Sports

In America there are two seasons: football season and waiting for football season.

Even though it is only February, it is never too early to start looking at college football predictions.

Earlier, I wrote one about the top 25, which you can read here, but this one puts a focus on all of the teams in the SEC.

The SEC has won five national championships in a row, and shows no sign of letting up on its competition.

Spring practice and spring games are only a couple weeks away, so we will get a brief glimpse of what to expect in the fall. However, even that won’t fill the void that we all feel.

Following spring practice I will do a follow-up slideshow with updated odds. There are many position battles that will take place in the spring that could affect these odds.

For this slideshow I list the teams’ schedules and an early prediction of wins, losses and tossups. Later, I will provide a more in-depth look at all of the SEC teams.

Let it be clear that these are my opinions, and they are just that. I know that people will disagree with me, and you have that right to have your own opinions. I expect that.

This is the best conference there is, filled with the most passionate fans in the country.

Here it is, the over-under win total for every SEC team. Let the debate begin.

Read More on Bleacher Report

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Follow me on Twitter @sportswithmike

In America, there are two seasons: football season and waiting for football season.

The offseason is painful. Without the NFL or college football, what are we supposed to do with our lives?

I am counting down the days until early September and the start of college football season. The same thing is happening all across the country. It cannot get here soon enough.

It’s only February 10. It is 202 days away.

Spring practice and spring games are only a couple weeks away, so we will get a brief glimpse of what to expect in the fall. However, even that won’t fill the void that we all feel.

It is never too early for college football predictions, and I present a unique format in this article in predicting the over/under win total for every top 25 team.

Let it be clear that these are my opinions, and they are just that. I know that people will disagree with me, and you have that right to have your own opinions. I expect that.

I know that I am going to receive criticism, so all that I ask is that it be done in a respectful way.

After you read this article, I would appreciate any comments, positive or negative.

Here are the over/under win totals for the top 25 teams. Let the debate begin.

Read more at Bleacher Report

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Follow me on Twitter @sportswithmike

Dear Isaiah Crowell, Ray Drew, John Jenkins, Jay Rome, Malcolm Mitchell and all the other members of the 2011 “Dream Team,”

Welcome to Athens, Georgia. As a fan, student and supporter of the University of Georgia football I cannot wait for the 2011 football season.

You have a dream, but right now, that is the only thing it is, a dream. Only you can decide whether that dream becomes a reality.

As a “dream team” you will have to merge with the current Georgia Bulldogs team and come together to accomplish the ultimate goal of winning a championship.

As much as this article is directed to the 2011 recruiting class, this is more so directed to the entire Georgia Bulldogs football team.

Read more on Sports with Mike

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Follow me on Twitter @sportswithmike

FOXSports.com’s national basketball writer Jeff Goodman joins the show to discuss Georgia and other matters college basketball related.

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Georgia baseball coach Dave Perno joins the Friday Pregame Show to discuss the recruiting process, last season, and his expectations for the 2011 campaign.

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The NBA All-Star Break and trade deadline are fast approaching, and the Atlanta Hawks are in the middle of an identity crisis.  After an embarrassing 117-83 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday night, the Half Hour of Power show were joined by the Human Highlight Blog (a.k.a. Jason Walker) of PeachtreeHoops.com.  They discussed if the team needed to make a change, whether it be in the starting line-up or through a trade.

Mr. Walker describes what it was like watching Dominique Wilkins during his time as a Hawk, even as a resident of Orlando, Florida.

The guys also discuss some SEC Basketball and what it will take to get UGA into the NCAA tournament.

Make sure to follow Jason on Twitter and check out Peachtree Hoops.

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In America there are two seasons: football season and waiting for football season.

Rivalry games in college football show this in the clearest way.

These games, although they are filled with hate, show the dedication and commitment of college football fans. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Before you read this, realize that I live in the heart of SEC country in Athens, Georgia. I will admit that I am biased and I have seen first-hand how much rivalries mean in the SEC.

Almost every single game between these schools is a rivalry game. No one cares more about a sport than the SEC does with college football.

This list is full of games featuring SEC teams, and for good reason. For some of these weeks there just aren’t any “rivalry” games. There are also a couple weeks where no rivalry games take place, especially early in the season.

Notre Dame, Texas, USC, Oregon, Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio State, the list can go on and on. Those schools have great tradition, great rivalries and they have great fan bases, but those don’t really compare to the ones down in the south.

That wasn’t meant to spark debate, that’s just one man’s opinion.

With that being said, here are the top rivalry games of the 2011 season, done in a unique format, week-by-week.

Read more at Bleacher Report

It was the tale of Tu halves in Stegeman Coliseum.

Tu Holloway, the reigning ESPN.com National Player of the Week and five-time A-10 Player of the Week, was held scoreless in the first half, missing all five shots from the field. He finished the game with 18 points, mainly from the free-throw line where he made all 11 attempts, en route to a 65-57 victory for Xavier.

Trey Thompkins had a similarly schizophrenic night, shooting a lights-out 5-5 from inside the arc in the first half and finishing with 10 points. In the second half, Thompkins was continuously harassed and double teamed and finished the game two minutes early, fouling out with just 14 points.

Georgia will feel disappointed not to come away with a win tonight, missing out on an opportunity to add a much-needed resume win, particularly at home in a game with 14 lead changes. If the Stegeman Colisuem fans are any indication, the team will feel worse given the state of the refereeing.

Xavier finished with 27 attempts from the line compared with just 15 for Georgia. This enabled Holloway to get into a groove offensively, and took away Georgia’s size advantage after both Thompkins and Jeremy Price fouled out. Following Thompkins’ fifth, Gerald Robinson was whistled for a questionable charge, sending the already furious fans into further frenzy as they began to throw towels and shirts towards the court. Coach Mark Fox was equally enraged, picking up a bench warning for his efforts. After the game, one of the refs was pelted in the face with a towel.

Fox wouldn’t verbally confess to his frustration with the referees, stating, “It’s just a part of the game,” but the extended pause before the answer and hanging of his head indicated a deeper emotion. Thompkins went a bit further than his coach but not as far as to make excuses for his team. “I personally didn’t think I intentionally fouled him (on his last play),” Thompkins said, “I was pushed in the back, and then I fell to the ground. But it happens. I have enough faith in my teammates to finish games, it just didn’t happen tonight.”

And that is the big-picture problem for the Dogs. While the officiating certainly played a bigger factor than it should in the second half, one of the refs even managed to prevent a Robinson steal, a step back shows a 1-6 record against the top 35 RPI and a team that struggles mightily when Thompkins is forced out of his comfort zone.  While losing to top-tier competition isn’t necessarily a bad thing, Georgia has few games against top-50 RPI teams remaining to ensure they finish the season on the right side of the bubble.

Still, if there’s one thing this team has learned under Coach Fox, it’s resilience. All a casual observer has to do is look at the turnaround from last season to now, with virtually the same roster, to understand the mental makeup of this squad. Dustin Ware captured that spirit when asked about making up ground in the RPI, saying “Every game is important. We’re going to come ready and be determined to get some wins.”

To ensure Georgia’s bubble doesn’t burst, they’re going to have to. (more…)

Check out the Triple Play’s exclusive interview with CBS Sports national college basketball columnist, Gary Parrish. Gary tells the guys who the best player in the country is, what teams too look out for in March, and the Dawg’s chances at making the tournament. Enjoy!

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FINAL SCORE: Georgia-81 Auburn-72

Dustin Ware makes the first free throw. As well as the second. Auburn misses a shot in the lane. Travis Leslie gets the rebound and gets fouled on the way down. Shooting two. Misses the first. Makes the second. 81-72 in favor of Georgia. Auburn chucks up an airball on a desperation 3. The clock will run out with the ball in Georgia’s hands and the Dawgs will take the victory.

Georgia-78 Auburn-72 :29.6 left in OT

We’re headed for overtime folks. Glad to stick around with you for this one. Georgia shouldn’t be in this position at all. They have played very poorly thus far. Give credit to Auburn. They play tough. Auburn gets the tip at the start of OT. It’s Ross again with the lay in. He’s got 27. Foul called. Robinson will shoot two. He misses the first. Makes the second. Ball goes over the backboard off Auburn, Georgia ball. Robinson for THREE! Auburn answers with a huge three of their own. That sucked the life out of this place. Robinson misses a three this time. Auburn misses the lay in and on the fast break Dustin Ware lays it in. Dawgs on top. Two minutes left and The Steg is rocking. Foul on Robinson, his fourth. Auburn shooting the one and one. He misses the first. Rebound Leslie. Off the ball foul on Auburn. Trey Thompkins shooting 2. Makes 1 of 2. Dawgs up by 2. The floater won’t go for Auburn. 1:30 left in OT. Robinson feeds Thompkins in the low-block. Trey uses the glass and draws the foul. Trey makes the free throw and the Dawgs are up by 5. One minute to go. Auburn looks confused on offense and they miss the lay in. Auburn immediately fouls Ware. Misses the first, makes the second. Dawgs up by 6 now. Auburn misses the three and the fouling will begin.

Georgia-67 Auburn-67 End of Regulation

The Steg is alive. They want a stand. Auburn takes a contested 3 and misses it long.  Auburn has to begin fouling and they do starting with Gerald Robinson. Robinson gets one of two from the stripe. Auburn gets a lay in and Auburn takes their final time out. Georgia-67 Auburn-65. :13.7 seconds remain. Georgia gets the ball out of the break. Auburn has the possession arrow. Bad pass by Georgia and they turn it over. Auburn gets two quick points to tie it up at 67. Robinson gets the ball off the rebound and drives the court. Goes for the lay up and misses. The put back comes after the buzzer and we are headed for over time.

Georgia-66 Auburn-63 :59.4 seconds left

Trey is forced to put up a shot with the shot clock running out and he can’t get it to go. Auburn gets a floater to go in the lane. Auburn called for the push down low. Price will shoot 2. He makes the first misses the second but Georgia gets the rebound. Turnover by Thompkins. He’s getting doubled any time he touches the ball. Auburn turns the ball over while trying to push it up the floor. 2 minutes left. This game is too close for comfort for Dawg fans. Each team has two timeouts left. Out of the timeout, Georgia turns it over and Auburn gets 2 fast break points. Ware went for the dagger but missed it. One minute remaining.

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