clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Off-Week Plans: Auburn Fans Sound Off

I asked the College and Magnolia staff and many of you on Twitter what your plans are for the off weekend.

By Walt Austin
John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Dusty Miller:

This weekend's slate of games is mostly underwhelming. Georgia @ USCe is the big one that will have most everyone's attention. I'll watch it closely to see if SC is going to be closer to what everyone expected before the season, or the disappointment we saw in their opener. Also, is Georgia for real? How good are they? The other game I'm looking forward to is Tennessee @ Oklahoma. I want to see if Tennessee's resurgence under Butch Jones can give Oklahoma a good test. As for predictions on those two games... What I want to happen and what I think will happen in the CBS game are vastly different, 31-27 Dawgs. I think Tennessee will hang with Oklahoma briefly before the Sooners open it up, 34-17 wagon circlers.

Emily Rios:

I look forward to enjoying a weekend of football with minimal yelling at my tv and not wanting to throw up.

I'm interested to see how Georgia looks against South Carolina. If the "experts" are to be believed, one game was all they needed to know that Georgia is going to win the National Championship and Todd Gurley a Heisman. Granted, South Carolina looked like a dumpster fire against Texas A&M, but I think we'll have a better idea of whether UGA is for real or not.

Texas Tech has been underwhelming, and I'd never outright wish for Bert to win... but if Arkansas can go on the road and beat Texas Tech, that can only help Auburn's strength of schedule.

Jared Robertson:

I'm interested in all 4 of the SEC games worth watching this weekend. Arkansas-Texas Tech intrigues me. Arkansas clearly isn't good enough to beat a top tier team like Auburn, but have they improved from last year enough to beat a quality opponent? Maybe, just not this week. Texas Tech holds on late 38-34.

Tennessee-Oklahoma is something to watch only to see if the Vols can keep it competitive. I think Butch Jones has Tennessee headed in the right direction, but they are out gunned on the road in Norman. Vols keep it close early, the Sooners pull away in the second half. 45-17.

Kentucky-Florida has me really intrigued because I want to see what Florida can do against what should be a much less conference opponent. Florida didn't look good against anyone last year, and this is their chance to impose their will on an SEC opponent, even if it is Kentucky. The Gators may be a little tense after the first quarter, I don't expect much of a game after that. Gators romp, 41-7.

On to the biggest game of the weekend in the SEC and probably all of college football as Georgia heads to Columbia to take on South Carolina which is a huge game for both teams. Had South Carolina not gotten ran out of Williams-Brice by Kenny Trill (I lol'd as I typed that), this would be one of the games of the year. I think everyone is jumping on the Georgia bandwagon a bit to soon and South Carolina matches up very well with Georgia when you take a closer look. Hutson Mason was underwhelming against Clemson and the secondary is where the Gamecocks are most vulnerable. Todd Gurley is the best player in college football, but the game he had against Clemson isn't something that's going to happen every week. The Gamecocks will stack the box and dare Mason to throw to a depleted receiving corps. Can Mason make Carolina pay in a hostile environment? That remains to be seen. South Carolina has the more balanced offensive attack with the experienced Dylan Thompson under center and workhorse Mike Davis at tailback. The receiving corps for the Gamecocks is much more proven than is Georgia's and the Bulldogs biggest question mark on defense is in the backend. Georgia will have to get plenty of pressure on Thompson and also stop Davis from running and opening up the play action pass. I expect this to be a fantastic game, and as much as I think we see a classic Spurrier game where he beats a team he's "not supposed' to be beat, I think Georgia squeaks by in a high scoring thriller. 41-38, DWAGS.

Peggy Rossmanith:

I'm looking forward to a Saturday where I can eat three normal meals without fear of vomiting. Bonus: no blood pressure spikes! I'm also looking forward to getting some work done for that law school thing I've been neglecting.

As far as games go, not to be a broken record, but I'm also looking forward to watching UGA-USCe, mostly to see if UGA is going to lose the SEC Championship in a close one or if they're going to lose the SEC Championship in a blowout. Plus, I would watch Steve Spurrier do anything.

Everett Duke:

I'm going to Sesame Street Live with my nephew. Does anyone even play football before Sunday this week?

Dr Z:

I'll be spending Friday night doing play by play of the Hewitt-Trussville football game, watching the high school version of the Malzahn offense. They score fast, but boy do the rack up some penalties (over 200 yards of penalties last week.)

I'll be looking forward to see if the OBC can get the Chickens fixed for the Georgia Dawgs on Saturday. The SC defense looks mighty suspect.

Other than that, I will be coaching my four year old soccer team Sunday. We will have an up tempo offense. We will have an attacking defense. We will have snacks after the game...

Oscar Whiskey:

After two straight Saturdays of traveling, sweating and sunburning my pasty butt I'll be staying inside to watch football. I'm getting the feeling that UGA is going to runaway with their game against the Gamecocks, 35-13. The Vols are going to give it their best against the Sooners but Oklahoma wins comfortably. Other than that I'm just going to sit back and relax.

Chris Roberts:

Probably enjoying stress-free football and a birthday party. Breaking down Kansas St. for some podcast material. That is about it.

Josh Dowdy:

After two long, hot game days, I'm looking forward to reconnecting with my TV; and also starting a relationship with whatever app will let me listen to Gamecock Network audio, because I am not listening to Verne and the chipmunk on his shoulder Saturday.

Zeke Turrentine:

This weekend I'll be doing regular work stuff in good ole Pennsylvania, working on some video scouting of the enthralling Rangers-Braves and Angels-Astros series, while trying to keep an eye on whatever football I can. I reckon I'm most interested in Georgia-South Carolina, so hopefully I can squeeze some of that game in. Once baseball is done I'll be back in Alabama and can't wait to meet y'all at a tailgate.

Tuco:

After two weeks on the road for Auburn games, my lawn needs some attention. If withdrawal kicks in, maybe we'll slip over to Legion Field where, believe it or not, good tickets are still available, to see Bill Clark's improved Blazers play Alabama A&M. If not, we'll likely watch Georgia/South Carolina (with Iowa/Iowa State as the backup if things get ugly) then have a late evening adventure with the family.

Walt:

I'll be making the drive to Atlanta for the Georgia Southern vs Georgia Tech game. Hopefully I'll be cheering my Eagles on to victory in their first ever game against the Yellow Jackets in football. After that I'll be watching whatever I can find on TV.

Bobby Barkley:

This is certainly going to be a Firehouse Subs kind of weekend in the world of college football: it's not really that good, but it'll get the job done, and Subway's closed for some reason.

Me? Well speaking of jobs, I'll be painting the trim in the antique bathroom of the house I've begun renting. This should be a super fun endeavor, and it'll most likely be more productive than the North Texas offense that's currently flopping around against La Tech this (Thursday) evening, and it still won't smell as terrible when it's over.

As for the SEC, what a delightfully average smorgasbord of choices we have. Georgia takes on South Carolina in the battle of Mark Richt vs. The Ol' Ball Coach, which I can only imagine is somehow like watching your dad play pool basketball against your neighbor's dad at the Y, only your dad didn't join a fraternity in college and doesn't really work out ever, and your neighbor's dad has coached Pop Warner football and CAP League baseball every year since he turned 28, and all he does is brag about this fact whenever he drives you and your neighbor to school every weekday morning...in other words, one too many shirtless older men in a mediocre battle for the bragging rights of being the best pool basketball player at the Y...aka the SEC East. Georgia wins by 8.

Whew.

Alabama plays Southern Miss, and boy, what a Southern miss the Tide made when they put Jacob "Pizza Face" Coker in last week against Florida Atlantic, because according to Lane Kiffin, "Field goals are embarrassing." You know what else is embarrassing, and quite frankly boring as crap? 50 screen passes in a row.

You know what's hilarious and not boring? Watching a team that spent a year condemning HUNH try to implement HUNH...via Lane Kiffin. Hope that North River Yacht Club membership was worth it, Mr. Battle. Bama sure loves cupcakes, and they eat this one in two bites (by 34 points).

At the other end of the spectrum, we've got Florida and Kentucky in the battle of "Who do we really want to kick out of the South?" I mean, really. You've got this entire fan base in complete denial about the state of its football program when it's conveniently good at basketball, who lives in a world where you have a trailer with an above-ground pool and a Bowflex in the front yard, and then you've got poor little Kentucky. Sometimes the universe just isn't fair. Florida by 2 touchdowns and a field goal.

Tennessee vs. Oklahoma. No, it's not a Civil War battle. Oklahoma wins, but UT puts up a solid 1st-quarter fight.

Everyone else in the SEC wins.

Nope, the only game I'm interested in is Texas/UCLA. It's really the tale of two quarterbacks: a preseason Heisman contender whose defense keeps hogging all the touchdowns, making him an even more vapid choice for the trophy than Jacob Coker, versus whatever drifter rolled into town on a tumbleweed that Charlie Strong offered a uniform. UCLA wins by 10. Their quarterback might be a phony, but Texas is a trainwreck you can see the smoke from all the way out in Luckenbach.

Will I paint the trim in time to even watch and enjoy any of these games? Not likely. But in any case, at least I'll have some time to myself to ponder all of the mysterious ways that Kansas State is superior to Auburn, because Bill Snyder and fake purple Tide shirts and Manhattan and the Illuminati and Jesse Palmer's beard and all that. Maybe a camera crew will be gracious enough to stop by my house and frame my Saturday into an ESPN2 Film Room - Live segment for all of you to enjoy...and by enjoy, I mean throw stuff at your television and yell things at Tom Luginbill that would make your World War II veteran grandfather faint from shock.

Happy weekend. Go football. War Eagle.

Our Readers:


Well this one should have been obvious coming from the Brit, right?

This man knows how to do things right.

That's going to take some doing.

Sounds like she's a keeper.

Keeper.

Get it? 'Cause she's fishing...

I'll just show myself out.

Next Up In Auburn Football