Starkvillians. And we see it happening as the cowbells struggle to keep up with Tyler Bray and his talented receivers, Hunter, Patterson, and Rogers. Vols win in StarkVegas in an upset.

Auburn @ Ole Miss...The Rebels haven't won an SEC game in 16 tries and are fresh off a loss to the Aggies who scored late in the game to beat Ole Miss. But they host a struggling Auburn team that is giving up 409 yards per game while being last in the SEC in total offense. Not a winning combination. We like the Rebels in this one. Hotty toddy in the Grove.

George the Cat's BIG PICK of the WEEK

#3 South Carolina @ # 9 LSU...this will be the second straight Top Ten team the Gamecocks will face as they head into Death Valley to take on the LSU Tigers who are reeling from a 14-6 defeat in Gainesville (Mettenberger completed just 44% of his passes). The Tigers have dominated this series 16-2-1, and are 10-1 in Baton Rouge. Based on what I've seen to date I like Spurrier's squad in an upset but let's see what George the Cat has to say. Roll tape por favor.

Make Mo Money with Mark !!

Be sure to follow us on Twitter @BigBlueCaddy

What's in a name? The most unique names in the SEC.

As part of our commitment to bringing you the best in college football insight, our crack(ed) research team has undertaken the task of analyzing which SEC players have the most unusual and unique first names. We call it the SEC All-Name Team.

Some of these names you're familiar with such as Jadeveon Clowney, Kadetrix Marcus, and Rantavious Wooten. Some others less so.

I have a few favorites like Martavius Neloms of Kentucky, Rolandis Woodland of Mizzou, and Cassanova McKinzie of Auburn.

I'm so inspired by this list that I'm actually thinking about changing my own first name. 

I kinda like Martavius, LaMarcus, or maybe something like DaMarco. But I'd like to get your input so do drop me a line (see bottom of page where you can write back in the nifty little comment section). But as my pappy use to say, "you can call me anything, just don't call me late for supper."

SEC leader in funky names.

Based on our research it appears that Auburn leads the way with the most unique and unusual first names. Which makes sense since Auburn has the most team names itself: Tigers, Plainsmen, War Eagles, Dying Oaks, Chiziks Cheaters, Cam's Scam, etc. You get the picture.

Here's our 2012 SEC All-Name Team. Let us know if we missed anything.

Alabama

Xzavier Dickson

LaMichael Fanning

Auburn

LeDarius Owens

Demetruce McNeal

JaViere Mitchell

T’Sharvan Bell

Cassanova McKinzy

Octavious Andrews

Gimel President (does he have a brother, Vice?)

Delondre DeJarnett

Travante Stallworth

JaBrian Niles

Devaunte Sigler

Arkansas

D’Arthur Cowan

DeQuinta Jones

DeMarcus Hodge

Levunce Askew

Ole Miss

Quintavius Burdette

Dehendret Collins

Serderius Bryant

LaKedrick King

I’Tavius Mathers

Philander Moore

Miss State

Qaudry Antoine

Rishunn McCaleb

LaDarius Perkins

Arceto Clark

Taveze Calhoun

Beniquez Brown

Benardrick McKinney

Templeton Hardy

LSU

Jerqwinick Sandolph

Jermauria Rasco

A’Trey-U Jones

La’el Collins
Barkevius Mingo
Ego Ferguson

Texas A&M

DeVante Harris

Devonta Burns

Johntel Franklin

D’Cardio Cottonham

Shayvion Hatten

Florida

Lerentee McCray

Quinteze Williams

Georgia

Kwame Geathers

Kenarious Gates

Quayvon Hicks

Rantavious Wooten
Bacarri Rambo

Kentucky

Martavius Neloms

Demarco Robinson

La’Rod King

TraVaughn Paschal
Mister Cobble
Bookie Cobbins

Missouri

Kenronte Walker

Ka’Ra Stewart

Rolandis Woodland

South Carolina

Jadeveon Clowney

Devonte Holloman

Shamier Jeffrey

Kadetrix Marcus

Tennessee

Deanthonie Summerhill

Quenshaun Watson

LaDarrell McNeil

Vanderbilt

Ladarius Banks

Ja’karri Thomas

Winners or Whiners®....Week Six Review

Top pup not feeling so well.

With a 3-5 posting only UGA'a Mark Richt feels worse than me. Okay, maybe  Georgia Tech's defensive coordinator, Al Groh, who was finally shown the door earlier today after another in a string of defensive melt downs for the Jackets. So there's plenty of whining to go around.

This past Saturday had some really terrific games with several having "upset" written all over them. So let's start with the good news.

In their first trip ever to Texas, West Virginia upset the Longhorns, 48-45, with QB Geno Smith going 25 of 35 passing with 4 TDs. He has now thrown 24 passing TDs without an interception through five games this season. No wonder this kid is a leading Heisman candidate.

The much hated #10 Gators turned the tables on #4 LSU and upset the Tigers 14-6 in the Swamp. We had a feeling that the Hat could be tripped up and the undefeated lizards did just that. It was Muschamp's first win over a ranked team since beating Georgia in 2010, and he did it with a grind it out ground game and super stingy defense. So, are the Gators back for real??

The Bulldogs of Mississippi State added to the misery of Joker Phillips with a 27-14 win in Lexington. The Starkvegas crew outgained Kentucky 427 yards to 228, so we racked up another winning pick.

We missed out on some close ones including Penn State over Northwestern, 39-28. The Wildcats were looking to go 6-0 for the first time since JFK was in office but instead lost its sixth straight to the Nittany Lions.

Ohio State crushed Nebraska 63-38 in Happy Valley. And Buckeye QB Braxton Miller is still learning the offense! We thought the Black Shirts would show up but I guess they missed that memo.

Pleading for another Cam!

In another surprise, the Razorbacks beat Chizik's tigers/war eagles/plainsmen 24-7, snapping a four game losing streak. The Arkansas defense, ranked 116th, forced five turnovers and held Auburn to 40 yards rushing. Maybe Auburn is really worse than we first thought. Ain't looking good for Chizik.

You can't win games lying down.

But the most surprising outcome was the merciless 35-7 beatdown of the #5 Uga pups at the hands (or talons) of the #6 Gamecocks. Before I could pour my second cup of cocoa, Spurrier's squad had hung 21 points on Georgia. And the South Carolina goal line drive stop only punctuated another embarrassing moment on a national television platform for Mark's mutts. The Cocks limited QB Murray to just 11 of 31 passes and a paltry 109 yards. Yes, I lost money on this game but it was almost worth it, especially since I was in South Carolina enjoying the moment with a hundred or so of my closest Gamecock friends.

Dumfounded again, the Jackets deserve better.

Good bye Groh. The Clemson Tigers ran an incredible 93 offensive plays and racked up 601 yards of offense in another embarrassing effort by the GT defense. The Jackets have yielded over 40 points in each of their last three games and rank 90th in overall defense and 89th in scoring defense. This is Tech's worst start since 1994 when it started 1-5 in route to a 1-10 season. Needless to say, George the Cat's sister, Elaine, was off on her BIG PICK of the WEEK.

It was a tough weekend but we look to rebound next Saturday. Look for more updates throughout the week.

Woolard's Weekend Winners® for Week Six....

 There are so many close games this Saturday you could literally flip a coin in making a pick. But that's the lazy way out. So we forged ahead with our indepth game study in an attempt to make somewhat reasonably intelligent, informed picks. We avoided the "favorite color" or "cute mascot" techniques although those approaches aren't all that bad. But this Saturday could also be known as Upset Weekend.

So, after posting a 6-2 record of Winners last Weekend, here's our prognosticating forecast for Saturday, including the BIG PICK of the WEEK, which Elaine, George the Cat's sister, will be handling (we decided to give her another chance).

 Week Six Winners...

Darth Rooster greets the Head Dawg.

 #5 Georgia @ #6 South Carolina.....about this time every season, the bloom on the UGA flower begins to fade. So here we are again.This is the season's first Eastern Division showdown in the SEC with the winner of this contest sitting in the divisional driver's seat, at least until the next big SEC showdown. Georgia has never lost 3 in a row to South Carolina since this series started in 1894. While UGA touts two outstanding tailbacks in Gurley and Marshall, they will be without the services of one of their best offensive weapons, WR Michael Bennett (torn ACL). And, even with the return of exiles Rambo and Ogletree, the pup defense could barely contain Tennessee's comeback efforts last Saturday. Despite all of that, we think Georgia has too many weapons for Spurrier's Cocks to overcome. So we're going with Coach Mark's Mutts in a mild upset in Columbia.

#4 LSU @ #10 Florida...this game will separate the contenders from the pretenders. We'll see if the Bengal Tigers are for real, especially after their poor showings against lowly Auburn and Towson State. In an upset, we're picking the Gators to win in the Swamp, with QB Jeff Driskel having a great game with his arm and his feet. In each game to date, Driskel has had at least one rush of 20+ yards and is averaging 11.1 yards per carry on designed run plays and 9.4 yards on scrambles. Gators get er done in Gainesville.

Geno the Great leads the Heisman list.

#8 West Virginia @ #11Texas...the question here is will any defense show up?  Last week, the Mountaineers racked up a school single game record of  807 yards in their 70-63 win over Baylor. QB Geno Smith is posting some unbelievable numbers: 1728 passing yards, a blistering 84% completion rate,  20 TDs without an INT. No wonder he's the leading Heisman Trophy candidate. But, the Longhorns can put up some big offensive numbers as well with QB David Ash. He carded over 300 passing yards in last week's win over Okie State. We like the Mountaineers, especially when you factor in their two outstanding receivers, Austin and Bailey. So, if want to win mo' money, put your green on the Morgantown mountain boys in an upset.

#24 Northwestern @ Penn State...the undefeated Wildcats (5-0) look to record their best start in 50 years in Happy Valley against a Penn State team that is starting to come around. Northwestern's QB Kain Kolter is the real deal with a great arm and fantastic running ability (he ran for 161 yds against Indiana plus had 9 receptions for 131 yards). Look for the Nittany Lions to hit the showers early in this one (too soon?). Wildcats win in another upset.

#21 Nebraska @ #12 Ohio State...the Huskers invade the Horseshoe for the very first time as a Big Ten member and there's plenty of storylines to go around.  Nebraska coach Bo Pelini played at Ohio State and was there at the same time that Urban Meyer was an assistant coach. But this game will come down to quarterback play featuring Nebraska's Taylor Martinez and the Buckeye's dangerous Braxton Miller who had 179 passing yards and ran for 23 times/136 yards in their win over Michigan State last week. Something tells me that this will be won by the defense. If the Black Shirt defense shows up, we have an upset win by the Huskers.

Auburn @ Arkansas.....this game features Dying Oaks versus a dying coach, and we see Auburn rebounding from a really close loss to LSU to clobber a struggling Razorback team (1-4). Chizik knows he needs to have a win to stay alive for a bowl bid come December and he'll have his tiger/war eagles/plainsmen ready to go. He showed us a lot last week in that near upset of LSU. Meanwhile, Arky coach John L. Smith continues to be mired in personal problems with  his recent upping of bankruptsy debt now at $40 million. Kinda hard to focus with that hanging over your head. Aubbies win big.

#20 Mississippi State @ Kentucky....there's a good reason Joker Phillips ain't laughing this week. He's lost his starting quarterback (Maxwell Smith, torn ankle ligament) and will rotate two unknowns at QB, the KY run game is ranked 109th with just 119 yards per game, and Kentucky remains a basketball school. Look for the Wildcats to drop to 1-5 as Mullen's Bulldogs win in Lexington.


George the Cat's BIG PICK of the WEEK® 
Georgia Tech @ Clemson...actually Elaine, George the Cat's sister returns this week with her BIG PICK of the WEEK.  Here's what you need to know. First, the Rambling Wreck is really a train wreck (see what I did there) having dropped last week's game to lowly Middle Tennessee State, that Sun Belt powerhouse from the North. Second, Paul Johnson has a knack for rallying his Jackets after embarrassing losses. Third, GT has given Clemson fits, having won 4 of the last 5 games coached by Dabo Swinney. Meanwhile, the Tigers just survived a scare at Boston College and are still reeling from their 49-37 loss to Florida State.

So, can the Jackets rebound? Can Clemson go to 5-1? Let's see what Elaine has to say.  Roll da tape please.

Make Mo Money with Mark(and George the Cat)

p.s. if there is a big game coming up that you want to have included in our weekly prognostications, drop us a note.

Extra Points® from Woolard's Weekend Winners

Move over Coach K: Make room for Coach Cut.

The head Devil making things happen.

Something good is happening in Durham and it doesn't involve roundball or hardwoods. It's Duke Blue Devil football. That's right! Duke is off to its best start at 4-1 since 1994 when the Blue Devils were 5-0 and went to a bowl game for the last time.

On Saturday, Duke snapped a 12 game losing streak to Wake Forest and moved one step closer to bowl eligibility. That's a big deal for Duke. Their offense is starting to roll, having scored 185 points in its first five games, the highest five game total to open a season in school history. And guess what? Duke now has the same record as Clemson and Miami.

The Quarterback Whisperer.

So what's behind the resurgence in Durham? It starts with the quiet, unassuming leadership of Head Coach David Cutcliffe who has an enviable track record of developing young talent especially quarterbacks. His resume includes the Manning boys, Peyton and Eli, Heath Shuler, Andy Kelly, Eric Ainge, and Tee Martin, among others.

And, for the first time since opening in 1929, Wallace Wade Stadium is getting a major face-lift with seating expansion and other major renovations including a new press box and luxury suites.

Winners or Whiners®....Week Five Review...

Wow! We saw some great games this past Saturday from shootouts to comebacks to ugly wipeouts. And, most importantly, we made out rather well with our picks, thank you very much. Which means you made Mo' Money!

Show me the money.

George the Cat® Hits Again with his BIG PICK of the WEEK®.

George the Cat is the big feline on campus this week as he hit big on his video pick 'em of the Mutts of Athens over the Tennessee Vols. He knows how I feel about this rivalry but business is business, and now George the Cat is 3-1 for the season.

The 51-44 loss to Georgia marked the first time in Tennessee's history (dating back to 1897) that the Vols lost when scoring over 40 points. Not the type the history you wish to make if you're a Big Orange fan. But major kudos to Tennessee for battling back not once, not twice, but several times. They could easily have rolled over and I applaud the coaches and players for fighting back. This should give UT fans some hope for the future.

Be sure to be looking for his next BIG PICK of the WEEK featuring the Clemson Tigers hosting the Jackets of Georgia Tech.

Texas A&M made history by winning their very first SEC game, 58-10 over Arkansas. Aggie QB Johnny Manzeil threw for a school record 453 yards and 3 touchdowns plus ran for another. Hey! He just scored again!

A sloppy start turned into a beautiful finish for #22 Nebraska as the Cornhuskers staged a 17 point comeback to beat the Wisconsin Badgers. Taylor Martinez orchestrated four straight scoring drives to seal the deal in Lincoln and make mo' money for us.

We came up short as Urban Meyer's #14 Ohio State Buckeyes won a bruising game to edge out #20 Michigan State 17-16.   Key stat of the game: the Buckeyes averaged 4.6 yards per carry on 44 rushes compared to Michigan State's paltry average of 1.5 yards per carry. Too bad the Buckeyes aren't eligible to win the Big Ten title because they have it going on with a 5-0 record.

If you took Ole Miss and the points as we recommended, you have a nice pile of jack to take on your next trip to Tunica - not that we advocate gambling! The Rebels kept the game somewhat close (relatively speaking) as Alabama won 33-14 in Tuscaloosa. In fact, the Rebs led the Tide for a whopping 15 seconds before the Tide started to roll.

The South Carolina Gamecocks rebounded from a 17-7 halftime deficit to man-handle the Kentucky Wildcats 38-17. The Cocks scored 31 unanswered points and outrushed Joker's Cats 174 yards to 7 yards in the second half. There's a ticking noise in Lexington and it ain't a clock.

Northwestern set a school record with 704 yards of offense in their 44-29 victory over Indiana in their Big Ten opener. The Evanston crew is giddy with a 5-0 record heading into week six.

Another bust on the Flats as Georgia Tech forgot to tell its defense what time the game started. Middle Tennesse State University from Murfreesboro upset the Jackets 49-28 in what must be considered the biggest GT flop in recent memory...even bigger than last week's cave to the Canes. GT's defense picked up where they left off the week prior when they allowed 609 yards in their collapse to Miami. And to think we were just singing the praises of Al Groh's defense just two weeks ago.  But enough whining. It's time for winning.

 The week ahead.

Week Six features another great line up of games including George the Cat's BIG PICK of the WEEK featuring Georgia Tech-Clemson.  Time to Make Mo' Money.