Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week VIII

endimagesCorrected 10/19 4:04 pm

Oh, it’s such a game of “If only…”

If only James Quick had veered right instead of left against Clemson, secured the first down then a TD, the Cards would still be Flav o’ Flav of the Month.

If only the at the horn FG attempt by N.C. State’s Kyle Bambard had drifted left instead of a few yards right, U of L, notwithstanding the L in Death Valley, would be more securely in the race for the Final Four.

If only . . .

If only Indiana had beaten Nebraska and Texas Tech had beaten West Virginia, the kid would have had his second perfect weekend in a row. But nooooooooooooooo, only Washington State, Alabama and Lousiville prevailed as I predicted.

A 3-2 weekend tallies up as 25-10 on the year.

This weekend’s encounters:

South Florida @ Temple. A year ago after seven games, the Owls were 7-0 with a W over Penn State, and were the talk of the land. A close L to Notre Dame was the first blemish. They finished the regular season 10-3, the only other losses were to Houston and this week’s foe, the Bulls of South Florida. This year it’s 6-1 South Florida that’s on the lips of pundits, who are wondering which of the big jobs coach Willie Taggert might land after the season. Their wins aren’t that noteworthy, except over suddenly feisty Syracuse, and the lone L was at the hands of the improving Seminoles.  I say former Hilltopper coach Taggert continues on his collision course with a major college coaching job, with a win in Philly.

Colorado @ Stanford. Here’s a battle between an out of the blue Johnny come lately and a preseason Final Four contenda not quite ready for prime time. The Buffaloes are 5-2. After three losing seasons, fourth year coach Mike MacIntyre seems to have righted the ship in Boulder. His Buffs are playing like they’re avoiding the herb shoppes that are spreading like kudzu in Boulder. Meanwhile the Cardinal, after an expected and impressive start with Ws over Kansas State and the LA schools, went ofer the state of Washington on consecutive weekends. Then barely escaped South Bend, where it’s becoming easier to win by the week. I believe in the Tree. Fun in Palo Alto for the home team.

Arkansas @ Auburn. Was it not just a few weeks ago that Tiger coach Gus Malzahn was atop many of the Dead Man Walking coaching lists? Why yes, Seedy, it was. But those Ls to A&M and Clemson aren’t looking so bad in hindsight, and it’s been a bullish stretch for the toilet tissue industry. Three Ws in a row, including SEC victories over LSU and Mississippi State. Coming to town this weekend, the curiosity that is Arkansas. The Razorbacks have fallen to the Aggies and the Crimson Tide, but nobody else. And are coming off an impressive take down of Ole Miss. This is shaping up as one of the better battles of the weekend. I’d suggest to the townsfolk of Auburn who might be running low on Charmin that they’d best be heading to Target before Saturday’s game. It’s gonna be another white post game blizzard at Toomer’s Corner.

Mississippi State @ Kentucky. The Cats need three more Ws to become bowl eligible and secure a trip to beautiful and bucolic Shreveport for the holidays. Austin Peay looks like a win. A victory over Mizzou next week in Columbia is certainly doable. And they catch reeling Georgia in Lexington. All that hope notwithstanding, a win over the visiting Cowbells on Saturday is darn near imperative for a spot in the post season. Dak Prescott is odds on for Rookie of the Year in the NFL. His absence in Starkville is palpable. Dan Mullen’s Bulldogs stand 2-4 with Ws over sliding South Carolina and UMass. (UMass, what are they doing on the schedule?) The Cats deserve some breaks. This week they get ’em, and the hallowed wish for a post season game stays alive.

North Carolina State @ Louisville. Combined with last week’s flat performance against Duke, the Wolfpack’s wide right L at Clemson proves that this week’s visitors to Papa J’s aren’t to be trifled with. They upended the Fighting Irish in a monsoon, and actually came closer to downing Dabo than U of L did. The question of course is whether they can get it together for another stunning performance for the second weekend in a row? The Cards have beaten the Wolfpack twice in a row, but neither victory was especially impressive. Louisville’s O line reverted to some of its old bad habits last weekend, and the D couldn’t seem to get off the field against the Blue Devils on 3d down. This one’s a test. The Cardinals shall pass it.

— Seedy K

2 thoughts on “Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week VIII

  1. Cats go down….they are hardly good and tho Ms.St may not be very good either, I can’t believe that the QB-less Cats can beat anybody with a pulse….

  2. Cats struggled to beat hapless Vandy and even more hapless South Carolina at home !. Mullens has their number. Take the Bulldogs and lay the 2 or 3.

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