Read Bleacher Fan and Sports Geek’s arguments about the which game this weekend is the one that you CAN’T miss.
It is a weekend full of duds in football this weekend. Does anyone care to watch the Buffalo Bills – Carolina Panthers game? How about the New York Jets on the road against the Oakland Raiders? Whether the matchups are intriguing or not, though, football is still football and like many of you, I will still be sitting in front of the TV to watch some gridiron action. Bleacher Fan and Sports Geek have their reasons for picking the NFL matchup of Houston – San Francisco or the NCAA game between Clemson and Miami, but I am going off the radar for my pick of the week. I am focusing on Starkville, Mississippi this weekend, as the Mighty Gators of Florida come to town to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs
I know what you’re saying – “Loyal Homer, what are you smoking? Mississippi State is terrible.”
It is true that they have four losses, but look more closely at their last three. Nearly a month ago, they had then-undefeated LSU on the ropes (and probably should have won the game). The Tigers stopped the Bulldogs at the goal line, though, to hang on for the victory. The following week, a one-loss Georgia Tech squad came to town and won 42-31. One week after that, they played a one-loss Houston team that escaped with a 31-24 victory. LSU, Georgia Tech, and Houston all make for a pretty tough three-game stretch (in fact those three teams have combined for only three losses all season). All things considered, the Bulldogs should not be overlooked, especially with All-SEC running back in Anthony Dixon, who has rushed for over 3,000 yards in his collegiate career.
The Gators, as we all know, come into the game undefeated and ranked at the top of the 2009 inaugural BCS standings. Last week, they squeaked out a victory over Arkansas in a game that was filled with questionable officiating. As a side note, the officiating crew that worked the game (which is the same crew responsible for another blown-call scandal during the LSU – Georgia game earlier this month), has since been suspended for a week by the SEC. At this point, though, the Gators have failed to show the explosiveness that they demonstrated in past seasons. They do not appear to have the same caliber of playmakers at the wide receiver position, and have not shown the air of invincibility that many people expected to see.
What really makes this game intriguing is the fact that the Bulldogs are coached by Dan Mullen, who was the previous offensive coordinator of the Florida Gators. He knows and recruited many of the Florida players, and he knows many of the plays that will be run by their offense. He has also installed the spread offense at Mississippi State, which is slowly beginning to take shape. The question is – Does he have the personnel to stop the Gators?
I am not calling for an upset (which would be foolish to expect), but this game has a chance to be rather interesting. It is a night game in Starkville and the Bulldog fans are itching to have something to cheer for so they can ring those cowbells! The Gators would be wise not to overlook these Bulldogs because of another Bulldog team (from Georgia) that they will be playing next weekend. This is not going to be the cake walk that much of the country expects.
Mississippi State had Florida on the ropes for much of the game!
Define “ropes.”
The game was tied at 13 in the 3rd!