Well, what a week that was.

Ole Miss got our hearts pumped by taking a 10 point lead at Georgia….and then conceded 37.

Missouri got our hearts pumped by taking a 7 point lead at Florida…..and then conceded 14.

LSU and Alabama got our hearts pumped that we actually felt sorry for the loser.

Anyway, the SEC is back this week with no particular ‘heavyweight’ battles, although everyone seems to be looking forward to seeing how Johnny Manziel will cope with Alabama’s defense – which was actually a lot less of a ‘machine’ in Death Valley.

If you’re listening to music, we guide you Mumford & Sons’ classic “Little Lion Man” , with the great line: “We ****ed it up this time”. It was played outside Tiger Stadium after the Alabama loss, we hear.

TEXAS A&M AT ALABAMA

After the near-loss at LSU, Alabama comes into this game slightly less favoured that you would think – by 13 1/2 points. That doesn’t mean to say we think they will necessarily lose, but we think the Crimson Tide are going to get all they can handle from a Texas A&M offense that can currently do nothing wrong after going to Cowbell Country and ringing Mississippi State’s bell. Alabama’s secondary, which gave up nearly 300 yards to Zach Mettenberger and looked awful at times, had better be on high alert. This game could be great.

BOTTOM LINE: Alabama gets by, and gets its spot in the SEC Championship Game. Just. Alabama by 7 in a classic. Johnny Football gets more heads turning, before he’s sold down the river by the Aggies.

GEORGIA AT AUBURN

Georgia struggled in the first half against Ole Miss. They were absolutely terrible. It wasn’t to do with post-Cocktail party cocktails, was it? Well, while Georgia struggled, Auburn made hay. Yes, it was against New Mexico State, but you know what? You gotta win somewhere. Anyway, Georgia’s defense looked like it was living up to its pre-season billing on Saturday, just smothering Bo Wallace and Uncle Reb in the second quarter. And they carry on as they did, Auburn doesn’t have a lot of hope for this one. Jarvis Jones for a Heisman, y’all.

BOTTOM LINE: Georgia – a 16-point favorite in this one – beats the spread, winning by 17.

MISSISSIPPI STATE AT LSU

We’ve been exceptionally nasty about Zach Mettenberger all season long, but boy did he have a good game against Alabama. He suddenly looks like the future. His receivers dropped four balls that they should have held onto in the first half, and although Mettenberger did have a few bad throws, he didn’t nail someone in the stands like we thought he would. Mississippi State on the other hand were slaughtered at home by Texas A&M, obviously suffering from the loss to the Crimson Tide. Or they simply weren’t that good in the first place. Now, MSU goes into Baton Rouge. Ouch.

BOTTOM LINE: LSU wins by 21 in a game over by fourth quarter. Mettenberger again sparkles, stunning many.

ARKANSAS AT SOUTH CAROLINA

South Carolina’s first game without Marcus Lattimore is going to be emotional. Expect a lot of sandstorm love in South Carolina. Now everyone expects South Carolina to win by some margin over the Razorbacks, who are simply treading water until the off-season. But Tyler Wilson and Cobi Hamilton can still cause a defense – even one as good as 13 1/2-point favourite South Carolina’s – a lot of problems. This is going to be closer than many think.

BOTTOM LINE South Carolina wins by 10 in a game not decided until the last 5 minutes.

MISSOURI AT TENNESSEE

Missouri stunned many – including Vegas – by sticking around in their game against Florida, only losing out to the Gators 14-7 in a game that won’t be replayed by anybody ever again. Well, this week the ‘Zou go against a nastier offense – Tennessee’s. Tyler Bray can put up the points in bundles – and this UT team – a 3-point favourite – really isn’t as bad as many think they are.

BOTTOM LINE: Tennessee in cruise control, beating the spread and winning by 14.

VANDERBILT AT OLE MISS

Two of the SEC’s more snobbish fanbases meet up for chandeliers, champagne and caviar (and a bit of football) on Saturday night. Vanderbilt comes to Oxford having smashed Kentucky 40-0 and helped the Wildcats in their decision to fire Joker Phillips at season’s end, but let’s be honest: Vandy’s been Vandy this year. On the other hand, Ole Miss has been a bit of a positive surprise this year, winning games, leading others, and worrying even more. Bo Wallace is a good quarterback and if the Rebels can find an offensive line on Saturday night, we think they win in a game that they are actually favored in (3 1/2 points).

BOTTOM LINE No Ghosts in Mississippi. Ole Miss wins by 7.

LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE AT FLORIDA

Florida muttered and mumbled through a desperate game against Missouri, where The Swamp became boo-boy central once again and the fanbase began to use words that were less than encouraging. It’s a pity, for such a beautiful fanbase. Anyway, this week’s a chance for Jeff Driskel to stretch his wings, and the Gators to stretch their jaws against a ULL side who are 26 1/2 point underdogs.

BOTTOM LINE Florida by 35.

First Alabama – LSU happened.

Then Obama happened.

Sorry boys and gals, we haven’t been as up-to-date as we should be with our SEC rankings. Anyway, here they are…

1. Alabama – Survived LSU. You have to wonder what John Chavis was doing playing soft coverage though in that last drive.

2 = Georgia – Woke up from a 10-0 deficit against Ole Miss to hammer Ole Reb 37-10 in a performance that got stronger by the minute. We look forward to the SEC Championship Game, Dawgs.

2= LSU – A team very like Georgia who only woke up in the second half of the Alabama game. Atmosphere second-to-none in Death Valley, by the way. Good on you, LSU fans.

4. Florida- Sorry for seeming unconvinced by Florida 14, Missouri 7. And don’t tell me that it’s a ‘testament to the power of the SEC’, either. Maybe Jeff Driskel IS overrated.

5. South Carolina – Missing Marcus Lattimore? So are we.

6. Texas A&M – They came, they saw, they conquered Cowbell. The Aggies could frighten Alabama on Saturday afternoon. Or they could implode in the second half, as they have against good teams.

7. Mississippi State – Two good teams, two losses. Just goes to show: Those people who said Dan Mullen’s team was overrated – you were right.

8. Tennessee – If only Tyler Bray had been able to point up these sort of numbers against the likes of Alabama and Florida.

9. Vanderbilt – Beating the crap out of Kentucky shows…..er….nothing.

10. Ole Miss – You taketh 10 points in the Dawg House, and take away 37. Yeowch. However, we’ll go out on a limb and say that we think the Egg Bowl this year is going to be a really good game. And no, we’re not joking.

11. Arkansas – Goodbye, John L.Smith. It was good knowing you. A win versus Tulsa ain’t gonna make us feel any different.

12. Missouri – Courageous loss at Florida, boys. Maybe your defense might be ready for the SEC after all.

13. Auburn – Hey, at least Auburn fans had something to celebrate with the win against New Mexico State. War….(sorry, I’m done now)

14. Kentucky – At last! Goodbye Joker Phillips!

It’s a busy week, so here’s some quick picks for y’all to get your teeth into….

ALABAMA AT LSU 

For a college football romantic like me, there’s no place on earth like LSU’s Tiger Stadium. Some people will die never experiencing it, and for us, their lives will be all the poorer for not doing so. After all, there’s something to be said for drinking bourbon from sunrise to sunset!

And the place – already famed for its loudness – is going to off the hook for the benefit for the visit of top-ranked Alabama and its hated head coach Nick Saban, is ready to give the Crimson Tide everything it can handle. Alabama hasn’t played in this type of nasty night-game atmosphere since it went to Florida and dispatched the Gators last year in a game that was out of hand by the middle of the third quarter.

Having said that, they go to the game eight point favourites in this game, which looks a little high. Having said that, Alabama’s a machine and LSU is not. The Tide rolls up the field and is generally clinical, while LSU’s problem has been – as it has been all season – its offence, and in particular QB Zach Mettenberger, who has struggled all season and long and has shown no signs of real progression. Saturday night wouldn’t be a bad night for a coming out party, Zach….

PREDICTION: Alabama wins by 7 – but don’t surprised if they win by more.

OLE MISS AT GEORGIA 

Georgia’s ‘D’ played out of their minds in upsetting Florida last week, and with a home crowd backing them, you worry for Ole Miss – despite Hugh Freeze’s side having won last week at Arkansas, who go into the game at 14-point underdog.

If Georgia’s offense is to click – which it sporadically has done this year – it will have to with QB Aaron Murray NOT connecting with the opposition secondary, as he did numerous times against Florida. Bo Wallace will be trying to keep himself away from Georgia’s NFL-going linebacker Jarvis Jones, who changed the Cocktail Party last week.

This one should be fun – until the third quarter.

PREDICTION: Georgia wins by over 14.

TEXAS A&M AT MISSISSIPPI STATE

Johnny Football is the most exciting thing to happen to the SEC since, er, the last SEC Championship, and he’ll learn to win big-time games. This game in Cowbell Central against Mississippi State would be a good place to start. Aggies fans will be wishing bars didn’t close at midnight, though.

PREDICTION: Cowbell up! Mississippi State by 7.

MISSOURI AT FLORIDA

As we’ve alluded to in our piece about Georgia earlier, the Gators were pretty well shut out by the Gators last Saturday, turning the ball over and looking generally dysfunctional as a team.

Missouri, however, its first SEC game in its history, beating Kentucky as spawning furious celebration on its campus (most of it relief, we feel).

Anyway, the Tigers go back to reality as they go on the road to Gainseville, where offenses tend to go to die. Especially these Tigers, who aren’t very good and are 17 point underdogs.

PREDICTION: Florida to beat the handicap, winning by 21 against a Missouri side who isn’t that good. At all.

VANDERBILT AT KENTUCKY

This game – destined to be the ‘SEC Network Game Of The Week’ (or whatever you call it) will feature two sides who haven’t really been very good this season – and this is an understatement. Listen, Kentucky could have pulled off two massive upsets if they’d played for a half against South Carolina and Georgia had played an F – instead of an F, and they aren’t to be sniffed at at home. Big upset here?

PREDICTION: Vandy in a close one, winning by 3.

TROY AT TENNESSEE

We’ll put it like this: If ButTchuggers U doesn’t score 40 and win by a wide margin, Derek Dooley shouldn’t be in a job. ‘Nuff said.

PREDICTION: Tennessee wins by 28 in a game that’s pretty fun for the neutrals – and Dooley-haters.

NEW MEXICO STATE AT AUBURN

We were sharing a cold one with an Auburn fan and he said: “I think you should pick against Auburn in every game this season”. Well, New Mexico State isn’t very good. Then again, nor is Auburn. What do we say?

PREDICTION: Auburn gets some happy back. Auburn wins by 28.