Pigskin Prophet: A rivalry weekend as boring as the Gamecock coaching search |
Welcome to what used to be rivalry weekend. We are used to seeing rivalry games the weekend after Thanksgiving, but the modified schedules and weirdness of 2020 means that we get to see the Iron Bowl, which will be about as competitive as South Carolina against The Citadel (haha).
Speaking of the Gamecocks, their coaching search continues. It occurred to athletic director Ray Tanner that guys like Knute Rockne and Woody Hayes were too old for the job, and so he’s looking at guys that nobody else really wants. There was some thought that Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze would be a leading candidate, but even Hugh didn’t want it. Louisville’s Scott Satterfield was rumored to have an interest, but he released a statement that said if he was going to get curbstomped by Dabo Swinney every year, he would just stay at Louisville. The Gamecocks are also looking at Jeff Monken, who runs the triple option at Army. Monken is a favorite of South Carolina President Jim Caslen, who worked with Monken at the US Military Academy. Can you imagine the triple option in the Southeastern Conference? Actually, I like that idea. That would be fun for at least a year or two. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks will continue to beg for someone to take the job, and more games will be played. And there are some interesting games this weekend. FRIDAY IOWA ST. AT TEXAS Speaking of coaches on the hot seat, Tom Herman hasn’t done much during his tenure in Austin, and according to actor and Longhorn fan Matthew McConaughey, things are not alright, alright, alright. Both of these teams are on three-game winning streaks and both need a statement win as we head into the month of December. I think Texas wins, but only because they are at home. And it will be close. TEXAS 34, IOWA ST 30 NOTRE DAME AT NORTH CAROLINA The Irish head to North Carolina for a matchup against Mack Brown’s Tar Heels. The Heels can score some points but they can also give up a lot of points. Against even the worst offenses. Notre Dame is not a bad offense, and quarterback Ian Book is playing the best ball of his career. That means this one could be a shootout. If the Heel defense can get a stop here or there, they might have a chance. But much like the Gamecock defense, the Heels aren’t stopping anybody. NOTRE DAME 44, UNC 37 SATURDAY OHIO ST. AT ILLINOIS Well, we found out a lot about the Buckeyes last week. They gave up 1,972 passing yards to Indiana and almost blew a 35-7 lead. However, they still think they should be ranked number one, if for no other reason than they are still bigly mad at Clemson and they think simply being Ohio St. means you get a pass in everything. Quarterback Justin Fields is good against the bad teams but throws a lot of interceptions against teams that know how to line up defensively. Illinois can’t even line up right for breakfast. OHIO ST 47, ILLINOIS 16 AUBURN AT ALABAMA The good old Iron Bowl is here to save us from a depressing weekend. Last year, the Tigers used a friendly clock and some late heroics to beat the Crimson Tide. That could happen again this year. It could. It won’t. Auburn is about as average as you can be and still be ranked, and the only reason they are ranked every year is because they are in the SEC. Alabama isn’t what they used to be defensively, but that Mac Jones kid is slinging it all over the yard at quarterback and Najee Harris is the real deal. This one could get uglier than the South Carolina coaching search. ALABAMA 44, AUBURN 20 PITT AT CLEMSON Remember back to 2016 when Pitt rolled in with a pretty good quarterback and some studs on defense and shocked the Tigers? Yeah, that was 2016. Current quarterback Kenny Pickett just celebrated his 35th birthday and he has been around a long time – he was nine recruiting classes ahead of Hunter Renfrow – and should be a steady hand against Brent Venables’ hungry group. But Clemson is still angry at FSU and angry at Notre Dame and angry at COVID and angry at the national media, and they will take it out on the Panthers. CLEMSON 41, PITT 17 GEORGIA AT SOUTH CAROLINA The Bulldogs finally moved to a normal-sized quarterback and are playing better offensively. The Gamecocks are the Gamecocks. If players aren’t injured, they are opting out and blasting their own fans on Twitter. We liked what we saw out of Luke Doty last week, but he’s still raw and has some problems throwing this thing called a forward pass. But let’s face it. This one will be ugly. GEORGIA 40, SOUTH CAROLINA 13 LSU AT TEXAS A&M The Aggies stumbled out of the gate, barely beating Vanderbilt and then losing to Alabama. Since then, they’ve played really well and are ranked in the College Football Playoff rankings. LSU? Yikes. Eeek. Oy vey. They have been playing better since freshman quarterback TJ Finley took over, but this has been a season to forget. This could be close for a half, but the Aggies will pull away while Jimbo Fisher counts his lucky stars he left FSU when he did. TEXAS A&M 42, LSU 20
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