The SEC vs The Alliance: After an 8-week hiatus the SEC returns to non-conference games versus teams from “The Alliance.” For those who’ve already forgotten about “The Alliance” that was the working agreement between the Pac-12, ACC and the Big Ten to form an alliance as a counterbalance to the SEC after that league added Texas and Oklahoma. Through the first 4 weeks the SEC and “The Alliance” split ten match-ups 5 games each. This week four in-state rivalry games are on tap

First Down: Unbeatens and Contenders: SMU at #5 Cincinnati: The hill gets steeper for the Bearcats when SMU comes calling. Since Cincinnati’s win at Notre Dame they have run off 6-straight wins against teams with a combined 18-41 record. SMU comes to town with an 8-2 record and a passing attack averaging over 27 completions per game with three different WRs with 45 or more catches. This will be a good test of the across-the-board strength of a Cincinnati secondary that boasts

First things first…..This past week a true Penn State and State College community legend died suddenly. Pat Daugherty has owned the landmark restaurant “The Tavern” for decades. During that time he was much more than an owner, “The Tavern: was a passion project, a daily labor of love. To the hundreds and hundreds of people who worked for him he was not only a beloved boss, but also a mentor to generations of college students. He was a man who created bonds among people for so

First Down: Playoff Contenders Part 1: Missouri at #1 Georgia: Georgia clinched the SEC East title before Halloween. UGA’s offense got a tad sloppy last week being careless with some turnovers against Florida. When you’ve got the kind of defense that the Dawgs have does it really matter? It didn’t against Florida and likely wouldn’t matter against the visiting Tigers…….Tulsa at #6 Cincinnati: Cincinnati will be in the game of compare and contrast of how they performed agains