Cat Fight!

Week 7: October 13, 2007
(1) LSU Tigers at (17) Kentucky Wildcats
Commonwealth Stadium; Lexington, KY
2:30 CBS

Point Spread:
LSU (-9)

Know Thy Foe:
Head Coach: Rich Brooks

Kentucky plays basketball, not football… until now. Under Rich Brooks, Kentucky has seen unprecedented success on the gridiron. Are they worthy of the top 10? No. It is my opinion that Kentucky was a little overrated last week at #8 due to a weak schedule. They did beat Louisville but that win has lost a lot of credibility since Louisville also lost to Syracuse. At #17, I think they are appropriately ranked, but they are still dangerous; perhaps more so. If I had to summarize the Kentucky team in one quick sentence, I’d say they have a great offense but an equally bad defense. They will not contend for the SEC East, much less a BCS bowl game.

Week 1: Defeated Eastern Kentucky, 50-10
Week 2: Defeated Kent St., 56-20
Week 3: Defeated Louisville, 40-34
Week 4: Defeated Arkansas, 42-29
Week 5: Defeated Florida Atlantic, 45-17
Week 6: Lost to South Carolina, 38-23

LSU Offense vs. Kentucky Defense:
This will be a huge mismatch. LSU should have no trouble putting points on the board against the Kentucky defense. It is more like a Big East defense. And with the return of Early Doucet, LSU will once again have a reliable receiver and team leader. LSU’s offense will roll up big numbers this week.

Kentucky Offense vs. LSU Defense:
Kentucky boasts the best offense in the conference, or at least the most productive. Kentucky is led offensively by senior Andre Woodson. He is 135/207 for 1536 yards. Woodson’s favorite target is Keenan Burton. Even though Woodson has the best stats in the conference, I don’t think he is as good as Tebow. For one thing, he can’t run and he’s only a threat in the passing game. One dimensional QB’s are now a thing of the past in college football. Running the ball is also a strength for the Wildcats. Rafael Little is the leading rusher and is very good. He’s already rushed for 682 yards on 107 carries.

Game Prediction:
LSU is coming off a huge emotional win at home against Florida. Conversely, UK is coming off their first defeat of the season at the hands of another SEC East foe. Kentucky will be hungry for this one, while LSU may still be wrapped up in the emotion of last week. The East is still wide open and Kentucky will be fighting for a chance to go to Atlanta. Kentucky fans must be thinking, “Why not us?” I don’t think they will make it to the SEC CG, but they still control their own destiny with upcoming games against LSU, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. Still, grandiose delusion can carry a team for a while so expect big things from Kentucky. I’m not going to call for the upset, but LSU better watch out for this one. Keep in mind that LSU barely escaped Lexington the last 2 times they’ve played there. And those UK teams were not nearly as good as this one.
I’ll take LSU-33, Kentucky-20

Week 7 Games of the Week: (Predicted Winners in CAPS)
Oregon St. at (2) CALIFORNIA
(4) BOSTON COLLEGE at Notre Dame
(11) Missouri at (6) OKLAHOMA
(19) Wisconsin at PENN ST.
(22) Auburn at ARKANSAS
Purdue at MICHIGAN
Georgia Tech at MIAMI
ALABAMA at Miss. St.
Oklahoma St. at NEBRASKA

Lock of the Week: (1-3)
Virginia Tech (-13.5)

Upset Special: (3-1)
North Carolina over South Carolina

Is it just me?
I’ve noticed a lot of fans have been overlooking this game against Kentucky. Everyone wants to talk about the Florida game. You know, the “best game ever played in Tiger Stadium!” Instead of looking ahead, we are actually looking back. Nobody has said too much about the Wildcats. Usually I judge the team’s readiness by the fans. The fans provide a surprisingly accurate macrocosm of the team. If the fans are excited, so is the team. If the fans are flat, the team will be flat. It’s just human nature. If that holds true this week, the team has overlooked the Wildcats and we are primed for a colossal loss. Let’s just forget about the Florida game until after the season is over.

Did you know?
LSU is the only team in the preseason top 10 without a loss. There is a lot of parity in college football this year, especially in the SEC. Consider this… LSU beat Mississippi State, Mississippi State beat Auburn, Auburn beat Florida, Florida beat Tennessee, Tennessee beat Georgia, Georgia beat Alabama, Alabama beat Arkansas which lost to Kentucky which lost to South Carolina which lost to LSU, which beat Florida.

Geaux Vote:
Election Day is October 20th this year. Yes, the day of the Auburn game. Absentee voting is open until tomorrow (Saturday) for those of you that would rather tailgate than wait in line at the voter’s booth. The Samson Report officially endorses Mr. Bobby Jindal for Governor.

Speaking of voting…
I posted a poll question in the right column. Vote or Die!