LSU 8-3 vs. No. 2 Tennessee 10-1 (-6)
SEC Championship in Atlanta
Why to watch: Tennessee pulled off one of the shockers of the 2001 season by
running through Florida to put itself in a position to go to the Rose Bowl. Not even an
afterthought for the national title a few weeks ago, Tennessee is now 60 minutes away from
playing for its second national title in four years. LSU closed the season on a three-game
SEC winning streak over key SEC West opponents to play for the SEC title. Both teams have
blazing hot skill players as LSU WR Josh Reed and Tennessee RB Travis Stephens are playing
as well as anyone in the nation.
One reason why LSU might win: This might be the ultimate sandwich game for
Tennessee. The Vols are coming off what might be the most emotional win in the school's
history beating Florida in the Swamp and are already looking ahead to the Rose Bowl. If
Tennessee considers the SEC title game a formality, LSU is good enough to bite them. With
the upsets of the last few weeks, nothing can be ruled out.
One reason why Tennessee might win: With Big John Henderson relatively healthy
again, the Tennessee run defense is impenetrable and if the Tigers can't control the game
on the ground, the Tigers’ offense will have some serious problems. RB LaBrandon
Toefield was held to 20 yards in the teams’ previous game on Sept. 29 before leaving
with an injury and Tennessee controlled the clock for 35:40. The Tigers can't win if that
happens again.
We think: We're curious to see how emotion plays a part for the Volunteers. With
all the Rose Bowl talk over the last week and the emotion of the Florida game, there's no
way the Volunteers can be 100 percent focused even in a game of this magnitude. It'll take
a quarter or two to get rolling, but we think the Tennessee defense will take care of
business until the offense comes around.
Must Watch Rating (5 must see - 1 see if A Christmas Story is on): 5
Our Prediction: Tennessee 31, LSU 23
Expanded News: LSU will be gunning for its eighth SEC title, and sixth outright
title. The Bayou Bengals have never played in an SEC Championship game; their last
title came in 1988. … LSU enters the contest ranked third in the SEC in scoring
offense at 30.91 points per game, and second in total offense with 466.64 yards per game.
While comparatively, these numbers rank ahead of Tennessee (fourth and sixth
respectively), the Tigers will face a Volunteers defense which ranks third in the SEC in
scoring defense (18.45 ppg.), second in the SEC in total defense (305.27 ypg.), and first
in the SEC in rushing defense (80.91 ypg.). … Tigers QB Rohan Davey must be an
effective passer early if LSU hopes to successfully run against the Vols’ defensive
front. If not, Davey could be scrambling most of the evening. … History will be
on the Vols’ side. They are 19-4-3 all-time versus LSU, and won the regular season
match-up 26-18 in Knoxville. … This will mark UT’s first trip to the SEC
Championship game since the 1998 National Championship team defeated Mississippi State
24-14; it is their third trip overall. … The last time Tennessee played a team twice
in a season was Kentucky in 1944; UT won both games 26-13 and 21-7. … Tennessee has
secured 13 SEC Football Championships, including nine outright titles. … With his
226-yard effort against Florida, RB Travis Stephens has 1,427 yards and pulled to within
striking distance of Jay Graham's single-season rushing mark of 1,438 set in 1995 in 11
games. … If the Volunteers hope to play for their second national title in four
seasons, they will need to limit their turnovers, and continue the smart passing of QB
Casey Clausen, and the pounding of Stephens.
No. 9 BYU 12-0 (–3) at Hawaii 8-3
Why to watch: BYU is threatening lawsuits and tearing its hair out over not being
included in the BCS. There's one problem — the Cougars had better win this game
first. Hawaii has won seven of its last eight and won't be a pushover. With the No. 1
(BYU) and No. 12 (Hawaii) offenses in the nation going against the 95th (BYU) and 85th
(Hawaii) defenses in the nation, this could be really, really fun.
One reason why BYU might win: This team just finds a way to win. The Cougars
have faced the adversity of playing without RB Luke Staley before this year and have had
to fight their way back in several games. QB Brandon Doman is more than capable of winning
this game with his arm.
One reason why Hawaii might win: BYU has a lot of talent, but this isn't nearly
the same team without Staley. Ned Stearns is decent, but he's not Staley. The
Cougars’ defense is lousy and isn't anywhere near capable of stopping the
Warriors’ offense.
We think: BYU is doing a lot of yapping and whining this week and their mouths
may be writing a check their tails can't cash. Hawaii is looking at this as its bowl game
and without Staley, the BYU offense won't be as potent. Look for this to be among the most
fun games you'll see all season long.
Must Watch Rating (5 must see - 1 see if A Christmas Story is on): 5
Our Prediction: Hawaii 48, BYU 45 |
