Ole Miss lost to Jacksonville State? Seriously?

It is those games that drive me crazy when I am making an honest effort to pick the winners. But I guess that is what makes college football the greatest show on turf. Except for that game and the UAB Blazers, I would have had a stellar opening week. I missed the Vandy game as well last week, but I will give them credit for a good performance against Northwestern.

UAB hurt me several times last season, and I am about to go on strike against selecting the Blazers to win another game. While I am venting, something tells me Jack Crowe would make an excellent selection as the next head coach at UAB.

Still, we were able to open up the season 12-3 for an .800 winning percentage, and right out of the gate, picked the upset of the week.

There are some fun games on tap for week two featuring some ranked teams, so lets see what the seashell tells me this go ‘round.

(#2) Ohio State vs. (#12) Miami (Fla) – The Hurricanes travel to Ohio Stadium to see how they match up against the second best team in the country. If Miami QB Jacory Harris keeps his composure and remembers to throw the ball to the team in the right colored jerseys (something he had a problem with last season), then the ‘Canes might be able to keep it close. But I’m counting on the Buckeyes to come out on top. Ohio State 35 – Miami 28

(#5) Texas vs. Wyoming – Football means nothing when a team like Wyoming is dealing with the tragic death of one of its freshman players. LB Ruben Narcisse died in an automobile accident on Monday. With him were teammates C.J. Morgan, Trey Fox and JJ Quinlan. When these two teams have met in the past, Texas has owned the Cowboys. I honestly don’t see how this year, especially under the circumstances, will be any different. Texas 48 – Wyoming 14

(#10) Oklahoma vs. (#17) Florida State – Earlier in the week, Oklahoma was a nine-point favorite in this game. I just don’t know about that. It is hard to judge where the Seminoles are considering their practice game last week against the Samford Bulldogs. They are not as good as Oklahoma, but the Sooners have some defensive issues that could make this a fairly interesting contest. Oklahoma 33 – Florida State 31

Ole Miss vs. Tulane – I am going to assume that last week was just a fluke.  There is no way, if you played that game nine more times, that Jacksonville State would beat Ole Miss….I don’t think. Houston Nutt will have his Rebels focused and ready to play this weekend.

Ole Miss 28 – Tulane 24

Kentucky vs. Western Kentucky – Last week it was Louisville, this week, Western Kentucky. Do the Wildcats always open the season playing all of their neighbors? The Cats looked good last week, and by Saturday night, they will be 2-0. Not bad for a basketball school. Kentucky 23 – Western Kentucky 10

(#7) Oregon at Tennessee – Oregon was just warming up last week when they beat up on New Mexico to the tune of 72-0. This week, they enter the Deep South and a sea of 101,000 orange jerseys at Neyland Stadium. The Vols won’t have Gerald Jones in the lineup this week either. Their leading receiver broke his hand last week and will be out for a couple of games. Honestly, I don’t think it will matter. Tennessee is better, but they won’t win this one. Oregon 27 – Tennessee 17

(#14) Arkansas vs. Louisiana-Monroe – I said it last week and I will say it again. I like this Arkansas Razorback team and I will pick them to win until they give me a reason not to. This game will be over before it gets started. Arkansas 35 – Louisiana-Monroe 7

(#19) LSU at Vandy – Although LSU won their season opener and Vandy came up short, going into their SEC play, I’d give the momentum to the Commodores. LSU should have been able to finish off North Carolina without a problem, but they didn’t. Vandy, on the other hand, had an impressive come from behind game, and almost a victory, against Northwestern. If I were Les Miles, I wouldn’t take this game too lightly. Stranger things have happened. LSU 26 – Vandy 21

(#8) Florida vs. South Florida – Last Saturday was the worst offensive performance from a Florida Gator team that I can ever remember. Eight fumbles? Seriously? I assume that even as I write this column, there are Gator centers and quarterbacks getting back to the basics. South Florida is not a bad team and B.J. Daniels is a good, athletic quarterback. I would expect Coach Urban Meyer to have things under control by Saturday, but if he doesn’t, watch out! Florida 30 – South Florida 20

(#1) Alabama vs. (#18) Penn State - Saturday’s game in Tuscaloosa will be the biggest, most exciting game in the history of Bryant-Denny Stadium. The noise will be deafening, the game will be electrifying, and while the crowd will be behind the Tide, all eyes will be on Coach Joe Paterno. It won’t be helpful that Alabama will be without Mark Ingram and Marcell Dareus against the Nittany Lions, but it really won’t matter. At 83-years-old, Joe Pa will come to Tuscaloosa with 395 wins, and will leave with the same. Alabama 28 – Penn State 24

Other games:

SMU 28 – UAB 21

Michigan 17 – Notre Dame 14

(#25) Stanford 23 – UCLA  21

(#4) TCU 45 – Tennessee Tech 10

Upset of the week:

(#22) Georgia at (#24) South Carolina – It is really hard to know how good Georgia is. They had no competition last week. On the other hand, I was very impressed with the hard-hitting defense and explosive offense of South Carolina. If the Gamecocks get past Georgia and get a jump on the SEC East, they may be a team to be reckoned with down the road, and honestly, I believe that is exactly what is going to happen. South Carolina 34 – Georgia 21

Dale Jones is a writer for The Islander and a member of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Reach him at djones@gulfcoastnewspapers.com