Randy Smith
It's now Football Time In Tennessee and everywhere else as well. The 2017 college football season gets underway this weekend and once again each Thursday I will make my predictions for what they're worth.
Thursday
Florida A&M at Arkansas
The Rattlers already have a game under their belts as last week they successfully opened their season with a 29-7 win over Texas Southern. This week will be a much different scenario. Arkansas is a pretty good football team and the Razorbacks should easily get past A&M.
Running back Rawleigh Williams III should have 100 yards or more before halftime.
Arkansas 44 Florida A&M 7
Alabama vs Florida State in Atlanta
This game has been touted as the greatest season opener of all time and that very well could be correct. Top-ranked Alabama facing third ranked Florida State in the brand new Mercedes Benz Stadium. This could be the first of three games this season that Alabama could play in this brand new indoor facility. 'Bama will need to take care of business if they play the second game, (SEC Championship) and the third game, (National Championship) in Atlanta. Alabama's players and coaches feel they will be playing for a national title for the third straight season and the Crimson Tide is good enough. On the other hand this Florida State squad is Jimbo Fisher's best since the Seminoles won the 2013 national crown. This game could really come down to which team's quarterback plays best. Alabama's Jalen Hurts is a bit better than FSU's Deondre Francois so while the game will live up to the hype, 'Bama will prevail.
Alabama 27 Florida State 20
Georgia Southern at Auburn
I'm sure that Coach Gus Malzahn is happy to have one game on the card before they face defending national champ Clemson on the road next week. This could be a super year for the Tigers as the only thing standing between them and the SEC Championship game is their big rival Alabama. Running back Kamryn Pettway leads the way as game one should be a cake walk.
Auburn 52 Georgia Southern 7
Florida vs Michigan in Arlington, TX
Florida coach Jim McElwain has suspended ten players for the season opener with Michigan. Two or three players might not make a difference but ten? Ten guys staying at home puts the Gators at a huge disadvantage against the Wolverines. Coach Jim Harbaugh has a very talented team but they lost some really good players from last year. That was the one area that Florida was hoping to have a big advantage in but with ten players suspended, that potential advantage went out the window. Still Florida has enough talent to keep things close.
Michigan 27 Florida 17
Appalachian State at Georgia
Last year Appalachian State went to Knoxville to face the Vols in their season opener and darn near pulled off the huge upset. Tennessee needed overtime to win which should have been an indication about how things would go the rest of the season. While App State is a really good program I'm sure that Georgia will be ready to play on Saturday. The Bulldogs enter the season with plenty of offensive weapons and ten returning starters on defense. Jacob Eason, SonyK Michel and Nick Chubb will provide enough firepower to make a huge difference.
Georgia 31 Appalachian State 10
Kentucky at Southern Mississippi
The Wildcats in recent history have gotten off to a great start, then folded like a cardboard box down the stretch. With more talent and more experience Coach Mark Stoops is hoping his Wildcats can actually finish a season. Kentucky has a tougher than normal season opener at Southern Miss against the Eagles but this not your normal Southern Miss squad. The 'Cats are favored to win and with quarterback Stephen Johnson calling the shots, this could be a memorable year in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Kentucky 34 Southern Mississippi 13
LSU vs BYU in New Orleans
This game was scheduled for Houston, TX, of course that was long before Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas Coast. I don't know if this is an advantage for the Bengal Tigers or not, but playing in their own backyard can't hurt. Coach Ed Orgeron has a very talented team; one that could very well challenge Alabama in the SEC West. The Tigers have perhaps the SEC's best running back in Derrius Guice and if quarterback Danny Etling can add consistency to the offense, LSU will be a hard team to beat.
LSU 27 BYU 17
South Alabama at Ole Miss
Things have certainly been better in Oxford, Mississippi. The Rebels are facing huge NCAA Sanctions and interim head coach Matt Luke has his hands full keeping his team above water in 2017. There is some talent left behind by fired head coach Hugh Freeze, but Ole Miss is not playing for an SEC title or even a bowl game. The opening game with South Alabama is one they can win, but victories will be few and far between for the Johnny Rebs.
Ole Miss 27 South Alabama 12
Charleston Southern at Mississippi State
Every now and then Coach Dan Mullen's Bulldogs will surprise the rest of the SEC with a much better than expected team. Coach Mullen is hoping that will be the case this season. The Bullies have a couple of soft games to open the season before they host LSU on September 16th. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation and he needs an iffy offensive line and thin receiving corp to stap up. There should be no problem in MSU being 2-0 when LSU comes to town for game three.
Mississippi State 40 Charleston Southern 14
Missouri State at Missouri
The Tigers have a potentially powerful offense returning led by quarterback Drew Lock and nine other starters returning. The defense was just awful last year, which was traditionally unheard of in Columbia. For the first time since the early 2000's Missouri is coming off of back to back losing seasons. While the 2017 Tiger squad will be better, they look nothing like the team that won back to back SEC East titles a few seasons ago. This opener should go in the win column, but game two at home versus South Carolina will be much tougher.
Missouri 47 Missouri State 17
South Carolina vs North Carolina State in Charlotte
The Gamecocks surprised a few people including Tennessee last fall, on their way to a 6-7 season and a bowl game, and it appears Coach Will Muschamp has found a solid quarterback in rising sophomore Jake Bentley. Bentley has a good supporting group around him, but he also has the SEC's worst offensive line returning as well. South Carolina has a lack of depth and athleticism on the defensive line as well, and if they fix those problems and protect Bentley they should return to a bowl game this season. Their opening opponent however is just a bit better, as the ACC looks to equal their 10-4 mark against SEC teams in 2016.
North Carolina State 30 South Carolina 21
Texas A&M at UCLA
This is a pivotal year for Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin. There are a lot of supporters in Texas that want to see Sumlin gone, so the seat remains hot. A win on the road could at least calm the storm a bit before the Aggies open SEC play in game four. They face a team that has a similar outlook to theirs in UCLA. The Bruins were a dismal 4-8 a year ago while the Aggies were at least 8-5. If Texas A&M loses at UCLA in their opener, it could be the start of a very long year in College Station. With only five starters returning on offense, the Aggies have a huge challenge ahead. In an upset......
UCLA 24 Texas A&M 21
Vanderbilt at Middle Tennessee
This has gotten to be a really big season opener in the central part of the state. Middle Tennessee has one of the top quarterbacks in the country in the coach's son Brent Stockstill. Vandy was lucky to win last year at home against the Blue Raiders and with the game being in Murfressboro this year it will be even tougher. Stockstill has plenty of talent with him on offense, and while the defense is still a bit suspect, MTSU is a pretty good football team. Vandy has a lot of questions to be answered including a lack of depth on defense and offensive consistency. Playing MTSU in your season opener is not a place you want to be with those type questions.
Middle Tennessee 37 Vanderbilt 34
Monday night
Tennessee vs Georgia Tech in Atlanta
Tennessee fans have been holding their collective breath for weeks that team 121 will be surprisingly good; maybe even good enough to challenge for the SEC East title they should have won in 2016. There is talent aplenty but player development has not been a real strength of coach Butch Jones in his first four seasons in Knoxville. Staff changes seem to be working in a positive manner so far, and if the Vols rebuilt defense can avoid the injuries they suffered through last year this could be a special team. No matter who Coach Jones picks as his starting quarterback, Quinton Dormady or Jarrett Guarantano the offense will be a solid unit. Georgia Tech's wishbone offense always gives opposing defensive coordinators fits, the Vols have had the entire off season to prepare. That;s an advantage for the Big Orange. This game is really big for both teams with the huge national audience watching on Labor Day evening.
Tennessee 30 Georgia Tech 24
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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. 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 30 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 five grandchildren, Coleman, Boone, Mattingly, DellaMae, and CoraLee.
He can be reached at rsmithsports@epbfi.com