Pick 6

Published|Updated

6 things you need to know before this weekend's games

1) Conference bragging rights...

Every year we hear the debate: can the best college team in the country compete with the worst team in the NFL? The resounding answer is no and should always be no because 19 year old boys aren't beating grown men in a violent sport. The act of throwing out a point spread guess is an exercise in futility but the debate led me into looking at how each conference matriculates players to the next level. Currently the SEC represents 16% of players on all active rosters with the next closest BCS conference, the ACC, sending 89 fewer conference alums to the NFL.  As far as NFL franchises home to the most SEC talent; the Steelers, Chiefs, and Chargers all have more than 20 former players while the franchise with the least amount of SEC talent is the Redskins with 7.


2) Defense wins championships...


Notre Dame has allowed fewer touchdowns this season than Alabama. The Irish have surrendered 5 to opposing offenses while Alabama checks in right behind them at 6. Notre Dame also remains the only team in the BCS yet to allow a touchdown of more than 75 yards. Defense may win championships but there's a good reason Notre Dame is an 11 pt underdog this weekend while Alabama is laying 24 to fellow SEC West unbeaten foe Mississippi St.

Prediction: Alabama 38 - Mississipi St 10
Prediction: Oklahoma 24 - Notre Dame 14




3) Dog days in Athens...

Georgia is a 7 pt underdog on Saturday in the World's Largest Cocktail Party. Keep in mind the last 8 times Georgia has been listed as an underdog, the Bulldogs are 0-8 against the spread.  The outright winner in this rivalry is 26-3-1 ATS so something will have to give in Jacksonville if UGA is to get into the win column on Saturday.

Prediction: Florida 23 - Georgia 20



4) Changing of the guard...

If Tennessee was headed to Nashville this weekend, Vandy would open as a 3 pt favorite.  Going back to 1999, this would mark the first time Vanderbilt is listed as the favroite in back to back meetings
Historical odds: '99 Tenn -23, '00 Tenn -18,  '01 Tenn -25.5, '02 Tenn -17.5, '03 Tenn -21, '04 Tenn -12.5, '05 Tenn -11, '06 Tenn -7, '07 Tenn -11.5, '08 Vandy -3, '09 Tenn -17, '10 Tenn -8, '11 Vandy -1.5


5)  Blind betting dominance...

The teams currently ranked in the top 5 of the BCS are 22-12-1 against the spread
Alabama 4-3, Florida 6-1, Kansas St 5-1-1, Oregon 3-4, and Notre Dame 4-3


6) Best bets of the weekend

Cincinnati Bearcats +3.5 & Philadelphia Eagles -1.5

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Clay Travis is the founder of the fastest growing national multimedia platform, OutKick, that produces and distributes engaging content across sports and pop culture to millions of fans across the country. OutKick was created by Travis in 2011 and sold to the Fox Corporation in 2021. One of the most electrifying and outspoken personalities in the industry, Travis hosts OutKick The Show where he provides his unfiltered opinion on the most compelling headlines throughout sports, culture, and politics. He also makes regular appearances on FOX News Media as a contributor providing analysis on a variety of subjects ranging from sports news to the cultural landscape. Throughout the college football season, Travis is on Big Noon Kickoff for Fox Sports breaking down the game and the latest storylines. Additionally, Travis serves as a co-host of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, a three-hour conservative radio talk program syndicated across Premiere Networks radio stations nationwide. Previously, he launched OutKick The Coverage on Fox Sports Radio that included interviews and listener interactions and was on Fox Sports Bet for four years. Additionally, Travis started an iHeartRadio Original Podcast called Wins & Losses that featured in-depth conversations with the biggest names in sports. Travis is a graduate of George Washington University as well as Vanderbilt Law School. Based in Nashville, he is the author of Dixieland Delight, On Rocky Top, and Republicans Buy Sneakers Too.