Hood vows a comeback

Did the cream start to rise? Or did Orley just have an off day. Cleveland went 8-1 last week, while Hood faltered at 6-3.

On the season, Cleveland leads at 13-5, compared to Hood's 11-7.  Says Orley, "The comeback begins this week." 

We shall see...

Orley's picks

Ole Miss at Tulane: Good for the Rebs to be back at sea level, competition-wise, after a hard day’s night against Texas. Question is, can they heal the bruises, physical and psychological, by Saturday? It’ll be a red and blue weekend in the home of the Green Wave. Ole Miss 38, Tulane 20.

South Alabama at Mississippi State: Reckon USA will double cover Chad Bumphis? Sure. Reckon State’s defense, awful at Troy, can recover from a near nightmare? Sure. State 45, USA 14.

USM at Western Kentucky: The Golden Eagles have been golden duds so far, while Western’s coming off an exhilarating overtime victory against Kentucky. The road may not be the place to get well. WKU 24, USM 20.

LSU at Auburn: LSU rang up 63 points last Saturday while Auburn had a near death experience with Louisiana-Monroe. There won’t anything “near” about the carnage this week. LSU 52, Auburn 17.

Rutgers at Arkansas: A no-brainer a few weeks ago, before Tyler Wilson got hurt, before ULM stunned the Hogs, before Alabama roasted them. Everything depends on whether Wilson’s back under center Saturday. If he is, the curing of the Hogs can begin. Arkansas 31, Rutgers 21.

Kentucky at Florida: UK stinks. The Gators proved in Knoxville that they don’t. The sweet smell of success for Florida, 52-10.

Vanderbilt at Georgia: Vandy came up peaches against Presbyterian. Expect Georgia not to turn the other cheek. Bulldogs 31, Commodores 17.

Missouri at South Carolina: A first SEC road trip for Mizzou. A very big game for the 7th-ranked Gamecocks. Chickens win by a feather. SC 28, Missouri 20.

Florida Atlantic at Alabama: Save time, call the EMTs now. I hope Florida Atlantic gets out alive. Literally. Top-ranked Tide, 45-6.

East Carolina at North Carolina: Big game for ECU in Hattiesburg last Saturday. Big heartbreak for Carolina after a comeback fell just short against Louisville. North beats East, 21-17.

Texas at Oklahoma State: Huge for the ‘Horns. In the battle of the Orange, Burnt gets it done. Texas 35, OSU 24.

Chiefs at Saints: Are the Chiefs just the ticket to heal the 0-2 Saints? Oh, yeah, babe. Saints, 42-20.

Rick's picks

 
Ole Miss at Tulane: Tulane is coming off an off week; Ole Miss is coming off the wrong end of a shellacking. But — and this is a big but — Texas, Tulane is not. Ole Miss 30, Tulane 21.

South Alabama at Mississippi State: Last week got scary for State. This week is rated G. State 38, USA 6.

USM at Western Kentucky: This is a "must" win for USM. To have any chance at an 18th consecutive winning season, USM must beat a good Western Kentucky team on the road. The Golden Eagles will get the job done. USM 24, WKU 17.

LSU at Auburn: Alabama and LSU are in the same division as Auburn, but Bama and LSU appear to be in a league by themselves. LSU 41, Auburn 13.

Rutgers at Arkansas: Sure wish if I knew Tyler Wilson was going to play. Assuming he is, Arkansas 30, Rutgers 24.

Kentucky at Florida: Florida is looking better and better; Kentucky? Not so much. Gators, 42-7.

Vanderbilt at Georgia: Vanderbilt got well on Presbyterian. Georgia won't be nearly so giving. Georgia 27, Vandy 17.

Missouri at South Carolina: Mizzou gets another welcome to the SEC, this time on the road from the ol' ball coach. SC, 31-17.

Florida Atlantic at Alabama: Florida Atlantic has as much chance as you and I would have in a footrace with Usain Bolt. Bama, Nick Saban decides by how much.

East Carolina at North Carolina: East Carolina acted like it had won the Super Bowl in Hattiesburg against Larry Fedora's old team last Saturday afternoon. No celebrating this time. Larry Fedora's new team wins, 34-21.

Texas at Oklahoma State: Oklahoma State is always tough at home but Texas looked like the Texas of old to me Saturday night. Horns, 34-30.

Chiefs at Saints: A shaky nod to a shaky team, Saints 31, Chiefs 27.