Who ya got? Week 11

So who says one player is never bigger than his sport?

Cam Newton's biggest accomplishment's this year may be off the field, given that the ongoing mountaintop-removal of his past has thoroughly overshadowed one of the most important SEC weekends of the year.

Can Auburn and Newton put the distractions aside and continue on toward the National Championship game? Can South Carolina get to its feet and win the SEC East? What does Alabama have left?

That said, the biggest headlines continue to dog Newton and the deeping allegations of the not-so-silent auction for his services (here's the latest development Thursday The NCAA is investigating; Auburn hasn't budged in its backing of its star player, and Coach Gene Chizik pledges to start him Saturday against Georgia.

Saturday . . . Georgia . . . Aub . . . Oh yeah, The Games!.

Georgia vs. Auburn: Georgia has three chances of winning Saturday.

1. If Uga goes after Newton, and this time the Dawg mascot doesn't miss.
2. If Auburn brings back the water cannons (see 1986) and Newton is hit, repeatedly, by friendly fire.
3. The NCAA steps in.

For the purposes of this prediction, let's assume that:
1. Newton avoids the fat white dog as he has most SEC tacklers.
2. The water cannons are pointed at the ESPN trucks (But fair warning, Dawg fans: given how Auburn has handled past disappointments in this rivalry, the ROTC may be carrying live ammo).
3. The NCAA, for now, stays put.

It's simple: If Newton plays, Auburn wins. And big. Should he play? For this week, that's Auburn's call, and Auburn is all in. Tigers: 45-28.

South Carolina vs. Florida: Could this be Steve Spurrier's last trip to Gainesville as the South Carolina coach?

Maybe it's because this year's version of South Carolina's annual November free-fall started from a higher cliff, or that TOBC gets night sweats at the thought of coaching Stephen Garcia for another year . . . Either way, while the winner here goes to Atlanta, something tells me Spurrier may soon be taking a trip of his own. Gators, 28-17.

Mississippi State vs. Alabama: Are there enough hours in the day for Dan Mullen? Can the hyperactive Bulldog coach rummage through the affairs of a rival player (Newton) and still have time to coach his own team? Alabama, which gave away everything in its loss to LSU that the Tigers didn't take, looks to salvage something from a disappointing year. Even without Trent Richardson, the Tide rises, and Mullen learns a lesson in time management. Alabama: 24-14

The rest:

Louisiana-Monroe at LSU: If the devil has a sense of humor, this is the week he'd spring it on Les Miles. No sweat, LSU Fans, he's too busy toying with Auburn. Bengals, 28-14.

Kentucky 28, Vanderbilt 17

Ole Miss 24, UT, 21

Arkansas 42, UTEP 17.

MG

The latest on Cam: Pay for play, and the FBI comes calling

The investigation of Cam Newtown has taken two major turns.

TMZ is reporting that the FBI wants to talk to John Bond, the former Mississippi State quarterback and the source of the original allegations that Newton was being shopped around for an asking price of $200,000.

Here's that link.

Also, ESPN is reporting that Mississippi State recruiters say Newton and his father openly talked about getting paid during their recruiting visit. Later, the story alleges, Newton apologized to the unnamed recruiter for not coming to Starkville (to play for his former quarterback coach Dan Mullen) but that there was too much money to turn down at Auburn.

Auburn has denied any wrongdoing in the matter and has continued to play Newton, saying its own investigations have shown he remains eligible.

Here's that story.

Auburn plays Georgia on Saturday. Coach Gene Chizik says Newton will be in the lineup.

mg

What we think we know -- Week 10

1. Alabama has never been as good as advertised, which has pretty much what this EXPAT has been saying the entire season.
The offense has been a piston short, and the defense throws rods at the worst possible times. The LSU loss again exposed the team's problems, but so did Arkansas, Penn State, Florida and even Duke. At Baton Rouge, Alabama controlled the first half and led going into the fourth quarter. But it could never get beyond a four-point lead. That put the game in the hands of the defense, which gave up some astoundingly big plays. Too many great defenders left after last year's national championship, true. But this defense should be better than it is this far into the season, and that's on the players AND coaches.

2. He's a loon, but don't tell me Les Miles isn't having fun, and that his team doesn't respond to that. What a marvelous second half for the state of Louisiana.

3. The dismantling of Cam Newton is picking up speed. First came allegations from Mississippi State that he was being shopped around for big bucks. Now comes a Fox story that says he left Florida after being accused of three instances of academic fraud. That follows a dozen a dozen driving violations, including several instances of license and tag problems, speeding, and running red lights and stop signs. And there's the much-visited theft charge involving his purchase of a stolen computer.

Newton's Heisman chances are dwindling, and his eligibility -- and Auburn's national championship hopes -- hang on the findings of an NCAA investigation. On top of all that, the case is quickly becoming an embarrassment for the SEC. Mike Slive's office didn't exactly pounce on the original information supplied by MSU this summer. And SEC teams have clearly turned on each other. Urban Meyer, Newton's former coach in Gainesville, appears to have played a major role in flushing out the pay-for-play pieces by ESPN and the New York Times. Now comes a Fox report that is almost certainly based on a Florida source discussing what is generally considered private student information. Et two, Urban?

Meyer was reportedly outraged by the alleged marketing of his former player. But pardon me if I question his moral authority: How in the world was Newton allowed to stay on the Florida team so long given his chronic problems with the law and the school?

4. Speaking of embarrassment, check out this clip on the reception ESPN reporter Mark Schlabach got while trying to do a report on the Newton case from the Auburn campus. Not pretty. But ask yourself this: If the story involved another SEC school, would the response have been much different? Absolutely not.

5. Every year the EXPATS think ACC football has dug down so deep they must have hit rock and can finally start back up. And every year we find that they've gone even deeper. As bad as the past years have been, this season -- take 10 of "The Breakout Year" -- has been every bit as embarrassing as the rest. Which, given the preseason ballyhooing, may make it the worst year yet. The best team in the league couldn't beat James Madison. That the ACC still has a BCS spot has gone from funny to sad.

Report: Meyer may have been behind release of Newton allegations

Latest headlines:

Cam Newton says he's done nothing wrong.

Auburn's athletic director John Jacobs says the school has done nothing wrong.

The agent in question says he has done nothing wrong.

Meanwhile, bud Charles Goldberg of the Birmingham News cites a three-way conversation a few months back in which Urban Meyer, Newton's coach at Florida, angrily told Mississippi State head guy Dan Mullen and former Bulldog quarterback John Bond that he planned to leak the allegations in Newton's recruitment to news organizations. Bond says he was approached by the agent and told Newton would cost $180,000; other schools would be asked for more.

Meyer is not quoted in the story, but I'm sure he'd say he did nothing wrong either. See for yourself.
mg

It's a Wonderful Heist

Cam Newton, player extraordinaire, meet LSUFreek, the SEC's best techno satirist bar none.

Enjoy

Who ya got? -- Week 10

Unlike Tony Barnhart, the EXPATS won't let CAMGATE distract us from our appointed tasks. There are games to be dissected, winners and losers to be picked, championship dreams that will be emboldened, others that will be crushed.

Given that buildup, too bad it's a slate of mostly really bad games. Happily, there are two exceptions. (Besides, we'll keep you up to date with the all the developments on the NCAA investigation into Newton's recruitment). So here we go:

Alabama vs. LSU. Once upon a time in a universe far, far away, Nick Saban coached at LSU. He returns to Baton Rouge for the second time as Alabama's coach. Two years ago, he was burned in effigy before kickoff. During the game, LSU put the torch to itself, with five interceptions aiding and abetting Alabama's overtime victory.

This time around, LSU is coming off a mauling by Auburn, and Alabama appears to be regaining strength after its debilitating performance at South Carolina. Again, quarterback play will be key. If LSU's tandem can play reasonably well, the Tigers will be in this one to the end. Alabama's Greg McElroy faces a big pass rush and the best group of DBs in the conference. Unlike other SEC QBs, he will test Patrick Peterson. Can he get the ball to Julio Jones and his other receivers?

This game will turn on the line play and special teams. If these are a wash, it again puts the game in the hands of the quarterbacks. In the end, Messrs. Jefferson and Lee will be forced to make plays they haven't made all year. Bama, 21-14.

Arkansas vs. South Carolina: South Carolina can still go to Atlanta if they lose Saturday -- as long as they beat Florida in The Swamp. Based on their level of play as of late, the Gamecocks should be underdogs in both games. Something is amiss in Columbia, and today we'll find out if it's something Steve Spurrier can fix.

For all the attention being heaped on Bobby Petrino's and Spurrier's offenses, the defensive play by both teams will decide who wins. Playing before the home crowd, the Gamecocks make the last stop. Carolina, 35-31

Florida at Vandy Stranger things have happened, sure. And given the weirdness of the Gator season, and the fact that Florida coach Urban Meyer appears to have played a key role in the timing of the Cam Newton investigation bombshell, who knows where his team's head will be? Vandy will take this one into the third quarter. Better players will take over from there. Florida, 24-14

Given the level of opponents the other schools are playing this week, we'll skip the rest.

MG

Tommy T.:

You guys can talk about Cam Newton amongst yourselves. I want to talk about gutpunches.

There's no crying in baseball, but there's damn sure crying in football. Deadspin.com had a video this week of a poor South Carolina coed crying over the Gamecocks' loss to Kentucky. Through her tears, she is deeply logical: We just beat Alabama and lost to Kentucky? This isn't basketball!

Her boyfriend, who filmed the whole meltdown, has taken the video off YouTube (putting it up in the first place probably didn't help the relationship, bud). But if you're an SEC fan you have felt that special despair of that loss that turns the world into a place that no longer makes sense.

Georgia had Florida on the ropes last week. Tied going into overtime, all the momentum, right on the edge of beating the team we want to beat the most (and the team that has beaten us into dust for most of the last 20 years). At that moment, it didn't matter that neither team is headed anywhere this season. What mattered was two rivals going at it, and 80,000 fans going nuts, and fans kneeling in front of their TVs, and 100 years of history, and everything that makes sports so maddening and wonderful.

Then: Interception. Field goal attempt. We gave the choke sign, their kicker blew us a kiss, and he put the ball through the uprights.

I didn't cry. But, South Carolina girl, I feel your pain.

Alabama at LSU: Mr. Gordon has given you his dissertation already, and (for once) he's pretty much on the ball. The most important player in this game is Alabama's punter; if he gives Patrick Peterson something to run back, it might make all the difference. Barring that, Alabama is just a little bit better. Tide, 26-20.

Arkansas at South Carolina: The Gamecocks can't stand success. They have the inside track to the SEC championship game if they can just win here and next week at Florida. Everybody thinks they'll stumble against the Gators. But I think they're already looking toward Gainesville and won't notice all those Arkansas receivers sprinting downfield until it's too late. South Carolina girl, stock up on tissues. Razorbacks, 31-24.

Florida at Vandy: My only hope now is that Florida backs into the SEC title game and loses to Auburn by six touchdowns. A small bus wreck on the way back from the stadium would be nice, too. But even a bus wreck won't matter this week. Gators, 33-13.

Cam's signing under NCAA Investigation

Mississippi State representatives allege they were approached by an agent saying it would cost teams $200K for Cam Newton's signature. But since the quarterback liked Bulldog head coach Dan Mullen from their days together in Florida, State would get the hometown discount of $180K.

State reported the incident to the NCAA, which has asked for financial statements from Newton's family.

Newton originally signed with Florida but left after his freshman year to attend junior college. During his re-recruitment, he reportedly wanted to play for Mullen in Starkville but says he deferred to his father. The elder Newton, an Atlanta-area minister, announced his son would play for Auburn.

An Auburn spokesman acknowledged the ongoing NCAA investigation but said Newton, perhaps college football's most dynamic player, remains eligible.

Here's the ESPN.com story.

More, certainly, to come
MG