Urban Peach Guest Writer - William Wolf

Guest Writer William Wolf gives us his breakdown of the NBA teams this year.







NBA PREVIEW

Well, The NBA season officially tips off tonight with a great double header. The new look Miami Heat will travel to Bean town to face the Celtics. I can’t even imagine the noise in that building. I am not sure if D-Wade will suit up tonight or not so I am taking Celtics by 6. That’s right….Miami 0-1 to start off the season. After that is another great game where the Houston Rockets will travel to LA to play the defending champion Lakers. It will be interesting to see how Yao Ming looks running up and down the floor so I am going to take the Lakers by 12.
A lot of people do not care about the NBA now due to LeBron James and his publicity stunts, or the gun-toting athletes (I won’t mention any names.) A very good amount are upset with the amount of money these professional athletes make and right fully so! But remember, no sport is perfect, Baseball has steroids. Football is FULL of thugs. Golf has liars, cheaters, and drunks, Hockey….well they just like to fight! But, for me, I am always curious around this time because I find it very interesting to see how the top picks pan out and also the late round guys. You never know who is going to be a stud one day. I will show you what I am talking about.
Great Picks:
Bill Laimbeer 65th Overall pick
Danny Ainge 31st Overall Pick
John Stockton 16th Overall Pick
Michael Redd 43rd Overall Pick
Terrible Picks: (I should just put the whole Hawks draft History up)
Sam Bowie 2nd Overall Pick (picked before Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, AND John Stockton)
Lorenzen Wright 7th Overall Pick (picked before Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, and Jermaine O’Neal)
Michael Olowokandi 1st Overall Pick (picked before Vine Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, and Paul Pierce)
Kwame Brown 1st Overall Pick (picked before Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Tony Parker, Richard Jefferson, Zach Randolph, and Gilbert Arenas.)
Now, I think you get the idea to see how interesting “stars” pan out and how guys that were forgot about until late in the draft deserved to be a lottery pick. This list also provides a great laugh to me.

Eastern Conference

1)Miami Heat:
Key Acquisitions: LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Mike Miller, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Jerry Stackhouse, Juwan Howard
Key Losses: Jermaine O’Neal, Michael Beasley, Quentin Richardson, Daequan Cook
There is no question that this team has all the talent to win multiple NBA Championships. But as Phil Jackson said, “Talent doesn’t win championships, coaching wins championships.” That is very true. That is coming from one of (if not #1) the best coaches in NBA history. Look for this team to clinch early and LeBron and D-Wade to take the last 2 weeks of the season off. Bottom line, if the team doesn’t win a championship, that little guido can kiss his dream job GOOD-BYE!

2) Orlando Magic:
Key Acquisitions: Chris Duhon, Quentin Richardson, Daniel Orton
Key Losses: Matt Barnes
Once again as long as this team stays healthy, they will finish in the top 3 in the East for a very long time. We all know Dwight Howard (even though my dad saw him play St. Pius back in the day and said, “Yeah, that kid definitely won’t make it) is a monster. Look for Jameer Nelson to compete with Chris Duhon for that starting PG duty. Duhon is a much better distributor and with shooters like Rashard Lewis, JJ Reddick, Quentin Richardson, and Ryan Andersen; They need one!

3) Boston Celtics:
Key Acquisitions: Jermaine O’Neal, Shaquille O’Neal
Key Losses: Rasheed Wallace, Tony Allen
This team always comes together at the right time. Towards the end of the season….With veterans like Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, this team is poised to finish in the top once again. But, everyone seems to overlook the success of Rajon Rondo. He is the catalyst for this team. Bringing in the O’Neal brothers was huge for Danny Ainge. They will be without Kendrick Perkins aka Garbage Man for the majority of the season. These guys will split equal minutes.

4) Chicago Bulls:
Key Acquisitions: Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, Kurt Thomas
Key Losses: Kirk Hinrich, Hakim Warrick, Brad Miller
That’s right people, Chicago will be the most improved team in the league. The only questions they have will be how long will Carlos Boozer be out for and is Tom Thibodeau the right guy for this job. With a core of Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, and Carlos Boozer, this team can go places. Since Derrick Rose can’t throw the ball in the ocean, they got Kyle Korver. The kid is a sniper. Give him 1 inch of daylight and it’s on!

5)Atlanta Hawks:
Key Acquisitions: Jordan Crawford, Etan Thomas, Josh Powell
Key Losses: NONE
Well, in typical Atlanta fashion, we need a big guy and what do we do? We have 4 less than average big men on the roster in Zaza Pachulia, Jason Collins, Etan Thomas, and Josh Powell. That is estimated $7 million right there. Jordan Crawford looked like a mirror image of Jamal Crawford and look for Jamal to be gone at the end of this season. Atlanta did not do much this offseason so they fall back two spots to #5 in the East

6) Milwaukee Bucks:
Key Acquisitions: Drew Gooden, Corey Magette, Larry Sanders, Chris-Douglas Roberts
Key Losses: Dan Gadzuric, Charlie Bell, Luke Ridnour, Jerry Stackhouse
Milwaukee made a few quiet moves here and there, but not enough to move them anywhere in the Eastern Conference standings. Corey Maggete will provide some toughness over there. When Michael Redd is 100% healthy, they will be a real threat. Andrew Bogut, Maggete, Jennings, Redd, Salmons? I wouldn’t want to face them in the first round of the playoffs.

7) New York Knicks:
Key Acquisitions: Amare Stoudemire, Raymond Felton, Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azubuike, Timofey Mozgov, Roger Mason
Key Losses: David Lee, Chris Duhon, Al Harrington, Tracy McGrady (is he really a key loss??)
Finally the New York Knickerbockers make that leap into the playoffs! They got rid of two cancers in Tracy McGrady and Al Harrington. Huge upgrade at point guard with Raymond Felton and of course Amare Stoudemire. David Lee was a big loss but I think they will get over him quick with Amare. Most importantly, D’Antoni got what he can coach with. And that is ATHLETES. Raymond Felton, Amare Stoudemire, and Anthony Randolph are top tier athletes. Stick Gallinari on that wing and look for them to average 110 points per game

8) Detroit Pistons:
Key Acquisitions: Greg Monroe, Tracy McGrady
Key Losses: NONE
It will come down to the last couple games for this last seed in the playoffs but I believe the veteran presence of this team will guide the Pistons into the playoffs. Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, and Ben Wallace will all contribute, but look for a breakout year with Rodney Stuckey at point guard. He is capable of being a 20+ppg and 8+ apg guy.

9) Charlotte Bobcats:
Key Acquisitions: Kwame Brown, Sherron Collins
Key Losses: Raymond Felton, Tyson Chandler
Michael Jordan make a mistake in letting Raymond Felton go. He was getting near his potential, but he has given the point guard duty to DJ Augustin. Outside of Stephen Jackson and Alabama legend Gerald Wallace, where is the scoring going to come from? The only thing keeping them from being in the cellar is a good coach by the name of Larry Brown.

10) Philadelphia 76ers
Key Acquisitions: Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes, Jodie Meeks
Key Losses: Samuel Dalembert, Rodney Carney, Willie Green
This team is still going through an identity crisis. I thought they were going for an athletic team, yet they spend $20+ million a year on a fossil by the name of Elton Brand. C’mon dude, the gay is WAY past his prime. They have Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, and Jrue Holliday……and ELTON BRAND? They need to find a way to dump this guy. Until then, playoffs will not be a thought for them.

11) Washington Wizards:
Key Acquisitions: John Wall, Kirk Hinrich, Yi Jianlian,
Key Losses: Randy Foye, Josh Howard, Mike Miller
Wow, what an experiment this team will be! Flip Saunders definitely has his hands full with this group of guys. I think Hinrich will start PG, and move Arenas to Shooting (haha) Guard. John Wall will come off the bench either until Arenas is released or an injury occurs. But, this team won’t go far with Gilbert on the squad.

12) Indiana Pacers:
Key Acquisitions: Lance Stephenson, Darren Collison, James Posey
Key Losses: Troy Murphy
Larry Bird has put some nice pieces together on this team, but I think it will be a few years to build some chemistry and veteran presence with this team. Roy Hibbert is a home run! He looked great last year and looks good in the preseason. But, you know there is something wrong with a team when Josh (Why did I leave school early?) McRoberts and Tyler (Sorry, no whining in the NBA) are battling it out for the STARTING Power Forward position. Granger needs more help.

13) Cleveland Cavaliers
Key Acquisitions: Ryan Hollins, Ramon Sessions
Key Losses: Everybody, no just kidding. Only LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Well well well….Not much happening here. I think the only bright spot here is that JJ Hickson will finally have an opportunity to shine this year. I expect a double double average for him. Good Luck Byron Scott!

14) New Jersey Nets:
Key Acquisitions: Troy Murphy, Derrick Favors, Anthony Morrow, Travis Outlaw, Jordan Farmar
Key Losses: Yi Jianlian, Chris-Douglas Roberts
This team did head in the right direction, even though they could not pull of any of the big time free agents. They got some guys who will sell seats in New Jersey in Anthony Morrow and Derrick Favors. Jordan Farmar was a good pickup. Sucks to go from LA to NJ though! Haha. I hope Favors gets a lot of playing time this year so he can get his foot in the door. I predict them to win at least 20 games this year!

15) Toronto Raptors:
Key Acquisitions: Leandro Barbosa, David Andersen, Linas Keliza
Key Losses: The whole team aka Chris Bosh and Hedo Turkoglu
What a surprise! The Craptors went out and got more big men that can shoot three’s!! They have NO PAINT PRESENCE. All their big men like to go outside the perimeter. And $34 million for Amir Johnson??? WHAT?? Nothing good to come out of this team. This is what happens when you go International.


Western Conference

1) Los Angeles Lakers
Key Acquisitions: Steve Blake, Matt Barnes, Theo Ratliff
Key Losses: Jordan Farmar
As long as these guys have Kobe Bryant and a guy from Montana that goes by the name of Phil Jackson, look for them to be a top tier team once again. Kobe, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, and Derek Fisher are all back. Great offseason transactions by acquiring Steve Blake, Matt Barnes, and Theo. Those are all great role players. God knows they need another center since I literally have not seen this Bynum kid shoot a basketball. The thunder aren’t far behind them but I look for the Lakers to clinch with 5 games left in the season and Kobe can rest up for the playoffs.

2) Oklahoma City Thunder
Key Acquisitions: Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook, Mo Peterson
Key Losses: NONE
That’s right!! My Thunder will take the #2 seed in the West this year. They will win 56 games this year. Everyone knows Kevin Durant will put up 30 a night, but what about the others? Jeff Green will have a monster year averaging 21 ppg and 9 rpg. Russell Westbrook has worked very hard during the offseason on his decision making (his decision to give the ball to DURANT.) Watch for James Hardens name to be called frequently as well. I know they are lacking a big guy, but that is why they drafted Cole Aldrich. This guy is huge, but it is unknown how much playing time he will receive.

3) Dallas Mavericks
Key Acquisitions: Tyson Chandler, Steve Novak
Key Losses: Erick Dampier
Cuban made a good decision by resigning Dirk Nowitzki. He is now the glue to that team, now that Dampier is gone. Coach Carlisle will have a hard decision regarding minutes between Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood. This team has stuck with the core group of guys with Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, and Jason Kidd now for a few years. They have young talent and they have veterans. I expect them to be good for a long time!

4) Portland Trailblazers
Key Acquisitions: Wesley Matthews, Elliot Williams
Key Losses: Martell Webster
The Trailblazers stood pretty still this offseason. I think they are waiting for LeBron James’ grandfather to play a whole season (Greg Oden) If that is the case, they are going to be waiting a long long time! Still kept the main guys in Marcus Camby, Brandon Roy, and LeMarcus Aldridge. Coach McMillan has done an incredible job in Portland. Look for them to make some noise in the playoffs!

5) Utah Jazz
Key Acquisitions: Al Jefferson, Gordon Hayward, Earl Watson
Key Losses: Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver
Oh, the great Utah Jazz! It’s about time Sloan gets a ring under his belt with this club and they have a legitimate shot this year if Deron Williams can stay healthy. They lacked inside presence the last few years because Okur and Boozer are best outside. Jefferson wants to bang inside! I think that was a great sign! They brought in the Butler phenomenon Gordon Hayward to essentially replace Kyle Korver. With Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson inside, shooters be ready!

6) Phoenix Suns
Key Acquisitions: Hedo Turkoglu, Hakim Warrick, Josh Childress
Key Losses: Amare Stoudemire
The Phoenix Suns lost A LOT of athleticism by letting Barbosa and Amare walk away. Amare was a perfect match for Steve Nash, but Turkoglu is a nice piece. Don’t expect a lot of points in the paint from this team, but they will make the playoffs but that is about it!

7) San Antonio Spurs
Key Acquisitions: Tiago Splitter, Bobby Simmons
Key Losses: NONE
Once again, the Spurs did NOTHING in the offseason. They are content on just making the playoffs and getting older and older. Same old same old. Duncan, Parker, and Ginobilli. That’s it. Between the three of them there will be at least 40 missed games. This team is boring to watch and they will be swept in the first round by the Thunder.

8) Memphis Grizzlies
Key Acquisitions: Xavier Henry, Greveis Vasquez, Tony Allen
Key Losses: Tony Allen
Yes, you read that correct, these Memphis Grizzlies will be on a roll this year. They are a mirror image of the hawks. They have had the same young athletic core for a few years now and are improving every step of the way. Zach Randolph finally has his head on straight after a few stints with Portland and New York. Rudy Gay and OJ Mayo are ready to carry this team. They finished the preseason 8-0. Look for Marc Gasol to match up versus brother Pau in the first round of the playoffs.

9) Denver Nuggets
Key Acquisitions: Al Harrington, Shelden Williams (go ahead and laugh)
Key Losses: Linas Kleiza
This is the year the Thuggets finally collapse. Cocah Karl will be forced to retire due to health reasons. Carmelo will bolt for New York midseason and all these thugs will be left to die in Denver. I mean seriously….JR Smith (thug), Chris Andersen (heroin addict), Al Harrington (thug), Kenyon Martin (thug). The ship stops here and the Thuggets do not make the playoffs.

10) Houston Rockets
Key Acquisitions: Patrick Patterson, Kyle Lowry, Courtney Lee, Brad Miller
Key Losses: Trevor Ariza
Well that whole experiment with McGrady, Artest, and Yao Ming didn’t work. Yao Ming is supposedly coming back to play 24 minutes a game. So, what do the rockets do? Go out and get a starting center by the name of Brad Miller. They will split equal time at the center position, but I will not be surprised if Yao retires after this season or before! There are no scorers on this team besides Kevin Martin.

11) Los Angeles Clippers
Key Acquisitions: Randy Foye, Al-Farouq Aminu, Ryan Gomes
Key Losses: Steve Blake, Drew Gooden, Travis Outlaw
This Clippers team is a very good team. I would not be surprised if they made the playoffs. If they were in the East, they would be a #5 or 6 seed all day. Let’s be real… The one wild card with this team is the return of Blake Griffin. If his knee holds up, this can be a nasty team. With the Kamanator in the middle, it will be awfully tough for teams to score inside. Baron Davis looks to have regained his form and they are an exciting team to watch.

12) New Orleans Hornets
Key Acquisitions: Trevor Ariza, Marco Bellinelli, Willie Green
Key Losses: Mo Peterson, Darren Collison
This has fallen fast. Chris Paul now has questionable knees. He doesn’t even want to play for the Hornets. The General Manager resigned. They went out and got some coach that doesn’t have much experience. This team is a mess. And as Forrest Gump would say, “That’s all I have to say about that.”

13) Golden State Warriors
Key Acquisitions: David Lee, Dan Gadzuric, Rodney Carney
Key Losses: Corey Magette, Anthony Morrow, Kelenna Azubuike, Anthony Randolph
The new look Warriors finally made a splash in the free agency market by signing David Lee to a lucrative deal. They are still young and immature. Buy guys like Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis can get the job done. They will have no holes at the guard spot. David Lee is great at the Center, but who are the forwards? Brandan Wright and Vladimir Radmonovic?? This is Nellies last year, but he won’t make the playoffs with these young’ns.

14) Minnesota Timberwolves
Key Acquisitions: Michael Beasley, Martell Webster, Luke Ridnour
Key Losses: Al Jefferson
Martell Webster has given the Timberwolves something to think about, but for now that is all they will be thinking about. Michael Beasley will have a career year and finally will be able to step into the spotlight. Other than that, not much talent here.

15) Sacramento Kings
Key Acquisitions: DeMarcus Cousins, Samuel Dalembert
Key Losses: Spencer Hawes
The Kings went out and got a couple good big men, but they are no Vlade Divacs. Tyreke Evans will run the break will Cousins stays at the other end watching him. That’s about all.

SEC WEEK 9 - The Cam Newton Show

This man is taking the SEC by storm



When I got up from the couch in my living room after the Auburn vs. LSU game ended, there was only one thing on my mind: Cameron Newton. He has gotten better every single week, and this week, facing his toughest test yet, he surpassed everyone's expectations. His breakaway touchdown run in the 3rd quarter (outrunning Patrick Peterson to the endzone) was quite possibly the best play I have seen in the last few years. Every play, the number 6 ranked defense in the country knew who was going to carry the ball, and they still could not stop this man. Verne Lundquist was speechless (shocker), Gary Danielson could not shut up, and the rest of the nation was in awe. I think the SEC may have their third hesiman winner in the last 4 years. Cam Newton is the truth.
Auburn is now in a position where they control their own destiny, something that Auburn fans appreciate after being shafted in the BCS in 2004. Going into the last weekend of October, the tigers currently are undefeated and ranked #1 in the BCS standings. They have to go to Ole Miss, play UGA at home, and finish at Alabama Friday after Thanksgiving. I think they'll handle Ole Miss and UGA, and it is now looking like the Iron Bowl may be the best game in college football this year (assuming Auburn and Alabama do not lose until). If you know anything about the state of Alabama, then you know that fans are going crazy about the possibility of these two meeting to possibly decide who plays in the national championship game.

Georgia blasts Kentucky

The dawgs have finally turned it around. They went up 28-10 against a Kentucky team that had just beaten USC a week prior. Although Kentucky closed the gap and put up 30 points, this game was not as close as the final score indicated. UGA did what they wanted to on offense. Washaun Ealey rushed for 200+ yards and a school record 5 touchdowns. The O-line finally did what we thought they would do from day 1, and the defense forced turnovers. However, it may be a little too late for Georgia. They are now 3-3 in the SEC, but their final two games come against Florida and Auburn. They may beat a weak Florida team this weekend, but I don't see them beating Auburn. I just don't see it.


USC OVER Vandy

USC got back to their winning ways on Saturday. The Gamecocks still control their own destiny in the east and now get their stud frosh Marcus Lattimore back. They still have a few tough games ahead against Tennessee, Arkansas, and Florida, but if they win 2 out of 3, they will probably go to Atlanta.

Arkansas OVER Ole Miss

In a game that featured two rain delays, Arkansas got the better of Ole Miss. Although the hogs won the game, they virtually have no shot at getting to Atlanta since they have already lost to Auburn and Bama. Of course, this makes me happy as I, along with many other people in Atlanta, have NO respect for Petrino. None.

Florida had a BYE this weekend heading into the UGA game. Although the Gators have lost 3 straight, the crazy thing is that they can still make it to Atlanta. If they beat UGA on Saturday, then all they need to do is beat USC head to head. And the game against USC is in the swamp. Florida could really play a spoiler role this year.

Bama 41 Tennessee 10

The Tide started out slow, but eventually their talent wore down Tennessee as they cruised to an easy victory over the SEC east rivals. Bama looked like they are getting back on track. They have LSU in two weeks, and if they survive in Baton Rouge, the showdown in T-Town will be what everyone hopes for.

URBAN PEACH SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK - CAM NEWTON...nuff' said.

SEC RECAP - WEEK 6

Stephen Garica happily walks around the Campus of South Carolina on Monday morning. Not sure what he is more happy about: Beating Alabama, or not getting arrested over the weekend

Greg McElroy hadn't lost since this picture was taken of him in the 8th grade! Just kidding, I think this picture was him in high school.






First off let me start by apologizing for not blogging last week. It has been pretty busy in my world lately and although I would like it to be, blogging is usually not my top priority. Don't we all wish we could have more time. I am short on time this week as well, but due to the incredible weekend in the SEC, I have to post...

UPSET ALERT!!! South Carolina UPSETS Top ranked Alabama!!!

You could see it coming. Alabama had to play the 3 top opponents three weeks in a row. Three weeks ago, they went on the road and barely squeaked out a win against an Arkansas team who had been anticipating the game for 365 straight days. Two weeks ago, Alabama took it to then Top 10 ranked Florida at home. They played better than they played all season, a truly dominating performance. And then things really started to get interesting...

The "Dynamic Duo" nicknames started flying around about Trent Richardson and Mark Ingram. Fans started proclaiming them as the best 1 - 2 punch in the history of college football. Some crazy fans on Paul Finebaum's radio show started saying Alabama may be better off playing on Sunday's and Monday nights. "S The Coach" bumper stickers (a copy of the George W. Bush stickers from 2004) started appearing on every car I saw. And oh yes, Greg McElroy still had not lost a game since 8th grade. Oh yes, Alabama nation got complacent.

Well...combine that with two weeks for Steve "Evin Genius" Spurrier to prepare, and what do you get? UPSET. And not just an upset, a good old fashioned butt whooping. Spurrier out-coached the best coach in college football, Nick Saban. USC's freshman running back Marcus Lattimore outperformed the "Dynamic Duo" of HESIMAN TROPHY winner Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson. USC's O-line manhandled Kirby Smart's D. And finally, Greg McElroy finally lost a game and was outperformed by Stephen Garcia. It was the biggest win in USC history, and for Spurrier personally, it was huge. Here's a guy that many thought had lost some of his magic. He proved to us Saturday that he's still got it.

Things just got very interesting in the SEC. Its about to get real. Alabama can still get to Atlanta, but its going to be tough. They are still a great team, maybe the best team in college football. But we all know that in college football, the regular season means more than in any other level or sport, and Alabama just lost a critical regular season game. Will they get back to the Natl Championship? Maybe. But they will need some help. I guarantee you one thing: Nick Saban does not care about all that. He will be focused on one thing and one thing only, Ole Miss, who is their opponent next week. The Rebels better watch out!

Speaking of Greg McElroy finally losing, thank goodness! I had gotten so tired of hearing this "ohhh he's so great he has not lost a game since 8th grade" stuff in the media. Although he is a fierce competitor and did not want to lose, I bet Greg feels a little relief as well. Now he can refocus and not have this winning streak hanging on his head anymore. It's hard enough being the starting quarterback for the University of Alabama.

While on the subject of Alabama, I have come to the conclusion that half their fan base is absolutely insane. One guy on the radio yesterday said it was about time they replaced McElroy and let the backup AJ McCarron go ahead and play. ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND??? He has lost 1 game in 10 freakin' years! Another few fans called for McElwain (Alabama's OC) to be fired. Here's a guy that has lost one regular season game in three years since he has been the offensive coordinator. Some fans truly are ridiculous. No wonder all the coaches seem to be losing their hair.

On to Stephen Garcia...I could not believe what I saw from him on Saturday. The dude went 17-20 (should have been 18) for 200+ and 3TD's. He was unreal. I know people think its crazy that he was able to do this, and other people think its crazy Spurrier finally kept him in the game, but I have something even crazier about Saturday. Its crazy that Garcia is still on South Carolina's team! Let's take a look at Garcia's past...

2007
February 17: Arrested in Columbia. Charged with drunkenness and failure to stop on police command
February 19: Suspended indefinitely by Steve Spurrier from team activities
March 3: Arrested and charged with vandalizing the car of a South Carolina professor two days earlier.

2008
March 22: Cited and charged with underage drinking. Also listed as the only suspect in discharging of fire extinguisher in campus dorm.
March 25: Suspended from team activities until Aug. 15 by the university.


BUT....On October 9th 2010, Garcia goes 17-20 with 3TD's and upsets top ranked and defending national champion Alabama.

It has been a heck of a ride for this guy to say the least. If he did not play football, I don't think there would be any doubt that he would have been asked to leave the University of South Carolina. But as you all know, big time college athletes tend to get free passes more than most other "normal" students. Fair? Unfair? What do you guys think?

LSU beats Florida

Once again, Les Miles wins it at the end in a unconventional way. I swear, this guy must have sold his sole to the Devil or sold it to a voodoo witch in the bayou, or done something like that, because he is the luckiest coach I have ever seen. My high school basketball coach used to tell me that there was no such thing as luck. I used to agree with him and say that I didn't believe in luck, but now after watching Les Miles for 3 years, I am officially taking back that statement. However, I really do like the guy. I think he's funny and entertaining to say the least. If he goes on to run the table against Arkansas, Auburn, AND Alabama, then I'll say its skill, because NOBODY is that lucky.

Georgia whoops Tennessee

Aaron Murray was awesome, AJ Green was nothing short of freakish, and Tennessee looked like they had checked out mentally. Those three things led to a lop-sided 41-14 UGA victory. Georgia, its about dang time! The Dawgs finally got an SEC win. However, two days later, Athens went back down to reality and Caleb King got arrested. UGA's 11th arrest this year. King has been suspended for two games.

Auburn Squeaks by Kentucky

Auburn gets yet another comeback 4th quarter victory. This team is undefeated, but they are really playing it close right now. I am not so sure they can survive another comeback win against Arkansas and Ryan Mallett this weekend.

That's it for this week. Overall, it was an awesome Saturday in the SEC.

The Urban Peach SEC Player of the Week - Stephen Garcia, South Carolina. 17-20, 3TD's, 200+ yards in an upset over the Crimson Tide.

MEDIA AND THE HYPE MACHINE

THE URBAN PEACH GUEST WRITER... Redmond Wheeler Flemming

My Great Friend, College Basketball Teammate AND College ROOMMATE Redmond Wheeler Flemming weighs in on how his favorite football team does not get the respect they deserve...AUBURN. ENJOY.

MEDIA AND THE HYPE MACHINE

Last night's victory over the Gamecocks left the great town of Auburn, Alabama rocking. After much post game celebration with friends and family, it was time for bed and to again escape from reality (with the first occurring earlier that night after Cam “Scootin” Newton's 52 yard sprint down the sideline- Unreal speed!).

Now, it is a common Sunday tradition of mine to browse the various SEC headlines around the internet, with my main source being ESPN.com. I try my best read stories covering all teams, but I will admit there is definitely an initial attraction towards articles covering Auburn's previous days.

Similar to the articles that followed last week's Auburn-Clemson game, “professionals” at ESPN have found a way to once again disassociate Auburn from a winning program. Sure, they acknowledge the fact that Auburn had numerical advantage over South Carolina on the scoreboard, and that they are therefore declared “winners,” but there is an obvious shot at the integrity of Auburn's win.

Here is one quotes that proves to be particularly bothersome:

“The Tigers trailed Clemson 17-0 late in the first half last week before winning in overtime on a missed field goal. They escaped again without needing the lucky break.”
1) (Still harping on Clemson) Auburn did not win on a missed field goal. Auburn won because they scored points in overtime. Clemson's missed field goal did NOTHING but prove that it is difficult to make a trivial field goal in overtime under Jordan-Hare's pressure.
2) Similar to last week, Auburn did not win, they just “escaped.” Yeah, right. You don't escape with 334 rushing yards and school breaking records from Cam Newton.
3) “lucky break” -Auburn is not talented, they are just lucky. Auburn does not hit hard on defense, just ask Kyle Parker (who still might be stumbling from his game against Auburn). Auburn's defense did not force Steve Spurrier to ditch Garcia and go to freshman quarterback Connor Shaw in crucial moments of the game. And when the freshman panicked under the pressure, Auburn did not force two late turnovers, either. Yeah, right.
Is Auburn perfect? Not even close. Are they a great program that wins football games? Yes. At moments, have they been equally as impressive as any other team in the nation? I say yes. Yet, most importantly, are they treated as a top tier program? Not to the media... check this section of Chris Low's article out:

“Alabama and Arkansas both had their moments when they resembled championship football teams. 

The difference was that Alabama finished like a champion, coming back from 13 points down to hand Arkansas a bitter 24-20 defeat at Razorback Stadium.”

What a joke! Finish like a champion. Did Alabama not get lucky that Mallet threw picks on his final two possessions? Was it finishing like a champion for not going up on the scoreboard until the 4th quarter? Get real. And what has Arkansas done this year that is completely deserving of all their hype? Didn't they previously go a pretty unimpressive 3-5 in the SEC? I'm not saying that these are not two great teams, I'm just saying their portrayal by “unbiased” media is very unfair and is designed to promote particular teams to the college hype machine. Auburn, lucky? Yeah right.
War Damn

Bigwheel

SEC WEEK 4 RECAP

Yeah...this guys the man right now



The Myth, The Man, The Legend...Verne Lundquist












This past Saturday was a great day in the SEC. Since I had a wedding to go to last weekend, this weekend I made sure to clear my schedule. After my BRO William and I had a man date consisting of a morning workout and then breakfast and Game Day at his place, I sat on the couch literally ALL day and watched football. If only the weather was a little colder, it would have been a PERFECT fall Saturday. Let's start with the 3:30 CBS game in which Verne Lundquist preceded to say "oh my goodness" at least fifty times...Verne was loving every minute of Alabama - Arkansas, and so was I!

Alabama 24 Arkansas 20

It was number 1 at number 10, and the Razorback crowd was fired up. It was definitely the biggest game in Fayetteville in the last ten years. All week, Alabama fans kept talking about how this game would not even be close, which annoyed me a little bit because Arkansas is a good team. Some of those Bama fans are getting cocky, but thats OK because you are allowed to be cocky when S "The Coach" is in charge of your program.

Ryan Mallett came out ready to sling the rock and scored in only TWO plays. That ended up being a sign of good things to come for Arkansas in the first half, as Mallett continued to impress the country with his ability to put the ball on the money. Alabama QB Greg McElroy, who is the ultimate winner (Rhodes scholar candidate, National champion, hasn't lost a game since 8th grade) had a really bad first half, throwing two picks and missing a few receivers. You could tell he was upset at himself in the second quarter.

However, Nick Saban, Kirby Saban, and the Alabama defense made some great adjustments in the second half, and finally found ways to put some pressure on Mallett. National Championship teams find a way to win games like these, and Alabama did exactly that. Although the Tide has a young secondary, those young guys grew up in the second half of this game. It was fitting that Bama CB Dre Kirkpatrick, who cost the Tide a touchdown in the first half, sealed the game with his late 4th quarter interception. Alabama's win sets the stage for a rematch of the SEC championship the past TWO years in T-town saturday. You better believe I'll be there.


Auburn 35 South Carolina 27

Once again, Auburn got down early. They were down 20-7 at one point in the second quarter. But once again, Auburn came back. Once again, Fig Newton was legit. I am really impressed with this team. They seem to have a lot of fight in them and they are fun to watch. Two straight weeks, Auburn played two really good teams from the state of South Carolina, and Auburn won both. I still think South Carolina is good and has a chance to win the East, but Spurrier is going to have to figure out what he wants to do.

I like to joke about how he jerks around Garcia, but Saturday night I feel like Spurrier cost the Gamecocks the win. After Garcia had fumbled twice, Spurrier jerked him out in favor of a FRESHMAN in he 4th quarter. And not just in the 4th quarter, in the 4th quarter of an away, night game in the SEC. How is Garcia supposed to have ANY confidence whatsoever when Spurrier continues to jerk him around like this. I thought he had made some pretty good throws. One was a GREAT throw to one of his big receivers in the endzone. But then, when things started to not good as well, Spurrier had seen enough of Garcia, and decided to go with Freshman Connor Shaw down the stretch (who threw 2 picks in the 4th quarter). When Greg McElroy threw two picks in the 2nd quarter Saturday, you didn't see Saban bench him. And Alabama has a pretty good backup quarterback. Over the course of the game, if you play quarterback, you WILL make mistakes. You have the rock in your hands every play. Just like in basketball, the point guard is going to have a few turnovers, its inevitable. Spurrier gets to second guess Garcia's throws, Stephen Garcia does not. Sometimes I think you've got to pat your guy on the back and make a decision to just play it out with him.

Mississippi St. 24 Georgia 12

This game was not as close as the score even says. UGA got beat in every phase of the game by a mediocre as grits team. They once again had key fumbles, key penalties, etc. But even more than that, UGA just DID NOT look inspired to play football. You could just see it. The game was boring. It was awful to watch. Todd Grantham's "relentless pressure" Defense got no pressure on Miss. St.'s mediocre QB. UGA's offense did not score a touchdown until late in the 4th quarter when the game was over. I'm disgusted. I think a lot of people are. Georgia just is not very good. Period.


Florida 48 Kentucky 14

Florida seems like they are finally started to come around. Are they a top 10 team? Maybe. But it doesn't really matter. What matters is, they are undefeated and going to play the #1 team in the nation on Saturday. This is exactly where Florida wanted to be at this point in the year. They have put themselves in a position to beat Alabama and really make some noise around the country. I think its going to be a war on Saturday. Whatever Florida misses in toughness this year (aka Tim Tebow) they make up for in speed. It is going to be very interesting to see John Brantley go against Alabama's D. He is facing a Defense on Saturday that is going to challenge him to make the right throw every single time, and if he doesn't, Alabama will punish him. The pressure is going to be on him Saturday in T-town.

In other games...
Ole Miss held off Fresno St. Congratulations OLE MISS!! You guys got a win. At home too, where things have not gone as planned this year. At least if you go to Ole Miss and the football is having a bad year, you've still got THE GROVE.

LSU held off W. Virginia 20-14 in a night game in Death Valley. They have played better than I expected this year. But its going to get tough for them very fast.

Tennessee held off UAB 32-29 in Double OT at home! Tennessee is just not very good this year, but we all knew that would happen. UGA may have another chance to go against another win less team in the SEC on Saturday Oct. 9th when Derrek Dooley comes home to Athens.

THE URBAN PEACH SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK - Cameron Newton QB Auburn. Fig was 16-21 for 158 yards and 2 TD with 0 picks. He also rushed 25 times for 176 yards and 3 TDs. He accounted for 5 Auburn touchdowns.! Tim Tebowesque. Fig's the man.

Its supposed to be a beautiful Fall Saturday this weekend. I can't wait for that cooler weather!

-Sports BRO

SEC RECAP - WEEK 3

Saturday morning started out great. It was beautiful weather in the morning so I worked out and ran, then got breakfast and came home to catch the last hour of College Game Day, which was at Auburn this week. Second straight week in the SEC! After Game Day I got to watch the first half of the UGA v Arkansas game before I had to leave to go to a wedding. The wedding was great, but the reception last until around 9pm, so I missed most of the college football day. However, I did catch the second half and overtime of the Auburn v Clemson game, and what a game that was! We'll start with this one...

Auburn v Clemson

After being down 17-0, the Auburn Fig Newtons finally woke up and started to play. They scored 3 touchdowns in the 3rd quarter and ended up taking the game into OT. In OT, Auburn kicked a field goal to take a 27-24 lead. Clemson's Offense then came out and redshirt freshman kicker Chandler Catanzaro thought they had answered, only to find out that his made field goal was negated by a penalty. He missed his second try, and the celebration began in Auburn.

The SEC prevailed in this one but I have to give some big time props to Clemson's QB Kyle Parker. That dude is a BIG TIME athlete. He has an absolute cannon and he took some serious shots to the head during that game. This guy has a lot of heart, and I admire the fact that he came back to play one more season of football before going to play baseball for the Colorado Rockies. (They drafted him in the 1st round and he is entitled to a 1.4 million signing bonus).

Overall, I would say Game Day was a success in Auburn and I know the students had fun this weekend.

Georgia v Arkansas
Arkansas 31 UGA 24

Arkansas was up 24-10 in the 4th before the dogs made a roaring comeback to tie the game at 24 with 4 minutes left. UGA ended up getting the ball back with 2 minutes left, but could not seal the deal. When Ryan Mallett got his chance to win the game, he did not disappoint.

Last week UGA couldn't stop the run @ South Carolina (aka could not stop Marcus Lattimore). Yesterday, UGA couldn't stop the pass. Ryan Mallett connected on 21-33 for 380 yards and 3 TD's against Todd Grantham's D. In addition, the Dogs gave up numerous big plays against Petrino's offense. UGA's D also only sacked Mallett 1 time. Didn't we hire Grantham to bring "relentless pressure" and limit big plays?? He didn't do it Saturday. However, it's only game 3 of his tenure. I still don't think the D has completely figured out how to run his 3-4 scheme the way he wants it done. Have to give him some more time.

Two other observations about the UGA/Arkansas game...
1. Ryan Mallett is more mobile and even better than I thought. He proved me wrong saturday. He moved well in the pocket and rose up to the road challenge in Athens.
2. UGA and Aaron Murray are desperately missing AJ Green. AJ was needed during that game. They are now 0-2 in the SEC without him. Bet he wishes he had kept that lousy Independence Bowl jersey right now. More on Richt and UGA later this week...


Florida v Tennessee

Florida won their 6th straight over Tennessee in Knoxville on Saturday, 31-17. However, the Gators started out slow for the 3rd game in a row. I agree with Tony Barnhart aka "Mr. College Football", Florida is a team that is still trying to find its identity. Here's the scary thing, they are far from playing their best football, but they are still 3-0 and 1-0 in the SEC. They are finding a way to get it done and they will only improve as they move forward.


Alabama v Duke - Bama 62 Duke 13

Mark Ingram came back and ran for 151 yards and 2 TD's as Bama rolled. Here is why Bama is so good...At halftime, Saban was asked about the first half and he called out his guys saying that their defense in the first half was unacceptable and that guys were not doing their job. The football game was already over, but Saban wasn't happy. He is NEVER satisfied, and he doesn't let his players ever be satisfied either. He treats every possession like it is the most important possession of the season, and his players buy in.


Vanderbilt 28 Ole Miss 14

The Commodores beat Ole Miss between a battle of two of the SEC's worst teams. The year continues to be a nightmare for the Rebels, who threw away a good opportunity to win an SEC game at home. It is only going to get harder from here, as the REb's still have to play Bama, Auburn, Arkansas, and LSU. OUCH! Props to Vandy.


LSU 29 - Miss. St 7

LSU improves to 2-0 in the SEC while Miss. St falls to 0-2. Good thing LSU took care of business in this game, because the rest of their season may not be so great. Miss. St. sets the stage next week to play the 0-2 team in the cellar of the SEC East, UGA. Sounds weird to say UGA is in the cellar in the SEC, doesn't it?

In other games...
Kentucky rolled over Akron 47-10. South Carolina beat Furman 38 - 19, and yes, Spurrier still hates Garcia.

That'll do it for this week. Excited about next week...Alabama at Arkansas at 3:30 on CBS. Can't wait to hear Vern Lundquist say "WOW" 100 + times during the game. I have been looking forward to his commentating all season. At night, South Carolina travels to Auburn. Seems like Auburn plays more night games than any other team in the Country. Going to be a big test for South Carolina and Garcia, assuming Spurrier doesn't punch him in the face and give him a concussion this week at practice.


The Urban Peach SEC Player of the Week:

Ryan Mallett - Arkansas. Mallett was 21-33 for 380 yards and 3 TD's, including a game winning drive and touchdown pass.

Arkansas Game Huge for Mark Richt's Future

It is only week three of college football. It is only Georgia's second SEC game. It is only their third game with a completely new defensive staff and scheme. But for Mark Richt, there has never been as much riding on a game since he has been the head coach at the University of Georgia. Mark Richt, you CANNOT lose this game if you want to keep your job at UGA.

Now before I start talking about why this game is so important for Richt, let me first start by saying I defended him all spring and summer. In an earlier post, I talked about how Paul Finebaum, a very influential SEC media member, continually predicted that this season would be Richt's last. He wrote an article about it that you can read right here: Finebaum's article on Richt

But all spring and summer, I continually disagreed with Finebaum on Richt's future in Athens. I felt that Richt would make the necessary changes that he needed to make on defense, which he did. I felt he would get tougher as a football coach because he had to and because his calm demeanor and loving father-like figure image just wasn't cutting it anymore in the SEC. I felt Richt would change. I said he would change some things. Richt even said he was going to change some things. However, the South Carolina game proved that some of these things simply have not changed quite yet.

Now, I also predicted a few weeks ago on this blog that UGA would lose to South Carolina. However, I did say that they would get it together and rebound against Arkansas the next week. This is what makes the Arkansas game so important. The Bulldog nation is ticked off. UGA didn't tackle. UGA's highly touted offensive line wasn't tough enough. Spurrier was too good. This Saturday, UGA fans need to see change. They better see UGA's defense flying and hitting all over the field. They better see UGA's running game dictate assert its dominance on offense. They better see Richt light a fire under somebody.

To Richt's defense, he did the right thing with Aaron Murrary against South Carolina last week. He protected his freshman quarterback on the road in his first SEC game. Murray passed the test. Hes a player. We knew he would be. Well Aaron, you better be ready to sling it on Saturday, because you better believe Richt is going to pull it all out now. He can't afford not to. He has to make a statement. Because here's the thing: if UGA falls to 0-2 in the SEC, basically eliminating themsevles from getting to Atlanta without yet having played Florida, Richt may be done. It would be one thing if he won more than 7 games last year, but in this conference, with the success UGA has had, with the talent UGA and the state of Georgia continually has, there is just no excuse for the mediocrity.

Me, I still have hope. Like I said, I thought they would lose last week. I also think that last weeks loss will help the team grow up real fast and find its identity. If UGA wins Saturday, they very well may start rolling. I am hoping it happens. UGA fans, its make or break Saturday for Mark Richt.