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The Dallas Cowboys are not for real. Don’t be fooled by their 6-1 record, fancy stadium, or the fact that half their offense could look really good in underwear commercials. This team is a fake. A fraud. A phony. Their 6-1 record is a scam. Paying attention yet?

Sure, Dallas has won their last six games. It is a strong streak. The last time the Cowboys won six in a row was 2007. They actually won 12 out of their first 13 that season, but stumbled down the stretch losing two of their last three and their only playoff game. This team seems even better.

When we take a closer look at the Cowboys though, there are four glaring flaws. Four things that are going to prove their weakness and that will cause their ultimate downfall.

4. Schedule: The Cowboys have won six games against teams that are a combined 15-24. Big freaking deal! Their BIG win at Seattle seems less and less impressive as the Seahawks implode. They don’t have a SINGLE win against a team with a winning record. And three of their wins have been by a score or less including a win in overtime at “home” against the Texans.

Looking ahead, the Cowboys face some actual challenges. Their remaining slate includes two games against the Eagles, games at home against the Cardinals and Colts, and a road game at the Bears. All five of these games will present very strong challenges, and games at Washington and the Giants always end up being close because of a great division match-up. Don’t be surprised if the Boys limp in to the playoffs as a wildcard at 10-6.

3. Demarco Murray: WHAT?! Isn’t he the top option for league MVP right now? Isn’t he the reason the Cowboys are 6-1? Yes and yes. And he will also lead to their downfall. Murray is touching the ball at an incredible pace. He is on pace to have 478 touches on the year. This is the same Demarco Murray that has missed multiple games every year of his career. I just don’t believe that he will survive much longer. And when that happens, inconsistent Tony Romo has to take the reins. The Cowboys become one dimensional and teams find the much easier to stop.

2. Run defense: Sure, their run defense and defense in general looks a lot better than it did last year, at least on the stat sheet. But when we look closer there are two things that stick out. First is that the Cowboys are still giving up nearly 5.0 yards per carry to opposing teams. They have had their mix of very good (Lynch, Gore, Foster) backs to play against and very bad (Sankey, Stacy, Williams) backs. But if a team can average half of a first down every time they run the ball, that isn’t good.

Second, because teams often played from behind they had to abandon the run. The Titans and Saints only carried the ball 13 times; the Seahawks, who dominate the run game, only rushed 18 times. Teams who actually run the ball have found success doing so.

1.Time of possession: Let’s tie this one to Demarco Murray. One of the only reasons that the Cowboys are doing well is because they allow Murray to control the clock. Over the 360 minutes they have played in six winning contests, they controlled the ball for a ridiculous 211 minutes! That is nearly 18% more time than their opponents. Once Murray goes down, it all changes.

Think that I should have written an article praising Demarco Murray? Maybe you’re right. I do tie their downfall to an event that may never happen (and the fact they haven’t beaten anyone of substance). Tell me about it in the comments below.

The Dallas Cowboys are not for real. Don’t be fooled by their 6-1 record, fancy stadium, or the fact that half their offense could look really good in underwear commercials. This team is a fake. A fraud. A phony. Their 6-1 record is a scam. Paying attention yet?

Sure, Dallas has won their last six games. It is a strong streak. The last time the Cowboys won six in a row was 2007. They actually won 12 out of their first 13 that season, but stumbled down the stretch losing two of their last three and their only playoff game. This team seems even better.

When we take a closer look at the Cowboys though, there are four glaring flaws. Four things that are going to prove their weakness and that will cause their ultimate downfall.

4. Schedule: The Cowboys have won six games against teams that are a combined 15-24. Big freaking deal! Their BIG win at Seattle seems less and less impressive as the Seahawks implode. They don’t have a SINGLE win against a team with a winning record. And three of their wins have been by a score or less including a win in overtime at “home” against the Texans.

Looking ahead, the Cowboys face some actual challenges. Their remaining slate includes two games against the Eagles, games at home against the Cardinals and Colts, and a road game at the Bears. All five of these games will present very strong challenges, and games at Washington and the Giants always end up being close because of a great division match-up. Don’t be surprised if the Boys limp in to the playoffs as a wildcard at 10-6.

3. Demarco Murray: WHAT?! Isn’t he the top option for league MVP right now? Isn’t he the reason the Cowboys are 6-1? Yes and yes. And he will also lead to their downfall. Murray is touching the ball at an incredible pace. He is on pace to have 478 touches on the year. This is the same Demarco Murray that has missed multiple games every year of his career. I just don’t believe that he will survive much longer. And when that happens, inconsistent Tony Romo has to take the reins. The Cowboys become one dimensional and teams find the much easier to stop.

2. Run defense: Sure, their run defense and defense in general looks a lot better than it did last year, at least on the stat sheet. But when we look closer there are two things that stick out. First is that the Cowboys are still giving up nearly 5.0 yards per carry to opposing teams. They have had their mix of very good (Lynch, Gore, Foster) backs to play against and very bad (Sankey, Stacy, Williams) backs. But if a team can average half of a first down every time they run the ball, that isn’t good.

Second, because teams often played from behind they had to abandon the run. The Titans and Saints only carried the ball 13 times; the Seahawks, who dominate the run game, only rushed 18 times. Teams who actually run the ball have found success doing so.

1.Time of possession: Let’s tie this one to Demarco Murray. One of the only reasons that the Cowboys are doing well is because they allow Murray to control the clock. Over the 360 minutes they have played in six winning contests, they controlled the ball for a ridiculous 211 minutes! That is nearly 18% more time than their opponents. Once Murray goes down, it all changes.

Think that I should have written an article praising Demarco Murray? Maybe you’re right. I do tie their downfall to an event that may never happen (and the fact they haven’t beaten anyone of substance). Tell me about it in the comments below.

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame are one of the most polarizing teams in all of college football and the world of sports as a whole. The Irish are coming off their first loss of the 2014 season in a classic battle with number two Florida State.

The Seminoles defeated Notre Dame 31-27 in a game that went down to the last play. The loss hurt Notre Dame, but didn’t eliminate them from playoff contention because of how competitive they appeared against the defending national champions.

The Irish sit at 6-1 with five games remaining in their 2014 campaign. Notre Dame still has two PAC 12 powers to battle with this season when they face Arizona State and Southern California. The Irish are legit contenders this season and if they find a way to finish the regular season 11-1 they will likely be in the first annual College Football Playoff.

The Irish are a good team this year now that starting quarterback Everett Golson has returned from his year off due to academic issues. The Irish play a respectful schedule every year, but let’s play a hypothetical game and ask what if Notre Dame played in the SEC and more specifically the SEC West?

I have been on record as calling this year’s SEC West division the greatest division in college football history. I feel the depth of this division from top to bottom in terms of competiveness, parity and talent is unmatched. The SEC West has already begun to beat up on each other, but how would Notre Dame stack up in this 2014 SEC West?

If Notre Dame played in the SEC West this season what team would they honestly be better than?

We will start with the Mississippi schools. The Ole Miss Rebels and Mississippi State Bulldogs are having arguably the greatest years in their program’s history as a football program. I believe both Mississippi State and Ole Miss would defeat Notre Dame.

These games would be tight depending on whether the game was played in Notre Dame or in the home stadiums of Mississippi State and Ole Miss. For argument sake, we will imagine all of these games are played at a neutral site.

If Notre Dame played in the SEC West they would also have to compete against Auburn and Alabama in a year where both are national title worthy. Alabama is coming off a beat down of Texas A&M 59-0 this past weekend. If Alabama played to that level against Notre Dame this season the outcome could be much the same.

Notre Dame against Auburn would also be a challenge because of the speed at which the Tigers play offense. They have athletes all over the field and run Gus Malzahn’s offense at a tempo that is unrivaled by any other team in college football. The Irish would have a tough time keeping up with the speed of Auburn and would likely fall apart in the second half.

So, the top four teams in the SEC west of Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Alabama and Auburn all would have the upper hand against Notre Dame this season. The SEC West is a brutal road this season and for teams like Notre Dame, Florida State and Oregon that are top level teams elsewhere the journey to making the playoff this season would be much more difficult if they played in the SEC West.

The bottom three teams in the SEC West this season appear to be LSU, Arkansas and Texas A&M. I feel Notre Dame could win two out of three against these teams, but even that would be tough in my mind.

The Aggies appear to be falling part, but it’s easy to forget their three losses have all come to three teams currently in the top five of the AP Poll. Think about that for a minute, the Aggies have three losses and they are to the number one, three and four team in the country.

I believe the Aggies are better than what they showed this past Saturday against Alabama and would give Notre Dame all they wanted and more. The Aggies pass offense would challenge an Irish secondary that doesn’t get tested often in their schedule this season.

The other two teams in the SEC West, being LSU and Arkansas, would give the Irish problems as well. The LSU Tigers are currently 6-2 and appear to be improving by the week. The Tigers of LSU lost to the Auburn Tigers 41-7 earlier this month, but have vastly improved since then.

I believe LSU would play Notre Dame in a classic battle much like Florida State did this past weekend. If the LSU defense was at their typical top notch level they would defeat Notre Dame easily this season.

Last but not least we have the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Razorbacks haven’t won an SEC game since the 2012 season. They have struggled against SEC competition, but are still a potentially top 25 team in the nation this year because of their running game.

The Razorbacks went on the road to Lubbock, Texas to face Texas Tech and won handily earlier this season thanks to that running game. They physically manhandled Texas Tech on both sides of the ball and proved to be a mismatch for the Red Raiders.

So, I feel Notre Dame would go 4-4 or 5-3 at best if they played in the SEC West this season. I feel this is a combination of an over ranked team in Notre Dame, but more importantly how dominant the SEC West is this season.

I believe other top teams across the country such as Florida State, Oregon, Oklahoma, Baylor, Kansas State and Michigan State would also have the same difficulties in the SEC West this season.

The Irish, I feel, would finish a 12 game schedule of four nonconference games and eight SEC games with a record of 7-5 or 8-4 at best. Notre Dame and all other teams throughout the country this season should be thankful they are not a part of the SEC West this season because of the extreme depth and talent.

Notre Dame is a legit contender in 2014, but if they happen to make the first annual College Football Playoff this year and have to face an SEC West team, the Irish will endure their share of problems.

The SEC West has four of the top five teams in the country and it’s well deserved. They are dominant, strong, aggressive and the best of the best. The SEC is king of college football and the SEC West alone would be the best set of teams in the land. 2014 is the year of the SEC West and it’s not even close.

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame are one of the most polarizing teams in all of college football and the world of sports as a whole. The Irish are coming off their first loss of the 2014 season in a classic battle with number two Florida State.

The Seminoles defeated Notre Dame 31-27 in a game that went down to the last play. The loss hurt Notre Dame, but didn’t eliminate them from playoff contention because of how competitive they appeared against the defending national champions.

The Irish sit at 6-1 with five games remaining in their 2014 campaign. Notre Dame still has two PAC 12 powers to battle with this season when they face Arizona State and Southern California. The Irish are legit contenders this season and if they find a way to finish the regular season 11-1 they will likely be in the first annual College Football Playoff.

The Irish are a good team this year now that starting quarterback Everett Golson has returned from his year off due to academic issues. The Irish play a respectful schedule every year, but let’s play a hypothetical game and ask what if Notre Dame played in the SEC and more specifically the SEC West?

I have been on record as calling this year’s SEC West division the greatest division in college football history. I feel the depth of this division from top to bottom in terms of competiveness, parity and talent is unmatched. The SEC West has already begun to beat up on each other, but how would Notre Dame stack up in this 2014 SEC West?

If Notre Dame played in the SEC West this season what team would they honestly be better than?

We will start with the Mississippi schools. The Ole Miss Rebels and Mississippi State Bulldogs are having arguably the greatest years in their program’s history as a football program. I believe both Mississippi State and Ole Miss would defeat Notre Dame.

These games would be tight depending on whether the game was played in Notre Dame or in the home stadiums of Mississippi State and Ole Miss. For argument sake, we will imagine all of these games are played at a neutral site.

If Notre Dame played in the SEC West they would also have to compete against Auburn and Alabama in a year where both are national title worthy. Alabama is coming off a beat down of Texas A&M 59-0 this past weekend. If Alabama played to that level against Notre Dame this season the outcome could be much the same.

Notre Dame against Auburn would also be a challenge because of the speed at which the Tigers play offense. They have athletes all over the field and run Gus Malzahn’s offense at a tempo that is unrivaled by any other team in college football. The Irish would have a tough time keeping up with the speed of Auburn and would likely fall apart in the second half.

So, the top four teams in the SEC west of Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Alabama and Auburn all would have the upper hand against Notre Dame this season. The SEC West is a brutal road this season and for teams like Notre Dame, Florida State and Oregon that are top level teams elsewhere the journey to making the playoff this season would be much more difficult if they played in the SEC West.

The bottom three teams in the SEC West this season appear to be LSU, Arkansas and Texas A&M. I feel Notre Dame could win two out of three against these teams, but even that would be tough in my mind.

The Aggies appear to be falling part, but it’s easy to forget their three losses have all come to three teams currently in the top five of the AP Poll. Think about that for a minute, the Aggies have three losses and they are to the number one, three and four team in the country.

I believe the Aggies are better than what they showed this past Saturday against Alabama and would give Notre Dame all they wanted and more. The Aggies pass offense would challenge an Irish secondary that doesn’t get tested often in their schedule this season.

The other two teams in the SEC West, being LSU and Arkansas, would give the Irish problems as well. The LSU Tigers are currently 6-2 and appear to be improving by the week. The Tigers of LSU lost to the Auburn Tigers 41-7 earlier this month, but have vastly improved since then.

I believe LSU would play Notre Dame in a classic battle much like Florida State did this past weekend. If the LSU defense was at their typical top notch level they would defeat Notre Dame easily this season.

Last but not least we have the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Razorbacks haven’t won an SEC game since the 2012 season. They have struggled against SEC competition, but are still a potentially top 25 team in the nation this year because of their running game.

The Razorbacks went on the road to Lubbock, Texas to face Texas Tech and won handily earlier this season thanks to that running game. They physically manhandled Texas Tech on both sides of the ball and proved to be a mismatch for the Red Raiders.

So, I feel Notre Dame would go 4-4 or 5-3 at best if they played in the SEC West this season. I feel this is a combination of an over ranked team in Notre Dame, but more importantly how dominant the SEC West is this season.

I believe other top teams across the country such as Florida State, Oregon, Oklahoma, Baylor, Kansas State and Michigan State would also have the same difficulties in the SEC West this season.

The Irish, I feel, would finish a 12 game schedule of four nonconference games and eight SEC games with a record of 7-5 or 8-4 at best. Notre Dame and all other teams throughout the country this season should be thankful they are not a part of the SEC West this season because of the extreme depth and talent.

Notre Dame is a legit contender in 2014, but if they happen to make the first annual College Football Playoff this year and have to face an SEC West team, the Irish will endure their share of problems.

The SEC West has four of the top five teams in the country and it’s well deserved. They are dominant, strong, aggressive and the best of the best. The SEC is king of college football and the SEC West alone would be the best set of teams in the land. 2014 is the year of the SEC West and it’s not even close.

Last week I made predictions on who was a sure fantasy stud. Hit on a few, missed on a few more. Below is how they faired. 

WRs who were sure to light up the box score:

Antonio Brown - 5 Rec 84 Yards

Victor Cruz - 3 Rec 22 Yards. Eli threw to 7 different receivers while Preston Parker led the team in receiving. Oops.

Steve Smith - 5 Rec 34 Yards. Hmm

Kelvin Benjamin - 3 Rec 38 Yards. Umm

Julio Jones - 11 Rec 105 Yards. Endzone Julio?

TY Hilton - 9 Rec 90 Yards. TY is warming up.

Value WRs who were going to tear it up:

Golden Tate - 7 Rec 134 Yards 1 TD. Nailed one.

Andrew Hawkins - 3 Rec 26 Yards. Hoyer throws for 290 yards and 3 TD and Andrew Hawkins saw none of it.

Brandin Cooks - 9 Rec 56 Yards. If you're in a PPR league you aren't too mad at me. 

What running backs were going to run wild?

DeMarco Murray - 192 total yards. Easy.

Le'Veon Bell - 118 total yards. He doesn't like finding the end zone this year. 

Rashad Jennings - 10 Car 55 yards. Injured in the 3rd quarter. Rookie Andre Williams ended up with 65 yards and a TD. Could have been a big day for Jennings. 

Matt Forte - 166 total yards 1 TD. Welcome back Matt.

Doug Martin - 74 total yards. Should be improving every week. 

Value back in a week to week fantasy league

Chris Ivory - 9 Car 44 yards. He was the only Jet who participated last week. 

What defense will give you more than 10 points this week?

The Detroit Lions. Yes Sir! Pick 6, 3 sacks, 3 FF.

Last week I made predictions on who was a sure fantasy stud. Hit on a few, missed on a few more. Below is how they faired. 

WRs who were sure to light up the box score:

Antonio Brown - 5 Rec 84 Yards

Victor Cruz - 3 Rec 22 Yards. Eli threw to 7 different receivers while Preston Parker led the team in receiving. Oops.

Steve Smith - 5 Rec 34 Yards. Hmm

Kelvin Benjamin - 3 Rec 38 Yards. Umm

Julio Jones - 11 Rec 105 Yards. Endzone Julio?

TY Hilton - 9 Rec 90 Yards. TY is warming up.

Value WRs who were going to tear it up:

Golden Tate - 7 Rec 134 Yards 1 TD. Nailed one.

Andrew Hawkins - 3 Rec 26 Yards. Hoyer throws for 290 yards and 3 TD and Andrew Hawkins saw none of it.

Brandin Cooks - 9 Rec 56 Yards. If you're in a PPR league you aren't too mad at me. 

What running backs were going to run wild?

DeMarco Murray - 192 total yards. Easy.

Le'Veon Bell - 118 total yards. He doesn't like finding the end zone this year. 

Rashad Jennings - 10 Car 55 yards. Injured in the 3rd quarter. Rookie Andre Williams ended up with 65 yards and a TD. Could have been a big day for Jennings. 

Matt Forte - 166 total yards 1 TD. Welcome back Matt.

Doug Martin - 74 total yards. Should be improving every week. 

Value back in a week to week fantasy league

Chris Ivory - 9 Car 44 yards. He was the only Jet who participated last week. 

What defense will give you more than 10 points this week?

The Detroit Lions. Yes Sir! Pick 6, 3 sacks, 3 FF.

Week Six of the college football season is upon us and it is by far the best week of matchups up to this point in the season. The first five weeks of college football has seen a lot of so called “cupcake” games, but that all changes in week six and in a big way.

The biggest matchup of week six resides in the SEC West. The 2014 SEC West has been the dominant representative in the polls to this point, but now as they get into SEC play they will begin knocking each other off.

That matchup this week will take place in Oxford, Mississippi when the number 11 Ole Miss Rebels welcome the number three Alabama Crimson Tide to town. This has been said by many to be the biggest game in Ole Miss Rebels’ history. That is very hard to argue with based on the amazing run the Crimson Tide have been on the past five years and how big of a win this would be for Ole Miss.

Ole Miss was the pick by many in the offseason to be the surprise team in 2014 and so far they have lived up to that hype. The true challenge comes on Saturday when they play host to Alabama in the biggest game of the season to date in the SEC.

As we take a deeper look into this matchup, let’s take a look at what Ole Miss needs to do to pull off this upset and gain themselves a program defining win. I have assembled three things that I feel Ole Miss must do to come out victorious on Saturday.

1. The number one thing I feel Ole Miss must do to win this game is hold Alabama around the 150 yards of total rushing mark. Alabama has yet to show their potential at the running back position, but I feel that changes this game.

The first four games of the season were basically a cake walk for the Crimson Tide because of a soft schedule. They used those four games to get quarterback Blake Sims used to the offense and gave him some easy opportunities. That will not be the case in this game because of the road environment in Oxford, Mississippi.

The running back tandem of Alabama consists of T.J. Yeldon, Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake. All three of these guys would be starting on 95% of the FBS teams in college football. They will get a heavy workload in this game to take pressure off of Sims on the road.

So, I feel if Ole Miss has any chance they must contain the Alabama running game to around 150 yards. If the Rebels can do this they have a great shot of pulling off this enormous victory.

2. The second thing that Ole Miss must do is throw the ball vertically down the field. The weakness of Alabama under Nick Saban has been their inability to defend the down field passing game. We saw Texas A&M and Oklahoma hurt them with this last year and then again this year in their season opener against West Virginia.

The Rebels have a quarterback in Bo Wallace that has experience and should be able to take advantage of the Alabama secondary. His big play threat down field is wide receiver Laquon Treadwell. If these two are able to get a rhythm in this game, then it could be a long afternoon for Alabama.

Ole Miss cannot rely on short screen passes and wide receiver screens to beat Alabama. The strength of Alabama is stopping plays close to the line of scrimmage and so many teams make that mistake of having that game plan against Alabama.

The Rebels must take shots deep down field, even if that means making a couple of mistakes throughout the course of the game. Wallace has a nice core of receivers and the Rebels have to utilize that if they have any chance of beating Alabama.

3. The last thing and possibly the most important thing Ole Miss must do to pull off this win against Alabama is not let the moment be too big for them. Alabama has not been an underdog in any game since the 2009 SEC Championship game.

Alabama went on to win that game 32-13, so Alabama is used to being the favorites and playing in big time games like this. The atmosphere will not be too big for them, but in a strange way the home field could put more pressure on the Rebels.

Don’t get me wrong, the Ole Miss Rebels would much rather play this game in front of their home crowd rather than in Alabama. The issue could end up being if Ole Miss is winning deep into the fourth quarter the pressure of having to close out a big game in front of their fans could become an issue.

So, these are the three things I see Ole Miss having to accomplish if they hope to beat Alabama in what could be the biggest game in Ole Miss Football history. The opportunity that Ole Miss has been asking for is finally here, now it’s just up to them to take advantage and beat the top dog.

It will be a challenge to say the least for the Rebels, but if they ever hope to beat a top team like Alabama this has to be the time they get it done. The Rebels’ players, fans, coaches and alumni will all be ready for this game and we can only hope the game lives up to the hype that these two teams have generated off the field.

Week Six of the college football season is upon us and it is by far the best week of matchups up to this point in the season. The first five weeks of college football has seen a lot of so called “cupcake” games, but that all changes in week six and in a big way.

The biggest matchup of week six resides in the SEC West. The 2014 SEC West has been the dominant representative in the polls to this point, but now as they get into SEC play they will begin knocking each other off.

That matchup this week will take place in Oxford, Mississippi when the number 11 Ole Miss Rebels welcome the number three Alabama Crimson Tide to town. This has been said by many to be the biggest game in Ole Miss Rebels’ history. That is very hard to argue with based on the amazing run the Crimson Tide have been on the past five years and how big of a win this would be for Ole Miss.

Ole Miss was the pick by many in the offseason to be the surprise team in 2014 and so far they have lived up to that hype. The true challenge comes on Saturday when they play host to Alabama in the biggest game of the season to date in the SEC.

As we take a deeper look into this matchup, let’s take a look at what Ole Miss needs to do to pull off this upset and gain themselves a program defining win. I have assembled three things that I feel Ole Miss must do to come out victorious on Saturday.

1. The number one thing I feel Ole Miss must do to win this game is hold Alabama around the 150 yards of total rushing mark. Alabama has yet to show their potential at the running back position, but I feel that changes this game.

The first four games of the season were basically a cake walk for the Crimson Tide because of a soft schedule. They used those four games to get quarterback Blake Sims used to the offense and gave him some easy opportunities. That will not be the case in this game because of the road environment in Oxford, Mississippi.

The running back tandem of Alabama consists of T.J. Yeldon, Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake. All three of these guys would be starting on 95% of the FBS teams in college football. They will get a heavy workload in this game to take pressure off of Sims on the road.

So, I feel if Ole Miss has any chance they must contain the Alabama running game to around 150 yards. If the Rebels can do this they have a great shot of pulling off this enormous victory.

2. The second thing that Ole Miss must do is throw the ball vertically down the field. The weakness of Alabama under Nick Saban has been their inability to defend the down field passing game. We saw Texas A&M and Oklahoma hurt them with this last year and then again this year in their season opener against West Virginia.

The Rebels have a quarterback in Bo Wallace that has experience and should be able to take advantage of the Alabama secondary. His big play threat down field is wide receiver Laquon Treadwell. If these two are able to get a rhythm in this game, then it could be a long afternoon for Alabama.

Ole Miss cannot rely on short screen passes and wide receiver screens to beat Alabama. The strength of Alabama is stopping plays close to the line of scrimmage and so many teams make that mistake of having that game plan against Alabama.

The Rebels must take shots deep down field, even if that means making a couple of mistakes throughout the course of the game. Wallace has a nice core of receivers and the Rebels have to utilize that if they have any chance of beating Alabama.

3. The last thing and possibly the most important thing Ole Miss must do to pull off this win against Alabama is not let the moment be too big for them. Alabama has not been an underdog in any game since the 2009 SEC Championship game.

Alabama went on to win that game 32-13, so Alabama is used to being the favorites and playing in big time games like this. The atmosphere will not be too big for them, but in a strange way the home field could put more pressure on the Rebels.

Don’t get me wrong, the Ole Miss Rebels would much rather play this game in front of their home crowd rather than in Alabama. The issue could end up being if Ole Miss is winning deep into the fourth quarter the pressure of having to close out a big game in front of their fans could become an issue.

So, these are the three things I see Ole Miss having to accomplish if they hope to beat Alabama in what could be the biggest game in Ole Miss Football history. The opportunity that Ole Miss has been asking for is finally here, now it’s just up to them to take advantage and beat the top dog.

It will be a challenge to say the least for the Rebels, but if they ever hope to beat a top team like Alabama this has to be the time they get it done. The Rebels’ players, fans, coaches and alumni will all be ready for this game and we can only hope the game lives up to the hype that these two teams have generated off the field.

Two weeks into conference play, some surprises have emerged in both the north and south divisions. Let's take a look and decide who is legit, and who is going to fade down the stretch.

We know about the Oregon Ducks already, as well as the Stanford Cardinal, USC Trojans and the UCLA Bruins, fresh off their shellacking of the rival Arizona State Sun Devils. And we have already seen some teams fold up revealing themselves as a year(or more) away. The aforementioned Sun Devils would be one team, with the perennially terrible Colorado Buffaloes and Washington State Cougars. The Oregon State Beavers, who just got bludgeoned by the Trojans, are another team we can be comfortable dismissing. 

That leaves four teams we are unsure of, the Arizona Wildcats, Utah Utes, Washington Huskies, and California Golden Bears. Let's break them down one at a time, rendering a verdict for each team, starting with the least promising and moving on to the most promising. 

We start with the Utes of Utah. Watching the game on Saturday was agonizing. This Utah team is tough, they have an underrated defense, and a strong running game. They have a good non-conference win over Michigan, but are coming off a dissapointing loss to Washington State. In the game against the Huskies they jumped out to a 21-0 lead, and seemingly had the game won until late in the fourth quarter. Looking more closely, you see that of those 21 points, the first touchdown came on an interception return, and the second came from a punt return. The final touchdown came from a long run by Devontae Booker. There was not the long, sustained drive you expect to see from a legit offense. The quarterback play was atrocious, with starter Travis Wilson averaging a pathetic 4.3 yards per pass attempt. Combine that with timid, unimaginative coaching, and I am afraid I do not see many PAC-12 wins coming this year. Verdict: Pretender. 

Next, lets look at the California Golden Bears. The Bears have been a bottom feeding laughingstock of a program for the last several years. No one expected anything from them this year, so when you see that they are 3-1 on the season, including a quality non-conference win at Northwestern, you are a little surprised. Even their one loss came on a last second hail-mary against Arizona, after leading for most of the Game. Cal has a dynamic offense, fifth in the nation in points scored, with quarterback Jared Goff playing out of his mind. It is clear this is a program headed in the right direction, although I think a difficult schedule down the stretch combined with a underperforming defense will make it tough for the Bears of Berkeley to compete for a top-three spot in the conference. Verdict: Pretender. 

Now we examing the Washington Huskies, who are also 3-1 after being handed their first loss by the Stanford Cardinal in a close game. Washington is a team that is tough to figure out. One week they are squeaking by a Hawaii squad 17-16, the next they are fighting for their lives against Eastern Washington, 59-52. It is clear that against top competition, Husky quarterback Cyler Miles just is not good enough to consistently move the ball. He was abysmal against the Cardinal, and while he has yet to throw an interception, its clear that his poor play will be holding this team back. Nevertheless, its possible the Husky defense and running game, combined with a lack of turnovers by Miles, will be enough to surprise a few teams, although not enough to seriously contend for a top bowl berth. Verdict: Pretender. 

Finally, lets look at the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona is another team that is tough to figure out. At times, this team plays like a juggernaut, and then there are stretches where they sleepwalk through entire quarters. Much of that has to do with the play of quarterback Anu Solomon, who has seemed to play only as good as the situation demands. When down big, or in a big moment, he come through again and again. However, when there is nothing on the line, he fades away, and you almost forget he is on the field. Still, they have a consistent rushing attack, and have the ability to score points seemingly at will. The defense has not been great, but it has stiffened when needed. Overall, this feels like a team that needs just one more big win before their confidence carries them into contention. And wouldn't you know it, the Oregon Ducks just happen to be up next on the schedule. Coach Rich Rodriguez has shown what his teams can do in big games, and Solomon seems like someone who relishes the prime time stage. Call me crazy, but I think this team is legit. The PAC-12 south is full of overrated and overhyped pretenders, so maybe, just maybe the Wildcats can seize the opportunity and claim their first south division title. Verdict: Contender. 

Two weeks into conference play, some surprises have emerged in both the north and south divisions. Let's take a look and decide who is legit, and who is going to fade down the stretch.

We know about the Oregon Ducks already, as well as the Stanford Cardinal, USC Trojans and the UCLA Bruins, fresh off their shellacking of the rival Arizona State Sun Devils. And we have already seen some teams fold up revealing themselves as a year(or more) away. The aforementioned Sun Devils would be one team, with the perennially terrible Colorado Buffaloes and Washington State Cougars. The Oregon State Beavers, who just got bludgeoned by the Trojans, are another team we can be comfortable dismissing. 

That leaves four teams we are unsure of, the Arizona Wildcats, Utah Utes, Washington Huskies, and California Golden Bears. Let's break them down one at a time, rendering a verdict for each team, starting with the least promising and moving on to the most promising. 

We start with the Utes of Utah. Watching the game on Saturday was agonizing. This Utah team is tough, they have an underrated defense, and a strong running game. They have a good non-conference win over Michigan, but are coming off a dissapointing loss to Washington State. In the game against the Huskies they jumped out to a 21-0 lead, and seemingly had the game won until late in the fourth quarter. Looking more closely, you see that of those 21 points, the first touchdown came on an interception return, and the second came from a punt return. The final touchdown came from a long run by Devontae Booker. There was not the long, sustained drive you expect to see from a legit offense. The quarterback play was atrocious, with starter Travis Wilson averaging a pathetic 4.3 yards per pass attempt. Combine that with timid, unimaginative coaching, and I am afraid I do not see many PAC-12 wins coming this year. Verdict: Pretender. 

Next, lets look at the California Golden Bears. The Bears have been a bottom feeding laughingstock of a program for the last several years. No one expected anything from them this year, so when you see that they are 3-1 on the season, including a quality non-conference win at Northwestern, you are a little surprised. Even their one loss came on a last second hail-mary against Arizona, after leading for most of the Game. Cal has a dynamic offense, fifth in the nation in points scored, with quarterback Jared Goff playing out of his mind. It is clear this is a program headed in the right direction, although I think a difficult schedule down the stretch combined with a underperforming defense will make it tough for the Bears of Berkeley to compete for a top-three spot in the conference. Verdict: Pretender. 

Now we examing the Washington Huskies, who are also 3-1 after being handed their first loss by the Stanford Cardinal in a close game. Washington is a team that is tough to figure out. One week they are squeaking by a Hawaii squad 17-16, the next they are fighting for their lives against Eastern Washington, 59-52. It is clear that against top competition, Husky quarterback Cyler Miles just is not good enough to consistently move the ball. He was abysmal against the Cardinal, and while he has yet to throw an interception, its clear that his poor play will be holding this team back. Nevertheless, its possible the Husky defense and running game, combined with a lack of turnovers by Miles, will be enough to surprise a few teams, although not enough to seriously contend for a top bowl berth. Verdict: Pretender. 

Finally, lets look at the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona is another team that is tough to figure out. At times, this team plays like a juggernaut, and then there are stretches where they sleepwalk through entire quarters. Much of that has to do with the play of quarterback Anu Solomon, who has seemed to play only as good as the situation demands. When down big, or in a big moment, he come through again and again. However, when there is nothing on the line, he fades away, and you almost forget he is on the field. Still, they have a consistent rushing attack, and have the ability to score points seemingly at will. The defense has not been great, but it has stiffened when needed. Overall, this feels like a team that needs just one more big win before their confidence carries them into contention. And wouldn't you know it, the Oregon Ducks just happen to be up next on the schedule. Coach Rich Rodriguez has shown what his teams can do in big games, and Solomon seems like someone who relishes the prime time stage. Call me crazy, but I think this team is legit. The PAC-12 south is full of overrated and overhyped pretenders, so maybe, just maybe the Wildcats can seize the opportunity and claim their first south division title. Verdict: Contender. 

Two weeks into conference play, some surprises have emerged in both the north and south divisions. Let's take a look and decide who is legit, and who is going to fade down the stretch.

We know about the Oregon Ducks already, as well as the Stanford Cardinal, USC Trojans and the UCLA Bruins, fresh off their shellacking of the rival Arizona State Sun Devils. And we have already seen some teams fold up revealing themselves as a year(or more) away. The aforementioned Sun Devils would be one team, with the perennially terrible Colorado Buffaloes and Washington State Cougars. The Oregon State Beavers, who just got bludgeoned by the Trojans, are another team we can be comfortable dismissing. 

That leaves four teams we are unsure of, the Arizona Wildcats, Utah Utes, Washington Huskies, and California Golden Bears. Let's break them down one at a time, rendering a verdict for each team, starting with the least promising and moving on to the most promising. 

We start with the Utes of Utah. Watching the game on Saturday was agonizing. This Utah team is tough, they have an underrated defense, and a strong running game. They have a good non-conference win over Michigan, but are coming off a dissapointing loss to Washington State. In the game against the Huskies they jumped out to a 21-0 lead, and seemingly had the game won until late in the fourth quarter. Looking more closely, you see that of those 21 points, the first touchdown came on an interception return, and the second came from a punt return. The final touchdown came from a long run by Devontae Booker. There was not the long, sustained drive you expect to see from a legit offense. The quarterback play was atrocious, with starter Travis Wilson averaging a pathetic 4.3 yards per pass attempt. Combine that with timid, unimaginative coaching, and I am afraid I do not see many PAC-12 wins coming this year. Verdict: Pretender. 

Next, lets look at the California Golden Bears. The Bears have been a bottom feeding laughingstock of a program for the last several years. No one expected anything from them this year, so when you see that they are 3-1 on the season, including a quality non-conference win at Northwestern, you are a little surprised. Even their one loss came on a last second hail-mary against Arizona, after leading for most of the Game. Cal has a dynamic offense, fifth in the nation in points scored, with quarterback Jared Goff playing out of his mind. It is clear this is a program headed in the right direction, although I think a difficult schedule down the stretch combined with a underperforming defense will make it tough for the Bears of Berkeley to compete for a top-three spot in the conference. Verdict: Pretender. 

Now we examing the Washington Huskies, who are also 3-1 after being handed their first loss by the Stanford Cardinal in a close game. Washington is a team that is tough to figure out. One week they are squeaking by a Hawaii squad 17-16, the next they are fighting for their lives against Eastern Washington, 59-52. It is clear that against top competition, Husky quarterback Cyler Miles just is not good enough to consistently move the ball. He was abysmal against the Cardinal, and while he has yet to throw an interception, its clear that his poor play will be holding this team back. Nevertheless, its possible the Husky defense and running game, combined with a lack of turnovers by Miles, will be enough to surprise a few teams, although not enough to seriously contend for a top bowl berth. Verdict: Pretender. 

Finally, lets look at the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona is another team that is tough to figure out. At times, this team plays like a juggernaut, and then there are stretches where they sleepwalk through entire quarters. Much of that has to do with the play of quarterback Anu Solomon, who has seemed to play only as good as the situation demands. When down big, or in a big moment, he come through again and again. However, when there is nothing on the line, he fades away, and you almost forget he is on the field. Still, they have a consistent rushing attack, and have the ability to score points seemingly at will. The defense has not been great, but it has stiffened when needed. Overall, this feels like a team that needs just one more big win before their confidence carries them into contention. And wouldn't you know it, the Oregon Ducks just happen to be up next on the schedule. Coach Rich Rodriguez has shown what his teams can do in big games, and Solomon seems like someone who relishes the prime time stage. Call me crazy, but I think this team is legit. The PAC-12 south is full of overrated and overhyped pretenders, so maybe, just maybe the Wildcats can seize the opportunity and claim their first south division title. Verdict: Contender. 

Two weeks into conference play, some surprises have emerged in both the north and south divisions. Let's take a look and decide who is legit, and who is going to fade down the stretch.

We know about the Oregon Ducks already, as well as the Stanford Cardinal, USC Trojans and the UCLA Bruins, fresh off their shellacking of the rival Arizona State Sun Devils. And we have already seen some teams fold up revealing themselves as a year(or more) away. The aforementioned Sun Devils would be one team, with the perennially terrible Colorado Buffaloes and Washington State Cougars. The Oregon State Beavers, who just got bludgeoned by the Trojans, are another team we can be comfortable dismissing. 

That leaves four teams we are unsure of, the Arizona Wildcats, Utah Utes, Washington Huskies, and California Golden Bears. Let's break them down one at a time, rendering a verdict for each team, starting with the least promising and moving on to the most promising. 

We start with the Utes of Utah. Watching the game on Saturday was agonizing. This Utah team is tough, they have an underrated defense, and a strong running game. They have a good non-conference win over Michigan, but are coming off a dissapointing loss to Washington State. In the game against the Huskies they jumped out to a 21-0 lead, and seemingly had the game won until late in the fourth quarter. Looking more closely, you see that of those 21 points, the first touchdown came on an interception return, and the second came from a punt return. The final touchdown came from a long run by Devontae Booker. There was not the long, sustained drive you expect to see from a legit offense. The quarterback play was atrocious, with starter Travis Wilson averaging a pathetic 4.3 yards per pass attempt. Combine that with timid, unimaginative coaching, and I am afraid I do not see many PAC-12 wins coming this year. Verdict: Pretender. 

Next, lets look at the California Golden Bears. The Bears have been a bottom feeding laughingstock of a program for the last several years. No one expected anything from them this year, so when you see that they are 3-1 on the season, including a quality non-conference win at Northwestern, you are a little surprised. Even their one loss came on a last second hail-mary against Arizona, after leading for most of the Game. Cal has a dynamic offense, fifth in the nation in points scored, with quarterback Jared Goff playing out of his mind. It is clear this is a program headed in the right direction, although I think a difficult schedule down the stretch combined with a underperforming defense will make it tough for the Bears of Berkeley to compete for a top-three spot in the conference. Verdict: Pretender. 

Now we examing the Washington Huskies, who are also 3-1 after being handed their first loss by the Stanford Cardinal in a close game. Washington is a team that is tough to figure out. One week they are squeaking by a Hawaii squad 17-16, the next they are fighting for their lives against Eastern Washington, 59-52. It is clear that against top competition, Husky quarterback Cyler Miles just is not good enough to consistently move the ball. He was abysmal against the Cardinal, and while he has yet to throw an interception, its clear that his poor play will be holding this team back. Nevertheless, its possible the Husky defense and running game, combined with a lack of turnovers by Miles, will be enough to surprise a few teams, although not enough to seriously contend for a top bowl berth. Verdict: Pretender. 

Finally, lets look at the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona is another team that is tough to figure out. At times, this team plays like a juggernaut, and then there are stretches where they sleepwalk through entire quarters. Much of that has to do with the play of quarterback Anu Solomon, who has seemed to play only as good as the situation demands. When down big, or in a big moment, he come through again and again. However, when there is nothing on the line, he fades away, and you almost forget he is on the field. Still, they have a consistent rushing attack, and have the ability to score points seemingly at will. The defense has not been great, but it has stiffened when needed. Overall, this feels like a team that needs just one more big win before their confidence carries them into contention. And wouldn't you know it, the Oregon Ducks just happen to be up next on the schedule. Coach Rich Rodriguez has shown what his teams can do in big games, and Solomon seems like someone who relishes the prime time stage. Call me crazy, but I think this team is legit. The PAC-12 south is full of overrated and overhyped pretenders, so maybe, just maybe the Wildcats can seize the opportunity and claim their first south division title. Verdict: Contender.