Larry’s Losers in the SEC – Week Ten

By: Larry Burton

Well folks, we’re nearing the end of this two week cruise and I’ll be glad to get back to work in familiar surroundings and back to seeing my pals in the press box. It’s been a great vacation so far and my wife tells me I’ve bought some more time in her good graces for going. But to be honest, if you’re not at the stadium there’s no place better than in front of your big screen at the beach.

We had another great week, but didn’t forsee the upset of sorts that the gagging Gators garnered by being gutted by the Bulldogs. Except for that, we saw all the rest just fine and hope that this week has more of the same.

 

Missouri at Florida – The men from Missouri have suffered so far in their first season of SEC play and nothing could help them more right now than gigging the Gators in front of the Florida fans in the Swamp.

Now Will Muschamp is a very nice man, but he won’t lose any sleep adding to the misery that head coach James Franklin has had this season with his Tigers. In fact, he won’t mind running up the score and taming his Tigers for a television audience. He’s got a mad bunch of reptiles who want to prove they are better than they showed last week.

The question of a win is not really a question, but the bigness of the beating is still to be determined.

Larry’s loser – Missouri

 

Ole Miss at Georgia – On paper, this shouldn’t be a close game, but this game won’t be played on paper. New Rebel coach Hugh Freeze has got the offense rolling with these Rebels and if he can just muster a little more defense, he could bat these Bulldogs down and surprise a lot of folks.

Mark Richt and his pack of pooches may have renewed their chance at the big prize this season, but there’s still a lot of season left and he ain’t about to let the Reb’s ruin his reunion with another SEC Championship Game this season.

But this is a game that both Bacardi and I are really nervous about. We almost went for an upset special in this one, but just couldn’t pull the trigger. How close will it be? We can’t wait to see.

Larry’s loser – Ole Miss

 

Vanderbilt at Kentucky – Usually this is one of the teams that Kentucky can count on to squeak out a win and squeak into a bowl game, but this year there the Commodores have everything oiled well and there won’t be any squeaking.

Normally I’d feel guilty continually bad mouthing a team like Kentucky, but if I could find anything nice to say about them I would.

Vanderbilt needs this win to get to a point where making a bowl game is a reality with just a little more luck, and that’s all the motivation they’ll need to continue the misery of these Mildcats.

Larry’s loser – Kentucky

The Commodores get in a lot of well placed shots this week.

South Carolina – Has the week off to lay some eggs that won’t cost them anything in the standings.

Troy at Tennessee – Troy has a reputation of being one of those little teams than sneak up and bite you and that’s just what they need to turn this season around. They’ve lost a bunch of really close games this season and they’re hoping to catch the Vols overlooking them this weekend.

But as bad a Derek Dooley needs a win, he isn’t going to leave anything unnoticed and though this win won’t make up for all the close losses of their own this season, a W in Hardknocksville is a much needed thing.

With the possibility of a bowl game still looming, this could be just what the Vols need after a murderous few weeks.

Larry’s loser – Troy

 

Alabama at LSU – Les Miles isn’t have the kind of season that he or the desert boys in Vegas thought they’d have this season, and nothing would turn the bayou boys season around faster and better than beating Bama blind in Baton Rouge. With an extra week off to prepare, he’s hoping that advantage will serve him well in this game.

Nick Saban knows how good the Tigers can be in their own den as he used to be the ringmaster at that cat circus. But as good as his teams were then, he never had the firepower he’s got right now and he’s hoping that everything explodes as it should as that firepower blows away the Bengals.

Will this be an LSU upset like game one of last year or a blowout win like the championship game. Bacardi and I think it’s going to be somewhere in the middle.

Larry’s loser – LSU

 

Tulsa at Arkansas – For the folks who don’t study such stuff, Tulsa is a darn good team and leading Conference USA right now and they don’t feel the least bit intimidated by coming into the Hog pen and strapping it up with these boys from Arkansas.

In preseason, this didn’t look like a contest, but nobody saw how big these Golden Hurricanes could blow and how low these Hogs would sink.

So the question is did the Hurricanes rise higher than the Hogs have sunk? This could be a real game, but in the end, in checking the notes from pigskin pickin’ pooch, we both agree that SEC muscle will overcome Conference USA talent.

Larry’s loser – Tulsa

 

New Mexico State at Auburn – It’s hard this season to find a team that sucks as big as Auburn and whoever put New Mexico State on their schedule should be congratulated for finding one.

It’s not that the Aggies are bad, they’re worse than bad.

So unless they play with their helmets on backward, this should be the game that Auburn finally doubles their wins for the season.

Larry’s loser – New Mexico State

 

Texas A&M at Mississippi State – Texas A&M has a bowl game in their future here in their first season of SEC play and that is quite a feat. But the Aggies aren’t just going to be content to make a bowl, but make some real waves in the SEC. Nothing would do that better than a big win here to establish themselves in the SEC pecking order in a prominent place.

But the Bulldogs have accomplished too much this season to let another win get away from them and have anybody jump them in the SEC standings. They aim to show the Aggies what good defense is all about and bite these dirt farmers all the way back to Texas.

This is another one of those, ‘could go either way’ kind of games and in fact the pooch and I are split on this one. It worries me that he usually exhibits a strong Dog bias but is going with the Aggies. But I’m seeing the Bulldogs pulling out a tight one. This one came down to a coin toss and the real game could be just that close. Bacardi wins the coin toss.

Larry’s loser – Mississippi State

Ok fans, this vacation is now just about over and I’ll be glad to get back to a more normal routine even though I thoroughly enjoyed my time at sea.

Sorry I haven’t had had time to comment much, but that’s the way it goes when the internet connection is both so slow and so costly on a cruise ship. I’ll catch up next week and till then, you gotta love the losers sometimes….