Hey folks, there’s a lot of blue in the crowd, but probably only half of it right now is Memphis blue. Looks like several dozen Kentucky fans decided to make the trip anyway, despite the Wildcats’ loss to Gardner-Webb. This isn’t a huge crowd, by the way. The lower bowl is maybe half-full, and there isn’t a soul up above. And that’s with UConn playing, so I wouldn’t expect the late game crowd would be any better.

As I’m writing this, the second half of Gardner-Webb and UConn is underway, and it looks like the Atlantic Sun team is trying to make a little bit of a comeback here. Still, I’d expect UConn to stay in control and advance to the championship game. UConn is wearing those new form-fitting uniforms that several Nike schools are trying out this year. The uniforms are interesting; they almost look like cycling jerseys, though. They don’t flatter every body type, if you know what I mean. I don’t sense a trend here.

Notebale people spotted in the crowd and on press row so far:
– Tiger recruit Michael Gilchrist, the highly-rated ninth-grader from the Philadelphia area who said earlier this year that Memphis was his top school.
– Former Virginia coach and current CSTV analyst Pete Gillen
– ESPN’s Andy Katz
– SI.com’s Luke Winn
– Howie Schwab, of “Stump the Schwab,” who looks like he’s keeping the stats for ESPN’s broadcast team of Dan Schulman and Dick Vitale
– The Tiger contingent sitting directly to my right includes athletic director R.C. Johnson and his wife, Melba, as well as president Dr. Shirley Raines and Ellen, Megan and Bradley Calipari.

OK, I’ve gotta give it up to MarkH and Stuman, who outpicked the supposed “expert” last week. MarkH correctly picked 19 of the 23 area match-ups to win the contest. Stuman picked 18. Me? Just 17, and darn it hurts to say. (I guess I shouldn’t have been such a homer on my Division 2-AA picks).

But it’s a new week, meaning we all start clean with a new slate.

So without further hesitation, to the picks we go (the winner will be announced next week on thememphisedge.com and in next Tuesday’s prep notes column):

Tennessee
Class 1A
Fayette Academy (5-6) at McKenzie (10-1)

Class 2A
Peabody (8-3) vs. Carver (5-6) at Crump

Class 3A
Dyersburg (10-1) vs. Mitchell (8-3) at Freeman
Bolivar (7-3) at Fayette-Ware (7-4)

Class 4A
Fairley (8-3) at Henry County (10-1)
Kingsbury (7-4) at Melrose (8-3)

Class 5A
Whitehaven (10-1) at Millington (11-0)
Houston (9-2) vs. White Station (11-0) at Fairgrounds

Division 2-A
FACS (7-4) at St. George’s (10-0)
Davidson Academy (5-5) at SBEC (9-1)

Arkansas 6A
Texarkana (9-1-1) at West Memphis (10-1)

Mississipi 5A
Northwest Rankin (8-3) at Olive Branch (9-2)

I think that the offense will miss Miguel Barnes but not as much as it would a traditional offense. The truth of the matter is that we use our WR’s in the running game as well as anyone in the country. The bubble screens and reverses will probably become more a part of our running game this weekend because of the Barnes injury. I’m also hoping we’ll see a Triple H backfield, Hines, Hudgens and Hankins at some point.

I don’t know who is poor mouthing their team more, Cal or Jeff Caple. If you listen to them niether the Tigers or the Sooners have any business on a basketball court tonight.
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THE BIG STORY

Win out and Tennessee’s bowl destination is simple. The Vols would be the SEC champion representative in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 1.

Lose the SEC championship game to LSU, which has secured the SEC West title, and the Vols likely would be headed back to Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Dec. 31.

The Chick-fil-A Bowl would prefer to land Alabama from the SEC, a source close to the bowl told the Knoxville News Sentinel. That looks unlikely since the Chik-fil-A holds the fourth SEC bowl pick and must take the championship game loser if that team is still available.

Assuming LSU wins out, the Tigers will play in the national championship game. Then, the Capital One Bowl would have the first pick among the remaining teams. Georgia and Florida likely would be the top choices. The Outback Bowl would then have the next pick.

The winner of the Auburn-Alabama game seems likely to end up in the Cotton Bowl. That would leave UT in position to play in the Chick-fil-A, formerly the Peach Bowl.

That could change if the Outback or Cotton decide to exercise their mandatory selection of an SEC championship game loser.

Those two bowls, along with the Capital One and Chick-fil-A, must take the SEC championship game loser at least once in a four-year cycle. Capital One did so last year when it selected Arkansas.

The Outback seems an unlikely destination for UT since the Vols played there last year, losing to Penn State 20-10. It’s rare that the Cotton elects to take a team from the SEC East because of proximity.

The Cotton Bowl has picked only two SEC East teams in the past nine years, both times UT (2001 and 2005).

The best chance for UT to move up in the bowl pecking order would be for Georgia to win out and receive an at-large selection from a BCS bowl. That could open the door for UT to play in the Capital One, although that still seems unlikely with nearby Florida in line.

The Chick-fil-A views UT as an appealing selection if Alabama is not available, the source said, despite the fact UT played poorly in its last two trips there. The Vols lost to Clemson, 27-14, following the 2003 season and fell to Maryland, 30-3, in 2002.

If UT doesn’t win out and plays in the SEC championship game, the Chick-fil-A Bowl still is possible, although the slide would likely be to the Music City Bowl in Nashville or the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La.

A look at the league: Read the rest of this entry »