Jacob Ramer takes sole possession of first place in Pick 'Em contest

This past Saturday wrapped up the ninth week of our local ESPN College Football Pick ‘Em Contest, and after the dust settled on Saturday, Jacob Ramer found himself in sole possession of first place for the second straight week.

Ramer, who held the top spot last week, correctly picked the winner of four out of 10 games last Saturday, which was no small feat given all the upsets over the weekend. Ramer holds a six-point lead over second place Johnny Davis.

Hunter Norris held on to his third-place spot. My brother Mark Peacock, Aaron Albritton, Travis Presley and I were all tied for fourth place.

Jeremy Matheny and David Price were tied for eighth place. LaBarin Banks and Sharon Peacock were tied for tenth place overall.

With five more weeks to go, there is still a lot of time for everyone out there to make their way into the Top 10. Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and a lot can happen in the college football world in the next month or so.

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There are more than a few good SEC football games on tap for this week, including several games with national implications. Games set for this Saturday include Alabama at LSU, Missouri at Florida, New Mexico State at Auburn, Ole Miss at Georgia, Texas A&M at Mississippi State, Troy at Tennessee, Tulsa at Arkansas and Vanderbilt at Kentucky.

For what it’s worth, here are my picks for this weekend’s slate of games. I like Alabama over LSU, Florida over Missouri, Auburn over New Mexico State, Georgia over Ole Miss, Texas A&M over Mississippi State, Tennessee over Troy, Arkansas over Tulsa and Vanderbilt over Kentucky. South Carolina doesn’t play this week.

Last week: 5-2. So far this season: 61-16.

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High school football is winding down in Conecuh County. Hillcrest will wrap up its season tomorrow (Friday) night when they play Sidney Lanier in Evergreen. Sparta’s destiny is in its own hands tonight (Thursday) when they go on the road to play Restoration Academy in the opening round of the AISA state playoffs.

Tonight’s game will mark Sparta’s 14th all-time appearance in the playoffs and will be Sparta’s first playoff appearance since the 2008 season. The game will also be the fourth all-time meeting between Sparta and Restoration in football.

Hillcrest beat Monroe County, 28-12, Friday night at Tiger Stadium in Monroeville, giving the Jags a 13-8 edge in the all-time series between the two schools in football. The Jags have beat Monroe four games straight, a winning streak that goes all the way back to the 2007 season.

Tomorrow night’s game will be interesting in that it will be the first ever meeting between Hillcrest and Sidney Lanier in football. Lanier hasn’t had a winning season since 2006, but they have one of the oldest and most storied football programs in the state. Lanier fielded its first football team in 1910, and the program went on to produce such football greats as Bart Starr, Mike Raines, Tavaris Jackson and Reggie Barlow.