Best Weekend of SEC Football EVER? Kentucky & Tennessee Join 6-1 Club

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If you're interested in stepping up your training game, head on over to 10,000.cc, that's 10,000.cc and use code podcast15 for 15% off your first order. You're trying to get back into shape this football season. If you are, 10,000 may be for you. Go check them out, 10,000.cc. They got all the gear over there for high performers, training not simply as a path of wellness, but a catalyst for growth and fulfillment. That's 10,000.cc, promo code podcast15 for 15% off your first order over at 10,000.cc. 10,000 built for however you train. Hey, welcome to the latest episode of That SEC Podcast. I'm your host, Mike Bratton, go by SEC Mike, and we are back with our buddy, Nick Roush, Kentucky Sports Radio, and currently the president of the 6-in-1 club. What's up, buddy? Man, this is a fun club. Usually, I'm waiting in the line outside, but it's like I'm hanging out with Billy Lucci. I just get to cut right to the front. I think you do, and I don't know if you saw the thumbnail that I made, but I mean, what are the odds, Nick, that we've got Tennessee, Kentucky, November 7th, SEC Championship Game Preview. How about that? Our uno. I'm just... Oh man. I'm uncomfortable thinking about what. What that game could be. Now, one game at a time. If you look over Will Norris Sellers, he'll chew you up and spit you out. So you better watch yourself, Valls. But yeah. but if we have a game at Neon Stadium between seven and one, Tennessee, seven and one, Kentucky, a top 10 matchup, it will either be the greatest day of my life or it will be the worst. There's no in between. I'm pre-dreading it. It's still two, three weeks away, basically, because each team does have a bi-week before that. But, oh my God, I mean, my insides are just turning over, just thinking about what that could be, because I didn't expect Kentucky to be here. And then I don't think you expected the Vols to be here. I know you brought your cigar to Knoxville, but come on, don't lie to me, Mike, don't lie. You didn't think they were going to beat Alabama. Well, one of us, well, we both were on fine bomb at SEC media days. One of us promised Kentucky would beat Alabama. The other promised Tennessee was making the college football playoff. So one of us knows what the hell we're talking about. Just like our friends over at Omaha Steaks. Don't forget presenting sponsor of the show, omahastakes.com, promo code SEC to get your 50% off. So we'll talk about Kentucky, Oklahoma in just a sec, Nick, but Oklahoma, they're like 50% a team because they're awful on offense or great on defense. The Oklahoma of deals over at Omaha Steaks, 50% off select items, Omaha Steaks presenting sponsor, promo code SEC, it can't be beat. So let's talk about also who can't be beat. Nick, apparently, it's the damn hottest team in the country. Will Stein and his giant balls down there in Lexington, going on the road, beaten Oklahoma, 21-13, stats are for losers, it's not pretty, but it's effective. And how the hell are they doing this? They're doing it in different ways. That's what's really, I think, the most impressive part about Kentucky, because if you look at them in all the power ratings, they're not ranked really high. They're one of the worst third down teams on offense and defense in the country, but it doesn't matter because they are generating turnovers. They're taking care of the football plus 11 in turnover margin. The next closest SEC team is at plus five. I mean, they are taking the ball away. And what was most impressive with this win, Mike? A, they're the first team that's played at Oklahoma all year that didn't end their first drive in a punt. They methodically marched down the field. They converted on a fourth and one. They lined up in the tush push instead, did a little sweep out of it that got them down inside the 10. They scored a touchdown early. And you know what? They didn't play great for the whole 60 minutes. I mean, you got to credit John Metteer. He actually kind of gotten a nice little rhythm there for a little while. They had a nice touchdown to take the lead right before half. But Kentucky just remained patient. You know, they remain confident no matter what Oklahoma did. They stuck to their game plan. They went to Norman, Oklahoma and said, Hey, we're going to play you straight up. You're going to get us some, but we're going to wait until you make a mistake and we're going to take advantage of it. And guess what? This is what happened, Mike. He made that mistake. Now, some of it was because Kentucky knew that that defensive line was going to lean on that Oklahoma offensive line and it was eventually going to break. And man, it broke into a thousand pieces. I think there's just pieces of Oklahoma players that were participating on that offensive line. Kentucky made him pay. Mike Weiss Humphrey-Grace had an awesome game. Getting his hand on Mettear's arm, forcing that first turnover. And then as soon as that happened, you could feel the whole stadium just kind of tense up, right? They knew what was coming. And then here's the other crazy part, Mike, is going into this game, Oklahoma, they had a clear advantage on special teams. Well, what does Kentucky do? They win the special teams battle. They have a 58-yard punt that Isaiah Cetanea, it's right there in front of him. Instead of trying to fall on it, it rolls down inside the five. You make John Matier have to go 95 yards. Yeah, good luck with that. And then the play that just, I mean, it just, just about every three or four hours, the last few days, I just start giggling, thinking about that jump pass. What are you doing, right? What are you doing? Like, it's one thing to decide, okay, we're gonna go for it here. It's another thing to decide, actually, let's not do our offense, let's do a fake. Okay, so you're gonna run a fake. All right, I get it. They try to get the safeties to, they run a decoy. The kicker's gonna roll out, they think you're gonna throw it to Tate Sandell. Okay, there's one decoy, that makes sense. They said, no, no, no, we need two weird things in this play. Not just one that awards you it's a fake before the ball is snapped. We need a second one. We want our punter to throw a jump pass. Not just a regular pass, regular pass might have worked. They had him kicking his legs out like he's doing a heel click. Oh my, thanks Oklahoma, thanks. That was a lot of fun. We may never know the answer Nick, but it was there, it was wide open. But there were refs. I wonder if that freaked him out. Because if not for the referee, it's like the whole end zone's wide open for that. I think that freaked him out a little bit. Okay, I heard Venables excusing that. One, you have refs at practice. That's where they line up. That is a bull crap excuse. Two, the guy was behind the refs. You throw it over the air. He didn't throw it over there. He threw it right to Jordan Castell. Well, maybe that's why you don't trust a holder to throw it, but I don't know. I think he was just freaked out or something because it was there or just, you know, he was like, oh, it's there, you know. He's a punter throwing a jump pass. Like that, what do you expect? You have a punter throwing a jump pass. It's like, what do you expect when you need John Mateer to go down in the field to just throw a big fat pick right to Jordan Castell? I mean, he just sat there in cover three and just waited for Mateer to give him the ball and then ran it into the end zone. Like, I just, it was, I know there was some nerves for Kentucky fans. A lot of them made the trip down to Norman, Oklahoma. And boy, I was nervous. I was just waiting. When's it going to happen? When's it going to happen? I know Oklahoma fans, they were just waiting and it happened. And that's, I mean, the John Mateer experience, because he actually played pretty well for most of the game. It's just when he makes mistakes, they're the big ones and Kentucky made the most of it. And now we're dancing in the six and one club, man. We're just... Well, speaking of that, I don't think this guy's biased at all. His name's Alvall. Kentucky is the most overrated team in the country. They lose four of the last five according to Alvall. What are the chances, Nick? And again, for those that don't know, maybe you just realized Kentucky had a football team. Vanderbilt, then they get the bye at Tennessee, Florida at home, at Mizzou, Louisville at home. What are the odds, they lose four of these games? Minus, what? It's not happening. I'm bad with the math in my head. Zero out of a hundred. What are the odds they lose? Yeah, zero because Vandy stinks worse than a diaper pail. And if you got one of those at your house, you know, it's bad. I mean, it's rough. I mean, Jared Curtis is good, but he has no help. So he's a turnover machine. He's about to go up against Kentucky. And the other part, this is classic trap game. They just watched, like there are a lot of guys on this team that watched Diego Pavia had a party against them last year. His mom was dancing on the rail. I remember you guys came up, you were confident. Hey, they can get it. And God, they didn't. No, so like that, if that doesn't take you off and make you want to beat the crap out of them on Saturday, then nothing will. So, and then even looking past that to their final four. So let's say you go into the bye week seven and one, which is just crazy to say, you've got four games, which are toss ups, when it comes to the odds. Even if you're dogs, Kentucky's won four straight games as a dog against SEC opponents. They were as many as a touchdown dog. You call six and a half a touchdown in three of those games. South Carolina got down to like two and a half. But still, you were a dog in all those games. You'll be a dog at Tennessee. I already said that game scares the crap out of me. But Tennessee is very similar to Oklahoma. The one difference is their quarterback doesn't just give the other team the ball. So give George McIntyre credit there. He takes care of the ball. They can actually run the football. They have a run game, but they are very similar stylistically. They have an awesome defense. You have faced that defense before. You know what you are up against. Florida is really hard to figure out. That Florida team is really hard to figure out. That Missouri team, you get one of those two. I think they can. And in that Louisville game, they are allergic to playing defense. So I think Kentucky is going to score some points in that game. So really, you are almost at... It feels like your worst-case scenario, 9-3. Yeah. No, I think that's fair. One of the cousins asked, is this the biggest Tennessee, Kentucky game ever? They played 120 times. Yeah. No, this, no doubt about it. Now, there's been games with high stakes. Don't get me wrong. In 2007, Kentucky had a really good season. The Vols needed to win that game to go to the SEC Championship game. Kentucky had a long losing streak against them. They were going to go to the Outback Bowl if they win that game. And then, I mean, Mona Sieber hits a line drive that's blocked in overtime. That was the game. I was sitting next to the band, the Tennessee band. That was the game I learned to hate Tennessee. I just, oh my God, that scarred for life because of that game. But even, I mean, the Will Leavis game where Alante Taylor talks smack before the game. And dancing. And then what does he do? He has to pick six. That's all the difference in the shootout. So, there's been some big games. You can go back to the 80s too. Where both teams were pretty good. But never, I mean, we have the chance for this to be a top 10 matchup, which is just insane. But hey, I would... If you hate the balls. Yeah. Saturday must have been hell for you, Nick, because they whooped Bama's, not only beat Bama. I picked them to beat Bama, but never in a million years did I think they were going to whoop that ass. But they did, man. Absolutely dominated Alabama. Alabama didn't even score in the second half. Their only touchdown came after a McIntyre interception that set them up with a very short goal-to-go situation, I believe it was. It may have been... It was inside the 20, I believe, but yeah, 14-yard line. So that was all Alabama had. Shout out Jim Knowles. I was told it's going to take two to three years. It's taken about two to three weeks for him to have a good defense. Tennessee, again, I'm not crowning their ass. I don't think they're cruising to the playoff, but it looks like they could. No, you gave yourself a chance with this game. You got to win some big ones. You had all these opportunities at home with Texas, LSU and Bama coming to your stadium. And you got... You didn't get the first one, but you got the second one, right? And I'm just glad that the state of Oklahoma does not have the apps available because the way that game started, where you had the craziness at the beginning with all the turnovers and stuff, I would have bet Bama alive. But my God, credit to that defense, man. Keywin Russell, he had been chewing up anybody and everybody. But Tennessee, man, they put him in an absolute pretzel. He couldn't do anything. I mean, to your point, you could see I was Jeff Drummond. He traveled to his Oklahoma works for the KSR. He lived in Eastern Kentucky for a while, long, long time, Kentucky fan who he knows. You give Tennessee points at home, you take those points, you feel like they're going to play that close. Okay, I'm with you. Third Saturday in October, this one could go down to the wire. They just whooped their ass. So hats off to the Tennessee, hats off to the Vols. I really thought they were going to need more to ask more from their quarterback, but they didn't have to. They really didn't have to because they just had Alabama's number. And what's crazy is just that this weekend, that I was stunned by how they dominated the game, but it still wasn't the most stunning game of the weekend. So well done. That had to have been Auburn, right? Going in to Georgia. I did think this was going to be a competitive game. The point spread was 20 something points. That was a crazy spread. I thought it was going to be competitive, but never in a million years, I would have bet my life Georgia was going to win outright. I'd be a dead man today because old Alex Golish got his signature win. Georgia turned it over three times, I think it was maybe four. I mean, they were just- Stockton did by himself. Yeah, three turnovers for Stockton. Georgia led 14-0, Auburn scored 24 in a row, and then Georgia tied it up late in the fourth. You think, okay, well, they got all the momentum. But it didn't matter because that last turnover happened, and then Auburn found some plays to get down the field, kick the field goal to win it. And I mean, this is like the perfect case for who the hell knows this season. And again, I still think Georgia is good. I've discredited Auburn to no end. So I'm kind of curious your thoughts on this one. I, my question for you, Mike, what's more shocking that Auburn found a way to play offense or that Gunnar Stockton turned it over three times? Honestly, I, probably more shocking is Auburn finding a way to play offense because I mean, they're both quite shocking because Gunnar has been the most efficient quarterback in the SEC, but I still, I have confidence in DJ Durkin. I have confidence in some of those defensive players we have seen next to nothing from Auburn on offense this season. Well, they had the bye week and that certainly helped. And it also helps when Nimrod is making just in, I still don't know how he caught that touchdown pass. That was unreal. The crazier part is just that like Gunnar Stockton is one of the best high floor quarterbacks in the country. You know, when you would talk about all of these elite level players, he never has the sort of Heisman juice, but he just plays mistake-free winning football. And to not have that, that was the part where I was flabbergasted, because you got one drive to go down there, go kick a field goal, ban plays, you escape with a win where you don't play perfect. That was going to be the ultimate Kirby smart football game where, you know, they win ugly, and then he kind of has a whole week, a bye week to kind of make sure that they don't let their guard down before playing in the world's largest cocktail party. But then Stockton gets bumped, he doesn't hold on to the football. It was just so uncharacteristic. And then to have the roughing, the passer penalty, where it just sets up the short field goal for Auburn. It was just so, just all of that, about Georgia, in that final five minutes to open the door for Auburn to win. Credit to Auburn for taking advantage of that opportunity. But Georgia really just, they opened the door and said, come on in, you know, you want to win? Come on in to the party, because we want to join the 6-in-1 club too. Hey, have you seen this? Shout out to Parker Fleming. He does a great job with these infographics. And he does this every week. So do we really get beat that bad? And essentially it's just, this is some kind of tool that he utilizes that if you're on the far right here, you really whoop the other team's ass. Like you earn that win, there's no doubt about it. And then if you're on the far, far, far left, it means you outplayed them, but you still lost. You still found a way to lose. And this weekend, Auburn beat Georgia all the way down here. Did we really get beat that bad? No, you didn't get beat that bad, Georgia, but all that matters is the final score. So that just makes it even worse for Georgia. It's painful because they don't win without your mistakes. And that's, you know, maybe two months down the line, this is, they're talking about that Auburn game. It forced us to, it was a wake up call. You know, that's what, that's at least, but you got to tell yourself if you're a Georgia fan, right? Like, this has to be your wake up call because the game was right there for the taking. You did everything the right way to come back and win, but you just made cataclysmic mistakes down the stretch. And, you know, shout out to Auburn for getting that done. I didn't think you had it in you. I mean, that was a very cool interview with Alex Golis and his son after the game. That's going to buy him a lot of goodwill because they felt very aimless. It felt like Jesus walking in the desert for 40 days. Where's he going? I don't know because it's just like you didn't know what their identity was. They're just kind of mad at everything. To go beat the number one team in the country, your rival. I mean, back to back weekend rivalries in the SEC where the number one team in the country goes down to an unranked team. It's like, this is league. Hey, is this true or false? Joey says, Roush fears coach Bobby Hill. Okay, can I go galaxy brain here for a minute? Please. Okay. I know things are tough right now in Norman, Oklahoma. You got this $51 million buyout. You got a great defense, you don't know how to throw the forward pass. You know who does know how to throw the forward pass? The guy who he's kind of got to figure it out, but are his fans, they're going to get a little restless because he just can't get it done. Sometimes to go forward, you got to go back. And when I was sitting in that press box, I saw a big picture of Josh Hyple with his Orange Bowl jersey on, getting carried off the field. Maybe not this year, maybe not next year, but down that road, somebody's going to come home and it's old Josh Hyple. Oh, I thought you were going to say Will Stein. You know, I don't know if you remember that was Shane's bold prediction in the preseason. Will Stein was going to be the best new hire, better than even Kiffin, he said. And then he's leaving for a better job. Shane, just don't, which I do love that Steve Young is comparing Will Stein to the LaFleurs and the McVeys and that he's going to go to the NFL on college game day. I'm like, guys, hey, I'm not worried about his next move. I'm enjoying the ride right now. There's a lot of people who are in hell. And you know what? That's not me that year. I was there last year, not there right now. I know the folks in Norman, they're in hell right now. But I told you last week, I told you, you beat your rival. You're going to win seven or eight games. That's a good year in the SEC. This ain't the big 12 where you just show up and win it every year, right? Like I saw all those statues down there and they got a lot of statues, a lot of national championships, a lot of Heisman winners. But this is the SEC now. It's tough. You aren't going to just wake up and win it every year and go to the playoff. That's not how this is going to work in this new world order. It's not. And those fans, they are going to have a hard, hard time adjusting to this new world order. They're in hell right now. And hey, I get it. I'm in a similar boat. Many of you pointed that out to me. Kentucky basketball can't just wake up and win the SEC every year and pencil in a second weekend of the NCAA tournament. We're having a hard time adjusting to it. And you're, you got to face reality. You just do. What's the solution there, do you think? Do you think they need a new head coach? Or do you let them blow up the offensive staff yet again? Yeah, no, they got to blow up the offensive staff. But here's the thing. That $51 million buyout, that's so much money. I don't know why they gave him an extension. This isn't 2018. You don't have to give coaches extensions for no reason. The part that I'd be very, very worried about is this looks like a coach that's just allergic to offense. What gives you confidence that he's going to ever find the right guy? I don't know. The other part that I do feel for Ben Arbuckle though, because some of the clips that I've seen from OU Twitter where they just have dudes that are open and just mature can't get it to them. Then their offensive line, beaten ball has been there forever. They're going to have to get rid of him. But also they're just the most injured offensive line I've ever seen. Vesuce still ain't played. I was listening to Stoia and Eddie Radosevich afterwards. The deck that they've had to shuffle on that offensive line, it's truly unbelievable just how injured they are. So some of it, you just are like, how is this even possible that we could be this injured? So it's bad, but the other, at least with Oklahoma, they still have winnable games down the stretch. They're probably going to end up winning seven, eight games. Hey, how wild is it? Six-and-one club, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, it's an old SEC East showdown here. Have you begun, I know you, I've already heard you guys utter the playoff word, but have you allowed yourself to envision the final SEC Championship game in Atlanta, featuring Will Stein and the boys? You're damn right I have, right? I'm already budgeting for merch for, for SEC Championship game merch, for Atlanta merch, for playoff merch. Hell, we're going to host a playoff game in Lexington. I don't care. Cause here's the thing, if you, what is the point of being a fan if you're not going to dream about it? Right? I love the ones who act like they're a coach, one game at a time. Okay. Whatever. You can do that. I'm going to live in fantasy land where that's possible because it's, it's never felt possible. You know, it never has. It would be very funny if Kentucky was in the final SEC Championship game. Like as a bookend to 35 years of SEC Championship games, of all the teams to be there for the last one, it's Kentucky. But, you know, and to your point, Nick, there's nothing, I got nothing against Georgia, Alabama. I don't, it doesn't affect me. People think it's like I live and die with like every Tennessee game or something. But I truly, if this is the last SEC Championship, which most assuredly it is, I kind of just hope it's not fame in Georgia that we've seen a million times. Like I would much rather prefer it be Kentucky and Ole Miss. You know, like, I think it's what they've literally never been. Like at least you have, let them have their shot, you know? Well, and the other part is, if you're a team with national championship aspirations, it benefits you to not play in that game and host a first round game. Right. You get to build a little momentum. It's one less taxing week on your bodies. I know Georgia had to deal with the injuries of Carson Beck two years ago, but I think it actually, you're better off not playing in it. Which by the way, while we're here. Let's face it, folks, this was Nick already working on as an excuse to be like, Kentucky finished third or fourth, but that's right where we want to be. Yeah, exactly. We want to host that college football playoff game at home. We want to build a little momentum, right? You know, that's where we're at. But I just, I think all of. The people complaining about the 2014 playoff. A lot of it is just complaining to complain. In a lot of you out there, you just want to see Alabama or Georgia season ruined by one loss. You know what? That was cool. I've lived in that world, but you know what the best win of my childhood was? It was beating number one LSU. We thought we ruined their season. Guess what? They still won the damn national championship game, and they lost another game. That was in the BCS era. Ruining someone else's season shouldn't define success for you. It should be getting a chance to play in the postseason. You know what happened last year? Vanderbilt had a Heisman finalist, a damn superstar in Diego Pavia. They went 10-2 and they got left out of the college football playoff. I don't want to live in a world where 10-2 Vandy or 10-2 Kentucky get left out of the college football playoff. I just don't. And I know that there are people out there who say, well, could 24 teams still win it? No. But you know what? There's going to be a team at like 10 or 12 that probably can. Okay? So all of this complaining about ruining college football and blah, blah, blah. We already had a dumbass system where a bunch of media people picked it. Right? We had a system where they complained about the computers week after week. We need a playoff. We need a playoff. We need a playoff. We're getting a playoff. We're getting a real playoff. So pardon me for thinking that this is just going to ruin it all. Did you just see what happened on Saturday? That sort of chaos is going to happen week after week after week. To think that the playoff is going to ruin it, this is going to be better for the SEC. It is going to be a war of attrition. You got to sign up for 12 games for 60 minutes every single Saturday. So when this playoff comes around, you want to have more chances at it because you're going to kill yourself during the regular season. I just, all the people who think this is bad for the sport, all you're doing is protecting the bad, the people who have controlled it for years, the Bama's, the Georgia's, the Notre Dame's, all the Ohio States. Oh, well, they're just going to be guaranteed to be in the playoff. So beat them in the playoff. Go beat them in the playoff. End their season there. Don't try to end it in October, which you probably weren't going to do anyway. Who paid you? Who paid you off, they're saying, in the comments. Are you part of the ESPN crew over here? I just, I know. It's like for me, the same thing with Banana Ball. People love to hate on Banana Ball, but you know what? I take my kids and they had a great time. It was fun. You know, you don't have to watch it on TV. The Savannah, whatever. Yeah. People love to hate on the Savannah bananas on the Internet because it's cool. Kind of fun when you see it in person. You're going to hate on the 2014 playoff right now. But then when you get in it, you're going to watch and it's probably going to be pretty fun. Yeah. I heard you're a big banana hammock guy. Hey, shout out to friends also like said is Omaha. Shout out Omaha Steaks presenting sponsor. Again, don't forget Omaha Steaks. They're paying the bills around here. So go shout them out. 50% off early Black Friday. Select items 50% off with that promo code SEC. Go check them out. Thank you Omaha Steaks, steak, chicken, pork, beef, seafood, Bixens, dessert. I mean, you know what you need to do for someone like Nick in your life, someone that is just trying to force a playoff down your throat, stick some meat in their mouth so they'll shut up about this stupid playoff expansion, but you can only do that at half the cost over at Omaha Steaks. We thank you, Omaha, for keeping some sanity around here with these fools like Nick. I love the way you say Bixens, too. Bixens. And the other part, the SEC Championship game is the only championship game worth a damn. So if we got to- And even I've been the last couple, they've kind of sucked. But like, if it means losing one game to lose that weekend, so be it. Because all the other championship games have been pretty garbage. It's just turning the playoff. Yeah. I mean, I'm against it, but I'm not going to bitch and moan if they do it. It's just, I'll live with it. It's more football. And the other part too, I know that I know you enjoy others' misery. But here's the other part. Specifically yours. Oh, yeah. Yeah, for sure. Texas right now. They just, I don't, Sark just deserves every ounce of criticism and then some. I mean, my God, what are you doing, Sark? I just, it's disgusting. It's garbage. And unfortunately, Nick, I don't know if you've heard the breaking news. I don't know if this is official, but I trust our buddy Anwar from Orange Bloods. He says, Colin Simmons, their elite pass rusher, out three to four weeks is the expectation. So that they got Ole Miss this week, Mississippi State, both at home, then at Mizzou, at LSU. So he may not be around for any of those games, which would be massive. And now they're working another quarterback in with the ones in practice. But here's the thing, you lose two games in a row. It's the middle of October. That's bad. I like a team still having an opportunity to win their way back, where they can still turn it around. You're going to play a tough schedule against Ohio State, you know, against all, like I like a team having the chance at redemption and they're probably not going to have enough room right now. But you know what? They might just get hot in the 2014 era. If they only lost one more game and they got in as a 22 seed or whatever the hell, and then they got hot, that's fun. And I like the chance at giving a team a time for redemption, where they got to earn it. And you know what? If they're not bad, then they won't, they'll fall flat on their face. So I like that aspect of it. Now, will this Texas team figure it out? You really trust Sartre? I don't. I mean, the other part of that Florida game, too, is that it wasn't like the Gators just lit them up in that comeback where it just happened in waves. I mean, it was almost like you were just waiting for Texas, like, OK, quit playing with your food. Go win the football game. They were up by two touchdowns right before half. You know, I don't I guess a backup quarterback, a backup quarterback where John Somerall said we sucked less this week. And, you know, we just got to suck less and less each and every week. And we'll get better because that's the other part is it's not like Florida was a bunch of world beaters. I just I just I can't. Did we all just think that Sark did that 2020 Alabama team with all those NFL receivers just in a weird COVID year? Did that just make us did we fall for it? Right? Was that just fool's gold, where he had three first-round draft picks at receiver, and a pretty damn good quarterback, and really good running back? Yeah. Did that just confuse us? Because Florida had the worst pass defense in the SEC, and I think Arch had 79 passing yards going into the fourth quarter before he had that drive or that. He does the thing where he just wakes up and all of a sudden starts playing football again. Like the lack of consistency, that should have been a get right game for him. And instead, now we're going in this week where we're working in the backup. I just I don't. Who's tougher to figure out, though? Texas or Florida? Because I can't figure out Florida to save my life. Florida is. In that tier of teams where you just got a it's just week to week, where are they going to be? South Carolina is in that tier. Missouri is in that tier. I don't think Ole Miss is. I'm not quite sure because of Trinidad and like maybe they figured out some stuff defensively. Oklahoma, I think is in that tier. In Kentucky probably is, but also they just keep winning games. So maybe they're above that one. But it's a week to week league and you just got to be buttoned up. You got to be ready. That defense is still worrisome. They're a team that if they can run the football, they're hard to stop. So just love the box and pray that the quarterback doesn't gash you with a big play over top to some of those receivers. But yeah, Ford, credit to them, man. That was the next win. Now you get to go into a buy. And I think if you told Ford to Gator fans going into this season, that you would be four and two going into this buy. You probably thought they were going to be sorry, five and two. You probably thought the wins and losses were going to be different. Maybe it's Texas and Ole Miss or Auburn and Ole Miss were the losses. Instead, they're getting shellacked by South Carolina at home and getting shellacked by Missouri. But still, you're five and two going into the buy. You got to feel pretty good about where you are year one with John Somerall. Another team that's got to feel good with their first year coach, Nick, is Ole Miss, who they've been kind of laying in the weeds. I thought Missouri was going to go up there and win. And boy, was I wrong. They beat the breaks off Missouri. They dominated them at the line of scrimmage. Their defense showed up better than they have at any point this season. And now they look like, again, this is like a curse, right? Every time somebody looks good, they fall apart. But Ole Miss looks like one of the better teams in the SEC. And I don't know what the hell to make of Missouri now. Well, I made the mistake, Michael, of not... Like, you just got to go in these games and picture in your brain, is Eli Drenkiewicz going to go on the road and win against the top 25 team? And I just, I needed to close my eyes and think about it and try to find that image in my brain. And it cost me money because I didn't just take the time to visualize that happening because it just doesn't. Like, in the first two drives, that was just, that was exactly it. You have, you're driving the field and you're settling for short field goals and you miss one of them. Ball game. That's it. That was a ball game. It was all right there for the taking. But yeah, I, it just, it makes me mad at myself too, cause I let all, I let Mizzou fan in the chat convince me that they were better than what they are. He's not here this week. We appreciate you Mizzou fan, but so what do you think about Ole Miss? I mean, this is a hell of a couple of games stretch here at Texas Auburn now, which may be much improved. We'll see if that was a fluke or not. And then Georgia. So the next three weeks, maybe throw in at Oklahoma if you want. They might be dead and buried, but the next three weeks is going to determine the season for Ole Miss. Gosh, that just doesn't the way the season feels like, that Texas is just going to beat them. Right? Isn't that just the way it feels like the season is going? Like just when one team starts going one direction, the other team starts going the other, you think, oh, well, this is where Ole Miss just killed, you know, they put their foot on them, they show who's it going to be, and then just the opposite happens. Right. And I don't know how much you've looked at the spreads. Have you seen them? Oh, yeah. Texas favorite. Yeah. Texas favored as of this morning by three and a half. Three and a half? Yeah. I mean, yeah, of course they are. Because why not? Right? You know, of course, just when we think Ole Miss' defense figures it out, and Arch can't throw a football, Arch figures it out. Well, yeah, that's just what this SEC, that's how this SEC season is going to go. But I don't know. Like, it makes it hard for people like us. Like, these damn teams can't just be who they are, you know? Yeah. I find that highly entertaining. I'm not going to lie. Oh, it is incredibly entertaining. Just like them Razorbacks beating Vanderbilt, snapping a two-year SEC losing streak. Nick, 14 games they had lost in a row in the conference. And really, they mostly controlled this game against Vanderbilt. But thoughts on the red-hot Razorbacks, are they going to lose again, do you think? Nobody beats Arkansas 15 times in the road in the SEC. The Silver Hogs, they got it figured out. I mean, I just, Mike, every time I put on that game, I just saw just bad football being played. I mean, there was one time where Arkansas was running a read option. And the running back was running 15 yards down the field with nobody around him. The quarterback kept it and then just ran around everybody. And then he was 15 yards down the field with nobody around him. I mean, just, I mentioned those sort of teams in the middle of it that are kind of just in a mess. They're all similar and it's very week to week. There's that, there's what feels like an elite tier with Georgia and Alabama at the top. In Tennessee and Kentucky. Six in one club. But then just Vandy and Arkansas, they're in a league of their own at the very bottom. You know, they could be- Having said that, Nick, you just said, hey, this is the unpredictable season, right? Are you at all concerned? No. Vanderbilt? No. At Kentucky, Jared, what if he plays a game of his life? You've seen this kid throw it, I assume. He's incredible. Now, he throws it to the other team half the time. But when he throws it to his team, he's got a hell of an arm. I watched, I don't know if you've seen it, Nick. They just put it on Netflix, the Nate Barghetti movie. And it was like three minutes in, I saw Jared Curtis. I said, what? And then I turned it off like three more minutes because it seemed pretty shitty movie. But I was impressed that he's in a movie. I mean, this kid's a star. Will that star shine this weekend, you think? No, no, no, they're there. I mean, Jared Curtis is awesome. And when you see him make, because I am the sicko who did, did pay close attention to Vandy early in the year. I wanted just like, what's this kid going to be? And he is going to be the legit truth if they just, he just has no help. I mean, Junior Cheryl is a fine player. They got another receiver that's okay. But Cedric Alexander was always overrated. Do they win a conference game you think this year? No, no, no, no, no. Now maybe, maybe on the chance that, you know, like if you get state without fluff and Camario, you know, maybe because that just, that game, that game sucked. Like I just, you just. I mean, how do you say, if you're Clark Lee, how do you sell that anything other than, this was just the Diego Pavia show the last two years? Well, it reminds me a little bit of how Florida State was kind of decided we aren't spending money in the portal this year. We're kind of expecting to be bad and we won't mind if we are. Vandy just didn't get a lot of players in the portal. You're like, hey, you probably need to. And they were like, we're just gonna invest in some high school talent. I think Clark Lee knew long, that they were just trying to go for a long term plan because they did go bigger on high school recruiting. So I think that's what you're selling. Will that plan work? Dad, I don't know, you know, how patient are they gonna be? How patient is Curtis gonna be? I don't know, but the lack of portal activity kind of told me that they knew they were gonna be in for a long ride this fall. Hey, here's another comment from another unbiased source. Nick, Valls by Fetty, UK's daddy. I don't like what Kentucky Sports did to Roush's hair. Go Valls. Man, I gotta say too, I don't grow a great beard like you, Michael. I don't, you know, it's a little patchy. So you know, I try to stay clean shaven, but every once in a while it gets a little long. The amount of gray in it is startling. All these ones. But you know what? If I'm going gray because Kentucky's winning by one in the fourth quarter and the game ends and they're still winning, fine by me. Stats are for losers, you know, cardiac cats over there. You know what? My gosh, they really are. And it's so fun. It's so fun when your team wins college football games. Is this what you all been doing the whole time? We've just been winning games? Like, this is awesome. Yes, that was an option the whole time. Just like it is at LSU when they played Mississippi State. Now they're playing a team that was, with one arm tied behind us. Look at this Mississippi State drive chart, Nick. Punt, interception punt, and then five turnover on downs in a row and the game ended. Crazy. Yeah. And what's the quarterbacks? Jimmy Puckett was the quarterback. Billy Puckett. Billy Puckett. Sorry. Ain't that the most Mississippi State name you ever heard in your life? Like, of course Billy Puckett is the Mississippi State backup quarterback. Yeah, it just, I think even if they had healthy, if their guys were healthy, that LSU was just going to put their gas on the brakes and curb stop them. That felt like that was coming 100 miles away. So does LSU get a lot of credit for bouncing back from the Kentucky loss? Or is this like, are you buying back into LSU or no? I think the last two results should not change how you felt about LSU all year, that they are supremely talented teams, one of the most talented in the country, and they're injured, their star All-Americans are injured, so they're not at full strength. So you're not going to have them at their best, and it took them a little bit to figure it out. But man, if you get those guys by, if you get wit and trade as green back after the buy, like... Because this team, Nick, is it fair to say I could see them win in the conference? I could see them going eight and four. Yeah, yeah. Now, because it does, because it gets, I mean, it's tough, you know? Like you got to go to Auburn. I would feel pretty confident about that if I was an LSU fan. But it is eight games in eight weeks. Exactly. And then the homestretch, you got the two good teams at home, but going to New York Stadium, that ain't easy. Like, I just- Of course, Kiffin returned, so there'll be extra amped. Yeah, yeah. Like there's going to be a ton of juice there. But my opinion of LSU, it's just it hasn't changed the last two weeks. I saw some LSU fans who are finally being like, well, maybe we just did lose to a good Kentucky team. You know, like that's the part that I think has been annoying with some of the overreactions is just, well, LSU lost this game, so they're bad. Well, Florida lost this game, so they're bad. Well, Kentucky beat this team. So well, of course, LSU is bad. Like it's not quite the case, right? Like, Oklahoma, it's Oklahoma, Mississippi State this week. That barn burner. I mean, can Oklahoma, or excuse me, can Mississippi State win a slugfest? Because Oklahoma is going to make it a slugfest. That's what they do, right? And if you don't have Camario Taylor, that turf toe injury, it's just... That can linger. Yeah, that really can linger. And it's so just unpredictable. Where you might think you're good and then you're not. And then, I don't know what... Do we know what Fluff's injury is? That, no, but he was in a boot. Because that's just as... I mean, he's just as important to the puzzle as it all. So like, I don't know. As bad as everybody thinks Oklahoma is, they're going to win games just in rock fights. It's just, it's going to happen. They're probably going to win one this weekend. Hey, apologies, Tony. I missed this one. Hey, if that defense, the one we just saw last week, shows up week in, week out, we ain't losing again. Say it again, Mike, say it. So would you agree with that? I mean, that's saying a lot for Ole Miss, who goes at Texas, Auburn, Georgia, at Oklahoma. They get the puppy dogs, and then they got Mississippi State. Yeah, I almost disagree with him that you don't even need that defense. Because how many good offenses are on there? Georgia, and healthy Mississippi State. Yeah, that's a hell of a point. You know what I mean? They can win shootouts in those games and be fine. So that's the part. You don't need Pete Golding to turn this team into the 85 Bears. You just need to be average, you know? And get a couple critical stops here and there to where Trinidad can go win the game for you. So that's why Ole Miss is so enticing right now. And that's why they feel like the best of that bunch in the six and one club, you know, or at least the one with the best chance to reach the playoff. Well, let me ask you this, Nick, this week at Texas, they're underdogs, right? And I get it for all the reasons we said, up and down, Texas desperate. If they beat Texas, is Ole Miss going to the playoff, you think? Yes, yes, I feel really good. I think it's that important, you know what? Yeah. Now, you're still going to be, still going to be cheering for some other teams to make your wins look better, you know, particularly LSU, you know, you want Florida to look competent down the stretch. But I would feel great about that. That one was a big one at home. And in the way they did it to hold Missouri to only three points and they had been so explosive the best couple of weeks. So I'm with, was it Mike? I forget what is it, but Hottie Tottie, you got to be feeling great about where you are right now. Just defense, just get a couple stops, right? Like, cause it only takes, if you get two in a row and then the offense puts their foot on the gas, it feels like you're getting 10 in a row. Hey, how about this one from Mr. Balik Black? I don't know how to say that. Why does Roush always seem like he's hyped up on five cups of coffee, two five hour energies and a speed bow? Inquiring minds want to know. I think it's just living life in that six in one club, if I had to guess. That's part of it. Part of it is, we haven't slept much, so we do have a lot of coffee before we go on these shows. How long was that drive? Because I was keeping up a little bit on social media. It seemed like you didn't get back till Sunday, but that evening is what it seemed. Yeah, it was a late Sunday night. It's about 12 hours drive. So yeah, that's about as bad as going to the place in Texas. But I enjoyed my time in Normandy. Game day in Normandy, very good. But if I will say, if you are one of the SEC fans who's like, man, I'd like to check out Oklahoma for the first time, I would suggest just staying in Oklahoma City on the Friday night before. That's what I've done each time I've got out there. Yeah. I really enjoyed it. Did you enjoy the campus and everything? The game day was awesome because campus corner shut down, like the streets are, you just walk around mingle. There's a lot of people. We were on a rooftop at Lugies. It was perfect weather, watching the games, and then it is just a short walk over to campus. That stadium has got a ton of history. It was rocking. But I was just jealous because a couple of my friends, they stayed in OKC and they went and watched a horses race at Remington Park on Friday night. They had $2 beers till like 7 or 8 o'clock. I'm like, that's a fun Friday night, watching some horses race before you go watch some football the next day. So I enjoyed my trip to Oklahoma. First time getting down there. So just keep that in mind. The other thing I want to do, one guy, he just took the train in. It was only like 10 bucks. From Oklahoma City? To Norman. Yeah. I think they got a train from OKC to Dallas. Or something like that. And the first stop is in Norman. So y'all got to figure it out down there. You just got to figure out your offense. Did the fans treat you good? Because they will treat me great down there. Well, I got a lot of, I don't even know how to say that. Usually we say that Oklahoma fans are the nicest in the SEC. They were very nice in person. But I get a lot of Tennessee energy from them online. So, exactly, great people. Hey, well, let me ask you this, speaking of Tennessee, because I don't know if you're like so many of the fans I engage with here, Nick, where yes, you're always rude against Tennessee. I get that. But where is your heart truly with Tennessee, Carolina? Because do you want to pissed off Tennessee that's got two weeks to say, hey, Kentucky's our Super Bowl? Or do you want them to be super confident and then knock them off their perch and be like, you know, you know, maybe you are elite, but you're not as elite as us. So where are you at with that one, Tennessee at Carolina? So I like to play these mental gymnastics games when you're handicapping them except for one team. I want Tennessee to lose every game they play in every sport from now until forever. I want you to experience zero happiness, Michael. You deserve to lose every time you play in anything. Sorry, balls. Listen, I dealt with it with Wolville. They were very bad under Kenny Payne and Scott Satterfield. You know what? It wasn't fun anymore. I want them to have a pulse. It wasn't even fun beating them by 20. It wasn't fun to beat them 50 to 10 because they were so bad. They just lost juice in the rivalry. No, I want there to be no juice. I want Derek Dooley wearing his stupid orange pants on the sideline. Have Jeremy Pruitt be his defensive coordinator. Jarrett Arentano can play quarterback. Bring them all. Lose, lose, lose. I want Beamer just cutting wrestling promos after the game on Saturday. I want it as bad as you can get. But you know what? I don't always get what I want. In fact, the opposite usually happens. You find ways to make me miserable and you're probably going to make me miserable again this year. I know it's going to happen. I know it's going to happen. My brain tells me it's going to happen and it's still going to rip my heart out. Well, hey, and then how about on the flip side for Kentucky? Discounted, counted out. How do they handle all the accolades and being told how great they are? Do you think that messes with them at all? They've done a really good job about, but they have a lot of old guys on this team. Jordan Castell spent a lot of time at Florida, Tiger Shibola, Ohio State, Lance Hurd, Tennessee, and LSU. Yeah, we upgraded off him. Sure you did. I bet you don't want him back. Florida didn't want Castell back right now. I bet LSU fans aren't wishing they had Kenny Darby right about now. But they're an older team. They're like the rankings don't really matter. I do think they're pulling the right levers to make sure they remain engaged. But for them, this is their eighth game in a row too. So they're pretty banged up. They're pretty beat up. Glad it's Vandy that they're getting before the bye week. Perfect team to get in the eighth game. Let's be real, Mike. Are you a little worried that Shane Beamer off the bye week, he got a big win right before? Of course. Well, Norris Sellers, he's seeing it. You got to, is this a night game? No, thank God. It's a afternoon. Because you would have been feeling just getting all sorts of Spencer Rattler deja vu. I know it. Shane says they're already putting sand on the grass there. They're already putting on their wristbands so they can cheat again. But yeah, this is a team that, hey, they were up big on state. They were up big on Kentucky. They got their ass waxed by Alabama. But the rest, point being, they could play with anybody. They just find ways to blow it. Yeah. And they didn't find, they just dominated Florida's ass, so maybe something clicked. But I guarantee you, I can't guarantee you who's going to win. But it opened Tennessee favorite. It's already flipped to Carolina favorite. I guarantee you one thing, Nick. Carolina, at some point in this game, is going to have a 10 point or more lead. Now, will they hold it? Who knows? I would kind of think if they can get up to scores, and Tennessee has to throw it, you're in trouble, Vols. My question to you, Mike, if I told you that South Carolina scored 24 points in this game, do you think that's a Tennessee winner was? That's tough, because that's ballpark of where you need to be. I feel like it's almost a race to 24, you know? I would think 27, but I would think if you told me Carolina scored 24, they likely win. Yeah, but this is the ultimate test, right? Like, well, Norris Sellers, he got right against Florida. He was looking sharp against Kentucky, you know, gave him a chance to win. I don't know if he... Carolina's secondary is very poor, but can Tennessee's take advantage of that? That's not their strength. They want to run the ball, you know? So the matchups in that regard don't favor you. Sellers playing at home, mobile quarterback, you know, I think that'll be a little bit of an advantage. I don't know what... It just is a lot of it comes down to how many home runs can you hit? Yeah. It's a defense like this. And are you striking out badly too? Because like the beginning of that Alabama game, I mean, they jumped them like that. And it's like quicksand, you know? Yep. They just drag you down. And that's one of those. It could be in the danger zone quickly for South Carolina. So that's going to be a great game this weekend. I don't Tennessee or Ole Miss, Texas, that's a fun game. I just how in the world can we possibly top what happened last weekend? That was awesome. That was so much fun. Especially when you win, when our teams win, you know? Last thing, Nick, I always like to ask you, is there any SEC games that you're comfortable picking today? We got LSU at Auburn, A&M at Bama, Tennessee at Carolina, Oklahoma at Mississippi State, Ole Miss at Texas, and Vanderbilt at Kentucky. So this will be the third straight week that I give out a play, and it is 100 percent wrong. Give me LSU at Auburn. They've all been losers. It was Mizzou last week. It was, I want to say four to two weeks ago. I don't know who. A lot of losers. A lot of losers. Yeah, it was four to two weeks ago. So LSU, that's a loser again this week. So Auburn will be plucky and they'll cover, but LSU won't escape. All right, Nick, we appreciate you as always. Always a pleasure. Never know where you're going to go before you go here from here. Tell the cousins how to follow you, how to find all your work. Yeah, we're on the Kentucky Sports Radio YouTube channel. Hit that subscribe button. We'll be at six o'clock tonight. Streaming there, talking cats. This is just fun talking ball. It's fun this time of year. It's fun in the six in one club. Well, thanks for sure, Nick. As soon as that Tennessee Kentucky game ends, you're going to have a lot of Tennessee fans or you're going to have a lot of Kentucky fans. So either way, you win in the post game reaction. We appreciate you. We'll be back tonight, seven o'clock Eastern, six Central, same time as always. Until then, we'll catch you on the next one. Hey buddy, this beer's for you, Mike and cousin Shane. That SEC Podcast loves the Pirate and the Pirate loves that SEC Podcast. Hail State.