College football picks: SEC play gets in full swing
Southeastern Conference football teams were 12-1 in the first week of the season.
“Vandy, of course, lost,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said, not meaning it exactly that way, but making a point nonetheless.
LSU’s game against McNeese State was canceled because of bad weather.
“Victory was not assigned,” is how Tigers coach Les Miles put it.
That gaudy record will take a hit this week if for no other reason than the intra-conference season begins with South Carolina vs. Kentucky, Georgia vs. Vanderbilt and LSU vs. Mississippi State. I had a pretty good week last week, so here we go again.
Georgia (-20) at Vanderbilt, 3:30 p.m., CBS
The Bulldogs are wearing red on the road against the Commodores, and we’re nearing a disturbing college football future in which everybody just wears whatever the heck jersey they want and all of us old people can’t tell who is who anymore. Georgia can wear red because the Commodores are wearing something called a “Deep Water” home jersey. Is it really a great idea for the Vandy program at the moment to be pushing any theme that brings to mind sinking again to the bottom of the SEC, I mean sea?
Straight: Georgia
ATS: Georgia
LSU (-4) at Mississippi State, 9:15 p.m., ESPN
The SEC West is very hard to figure out this year, and this game will give us our first real clue. Are the Bulldogs really headed to a last place finish in that division after being ranked No. 1 in the nation at one point last year? It’s up to Dak Prescott. The Tigers would have liked to get starting quarterback Brandon Harris more reps against McNeese State.
Straight: Mississippi State
ATS: Mississippi State
Middle Tennessee at Alabama (-35), 4 p.m., SECN
Nick Saban’s continued “You can only ask questions I like and I will tell you how to think” world view is becoming increasingly tired. This week, when a reporter asked a perfectly reasonable question about his quarterback competition during a game in which his team is a 35-point favorite, he responded, blah, blah, blah (the blahs are mine, this next part is his), “we’re not trying to create anything based on who we’re playing because we respect who we’re playing, and I suggest that everybody else does, too.” Seriously? How does he get on a horse that high? Saban probably won’t cover out of spite.
Straight: Alabama
ATS: Middle Tennessee
Oklahoma at Tennessee (Pick ’em), 6 p.m. ESPN
Is Tennessee for real or not? After nine months of some breathless suggestions both ways, we finally get to find out. Bowling Green gained 557 yards against the Vols last week, including 433 through the air. The Sooners have the ability to get more and probably will need less. (The Volunteers’ pass rush scares me so badly, and the fact that the Vols are 2-29 in their last 31 games against opponents ranked in the AP poll, that I’m taking the Sooners for my “lock of the week” for $30.)
Straight: Oklahoma
ATS: Oklahoma
Oregon at Michigan State (-3.5), 12 p.m. ABC
New Ducks quarterback Vernon Adams gets his first real test, and against a Michigan State defense that has lost a lot of what made it the Michigan State defense last year. Still, the Spartans are more proven at this level than Adams, and they’re at home.
Straight: Michigan State
ATS: Michigan State
Houston at Louisville (-12.5), 12 p.m., ESPN3
New Cougars coach Tom Herman is the “hot new coach” at the moment, and he can make a splash with a win against the Cardinals. He won’t get it, though.
Straight: Louisville
ATS: Houston
Notre Dame (-11.5) at Virginia, 3:30 p.m., ABC
The Irish looked good in beating Texas, but the Longhorns might just be that bad. Either way, Notre Dame’s Oct. 3 trip to Clemson is already looking like it will be a fun game.
Straight: Notre Dame
ATS: Notre Dame
Arizona (-11) at Nevada, 7 p.m. CBSSN
The Wildcats could be a dangerous team by the end of the year, but lots of dreams have died in Reno.
Straight: Arizona
ATS: Arizona
East Carolina at Florida (-20), 7 p.m., ESPN
These are not quite the dangerous Pirates we remember from the last few years. Of course, the Gators still have lots to prove as well.
Straight: Florida
ATS: East Carolina
Idaho at Southern Cal (-43), 8 p.m., Pac12N
Idaho has lost 22 straight road games, and the Trojans have a lot of talent. This will get ugly.
Straight: Southern Cal
ATS: Southern Cal
Rice at Texas (-15.5), 8 p.m., Longhorn Network
How the Longhorns are favored by 15.5 points over anybody is a mystery to me. Texas probably (and I stress probably) will win this game, but I wouldn’t give away two touchdowns on them against a high school team.
Straight: Texas
ATS: Rice
Boise State (-2.5) at BYU, 10:15 p.m., ESPN2
The Cougars won in dramatic fashion last week, but lost quarterback Taysom Hill again. Also, while nobody was looking, the Broncos got good again.
Straight: Boise State
ATS: BYU
Last week
Straight: 11-1 (Blame Kansas)
ATS: 8-2 (Blame Texas)