The Road to Atlanta

The East and West sorts itself out more and more each week. It will be in stone next month. The coolness of fall is in the air now, especially at night, and it is welcomed relief. It just goes to show you that if you keep grinding everything will change in due time.

In football, every misstep and every achievement is more significant because opportunities to separate from others diminishes now. Almost every team has a chance to impact who makes it to Atlanta. Maybe that’s what makes games more exciting this time of year. Either you are trying to survive attacks of rivals or you are trying to keep your rival from going where you may not be able to go. Many times, seeing rivals suffer because of what your team cost them is a way of being satisfied with a season that fell short of expectations.

Now for this week’s prognostications……..

South Carolina @ No. 3 Georgia: Farmer Muschamp spent last weekend feeding his Yard-birds some high energy pellets to get them ready for a trip south to Athens, Georgia. After watching Kirby Smart’s canines chase some Tennessee boys around the field, biting them everywhere possible, it’s understood that his feathered friends better stick together or they will be headed to the Tyson processing plant.

Kirby has his Dawgs back in the pound patrolling the perimeter after enjoying their trip to the mountains. Kirby has already told his Dawgs that there will be a nasty cat and dawg fight next weekend, so they need to get their bellies full now. It is a well-known fact that when a Dawg gets a taste of chicken they won’t stop until every feather is plucked.

T-Dawg’s Winner: Georgia 41-17

No. 1 Alabama @ No. 24 Texas A&M: Jimbo Fisher spent way too much time thinking about Nick Saban’s pending visit, and it nearly cost him against the Razorbacks. Reveille has always had a fear of big red elephants and when the earth starts shaking in College Station, she will know the herd is closing in. The best way to survive the stampede is to divide and conquer, but that won’t be easy with King Tua riding mount.

Nick Saban has gained a strong dislike for any breed of Dawg over the last few years. and he is not about to let some flea-bitten collie break his stride on the road to Atlanta. Having 12 men on the field facing you isn’t anything new to Saban, as it seems like it happens every time he turns around. When the Crimson Tide heads back east on Saturday, poor old Reveille will be whimpering in fear and have her tail between her legs.

T-Dawg’s Winner: Alabama 45-21

UNLV @ Vanderbilt: The Runnin’ Rebels plan to sprint into Nashville and grab their second win of the year. It has been tough out in the Mountain West this year and the hard times show no indication of letting up. The Rebels are counting on a stimulating stroll through Beale Street before escaping Music City.

Derek Mason is running out of answers when it comes to his rag-tag navy. No matter what direction they sail, the Commodores haven’t been able to find a safe port to drop anchor in. You won’t catch the Commodores ready to listen to any sad story from any Rebels after taking a whooping from their cousins last week. Mason knows that opportunities for success are about to go down to the deep-six, so locking up any looters from out west before they can run away is critical.

T-Dawg’s Winner: Vanderbilt 32–23

TSUN @ Missouri: Matt Luke felt a little bit of elation as he watched the Commodore Navy retiring from battle with all ships listing as they took on water. The Land Minnows are scheduled to show up in Columbia, Missouri this Saturday where they intend to cage the Tigers and take what they want including their third conference win.

Kelly Bryant has his kitten’s offense purring full blast. Barry Odom has his felines ready to battle for the East title. If they are to accomplish their goal of dethroning Kirby Smart’s canines, then they must keep their claws sharp and energy level up week after week. A meal of fish (Minnows will have to do) this week moves the Missouri marauders a step closer.

T-Dawg’s Winner: Missouri 35-27

Arkansas @ Kentucky: Nick Starkel has been trying to get his porker friends up out of the bottom lands where hunters have been taking a high toll of his brethren. Chad Morris took his best shot at A&M last week but came up just a couple of ears of corn short. Now he must load up his Hogs for a trip to Lexington, Kentucky, to see what the horse pastures have in store.

Mark Stoops has watched his Mild-Cats go into a three-game skid where they seemed to be chasing their tails in a continuous circle. Dreams of a title are gone now, but the nightmare of returning to the SEC East cellar is a real possibility unless the Blue-Grass boys can fill the smokehouse with pork. The pits have been dug and concealed waiting for a squealing pig to be chased into them.

T-Dawg’s Winner: Kentucky 31-27

No. 7 Florida @ No. 5 LSU: Mullenex brings his traveling Gator circus to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after catching Gus snoozing at the wheel when he passed through Gainesville, Florida. The Gators were euphoric dismantling the Gus Bus, but in the SEC, good times can pass quickly. A Gator defends his home nest intensely, but Baton Rouge isn’t home to these Gators.

LSU reaches the halfway point of the season this week at home. The Gators serve as a pivotal point to start a run of games with the elite of the West. The Cajun people don’t look kindly on people who live in a make-believe swamp because the miles of bayous they inhabit make any little Florida swamp look like a mud puddle. Joe “Boudreaux” doesn’t have time for nursery rhymes so “A Tisket a Trask-et” better have a dentist on standby.

T-Dawg’s Winner: LSU 36-24

Miss. State @ Tennessee: Pruitt’s Volunteers were chewed up by a pack of Dawgs from Georgia, and just as they feel safe climbing down out of the trees, more Dawgs come calling from the junk yards of Mississippi. The Volunteers aren’t as numerous as they once were, but they know that having their rifles cleaned and sighted are essential. The only trouble is that a rifle isn’t much good against a pack of attacking Dawgs.

Kylin Hill isn’t sure who will be handing him the ball in Neyland Stadium, and it really doesn’t matter because he plans to spend plenty of time on the checkerboards in one of his best games. Winning on the road in the SEC is never easy, and the Dawgs can attest to that, but feel like nothing clicked the last time out. This trip, they must prove something to themselves. I am reminded of the old mantra, “We All We Got, We All We Need.”

T-Dawg’s Winner: Miss. State 31–21

There comes a time that you need to recognize you are not going to please all the people all the time. You just hope to please some of the people some of the time. There are so many things I could say here but I guess the best thing to say is simply, HAIL STATE!