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Brandon Lang Thursday's Selection ... 10 DIMER - SOUTH CAROLINA - Last year coming back from Philadelphia I grabbed a book at the airport called "Meat Market", which chronicled Ed Orgeron's tenure at Ole Miss and more importantly, one full year of how he recruited at the school.
I couldn't put the book down. Fascinating read and what I learned is not only what goes into recruiting a kid for the S.E.C., but how much incredible talent Houston Nutt inherited from Orgeron's recruiting.
It was too late to grab Ole Miss +22 1/2 at Florida that afternoon, and I remember watching them win the game outright and saying this team is the real deal.
They fell flat the next week at home to this same South Carolina team 31-24 as a 2 1/2 point home favorite and then the next week they went to Arkansas as a 6 1/2 point favorite and won 23-21 but failed to cover the number.
They've covered every number since then but they were either a home favorite or road dog, but never a road favorite. In fact, they have been a road favorite in conference play just once the last 3 years and that was the no cover at Arkansas last year.
I jumped on them big with their win at Lsu as a 3 1/2 point dog, and came with another big play in their bowl win over Texas Tech as a 4 point dog.
It's a weird dynamic in college football when a team goes from hunter to being the hunted, as is the case with Ole Miss being the road favorite here.
When you are not accustomed to being a road favorite in conference play and Vegas sees fit to make you one in the toughest conference in America, let's just say it's a role you are not used to.
You are asking a team which has lost it's last 5 S.E.C road openers straight up and 0-11 ATS last 11 overall to cover more than a field goal in arguably their biggest game in years.
Or how about 2-14 straight up last 16 S.E.C. road openers.
Their last trip here was 2004 and they were a 16 1/2 point dog and granted, they won the game outright as a 16 1/2 point dog but just 5 years later they are installed as the favorite. Oh how the times have changed.
Furthermore, you may see a 45-14 win over Memphis on the road but friends that was a 10-7 game with 50 seconds to go in the half and 24-14 with 11 minutes to go in the game before Memphis imploded.
Trust me, South Carolina is not Memphis, and getting more than a field goal is value I can't pass up with this Thursday night home dog.
I am going to make Ole Miss prove to me they can succeed in the road favorite role first before I start annointing them a top 5 team in the country.
I'm impressed with South Carolina's effort so far this year. A big road win over N.C. State, putting up close to 500 yards total offense at Georgia and dominating Florida Atlantic last week.
This is the real true first test for Ole Miss, on the road no less, in a big national tv game in front of the world, and the Thursday night lights have a way of getting to you.
This is a very popular team right now and the public is on them as well as evidenced by this number being above a field goal.
Going to grab the points tonight in what I feel is going to be one of the best games we've had in college football this year.
FREE SELECTION - SEATTLE MARINERS
Michael Cannon
40 Dime –MISSISSIPPI (Buy the ½ point if your line is -3 ½. If the line moves up to -4, do nothing. Never get beat by the hook.)Take Ole Miss minus the points on the road tonight over South Carolina.