Benster and D Pick Your Games -- Matt LaFleur Has No Good Argument To Be The Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers Edition

At 5:30 on Sunday, I was thinking that the Packers were looking good, and that any criticism I had was going to be nit picky. But then 4th quarter Matt LaFleur struck again, and this can't keep happening. 

And yet it does.

We will talk about that later. Also, some of my fellow Packers fans need to admit that those 3 calls that gave the Vikings first downs on that drive were not the reason that the Vikings won. That unfairly diminishes the Vikings coaching staff for making adjustments and the Vikings players for executing better. 

Surprisingly fair-minded of you!

I also have to give props to Ben Leber for going on KFAN and being willing to explain why Packers fans were upset about those 3 calls. Once again, Packers fans can't blame the officials for those 3 calls because the Packers have to stop putting themselves in a position where a judgement call can cost them the game. 

If the moment calls for a boot on the throat, LaFleur needs to stop wearing sensible shoes.

Old Dude is selling Florsheims again! Well, I don't have time for that, because I am feeling the HYYYYYPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

Akron Zips (-23.5) vs. Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat It was obvious that the Gophers didn't come out of the gates strong against the Mississippi State Bulldogs last week, and the Gopher fans quite rightly were upset at what they saw. Contrary to what you may think, I can and have given Fleck praise despite being a huge Badger fan. But it is obvious that once the Gophers had to hurry up and pass the ball more, Fleck's style isn't built for that. I still think the Gophers will win 8-9 games and likely win a bowl game, but they need to play better. The good news is that Akron isn't a good MAC team, and this should go as a classic MACrifice game that we all know and love. Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 41, Zips 17. 

Peej has his limitations as a coach. Kamario Taylor was very impressive, but he's not coming back to Minneapolis this weekend. Zip ties all around. Minnesota 34, Akron 10.

Eastern Michigan Eagles (+23.5) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers In the interest of full disclosure, I only saw part of the first quarter and the last two minutes of the Badger game because of a family engagement. That being said, the Badgers did look good but still have some things to work on. One thing that I do like is that the Badgers are starting to look better running the football, and the defense let the Leathernecks move the ball but did stiffen up in the red zone. Eastern Michigan is historically not a great school in the MAC, and this should be another game where the Badgers can build some confidence going into Big Ten play. Once again, Fickell is going to need to get to 8-9 wins and likely win at least one of the Hawkeyes and Gophers games to keep his job. Badgers 40, Eagles 10. 

The Badgers are still very much a work in progress. They should have destroyed Western Illinois but they didn't. I'm looking to see better execution overall this time. Wisconsin 38, EMU 17.

  LSU Bayou Bengals (-3.5) vs. Ole Miss Rebels So my initial plan for this week was to do A Very Special Comment dunking on Lane Kiffin for the slimy way he left Ole Miss and how LSU has assembled a really nice threesome of coaches that are easy to dislike between Lane, Kim Mulkey, and Wiretap Will Wade. 

Lotta slime in the ol' Bayou, that's for sure.

But now Kiffin has to go back and face the music and a fanbase who rightfully should be mad at how he nearly derailed the Ole Miss team he built, while napalming every bridge in Oxford. By the way, I am not a fan of Ole Miss and hate the SEC, and yet even I would have been okay with the Rebels winning the national title as a rebuke to Kiffin. LSU is going to be good, but something tells me that Kiffin will come up short this weekend and Ole Miss will get the vengeance they want. I just hope that the Ole Miss fans don't do something stupid or hurt anyone. Rebels 62, Bayou Bengals 41. 

Ole Miss fans are actually somewhat genteel, but if they add a little extra hooch to their elegant tailgate highballs, it could get interesting. LSU has better talent and on a neutral field they'd win, but this won't be neutral. Ole Miss 34, LSU 31.

Minnesota Vikings (+4.5) vs. Bear Down Chicago Da Bearz Still Suck Well, the Vikings are feeling a lot better. Thanks to a great fourth quarter, they are in a good spot. As Mrs. D aka Mom points out, being 1-1 at worst for the Vikings is still a pretty solid place to be given that the Lions looked really bad on Thursday.  The interesting question for me that the Vikings are going to face is what happens if Carson Wentz goes into Chicago and outplays Caleb Williams. Do you think that some Vikings fans would argue that Wentz should get the nod over Kyler Murray, assuming that Murray is healthy enough for next week? As for the Bears, they lit up the scoreboard like a pinball machine, though my fantasy team would like Colston Loveland to get the ball some. Obviously this will be a tight one, but I like the Vikings to keep up the momentum. Vikings 27, Bears 24. 

The Vikings defense is built on speed. Soldier Field is the worst grass field in the league. The weather forecast is calling for rain and I expect it to be a slow track. If ol' Caleb has more than a half-second to throw, he'll beat the all-out blitzes. This could be a shootout, but on a slow track I think da Bearz wear the Vikings down. Bears 28, Vikings 23.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (-3.5) vs. New York J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS The bottom line is that the Packers need to figure out how to close games, and it is obvious that they need to protect Jordan Love better. The fact that Love was able to play as well as he did given that he had Vikings in his face every time he dropped back was impressive. The Jets are still an NFL team.

Are you sure about that?

Yes, I am sure of it. Don't you have some pills to take? Ahem. This game isn't going to be as easy as people think, especially because the Packers have struggled going out to the Meadowlands and seem to play tough games there. What would really help is that if the Packers get a double digit lead in the 4th quarter that they close it out and I don't have to come back here and question if this team can close out games. Also, I hope that that horrible turf at MetLife doesn't cause a major injury. Packers 24, Jets 10.

That turf is a concern. So are the Jets. They do have talent and the Packers have to be seeing ghosts after what happened last week. That mean old Flores will not be in the building on Sunday, but the Packers had better be ready. I do think they bounce back. Packers 28, Jets 20.

And now, it is time for A Very Special Comment. That title certainly is very strong, but by this point Matt LaFleur has demonstrated that he is in a space where he isn't measuring up to the standards that the Packers have. He isn't the only one to blame, but at this point the case against him isn't criticism, it is just facts that everyone is seeing. The Packers since the 2021 season haven't hosted a playoff game, which is hard to believe, but they are certainly in danger of being the longest gap between home playoff games in my lifetime. 

You know what? You should really watch this:

You're spoiled, right?

I know, old dude. You remember lots of bad things in the past. The 70s Packers, Three Mile Island, Skylab falling from the sky, Brezhnev's monolithic eyebrows. I get it. But back to the matter at hand. The Packers haven't won a division title since 2021, and have seen their playoff seeding go from being the 1 and 2 seeds early in LaFleur's tenure to being 7 seeds. Going into that horrible playoff game against the 49ers, LaFleur was 2-2 in the playoffs. Since then has now gone 1-4, with late leads not being taken care of in 2021, 2023, and 2025. The Bears and Lions have started to win more consistently against the Packers in the past couple of years. The Packers are also on a 6 game losing streak, which is the longest losing streak since the Lindy Infante era. 

Oh, I remember Lindy Infante.

That's right, not even Ray Rhodes or Mike Sherman ever had that bad of a losing streak and those are the two weakest head coaches the Packers have had since Mike Holmgren was hired. LaFleur's losses have started to follow a trend, where there have been a rash of penalties, a team that is unable to close out leads, and seeing at least one unit be inconsistent and the team being unable to respond to adjustments that the opposition has made after halftime. And if you are mad at me, I am just stating facts. 

Yes. Yes you are.

And Sunday featured all of those things. The Packers struggled on offense, they committed a bunch of penalties, and failed to respond when Flores and KOC made adjustments, blew the lead, and then melted down when facing adversity. Once again, everything I said is factual. What makes it frustrating is that LaFleur once again made a coaching mistake with his decision in regards to the 4th and 1 call. I personally don't mind the idea of being aggressive in wanting to go pick up one yard, and don't even mind running a sneak. But what really frustrated me was that he and Stenavich weren't on the same page regarding the call. I would have either had someone to push Love across or have had Kraft take the snap given that he played quarterback in high school and was also a bigger body. As great an offensive line coach as Stenavich is, he isn't the right fit as an offensive coordinator, and I question that he would be able to call plays should LaFleur give that duty up. 

Which is why LaFleur hasn't delegated the duty.

What should have happened in the offseason would be for LaFleur to move on from Stenavich and get an offensive coordinator who was capable of calling plays and who would have been willing to challenge LeFleur to get better. I get you can't blame the coaches when players make mistakes, but at the end of the day LaFleur keeps putting the players in a position to fail, and he isn't a young head coach anymore. In fact, he is the most senior NFC North head coach. However, Gutey deserves some of the blame for Sunday. It has become obvious that his like for getting athletes with high RAS scores has made the offensive line worse. During the peak of the Aaron Rodgers era, a lot of people forgot the the Packers had an experienced and good offensive line that by and large protected Aaron and allowed him time and gave the running backs holes to run through. 

The Packers haven't been good at evaluating offensive linemen in the past couple of years, and Gutey should have invested more resources into the offensive line. Ed Policy has already made the first mistake of his tenure as president. January would have been the right time to let LaFleur go. After all, LaFleur was the right head coach when he was first hired, and did a great job in navigating the transition from Rodgers to Love. Most Packers fans would have understood that LaFleur had taken a few steps back, and a fresh voice would have been warranted. 

In fact, Policy could have tried to trade LaFleur for a draft pick or two or let him go to the TV studio or booth for a year. But instead he doubled down. That has been a trend for the last two head coaches. Mike Sherman didn't help himself as a coach with his work as a GM, but he stuck around a year too long after stalling out in the playoffs. Mike McCarthy also probably stuck around a year too long, but Ted Thompson didn't want to fire him after the Run the Table team covered up flaws and Aaron's collarbone injury derailed the 2017 season and McCarthy had a Super Bowl title that earned him some grace even if it might have been misplaced. LaFleur doesn't have a Super Bowl title or have coached the Packers in a Super Bowl. 

The biggest problem I have with the Packers leadership is that they tend to hold the standard of rather let someone go a year early than a year late to the players and players alone. It is the same problem that the Steelers had where they let Mike Tomlin stay around too long despite a downturn in his playoff record. The difference is that Tomlin had earned that grace with a Super Bowl and his streak of winning seasons. The point is that the Packers are in a win now window because they traded for Micah Parsons. Matt LaFleur is in danger of wasting that window, but Policy ultimately made it clear that he thinks the downturn LaFleur has had is okay. It isn't okay, and Sunday proved that the same things happen over and over again. 

 Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out.

Benster and D Pick Your Games----LOL SEC Edition

After ESPN and the CFP hyped up Alabama for a month like nobody's business, the SEC won't have a team in the title game? You know I am going to enjoy dropping some truths that the SEC won't want you to hear.

You better watch out, you'd better not cry. Bensterman is coming to town!.

Meanwhile, the Packers have a chance to get into the playoffs by beating the Bears.

Always a pleasure when accomplished.

I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYPPPEEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

Washington Huskies (+4.5) vs. Michigan Sign Stealers, in Houston Ah yes, no SEC in sight for once. The real winner of this game no matter what is going to be the Big Ten, who will get a rematch next season and the ability to claim that the national champion is in their conference next year. Michigan didn't look great, but were able to get past Alabama. Washington is a team that I love. They are well-coached, play very well, and are untainted by scandal. Regardless of what happens, this game is going to be a lot of fun and should be at the level of the 2006 Rose Bowl. Huskies 38, Jim Harbaugh Can't Win On A Level Playing Field 33.

Do we need to hear it again?

Few things are more majestic and yet more annoying. And the off-color version they sing in Madison is pretty amusing, too. As for the game, I think it will be a classic. Michigan is not a big muscle-bound group; they have superior athletes all over the field. But I have to say that Michael Penix is something else. He's going to play on Sundays and play very well. Washington 28, Michigan 27.

Minnesota Vikings (+3.5) vs. Detroit LOLions Oh my, the locals are not happy about what happened to the Vikings. When JJ got shut down by Joe Barry of all defensive coordinators, you know that you have issues. Now the Vikings are going to need an absolute miracle to make the playoffs, and could see the Packers make the playoffs in a rebuilding year. The LOLions need to get over what happened last week. Regardless of what you think about the refs, the Lions made a number of bad coaching decisions and let the Cowboys stick around to win it late. Dan Campbell may have done a great job getting the Lions their division title, but he still makes questionable decisions in games and is using the refs as a scapegoat to cover for his own flaws. He's not a first year coach, and those types of decisions could haunt them down the line. How a tough minded city like Detroit gives him a pass for his excuses is beyond me, but it's not my problem. Even if the Lions rest some starters, the Vikings are going to have a tough time winning in Detroit. Lions 24, Vikings 14.

The Lions won't rest their starters. I don't think the Vikings will phone it in, either, but the team I saw on Sunday was not impressive. Vikings fans can't have nice things after all. Lions 31, Vikings 20.

Bear Down Chicago Da Bearz Still Suck (+3) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers Last week was a great performance by the Packers. They did a lot of things right, and just need to win one more game against the Bears to win, and are getting healthier for once. But this won't be easy. The Bears have been playing better, are playing for jobs, and they remember getting blown out all the way back in Week 1. Also, the Bears always play the Packers tough given the nature of the rivalry. If the Packers can keep doing what they have been doing, then I like their chances. Even if disaster strikes, the future looks a lot brighter. Packers 28, Bears Still Suck 17.

Jordan Love looks like the real deal. He's played very well down the stretch and the young receivers and tight ends wearing green and gold are varied and impressive. The Bears are getting a lot of, well, hype this week. I think they are improving and with the fortification of a million high draft picks in the spring, I think they'll be a problem. But in the end, rivalry ownership remains closer to the 45th parallel. Packers 27, Bears 20.

And now, it's time to laugh at the SEC. 

Here's a bitter face to begin the festivities:

I'm a very unhappy man with an enormous forehead

Don't post pictures like that, old dude - you're going to scare away the paying audience.

Wait - you're getting paid?

If you keep interrupting, you're gonna pay, all right. Ahem. After all of the hyping up ESPN did about how the SEC is a beast, how they are the greatest conference, and how Oklahoma and Texas are going to be such a great fit, it turns out that you won't have any schools in your 2024 lineup in the national title game being held in SEC country. You really hate to see it. The Big Ten is laughing in their offices in suburban Chicago. It turns out that Alabama didn't deserve to be there, and don't forget that the Big Ten makes more money than you do, even with you adding Texas and Oklahoma. The Big Ten is adding cable subscribers at the in-market rate in California, Washington, and Oregon. You are only adding in market rate subscribers in Oklahoma. The Big Ten makes 9 million dollars more than you do per school, and will get to go to the media rights well before you do thanks to you waiting until 2034 to redo your big shiny ESPN deal. The Big Ten has a minimum of 3 games on network television every single Saturday, and the top 3 games that the conference offers have a defined timeslot. You threw away the SEC on CBS 2:30 timeslot. When is your best game going to air? The Big Ten is a national conference. You are a regional conference in the Southeast. When the Big Ten increases their lead on you in the financial arms race, I'd worry about losing your top brands. The alarm clock is ticking, Greg Sankey. I suggest you answer it. But you won't do that. Instead, you will have ESPN and the SEC fanboys continue to be yes men while you ignore that college sports is changing and your cycle of dominance may be coming to an end. 

Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games-------So I Was Wrong About the Packers Edition

 Well despite a pretty good second half, it turns out that the spirits who told me that the Packers won were from a different dimension all right. It's onto Detroit for the Packers.

A reminder about the nature of spirits appears to be in order. Take it away, Orson Welles!

I'm not saying you were channeling your inner Welles, young fella, but ya know...

Fortunately, I wasn't around for that. Ahhh, the French! What the heck is that, anyway?

I'd like to see an updated version with Paul Finebaum, actually.

Funny you should mention that. Finebaum and the rest of the SEC shills are already in overdrive hyping up Georgia and Tennessee this weekend. Just wait until The Game on Thanksgiving weekend for a Game of the Century.

How can we have a Game of the Century every year?

You're thinking too much, Geritol Fan! Have some Paul Masson, maybe? Otherwise, get with the program, because I am feeling the HYYYYPPPEEEEEE, and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat (-14.5) vs. Nebraska Remember The 1990s Huskers Remember when Scott Frost was going to return the glory days to Nebraska? It turns out that the delusional Huskers fans forgot that the only way the glory days were coming back to Lincoln was on VHS tapes. The Gophers were able to easily rout Rutgers last weekend, but are going to need a miracle to win the West. They should win in a hostile environment at Memorial Stadium, but this is the type of game that PJ has stumbled in before. Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 17, Tom Osborne Aint Coming Through That Door 10.

I don't know what to make of Nebraska, but they aren't that good. The Gophers aren't as good as they were advertised to be, but they should be good enough this week. Gophers 31, Nebraska 16.

Maryland Terps (+5) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers Well, the Badgers have gotten through their bye week and look like they could be going bowling. The win against Purdue was mighty impressive, and getting Allen back healthy after the bye will be a big boost. Maryland is a team that has talent, but they are the team in the conference that is most often called enigmatic, because you never know who is going to show up. Tua's brother is a good quarterback, but I think the Badgers should win comfortably before getting in some rivalry games down the stretch. Badgers 42, Terps 0.

Terps will score. Can they defend? Not sure. The interesting thing about tomorrow is the weather forecast for Madison: 

Batten down those hatches, kids

I don't think an aerial circus is gonna work so well. Ground and pound, y'all. Wisconsin 31, Maryland 20.

Tennessee Volunteers (+8) vs. Georgia Bulldogs So obviously this game is going to be a huge one on a number of fronts. I believe that the winner of the SEC East will come out of this game, the SEC winner will come out of this game, the national championship picture will become clearer, and Hendon Hooker could take a big step to cementing his candidacy as the Heisman trophy favorite. Most people didn't think that the Vols were going to be this good, but they've answered every question and looked very impressive offensively against Alabama and Kentucky in particular. But the worry is that Tennessee has played all of their important games in Knoxville. This game is in Athens, and Georgia has plenty of big game experience befitting their title as defending national champions and a very decorated senior class. I think that the Georgia defense will assert themselves early and often, and the Vols will drop out of national title contention. Bulldogs 31, Vols 3.

The world has been waiting for someone named Hendon Hooker. Reminds me of one of my all-time favorite old NFL players:

Keep it Fair

I do agree -- Georgia has to be the favorite in Athens. Georgia 34, Tennessee 26.

Minnesota Vikings (-3) vs. Washington Gridlocks So the Vikings were able to win against the Cardinals as I predicted, even though Arizona was able to hang in there a lot longer than most Vikings fans would have wanted to. I don't know how much the Vikings will use their new toy TJ Hockensen, but they should be fine regardless. The Gridlocks are better than you think, and could hang in there a lot longer than Vikings fans will be admitting. I don't think they will lose, especially considering Chase Young is in street clothes. It's time to admit that the Vikings are certainly capable of a deep playoff run, which might scare some of the locals who know how that statement ends. But this team might be different. Vikings 27, Gridlocks 20.

I am not convinced -- yet. But maybe. The opportunity is there for the locals, because I don't see a dominant team in the NFC. The Eagles? Maybe. The Vikings are playing free and easy right now. That might be enough during the regular season. And it should be enough this weekend. Vikings 28, Washington 17.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (-3.5) vs. Detroit LOLions The Packers dug themselves too big a hole in the first half in Buffalo, but there were some encouraging signs. But the problem is that the front office seemingly sat on their hands at the deadline. Look, I know that it takes two teams to make a deal, and I'm not mad at the Steelers for taking what they thought was the better deal for Chase Claypool. But Gute, you have to at least get somebody. Gute needs to be fired, and honestly we need to get away from the Ted Thompson tree to bring a fresh outlook. The Packers are looking to be a bit healthier for once on the offensive line, and it looks like the running game was able to be effective. My message to the coaching staff and Aaron is to come out and run the ball a bunch early to allow Aaron to get some deep shots later on. I was also encouraged by some of the young receivers at least making some plays in the second half last week. This game could go either way, but I am more confident in the Packers this week. Packers 35, LOLions Gonna LOLion 24.

If the Packers can't win this week, it's over. They can win this week. But this is still not a good football team. Green Bay 21, Detroit 19.

Enjoy your football this week. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games -- Playoff Time Edition

Old dude, it is playoff time. We shall see if this is finally going to be the year that the Vikings turn the page on their emotional history and make NFL history.

Hope is alive here in the Twin Cities. How will it be dashed? But that's not all, right?

And we get to bash the SEC and I can continue to drop takes that other pundits refuse to tell you because those pundits are scared and beholden to corporate narratives.

Oh, you mean the Alabama Invitational? Yeah, I figured you would have opinions about that.

I feel the HYYYYYYYYYPPPEE and it is time to watch me work!


Tennessee Titans (+8.5) vs. Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are probably the most confusing team left as we begin the playoff journey. They looked so great on opening night in Foxboro, but have looked very ordinary at times. The Titans have quietly built a contender, but going into Arrowhead in the cold is going to be a huge ask. I think the Chiefs win, and are a serious threat to beat New England and Pittsburgh on the road. Chiefs 39, Titans 8.

Someone has to be in the playoffs, I suppose, but the Titans are weak sauce. Chiefs roll. Kansas City 31, Tennessee 10.

Hotlanta Dirty Birds (+5.5) vs. Los Angeles Rams. This is the first playoff game in Los Angeles in my lifetime, and it is good to see that the Rams finally improve. I personally enjoyed watching them during The Greatest Show on Turf era, and those Rams teams were one of my first football memories outside of the Packers. This game should be a classic shootout. I always harp on the Falcons having a great running game, and the key for the Rams is can they stop that running game? I am assuming that Goff and Ryan are going to probably cancel each other out, but Todd Gurley can be the difference maker, since he takes pressure off young Goff. The winner of this game is a potential opponent that the Vikings and their fans should really fear, as they are playing good football when it matters most, and both have enough balance and talent in the coaching department to make some noise. Rams 35, Falcons 31.

I agree with everything you've said, Grasshopper. The Falcons are a flawed team but they have a lot of talent. I'm not sure Jared Goff is ready for the bright lights, either. Still, Gurley is something else.  He's the difference in maybe the best game of the weekend. Rams 33, Falcons 27.

Buffalo Bills (+8.5) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars. I have to be honest with you guys, if you had told me that these teams would playing each other in the playoffs, I would have called you crazy and laughed in your face. Both these teams are great stories for the league, but stories that the league missed out on in order to continually openly root for another team in the league, which plays next Sunday. I feel the Bills should win, because their loyal fans deserve it and it would be fun to see how far they could go. Bills 21. Jaguars 10.

Can Shady McCoy play? That's the only thing that matters. Without him, the Bills are dead. With him, they will have a chance. I think you go with the home team here, though. Jags 24, Bills 13.

Scam Newton and His Carolina Panthers (+6.5) vs. New Orleans Who Dat Nation. I have to continue to praise these playoff games, as the NFC South has been a very fun division to watch all year. Both these teams have strong offenses, and are both strong contenders in a very wide open NFC. The Saints are a lot better than they were in the early part of the season, while the Panthers have seemed to rediscover their form from a couple of years ago. I think the balance and home field advantage of the Saints gives them the edge, and could set them up for a run similar to 2009. Saints 56, Panthers 31.

If these teams played 10 times, they'd split. Very close. I like the Saints because the game is in New Orleans, but that's the only reason. Drew Brees is the best quarterback in the tournament on the NFC side. That's worth remembering, both this weekend and down the line. Saints 33, Panthers 24.

"National Championship Game/SEC Championship Part 2": Alabama Crimson Tide (-4) vs. Georgia Bulldogs, in Atlanta. Time for a Very Special Comment. Georgia won the SEC, and I have no problem with them being in the playoff this year. The Bulldogs did lose to Auburn, but avenged that loss in the conference championship game and earned a return trip to a very partisan stage in Atlanta. Alabama on the other hand lost to Auburn, and did not play for the conference title. They also played Mercer before the Iron Bowl, which is a baffling decision that defies belief. Look, I understand that Ohio State got ambushed in Iowa City, but the Buckeyes won the Big Ten title game fair and square over my beloved Badgers. My Badgers got questioned all year for playing a weak schedule, but at least we did not schedule Mercer. Alabama annoys me because they get benefits that this team did not earn. The SEC plays 8 league games, whereas the Big Ten plays 9. Alabama has not played a true road out of conference game in years, which begs the question what Nick Saban is afraid of. If I were an Alabama season ticket holder, I would wonder why I have to pay extra to go to NFL stadiums all the time instead of getting a good true home and home scheduled. I publicly challenge the Alabama fan base, the Alabama athletic department, and Nick Saban himself to explain to me why a team of Alabama's stature refuses to play a true road game out of conference that would be fun to watch and prove that they can win outside of the South. I also want to call out the media for not asking more questions about this issue, because it seems unfair that other schools play tough true road games, while Alabama never gets on the phone and schedules true road games outside the South.

I had to get that out there. I like Georgia, since the Bulldogs challenged themselves by going to South Bend and playing a team that could have beaten them. That experience is the difference, especially combined with the fact that the Bulldogs have a great running game and defense should pull it out in a partisan Georgia Crowd. Bulldogs 17, Tide Rolled 0.

Dang. I agree with you again. I may need to check my meds. I agree with you about Alabama -- they did play a home and home against Penn State, but that was while the Nittany Lions were in Sandusky hell. Other than that, the last time they played outside of their region against a good opponent was UCLA, back around 2000. But remember, Mercer means business:

Mercer always a Janitor in a Drum full of ass whoopin, so maybe Alabama had more trouble than we knew. Anyway, back to the game. Georgia is about as explosive as the septic system our guy Mercer describes, so if they get rolling in front of a home crowd, this could be the year the Bulldogs finally break through. Georgia 24, Alabama 21.

Again, if you support Alabama and want to explain why the last time you left the South to play a football game was 2011, feel free to comment and tell me why I am a hack. Enjoy your football this weekend, and Ben out!