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What rubber there is still left on the tires hits the road in the SEC this coming Saturday as No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Florida aim to continue to take care of business in advance of what everyone in the country believes will be their battle in the league championship game on Dec. 1.
What Alabama and Florida did to their opponents on Saturday, winning by nearly identical scores, should have resulted in criminal charges.
The Crimson Tide went on the road and crushed Tennessee, 44-13, prompting Vols coach Derek Dooley to gush, “They say they’re not a big-play offense, but they do it every game.” Alabama’s next three games (Mississippi State Saturday, followed by a trip to LSU and a home game against a decent Texas A&M team) are against opponents with a combined record of 19-2. If there’s going to be a takedown, it needs to be soon, because the Tide close with glorified scrimmages against West Carolina and Auburn.
The Gators did the Tide two points better, crushing South Carolina, 44-11, to move up to second in the BCS standings. Florida needs to take care of business at Georgia this week, and has only one more potential loss on the schedule (Nov. 24 at Florida State).
Here’s a look at three key games, with a thank you to Pete Korner, founder of The Sports Club, the premier oddsmaking service in Las Vegas:
Mississippi State (+24) at Alabama
Mississippi State hits hard and has enough offensive juice to have scored at least four TDs in every game but one this season, but the cupcake schedule includes nothing close to what Alabama will bring to the table on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. “By this point in the season,” says Korner, “Alabama has proven its worth. Though at 24 there will be some play on the dog.” Mississippi State is 7-0 but has not beaten a quality opponent, unless you count Troy.
Florida (-3.5) vs. Georgia (at Jacksonville)
The Bulldogs are catching the getting-better-every-week Gators at precisely the wrong time. “Pretty even game,” says Korner, “but it will be interesting to see who bettors like when this one goes to post.” Korner’s oddsmaking team had this game at between 3 and 5 before settling on 3.5.
Notre Dame (+10) at Oklahoma
Seat belt time for the No. 5 Irish, who travel to Norman and will have their hands full with a Sooner team that has averaged 52 points a game over the last three. “There should be a lot of money on this game,” says Korner. “We heard [Brent] Musberger called it a 7-point game, but we’re comfortable at 10.”
What Alabama and Florida did to their opponents on Saturday, winning by nearly identical scores, should have resulted in criminal charges.
The Crimson Tide went on the road and crushed Tennessee, 44-13, prompting Vols coach Derek Dooley to gush, “They say they’re not a big-play offense, but they do it every game.” Alabama’s next three games (Mississippi State Saturday, followed by a trip to LSU and a home game against a decent Texas A&M team) are against opponents with a combined record of 19-2. If there’s going to be a takedown, it needs to be soon, because the Tide close with glorified scrimmages against West Carolina and Auburn.
The Gators did the Tide two points better, crushing South Carolina, 44-11, to move up to second in the BCS standings. Florida needs to take care of business at Georgia this week, and has only one more potential loss on the schedule (Nov. 24 at Florida State).
Here’s a look at three key games, with a thank you to Pete Korner, founder of The Sports Club, the premier oddsmaking service in Las Vegas:
Mississippi State (+24) at Alabama
Mississippi State hits hard and has enough offensive juice to have scored at least four TDs in every game but one this season, but the cupcake schedule includes nothing close to what Alabama will bring to the table on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. “By this point in the season,” says Korner, “Alabama has proven its worth. Though at 24 there will be some play on the dog.” Mississippi State is 7-0 but has not beaten a quality opponent, unless you count Troy.
Florida (-3.5) vs. Georgia (at Jacksonville)
The Bulldogs are catching the getting-better-every-week Gators at precisely the wrong time. “Pretty even game,” says Korner, “but it will be interesting to see who bettors like when this one goes to post.” Korner’s oddsmaking team had this game at between 3 and 5 before settling on 3.5.
Notre Dame (+10) at Oklahoma
Seat belt time for the No. 5 Irish, who travel to Norman and will have their hands full with a Sooner team that has averaged 52 points a game over the last three. “There should be a lot of money on this game,” says Korner. “We heard [Brent] Musberger called it a 7-point game, but we’re comfortable at 10.”