We've Got At Least One Guy In Our Corner

[AUChizad]

I’ll tell you what’s not funny; killing strippers. Strippers are people too, naked people who may be willing to pleasure you for a price you negotiate later behind a curtain in the VIP room. Besides, there’s no need to kill them ‘cause most of them are already dead inside.

[Tiger Wench]

According to EDSBS, Craig James might have killed five hookers during his time at SMU.  Is that the same as killing strippers?

But it's just a rumor...

We state for the record that we are appalled by any accusations that Craig James killed five hookers while he was at SMU, and will staunchly denounce the spread of this heinous rumor that Craig James killed five hookers while he was at SMU. Craig James killing hookers at SMU is a very serious matter for so many reasons. They prefer to be called "sex workers," despite Archer's Rule of Dead Sex Worker Terminology, and oh yeah, according to law enforcement records Craig James did not kill five hookers while he was at SMU, and murder is not funny unless it involves a long list of people in mostly fictional situations.

Wikipedia has corrected these, and well they should, because "Craig James killed five hookers while at SMU" is just as inaccurate a statement as "Mike Leach locked Adam James in a closet." We would not want that.

In conclusion, we state that "Craig James killed five hookers while at SMU" is the last thing we would want associated with Craig James, ESPN commentator and NOT-candidate for Senative. The rumor is false. Again: the last thing we would want is the phrase "Craig James killed five hookers while at SMU" associated with him. Please respect our wishes in the matter of "Craig James killed five hookers while at SMU."

[Snaggletiger]

Eerily familiar ring to all that.

[AUChizad]

Back to predictions.

Danny Sheridan is on Finebaum now.

He picked Georgia to win 9 or 10 games this year, even after the loss.

That will be fun to revisit.

"DON'T BET AGAINST HIM, HE IS A SOOTHSAYER!!!"

[AUChizad]

Phil Steele's with us as well.

http://blog.philsteele.com/2011/09/08/week-2-top-25-forecasts-4/

LY it was a Thurs Nt gm in Starkville and Aub did have a 210-125 yd edge at half and led 17-7 despite Cam Newton being int’d in the EZ and AU dropping 6 passes. MSU pulled to 17-14 to open the 3Q and at the end MSU was SOD at the AU41. LW the Tigers nearly became the first defending Nat’l Champ to lose their season opener S/’98 (Mich) as they scored 2 TD’s in the final 2:07 to pull out a 42-38 win over Utah St. New QB Trotter did throw for 263 (74%) with a 3-0 ratio. Miss St was dominant LW racking up a schl rec’d 645 yds led by RB Ballard who ran for 166 (16.6) and 3 TD. Auburn is 17-1 in SEC openers while Miss St has lost 11 str SEC openers. Auburn is 9-1 vs Miss St with a +157 ypg edge. Miss St has the D edge (#25-58) and is the more exp’d and talented tm but Auburn has a lot of history on its side and the home field edge.

PHIL’S FORECAST: AUBURN 28 MISSISSIPPI ST 27

[Townhallsavoy]

Fiutak picked us to win 23-20. 

[Snaggletiger]

Do you have the handy decoder ring to help decipher Steele's analysis?  I bought his mag, by mistake.  First off, you need the Hubbel telescope to read the War & Peace novel crammed on to every page.  Second, if you don't have a guide to translate for you, you won't know what he's talking about anyway. 

[CCTAU]

Do you have the handy decoder ring to help decipher Steele's analysis?  I bought his mag, by mistake.  First off, you need the Hubbel telescope to read the War & Peace novel crammed on to every page.  Second, if you don't have a guide to translate for you, you won't know what he's talking about anyway.

I thought he just drew funny pictures?

[AUChizad]

College Football News:

http://cfn.scout.com/2/1094615.html

CFN Prediction: Mississippi State at Auburn
Mississippi State RB Vick Ballard

By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Sep 8, 2010

Week 2 CFN Fearless Prediction & Game Story - Mississippi State at Auburn

Here’s The Deal … Auburn, you were just joking around, right?

The Tigers should’ve lost to Utah State, and even after escaping with a miracle, it was an embarrassing performance for the defending national champion. But, of course, they managed to turn it on at the right time, they came away with the win, and if they can come up with a win in the SEC opener, then the close call against the Aggies won’t matter.

It doesn’t matter that Auburn is rebuilding and struggles so much to start the season; it’ll be a really, really big deal if Mississippi State can pull off the road win after coming so achingly close in last year’s 1-14 loss. The Bulldogs are hot after closing out strong and with a dominant 59-14 win over Memphis to start out the year, and over a five day span, they’ll know exactly where they stand in the SEC race, and if they can win both upcoming games, in the national title chase.

The Auburn game is huge, having lost the last three games in the series and nine of the last ten, but MSU is the favorite. The LSU game next Thursday night might be even bigger, but it’s one step at a time for a Bulldog program that’s just used to the idea of being a player again. Now, there are real, live, expectations, and now, they’re the hunted.

MSU might have come up with a breakthrough 9-4 2010 campaign, but it didn’t exactly beat anyone big. Wins over Florida, Georgia, and Michigan might sound impressive, but those three powers weren’t nearly up to their normal snuff. The same goes for this year’s Auburn team, but again, it doesn’t matter. Beating the national champion and coming up with an SEC West road win is important, and no matter what happens to Auburn the rest of the way, this would be the biggest victory of the Dan Mullen era so far.

For Auburn, this is a chance to show that all is right with the world. Everyone has problems with the first game from time to time – it’s been quickly forgotten how Oklahoma was pushed to the wall by Utah State in last year’s opener – but this game is for more than just getting back a little respect; it could be about survival.

If the Utah State was really an indicator of things to come, then with a road trip to Clemson up next, a layup against Florida Atlantic follows. And then comes the fun: at South Carolina, at Arkansas, Florida, at LSU. Could a 2-6 start really be possible? That’s a stretch, but after the first 58 minutes of last week’s game against Utah State, it could be panic time.

Why Mississippi State Might Win: The Auburn defensive front was ripped to shreds by the Utah State offensive line. The Aggie front five was a bit of a question mark because of injuries, but the parts came back and it came up with a technically sound performance opening up ten-mile wide holes for Chuckie Keeton and a running game that tore off 227 yards and five touchdowns. Worse yet, the defense had a disastrous time getting off the field as Keeton and Utah State converted ten of 17 third down chances and held on to the ball for close to 38 minutes.

Mississippi State is better than Utah State, and Chris Relf is better than Chuckie Keeton.

The Bulldog offense was in midseason form against a bad Memphis defense, ripping off 309 yards and five scores with Relf running for 51 yards and connecting on 13-of-21 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns before giving way to backup Tyler Russell. Basically, if Auburn couldn’t handle the Utah State spread, it’s not going to have a prayer of a chance against the MSU version.

Why Auburn Might Win: Lost in the close call against Utah State was a terrific performance from Barrett Trotter. The running game might have been a disaster, and the defensive front had problems, but the passing game worked like it was supposed to with Trotter connecting on 17-of-23 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns, and of course, showing cool and calm leadership in the final moments. The Mississippi State pass defense was a problem last year, and while there’s experience and talent returning, the secondary has to still prove it can slow down a good passing game.

Last year was last year, but still, the Bulldogs gave up 250 yards or more in each of the last five games, and were just okay at keeping the big plays to a minimum. The pass rush wasn’t anything special in the opener against Memphis, and it might have to sell out a little bit to get to Trotter and throw off the timing. Utah State kept the Tiger ground game in check by being disciplined and not doing anything crazy with the linebackers, and it worked, but Trotter had a big game. MSU might have to get a bit more creative and take its chances against the phenomenal Auburn running backs.

What To Watch Out For: Auburn’s Michael Dyer was the BCS Championship MVP, and Onterio McCalebb was a superstar recruit and has an NFL future, but Mississippi State’s Vick Ballard is as good as any running back in this game, and in the conference. Ballard came to MSU as a good-looking JUCO transfer, tearing off 1,728 yards and 22 scores in 2009 for Mississippi Gulf Coast CC, and he was supposed to be a big part of the offense right away. It took about a month to become the main man, and then he blew for a team-leading 968 yards and a whopping 19 scores. At 5-11 and 215 pounds, he’s not necessarily a thumper, but he’s physical, extremely quick, and is the perfect fit for what Dan Mullen wants to do with his spread attack. Last week, he ran for 60 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries, and after running five times for 13 yards and a score in last year’s loss to Auburn, he’ll be looking to make a statement.

Auburn’s defensive front seven has to be far, far better than it was against Utah State. There might have been problems, but new starting linebacker Jonathan Evans did what he could to save the D and clean up the messes left by the interior. Evans has been a spot starter on both the strong and weak sides over his first few seasons, making 27 tackles as a key reserve, and after making 14 stops against the Aggies, he’s quickly growing into his new role. The 5-11, 225-pound native veteran has played in 26 games during his first two years and is a big hitter who should put up double-digit numbers against the Bulldogs.

What Will Happen: Auburn won’t be back to being Auburn again, but it’ll be far stronger, far sharper, and far better. Utah State wasn’t necessarily a wake-up call as much as it was a chance to get everyone into their new spots, and it’s possible that the close win might be a confidence-builder. Mississippi State is good, really good, but Trotter will be excellent, the Tiger defensive front will play far better, and for the second straight year, it’s going to be a tight battle down to the wire.

CFN Prediction: Auburn 23 … Mississippi State 20

[AUChizad]

Fiutak picked us to win 23-20.

I guess that was the CFN pick I posted?

[CCTAU]

Mississippi State is better than Utah State, and Chris Relf is better than Chuckie Keeton.

Normally I might buy this, but Keeton had the best game of his short career. He may not have a better game, but for one game, he was better than Relf. I have seen Relf cough up some really ugly games. So while the quote might seem true, I will not buy it until I see it. AU is not Memphis. (I hope)

[Snaggletiger]

Normally I might buy this, but Keeton had the best game of his short career. He may not have a better game, but for one game, he was better than Relf. I have seen Relf cough up some really ugly games. So while the quote might seem true, I will not buy it until I see it. AU is not Memphis. (I hope)

I don't think Relf has to be superman tomorrow.  After watching USU's line push Auburn around, I'm more worried about Ballard pounding his way to a Fred Talley-esque day. 

And yeah, Memphis looked like a bad high school team. 

[ssgaufan]

I'm hoping that Angelo Blackson gets more playing time.  He looks like he's going to be a stud for us.

[AUChizad]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/expertpicks

Dodd, McMurphy, Fornelli, Jacobi, Hinnen & Patterson all pick Auburn. Only Feldman picked MSU.

[JR4AU]

If Auburn wins scoring only 23 to 28 points, it's because Chiz has Malzahn to slow the pace, run every second of the time clock between plays, that we are successful at running the ball, and we score on every possession.  And that may well be the game plan, simply play defense by playing offense and keeping their offense on the sideline.  And, this would seem a solid game plan, rather than asking Trotter to go out and score 45 points in a shootout.   Our defense is most effective when it's not on the field.  Another KO or Punt return for a TD would help the cause as well.   

[GH2001]

Its the perfect recipe for Auburn to win. Not saying they will, but it lines up right.

Sadly, same thing applies to Georgia. Wouldn't shock me if they beat SC. Everyone is writing them off. Perfect time for them to show out. And UGA seems to do this every year, like they did last year with Tenn. UT had just pissed away that game from LSU (the infamous mismanagement game) and lost narrowly. Georgia had just lost to Colorado. UGA blew their doors off 41-14. Not sure if this will happen this week since the wheels may have fallen off this team already. It depends on if Richt has lost the locker room already.

[JR4AU]

Its the perfect recipe for Auburn to win. Not saying they will, but it lines up right.

Sadly, same thing applies to Georgia. Wouldn't shock me if they beat SC. Everyone is writing them off. Perfect time for them to show out. And UGA seems to do this every year, like they did last year with Tenn. UT had just pissed away that game from LSU (the infamous mismanagement game) and lost narrowly. Georgia had just lost to Colorado. UGA blew their doors off 41-14. Not sure if this will happen this week since the wheels may have fallen off this team already. It depends on if Richt has lost the locker room already.

I think Richt has long since lost the team.  Good coach, but burned out.  It happens at this level.  Just hard to sustain the level of intensity needed for a decade or more.  I think our staff and team is in a completely different position.  Young and inexperienced team, good young staff, and we will get better this year.  We may not beat State, but this team won't quit.

[GH2001]

Young and inexperienced team, good young staff, and we will get better this year.  We may not beat State, but this team won't quit.

Tell us another story grandpa. 

[JR4AU]

Tell us another story grandpa.

You not concur?

[Buzz Killington]

I'm hoping that Angelo Blackson gets more playing time.  He looks like he's going to be a stud for us.

^^^This^^^