Week Two in the SEC: Gamecocks vs Bulldogs Highlights Big Week
Aaron Murray will have his head on a swivel this Saturday
It is only week two of the college football season and already the Georgia Bulldogs face a must-win game against a big time opponent. This is exactly why some of us have been against a playoff in college football. Early season games that mean everything will no longer be the The more those playoffs expand, the less games like this week’s tilt between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Georgia Bulldogs will mean.
But since we are still in the last days of no playoffs, this game is humongous for Georgia. The Dawgs lost a toughie last week at the Clemson Tigers in Death Valley 38-35. As we all know, two loss teams rarely play for the national championship. Ironically, because of this we rarely see openers like that Georgia-Clemson game just for this reason. Nobody wants their championship hopes dashed in early September. Once the playoffs start, we may actually see more games like this early in the season. So that’s not a bad thing.
The Gamecocks come to Athens after disposing the North Carolina Tar Heels in week one. USC has beaten the Dawgs three straight times. They bring in a nasty defense led by Jadaveon Clowney who will be looking to worsen Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray’s record against top 15 teams. It is already a disappointing 1-10 after last week’s loss, although he and the offense played very well, as they did last season against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Bovada has South Carolina +3.5. We like the Gamecocks and the points.
Another huge contest involving the SEC early in the afternoon takes place in the Sunshine State when the Florida Gators travel south to battle the Miami Hurricanes. This was an annual rivalry for a long time and it was nearly dead even before the SEC expanded to 12 teams forcing the Gators to drop the Canes from the schedule. Now the two get together sparingly, so when they do it is huge.
Florida won the last meeting in 2009 26-3 in Gainesville. Miami was ticked that the Gators tacked on a late field goal in a game that was decided already. However, neither of the head coaches were at that game, so it is hard to tell if that will be an issue in this one. But we know the fans haven’t forgotten. They still haven’t forgotten about the “Florida Flop” down in Coral Gables. That happened in the early 1970s. Florida is a 3 point favorite in this one. We like them to cover.
Another intriguing game is between the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the Tennessee Volunteers. The Hilltoppers are a 13-point underdog, but do not be fooled. Coach Bobby Petrino has one SEC pelt this season already when his troops beat the Kentucky Wildcats a week ago. If the Vols are to win this game, they will earn it. Tennessee is coming off about six rough years. A loss to the Hilltoppers could set in motion the “here we go again” syndrome and could spell big trouble as the Vols get ready to head down to Gainesville later in the month. WKU is a 13-point underdog in this game. We like the Hilltoppers +13.
