Thursday, apprehension and lines

I have to be honest: this game on Saturday scares the hell out of me.

The other day one of my co-workers -- not exactly the biggest football fan -- told me he's not concerned about Tennessee at all. "The only game I'm worried about is LSU," he said.

And if that's true -- it may not be, since football fans tend to carry on like the old NWO in public -- then my co-worker is an idiot. Going to Neyland Stadium to play a team that's slowly gaining confidence (evidenced by last week's ugly win over the Fighting Crooms), minus the wide rear end of Terrence Cody, against a coach fighting to save his job -- and Fulmer despises Alabama over all others, let there be no doubt -- is a proposition so frightful it has my stomach in knots. Let there be no doubt: all the warning signs are there.

As cliche as it sounds, the key to the game is likely the first quarter. If Alabama can do to the Vols what Florida did -- hit some early big plays and work with a lead, kind of like they have all season -- then Tennessee will quit. I'll say that again: Tennessee will quit. They quit against Florida, and they'll do it against Alabama. Fulmer or no Fulmer.

Anyway, here are this weekend's lines, beginning with tonight's Disappointment Bowl in Morgantown. As always, this week's lines come courtesy of NCAAFlines.com.

Thursday
Auburn (+3) at West By-God Virginia
(I like the Teagles. Just a hunch.)
New Mexico (+5) at Air Force
Friday
Boise St. (-7.5) at San Jose St.
Saturday
Wake Forest (+3) at Miami
Minnesota (+1) at Purdue
Boston College (+3) at North Carolina
Texas Tech (+1.5) at Kansas
Kentucky (+24.5) at Florida
(Trap alert!!!!!)
Oklahoma (-19) at Kansas St.
Baylor (+11) at Nebraska
Duke (+10.5) at Vanderbilt
South Florida (-4) at Louisville
Virginia (+12) at Ga. Tech
Georgia (+2) at LSU
Oklahoma St. (+13) at Texas
Michigan St. (-4) at Michigan
Va. Tech (+5) at Florida St.
Wyoming (+31) at TCU
Colorado (+22) at Missouri
Texas A&M (+3) at Iowa St.
Alabama (-7) at Tennessee
Notre Dame (-11.5) at Washington
Penn St. (-2.5) at Ohio St.
USC (-17) at Arizona

wlh