Weekend in (P)Review

Due to finals, I have precious little time to spend on football, but of course, I'll do it anyways. I want to talk briefly about last weekend and this coming weekend, as well.

Arkansas gave LSU a run for their money, just like I thought they would. Had it not been for the sack of Casey Dick on the last drive, things may have been different, but you have to hand it to the LSU defense who once again made the play when they needed to.

Georgia Tech fought hard and played Georgia much tougher than I thought they would. Shockely didn't have a great game, but it was good enough to win in a defense-dominated game.

So, that sets up LSU v. Georgia for all the marbles. Here's what I think.

LSU continues to be inconsistent. I still don't buy the "more talent than anyone in the SEC" argument. They've had eleven games to put it together, and I've yet to see it. LSU is a good team, but they are not a great team and are capable of losing anytime they step on the field against an opponent with at least two wins. I'm not saying they will, and yes, anything can happen to any team, but LSU shows a propensity to play to the level of their opponent. That is not a good trait. And then, we have Georgia. The offense comes and it goes, but it lives and dies by Shockley. If LSU can put pressure on Shockley and actually bring him down (easier said than done), they can win this game. Both LSU and Georgia's defenses have been soft at times this year, particularly against the run. LSU has to get its running-game going early for it to win. It would help Georgia to have a running-game, obviously, but Shockley is more capable of killing you with his arm than Russell. Russell is a good QB, but Shockley is better. I think that Georgia is going to pull out the win, but it should be a close one, unless, of course, LSU finally uses the talent it supposedly has. I'm not holding my breath. I would be immensely surprised if Georgia ran away with it, but only slightly less so if LSU does. LSU can be explosive with their speed at reciever, so if the ball bounces correctly, the Dawgs could be down big early. I'm going to assume luck runs both ways, and in doing so, give the edge to Georgia and its senior quarterback. Georgia 21 - LSU 20.

Moving on, we have the much-awaited USC v. UCLA game.

If this game were played on paper (or playstation), USC would score 241 against UCLA's defense. Fortunately, life doesn't work like that. USC's defense is playing like it believes its offense is good enough to win every game. It might be, but it might not be. As evidenced by the Fresno State game (and Notre Dame), a high-powered offense can trade shots with USC and possible come out on top. UCLA has enough weapons to get in a shoot-out with USC and win. Honestly, this one should come down to who has the ball last. UCLA just needs to tell themselves that it doesn't matter if Reggie Bush breaks a 94-yard touchdown run by juking all eleven defensive players twice each. It is still only seven points. A routine touchdown gets an even game again. Style points don't count extra on the scoreboard--just to voters. UCLA needs a flawless offensive performance and a little luck to pull this one out, but it is certainly possible. USC 47 - UCLA 42.

As far as Texas and Colorado goes, I don't expect the game to be much different the second time around.

I will try and put out a Power 22 before this weekend, but that is only time permitting.