Saturday’s Picks (1-1 ATS YTD) and an absurdly premature assessment of the Kiffin Regime

Georgia (+5.5/61u) at Okie St.:  The more I look at this game, the more I like it.  UGA seems to have more talent on both lines of scrimmage, and more overall speed.  In addition, there’s some value here because this year’s UGA is (ostensibly)O a pedestrian outfit while Okie St. is everyone’s “dark horse” in the Big 12.  Not sure of UGA has the firepower to win this on outright, but like getting the 5.5 with a dog that can win outright. 

Wake Forest (-2) v. Baylor:  Like Skinner & Co. laying the small number against another team coveted by the E-SPIN heads.  Wake always plays well at home and has a tendency to under-promise and over-deliver as they did when Ole Miss came to town last year.  Still, can’t help but feel the ACC is the AIG of the CFB world, and Baylor is, well, a nice small-cap.  Take the points with confidence. 

Tennesseelooks alot like the kid you beat up on the last day of school who went home and juiced all summer for the sole purpose of kicking your ass in the fall.  Crompton is crisp, the o-line is strong, and the defense is big and athletic.  Kiffin is using alot of sets with a power running game and the offense looks like a big, ugly, orange version of the old Trojans.  In fact, UT looks like UT used to look every year albeit slightly more advanced. 

This really should come as no surprise as SNL posited last year that the “eyeball test” rendered UT a top-10 team.  In other words, it wasn’t talent that was lacking at UT, it was a team and administration torn by loyalty to a coach who’d done some great things, but was no longer capable of winning.  SNL will leave the reasons for UT’s demise under Fulmer to the loyalists, but suffice it to say that the Kiffin experiment looks good so far.

Is UT ready to beat Florida at The Swamp?  Probably not.  Still, UT will have a shot at a PAC-10 unit before coming to Gainesville while the Gators are digesting a D-II cupcake and a worse than expected Troy.  UT looks hungry and the Kiffin regime, which was so easy to mock during the summer, now appears to be a formidable foe.  Bryce Brown, by the bye, has a nice TD run and UT looks ready to ascend into the ranks of the SEC elite, which is a good thing for the league.  One thing’s for sure, Florida could use the SOS, but better be ready for a battle when the Vols come to town.

Bold prediction:  UT finishes with 9 wins, plays on Jan. 1, and finishes in the top 15.  The way Kiffin recruits, a the UF-UT rivalry is going to be great in the years to come.

-So Sayeth the Shepherd