Top 25 vs. Top 25 No. 25 South Carolina at. No. 4 Florida, 3:30 PM ET CBS
After they were shocked by Ole’ Miss and turned in a lackluster performance in a win over Arkansas, the Gators trounced LSU, Kentucky, Georgia and Vanderbilt in convincing fashion. Nothing against the three teams ranked higher, but Florida might be the best team in college football right now. Tim Tebow has resurrected his Heisman candidacy after rushing for five touchdowns and accounting for 424 total yards in the Gators’ 51-31 win over the Gamecocks last year. But Steve Spurrier’s squad has been one of the hottest teams in the nation over the past couple of weeks. The rotation of Stephen Garcia and Chris Smelley at quarterback has lifted South Carolina and the defense has played inspired. This is a better matchup than most think, although it’s highly possibly that Florida could roll with how well they’ve played over the past month. Expect the Gators to use this as another statement game leading up to their huge battle with Alabama in the SEC Championship Game December 6.
Upset Watch: No. 16 North Carolina at Maryland, 3:30 PM ET ABC
The Terps have clearly been a different team at home than on the road where they’re 4-0 and averaging 25.5 points per game as opposed to 1-3 and 11.75 PPG on the road. Maryland has also won five straight against ranked opponents the past two years and still control their own destiny in the ACC Atlantic. Three wins in their final three games would send the Terps to the ACC title game, which is amazing considering this was the same team that got drubbed 31-0 by Virginia. If Maryland is going to pull off the upset they’ll need to get Da’Rel Scott and Davin Meggett going in the running game because putting the ball in the air against the Tar Heels is a risky proposition. UNC has one of the best ball hawking defenses in the nation and has forced opponents into mistakes all season. If the Terps play things close to the vest offensively and rely on their defense to win the game, an upset could be in the making.
Other notable games: Mississippi State at No. 1 Alabama, 7:45 PM ET
It’s highly unlikely the Tide lose focus against a 3-6 Mississippi State team, but the Bulldogs did pull off one of the better upsets of the year when they crushed previously No. 13 Vanderbilt 34-3.
No. 3 Texas at Kansas, 12:30 PM ET
The Longhorns try to keep in the national title hunt while the Jayhawks look to end the season as quickly as possible.
No. 10 Georgia at Auburn, 12:30 PM ET
This is one of the more underrated rivalries in the SEC.
South Carolina vs. Florida
Florida is considered one of the hottest teams in college football, as they have won their last five games by an average of 39 points. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier would love to knock off his alma mater out of this year’s BCS championship title hunt. And he will try to defeat the Gators by rotating quarterbacks (Stephen Garcia and Chris Smelley) on every offensive play. The rotation system did not seem to bother either quarterback in last week’s 34-21 victory over Arkansas; they combined to throw for 219 yards with two touchdown passes and only one interception. It will not matter how well the QB duo performs if the Gamecocks defense cannot contain Tim Tebow, he accounted for seven touchdowns in a 51-31 victory at South Carolina last season. National coverage will begin Saturday at 3:30 PM on CBS.
UFC 91: Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight Championship Title
The main event of UFC-91 is a classic example of two contradictory styles going against one another, as Randy Couture puts up his heavyweight title against Brock Lesnar at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Lesnar is still untested as a fighter, as he going into only his fourth MMA fight this Saturday night. Couture is unstoppable coming into matches where he is an underdog with a 9-1 record. Lesnar is bigger, stronger, faster and hopes to neutralized Couture’s Greco-Roman wrestling style being a former NCAA wrestling champion himself. Couture has out-muscled larger opponents in his career and expects his experience to come into play in this fight. He hopes to avoid the takedown by moving side-to-side and using his hand speed and quick legwork to neutralize his opponent’s superior strength. If Lesnar can take Couture off his feet, the question will become: Can he keep him on the mat? Pay-per-view coverage will begin Saturday at 10:00 PM
Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins
The Dallas Cowboys hope the return of quarterback Tony Romo to the starting lineup will provide a spark and help them get a “W” in the win column this Sunday night in Washington. Since winning their first three games, the Cowboys have dropped four of their last six games and likely will need to win at least five of their final seven games to hopefully be considered for a playoff spot. Injuries could have a large role in determining if the Washington Redskins make the playoffs. They may have to go the rest of the season without running back Clinton Portis, who is second in the NFL in rushing with 995 yards. He injured his knee at the end of the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks ago and has not returned to the lineup. National coverage will begin Sunday at 8:15 PM on NBC.
It appears that the referee who flat out tackled South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia in LSU’s 24-17 win on Saturday night won’t face any discipline from the NC-two-A.
The league’s coordinator of football officials, Rogers Redding, reviewed the tape and considered the hit to be inadvertent contact, SEC spokesman Charles Bloom said.
Bloom said the umpire position lends itself to more contact than is seen with other on-field officials. “We feel there was nothing else that needs to be read into it and it was a collision between a player and an official,” Bloom said.
Hackett won’t face any discipline for what the league considers protecting himself from an onrushing player, Bloom said.
Neither of the coaches, LSU’s Les Miles or South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier, thought Hackett did anything wrong.
Spurrier thought Hackett was trying to get out of Garcia’s way. “Stephen sort of cut back right into him. Sometimes that will happen,” the coach said.
Miles, always coaching them up, couldn’t help critiquing Hackett’s technique.
“We told him, ‘Listen, you’ve got to use your flipper. You’ve got to use your forearm. But then you have to wrap up.’ I want you to know that we were disappointed in his effort to be honest with you,” said Miles, a smile on his face as reporters laughed Monday.
Getting serious, Miles said Hackett reacted instinctively to protect himself once Garcia turned his way.
“Certainly, everybody in this room would look to defend themselves, and I’m certain that’s what he was thinking,” Miles said.
The situation is over and dead (especially considering Spurrier even said the ref was defending himself), but this still looks like a full-on tackle to me:
If you were busy watching No. 1 Texas destroy Missouri on Saturday night, chances are you missed one of the officials tackle quarterback Stephen Garcia in the LSU-South Carolina game. And as FanIQ.com points out, clearly this official had money riding on the Tigers since he flat out gave Garcia the business:
It’s like the dude forgot he was a ref for a second and saw an opportunity to make a play.
The Tigers eventually came from behind and won 24-17…easily covering the 2.5-point spread. Hmm…
