The No.1 Crimson Tide faces another stern test in the SEC this Saturday with Lane and his 12th ranked Ole Miss Rebels invading Bryant-Denny Stadium at 2:30 PM CT on CBS. Can the Crimson Tide defense find a way to keep Matt Corral and the Rebel offense out of the end zone enough for their offense to outscore a the Rebels. Taking care of the football for both sides will be crucial as well. Coach Saban and his Tide will be severely tested.

The No.22 Auburn Tigers are on the road for an 8 PM game Saturday on the Bayou as they face the LSU Bengal Tigers in a fierce rivalry game. Saturday Night at Baton Rouge will be rockin as those LSU fans will be “Whiskey’d up” for this critical contest for both teams. Can Bryan Harsin lead his team to victory in another major challenge for him and his team. If he can pull it off, that would calm down the upheaval that has been occurring in the program after he fired his wide receivers coach last Sunday only 4 games into the season. He seems to have a no nonsense, hard-nosed approach, and it’ll be tested to the max Saturday Night.

There are some other solid matchups in the conference as No.2 Georgia hosts No.8 Arkansas, the best story not only in the SEC, but also nationally. Kirby Smart and his Bulldogs have their work cut out for them. Mississippi State travels to College Station and No.15 A&M as both teams try to get out of their collective slumps. And No.10 Florida is @UK in another vitally important SEC contest.

Another key game kickoffs Saturday Night at 6 at the new state of the art Protective Stadium here in the Magic City as the UAB Blazers open their sparkling new stadium and play host to a solid Liberty team. Bill Clark and his team secured a major victory last Saturday Night on the road at Tulane and aim to do that again this Saturday in a historic moment in UAB sports history. Probably the most important thing that’s happened in UAB sports history along with the creation of the basketball program that the great Gene Bartow led to such prominence. A lot of promise for the basketball program once again under stellar second year coach Andy Kennedy.

The national slate looks electric as well. Here are breakdowns of this week’s riveting contests along with predictions.

 

Last Week, 14-8

 

Overall, 73-25, 74%

 

No. 12 Ole Miss @No.1 Alabama

Bryant-Denny Stadium

2:30 PM CT

 CBS

 Brad, Gary, Jamie

Crimson Tide by 14 ½

 

Bryce Young has performed spectacularly for the No.1 ranked team. He’s completed 88-of-122 passes, 72%, for 1,124 yards, 15 TDs against just 1 int. Jameson Williams has been a dynamic addition to the Tide from Ohio State. He has 12 receptions for 299 yards with his long coming against Miami in game 1, a 94 yarder. He returned the opening kickoff against Southern Miss last week 100 yards and added an 83 yard house call on a kickoff later in the game. He also had a long TD catch. Alabama could be welcoming back Brian Robinson, which would enhance the running game though Roydell Williams and Jase McClellan did a nice job in his place last Saturday.

 The Tide defense will be facing the prolific Matt Corral and the Ole Miss offense. Corral is 66-of-96, 69%, for 997 yards, 9 TDs against 0 ints. Wide receiver Dontario Drummond has recorded 20 receptions on the season for 339 yards and 4 TDs. Jonathan Mingo has added 15 catches for 290 and 3 TDs. Brayton Sanders has 8 for 133 and 2 TDs. The running game is strong too with Jerrion Ealy (31-188, 1 TD) and Henry Parrish (25-176, 1 TD) and, of course, Corral, who has rushed for 158 yards and 5 TDs.

 Linebacker Henry To’o To’o and the Crimson Tide defense will be stressed out by this offense. To’o To’o leads the Tide with 26 tackles. Will Anderson has posted 24 tackles and 2 sacks for -14 yards. Both of those players will be important in trying to contain Corral and company. DeMarco Hellams, Jordan Battle and the secondary will also be under the gun. It’ll be interesting to see how Pete Golding and Coach Saban defend this offense, whether they use 5 or 6 defensive backs and have a spy like To’o To’o on Corral. Could be good strategy. It’s not totally impossible to stop them, but quite formidable.

 I do like the Crimson Tide to do well offensively. So, I’m looking at a tight game with the Crimson Tide surviving and advancing a terrific effort by Lane and his Rebs.

 

Alabama 49, Ole Miss 42

 

 

No.22 Auburn @ LSU

 Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge

 8 PM CT

 ESPN

 Tess, Gregory, Katie George

 LSU by 3 ½

 

Another major tilt on the Bayou between these 2 bitter rivals in the SEC. Will Bryan Harsin go with T.J. Finley at quarterback or revert back to Bo Nix. Finley looked good in leading Auburn back to the nerve wrecking, for AU fans, victory over Georgia State. I like Finley to get the start. He showed a lot of poise and savvy last Saturday afternoon and he knows his former team well. Bo Nix just hasn’t proven he can get it done in big games and this one is tremendously important for both teams. Sophomore Max Johnson of LSU has thrown 15 TDs against just 3 ints, and looks like he could be a star quarterback in the SEC and nationally for the next couple of years. His main target is the awesome Kayshon Boutte, who has pulled in 24 passes for 309 yards and 8 TDs. The Auburn secondary, which is 126th out of 130 in opponent pass completion percentage (73%), and 84th in pass efficiency defense, will be severely tested.

 So, it’s a matter of can the Auburn defense do enough and will Finley or Nix lead this team to a critical victory on the road. LSU leads the conference in sacks, so the Auburn O line will be challenged as well.

 The Auburn defense just hasn’t been very good. I like Johnson and the Bengal Tigers to prevail in a thriller.

 

LSU 35, Auburn 31

 

 Liberty @ UAB

 Protective Stadium, 47,000+

 6 PM CT

 CBS Sports Network

Dave Ryan, Corey Chavous

 Blazers by 2

 

The UAB Blazers open their sterling new stadium that has been the result of hard work by many people, Crafty “Derrick” O’Neal being one of them, to usher in an electric new era in sports at UAB and for the city of Birmingham. They’ll face Hugh Freeze and a challenging Flames team.

 Dylan Hopkins came in to take the place of injured Tyler Johnston III and has been stellar. Hopkins has completed 29 of 39 passes, 74%, for 501 yards, 7 TDs against only 1 int. DeWayne McBride has rushed for 171 yards and a TD, and Jermaine Brown Jr. has added 165 yards and a TD. Gerrit Prince has caught 13 passes for 269 yards and 5 TDs. Will Boler leads the defense with 20 tackles and Deshaun Oliver Jr. has a sack for -13 yards.

 It’s a solid offense and defense. The defense will be tested by Liberty quarterback Malik Willis, the Auburn transfer. Willis has completed 63-of-88 passes, 72%, for 818 yards, 10 TDs against 0 ints. He has also rushed for 274 yards and 4 TDs. He’s a load to stop. So Boler, Oliver Jr. and stellar safety Kristopher Moll will be severely challenged.

 This is a tremendous opportunity for the Blazers to make their mark not only in Birmingham and throughout the state, but also on the national stage. I like them and the partisan 47,000 UAB faithful to get the job done and keep cementing a remarkable legacy and possibly enter the Top 25 next week.

 

UAB 27, Liberty 24

 

 

No. 8 Arkansas @No.2 Georgia

 Sanford Stadium, Athens

 11 AM CT

 ESPN

 Chris, Kirk, Holly

 Dawgs by 18 ½

 

Georgia has been lights out good this year and J.T. Daniels is the man under center. He’s solidified the Georgia offense. The defense is beyond spectacular. But Arkansas is not intimidated. Sam Pittman has his Hogs believing they can knock off anybody on any given Saturday. I like Georgia to prevail late, but in a hard fought, classic SEC battle.

 

Georgia 27, Arkansas 17

 

 

Other SEC Games

 

No.10 Florida 34, Kentucky 31

 Kroger Field, Lexington

 5 PM CT

 ESPN

Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, Kris Budden

 Gators by 8

I like an extremely hard-fought SEC battle in Lexington. Kentucky is almost at the level where they can knock off Florida. Maybe not Georgia this year, but they have a real shot at home. I’ll take the Gators barely.

 

No.15 Texas A&M 28, Mississippi State 24

 Kyle Field, College Station

 6 PM CT

 SEC Network

Tom, Jrodg, Cole

 Aggies by 7

 

I like State to put a scare into the Aggies, which really need to get it together before the Crimson Tide invades Kyle Field next Saturday at 7 PM CT on CBS.

 

 

Missouri 34, Tennessee 30

 Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field, Columbia, MO.

 11 AM CT

 SEC Network

Dave Neal, Deuce McCallister, Andraya Carter

 Mizzou by 3

 I like Mizzou to escape barely at home.

 

 

South Carolina 27, Troy 24

 Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbus, S.C.

 2:30 PM CT

 SEC Network

Taylor Zarzour, Stinch, Alyssa Lang

 Gamecocks by 7

 Almost took the upset here because South Carolina is rebuilding under first year coach Shane Beamer and Troy is a giant killer, but I’ll take the Gamecocks to survive.

 

 

Vanderbilt 31, Connecticut 17

 Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville

 6:30 PM CT

 ESPNU

Brian Custer, Kelly Stouffer

 Dores by 14 ½

 

I like the Commodores to emerge victorious this week and try to gain some momentum heading into some more brutal SEC contests.

 

 No.7 Cincinnati 31, No. 9 Notre Dame 27

 Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend

 1:30 PM CT

NBC

Tirico, Drew

 Cincy by 1 ½

 I see Cincy as a little bit tougher than the Fighting Irish.

 

 

No.3 Oregon 34, Stanford 31

 Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, CA.

 2:30 PM CT

 ABC

Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore, Stormy Buonantony

 Ducks by 8

 I look for the Ducks to be taken to the wire by the Cardinal, but to survive and advance in the playoff picture.

 

 

Friday

 Maryland 30, Iowa 28

 Maryland Stadium, College Park, MD.

 7 PM CT

 Fox Sports 1

Timmy B, Spencer Tillman

 Iowa by 3

 I like Taulia Tagovailoa and his Terps to pull off the upset. Taulia is a superb quarterback, just like his brother, if Tua can stay healthier.

 

 Saturday

 

No.6 Oklahoma 34, Kansas State 31

 Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas, the Little Apple

 2:30 PM CT

 FOX

Aaron Goldsith, Brock Huard

 OU by 10 ½

 Sooners barely scrape by a tough opponent in a hostile environment. Quarterback Spencer Rattler needs to improve dramatically if the Sooners want to have a successful season and make the playoff.

 

 No.4 Penn State 34, Indiana 20

 Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA.

 6:30 PM CT

 ABC

Sean McDonough, Todd, Molly McGrath

 Nittany Lions by 12 ½

 Penn State keeps their Big Ten title and Playoff hopes cookln.

 

 No.11 Ohio State 35, Rutgers 24

 SHI Stadium Piscataway, N.J.

 2:30 PM CT

 Big Ten Network

Brandon Gaudin, James Laurinaitis, Rick Pizzo

 Buckeyes by 15

 Ohio State has an uphill climb to reach the playoff, and this will be a test for them as Rutgers Coach Greg Schiano has his team believing they can knock off the big boys in the Big Ten.

 

 

No. 19 Oklahoma State 37, No. 21 Baylor 30

 Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwate, OK.

 6 PM CT

 ESPN2

Mark Jones, Robert Griffin III, Quint Kessenich

 OK State by 3 ½

 Trust the Pokes at home.

 

 No. 14 Michigan 27, @ Wisconsin 20

 Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI.

 11 AM CT

 FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny

 Wisconsin by 1 ½

 I don’t know why this would be an upset. Michigan has been pretty good, and Wisconsin has been a total disappointment. Michigan has not proven just yet that they belong in the upper echelon of college football, but this could tell us more about them. It’s on the road in Camp Randall, so a challenge.

 

 

No.25 Clemson 28, Boston College 17

 Memorial Stadium, Clemson

 6:30 PM CT

 ACC Network

Dave O’Brien, Tim Hasselbeck, Kelsey Riggs

 Clemson by 14 ½

 Clemson is a long way from being an elite team let alone a good team let . They’ve got a good defense, but the offense has been a catastrophe.

 

 

Friday

 No.13 BYU 27, Utah State 21

 Maverik Stadium, Logan, Utah

 8 PM CT

 CBS Sports Network

Rich Waltz, Aaron Taylor, Jenny Dell

 BYU by 8 ½

 Still a believer in the Cougars, but this is a tough road game for them.

 

 

Saturday

 No. 20 UCLA 35, Arizona State 31

 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA.

 9:30 PM CT

 Fox Sports 1

Chris Myers, Mark Helfrich

 Bruins by 3 ½

 This should be an awesome game in the PAC-12 after Dark.

 

 No.18 Fresno State 45, @Hawaii 34

 10 PM CT

CBS Sports Network

Noah Eagle, Aaron Murray

 Fresno State by 10 ½

 Like the Bulldogs to keep advancing at a chance to play in a New Year’s Six Bowl. Not out of the question. Certainly, an excellent season in store for this riveting offensive team that plays pretty good defense as well.

 

Tonight

 Virginia 28, Miami 23

 Hard Rock Stadium, South Beach

 6:30

 ESPN

Matt Barrie, Roddy Jones, Harry Lyles Jr.

 Miami by 5 ½

 Give me the ‘Hoos in the upset.

TCU 38, Texas 35

Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth

11 AM CT

ABC

Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Lugues

Texas by 4

Frogs pull off the upset.

UNC 52, Duke 28

Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill

11 AM CT

ESPN2

Mike Morgan, Kirk Morrison, Dawn Davenport

UNC by 20

No.24 Wake Forest 35, Louisville 31

Truist Field, Winston-Salem, N.C.

11:30 AM CT

ESPN3

Tom Werme, James Bates, Lauren Jbara

Wake by 7

No. 16 Coastal Carolina 49, LA Monroe 14

Brooks Stadium, Conway, S.C.

1:30 PM CT

ESPN+

Jeff McCarragher, Nate Ross

Coastal by 34 1/2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pride of Tuskegee, Alabama and the pride of Charleston, South Carolina in this classic Commodores song. Below that our Tuskegee hero and a famous Delhi, Louisiana native with another Commodores classic. Have an awesome weekend with football, golf, whatever you decide.

The 43rd Ryder Cup

Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin, 7,390 yards, Par 71, Pete and Alice Dye architects.

Defending champion, Europe, won 17 1/2-10 1/2 at Le Golf National in France.

Format

Foursomes Friday and Saturday AM, alternate shot with one player teeing off on odd holes and the other teeing off on even holes.

Four Ball, Friday and Saturday PM. All 4 players play their respective balls with the lowest score on either side the winner of the hole.

Sunday, 12 singles matches. Should be electric.

If there is a tie at the end of 18, each side gets a half point.

Weather, Friday, 75, mostly sunny, wind SW 13. Saturday, 67, Sunny, Wind W 14. Sunday, Partly Sunny, 72, Wind WSW 11.

TV, Friday, 7 AM-6 PM CT, Golf Channel. Saturday, 7-8 AM CT, Golf. 8 AM-6 PM, NBC. Sunday, 11 AM-5 PM CT, NBC.

Captains, U.S. Steve “Here come those tears again,” Stricker. Big cryer.

Europe, Padraig Harrington.

U.S. Roster with experience in Ryder Cup play.

Collin Morikawa, Rookie, Dustin Johnson, 5th Ryder Cup, Bryson DeChambeau, 2nd, Brooks Koepka, 3rd, Justin Thomas , 2nd, Patrick Cantlay, Rookie, Tony Finau, 2nd, Xander Schauffele, Rookie, Jordan Spieth, 4th, Harris English, Rookie, Daniel Berger, Rookie, Scottie Scheffler, Rookie.

Euro, Joh Rahm, 2nd, Tommy Fleetwood, 2nd, Tyrrell Hatton, 2nd, Bernd Wiesberger, Rookie, Rory McIlory, 6th, Viktor Hovland, Rookie, Paul Casey, 5th, Matt Fitzpatrick, 2nd, Lee Westwood, 11th, Shane Lowry, Rookie, Sergio Garcia, 10th, Ian Poulter, 7th.

Average age of the U.S. team is 29.1 while Europe is 34.6

Some interesting facts. Whistling Straits is a Links Course on Lake Michigan about an hour north of Milwaukee. Milwaukee is challenging Champa Bay for championships with the Bucks winning the NBA Championship and the Brewers looking very strong heading into the MLB Playoffs, and the Packers looking like they’re getting their usual stellar form going again after a stong showing over the Lions on Monday Night Football. Jake from State Farm sure is proud.

It’ll be windy. To me, that favors the Euros who play in that all the time though the Texans, Spieth and Scheffler, are used to it as well.

There are 967 bunkers on Whistling Straits. Dustin Johnson forgot about one in 2010 and it cost hm the PGA Championship won by Martin Kaymer.

Like the veterans on the Euro team, Lee Westwood at 48, Ian Poulter at 45, and Sergio at 41. All excellent Ryder Cup players. Sergio has the most points all time of any Ryder Cup player with 25.

Justin Thomas is a hoss in match play going 12-3-3 in his career which includes The Ryder Cup, the President’s Cup and the Palmer Cup, the U.S.-Europ amateur competition.

Prediction

When Ronald Reagan was running for re-election in 1984 against Democrat Walter Mondale, Mondale said in the debate that Reagan was too old. The Old Guy’s response was,

“I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.” Reagan won in a landslide.

The U.S. has six rookies on its team. The Euros have the cagey veterans in Westwood, Poulter and Garcia, and you throw that in with World No.1 Rahm, Rory, an excellent Cup player, and the electric Viktor Hovland along with some other stellar competitors in Fleetwood, Hatton and Lowry. Justin Leonard said on the Golf Channel last night on Live From the Ryder Cup, that “how do you predict the most unpredictable sport (along with horse racing), in the most unpredictable event on one of the most unpredictable courses? It’s like being the mechanic of the Titanic.”

But I’m here to make predictions, so that is what I’m going to do. It may be considered unpatriotic to pick against the U.S., but it’s my patriotic duty as a sportswriter to say what I honestly believe. The U.S, has only won 2 Ryder Cups in the last 20 years, 2008 and 2016. The Euros just seem hungrier every time out. I like Rahm, Rory and the vets on the Euro team to prevail in a “major” upset.

Europe 14 1/2, U.S. 13 1/2

The No.1 Crimson Tide travels to the Swamp to take on the No.11 Florida Gators at 2:30 PM Saturday on CBS. Can Bryce Young and the offense put together a complete game against the Gators like they did against Miami, but that they didn’t do against an overmatched, talen- wise, but scrappy Mercer team. Florida has 2 athletic quarterbacks to challenge the Alabama defense, so can the Bama D corral Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson. I’ll answer those questions below.

The No.22 Auburn Tigers, fresh off a pair of blowout victories against much inferior teams, plays a real football team this Saturday Night in the Penn State Nittany Lions. Can the Tigers, under Bryan Harsin and a new regime, pull off the upset in front of almost 107,000 fans at Beaver Stadium in State College, PA.

Will discuss both games along with the rest of the SEC’s games inter-conference and out of conference schedule. Also, key national games on the docket on Saturday as well. Will predict those contests additionally.

Here’s a look at this week’s compelling slate.

Last week: 17-7

Overall: 38-14, 73%

No.1 Alabama (2-0) @ No.11 Florida (2-0)

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, 88,548

2:30 PM CT

CBS

Brad, Gary, Jamie

Bama by 14 1/2

The Crimson Tide looked stellar in week 1 ,but not so much in week 2. I’d compare this year’s team and last year’s team to a Volvo and a Ferrari. This year’s team is solid and has potential, while last year’s team was terrific all season long. Can this team become a Ferrari? Yes, if Bryce Young can develop into an elite quarterback, and the defense keeps getting better, though the loss of Christopher Allen for the year to a severe foot injury and now a hobbled Will Anderson puts a little more pressure on the defense particularly the young guys who will take their spots, though Will Anderson could very well be available on Saturday. Drew Sanders, Chris Braswell and Dallas Turner were all highly ranked players coming into Tuscaloosa and have looked pretty solid so far, particularly Sanders. The Tide defense will be tested by the dual quarterback system that Dan Mullen is employing. Mullen talks like he’s set on Emory Jones as his starter. Jones has completed 63% of his passes with 2 TDs, but 4 ints. Richardson is a spectacular looking freshman who has thrown for 2 TDs against 0 ints, and has rushed for 2 TDs, including an 80 yarder against South Florida last Saturday. But Richardson is bothered by hamstring soreness from last week, so Jones could be used a lot more. Mullen is keeping it close to the vest. Florida’s defense will get after the quarterback as defensive coordinator Todd Grantham likes to bring a lot of pressure. Defensive end Zachary Carter has 3 sacks on the season for -23 yards. So left tackle Evan Neal and the line will be tested.

Then you have the nearly 89,000 fans at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium which will be a major factor. They may say that the Georgia-Florida game is the largest outdoor cocktail party in the country, but every game in the Swamp is a party for these “elite” revelers. So it’ll be intensely loud.

With all that said, it’ll be a competitive game for a while, but I like the Crimson Tide to pull away towards the end. Give me Saban and his Tide in Gainesville. Jordan Battle gets a pick 6 off Jones.

Alabama 42, Florida 24

No.22 Auburn (2-0) @ No. 10 Penn State (2-0)

Beaver Stadium, State College, PA. 106,572

6:30 PM CT

ABC

Chris, Kirk, Holly

Penn State by 5

The gamblers are bullish on a very close game here and I believe them. The key to me is how well will Bo Nix handle the intensity of Happy Valley on a Saturday Night. I like Auburn to keep it close and highly competitive, and if it was at Auburn, I’d pick the Tigers. But I’ll take the Nittany Lions by a field goal in a stellar game Saturday Night.

Penn State 24, Auburn 21

Other SEC games

No.2 Georgia 42, South Carolina 7

Sanford Stadium, Athens

6 PM CT

ESPN

Sean McDonough, Todd, Molly McGrath

GA. by 32

Like the Dawgs to keep on rolling after annihilating UAB last Saturday. The biggest question mark for Georgia is who will be their quarterback , Stetson Bennett or J.T, Daniels, Daniels returns from a soulder injury. I like Bennett, but knowing Kirby Smart, he’ll probably make the wrong quarterback decision again and go with Daniels, who is so immobile, Lizzo can beat him in the 40.

No.17 Ole Miss 42, Tulane 31

Vaught-Hemingway, Oxford

7 PM CT

ESPN2

Anish Schroff, Mike Golic Jr. Taylor McGregor

Ole Miss by 14

I like Lane and Matt Corrall to do well, but Tulare is a scrappy, hard-nosed team that took Oklahoma to the wire 2 weeks ago, losing 40-35 but coming within a half yard on a 15 yard quarterback run from getting into serious touchdown/upset territory. I like the Green Wave to give the Rebels some trouble.

No.7 A&M 35, New Mexico 3

Kyle Field, College Station

11 AM CT

SEC Network

Taylor Zarzour, Stinch, Alyssa Lang

A&M by 30

The Aggies really struggled @ Colorado last Saturday, surviving 10-7. Backup quarterback Zach Calzado played OK last Saturday in relief of ineffective Haynes King, who hurt his ankle. It remains to be seen if Calzado is the answer. King looked like he had a long way to go anyway before he got hurt. They should be fine at home this Saturday but going forward they’re a question mark.

Arkansas 35, Georgia Southern 7

Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville

3 PM CT

SEC Network

Dave Neal, Deuce McCallister, Andraya Carter

Ark by 23

Arkansas looks for real after blowing Sarkisian’s and Texas’s doors off last Saturday Night.

Mississippi State 28, Memphis 24

Liberty Bowl, Memphis

3 PM CT

ESPN2

Beth Mowins, Kirk Morrison, Dawn Davenport

State by 3 1/2

State looked impressive at home against N.C. State last week. This is on the road, but there will be plenty of Cow Bells in Memphis.

Kentucky 45, Chattanooga 0

Kroger Field, Lexington

11 AM CT

SEC Network+

Mike Morgan, Paul Hartsock, Paul Carcaterra

KY by 31

Penn State transfer Will Levis is doing an excellent job under center for Mark Stoops and the Wildcats. C.J. Rodriguez Jr. is a stellar running back.

Stanford 28, Vanderbilt 21

Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville

7 PM CT

ESPNU

Clay Matvick, Rocky Boiman, Tiffany Blackmon

Stanford by 12

I would love to pick my Commodores after their super comeback victory over Colorado State last Saturday Night. Man, that was a late one. I’ll take the Cardinal in a close one though I don’t trust David Shaw and I’m starting to get more bullish on Clark Lea even though it’s a tall order at Vanderbilt.

LSU 31, Central Michigan 7

Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network

Tom Hart, Jrodg, Cole

LSU by 19 1/2

@Missouri 49, Southeast Missouri State 7

11 AM CT

SC Network+

Roy Philpott, Dave Steckel, Smacker Miles

MIzzou by 34

@Tennessee 45, Tennesse Tech 3

11 AM CT

SEC Network+

Kevin Brown, Hutson Mason, Abby Labar

UT by 41

No.3 @Oklahoma 45, Nebraska 34

11 AM CT

FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny

OU by 22 1/2

No.8 Cincinnati 35, @Indiana 28

11 AM CT

ESPN

Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek. Lugues

Cincy by 4

Purdue 34, @No.12 Notre Dame 31

1:30 PM CT

NBC

Tirico, Breesy, Kathryn Tappen

Irish by 7

No.16 Coastal Carolina 34, @Buffalo 17

11 AM CT

ESPN2

Brian Custer, Kelly Stouffer, Lauren Sisler

Coastal by 13 1/2

@West Virginia 30, No. 15 Virginia Tech 27

11 AM CT

Fox Sports 1

Cory Provous, Devin Gardner

West VA. by 2 1/2

Michigan State 30, @No.24 Miami (FL) 28

11 AM CT

ABC

Tess. Gregory, Katie George

Miami by 6

No.9 @Ohio State 38, Tulsa 27

2:30 PM CT

Fox Sports 1

Timmy B, Spencer

Ohio State by 24 1/2

Virginia 30, @No. 21 UNC 28

6:30 PM CT

ACC Network

Dave O’Brien, Tim Hasselbeck, Kelsey Riggs

UNC by 8

@No.23 BYU 28, No. 19 Arizona State 24

9:15 PM CT

ESPN

Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore, Stormy Buonantony

Zona State by 3 1/2

Fresno State 38, @No.13 UCLA 35

9:45 PM CT

PAC-12 Network

Ted Robinson, Yogi Roth

UCLA by 11

Friday

Louisville 34, Central Florida 31

Cardinal Stadium, Louisville

6:30 PM CT

ESPN

Jason Benetti, Andre, Paul Carcaterra

UCF by 7

Maryland 35, Illinois 27

Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Ill.

8 PM CT

Fox Sports 1

Alex Faust, Petros Papadakis

Terps by 7

What a job by Clark and the staff and our players Saturday Night at Fort Collins, Colorado in a 24-21 victory fueled by great passing by sophomore quarterback Ken Seals, incredible plays in the receiving game by seniors Cam Johnson and Chris Pierce Jr. and our defense, which really stepped it up starting in the second quarter.

Alabama transfer kicker Joseph Bolivas sealed it for us with a clutch 38 yard field goal with 19 seconds left. Just a superb effort.

After the tough 23-3 loss to East Tennessee State the week before, the team had to dig deep when we got into a 14-0 hole to the Rams Saturday Night. And that’s exactly what we did. A beautiful interception by Jaylen Mahoney, a partially blocked punt by Allan George and Seals finding Cam and Chris for TD passes and Seals adding a TD run along with Joseph’s kick were the difference makers.

Junior linebacker Anfernee Orji led the way for our defense with 13 tackles followed by our other stellar inside backer sophomore Ethan Barr, who posted 11. Harrison Smith averaged 46 yards on his punts and hit one for 66 yards. Harrison was highly instrumental in the victory.

Just overall a tremendous effort by the team to move to 1-1 on the season. It had been 11 games since our last victory over Missouri in November of 2019, so it was a surreal moment almost. The players and all Vandy Nation were ecstatic and the Vandy Nation is so proud of Clark and the players.

I was a little hard on the team on my all sports predictions blog last Thursday and I regret it. No more of that. I apologize to the players and coaches and that won’t happen again.

Just proud to be a Commodore and so proud for Clark, the coaches and our players. Next up is Stanford at 7 PM CT Saturday at Vanderbilt Stadium on ESPNU. Huge challenge versus another stellar university that can play some pretty good football and blasted USC last Saturday Night at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, 42-28, and cost USC Coach Clay Helton his job, though USC fans had been running out of patience with Helton for a while. So, it’ll be tough, but after last Saturday Night in Fort Collins, I like our chances. Stanford is an 11 point favorite, but we’ll be charged up, re-energized and ready to go. Anchor Down Commodore Nation and let’s get this done Saturday Night at home. Super comeback victory at CSU.

The Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers had very impressive game 1 performances. The Tide looked once again like the best team in the country after one week. A lot of season left, but Bryce Young picked up where Mac Jones left off and led his team to a convincing 44-13 victory over Miami.

Young completed 27-of-38 passes for 344 yards and 4 TDs with TD strikes of 37 yards to John Metchie, 9 yards and 25 yards to emerging superstar tight end Cameron Latu. And another emerging superstar, Ohio State transfer Jameson Williams, caught a perfectly thrown spiral from Young and took it 94 yards to the house. The defense was terrific even though it took a blow losing All American outside linebacker Christopher Allen most likely for the season with a severe foot injury. But, overall, no Mac, Najee or DeVonta, no problem. The machine that is the Crimson Tide keeps cookin. There are 13 or 14 more weeks left and a lot to be decided, but the early prognosis is stellar for the No.1 ranked team in college football in 2021.

The Auburn Tigers played well albeit against one of the worst teams in FBS, the Akron Zips, in a 60-10 blowout victory. Bo Nix looked poised and confident completing 20-of-22 passes for 276 yards with 2 touchdowns. Tank Bigsby, one of the 2 awesome names on the Tigers to go along with stellar safety Smoke Monday, raced for 119 yards and 2 TDs, a 32 yarder and a 1 yard score. Shaun Shivers was excellent in his backup tailback role as he took a pass from Nix and ran 19 yards for a TD. He added a 26 yard TD run in the third quarter. Jarquez Hunter, a freshman running back, added 110 yards on 9 carries, so he looks capable.

The Auburn defense was swarming the field. But with all that said, it was Akron, so not a very strong barometer on the Tigers.

This week the Tide hosts Mercer and the Tigers host Alabama State. Both teams look to hone their skills for next Saturday, 9-18, as the Crimson Tide makes a major road trip to Gainesville to face the Gators at 2:30 PM CT on CBS, and the Tigers trek up to Happy Valley to face the Nittany Lions of Penn State at 6:30 PM CT on ABC. Penn State defeated Wisconsin at Wisconsin last Saturday in an impressive defensive effort along with some explosive offensive plays in the second half. They face Ball State at home in a tune up game as they await the Tigers next Saturday. The Gators defeated Florida Atlantic 35-14 last Saturday and didn’t look overly impressive doing it. Quarterback Emory Jones Jr. has a lot to improve on in the passing game. The Gators play at South Florida this week in what will be a tune up for the Crimson Tide.

Goats of the Week, and I don’t mean Greatest of All Time. Brady, Saban, Belichick, John Wooden barely over Coach K, MJ, not Lebrick, Hank Aaron, barely over Wille Mays, Roberto Clemente, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth and Pete Rose, and Jack Nicklaus over Tiger Woods due to the complete Nicklaus package of winning 18 majors to Woods 15 with inferior equipment, tougher competition, and high character compared to low character. Not that type of GOAT. I mean worst coaching jobs last week and maybe all season.

1. Mack Brown, North Carolina, Had 3 timeouts and a minute and a half to tie Virginia Tech. Down 17-10, he didn’t use one of his timeouts during the drive, even on fourth down. With the clock at 45 seconds and winding down on fourth and 10, Brown just let it go and his quarterback, Sam Howell, was about to be sacked and winged the ball about 8 yards with no hope. The ball was intercepted and the game was over. Not bad coaching, pathetic coaching on Brown’s part. Always been a good recruiter, but looked like a pretty substandard coach last Friday Night.

2. Mike Norvell, Florida State Just as bad maybe worse. He started the wrong quarterback, Jordan Travis, a redshirt sophomore, who had a few moments, but threw 3 interceptions and put his team in a 38-20 hole in the second half against Notre Dame. His helmet came off on a play, so Norvell inserted McKenzie Milton, the former Central Florida great, who showed in the spring game that he’s still got it. He brought the team back tying the game at 38 and taking it into overtime. FSU got the ball first and failed to get a first down with what looked like a third down sack of Milton, which made the field goal attempt a 51 yarder for redshirt freshman Ryan Fitzgerald. Just as Fitzgerald was kicking the ball, Norvell called timeout to challenge the call of a sack on Milton. The kick went through the uprights, but was meaningless as Norvell took the timeout to stop play. The replay ref reversed the call and put the ball back at the 24 making the kick a 41 yarder. Fitzgerald missed to the left. Norvell iced his own kicker. Wow, was that some spectacularly bad coaching. I can see him reviewing it, but not right as his kicker is kicking the ball. Bryan Kelly survived 41-38 and said he wanted to “execute” his players afterwards. He was trying to imitate former USC Coach John McKay, who said back in the 70’s when asked about his team’s execution in the game, he said, “I’m in favor of it.” It was funny when McKay said it, I have read the quote, but Kelly is just not a funny guy and it didn’t come off well. Of course, he was telling everybody to lighten up, but it was kind of like Phil MIckelson telling golf fans to “get over it” when he hit the ball with his putter as it was rolling off the green in the U.S, Open a few years back. That didn’t come across well either. So even though Kelly won the game against malfunctioning coaching, I’d make him a goat for his comments.

Here are this week’s previews and predictions.

Last week, 21-8, 75%

****Please keep your thoughts on our fallen countrymen and women on Saturday. It’ll be 20 years since 9/11 when the senseless Al Qaeda attack on American soil tragically killed 2,977 Americans. We should never forget this day and our fellow Americans who lost their lives on this sad day in American history. And we should always take a strong stand against people who threaten our values and democracy.****

Mercer @ No.1 Alabama

Bryant-Denny Stadium

3 PM CT

SEC Network

Tom Hart, JRodg, Cole

Bama by 54 1/2

Well, what do you say about this matchup. Just that it’s a tuneup for Gainesville and a lot of players will get to play. Mercer sounds like more of a Citadel like team that likes to run it a lot. Just a chance for Bryce Young, his wide receivers, Brian Robinson and the running backs, and Evan Neal and the offensive line to get better. Same for the defense. Henry To’o To’o looks like a stellar addition to the Crimson Tide defense. The transfer from Tennessee fits right in and could be a dominating player as the season keeps progressing. A lot of players will play. Good chance for Paul Tyson and freshman Jalen Milroe to get reps under center and plenty of backups to get reps. But it’s an important game for the Crimson Tide to keep improving as they matriculate to week 3 @ the Gators.

Bama 55, Mercer 3

Alabama State @ No.25 Auburn

Jordan-Hare Stadium

11 AM CT

SEC Network

Dave Neal, Deuce McCallister, love the ex Saint, Andraya Carter

Auburn by 51 1/2

Same thing for Auburn as Alabama, improving. Bo Nix might just play one half, same with Tank and other starters. Need to keep developing at wide receiver and O line. Major challenge next week, so both sides of the ball will need to perform well to get ready for Happy Valley.

Auburn 59, Alabama State 3

UAB @No.2 Georgia

Sanford Stadium, Athens

2:30 PM CT

ESPN2

Mark Jones, Robert Griffin III, (RG3? interesting), Quint Kessenich

Dawgs by 24 1/2

Now this game has gotten very interesting with the Blazers winning impressively over Jax State last Wednesday, 31-0, and the Dawgs showing elite defense, but substandard offense against Clemson in a 10-3 victory in Charlotte. More problems for Georgia are injuries at wide receiver and also COVID issues on the team that could sideline 3 or 4 players this Saturday. So, the Blazers have a shot to make this very interesting. I’ll take Georgia, but I expect UAB to give them everything they want.

Just in: UAB defensive lineman Tylen Kiere Jones was just booked on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge. Looks like there could some character and discipline issues on the UAB team.

Georgia 42, UAB 17

No.5 Texas A&M @ Colorado

Empower Field at Mile High, Denver

2:30 PM CT

FOX

A&M by 17

A&M quarterback Haynes King threw 3 interceptions against Kent State last week in a 41-10 Aggies victory. It wasn’t an overly impressive performance. King will have to improve markedly for A&M to be a serious contender in the SEC. I see him getting a little better this week, but A&M still trying to find their identity, particularly at quarterback.

A&M 35, Colorado 20

No.15 Texas @ Arkansas

Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville

6 PM CT

ESPN

Tess, Gregory, Katie George

Texas by 6 1/2

Sark has a chance to be very successful in Austin even though he faces the frustrations of dealing with the Texas multimillionaire boosters, who are like Jerry Jones on performance enhancers. Ignoring the meddlers is a big part of the job, but Sark looks like he could be the man there. Arkansas defeated Rice last Saturday, 38-17, at home, but I like Texas to have their way Saturday Night.

Texas 31, Arkansas 21

Missouri @ Kentucky

Kroger Field, Lexington

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network

Taylor Zarzour, Stinch, Alyssa Lang

KY by 5 1/2

I believe in Kentucky. Can they dethrone Georgia or Florida? I like them to have a shot if Georgia keeps up their offensive ineptness and Florida quarterback Emory Jones III doesn’t improve dramatically. I like them to take care of business over an overconfident Eli Drinkwitz and his Missouri Tigers.

Kentucky 35, Mizzou 28

Austin Peay @ No. 20 Ole Miss

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network+

Ole Miss by 33 1/2

Despite a couple of targeting penalties, there were 5 in the game and all were accurate calls, the Rebels and quarterback Matt Corrall were sensational in game 1 versus Louisville in Atlanta in a 43-24 victory. If their defense can keep this up, who knows, the Rebels could be looking at a double digit victory season under Lane in his second year. He’ll be on the sideline this Saturday, but they didn’t miss a beat without him. I’m sure they will welcome him back though.

Ole Miss 55, Austin Peay 10

No. 13 Florida @ South Florida

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa

12 PM CT

ABC

Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, Kris Budden

Florida by 28

I like Emory Jones III and the Gators to improve this week, though it may not be enough to put up a strong fight with the Crimson Tide next Saturday. They’ll have to make major strides this week.

Florida 45, South Florida 14

Pittsburgh @ Tennessee

Neyland Stadium, Knoxville

11 AM CT

ESPN

Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Lugues

Pitt by 3 1/2

Josh Huepel has his work cut out for him at Rocky Top. He gets a rude awakening by Pat Narduzzi and his Panthers.

Pittsburgh 31, Tennessee 27

N.C. State @ Mississippi State

Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville

6 PM CT

ESPN2

Anish Shroff, Mike Golic Jr. Taylor McGregor

Wolfpack by 2

The Wolfpack has a very good running game with 2 backs running for over 100 yards last week in a 45-0 victory over South Florida. Mississippi State just survived LA Tech at home, 35-34. I’ll take the Wolfpack in what is not considered an upset, but seems like it would be.

N.C. State 31, MS. State 28

McNeese @ LSU

Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge

7 PM CT

ESPN+

LSU by 34 1/2

Ed Orgeron’s job security is getting shakier and shakier by the game. His team got embarrassed by a UCLA team that looks for real last Saturday. But they were outplayed, out-physicaled, out-everythinged and looked poorly coached. Orgeron needs to get it together quickly or it could be curtains for him at the end of the season. Maybe even before that.

LSU 42, McNeese 6

South Carolina @ East Carolina

Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, N.C.

11 AM CT

ESPN 2

Brian “Little Bighorn” Custer, Kelly Stouffer, Lauren Sisler

SC by 2

Shane Beamer may be getting an education in SEC football this fall. I see the teaching starting Saturday Night in Greenville.

East Carolina 27, South Carolina 24

Vanderbilt @ Colorado State

Canvas Stadium, Fort Collins, Colorado

9 PM CT

CBS Sports Network

CSU by 7

Clark Lea could be another failed experiment at Vanderbilt. A man who went to Vanderbilt told me several years ago that he had become a Tennessee fan and that Vandy was a “graveyard for coaches.” I hope he’s not right, but it’s looking that way. Clark Lea failed abysmally last Saturday Night in a 23-3 loss to East Tennessee State. East Tennessee State? Are you kiddin me? it’ll be another long night for the Commodores in Fort Collins.

Colorado State 31, Vandy 23

National Games

Ohio State 44, Oregon 28

Ohio Stadium, Columbus

11 AM CT

FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny Taft

OSU by 14 1/2

I want to think that Oregon can keep up with Ohio State, but just not seeing it. The Buckeyes look prolific on offense, but questionable on defense. Benefited from a pathetic missed targeting call by the Reggie Smith- led Big Ten officiating crew in a critical play @ Minnesota last Thursday Night. Really won the game for the Buckeyes and was robbery for Minnesota. The Smith crew should have been called out more for it. Really terrible job of officiating.

Iowa 21, Iowa State 20

Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, Iowa

3:30 PM CT

ABC

Rece, Kirk, Holly, Chris Fowler still calling U.S. Open tennis. Rece is a more than capable substitute.

Iowa State by 4 1/2

Give me the Hawkeyes in a road upset. Going for their 6th in a row over Iowa State and Kirk Ferentz aiming to improve his record against Matt Campbell to 6-0.

No. 4 Oklahoma 52, Western Carolina 3

Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK.

6 PM CT

Pay per view

Oklahoma by 46 1/2

The Sooners were almost embarrassed by a very solid Tulane team last Saturday that was recovering from Hurricane Ida and had to play on the road instead of at home. The Sooners survived 40-35, but still show signs of questionable defense and the jury is still out on if Spencer Rattler is a championship caliber quarterback.

No.21 Utah 31, BYU 28

LaVell Edwards Stadium, Prove, Utah

9:15 PM CT

ESPN

Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore, Alex Chappell

Utah by 7

This game is always a knock down drag-out major battle. I see that happening again. Should be a super game if you can stay up for it.

No. 14 USC 35, Stanford 17

Memorial Coliseum, L.A.

9:30 PM CT

FOX

SC by 17 1/2

Not sure the Trojans have arrived yet, but they’ve got a shot to be good this year.

No.6 Clemson 49, South Carolina State 0

4 PM CT

ACC Network

Clemson by 45 1/2

Clemson and their quarterback have a long way to go if they expect to be in the playoff conversation in November-December. It’s not looking too swift right now.

No.7 Cincinnati 45, Murray State 3

2:30 PM CT

ESPN+

Cncy by 35 1/2

Starting to become a believer in Cincy though they have to go to Indiana in a pretty tough game next Saturday and they’re @ Notre Dame on Oct. 2nd, so we’ll see if they’re as for real then as they seem to be now. Kind of bullish on them.

Notre Dame 35, Toledo 10

1:30 PM CT

Peacock

Notre Dame by 17

Bryan Kelly embarrassed himself last Sunday Night and almost lost after taking a 38-20 lead late into the third quarter. Not convinced he’s anything special as a coach. Jack Coan looked good at quarterback, but we’ll learn more about the Irish in the upcoming weeks with Wisconsin coming to South Bend Sept. 25th and Cincinnati the following week in South Bend.

No. 11 Penn State 45, Ball State 10

Beaver Stadium, State College, PA.

2:30 PM CT

FOX

Penn State by 22 1/2

Seems like the oddsmakers are undervaluing Penn State. I like the Nittany Lions to take care of business and get ready for the Auburn Tigers. Will it be great to be next week?

Friday

No. 17 Coastal Carolina 38, Kansas 24

Brooks Stadium, Conway, South Carolina

6:30 PM CT

ESPN2

Coastal by 26 1/2

Coastal looks like a very good team, but they’re winning all their big games at home, and haven’t played a real major power, though BYU was a very good team last year, but it was at Coastal and they escaped when they tackled the BYU wide receiver on their 1 yard line as time ran out. So, I want to reserve judgment on this team until I see more. Tomorrow night could be a pretty good gauge of this Chanticleers team.

Saturday

TCU 31, California 23

Amon G. Carter, Fort Worth, TX.

2:30 PM CT

ESPNU

TCU by 11 1/2

Picking one for the Gipper. In this case, it’s my daughter.

NFL Predictions

With the season starting tonight at 7:20 on NBC as the defending Super Bowl Champs the Tampa Bay Bucs host the Dallas Cowboys, here are my predictions for the 102nd season in the National Football League.

NFC Championship Game

Bucs 35, 49ers 31

Brady gets it done over ARodg again.

AFC Championship Game

Chiefs 31, Bills 30

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs survive a really stout Buffalo Bills team.

Super Bowl 56, LVI

SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California, just outside of L.A.

Sunday, February 13th, 2022

5:30 PM CT

NBC

The Bucs return an astounding 22 out of 22 starters from last year’s Lombardi Trophy winning team. All 22 starters re-signed with the Bucs. Mahomes and the Chiefs are hungry to avenge last season’s lopsided defeat in Super Bowl LV to Tampa at Raymond James Stadium, but Brady captures Super Bowl number 8 and enhances his remarkable legacy.

Bucs 34, Chiefs 31

Tonight

Cowboys @ Bucs

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa

7:20 CT

NBC

Al, Cris, Michelle

Bucs by 9

I like Brady and the Bucs to ring in the new season with an impressive victory over Dak and the Cowboys.

Bucs, 34, Cowboys 24

The UAB Blazers and Jacksonville State Gamecocks open the season tonight in Montgomery. Technically, there were some week 0 games last week but the real season starts tonight. The Blazers and the Gamecocks kickoff tonight at 6:30 on ESPN. A lot of excitement on the Southside with a solid football team returning and a new 45,000 seat stadium which will open when the Blazers host Hugh Freeze and his Liberty Flames Saturday, Oct. 2nd. Protective Stadium is state of the art and has the Blazer Nation buzzing. That game will kickoff at 6 PM CT and will be televised by CBS Sports Network.

There’s another team in the state scheduled to play on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium as the No.1 Crimson Tide aims to make their way to the apex of College Football for the 7th time under Nick Saban. Saban is going for his 8th national championship as a head coach as he won it all at LSU in 2003. The Tide will square off with the Miami Hurricanes at the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta at 2:30 PM on ABC.

Another state heavyweight, the Auburn Tigers, open their season at home versus Akron at 6 PM CT on ESPN+/SECN+ as they set their sights on matriculating through Akron and Alabama State in weeks 1 and 2 and then take on a major challenge @Happy Valley in week 3 against the No. 19 Penn State Nittany Lions. If Auburn can take care of business in week 1 and 2 and they don’t have a massive COVID outbreak, still trying to wrap my head around Bryan Harsin’s unvaccinated status, they’ve got a real opportunity in week 3 against Penn State.

One of the great openers you’ll want to see will take place in Charlotte and Bank of America Stadium as the No.5 Georgia Bulldogs lock horns with the No.3 Clemson Tigers at 6:30 PM CT on ABC. Now that’s a must see game.

All the other SEC teams are in action with LSU having a real interesting trip to the Left Coast to take on UCLA.

So, here we are, week 1 of the College Football season. It’s year 13 for the Blog. Many more seasons left in the tank. With all the super seniors and upperclassmen, this will be one of the best years yet in college football history. Let’s get to it.

Last season, 222-89, 71%. Bowls, 14-11.

All games Saturday unless otherwise noted.

No.1 Alabama vs. No.14 Miami

Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game

Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Hotlanta, 71,000

2:30 PM CT

ABC

Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, McShay, Molly McGrath

Crimson Tide by 19 1/2

The offense has some new faces, namely Bryce Young at quarterback, Brian Robinson, Jr. at running back, and John Metchie as the leader of the wide receiving corps replacing now starting quarterback for the New England Patriots Mac Jones, that’s phenomenal and the Patriots are loaded around him. Najee Harris, who should be the starting running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and last year’s Heisman Award winner and now Philadelphia Eagle DeVonta Smith, who will be catching passes from Jalen Hurts this season. The offensive talent is not as battle tested but off the charts good. The defense, led by linebacker Christian Harris, a loaded defensive front and at least 3 All Americans in the secondary and at least 8 guys on the backend who are next level players, probably more, is going to be a physical, dominant force. Nick Saban may be reverting to his favorite past time, “Defense wins championships,” though the offense with the talented Young under center and a showcase of talent in front of and around him, will be prolific as well. There will be challengers this season, a lot of talent nationally, but the product in Tuscaloosa is proven and as good as it gets. Miami will feature electric quarterback D’Eriq King coming off a terrible knee injury in Miami’s bowl game loss to OK. State last season. King is a talent, and he’ll make some things happen, but the Crimson Tide will still bottle him quite a bit. I like Bama to blow Miami’s doors off.

Alabama 42, Miami 10

Akron @Auburn

Jordan-Hare Stadium, 87,451

6 PM CT

ESPN+/SEC Network+

Mike Corey, Ben Hartsock? and Taylor Davis

War Eagles by 36 1/2

Bryan Harsin is fresh off the COVID-Reserve list and he’ll try to get Bo Nix playing quarterback the way Auburn people have been expecting him to for the last 2 years. I like Auburn to do fine here, but against a much lesser opponent. They’ll face the same kind of opponent next Saturday in Alabama State and then it’ll get in-ter-esting at Happy Valley.

Auburn 45, Akron 7

No.5 Georgia vs. No.3 Clemson

Duke’s Mayo Classic

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C. 73,778

6:30 PM CT

Chris, Kirk, Holly

Clemson by 3

My heart wants Georgia to prevail, but my head is telling me that emerging superstar quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei and Clemson will do enough to get over the top in a classic.

Clemson 24, Georgia 23

No.16 L-S-U @UCLA

Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA. 92,542

7:30 PM CT

FOX

LSU by 3

O and his Tiguhs are ready for a little redemption after a tough season in 2020. I like Max Johnson, the sophomore lefty, under center for the Bengal Tigers. UCLA is a resurgent team this season under Chip Kelly in his fourth year. They’re going to give the Tiguhs everything they want, but I still like O and his team to come out with the victory. It will give Baton Rouge and New Orleans people something positive after a very sad and tragic experience with Hurricane Ida.

LSU 28, UCLA 27

Tonight

UAB vs Jax State

The Montgomery Kickoff

Cramton Bowl, 25,000

6:30

ESPN

Roy Philpott, Kelly Stouffer, Lauren Sisler

UAB by 16 1/2

A lot of positive things being said about Bill Clark and his Blazers, but Jax State is a strong team in its own right. John Grass has done a terrific job taking over from Bill, so I see UAB with their hands full for most of this game tonight. I like the Blazers to pull away some at the end. The key for the Blazers is their quarterback play. Can Tyler Johnston III be a championship quarterback, meaning can he lead the Blazers to a C-USA title and a seat at the table of a New Year’s Six Bowl. That’s a tall order, but Clark has assembled very good talent on the Southside. It’ll be fun to go to a game and then head over to the Fennec afterwards for a couple of brews.

UAB 35, Jax State 24

Kent State @ No.6 Texas A&M

Kyle Field, College Station, 102,733

7 PM CT

ESPNU

Dave Neal, Kelly Stouffer, Andraya Carter

A&M by 28 1/2

Kent State is a pretty solid MAC team, but I like A&M to do well. New quarterback Haynes King needs to get acclimated to the level of competition he will be facing in the near future. This will be a good test for him.

A&M 41, Kent State 10

Monday Night

Louisville @Ole Miss

Chick-Fil-A Kickoff

Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

7 CT

ESPN

Rece, Kirk, Molly

Ole Miss by 10

I’m bullish on Lane and his Rebels football team. I like them to be better on defense and be once again prolific on offense with Lane and his OC dialing up plays and excellent quarterback Matt Corrall executing them. Give me the Rebels, and I like them to be impressive.

Ole Miss 42, Ville 24

Florida Atlantic @ No.13 Florida

Ben HIll Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, 88,548

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network

Roy P, JRodg, Cole

Gatuhs by 23 1/2

I’m bullish on the Gators. I’m high on quarterback Emory Jones III. Gators start off with what could be a special season.

Florida 38, FAU 13

Louisiana Tech @ Mississippi State

Davis Wade Stadium, Starkvegas, 61,337

3 PM CT

Duh U

John Schriffen, Rene Ingoglia

State by 23 1/2

State survives Skip Holtz and his Bulldogs. State’s fight in their bowl game last season with Tulsa was out of control and Mike Leach’s reaction to it, blowing it off, was even worse. We’ll see what Leach can do in the SEC in his second year.

State 34, LA Tech 27

Rice @ Arkansas

Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville

1 PM CT

ESPN+

Ark by 19 1/2

Arkansas is looking to keep steadily improving in year 2 under Sam Pittman. I like their potential, but Rice is pretty good and will make it more interesting than expected.

Arkansas 30, Rice 17

Other SEC games

Thursday

Tennessee 42, Bowling Green 3

Neyland Stadium, Knoxville

7 PM CT

SEC Network

UT by 35 1/2

Saturday

Kentucky 35, Louisiana Monroe 3

Kroger Field, Lexington

11 AM CT

SEC Network

UK by 31

Missouri 37, Central Michigan 17

Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field, Columbia, MO.

3 PM CT

SEC Network

Mizzou by 14

South Carolina 31, Eastern Illinois 10

Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C.

‘6 PM CT

ESPN+

SC by 42 1/2

Vanderbilt 28, East Tennessee State 17

Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville

7 PM CT

ESPN+

VU by 21 1/2

National games

@No.2 Oklahoma 52, Tulane 28

11 AM CT

ABC

OU by 31 1/2

Thursday

No.4 Ohio State 35, @Minnesota 31

7 PM CT

FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny

Buckeyes by 14

Sunday

@Florida State 34, No.9 Notre Dame 31

6:30 PM CT

ABC

Notre Dame by 7 1/2

Saturday

No. 19 Penn State 28, @No. 12 Wisconsin 27

11 AM CT

FOX

Wisconsin by 5 1/2

No. 17 Indiana 28, @No. 18 Iowa 24

2:30 PM CT

Big Ten Network

Iowa by 3

@No.8 Cincinnati 35, Miami, Ohio 10

2:30 PM CT

ESPN+

Cincy by 22 1/2

@No.11 Oregon 38, Fresno State 24

1 PM CT

PAC-12 Network

Oregon by 20 1/2

Friday

No.10 North Carolina 31, @Virginia Tech 28

5 PM CT

ESPN

UNC by 5 1/2

Saturday

No.23 Louisiana 37, @ No.21 Texas 34

3:30 PM CT

FOX

Texas by 8

@No.7 Iowa State 42, Northern Iowa 3

2:30 PM CT

ESPN+

Iowa State by 37 1/2

BYU 35, @Arizona 14

9:30 PM CT

ESPN

BYU by 12 1/2

Friday

Michigan State 24, @Northwestern 21

8 PM CT

ESPN

Northwestern by 3

Saturday

@Maryland 31, West Virginia 28

2:30 PM CT

ESPN

WVU by 3