prepare for rivalry game

Ouch.

Like many Auburn fans, I didn’t see a beatdown coming at the hands of Georgia for the second year in a row.

Fortunately, the Tigers have a week to lick their wounds and prepare for the biggest Saturday of the year in Alabama.

Louisiana-Monroe at Alabama

Alabama gets to warm up for the Iron Bowl with Sun Belt opponent Louisiana-Monroe.

Alabama will be looking for someone to vent their frustrations on after the loss to Mississippi State.

Earlier this year, Bama was given a scare by Houston, but I don’t think the Tide have anything to fear from ULM.

The Warhawks have a 4-6 record, which isn’t bad, but their

most solid win is over Florida Atlantic, which is in second place in the Sun Belt.

ULM’s offense can put some points on the board, but I think Alabama’s defense will be more than adequate for the task.

Alabama 38, ULM_10

Middle Tennessee at Troy

In a move to get both schools some coverage on ESPN2, this game will actually be played next Tuesday night.

This game has also been dubbed the &uot;Battle for the Palladium&uot;, and the winner gets a statue of the Greek goddess Athena for a year.

The rivalry was decent, but I’ve got a feeling last year’s win by Troy kicked it into high gear.

The Blue Raiders were on the verge of clinching the Sun Belt Championship and a berth in the New Orleans Bowl, but Troy scored a touchdown, recovered an onside kick, and scored again in the last 2:20 of the game to pull out a 21-20 win.

The Trojans ended up going to New Orleans, while the Blue Raiders went to chilly Detroit.

Look for MTSU to make it interesting as revenge for last year’s &uot;Miracle in Murfreesboro.&uot;

Troy 38, MTSU 35

Other interesting matchups:

Tennessee 35, Vanderbilt 17

Florida 52, Florida Atlantic 14

Georgia 42, Kentucky 35

Arkansas 24, Mississippi State 17

LSU 45, Ole Miss 17

Ohio_State 17, Michigan 14

Cincinnati 38, West Virginia 35

Clemson 24, Boston College 21

Oklahoma 42, Texas Tech 31

South Florida 35, Louisville 24

Current college record: 93-38