Randy Smith
Week number one in college football is always the easiest week to predict winners and losers. Most SEC teams were in action against lesser opponents and were big favorites. That's why I picked 14 out of 14 winners. Week number two gets a bit tougher as a few SEC teams begin league play this week.
Middle Tennessee at Alabama: MTSU coach Rick Stockstill has been at the helm of the Blue Raiders for quite a while now, and he has built a decent program.
It's really not fair to expect his team to pull off an upset of the second ranked Crimson Tide, which I'm sure nobody really does. Alabama is very, very good and with plenty of youth, should only get better as the season goes on. 'Bamas' home opener will be a lot of fun for the Blue Raider nation; at least until kickoff. Alabama 52 MTSU 14.
Toledo at Arkansas: in Little Rock; The Razorbacks have been picked all along as a real darkhorse in the SEC West, and I totally agree. Before stand out running back Jonathan Williams was lost for the year with a knee injury, the Hogs were supposed to have one of the best rushing attacks in all of college football. They still have a good one in Alex Collins, but that puts more pressure on quarterback Brandon Allen. Allen passed his first test against UTEP last week in a 48-13 win, and this week should be more of the same. Arkansas 55 Toledo 13.
Jacksonville State at Auburn: Jacksonville State is a very good FCS football team as evidenced by their big win at Chattanooga last weekend. The best thing about this game for the Gamecocks is the fat pay check they will receive after Auburn finishes with them. The Tigers still have some questions to be answered before they play their SEC opener September 19 at LSU. Theyt should answer most of them against JSU this week. Auburn 45 Jacksonville State 10.
East Carolina at Florida: New coach Jim McElwain has the Gator nation fired up after a 61-13 win over New Mexico State last weekend. East Carolina presents a much tougher challenge than the Aggies did however. Still Florida will be 2-0 when they travel to Kentucky next week for their SEC opener. It is becoming more and more apparent that former coach Will Muschamp didn't leave the cupboard as bare as was first thought. Florida 38 East Carolina 17.
Georgia at Vanderbilt: The Commodores always seem to play the Bulldogs really tough especially in Nashville. It will very likely not be that tough this season however. Vandy is not very good and Georgia is very good. The only way the Commodores can prevail against Georgia is for Nick Chubb to become deathly ill just before game time. That still wouldn't be enough though.With South Carolina looming next week in Athens, this one is probably a must for the Bulldogs. Georgia 40 Vanderbilt 14.
Kentucky at South Carolina: Gamecock fans have had this one on their radar since the Wildcats scored an upset last year. USC's opening win over North Carolina was lackluster to say the least, but it was a win. It's obvious that the Gamecocks must play better if they are going to win against Kentucky. This game is also a big test for the Wildcats who really need an SEC road win to legitimize themselves. I see an upset brewing. Kentucky 27 South Carolina 24.
LSU at Mississippi State: This is the first big SEC West match up of the season, and the cowbells will be louder than normal this week in Starkville. Both teams are 1-0 to start the season, and the Bulldogs may be playing with a chip on their shoulder because no one seems to be taking them seriously. If it comes down to quarterback play alone, MSU will win because of Dak Prescott. Though very few games are decided by simply the play of the quarterbacks, I feel this may be an exception. You can also throw in home field advantage Mississippi State 24 LSU 21.
Fresno State at Ole Miss: This week will serve as a final tune up before it gets real for both Ole Miss and Alabama. Those two teams meet next week in Tuscaloosa. I hope that the Rebels aren't looking ahead to facing the red elephants because Fresno State is good enough to cause some real problems if they are.Ole Miss completely dismantled U.T. Martin last week 76-7, but this week will not be that easy at all. Still, the Johnny Rebs should be unscathed when the final horn sounds. Ole Miss 37 Fresno State 14.
Missouri at Arkansas State: The Tigers are on the road this week playing at a good, solid program. It's not a place that most SEC teams would agree to visit, but coach Gary Pinkel agreed to face the Red Wolves in their den. Missouri is still a sleeper among SEC East teams, but they should be able to post a victory. We should know more about these Tigers after this game ends.
Missouri 27 Arkansas State 14.
Ball State at Texas A&M: The Aggies and Alabama were the only SEC teams to face ranked opponents last week. (Alabama versus #20 Wisconsin and Texas A&M versus 15th ranked Arizona State). This week the competition drops a bit as the Aggies host Ball State, as part of five straight home games. The Aggies' first three SEC games against Arkansas, Mississippi State and "Alabama are all in College Station, Texas. You can name your score in this one. Texas A&M 56 Ball State 17.
Oklahoma at Tennessee: Tennessee fans were probably a lot more hopeful about the Vols' chances against the Sooners before they saw the Tennessee defense play against Bowling Green last week. Thirty points is just too many points to surrender against a MAC team, and 557 yards in total offense was too much yardage. Maybe they were hiding something, but they need to improve drastically if they have a chance to win. Oklahoma gets an offensive play off every 21 seconds on the clock, which is amazing. It might be a good time to not match up with the Sooners in terms of tempo, but play keep away with them by using Hurd and Kamara on the ground. Coach Butch Jones knows a lot more about those things than I do however. I was tempted to pick Oklahoma in a close ball game. It will still be close but the Volunteers should get it done in front of a packed Neyland Stadium. Tennessee 44 Oklahoma 35.
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Randy Smith has been covering sports on radio, television and print for the past 45 years. After leaving WRCB-TV in 2009, he has written two books, and has continued to free-lance as a play-by-play announcer. He is currently teaching Broadcasting at Coahulla Creek High School near Dalton, Ga.
His career has included a 17-year stretch as host of the Kickoff Call In Show on the University of Tennessee’s prestigious Vol Network. He has been a member of the Vol Network staff for thirty years.
He has done play-by-play on ESPN, ESPN II, CSS, and Fox SportSouth, totaling more than 500 games, and served as a well-known sports anchor on Chattanooga Television for more than a quarter-century.
In 2003, he became the first television broadcaster to be inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Area Sports Hall of Fame. Randy and his wife Shelia reside in Hixson. They have two married children, (Christi and Chris Perry; Davey and Alison Smith.) They have four grandchildren, Coleman, Boone, DellaMae and CoraLee.