Southern Football Predictions

ATHENS - Dean Legge makes his weekly picks for the 23 schools in the South.

1. Auburn – Still the best in the South, but didn’t play well in Columbia – Tigers are very beatable…

2. Florida – Didn’t play great against Alabama, but still the second best in the SEC…

3. LSU – Toss-up game against the Gators in make or break for the Tigers…

4. Clemson – No one can slow these guys down on offense…

5. Tennessee – Win-or-go-home game against the Dawgs…

6. Georgia – Dawgs looking very average…

7. Georgia Tech – Thumping of Turkeys could turn program around – Now Tech is in control of their division…

8. Arkansas – Hogs need to upset Tigers to keep pace in SEC West…

9. Virginia Tech – Now ACC Championship Game seems out…

10. Alabama – Are the Tide tail spinning?

11. Florida State – Critical matchup with NC State – where is this program right now?

12. Maryland – Could the Turtles give Georgia Tech a run for their money? Probably not…

13. Miami – I’ve almost run out of words for this team – is it that bad down there?

14 South Carolina – Close is not good enough anymore…

15. Kentucky – This is not the same program as one season ago…

16. Vanderbilt – Ole Miss stood no chance – and look Wake is undefeated…

17. Wake Forest – Undefeated, but they will need to beat Clemson to move up in my book…

18. North Carolina – Could they shock Miami? Why not?

19. Ole Miss – Rebels are struggling to score…

20. Mississippi State – LSU and now West Virginia – who made this schedule?

21. Virginia – Blanked Duke, but some junior varsity teams could do that…

22. NC State – Was the Boston College game a fluke? Beating Florida State at home is very possible…

23. Duke – No words can express how bad these guys are…

This week’s games:

NOTE: these are last Sunday’s lines; some may have moved

Florida State (-10.5) at NC State
Winner straight up – Florida State
Winner with points – NC State
Comment – NC State can win this game, so take them against the number…
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North Carolina (+17.5) at Miami
Winner straight up – Miami
Winner with points – North Carolina
Comment – That’s a lot of points for the Canes to cover…
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Arkansas (+17) at Auburn
Winner straight up – Auburn
Winner with points – Arkansas
Comment – Again, too many points; I don’t think these two are going to score a ton…
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Clemson (-17.5) at Wake Forest
Winner straight up – Clemson
Winner with points – Clemson
Comment – Tigers’ offense is clicking too much right now…
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Vanderbilt (-3) at Ole Miss
Winner straight up – Vanderbilt
Winner with points – Vanderbilt
Comment – This one is really a toss-up…
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West Virginia (-27.5) at Mississippi State
Winner straight up – West Virginia
Winner with points – West Virginia
Comment – This is the easiest straight-up pick this decade…
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Maryland (+14) at Georgia Tech
Winner straight up – Georgia Tech
Winner with points – Maryland
Comment – Tech will win, but the Turtles will get a late score in the 4th to screw up the spread…
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LSU (-2) at Florida
Winner straight up – Florida
Winner with points – Florida
Comment – Very strange that an undefeated top-ten team is an underdog at home; Take the points…
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Duke (+27) at Alabama
Winner straight up – Alabama
Winner with points – Duke
Comment – Bama can’t score…
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East Carolina (-3.5) at Virginia
Winner straight up – East Carolina
Winner with points – East Carolina
Comment – Pirates are a little bit better, but this one is a difficult call…
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South Carolina (-6.5) at Kentucky
Winner straight up – South Carolina
Winner with points – Kentucky
Comment – This, to me, is a trip game for Carolina. Playing an improved Kentucky in Lexington after almost shocking #2 Auburn will be a struggle…
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Tennessee (-2.5) at Georgia
Winner straight up – Tennessee
Winner with points – Tennessee
Comment – Take the Vols – Georgia can’t score…
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LOCK OF THE WEEK
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West Virginia (-27.5) at Mississippi State
Winner with points – West Virginia
Comment – That’s a ton of points, but I believe in the Mountaineers’ offense…
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Year – Lock of the week: 3 of 5 or 60%

Year – Straight up: 72 out of 84 or 86%

Year – Points: 44 of 70 or 63%