Bulldogs Try to Create a Real Stir

GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 10 Georgia (6-1) vs. No. 5 Florida (6-1)

*

Martini, please, shaken, not stirred. This annual game played in Jacksonville is known as “the world’s largest cocktail party” for its traditional pregame tailgate festivities, but it’s usually the straw that stirs the drink in the Southeastern Conference.

No exception this year.

By winning, Florida can knock Georgia out of the Eastern division race and all but box out Tennessee from the SEC title game. The Gators hold the tiebreaker over the Volunteers by virtue of their early-season win over Tennessee and will finish the SEC season with phone-ins against Vanderbilt and South Carolina.

“If you look at the history of the University of Florida, every year we’ve won the SEC we’ve had to beat Georgia,” Florida Coach Steve Spurrier said.

Spurrier used a week off to put the psychological hammer on Doug Johnson, threatening to include Jesse Palmer in the quarterback mix if Johnson doesn’t start making the coach look like the offensive genius he is.

After sputtering most of the season, and surviving one-point victories over Central Florida and Louisiana State, Georgia played its best game last week in a 49-34 win over Kentucky in Athens, Ga. Quarterback Quincy Carter passed for 304 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 87.

Georgia has become good again in the SEC under Coach Jim Donnan, but the Bulldogs can’t become a national power until they find a way to beat Tennessee and Georgia in the SEC East.

Georgia is 1-18 against those schools in the decade, the only win a victory over Florida in 1997.

Georgia’s only loss this season? To Tennessee.

Spurrier seeks his 100th victory as Florida’s coach, but those things aren’t important to humble guys like him.

“Personal accomplishments are not all that important right now,” he said. “Maybe when my coaching days are over I can look back and reflect. But we’ve got plenty of reason to beat Georgia this week, not worry about that number in my coaching career.”

Line: Florida by 14

RATING THE TV GAMES

* Line: Florida by 14.

**** Whoa, Nellie

*** Fix the car tomorrow

** OK to watch golf infomercials

* For WWF scouts only

** West Virginia (3-4) at No. 23 Miami (3-3), 9 a.m., Channel 2

Miami spots opponent 35-point lead this week before comeback win.

* Line: Miami by 17.

*** No. 18 Purdue (5-3) at Minnesota (5-2), 9 a.m., ESPN

Drew Brees applies for combat pay after grueling October stretch.

* Line: Purdue by 2 1/2.

** No. 15 Michigan (5-2) at Indiana (4-4), 9 a.m., ESPN2

A loss here, Lloyd, and that national title is a distant memory.

* Line: Michigan by 17.

** No. 12 Texas (6-2) at Iowa State (4-3), 9:30 a.m., FSW2

This has all the makings of a Longhorn letdown.

* Line: Texas by 10 1/2.

** Navy (2-5) at Notre Dame (4-3), 11:30 a.m., Channel 4

Holtz begs former boss to let him coach Irish to 36th consecutive victory over the sad-sack sailors.

* Line: Notre Dame by 27.

* East Carolina (6-1) at Houston (4-3), 12:30 p.m., FSW

At Houston? Should not be a problem for the Pirates.

* Line: East Carolina by 4 1/2.

*** Stanford (5-2) at Washington (4-3), 12:30 p.m., Channel 7

Last time Stanford won in Seattle (1975), there were no Seahawks.

* Line: Washington by 3.

** No. 1 Florida State (8-0) at Virginia (4-3), 4 p.m., ESPN

Good news. Not a single member of the Bowden family on the Virginia sideline.

* Line: Florida State by 13 1/2.

** No. 3 Virginia Tech (6-0) at Pittsburgh (4-3), 4 p.m., ESPN2

Hold your hats, Hokies, Pitt gave Penn State a scare.

* Line: Virginia Tech by 22.

* Alabama State (4-4) at Alabama A&M; (1-6) 4 p.m., BET

I think we’d all agree neither team is going to catch Jackson State in the SWAC.

* Line: None.

** No. 8 Nebraska (6-1) at Kansas (3-5), 4 p.m., FSW

Toto, I don’t think this is Nebraska anymore.

* Line: Nebraska by 31 1/2.

** Texas Christian (3-4) at Hawaii (5-2), midnight, (delayed) FSW2

Title of islands-based television drama changed this week to Hawaii Five-Two.

* Line: TCU by 4 1/2.

5 THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. A Knoxville knockout. Thanks to those BCS computer wonks who reward blowout victories, look for Tennessee to clobber hapless South Carolina this weekend. Hey, it’s only business. Tennessee’s No. 4 schedule strength is best among the BCS’ top 10 schools, but the Volunteers need to improve their lagging No. 5 computer rating to get back in the national title race.

2. A Pac-10 crowning? Stanford, backed by the nation’s 111th-ranked defense, can clinch at least a share of the conference title with a win at Washington coupled with an Arizona State loss to Oregon. The three defenses in Division I worse than Stanford’s? Nevada, Buffalo and Middle Tennessee State.

3. Oklahoma at Colorado. So which coach has done the better job in his first year on campus, Bob Stoops or Gary Barnett? It’s not even close. Stoops’ Sooners are 4-2 and coming off a 51-6 drubbing of Texas A&M.; Had the Sooners not blown double-digit leads against Notre Dame and Texas, Oklahoma might be contending for a national title. Barnett’s Buffaloes? They’re 4-3, coming off a sizzling 16-12 win over Iowa State and have already lost the two games that mattered, to Colorado State and Washington.

4. A Michigan meltdown. Wasn’t it only yesterday that the state of Michigan was all the rage? Actually, it was Oct. 9, when Michigan and Michigan State faced off in East Lansing in a battle of 5-0 teams. Since winning that thriller, Michigan State has been outscored in two losses, 92-38. Last week, Michigan lost at home to Illinois.

5. The end of the nightmare. Maybe. Oregon State heads to Pullman this weekend in search of victory No. 5. If the Beavers (4-3) beat Washington State (2-5), they can get to 6-3 by beating California on Nov. 6, but this would not assure Oregon State’s first winning season since 1970. Why not? If the Beavers dropped their last two Pac-10 games to Arizona and Oregon, and lost in a bowl game, they would finish at 6-6.

SATURDAY

*--*

FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG Oregon St. 4 1/2 at Washington St. at Oregon 7 Arizona St. at Bowling Green 5 1/2 C. Michigan Wisconsin 22 at Northwestern at Syracuse 19 Boston College Clemson 4 1/2 at Wake Forest Penn St. 16 1/2 at Illinois at Ohio St. 22 Iowa at Tennessee 33 South Carolina at Georgia Tech 17 1/2 N. Carolina St. at Maryland 9 1/2 Duke at Temple 10 Rutgers Louisiana Tech 6 at Toledo W. Michigan pick at Akron Ohio 7 at Ball St. at BYU 7 Air Force at Kent 14 Buffalo at Louisville 12 Ala. Birm. at Miami, Ohio 4 Cincinnati Texas Tech 1 at Missouri at La. Monroe 6 M. Tennessee at Texas A&M; 11 Oklahoma St. at Kansas St. 37 1/2 Baylor at Alabama no line So. Mississippi Rice 11 at SMU Fresno St. 14 1/2 at Tulsa at Utah St. 3 Boise St. Oklahoma 4 at Colorado at C. Florida 7 1/2 E. Michigan at Marshall 27 No. Illinois at Nevada 11 North Texas at Arkansas St. 11 La. Lafayette at Tulane 1 Memphis at Arkansas 7 1/2 Auburn Mississippi 4 1/2 at LSU Idaho 5 1/2 at New Mexico St. at New Mexico 8 1/2 UNLV at UTEP 6 1/2 San Jose St.

*--*