With the Tigers not playing this week due to Hurricane Gustav and its ill-effects, and no national games that grab my attention, this is a Saturday in which I'll be paying close attention to other SEC games. Like with every football season, however, I have to pace myself. This is why I don't watch Gameday on ESPN. That, and it makes me feel stabby too much.
Anyway, here's the schedule on tap:
Now - 11:30am: Chores and other activities. I have to return books to the Tuscaloosa Public Library. I have to do some grocery shopping. I'll probably take Little Miss ATVS out to the swing set (w/ slide) and let her run and play for a little while. Judging by the odor, I have to bathe the dog. I'll be done with all of that by 11:30am, right in time for...
11:30am - 2:30pm: Southern Miss at Auburn, Raycom Sports
My first chance to see the explosive Spread Eagle in action. Is there a worse name for an offensive system than the "Spread Eagle"? I genuinely think that if Southern Miss can figure out how to move the ball on Auburn's defense, they could pull an upset. USM had no problem moving on the Ragin' Cajun defense last week, with over 400 yards rushing and former LSU "lock" recruit Deandre Brown leading the team in receiving with 92 yards and a touchdown. This is a different league from UL-Lafayette, however.
2:30pm - 6:00pm: Ole Miss at Wake Forest, ABC
I'm assuming this game is being shown locally rather than the Oklahoma vs. Cincinnati matchup. After all, if you're not going to show the Ole Miss game in Tuscaloosa, why are you even filming it? I've been talking up Ole Miss since the summer, and I see no reason to stop now. Wake is a different class of opponent from Memphis, the team they beat handily last week, but I see no reason why Wake should be a prohibitive favorite. Wake is from the same ACC conference that has laid an egg so far this season, and they're not exactly a national powerhouse. If Ole Miss is as good as I think they are, then they're pretty much even with Wake. This is probably my most anticipated game of the day. I really want to see Ole Miss play.
6:00pm - 7:00pm: Spend time with my family.
7:00pm - bedtime: Miami at Florida, ESPN
My third opportunity of the day to scout a future LSU opponent. This will be a hard one to watch because I really don't care for either team or have any particular rooting interest. I just want to see what Florida's all about this year, though they aren't exactly a secret. They return pretty much all the key players from last year on offense, and we know they'll be speedy and aggressive on defense.
If this game gets out of hand, I'll probably pack it in early, but if Miami is hanging close I may have to watch this one to the end.