WOOLARD'S WEEKEND WINNERS® FOR WEEK TEN.

 As the season begins to wind down several teams are still in the hunt for conference titles and BCS rankings.

This past Saturday Notre Dame went on the road and earned a huge win over the Sooners. Kansas State kept rolling with a victory over Texas Tech. Alabama rolled over Mississippi State. Georgia beat Florida. And the Oregon Ducks jumped in BCS rankings again.

This weekend also features some top games including a slobber knocker down in Baton Rouge as #1 Alabama goes on the road to face the #5 LSU Bengal Tigers.

We also have the mighty Ducks traveling to Tinsel Town to take on Kiffin the weenie and his Trojans, and some intriguing regional rivalries including the Longhorns and the Red Raiders, and Vandy at Kentucky.

We went 4 and 4 last Saturday so we're hoping to make up some lost ground this week. We're still batting close to 70% so let's see what happens.

YOUR WINNING PICKS ARE....

One man wrecking crew, Jarvis Jones.

Ole Miss @ #7 Georgia...despite an ugly win in Jacksonville, the UGA defense stepped up to hold Florida without a touchdown. Jarvis Jones became a one-man wrecking crew with a career-high 13 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. Meanwhile the Rebs are putting up over 32 points a game and seem to be hitting their stride. If Aaron Murray can minimize his brain farts, we see Jarvis Jones and company spanking the Rebels.

Johnny Football does it all.

#16 Texas A+M @ #17 Mississippi State...by now you're probably getting tired hearing me sing the praises of Johnny Football. But he's that good. Manziel and the Aggie offense piled up 671yards in clobbering the Auburn sad sacks. The Aggies are tied fifth nationally in total offense (543 yds) and third in scoring offense (45.5 points per game). Manziel leads the SEC in rushing with 793 yards; 537 gained on scrambles. Meanwhile Dan Mullen has to rally his pack of mutts after getting their butts beat by Bama. This is the first matchup of two ranked teams in Starkville since 2001. This should be an entertaining game especially if MSU's QB Tyler Russell has a hot arm. We're gonna go with the Aggies to win on the road and a bunch more rushing yards for Johnny Football.

Texas @ #20 Texas Tech...the winner of this game gets to bring home the Chancellor's Spurs. Not sure if that includes leather chaps or not. In any event, the Red Raiders have struggled in this series, having dropped 11 of 13 matchups, the last three by a 110-58 margin. Last week in a losing effort to Kansas State, Seth Doege was 35-50 for 331 yards and 2 TDs.  If TTU's defense can step up, we like Doege leading the Red Raiders to a big conference win.

Coach Weenie faces the Ducks.

#4 Oregon @ #18  Southern Cal...the Ducks need a win to bolster their national standing while USC needs a win to simply salvage an already disappointing season. Undefeated in 11 games since last season's loss to USC, Oregon goes for its 13th straight road win. In their streak of 11 wins, the Ducks have scored more than 40 points per game so it's no surprise that they lead FBS schools with a nation-best of 53.4 points per game. Chip Kelly knows that BCS rankings are at stake and will put the pedal to the metal on Kiffin. Put your money on the Ducks.

Penn State @ Purdue...the Nittany Lions have rebounded nicely since they dropped their first two games by winning five straight before losing to Ohio State last week. Meanwhile Purdue struggles having dropped its first four Big Ten games and coach Danny Hope is on the proverbial hot seat in West Lafayette. The Nittany Lions have won the last five meetings with the Boilermakers to take an 11-3-1 series record. Add another win to that column. Penn State wins.

Martinez can motor.

#21 Nebraska @ Michigan State...I'll be the first to admit that the Cornhuskers have baffled me this season. I pickem to win, they lose. I pickem to lose, they win. Geesh. But this weekend something's got to give in East Lansing as the Big Ten's top offense (Nebraska) faces off against one of the nation's best defensive units (Michigan State) which allows only 15 points per game. Despite our frustrations we're going with the Cornhuskers. They simply have too many weapons with Taylor Martinez and Ameer Abdullah, and the Spartans have struggled putting up points (115th in the nation with an average of 19.2 points). Big Red gets it done.

Vanderbilt @ Kentucky...ordinarily we wouldn't give a flip about this game but Vandy can win its second SEC road game, which would be the first time since 2008 that the Commodores have won twice on the road in the same season. A win over the Wildcats would even Vandy's SEC record at 3-3 with Ole Miss and Tennessee left. So, there's a lot to play for and that's why we're picking Vandy to win. But really, we don't give a flip. Except for the money.

ELAINE, GEORGE THE CAT'S LITTLE SISTER, makes the BIG PICK of the WEEK® featuring #1 Alabama @ #5 LSU...

There are so many story lines to this game so I'm not sure where to start. Both teams have uber stout defenses so don't expect the scoreboard to over-heat. The Tigers have been more tested. This is their fourth straight game with a ranked team. Alabama is coming off its only win over a team currently in the Top 25 (Mississippi State). This is the fifth time since 2005 that both teams have been in the Top Ten. Side note: Les Mile is 6-3 after open dates and is 36-1 in night games in Baton Rouge. I'm leaning toward the Tide but my vote doesn't count since its Elaine's pick. So let's roll the tape.

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WINNERS OR WHINERS®....WEEK NINE WRAP UP.

Yes, I'd like a little cheese with my whine, thank you.

We took some hits this past Saturday, going 4-4. While George the Cat was dead on with his upset special BIG PICK of the WEEK, we were especially bummed to come up short on two other upset specials: Mississippi State over Alabama, and Michigan over Nebraska. Didn't happen. But as George the Cat says, no sense crying over spilled milk when we can get some more out of the fridge. So we move on.

THE WEEKEND REWIND®...

The Irish run game shined in Norman.

George the Cat was right again with his pick of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as they controlled Oklahoma 30-13. Seems the Irish have the Sooner's number, which is now exactly 9 wins out of 10. This pick is especially sweet since it was an Upset Special which pays big bucks on the Vegas board. Stat of the game was OU being held to just 15 yards on 24 carries....0.6 average yards per carry!! Whoa, that's not good!!

Took a hit but still strong.  

In our other winning picks, Kansas State whipped Texas Tech 55-24. Wildcat Collin Klein rushed for two touchdowns and passed for two more, finishing with 316 total yards. K-State is 8-0 for the first time since 1999 and will definitely make BCS voting interesting for the next few weeks, especially since #2 Florida loss.

Johnny Manziel (aka Johnny Football) and his Texas A&M Aggies didn't disappoint as they stampeded 63-21 over an anemic Auburn team which is having its worst season in over 60 years. Manziel ran for three TDs and passed for two more. On eight possessions led by Manziel, the Aggies scored seven touchdowns. That's efficiency.

You're doing a helluva job, Sal Sunseri.

Tennessee made it interesting but fell 38-35 to South Carolina.  If Tennessee could muster a defense it would be experiencing a totally different season. But as it stands, this UT defense is on course to being the worst defense in Tennessee history, and is ranked 99th nationally - 103rd against the pass and 85th against the rush. Tell me again why UT switched to a 3-4 defense? Gamecock QB Connor Shaw passed for a career high 356 yards and three touchdowns while running for another. The Vol defense continues to make opposing quarterbacks look like Heisman winners.

On the losing pick front, Michigan failed to get the job done as they lost 23-9 to Nebraska. The Wolverines generated a season-low 188 yards during its first visit to Memorial Stadium since 1911 and the second straight game Michigan failed to score a touchdown.

This is what 6 turnovers will do to you.

In what turned out to be the World's Largest Outdoor Turnover Party, the Gators flopped in its loss 17-9 to the bullpuppies who forced six turnovers. The victory, just the fifth in the last 23 meetings for Georgia, gives them a chance to clinch the SEC East with wins over Ole Miss and Auburn.

The biggest disappointment was undefeated Mississippi State losing 38-7 to Alabama despite laying 24 points. Bama jumped out to a super quick lead scoring in its first three possessions. No looking head for the Tide which travels to Baton Rouge in a national game rematch this Saturday.

Georgia Tech continued to flounder as it lost 41-17 to BrighamYoung, showing zero improvement with the Yellow Jacket defense. But more concerning was the inability to score. Is Paul Johnson's tenure coming to an end? With AD Dan Radakovich's move to Clemson, the days may be numbered for Johnson.

THE WEEK AHEAD
Elaine, George the Cat's sister, will be manning the BIG PICK of the WEEK featuring #1 Alabama Crimson Tide visiting the Tigers of LSU. This game is pretty much for all the marbles in the SEC West as well as having BCS ranking ramifications, so it's sure to have a ton of interest.

Other big games we'll be prognosticating include Oregon @ Southern Cal, Penn State @ Purdue, and Ole Miss @ Georgia. Stay tuned.

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WOOLARD'S WEEKEND WINNERS® FOR WEEK NINE.

We have a pretty entertaining slate of games this weekend including the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Jacksonville along with a rematch of two of the most historic football programs in America, Notre Dame and Oklahoma in Norman.

We've got another line-up of money winners including two upset specials so let's get crackin'...

Here are your winning picks:

No under-age drinking allowed.

#2 Florida vs #10 Georgia...it's the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party version 2012 featuring two teams seeking control of the SEC East. If the favored Gators win, book em for Atlanta in December. UGA beat the Gators last season 24-20, only the Bulldogs' third win in the last 14 meetings. The talk around Atlanta has been that Coach Richt really needs this win to validate this year's team. A loss just reinforces the thought that this team is a lot of talk at the beginning of each season only to fizzle when they face tough competition (see the South Carolina meltdown). We see Mushchamp's Gators grinding out a pretty exciting win with their strong running game and QB Driskell's steady hand in Jacksonville. It could be a wet one thanks to Hurricane Sandy.

Dead man walking?

Tennessee vs #13 South Carolina...I'm afraid that this could be Coach Orange Pant's swan song as the struggling Volunteers head to Columbia for a high noon showdown. A loss pretty much seals the deal for Dooley who is still looking for his team to play a solid 60 minutes...and still looking for a conference win. They've lost 11 of their last 12 SEC games going back to last season. Meanwhile the Gamecocks are ready to rinse the bad taste of the past two weeks out of their beaks after being plucked by LSU and Florida. On paper, Tennessee has superior numbers in terms of total offense, rushing yards, passing yards, and scoring. Too bad this game is not being played on paper. Cocks spur-kill the Vols.

#11 Mississippi State vs #1 Alabama...this game features two of the top quarterbacks in the SEC, Tyler Wilson and AJ McCarron who has the nation's highest  passer rating with 16 touchdowns and no INTs in his last 239 attempts. Wilson has 15 TDs against only one INT. MSU is off to its best start since 1999, and has the third longest winning streak (9) in the nation.  UPSET Special: we like Mullen's Mutts and the points (24) over Bama.

#20 Texas A&M vs Auburn...I kinda feel sorry for the tiger/war eagles/plainsmen/dying oaks but not really since I'm really looking forward to seeing what Aggie Johnny Football can do against a rather soft Auburn defense. Auburn fans are clamoring for Chizik's scalp but he's going no where at least for the foreseeable future. That's what winning a national championship gets you (see Phillip Fulmer). Auburn is off to its worst start in 60 years and things aint gonna get better for them. We like the Aggies in this one.

#14 Texas Tech vs #3 Kansas State...this is another game that features two of America's top quarterbacks and probable Heisman finalists, KSU's Collin Klein and Red Raider Seth Doege. Last week on the road at West Virginia, Klein put up a career high 323 passing yards in a 19 of 21 effort, and adding 4 rushing TDs to boot. On a side note, KSU is tied for the FBS lead in fewest penalties per game. That's discipline; that's Coach Bill Snyder. We see Klein having another big game as the Wildcats go 8-0 in 13 seasons.

Brigham Young vs Georgia Tech...the question is not which team will win but if anyone shows up.  I can't imagine too many BYU fans being there unless they decide to sit with the greeks after a big kegger party. Anyway, there is hope for Johnson's Jackets as they rebounded nicely against Boston College last week. BYU is ranked 100th in turn-overs so look for the Bees to swarm the ball, especially as they try to contain QB Riley Nelson who is just as dangerous running the ball. If GT executes their triple option like they know how, we see the Engineers winning on the Flats.

#22 Michigan @ Nebraska...the Wolverines invade Lincoln looking to extend their Big Ten record to 4-0. In their three conference wins they have given up only 23 combined points. This much improved defense will have its hands full trying to contain dual-threat Husker QB Taylor Martinez and running backs, Burkhead and Abdullah. UPSET Special: Maize and Blue over Big Red.

And GEORGE THE CAT'S BIG PICK of the WEEK® featuring Notre Dame @ Oklahoma...

The Irish have won 8 of 9 all-time meetings with Oklahoma and have not lost to the Sooners since 1953. Their last visit to Norman was a 38-0 rout on its way to a national title in 1966. The Sooners are 79-4 at home under Bob Stoops, who has led Oklahoma to 13 straight bowl games, including 8 BCS contests and one national title. This game has national championship ramifications written all over it.  Let's see who George the Cat likes in this game.  Roll tape please...

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WHAT EXACTLY IS A BOOMER SOONER?

The terms "boomer" and "sooner" have a lot to do with the early days of Oklahoma when it was first being settled back in the late 1800's. I won't go into a history lesson but will say that Boomer and Sooner today are the cute little ponies that drag the old conestoga wagon across the field at each Oklahoma game.

Boomer on the left; Sooner on the right. Or maybe it's the reverse.

Not long after Oklahoma was admitted to statehood, a great football conference called the Southwest Conference was formed and became home to some of America's greatest teams including Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Southern Methodist, and Texas A+M.

Growing up on the East Coast and then living in the Southeast for the past 30+ years, I've never experienced first hand the excitement of the SWC or Oklahoma football but would occasionally catch a game or two, especially during bowl season. I clearly remember the 1968 Orange Bowl in which Oklahoma knocked off #2 ranked Tennessee, 26-24.

Through the years Oklahoma has produced legions of top players including five Heisman winners and six runner-ups along with 152 All Americas. Great names like Billy Sims, Spencer Tillman, Joe Washington, Marcus Dupree, and Adrian Peterson all wore the Crimson and Creme.

With this weekend's Notre Dame - Oklahoma game I thought it appropriate to bring in the perspective of someone that has witnessed Oklahoma football firsthand.

Boomhauer Chapman, a true Sooner.

So allow me to introduce Gene 'Boomhauer' Chapman.

Boomhauer grew up on the hard scrabble plains of Oklahoma and was destined to be either an oil rig roughneck or interior designer until he decided to head east to attend law school at the University of Georgia.

He grew up during the Chuck Fairbanks-Barry Switzer era, saw the Red River Rivalry, worshipped the wishbone offense, and often told people he was the fourth Selmon brother to Lee Roy, Lucious, and Dewey.

In Boomhauer's own words....

"Sooner born, Sooner bred, when I die, I’ll be Sooner dead"

I remember the first beating I received as a child.   

OU was the first to experience the SI cover jinx.

November 16, 1957.  I was four months old.  Notre Dame's Dick Lynch raced into the north end zone of Owen Field in the final minutes without a Sooner laying a hand on him.  You can’t spell ouch without OU.  The Fighting Irish's 7-0 win ended Oklahoma's incredible 47 game winning streak that day.

Even though Notre Dame and The University of Oklahoma have two of the richest traditions in all of sports, the two football teams have met on the field only nine times.  Notre Dame has a slight edge in the series, having won eight of the nine games.

 

Growing up in Oklahoma in the 60s and 70s, we had two constants: wind and college football.   

 

George Cross, OU's president from 1943 to 1968, once told the Oklahoma State Senate, "I want a university the football team can be proud of.”  College football was the center of a young boy’s existence in Oklahoma.  People took the measure of another not by the content of one’s character but by whether you wore red or orange (Oklahoma State).

 

My parents took me to the First Baptist Church on Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon and evening, and Wednesday night for prayer meeting or business meeting.  They tried to instill the fear of God in me, but in my young mind, the kingdom of heaven was Memorial Stadium filled with Crimson and Cream, God’s chariot was the Sooner Schooner whipping around the field after every score, the Holy Spirit took the form of Chuck Fairbanks, and the angels had numbers on their backs: Steve Owens, Granville Liggins, Jack Mildren, Greg Pruitt, the Selmon brothers, and on and on and on.  

 

Notre Dame not only defeated OU to snap its win streak, the Irish was the last team to defeat the Sooners before the incredible 47 game run started in 1953.  The Sooners’ one victory over Notre Dame happened in 1956.  The Sooners destroyed Heisman winner Paul Hornung and the Irish 45-0.  I wasn’t born just yet.  The first OU-Notre Dame game I saw was on the old black and white Motorola as the Irish squeaked by 13-7 in 1962.  I couldn’t eat the rest of the day without throwing up.

 

Oklahoma State and the University of Texas are the primary targets of OUr jokes.  For instance, what do you get when you cross an OSU cheerleader with a pig?  Nothing. There's some things a pig's just not gonna do.  What are the seven words guaranteed to break an OSU cheerleader's heart?  "Sorry miss, this is not a buffet."  How can you tell if a Texas football player has a girlfriend?  Tobacco juice on both sides of the pickup truck.

Boomhauer's mentor, the Son of a Bootlegger.

I don’t joke about Notre Dame.  I don’t think you get to joke about somebody until you’ve won a few games.  Notre Dame is #5 in the BCS. The team is talented. It has one of the best uniforms in college football. It has the one of the best fight songs ever.  The Pope cheers for Notre Dame.

The Sooners have not won a game against Notre Dame in my lifetime. The spread on this game notwithstanding, I think it will be an upset if OU beats Notre Dame. I’ll go with the upset. Oklahoma wins.

George the Cat makes his BIG PICK of the WEEK featuring Notre Dame-Oklahoma. Be sure to check back Friday morning to see who George the Cat likes in this historic match-up.

WINNERS OR WHINERS®....Week Eight Wrap Up.

We came pretty darn close to being perfect with SEVEN out of EIGHT picks. That's an 88% hit rate. And if you followed our leads - especially our upset picks - you're probably heading to Best Buy right now to load up on another high def flat screen. Or, maybe, beefing up your depleted 401(k)...whatever rocks your boat, baby.

Dumb and dumber?

Speaking of rocking the boat, George the Cat hit big on his BIG PICK of the WEEK taking Bama over Tennessee, even laying the points. It wasn't a pretty sight in Knoxville as Alabama opened up a can of Crimson Tide whoopass in another prime time beat down of the Big Orange, and another example of Tyler "Pouty" Bray's lack of leadership and class. Coach Orange Pants is now something like 0-14 against ranked teams and it's not gonna get any better for the Vols as they head to Columbia to take on the Gamecocks. And you can bet that Spurrier the Evil Genius is licking his chops to get his team back in the win column after losing the past two weekends to Florida and LSU. I hate to say it, but Dooley's only chance of surviving the moving van is to bring home the W. How much you wanna bet that Mayflower Van Line is on AD Dave Hart's speed dial?

Numbers never lie.

In addition to the Bama pick, we had several more money makers. So let's do our weekly Weekend Rewind.

The Weekend Rewind®..... 

Let's start with the only pick that came up short. Texas A&M came within one of Reveille's whiskers of upsetting the Bengal Tigers 24-19. Johnny Football had a case of the oopsies and threw 3 interceptions. But Johnny Manzeil, just a redshirt freshman, is going places so get use to hearing his name. Heisman 2014, perhaps?

In another upset pick, the Wildcats of Kansas State chewed up the Mountaineers in Morgantown, 55-17.  Collin Klein was an amazing 19-21 for 323 passing yards, a career high, plus added 43 rushing yards. I'm thinking he's a lock for the Heisman, something that Kansas State has never experienced.

We predicted undefeated Notre Dame to win but it was a lot closer than expected with their 17-14 win over BYU. While the Irish passing game struggled, their rushing effort stepped up with 270 yards. And now they head to Norman, Oklahoma to face the Sooners.

Clemson took care of business with the Hokies, winning their third straight over Virginia Tech, 38-17. Remember those names I mentioned last week? Well, Ellington had 96 rushing yards and Boyd ran for two touchdowns and passed for another. Thanks fellas.

The Gators won big over the Gamecocks 44-11 which will put them in a really snarly mood when they host Tennessee this Saturday in Columbia.

Probably the most entertaining game of Saturday was the Nebraska-Northwestern match in Evanston. The Wildcats led for most of the game with the Cornhuskers coming back late to win 29-28. Being 12 points down in the fourth, Nebraska's Martinez led the way with two touchdowns to edge out Northwestern. For the day, Nebraska rack up 543 yards of total offense.

The Red Raiders took out the Horned Frogs of TCU, 56-53, in three overtime periods. QB Seth Doege tossed a TD pass in each of the overtimes, giving him 7 for the game.

The Week Ahead... 

Be sure to check back later in the week for our next group of winning picks. And George the Cat will be making his BIG PICK of the WEEK featuring Notre Dame at Oklahoma.

I wish I had a little wagon like this one.

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WOOLARD'S WEEKEND WINNERS® FOR WEEK EIGHT.

A great line-up of games is on tap for Saturday including George the Cat's BIG PICK of the WEEK GAME, #1 Alabama at Tennessee.

Here's your great eight with a couple of upset specials sprinkled in.

#17 Texas Tech @ #23 TCU...the Red Raiders of Lubbock looked pretty good last Saturday at they dismantled West Virginia 49-14. The key will be Seth Doege's consistency at quarterback. Last week he rang up a career best 499 passing yards and six touchdowns. Texas Tech welcomes TCU to the Big 12 with a sound spanking of the Frogs (can you really spank a frog?).

BYU @ #5 Notre Dame...the Mormons versus the Catholics. Nothing like a good ol religious war. But that will not be the case on Saturday as the Irish have their way over 4-3 BYU. Having already beaten three top 20 teams so far (Michigan, Michigan State, and Stanford), Brian Kelly's biggest challenge is making sure his Golden Domers are not looking ahead to next week's showdown with Oklahoma. Irish win big.

#4 Kansas State @ #13 West Virginia...we love dual threat quarterbacks which is why we are taking the Wildcats in an upset win over the Mountaineers. Collin Klein (Calvin's brother) has rushed for 510 yards and 10 TDs so far this season in addition to passing for 1,074 yards and 7 TDs. And the WVU secondary is giving up nearly 400 yards passing making them the third worst pass defense in America.

Virginia Tech @ #19 Clemson...for those that watch the ACC leaderboard, this game is a no brainer with the Tigers beating the Hokies in Death Valley. Clemson's Hopkins leads the league with 49 catches and 777 yards. TB Ellington is number 1 in rushing average per game, just under 100. And QB Tajh Boyd is tops with 291 passing yards per game. You can't go wrong with the Tigers.

#6 LSU @ #18 Texas A&M...we like the Aggies. And we really like Johnny Football (aka Johnny Manziel) the quarterback for the Aggies who does everything. He's second nationally in total offense with 2,356 yards and has two games this season in which he's surpassed 500 yards in total offense, making him the first player in SEC history to do that. Not bad for a redshirt freshman. This game will come down to Johnny versus DE Barkevious Mingo and the LSU defense, but we like the Aggies in an upset at Kyle Field.

#7 South Carolina @ #2 Florida...We really like what the Ol Ball Coach is doing in Columbia but after playing a huge road game just last week, the Gamecocks have to do it again in Gainesville. Much like last week in Baton Rouge, this game should remain close into the late stages of the game but the Gators will hold on for a huge conference win. Muschamp is sitting pretty.

Nebraska @ Northwestern...It's getting colder in Evanston which means fans better be packing an extra flask to stay warm. But if you're a Husker fan you'll feel plenty warm as QB Taylor Martinez has a big day by The Lake. Nebraska wins on the road.

And GEORGE the CAT's BIG PICK of the WEEK®...

I'd like to think that this Third Saturday in October will have a different outcome than the previous five. But the only hope for Tennessee to win is if Bama's big backs Eddie Lacy and TJ Yeldon miss the team bus to the stadium. Tennessee will put up a few points with Tyler Bray's arm but the Vols defense leaks really really bad. BUT don't take my word for it. Let's see what George the Cat has to say in his BIG PICK of the WEEK video.  Roll tape please.

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Why the Third Saturday in October is Still Special.

A whole lotta hittin' happens in this rivalry.

If you're a Tennessee or Alabama fan there are two rules to live by: don't get married on the Third Saturday in October, and try not to die. Because in either case, the preacher might not show.

 The Aabama-Tennessee series began in 1901 and beginning in 1928 the game has been played on the third Saturday in October (with a few exceptions). Each team has won its share of games, with Alabama leading the series 48-38-7 which has seen both teams putting together impressive winning streaks. The Vols have had three streaks of three wins, two four-win streaks, and a seven-win streak. The Tide have won seven in a row twice with their longest streak being eleven wins.

This is one of the greatest rivalries in college football, mostly because of the great coaches and players that have taken part in it. Wallace Wade, Paul "Bear" Bryant, General Robert Neyland, Doug Dickey, and dozens of All-Americans - - such as Namath, Musso, Bennett, Humphrey, Hannah, Manning, Holloway, Kiner, Gault, Cafego, Majors and Dodd - - have contributed to the greatness of the game, several with national title ramifications.

A whole lotta memories.

This rivalry has special meaning to me. My first personal exposure to big time Southern football dates back to 1973 and Legion Field where the Vols were taking on another top ranked Bama team. The game was back and forth with UT's Condredge Holloway scrambling for yards and Bama's Wilbur Jackson slamming for first downs and touchdowns. He's still one of the largest running backs I've ever seen; no wonder he wore #80. Since then I've witnessed some great wins along with some agonizing losses in Knoxville, Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. But the magic of this series has never been lost.

Through the years, Kenny Clyde "Bear" Yarbrough (Birmingham native and Tide alum) has been at my side (and throat) at several of these affairs. Our Third Saturday in October road trips typically kick off on Fridays with a round of contact-golf, followed by Friday night entertainment in either KnoxVegas or B'Ham. Saturday mornings are welcomed with the General's Hooch, a special bloody mary concoction that has been perfected through the years. Each game is followed by a traditional cigar, some brown whisky, a Saturday night banquet with the loser picking up the tab, and a Sunday morning round of golf before returning home. Needless to say I've paid a fair price through the years (including the bus rides out of Legion Field surrounded by 349 sloppy drunk crimson-necks reminding you of the score) but the memories and laughs are priceless.

This Saturday the magic returns to Neyland Stadium. You can throw out the records because this game takes on a totally different demeanor and never fails to disappoint (okay, when the Vols lose, it does sting a little). The #1 ranked Crimson Tide arrives in Big Orange Country with the best defense in America but Tennessee's passing offense will certainly make some big plays against an untested Alabama secondary. And it always seems that some little known player on either team steps up to make a winning difference so I'm anxious to see what Vol becomes the next hero in this great rivalry.

Given our history, it's only fitting that Kenny Clyde returns this week to give his unbiased and unvarnished take on the game.

Let Kenny Clyde 'Bear' Yarbrough speak... 

Kenny Clyde looks for another Tide win

Whoa Nellie! It's the Third Saddity in October! 
Alabama's coming to town and it’s really Football Time in Tennessee.  
Somethings gotta give. 

 Bama leads the nation in 7 defensive categories, including points allowed (7.5) and yards allowed (181).  The Tick Hounds offense is ranked 3^rd in the SEC and in the top 25 nationally with 38 points and 482 yards per game. 
 

They gave UGA and the Starkvillians a run for their money.  They played tough with the Lizards early.  But my Bama team isn't UGA.  We'll hit the Road Cone Orange Warriors in the mouth in the first quarter AND the last one.  After Lacy creates a few deep thigh bruises, Yeldon will demonstrate just how fast someone can run checkerboard to checkerboard.
 

So what am I worried about? 

• Overlooking the VoleWeevils:  We face three ranked teams - No. 15 Mississippi State, No. 6 LSU and No. 20 Texas A&M - after traveling to Knoxville. 

• Tyler Bray:  the skinny kid's thrown an SEC best 16 touchdowns in his 1,730 yards so far. 

• History:  Alabama's win streak in the series is its longest (5) since a seven-game run Oct. 18, 1986-Oct. 17, 1992. I remember them well, as Mr. Weekend Winners and our wives traveled to all but one (imagine getting pregnant with the chance of delivering in mid October!  What were they thinking?! Hello Sarah!).

Yessiree, this storied contest has had its moments.  The General.  The Bear.  Fat Phil.  Hell, CBS even bought a permanent condo for K'ville weekends.

 
But now we're stuck in a 7:00 pm time slot on a cable station; the Vomiteers have a lawyer coaching from the pressbox; and the damn NCAA ruled against Victory Cigars.

Making the road trip to the Great State of Tennessee used to be exciting.  Now?  Might as well be playing the Dores.