My Two Cents-Who will come out of the SEC East?

The SEC East is the weakest division of the Southeastern conference; it actually looks like the ACC where you have all these teams neck and neck because there is no consistency from week to week.

Lowly Tennessee continues to sink to the bottom as they are the only team in the conference without a conference win; Florida continues to implode week after week, and there looks like there is no solution to this downward spiral; Kentucky’s signature win over South Carolina was a huge one for the university but that was their only conference win; Vanderbilt also has one win in conference play and their problems continue; Georgia has turned around a dismal start to reach the .500 mark and they have a big game against Florida this Saturday; however, South Carolina looks like the team that will win this division and get a chance to play in the SEC Championship game on Dec. 4^th.

The Gamecocks must seize this moment and continue to win from here on out and not stub their toe like they did two weeks ago against Kentucky, after beating No. 1 Alabama the previous week. Steve Spurrier must be rooting for Georgia to down the Gators, this Saturday, and hope his team will beat Florida come Nov. 13^th in the Swamp, to undoubtedly make them winners of the East division, going into the championship game.

Florida could make a splash with a win at Georgia and a win at South Carolina to take the East Division but with how hot Georgia is playing now (the offense is clicking) and South Carolina possessing the experienced Stephen Garcia and Alshon Jeffrey, I just do not see it. Anything is possible. When you put too much faith in South Carolina, they will let you down as we have seen in Spurrier’s tenure in Columbia, SC.

I do strongly believe that Urban Meyer will have a signature win this season and maybe it will be against Georgia but this team will not get further than that, though. However, if they lose to the Bulldogs, it will be an unprecedented four losses in the row for Meyer at the university. It’s funny how the Gators and Texas Longhorns seem to be channeling each other. So don’t be surprised if they beat Georgia and then lose the following week to Vanderbilt. You remember when the Longhorns shocked Nebraska (@home) and then lost last week to Iowa State, don’t be surprised if Florida follows in their footsteps.

The Gamecocks’ defense needs to play better in the second half of games and not let teams get back into games; and Garcia needs to protect the ball and not turn it over. South Carolina blows your doors off in the first half of games and then puts it into cruise control. Also will Marcus Lattimore be healthy for the remaining games on their schedule. He got dinged up in the Kentucky loss and is questionable at this moment; it’s important to have this element of the running game to be well-rounded as a team. You don’t want Garcia to feel like he needs to put the whole team on his shoulders.

Everything sets up well for the Gamecocks: win your remaining games and play for the SEC title. It’s best to help yourself first than having to rely on other teams to help you out. If Spurrier does not get to the title game, I do not know when they will be closer than they are now, especially with the athleticism and playmakers on offense and defense.           

My Two Cents-The impact of Oklahoma losing and Missouri's win

Can Blaine Gabbert continue the impressive performance against Nebraska?

With Oklahoma’s loss to Missouri, they can kiss goodbye their chances to play in the national title game, even if they go on to win the Big 12 Championship game. Their resume does not stack up with Alabama, LSU, Wisconsin, Stanford, Nebraska (who are all one loss teams), or if Michigan State were to lose a game. For them to get a strong consideration for the national title game; there will have to be two loss teams from the Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-10 and the SEC, and still then people will be up in arms over Boise State and TCU not getting the nod.

The Sooners were set up perfectly to fly by Missouri and look forward to the season-ending game against Oklahoma State, which I considered their only threat. But boy was I wrong. Now, it’s a strong possibility that if this defense does not tackle better, The Cowboys will beat them and by a lot. But credit must be given to the athleticism and precision of Missouri’s offense and defense.

QB Blaine Gabbert stood tall in the pocket and picked apart this the Sooners’ secondary. And I must mention the excellent play by the Tigers offensive line that was really dominant this year than they have been in the past. We can agree that the Sooners’ defense is young and not dominant like years past when they owned Missouri during the season and in the championship game.

There is much to say about home field advantage. People can down play it but there is this energy that the players feed off playing in front of their fans, family, and friends; and once momentum swings to the home team, it is nearly impossible for the away team to recover. Missouri’s kick return (for a touchdown) to open the game made the players believe they could beat the Sooners, and they fed off this for the rest of the game.

I’m not buying Missouri is good as their 7-0 record shows but their first true test against a top 10 team was proof that they are a decent team, but not good or great. I will give them all the credit in the world if they shutdown QB Taylor Martinez, of Nebraska, who they will face this upcoming Saturday. And the Cornhusker’s defense is the fastest I have seen this year and they will create a lot of pressure on Gabbert with their speed and athleticism, which Oklahoma was unable to do.

If the Tigers get past them then that will be another highlight to this team’s season. Martinez showed that he could pass, last Saturday, as he carved up the Oklahoma State defense for over 300 yards and added over a 100 yards rushing. This matchup will determine who will represent the North in the Big 12 Championship game. This will be must-see TV.

You never know-- if Oklahoma wins out-- there will be a rematch between Missouri and the Sooners. However, it means nothing because the loser will not go to the title game; they will need some help to reach Glendale.  Bob Stoops does at least have a chance for redemption and maybe at that point Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables will have that defense more adept at the fundamentals of tackling and figuring out ways to pressure the quarterback.

Our Two Cents-Which team will have the quickest turnaround, Texas or Florida?

Matt Deringer Texas. Forget that the Longhorns are 3-0 and don't need a "turnaround" as much as they do an "acceleration", and look at the schedule. Sure, the first half of October is brutal - Oklahoma and at Nebraska - but after that, there's not a game they won't be at least touchdown-favorites in. The Gators, on the other hand, have to go to Alabama, play better-than-expected Kentucky and Mississippi State, host LSU and South Carolina - my pick to win the SEC East - and get rivals Georgia and Florida State. I think Urban Meyer is a better game coach than Mack Brown, but just-as-much talent in a not-as-tough conference makes Texas the pick. Matt Melon I do not think picking Texas is the easy answer to this question. I literally think both teams cannot stop tripping over themselves. Florida finds life in the second half of games, while Texas awakens in the second quarter. Both teams rely on their defenses and that is why they are undefeated. It’s true that defense does win championships, but you need to score as well. Of course, we know that Texas has perennially played cupcake teams in their nonconference games so you would think they would be lock to end up having a better season, and a quicker road to the BCS Championship game. However, Nebraska and Oklahoma are licking their chops to get a piece of this team that has no Colt McCoy or running game. And Texas finishes off with Texas A&M that gives them problems. Florida has some tricky SEC games coming up: @Alabama, LSU, Mississippi State, Georgia, and South Carolina. They are fortunate that the meat of the schedule is at home, but the brutal Southeastern conference teams won’t be as forgiving as they will bring the toughness and the big hits, every Saturday. The Gators cannot afford to start scoring in the third quarter against their SEC brethren it will be too late, and when you are pressing turnovers happen. Both teams will stumble season-long to find their legs. Pick: Florida and Texas.

Nebraska puts an end to the hype surrounding Jake Locker, 56-21

I’m glad it’s over, at least for now: the hype surrounding Jake Locker. Todd McShay has been flying his banner for a couple of years to go so far as to deem him the No.1 overall draft pick for 2011. I personally do not see it and have never seen it in Locker. As far as good quarterbacks that will be great at the next level, in the Pac-10, the honors go to Matt Barkley and Andrew Luck. Locker has the attributes: 6-3, 230 and has a live arm. Everything a coach wants in a quarterback, but he is widely inconsistent with his throws. We all expected marked improvement, in his second year, with head coach Steve Sarkisian (who is known for grooming quarterbacks at the collegiate level). However, the hard work has not paid dividends yet. The Nebraska defense did not give him time to check down to his wide receivers and made sure the running lanes were closed. The Cornhuskers utilized their speed to thwart the entire Washington Husky offense all day, so it was not only Locker’s inadequacies that cost them the game. His offensive line could not contain the feisty Nebraska defense that have the luxury of having two defensive coordinators in theory: Bo Pelini (head coach) was behind the successful defense of the 2008 National Champions LSU Tigers and his brother (Carl), who in actuality, is the defensive coordinator; so this team thinks defense first before anything else and it shows. If you can believe it, Locker was outplayed by redshirt freshman Taylor Martinez, who was doing his best impression of Denard Robinson: he threw for 150 yards with 1 TD and ran for 137 yards with 3 TDs. If you haven’t seen him, he is really fast and decisive once the ball is snapped. Who knows maybe Locker will find his stride later in the season, but all is not lost because if he pulls off improbable wins against Stanford at home (Oct. 30) and @Oregon (Nov. 6) these would be huge wins for him and the program. But that is a big “If.” Wins against USC and Oregon State does not hold the luster of winning at Stanford and Oregon. USC is in the rebuilding mold and trying to find their identity on both sides of the ball while if Oregon State gets creamed by Boise Sate this upcoming Saturday then it does not say much for a Husky win against them. It’s is fine not getting wins but your star quarterback and highly touted needs to do better than completing only 20% of his passes, how about above 50% and an average of 200 yards with no interceptions?! As any football fan knows, some collegiate players have an awesome college career and flop in the NFL and vice versa. So Locker might go down as a disappointment at the college level but might show the potential all the media types have been trying to shove done our throats at the next level. But as it stands now, he is going to have to show me more, and he can certainly fall in line with Jacory Harris and Terrelle Pryor as quarterbacks that do not deserve the hype, nor are they Heisman candidates.