The Vanquished - Week 12

Two weeks left in the regular season and almost all the puzzle pieces are in place for both the SEC and ACC. Both halves of the Atlanta game are set, with one first time contestant, while the ACC Championship may soon be known as the Virginia Tech Invitational.

All Virginia Tech has to do to go to Charlotte is beat its old Big East rival Miami. That game this week is in South Florida, where the Canes are really drawin’ in the big crowds these days. The Coral Gables crew trotted out a new QB last week to great success, but that new gunslinger hasn’t seen the likes of Frank Beamer’s posse. The Hokies themselves have found their stride and it’ll take more than a gentle breeze to blow them off course. Van’s Vanquished, Miami.

The other division race in the ACC this week features 2 teams that control their own destinies. If Florida State wins at Maryland, they are bound for the Queen City. That’d be quite the feather in the war bonnet for Jimbo Fisher, first year out of the gate. Meanwhile, Ralph Friedgen has done the difficult and turned a set of usually slow Turtles around and made them contenders. Terrapin shells should be hard enough to deflect Seminole arrows. Van’s Vanquished, FSU.

North Carolina State puts its slim (and near none) chances of a division title on the line when the Howlers travel 15 miles down I-40 to Chapel Hill. The boys in baby blue have made the best of a bad situation and would love to spoil the ag schoolers title hopes. Wolves though do love the taste of mutton and will be licking their chops when they hit the field, sending Carolina to the Southern Part of Heaven a little before they’re ready. Van’s Vanquished, UNC.

Georgia Tech tries to make itself bowl-eligible by beating the Duke Blue Devils. First they have to actually beat the Durham denizens. The gridironers of the State University of New Jersey-South have had an up and mostly down season. The Empire State of the South’s finest meanwhile have been more Wrecked than Ramblin’. Week Two of a backup quarterback will hopefully be better then Week One, but the odds are not good for the Atlantans. Van’s Vanquished, Georgia Tech.

In the remaining ACC contests, Boston College will vanquish Virginia, and Clemson will vanquish Wake Forest.

The SEC schedule is pretty light (marshmallow light even) this week, with just 2 games of note.

LSU gets to host the CBS game of the week again this week as Ole Miss comes to town. With the division race settled, now the Bayou Bengals are just playing for the best bowl they can get. The Black Bear Rebels are just hoping for a bowl of any sort but to get there they’ll have to avoid getting bit by any Tigers. Unfortunately for the Oxfordians, Louisiana Cats are quick on a field kept short by a coach that grazes on grass. Van’s Vanquished, Mississippi.

Speaking of the post season, Arkansas and Mississippi State will be jockeying for the attention and affection of bowl reps this week in Starkvegas. The Petrino Pigskinners have the second longest win streak in the conference and will bring plenty of Sooie Pig shouters to the Magnolia State. The home crowd will do their best to drown out the Hog Callers with their cowbells. Unfortunately nothing will drown out the Cam Newton chatter. Van’s Vanquished, MSU.

In the only other conference “battle” of the week, Tennessee and Vanderbilt duke it out for “bragging rights” in the Volunteer State. This backyard brawl is more a race to the bottom, a race the Commodores will sail on to win, as the season will soon end mercifully for both teams. Van’s Vanquished, Vandy.

Elsewhere in the SEC, South Carolina will vanquish Troy, Florida will vanquish Appalachian, and Alabama vanquished Georgia State the day the contract for that game was signed.