At some point mid last Football Saturday afternoon, arch antagonist Bookstore Billy checked in from SEC Country, where despite anything else that might be going on in life, all is right with the universe now that pigskin has returned.

Of course, I immediately started boasting about my early window successes, while lamenting my Louisville Cardinals defeat in Steel City.

I mentioned that Auburn and Florida and Cincy were all taking care of biz. And that if Miami prevailed in Prime Time, I’d have a pretty significant bounce back slate after the previous Saturday’s ofer.

As is his wont, he immediately jumped my case, attempting to demean my predictioneering by pointing out I’d gone with favorites, except for U of L.

At which point, I cut him off, reminding him that Georgia/ Arkansas was 7-5 at the half, that Boomer Sooner fell to K State, and that he’d opened our conversation with, “You’re right, it’s the craziest of seasons, I’m glad I didn’t call my book today.”

So playing scratch is fraught with peril. While sometime it works out.

4-1 puts me back with more notches on the left hand side for the season. 12-10-1.

So, Let’s go back, Jack, do it again, wheels turnin’ ’round and ’round
You go back, Jack, do it again

Oklahoma @ Iowa State. Did Okie QB Spencer Rattler learn his lesson, when falling to Chris Kleiman’s Kansas State Wildcats last weekend for the second time in a row? That beating Bobby Petrino 48 zed ain’t no thang? We’ll find out in Ames. Where the Cyclones are coming off a league road win over the Horned Frogs, after their opening weekend embarrassment at home to some kind of Ragin’ Cajuns. Last season, Iowa State fell by only a wafer thin digit in Norman. On a hunch, I say they turn it around this time, to go 2-0 in the conference.

Troy @ South Alabama. Uh oh, postponed.

Memphis State @ Southern Methodist. If not against the most challenging phalanx of opponents, the Mustangs have won thrice. And have had a game cancelled. Memphis State has but a lone doesn’t mean so much victory. Along with a postponement. It’s the AAC opener for both. Doing my minimal bit of research, I am concerned by SMU’s laydown in last year’s Boca Raton Bowl. 28-52 to the school that Schnell built. Yet I’m going with the home team in an upset anyway.

Auburn @ Georgia. Georgia has high hopes. But what the Bulldogs don’t have . . . at least yet . . . is a take charge signal caller Kirby Smart can trust. Jamie Newman? Come and gone. Dwan Mathis? Pulled. Stetson Bennett? Eeeeeuhh, well, really? So what’s crafty Gus Malzahn got up his sleeve to take advantage of such a situation? We’ll find out between the hedges. It says here whatever it might be, it won’t be enough.

North Carolina @ Boston College. The Baby Blues sure got a lot of preseason ink. Is Tar Heel savior, rejuvenated Mack Brown, the same coach who allowed Hook ‘Em Horns to slip into disfavor after winning one of the great national title battles ever? Yes, and for some reason, NC, coming off a 7-6 campaign, was überhyped. Meanwhile BC hasn’t had much more than a syllable of some R.E.S.P.E.C.T. But is 2-0, and will prevail in Chestnut Hill.

Ole Miss @ Kentucky. So, in the Magnolia State Battle of Which School’s New, Outspoken, Sometimes Obnoxious Head Coach is the best, give the first frame to State (Mike Leach) and a momentous debut in Death Valley, over the Johnny Rebs (Lane Kiffin). Now, the well traveled, oft quoted Ole Miss mentor leads his charges into Kroger Field for a tussle of teams looking for W #1. I didn’t see a lot of the Cats last week. Their game conflicted with U of L’s. But I happened to tune in when they were 1st & Goal at the Auburn 2. Only to discover later, they didn’t punch it in. It won’t happen this time out. Kiffin falls again.

— c d kaplan