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For a long time now, the Clemson Tigers’ performance has not been where the expectations have been set. Finally, in 2011, the Tigers are producing results befitting of their talent-laden roster.
The SEC West division is a two-horse race. If LSU has a manageable game this week in travelling to Tennessee to play the hobbled Volunteers, then the other top dog – the Alabama Crimson Tide – have an even easier task ahead of them in dispatching the Ole Miss Rebels.
Two standard SEC powers clash at Rocky Top this Saturday afternoon, though the going has been much better lately for the visitors than the home side.
The never-ending saga of Gamecocks quarterback Stephen Garcia finally came to (what should be) a decisive halt this week, as he was dismissed from the team.
Two strong SEC West division teams not named Alabama and LSU do battle on Saturday night in the foothills of the Ozarks. The visitor happens to be last year’s National Champion – an Auburn team that was invincible until an upstart Clemson program humbled them a couple weeks back.
Alabama joins its bitter divisional rival LSU in adeptly clear-cutting through the SEC so far in 2011. By all conventional logic, the Vanderbilt Commodores should be the next tree to be felled. The Commodores have definitely exceeded expectations to so far; they are assumed by many to be a perennial SEC bottom-dweller.
With the recent news of Gators QB John Brantley’s injury – he will be out for at least the LSU game, and maybe longer – some of the shine has been rubbed off this apple of the SEC regular season schedule. But, it is still a huge game that the entire conference and country will be tuned in for.
The venerated Notre Dame Fighting Irish football program seems to be finding its footing, at just the right time with Southern Cal on the schedule next week. But the Irish must deal with Air Force first, which means the Irish must thwart a whole bunch of running game.
To this point in the regular season, neither of these SEC combatants have been flawless, but South Carolina has been an SEC East division power while Kentucky has been an SEC East pretender.
Along with perhaps Nebraska versus Wisconsin, this is the marquee game of the week in the college football world. Forgetting about LSU momentarily, these have been the two best teams in the conference; both have been winning in highly convincing fashion.
It hasn’t always been pretty for the Ole Ball Coach and his South Carolina Gamecocks, but the bottom line speaks loudest, which is Carolina beating unbeaten and ranked #10 in the FBS.
As one can quickly tell from the betting lines, to say Louisiana State is heavily favored in this game is a wild understatement.
In a battle of two of America’s service academies, the beginning, middle and end of the story is a battle of two juggernaut running games. The Air Force Falcons are ranked #1 in the nation in rushing, with an astounding 411.7 ypg average.
In 2011, the year that Brigham Young University broke away to be an FBS Independent, the Cougars have had an uninspiring campaign to date.
Kentucky doesn’t like the Florida Gators (though it is fair to say that none of the programs in the enmity-filled SEC East do) and is coming off a tough loss to in-state rival Louisville, 24-17. It is certain that the home-side Wildcats will throw everything and the kitchen sink at the Gators this Saturday night in Lexington.
Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia SC
Saturday, Sept. 24, 7:00 pm EST
NCAA Odds from Bodog.com:
MoneyLine: OFF
Spread: Vanderbilt +15.5, South Carolina -15.5
Over/Under: OFF
It is downright bizarre to see a Week 4 battle of two SEC unbeaten teams, where one of the participants is the Vanderbilt Commodores. But that’s exactly what’s happened thus far for Vandy, which procured two nice wins so far versus Connecticut and Ole Miss. The Cinderella story may be ending this Saturday in the Palmetto State, however.
Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks haven’t been winning games in an overly convincing fashion, in fact Carolina have been grinding it out against the likes of East Carolina (56-37 win), Georgia (45-42 win) and Navy (24-21 win). With as good as the Commodores looked last week versus Ole Miss, you can’t even predict the Commodores – usually a bottom-dwelling SEC outfit – as a back pocket win, either. Though the Gamecocks “D” has been rather dreadful (save super-athlete D-lineman Melvin Ingram) the offensive game-plan has produced enough to secure wins.
Veteran quarterback Stephen Garcia, and do-everything skill stars RB Marcus Lattimore and WR Alshon Jeffery should carry the offense for Carolina, as usual. The trio should have a productive weekend against Vandy. True, Vandy only surrendered a touchdown to Ole Miss last week, but the Rebels have looked awful and were without their top RB and a starting WR. With a Gamecocks team that has a cupboard much better stocked, look for the offensive talent to get an appropriate yield from the visiting Commodores.
To be fair, you have to give Vanderbilt credit where credit is due. The running platoon of junior Zac Stacy and freshman Jerron Seymour has been really effective, with both backs averaging over 5.5 yards per carry (9.0 yards per clip for Stacy). Senior QB Larry Smith – whom didn’t inspire confidence in anyone before the season – has played well and stayed within himself.
Perhaps most impressive and most crucial to Vandy’s 2011 success thus far is the turnover-hungry defense. The Commodores’ secondary picked off Ole Miss QB Zack Stoudt five times last week and we know how vital turnovers are for the sudden swings in momentum. Garcia is a savvy vet, though, and while it is true he was prone to INTs earlier in his career, he won’t be as easy a mark as Ole Miss’s scuffling pivot. Vanderbilt’s defense has definitely exceeded expectations, but Jeffery and others downfield (sophomore WR Ace Sanders also comes to mind) will create match-up problems for the visitors.
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Very few people would have predicted Vanderbilt to be unbeaten this long; if it can somehow keep the magic intact, South Carolina hasn’t looked too convincing at times – especially on defense. Getting multiple touchdowns dropped on you from East Carolina and Navy will not cut it for an SEC East program that considers itself the top-dog contender this season. This trend makes it look possible that Vandy could get downfield and perhaps drop a few scores on the home team. If Stacy and Seymour keep running well and Vandy’s unheralded offensive line keeps doing its job, Carolina has shown that it isn’t the stingiest outfit this side of the Missouri River.
Yet the same is true for Vanderbilt and the most pertinent detail is that Garcia, Lattimore and Jeffery are far more imposing than anyone the Commodores can roll out. Those guys should do enough for the Gamecocks to snag this home contest, and a convincing win over Vanderbilt – perpetrated on both sides of the ball – would do a lot for Carolina’s confidence moving forward into the teeth of the regular season schedule, despite its cushy #12 national ranking.
Score Prediction: South Carolina 31, Vanderbilt 14
Over/Under Prediction: 45
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