Randy Smith
SEC teams were 14-2 in the opening week of the college football season with Texas A&M and LSU the only teams that lost. I picked 15 of the 16 games correctly but things get much tougher this week.
South Florida at Alabama
The Crimson Tide showed no signs of taking a step back under new head coach Kalen DeBoer. The Tide destroyed Western Kentucky last week and this week, they host South Florida, a team they struggled with last season before claiming a 17-3 victory.
That was the game that quarterback Jalen Milroe didn't start after 'Bama had lost to Texas the week before. Things will be much different this time around. The Bulls will give Alabama a much tougher game than Western Kentucky last week, but 'Bama still wins easily.
Alabama 37 South Florida 14
Arkansas at Oklahoma State
The Razorbacks scored an easy win last week over Arkansas-Pine Bluff but the competition level gets much tougher this week. The Cowboys of Oklahoma State will be hosting the Hogs as a 7,5 point favorite and it could likely be more than that. The Cowboys are ranked 16th in the country this week while the Hogs aren't ranked. This game could be a big opportunity for Coach Sam Pittman to take some of the heat off....but I don't see it happening.
Oklahoma State 38 Arkansas 24
California at Auburn
The Tigers are a two-touchdown favorite at home against the Bears and it's still too early to tell just how good Auburn is. The Tigers were picked in the middle of the SEC pre-season poll and Coach Hugh Freeze is hoping to do much better. California is good enough to give Auburn fits, even though the Bears aren't ranked. A 73-3 win over Alabama A&M was impressive but the Bears will be much tougher. Auburn won't hang 73 on California but the Tigers will claim the win.
Auburn 33 California 21
Samford at Florida
Coach Billy Napier is really taking a lot of heat in Gainesville. A 41-14 loss to in-state rival Miami will do that for you. Let's face it: Florida just isn't a very good football team and even though the Gators should win handily this week, it's just a matter of time before Napier gets his walking papers. Florida fans are fickle after getting used to Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer's success. Other than those two legends, every coach at Florida has been a big bust.
Florida 54 Samford 17
Tennessee Tech at Georgia
The Bulldogs looked every bit as good as the number one team in the country that they are. The 'Dawgs led 14th ranked Clemson 6-0 at the half but pulled away to win big 34-3 over the out manned Tigers. While Clemson's Dabo Swinney comes to terms with his refusal to accept players from the Transfer Portal and pay them through the Name Image and Likeness program, Kirby Smart's Georgia teams will keep getting better and better. This week it will be a real cake walk for the Bulldogs. Tech lost to long time rival Middle Tennessee last week 32-25.
Georgia 50 Tennessee Tech 10
South Carolina at Kentucky
This is the first SEC game of the year and should be a pretty good one. Neither team will be a contender in the SEC this fall but the best they can hope for is to be a spoiler. The Gamecocks struggled last week before scoring a 23-19 win in Columbia. While the Carolina fan base was wishing that Spencer Rattler hadn't gone to the NFL the reality of everything is beginning to set in for South Carolina. Kentucky looked pretty impressive in beating Southern Miss 31-0. The Wildcats are favored and should get the win this week.
Kentucky 27 South Carolina 13
Nichols State at LSU
While LSU coach Brian Kelly was slamming tables and lamenting his Tigers' opening loss at Southern Cal last week, college football fans especially ones in Baton Rouge were saying, " Here we go again." It was the third straight opening loss to a good team by Kelly's Tigers and has placed the Bengals in a big hole as far as making the twelve team playoff goes. Maybe LSU should have opened with Nichols State rather than Southern Cal to get the kinks out. LSU gets the win this week.
LSU 47 Nichols State 20
Mississippi State at Arizona State
The Sun Devils are favored by about a touchdown over the Bulldogs....but Coach Jeff Lebby is hoping that his team can pull off the upset. MSU easily dispatched Eastern Kentucky last week 56-7 and I expect he played things close to his vest....in other words a complete vanilla victory. The Sun Devils, while not ranked are still a pretty good football team but this week I've got a feeling that Mississippi State gets it done.
Mississippi State 27 Arizona State 24
Middle Tennessee at Ole Miss
Coach Lane Kiffin has his team rolling and this week he faces a mediocre Middle Tennessee squad....one that had to rally to beat long time rival Tennessee Tech last week. Kiffin who has taken a completely opposite approach to the Transfer Portal than Clemson's Dabo Swinney. Kiffin landed 27 players from the Portal during the off season and he has his sights set on being a playoff team this season. This week he faces a former SEC head coach in Derek Mason who coached at Vandy but has MTSU fans all excited about the future. I hope they're not expecting too much this week however.
Ole Miss 54 Middle Tennessee 14
Buffalo at Missouri
The Tigers are ranked ninth in the country this week after dispatching Murray State 51-0 last week. In fact, the pollsters were so impressed with the Tigers' win, they moved Mizzou up to ninth in the polls, jumping defending national champion Michigan. They weren't really tested last week and they won't be tested this week either. Missouri is favored to win by 35 points over the Bulls and that's conservative. It will be more than that.
Missouri 56 Buffalo 14
Houston at Oklahoma
Speaking of big favorites....the Sooners are tabbed to win by 30 points this weekend against Houston. Coach Brent Venables' team is ranked 16th in the country and while they have yet to face an SEC team as a member of the league, the Sooners are happy to be there. They're not a big choice at all to make the playoffs but they could be right on the cusp. Oklahoma is a very good football team with just a couple of pieces away from being a great football team.
Oklahoma 40 Houston 17
Texas at Michigan
Finally.... a game that will be very competitive. The third ranked Longhorns are picked to win by a touchdown but the game is being played in the " Big House " This one should be a real classic early season showdown between two teams with eventual playoff hopes. They were both in the round of four in 2023 with the Wolverines winning it all and their fans are expecting them to be back in as the format expands to 12 teams this fall. This could be the Longhorns year and a win this week goes a long way to make it happen.
Texas 33 Michigan 24
McNeese State at Texas A&M
Coach Mike Elko is still looking for his first win with the Aggies and he will get it this weekend. A&M lost to a very good Notre Dame squad in their opener last week and while they were ranked in the top 25 in the pre season, they are realistically not in the championship mix in the SEC. The Aggies are a year or two away from that kind of season but they're going to beat some folks this fall....starting with McNeese State.
Texas A&M 37 McNeese State 13
Alcorn State at Vanderbilt
Vandy fans are still talking about the Commodores' upset win in overtime over Virginia Tech last week. Vandy was a two touchdown underdog and took a commanding 17-0 lead before the Hokies rallied to force overtime....only to lose the game 34-27 in Nashville. What does this mean you ask? It means that Vandy is better than we all thought but Commodore fans don't get that excited. It's still Vanderbilt but they will be 2-0 after this weekend.
Vanderbilt 30 Alcorn State 17
Tennessee vs N.C. State in Charlotte
The Volunteers are chomping at the bit to play another good team and this week, they get their chance. You can expect quarterback Nico Iamaleava to play the whole game this week after passing for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns in the Vols 69-3 win over Chattanooga last week. The Big Orange held nothing back and played a lot of people in that big win. Coach Josh Heupel's team is favored to win over the Wolfpack but don't expect them to lie down and take their whipping. N.C. State is a pretty good football team and won't go down without a fight. Still, Tennessee will be 2-0 when the smoke clears.
Tennessee 38 N.C. State 17
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Randy Smith can be reached at rsmithsports@epbfi.com