Friday, November 4, 2011

Armageddon (a/k/a Bama-LSU): Who ya got?

Tommy here. Are y'all giddy? I'm giddy. Of course, I'm not an Alabama or LSU fan. Many of them are already curled up in the fetal position. Or drinking. Or both.

The SEC has a slew of big games every year, but this one is special. Even the New York Times decided to write dueling pieces about LSU-Alabama. The stories do get into identity and academics and other topics NOT APPROPRIATE FOR GAME DAY, but here's the Bama story and here's the LSU story if you want to check them out.

But what you really want is predictions. You should know, if you haven't come around here much, that Michael Gordon is a Bama fan extraordinare. It was a great show of restraint for him to leave out the word "we" in his pick.

Michael:
Let's save the prose and put out the same caveats I used for last year's game in Baton Rouge. If Alabama can avoid giving up Big Plays and being sucked in by the Trick Ones, it should win. Last year, it couldn't deliver on either of those fronts. This year, I think it will. Of course, that presumes AJ McCarron's head doesn't explode from the pressure and the staggering talent of the LSU team. He'll have to show more precision under a level of heat he hasn't seen all year. But the kid can play. So can his teammates. Tide, 24-21.

Peter St. Onge:
Two super defenses - but different. LSU is built on speed more than size, and it hasn't faced an offensive line with the kind of push that Bama will bring. LSU will have to work for its yards just a little more than the Tide. Nick Saban, with the football world watching, coaches his way back to an NFL sideline. Bama, 20-13. (And yes, the Saban to the NFL thing was completely gratuitous. Can't let Gordon enjoy this too much.)

Trent Roberts:
As much as anything, I'm interested in seeing the in-game adjustments by both teams -- what happens after Richardson rips off a 45-yard TD early on, or Lee hits Randle for 70 just after halftime. Gimme LSU, 18-17, with a late two-point conversion from The Hat & Co. being the difference.

Tommy:
For weeks now my suspicion has been that Alabama would win this game in a blowout, and I still wouldn't be surprised if it ends up something like 31-10. The great thing about this game is that the teams are so similar (great defenses, questions at QB) but the coaches are so different. It's like a real-life test of the old line about Bear Bryant -- "He could take his'n and beat your'n or he could take your'n and beat his'n."

So who's the better coach? The Saban X3000 or the Mad Hatter?

I want it to be Les, because we need more entertaining weirdness in the world, and especially in college football. Plus, LSU is awfully good on the road and at night. It's so, so tempting. But I just can't do it. Alabama, 23-20.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm going to take advantage of the first "Who Ya Got" post to be posted on a Friday when I can comment on it on my office PC while all the nuclear engineers I support are taking their customary Friday off and don't care what I do with the office PC to bloviate about all the games, including a cheap shot at my own team.

South Carolina at Ar-Kansas – I still think Bobby Petrino is the biggest chump and loser that ever walked the Earth. If I’m a captain picking a team for a pickup game and have Petrino or Benedict Arnold, I’m calling for Benny. Petrino can X&O all day, but judging by the team’s play the past 2 weeks, a motivator he is not. And that’s why the blowout they should get this week will not happen. Pigs 35, Fightin’ Chickens 24

Vanderbilt at Florida – OK, Vandy has been better than predicted. Florida has been worse than predicted. Could it be… Nah. Can’t do it. Lizards 24, Vandy 23

New Mexico State at Georgia – My dream scenario is playing out. By beating the Lizards, and the rest of this absolute joke of a schedule since the SC game, Dawgs heads are swelling as such a rate that the state of Georgia will petition the government to borrow some land at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville AL to house some of the players’ and fans’ heads. They’re going to think that as long as they are within the borders of campus they will win next week. Keep on dreaming, big boys. Big Ol’ Hairy Dawgs 51, New Mexico State 3

Tennessee-Martin at Misipi State – Hey, Misipi State has a bye week this week also. Bulldogs 56, UTM 7

Middle Tennessee at Tennessee – They’re actually charging for tickets to this? A crime against humanity. Rocky Bottom 49, MTSU 10

Misipi at Kentucky – The Who Cares Game of the 3rd Millennium. Briars 21, Misipi 20

BYE WEEK at Auburn – Speaking of hallucinations… Moseley, Frazier and Trotter will gather to watch Saturday’s games and talk about how much better they are all getting. A week practicing against your own defense that has Niko Thorpe on it will do that to you. Any chance we can give him his degree early and send him away before Maze torches him for 5 TDs in the Iron Bowl? WAR EAGLE 0, BYE WEEK 0

LSU at ‘Bama – I can only imagine what kind of a week Coach Clinched Butt Cheeks has had this week. ‘Bama has a strong defense, but haven’t seen an LSU d-lineman actually get blocked all year. But if ‘Bama can block them, they get the advantage because they have better receivers than LSU. But LSU has the coach with the most long-running karma contract ever. This will be a game where 1 great team makes 1 more great play than the other great team. I’m thinking that 1 extra great play is going to come from one of ‘Bama’s better skill position players. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go throw up. The Evil Empire 17, LSU 14

Kingward said...

Home field, Saban, Richardson all add up to Bama win. Does the score really matter?

George said...

Not a fan of either schools or the SEC. But man am I excited to watch this game! It has everything every football fan could want. 2 scary good defenses and offenses that can put points on the board. Tend to be leaning more towards LSU, since they're on the road. Just sucks the National Championship game has to be played in November this year! Unless of course there is a rematch!

Anonymous said...

Was at Baileys watching the Clemson game a few weeks ago with 4 friends when the hundreds 'Bama fans invaded. They *literally* YELLED at us for cheering for a team that wasn't even in their conference. They cheered and hugged and high-fived each other when we left. Poor sports. Mean-spirited RUDE fans.

Therefore, GO LSU!

Michael said...

Sorry, Anon, but had the numbers been reversed would the behavior been the same?