One last week in the regular season and only the Atlantic (such creative division names the ACC has) title is still up for grabs. In both the ACC and SEC a lot of pride and a few bowl destinations will be on the line.
N. C. State’s task is simple. Win and they’re in, and even UNC-grad John Swofford will be pulling for them to help sell out the ACC Championship, for once. In their way are the Terrapins of Maryland. The Terps are a remarkable turnaround story this year, and they are not ready to roll over. The Raleigh Ravin’ Wolves will bring plenty of bark, but not enough bite to get through the Hard Shellers. Van’s Vanquished, N. C. State.
The marquis game in the SEC this week is of course the Iron Bowl (that name made sense when the game was played in Birmingham, home of a lot of iron works). Auburn ventures into Bryant-Denny Stadium hoping to complete yet another perfect regular season with yet another controversy. The Houndstooth Checkers will be looking to put a Crimson stain on unblemished (on the field) Tiger record. Unfortunately for Tuscaloosa faithful, Cam Newton so far has been like Superman, and even Nick Saban doesn’t have access to Kryptonite. Van’s Vanquished, Alabama.
Of course Auburn-Alabama is not the only rivalry game at the end of what has seemed like a long season. The SEC and ACC have several interconference games, most that are for bragging rights, some for bowl seeding (or even eligibility) and one just because.
In the Sunshine State, Florida State, hosts Urban Meyer and the Gators. The Seminoles have not been exactly dominating in Jimbo Fisher’s first year at the helm. And Florida has not exactly been Florida in Year 1 A. T. (After Teboe). If this game comes down to a field goal, it’ll be a happy ride back to Gainesville. But if the Tommyhawkers can hold on to the ball, they shouldn’t have to worry about Wide Anything. Van’s Vanquished, Florida.
In the Palmetto State, the Ol’ Ball Coach will try to keep his men from looking past Clemson before their first trip (and probably last) to Atlanta. The Karolina Kitties of Dabo Swinney have been a fickle bunch this year, alternating good and bad games. By the calendar this should be a bad week for them, and the normally feline-averse Black and Garnet Birds have their talons sharpened. Van’s Vanquished, Clemson.
In the Peach State the game is between Georgia Tech and Georgia in that city of learning, Athens. You could hear the exhaled sigh of relief leave Bobby Dodd Stadium last week as the Jackets became bowl eligible for the 14th straight year. The Dawgs need to beat the North Avenue Traders to keep their own bowl streak at the same number. Clean Old Fashioned Hate may be exchanged between the two schools, but over the years there hasn’t been a great exchange of victories on the playing field. Losing record or not, the Slobbering Red Clay Hounds beat the Buzzers, it’s what they do. Van’s Vanquished, Georgia Tech.
The last interconference game has those two powerhouses, Wake Forest and Vanderbilt, facing each other in Nashville. While their records may be abysmal, their IQs are not. Van’s Vanquished, Weak Forest.
In the SEC two games will determine the winner of Golden trophies. The far bigger game is in Little Rock as LSU and Arkansas vie for the Golden Boot. LSU has dreams of a BCS berth and Bobby Petrino would love to play spoiler. Ryan Mallette and his Razorback receiving corps will be licking their chops to get into the pretty porous secondary of the Bayou Bengals. The Louisianans and their coach Lucky Les will need to find a way to stop the Hogs, or else the War Memorial Stadium grass will have to be resodded. Van’s Vanquished, LSU.
The other Golden trophy quest has Ole Miss traveling to Nashvegas where they will battle Mississippi State for the Golden Egg. The Black Bear Rebels have made their share of contests interesting this year, but dramas don’t play will under the din of cowbells and barking Bulldogs. Van’s Vanquished, Ole Miss.
In Knoxville, Kentucky (bowl-eligible) and Tennessee (not) square off. Unfortunately for the Volunteers, there is no Beer Barrel trophy to play for any more in this series, and the UK Mildcats are rested, having not played a real game in the month of November. Van’s Vanquished, Tennessee.
In the other ACC games,
Another first year coach, Virginia’s Mike London, sees a season mercifully end in Blacksburg, as Virginia Tech vanquishes UVA.
A possibly final year coach, Miami’s Randy Shannon, leads the Canes against South Florida (which isn’t really in South Florida). Van’s Vanquished. USF.
And for two schools where basketball season can’t start soon enough, UNC and Duke finish their slates in Durham. Butch Davis survives to coach another year and David Cutcliffe also continues to draw a paycheck. To quote Bobby Cremins, Duke is Duke. Van’s Vanquished, Duke.
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