Congratulations to longtime reader Carolina Hog for the closest prediction last week of 45-24. His quote: “I have never won a t-shirt and there is no reason to believe this will be the week, but should I win can mine say ‘Suck it Tommy Tuberville’ on the back? Go Hogs!”
We’ve been fortunate enough to operate this site since 2006. And Carolina Hog has been hanging out here just about all the way. Heck…we probably should’ve mailed him a t-shirt a long time ago just for putting up with us that long. (And that goes for a few others, too.)
But better late than never…Carolina should be receiving his long-awaited, limited edition “Suck it” RBN t-shirt soon. We’ll be glad to send Tommy T. one, as well, after he loses his own shirt in Vegas making crappy predictions.
If anyone needs a quick refresher on how we judge the winner of our little weekly contest, you can check the rules here. So here we go:
Walking on Sunshine: All things considered, we are catching Florida at a pretty good time…after their emotional win at LSU. For the Hogs to have any chance in this one, the running game must be clicking, setting up the play-action. Otherwise it will look like a machine gun drill with Mallett being the target. Defense plays better than expected, making this one closer than the experts think. Florida 27, Arkansas 16.
HogBaller: The Razorbacks will have to do everything right and play even better defense than they did against Auburn to have a chance. It’s a game for a half, but Tebow and the Swamp prove too much for Bobby’s young team. Florida 49, Arkansas 38.
HogBlogger: An introduction to the the #1 team in the country proves harsh. Florida 31, Arkansas 17.
TipsterHog: The last time the Razorbacks played the #1 team in the country, all the RazorBloggers picked the Hogs to lose. That worked out pretty well…so why change now? Florida 34, Arkansas 20.
Leave a comment with your name, e-mail address and pick. And feel free to add your own take like “Thank goodness college players only play four years” or “Swamp drained. Hogs roll.”
The Gator defense is just too nasty and our D will give up a few big plays…
Gators 34
Hogs 17
I hope I'm wrong with my score but trying to be realistic. I just hope we keep it competitive. Tebow isn't wearing Mallett pajamas yet so I think #15 is still "the man".
Hogs 35
Gators 42
Psyched about the shirt. 24 point underdog? There is no way you prepare for a 24 pt. underdog at home the way you prepare for LSU in the Valley. You've got to believe! Possession passing game takes charge and we pull off the upset 21-20. What we can't do is let Demps or one of their other backs rip off a 70 yarder on us early. I figure it will happen eventually, just not before our offense gets some confidence. Go Hogs!
p.s. no injuries going into the grove
I think we catch the gators on their heels and score quickly and often in the first quarter. As a matter of prediction I think we are up 17-3 at the end of the first. Don't worry I wont give a quarter by quarter prediction.
Here it is:
Hogs 30
Gators 27
I am the eternal optimist when it comes to Hogball. I believe Ronnie Wingo, Jr. has his first really big game and runs all over the Gators. Which than allows Mallett to throw at will.
Hogs 24
Gators 17
Alligators eat pigs. We don't go down without a fight. We do score on them but not enough. Hope I'm wrong.
HOGS 24
GATORS 48
I want desparately to be wrong. I can see Florida's speed whizzing by our D early and often.
Gators 41
Still a year away 17
Just like Tulsa did this week, the Hogs fall short… 35-31. At least the game was exciting unless the Florida vs. LSU game.
Can the 'we have arrived' party come one week after the 'coming out' party?
Sure. Arkansas 27-24.
Our offense reaches new levels and they will name it the Stun and Gun- rip off 200 yards rushing and 300 yards passing- we control time of possession and stun the Gators-
Wake me up please
Hogs 39 Florida 13
As we all know, this team has been one of the most talented teams the Razorbacks have ever fielded, BUT we are young. We have already faced more competition than most face in a year (or two). The level of competition we have faced, the national stage we have played on week in and week out throughout the season thus far, give our talented team just enough experience to put a quick end to the ALL MIGHTY 15 game win streak led by college football God, Timothy Tebow. When it is all said and done, the Razorbacks will be singing the fight song a few thousand feet in the air, be greeted by a large gathering of Hogs fans at Drake Field, be ranked #22 Monday morning, while Florida is #3 and Alabama is finally a Unchallenged, Legit, #1.
Florida – 27
Arkansas – 38
Woo Pig!!!
Miracle at the Swamp? Doubtful…but oh well!! I can dream…
Hogs 27
Gators 24
If we win Arch, I will concede the shirt.
Heck…if we beat Florida in The Swamp and you guys are the closest pick…we'll be so happy we'll send BOTH of you a t-shirt!
my apologies GolfHog….I didnt even see your prediction until I already sent mine….So I'll change it. Is that allowed?
Hogs 31
Gators 30
You can change it but it's not required. A "random drawing" will break any ties.
We're screwed:
UF 48
Ark 14
Obviously I hope I'm wrong.
I am going to go with the Dream I had last night.
Hogs Win Hogs Win!!!!
Hogs 22
FL 21
Petrino Shows that brass again and goes for two. His new name becomes Bobby Petwono.
Running game and defense wins.
FL – 27
AR – 13
The Lords of Overtime return to rule:
Hogs 42
Gators 35
A little reverse pyschology!
Gators – 24
Hogs – 17
Make us look good!
Go Hogs Go!
I have been extremely pessimistic this season…until now. This is a repeat of the Ole Miss/Florida game last year. The gators are on an emotional letdown after the LSU game. Arkansas has reached their stride after A&M and Auburn. Florida has not impressed me this year like they did last year (and certainly like Alabama has this year). Florida's defense is strong and keeps it close, but their lack of a quality passing game and–you heard it here first–special teams give Arkansas the win.
Ark: 24
Fla: 21
So close last week! Darn you Carolina Hog!!! good job though.
Anyways no matter what my gut tells me, I always have to predict the hogs are going to win. And I say that Tebows feels like he just suffered 20 concussions after we get done with him. Hogs win a close but entertaining one without trailing in the game…
Hogs 28
Gators 25
I will never pick against the Hogs! I believe!!!
Hogs 35
Gators 21
it is close for three quaters and the the run game of FLorida finally wears down the young Hog D, but not before they punish TEbow. Number 15 shows he is the best QB in the league and maybe the country with a 400 yard passing performance. Oh I am not talking about florida's #15 I am talking about the #15 in Cardinal and white. Intimadation comes into play. FLorida moves to 8 straight against the hogs. Hope I am wrong, when I always pick against them we win.
The team who has already been giving the BCS title and has a god playing for them: 41
The young Hogs: 38
I had a roommate in college that was a Gator fan. The look so sad when the lose. Kind of like MI fans getting beat by Appalachian State kind of look. Hope to see that look on the face of many Gators come Saturday.
Ryan Mallet shows Timmy how an NFL quarterback plays the game.
Defense plays great, but gives up a few good plays. Gators score another on special teams, but overall, the Hungry Hogs run the show here and win by worse than what the score says:
Hungry Hogs 38
Gators 24
Gators: 43
Hogs: 12
Hogs play better than the 'Bama game, but our defense just isn't talented enough to avoid the blowout, and our offense has no answer for Florida's speed at linebacker and d-ends, resulting in a jittery Mallet and no suspense non-thriller of a game.
Arkansas 23 – Florida 17 Upset..Arkansas stops the Gators running game and Florida can't handle passes to the running backs. GO HOGS GO.
Somehow I had 27-24 Hogs in my mind. Then two of our super-natural bloggers come up with the same score. Well, I know I am really close to the Holy Grail here and it is a toss-up between the conservative no-offense Gators against the Hogs inhibited by the greatest college football defense in all of the history of mankind; or, is it the Hogs offense in a shoot out over the defending national champions and (truly folks Tebow is really beyond the imagination of most) the very best offense that the University of Arkansas has ever fielded. Aaaargh—–what is going to happen. A really fun Saturday for all:
Arkansas 31
Florida 27
Amen, and God bless!
Hogs 28
Gators 27
I really hope our offense shows up against this top 3 team. If not, it could get ugly. Go Hogs Go!!!
Anybody want to take a guess at whether Tebow uses the jump pass on us? I'm think he will! Keep in mind that he's 4-4 with 4 TDs… this may be the difference in the game!
what kind of irony would it be to see Mallett make the jump pass again?
You saw that earlier in the year when he did it didn't you?
To win the game Mallett with a jump pass to DH Williams.
Priceless!!
On the two point conversion I called earlier of course. Remember this was all in my dream but I think I saw the future.
All the intangibles are on our side this week, and the unexpected happens every week in college football. The stars are lined up just right for the good guys.
Hogs hold on late and win 35-34.
It could happen.
Hogs 37
Florida 24
Another 3rd quarter scare leads to some serious offensive battling with the Florida D. Petrino plays possession ball the entire 4th quarter and the RB's build up the yards to match the 250+ passing yrds built up in the first 3 quarters.
After the victory, Arkansas makes it into the top 25. Florida will drop to #2.
Gators: 30
Hogs: 26
Emotionless Gators come from behind to win, but Hogs play above their heads and "look" like the better team.
Hogs: 37
Gators: 23
Wow, there sure are a lot of optimistic Hog fans picking the game this week. I have seen nothing this season to suggest that the Hogs will score much against the Florida D or stop the Gator O from coming up with at least a handful of big plays. I think the Hogs show up better than against the Tide, but it just won't be enough.
Gators 28
Hogs 10
I'm looking forward to seeing how we do this week but I don't see us being ready yet to stop the bigger and faster.
Florida 42
Arkansas 17
Texas A&M was bad. Auburn was an aberration. Hogs get exposed…again.
Arkansas 17
Florida 63
OK Chap. You must be feeling the breeze on your checks with that prediction. Boy so we are worse than TN, LSU, KY, and Troy. Good to know.
I think the Gators will be too talented to beat, but I also believe they'll take us for granted a little.
The Gators won't be sky high for this one, but the Hogs will.
I think most are expecting a high scoring affair, but I believe the opposite.
The Gators will be very limited on points if the Hog D can avoid giving up the big play.
The Gators like to run and throw to Hernandez over the middle, so if we can slow down their speed to the outside, I think we'll have a chance to hold them to 20 points.
My prediction is 20-14 Gators, with all the so-called CBS experts raving about how vastly improved the Hogs are this season and what a great ballgame it will be between the Hogs and Rebels next week in Oxford.
Here's the deal:
Youthful mistakes have made this defense bad at times, but you'd have to be blind not to see that the Hog defense has progressively eliminated the endless stream of plays where there were 2 or 3 guys out of position. They've made pretty good progress toward cleaning up many of the mental errors, basically. Any defensive coordinator will agree with this statement: Positioning and spacing is the most basic and important aspect of a defense on any given play, and that's 50% knowing the defensive call (including audibles), knowing the offensive tendencies for the formation, making a quick read to get into position, and closing the deal w/ a solid play on the ball, and 50% talent. The good news is that the mental aspect lends itself to easy improvement and, rhetoric and talk shows aside, this team has shown good progress there. The bad news is that they could have a few slip-ups and give up too many big gains again…particularly with a defense that is young and not yet mentally tough. My opinion is that we have at least an average SEC defense on plays where there are no major mental errors or hesitations – we saw that the last 2 weeks. I'll even go on record saying that we are in the upper 1/3 of the SEC against the run, when playing straight up. If we play solid defense, we'll be in the game.
No amount of press or talk shows will convince me that the Hogs don't have serious NFL talent on offense. No amount of press will convince me that they don't have a great scheme and coaching on offense. Those 2 statements right there are enough for me. If the guys come out and execute crisply, we will score plenty on any college defense. Not to state the obvious, but the key is the guys' ability to overcome adversity and simply execute, which they did not do against Bama…with all due respect to a very good Bama defense. If the Hogs hadn't had a mental implosion, they would've put several more points on the board.
In a nutshell:
(1) If the Hogs play solid defense, they'll be in the game, as is true with any team. (2) If they play solid defense and crisp Petrino offense, they'll have a good shot at winning. This all assumes a pretty standard game with regard to turnovers, special teams, and fluky plays and penalties.
If the Hogs can mentally overcome the adversity they're sure to see in this game, they'll have a good showing. Against a team the caliber of UF, they could even lose by 10-14pts and still have a decent showing. One more thing… if the UF players are overlooking the Hogs, watch out. Anyone who turns the ball over to this Hog offense or busts a few assignments on defense will see just how quickly and how often this offense can score. One thing they've shown is the propensity to put up a bunch of points in a hurry if the other team plays sloppy.
Can the Hogs continue their improvement while playing #1 UF? Odds are against it, but I just wouldn't feel right picking against the Hogs.
Hogs 35, UF 28
An interesting collection of perspectives. Arkansas may present the biggest challenge that the Gators have met, as yet. But if the Hog faithful are counting on catching the Florida players and coaches napping, they are delusional. Tebow's "promise" made after last year's Ole Miss game still stands.
Gators 38, Hogs 20
Yes and his promise is unbreakable. Sorry I respect the heck out of Tebow and FL but I need to go puke real quick.
hogs keep it close for three quarters before running out of steam. ARK-17 FLA-45
Gators 27
Hogs 19
Tough loss.
Gators 30
Hogs 34
What a game!
Ark – 31
Tim Tebow University – 28