Football
ANDY’S PICKS: Does LSU create chaos? Oh, yeah, Hogs will win
Ed Orgeron is able to do what he does best — coach with no pressure so Rebels may be in trouble.
We’ll just knock this out right quick: Arkansas will beat UAPB by however much Sam Pittman wants.
This is the most lopsided matchup at War Memorial Stadium since the Razorbacks hosted Wichita State in 1970 a couple of weeks after they lost most of their team in a tragic plane crash.
That one was 62-0 and Frank Broyles didn’t start some of the stars on that No 9 team who were dealing with some nagging injuries. The game may have been a sell-out but a lot of people stayed home and listened to Bud Campbell on the radio.
Bless their hearts, but the Golden Lions aren’t having a lot of success in the SWAC this year and this is a game with some historical footnotes attached, but not a lot of questions about what’s going to happen.
The only question about this is how many starters Pittman is willing to risk and for how long.
Or, at least, that SHOULD be the only question.
As much as Pittman has tried valiantly to make this sound like UAPB is actually a team that can be competitive, it’s a higher probability the bus gets lost getting to the stadium.
He will probably try to be as gentle as possible.
Hogs 63, UAPB 7
Pete Morgan is probably leading the contest by a few games. There won’t be any signs of desperation trying to catch up before Halloween … well, maybe a gamble here or there, but nothing too desperate.
Besides, he apparently doesn’t own a watch or can’t tell time and there is the increasing possibility he forgot there was a game this week.
LSU at Ole Miss -7.5: There is no question this is the best game of the week in the SEC. Ed Orgeron is out at the end of the year unless he somehow performs a miracle of epic proportions and gets re-hired (which is seriously doubtful). This one is going to come down to whether the Rebels can execute or the Tigers somehow find some life. Ole Miss doesn’t have a defense, so why not take a little gamble here. LSU 45, Ole Miss 34
Mississippi State -20.5 at Vanderbilt: Exactly how Mike Leach’s team plays in this one could say a lot about how their mindset is heading into final half of the season. The guess is they are playing better and will not have a problem here. Mississippi State 35, Vandy 14
Tennessee at Alabama -25: When you’re old enough you can remember when this was a huge game every year the third Saturday in October. The Crimson Tide may still smoke cigars after this but that’s more for personal pleasure than celebration because the last time this was close was in 2009. Lane Kiffin was coaching the Vols and they would have won if Alabama had not blocked two field goals. Alabama 45, Tennessee 21
South Carolina at Texas A&M -19.5: The Aggies have sorted things out while Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks are still trying to find out what can be sorted out. This may be whatever A&M wants it to be and Jimbo Fisher may yank his quarterback early to avoid having to go to a freshman. Texas A&M 35, South Carolina 10
See, nothing desperate, but maybe a calculated risk.
