By Fanspeak Contributing Writer Geoff Nelowet

The second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats will head to Memorial Gym today to take on SEC rival and nationally ranked Vanderbilt (19).  Earlier this season, Kentucky defeated Vandy by 13 at home. Kentucky is now 25-1 on the season, and Vanderbilt comes in at a respectable 20-5.

Vanderbilt is 13-0 at home this year, and they are facing by far their biggest home test of the season. Previous to this game, the Commodores’ only win over a ranked opponent came against a volatile Tennessee Volunteers team that has been up and down all year. Vanderbilt needs this win to cement an NCAA birth and a higher seed.

If Vandy wants to pull the upset, their high-scoring offense will have bring its best performance of the year, and their defense will have to show up with some degree of consistency. A.J. Oglivy, Jeffery Taylor and Jermaine Beal each average around 14 points per game, and those impressive scoring averages will not be enough against the Wildcats who not only play better defense, but score even more points per contest.

Kentucky averages 81 points per game – compared to Vanderbilt’s 79 – and more importantly, they play tougher defense, which justifies their 25 victories to only one loss. No one in the country has been able to consistently stop Kentucky’s John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. Wall and Cousins, two one-year rentals before they undoubtedly jump to the NBA, are shoe-ins for All-American lists, and it seems unlikely that anyone on Vanderbilt’s roster will be able to slow them down.

Vanderbilt’s perfect home record will be given a blemish today, as Kentucky is simply too physical for Vandy’s finesse, jump-shooting style. Expect Vanderbilt to keep it close for at least the first half before Kentucky pulls away. Final score: Kentucky 85 Vanderbilt 74.

We are in the midst of ESPN’s Rivalry Week for college basketball, so we are seeing plenty of great basketball, and last night was no exception. Here are some quick thoughts about last night’s games.

“The King stay the King” (explicit): (2) Kentucky Wildcats cruised yesterday to a 66-55 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide. Kentucky is in a 3 horse race with Kansas and Syracuse for the top spot in the nation. While they’ve been a little streaky and rely too much on their freshman, they are a team to be reckoned with. They remain the top team in the SEC, and barring some major setback, should be a lock for a number 1 seed in the tournament. As for the Kentucky freshman, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins last night showed once again why they are projected top 5 lottery picks in next year’s draft. They each posted a double-double in the score sheet and combined for 38 of the 66 total points. While it might be hard to win the National Championship on the backs of freshman, Kentucky could be the team to do it.

“A Change Is Gonna Come”: Two big time match-ups last night left the Big Ten standings a mess. (6) Purdue might have been higher ranked that (10) Michigan State, but the Spartans were atop the Big Ten. Well that changed after Purdue crushed the Spartans 76-64 and Illinois beat (13) Wisconsin. Now Illinois and the Spartans are tied for the conference lead, with Ohio State, Purdue, and Wisconsin right behind them. As if getting beat by the Boilermakers wasn’t bad enough, the Spartans are in the midst of a three game losing streak, and were undefeated in the Big Ten when the month started. Now is not the time you want to be struggling, (Purdue on the other hand are playing their best basketball). While there are 5 quality teams in the conference, it looks like Purdue is going to make a run for the Big Ten title and they should win it easy.

“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”: The (24) Vanderbilt Commodores destroyed (12) Tennessee Volunteers last night 90-71. This game wasn’t even close and Vanderbilt had it pretty much had this game won from the get-go. They scored the first 6 points of the game and never looked back. The win not only will give them a nice boost in the rankings, but also moves them up to 2nd place in the SEC.

How good is Florida’s class?:

The Florida Gators may have lost the SEC and National Championship to their rival Alabama, but they won yesterday on National Signing day, inking the best class of any school (Texas is close though). The best part about this class is how they built it, with an intense focus on defense including the top 6 players in their class. The Gators have set themselves up to have one of the best defensive units ever on the gridiron. They covered every position on defense and now have tremendous depth in their secondary. On offense the Gators focused on their their offensive line, running backs and receivers. UF also added a couple of athletes, who could develop into spread quarterbacks or switch to another position. Overall from top to bottom the Gators had the best class, not only in terms of top end talent, but also depth and positional need.

How good is the rest of the SEC?:

ESPN and Rivals both rated the SEC with having 8 top 25 classes (Scout only had 7), by far the best of any conference. All three publications have at least 4 teams ranked in the top 10, with ESPN and Rivals each adding Tennessee to the top 10 as well. Even the teams that didn’t make the top 25 rankings had great recruiting days yesterday, and had they been in other conferences, their classes would be considered among the top 4 or 5 in the league. From the top to the bottom the SEC were the big winners yesterday.

Is USC’s class a bit overrated?:

ESPN has the Trojans 7th overall, with Scout having them 5th and Rivals placing them as the top recruiting class in the country. As a side note, USC has a verbal commitment from Seantrel Henderson the top ranked OT in the nation, but he won’t sign until after the NCAA investigation of past recruiting issues, so if the NCAA comes down on the Trojans, they could lose one of their top recruits. Outside of Henderson, the Trojans had a good, albeit small class.

Of their 18 signed recruits, 14 were 4 or 5 star recruits according to ESPN.  While that is impressive, of that group of talent they added 3 wide receivers and 3 tight ends among that group. Having a third of your class as pass catchers is dangerous. While they should almost certainly find some good starters from that group, they spent too many scholarships on a group that is notorious for failed prospects. Yes, other schools like Florida, Alabama and others added just as many pass catchers, but with 8-12 additional scholarships they were able to address other needs as well. The minimal focus on defense and the offensive line (which are other positions that are in need of new starters) could come back to haunt the Trojans down the line. In fairness they were in on some players, but just couldn’t close on them. With the way the Trojans class went (even with Henderson) I don’t know if they are deserving of anything in the top 15 much less the top 10, given their lack of depth, positional value and filling of need.

Tonight the Alabama Crimson Tide look to extend the SEC’s streak of National Championships to four with a win over the Texas Longhorns. Led by Heisman Trophy running back Mark Ingram, and a roster littered with pro prospects, the Crimson Tide are pretty strong favorites tonight over the Longhorns. Don’t count Texas out just yet, the year before the SEC started this National Championship run (2006), the Longhorns were big underdogs to the USC Trojans, and ended up beating them in overtime.

Texas might not have the weapons to match up on offense with Alabama, but they do have two very important players, quarterback Colt McCoy and receiver Jordan Shipley. Both players are seniors, and both players lack top end skills for their positions, yet get by on the smarts and experience. The biggest question for Texas is which McCoy is going to show up? The one who dominated all season, or the one who struggled against Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship game. I think for Texas’s sake we will see more of the former, and quite a bit less of the latter. I think McCoy will have a big game tonight, and will make plays with his legs as well as his arm. The McCoy and Shipley connection can keep them close on offense, but the real question is if the Longhorns defense can slow down the Crimson Tide.

The short answer is ‘not likely’, as the Tide have a very balanced offensive attack. In addition to Ingram, they have weapons at tight end and receiver as well as depth at all those positions. Quarterback Greg McElroy might not be as highly rated as McCoy, but he had an excellent season and always came through in the clutch. While Texas has a pretty good front 7 on defense, their secondary is pretty weak and I think they will be exploited a couple of times tonight. Usually the Longhorns rely on their pass rush, but the Tide have done a great job keeping McElroy upright this season. While I believe that Texas will be able to move the ball on Alabama’s defense and keep the game close, I think the Crimson Tide will make a couple of key defensive stops and that will be the difference in the game. Alabama 31-24.

By contributing Fanspeak writer Geoff Nelowet

The Florida Gators head into Tiger Stadium on Saturday to take on SEC rival LSU. This game, as ranking indicates, has major BCS implications, and the winner will undoubtedly be in the center of the national title picture.

The Gators, though, have big worries, and they come in the form of Tim Tebow’s health. Tebow suffered a concussion in a 41-7 win over Kentucky two weeks ago, and he is a game-time decision for Saturday’s match-up. If Tebow can’t go, the offense should be in good hands with Sophomore QB John Brantley. He’s a talented young quarterback, and he has played well in spot duty.

LSU is coming off a big win at Georgia last week, and coupled with their national ranking, their confidence is as high as can be. Les Miles has his young team playing at a peak level, and they’ve found a way to win ugly. LSU still ranks at the bottom of the SEC statistically, so there is some doubt as to how well this team will play against the ultra-talented Gators.

With or without Tebow, Florida is the superior team. The Gators may have the best defense in the country led by junior defensive end Carlos Dunlap and senior linebacker Brandon Spikes. They have the ability to completely shut down LSU’s marginal offensive attack. Brantley is good enough to guide the offense and manage the game, and that probably isn’t giving him enough credit. Brantley hasn’t been tested, but he has the ability to give Florida more of a vertical passing game than Tebow. Brantley, like the Gators’ entire roster, is very talented, so it would come at no surprise if Florida scores a lot of points against their top SEC rival.

When it comes down to it, LSU is a tough team, and their 5-0 record is an indicator of that, but they are not the fourth-best team in the nation, and they are not on the same level as Florida. They don’t have the size, speed or experience that the Gators posess. With or without Tebow, Florida wins this game. Final score: Florida 28 LSU 10

By Contributing Fanspeak writer Geoff Nelowet

LSU heads into Athens, GA on Saturday in hopes of avenging last season’s 52-38 home loss to the Georgia. The 18^th-ranked Bulldogs are 3-1 on the season, and their only loss came on the first week of the season at Oklahoma State. The LSU Tigers are 4-0 on the season, and they are ranked 4th in the country. Surprisingly, despite their high national rank, both the Tigers’ offensive and defensive units rank near the bottom of the SEC in total production (8^th and 9^th).

This begs the question: Is LSU overrated? And are the voters taking preseason projection too heavily into consideration? In the first week, LSU was ranked in the top ten in both polls, and they have moved up every week because higher teams have been knocked off – and they haven’t done the knocking. LSU has squeaked past Washington and Mississippi State, and they won rather unconvincingly against lowly Vanderbilt.

This is not meant to criticize LSU because the Tigers are a deep and talented team on both sides of the ball. On offense, they are lead by running backs Keiland Williams and Charles Scott. Scott scored 18 touchdowns a year ago, and rushed for over 1,000 yards. Wide Receiver Brandon LaFell has already scored five touchdowns on the season, and sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson has been getting him the ball. Jefferson has been an efficient quarterback up to this point: he has thrown seven touchdowns to only one interception, and he has completed just over 61% of his passes.

The LSU defense has also held up its end for the most part, but they are not a dominant unit. They gave up 478 yards to Washington in the first game of the season, and they gave up 374 yards to Mississippi State a week ago. In both games they gave up far more yards than their opponent. Senior linebacker Harry Coleman leads the LSU defense, and he led the team in tackles a year ago.

Georgia has a very similar nucleus of players on both offense and defense. Neither unit is exceptional, but they both pull their own weight. The Bulldogs are led by a first-year starter in senior quarterback Joe Cox. Cox has been efficient in throwing nine touchdowns to five interceptions while completing 60% of his passes. Cox’s number one target is sophomore WR A.J. Green, who has over 400 yards and 4 touchdowns this season.

Georgia’s defense has had an up-and-down start to the season. South Carolina and Arkansas both moved the ball with ease, scoring 37 and 41 points respectively, but the Bulldogs still came away with wins. Against Oklahoma State and Arizona State, the Bulldogs kept the opposing offenses in check. They only allowed a combined 511 yards in those games, when allowed 485 yards to Arkansas alone.

These are two evenly matched teams, and the most perplexing aspect to this game is LSU’s rank. Georgia is at home, and they have a lot to play for, as the fourth-best team in the country is threatening them on their home field. Georgia will move the ball effectively, and their defense will show up. I’m going with the Bulldogs. Final score: Georgia 23 LSU 14