Read Sports Geek’s argument and Bleacher Fan’s argument on what they think is the best game of THIS weekend.
It is finally Friday. For some of us it is a long weekend with Monday being Columbus Day! I am sure Sports Geek and Bleacher Fan have to work on Monday, so pick on them if you have Monday off! As for this weekend, I will be at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee to watch a live soap opera unfold before my eyes when the much maligned Florida State Seminoles welcome the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech to town. We all know that Florida-LSU is THE game of the week. It is too obvious, though, so we are all are staying away from it. Outside of that game, I think that the best game of THIS weekend will take place in Oxford, Mississippi when the Alabama Crimson Tide take on the Mississippi Rebels.
A quick look at the SEC standings show the Tide with a 2-0 record in conference (a half-game behind 3-0 LSU) while Ole Miss stands at 1-1, with the loss coming 15 days ago against South Carolina.
I must say that the Crimson Tide have totally surprised me. I thought they would struggle. Granted, the only ranked team it has played to this point is Virginia Tech, but, the Tide have looked impressive – even downright dominant – at times. Even though the Tide are ranked third, I think it is possible to say they are being overlooked a little on the national level. I think we all know which team gets all the headlines in the Southeastern Conference. Tide quarterback Greg McElroy, in quite a shock to Loyal Homer, could actually end up being an upgrade over John Parker Wilson. And on defense, the team is still anchored by one of my favorite college players, Terrence “Mount” Cody.
Ole Miss comes into the game on the heels of a 23-7 victory over Vanderbilt. Do not laugh! It is not uncommon for teams to struggle on road trips to Nashville. Still, what lingers in the mind of most of the country is a pitiful performance in Columbia against the Gamecocks in a nationally televised Thursday night game. Ole Miss does not get on national television much, and it is fair to say the team laid the proverbial egg that night. Quarterback Jevon Snead, for all the preseason hype he had coming in, has been a bust to this point. This game is a chance for Ole Miss to get back on the national radar and climb back into the SEC West. It is a must win for the Rebels if they are entertaining any thoughts of an SEC championship. And believe me, that was the goal coming into the season.
With games still against LSU and Auburn, this is a big game for both the Rebels and the Tide. The SEC West is shaping up to be the best division in all of football, with LSU, Auburn, Alabama, and Ole Miss combining for only one loss at this point. The winner of the battle in Oxford ends up with a leg up on the rest of the division. The loser – especially if it is Ole Miss – faces a steep uphill climb to make it to Atlanta in December!
