Let's say you have a neighbor. He's not the best neighbor. He calls you "Chief" every time he sees you. He plays loud music at all hours of the night. He parks his RV in his yard. You're pretty sure he took your weedeater that time it disappeared, and you know he called the cops on you that one time you dared to have folks over a bit late and loud - instead of just walking over and asking you to keep it down. And he talks all the time about what a smart guy his dad is.

Then he wanders over one day and asks for a cup of sugar.

What do you do? Yeah, that's what I thought.

It's Tennessee week! I'd love to tell you that the practice report is late because I was out working on the physical manifestation of my hatred of all things orange. Unfortunately my wife has bronchitis, and I've been playing the doting husband. She's in bed now, so it's time for me to do my part towards being a champion.

As is always the case on Monday, the Tide football team worked in shells for the first day of preparation for the Tennessee Vols on Saturday.

Here's what you need to know:

Sure, Alabama played a sluggish game in winning its 19th consecutive regular season game. But if you have anyone other Mark Ingram atop your Heisman ballot, then you need to have your head examined - unless Rolando McClain tops your ballot.

24 carries for 246 yards? It doesn't take a genius to know that's a little more than10 yards a touch. Throw in two receptions for 23 yards and you end up with 26 touches for 269 yards. Yeah... that's still more than 10 yards a touch. Against a tough SEC defense. And it's not his first big game against an SEC defense this year.

If he gets 25 touches per game the rest of the year... he could very possibly be Bama's first Heisman winner - especially if Bama goes 13-0. I really think Bama fans have not quite grasped how good this guy really is.

ED: So, I didn't press the "publish" button yesterday morning in my hurry to get out the door. This was written before yesterday morning. Believe me...

A good week all the way around - Crump is no longer flirting with the Mendoza line of picking. Seriously, we're not picking against the spread - this isn't rocket science!

The standings after last week are:

This week's picks after the jump.

Of most interest to me will be how Greg McElroy reacts to a second consecutive week of play against an upper-echelon SEC pass defense.  Greg struggled a bit last week but never lost his cool.  Will he look more comfortable against the Gamecocks' pass rush than he did against the Rebels?  Will Jim McElwain start McElroy with a series of short passes to get him in rhythm, or will he stick to the Tide's pattern of going up-top early in most games to loosen the defense?

A related question: how will James Carpenter, who has been burnt on outside rushes at least two or three times this year, handle Butkus finalist Eric Norwood, who leads the SEC in sacks, is fourth in the SEC in tackles for loss, and leads the Gamecocks in tackles?

We've got the Big East showdown our slate of games to pick this week, and I'm running short on time (since I'm headed out for my second concert of the week - Kings of Leon this time). So, you'll get tonights picks now, and the rest tomorrow.

Ell - Cincy

nxojkt - South Florida

Crump - Cincy

Glen - South Florida

With the weather in Tuscaloosa wet and dreary, the Tide football team practiced outside again on Wednesday. The full pads practice was the final one this week with a media viewing period.

Here's what you need to know:

This was a difficult ballot. The top handful are pretty easy, but how far does LSU drop? Does Auburn stay in? Can I make room for Notre Dame? How good is Georgia Tech? Nebraska?

I've got more questions than answers here, but here's my stab:

It was a great Saturday to park On The Couch for some – well, scratch that, make it a whole bunch - of college football.  The Alabama Crimson Tide turned in what was possibly the most impressive performance yet in an impressive season, with a dominant road win over a ranked SEC foe.  And there was more good football later at night (at least here in California) to make the savoring of this fun, fun game even a bit more pleasant.

What was so impressive about it?  Let’s talk about that.

Despite the threat of inclimate weather in Tuscaloosa today, the Crimson Tide football team practiced outside. The Tide was in full pads for day two of its prep for Homecoming and the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Here's what you need to know: