Volunteers' season really on the line against South Carolina

It's been a busy couple of days so I'm going to be brief and to the point went it comes to my picks this week. I'm a very tired man.

The Tennessee Volunteers host South Carolina on Saturday and supporters of the program hope this game will help drive away the stench of last week's loss to Alabama. Carolina is 6-2, but lost to Vanderbilt last week 17-6. Coach Steve Spurrier called his team's performance on offense one of the worst he has ever coached.

As for Tennessee, it is difficult to know what to expect. The wins against Georgia and Mississippi State gave hope that the team was starting to come together. However, the defense was horrible against Bama, and given Spurrier's track record, I wouldn't expect his offense to have two terrible games in a row.

If my prediction comes true, things could start getting truly ugly in Knoxville. Very ugly.

The pick: South Carolina 31 Tennessee 23

As for the Titans, they begin a three-game home stand against the Oakland Raiders this Sunday. Quarterback Vince Young is expected to return from injury though back-up Kerry Collins deserves kudos for his performance last week.

Oakland isn't very good on offense and that trend should continue against Tennessee. If there is one area the Titans must improve at, it is scoring more touchdowns when getting in their opponent's territory. It was great that kicker Rob Bironas set an NFL record by kicking eight field goals last week, but that has to change.

The pick: Tennessee 20 Oakland 10

Other SEC picks: Florida over Georgia, Kentucky over Mississippi State, Vanderbilt over Miami (Ohio), Arkansas over Florida International, Auburn over Ole Miss

Other NFL picks: Indianapolis over Carolina, Tampa Bay over Jacksonville, San Diego over Houston, Chicago over Detroit

Last week: 9-2 (.818), Overall: 71-22 (.763)