Standings shook up in local College Football Pick 'Em contest

The fifth weekend of our local ESPN College Football Pick ‘Em Contest wrapped up on Saturday, and this past weekend’s games caused quite a shake-up in our local standings. I went from fifth place to first place, and Steve Stacey dropped from first placed to second place. Rod Sims went from sixth placed to third place, and Robert Bozeman held on to the No. 4 spot for the third week in a row.

Drew Skipper dropped from second place to fifth place, and Eric Byrd went from ninth place to sixth place. Sharon Peacock went from eighth place to seventh place, and Travis Presley dropped from third place to eighth place. Hunter Norris jumped into the ninth-place spot, and Mark Peacock dropped from seventh place to tenth place.

If you’re participating in this contest and didn’t make the Top 10 this week, don’t sweat it. We’ve got nine more weeks to go, and we’ve got a long way to go before it’s all over with. The Top 10 will change a lot over the next two months, so keep plugging. Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

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According to this week’s SEC football schedule, there are six head-to-head games between SEC teams this Saturday. Alabama will play Arkansas at 6 p.m. in Fayetteville (ESPN), and Auburn will face Mississippi State in Starkville at 11 a.m. (SECN).

In other action Saturday, LSU will play Florida in Gainesville at 11 a.m. (ESPN), Tennessee will play Texas A&M in College Station at 2:30 p.m. (CBS), Vandy will play Kentucky in Lexington at 3 p.m. (SECN) and Georgia will play South Carolina in Columbia at 6:30 p.m. (SECN). Ole Miss and Missouri have the week off.

Here are my predictions as to how those games will turn out. I like Alabama over Arkansas, Auburn over Mississippi State, Georgia over South Carolina, Texas A&M over Tennessee, Kentucky over Vandy and LSU over Florida.

Last week: 8-0. So far this season: 44-8.

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The Atlanta Braves closed out the 2016 season with a 1-0 victory Sunday over the Detroit Tigers in their final game at Turner Field in Atlanta. Next season, the Braves will begin playing all of their home games at SunTrust Park in Cobb County, Ga.

Atlanta wrapped up the season with a 68-93 overall record and in last place in the National League East standings, despite the fact that they have a 36-29 record against division opponents. Despite their poor showing this season, Atlanta didn’t finish with the worst record in the Major League, as some predicted they would. Teams with lower overall winning percentages included the Tampa Bay Rays (68-94), the Cincinnati Reds (68-94), the San Diego Padres (68-94) and the Minnesota Twins (59-103).

The MLB playoffs were scheduled to start Tuesday with an American League Wild Card game between the Orioles and the Blue Jays. The winner of that game will advance to the American League Division Series, where they will face the Texas Rangers. The other American League Division Series, which will get going today (Thursday), will feature the Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians.

National League action was scheduled to begin Wednesday with a National League Wild Card game between the Giants and the Mets. The winner of that game will move on to the National League Division Series, where they will play the Cubs. The other National League Division Series, which will begin tomorrow (Friday), will feature the Dodgers and the Washington Nationals.