Eye of the Tigers

6-6, 250 pounds. We aren't talking about a linebacker here. We are talking about junior Auburn starting quarterback Cam Newton. This guy is fourth in the SEC in rushing, has the most passing touchdowns with 12, is second in passing efficiency and is the number one reason why the Tigers are 4-0. And he is visiting Commonwealth this Saturday.

There is nobody that daunting on Memphis, the opponent of the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday. In fact, there is nobody daunting on Memphis in the least bit. They are the perfect team for the Cards to play for homecoming. Enough talk: Let's get to the predictions.

Auburn vs. Kentucky- Many of you remember our own QB with the last name Newton going into Auburn last year and upsetting the Tigers and bringing down that annoying War Eagle (click here if you really care why a school with a tiger mascot calls themselves the War Eagles) crowd. It was awesome.

But here's the deal: Auburn is probably still upset that the lowly Kentucky Wildcats came into their house and beat them. This game is going to lie squarely on the shoulders of defensive coordinator Steve Brown, whose defense has come under recent scrutiny for an 0-2 SEC start. Can the porous run defense slow down Newton and the running attack?

The offense has still been putting up points despite the losses. Mike Hartline still needs to get out of the habit of throwing 4 yard passes on 3rd and 8. Locke has been the most consistent player on the entire offense. The Cats will need him to have a punchers chance.

The most impressive win on Auburn's schedule is against South Carolina at home and gave the Gamecocks their lone loss in a close 35-27 battle. Another impressive win was a close Thursday night game against the 3-2 Mississippi State Bulldogs, 17-14.

For the Cats to have any kind of a salvageable season in order to at least meet some type of preseason expectations they have to win. As 6 point underdogs, and I think that is generous, the boys in Vegas still think the Cats have enough offense to hang.

Final Prediction: Tigers 37- Cats 24

Memphis at Louisville- Louisville fans like to tout the Memphis Tigers as a big rival in football. The thing is, Memphis has always and still sucks at football. So if the Cards want to make a big deal about playing football against the Tigers, go right ahead.

Memphis is 1-4, last place in the powerhouse CUSA (Louisville's former conference but I'm not so sure it's a big drop from the Big Least), and has been beaten by the likes of Tulsa, UTEP, and East Carolina. In short: They Suck.

Louisville has put together a 2-2 record but the team is an enigma. It puzzles me how they can put together a tough game in front of tens of thousands against a top 25 Oregon State team (out of the top 25 at the moment, look overrated) and then almost blow a game in front of tens of hundreds of people at Arkansas State (an away game at Arkansas State, are we kidding?).

The offense has looked impressive and was thought to be the weakness of this Louisville team. So far the defense has been the letdown and that's supposed to be Strong's specialty. I don't see Louisville having any problems with Memphis on Saturday. After this game the Cards finally start playing conference games against powder puffs like themselves.

Final Prediction: Tigers 10-Cards 27

So if I'm right, and God I pray that I'm not, Louisville will go above .500 and the Cats will drop to .500. The thing that is most frustrating is that Louisville is the inferior team but actually could end up with a decent record because of the joke conference they play in.

I'm not going to use that as a cop out. The Cats play in the best conference in the land and they need to start acting like it. Randall Cobb finally showed some anger and I am hoping it spreads to the rest of the team. Joker Phillips said that Thursday was the best practice he has seen all year. Prove me wrong Cats, prove me wrong.