Nothing says the new expanded college football weekend is but hours away than Wednesdays. Starting with Ryan McGee’s gotta gotta read “Bottom 10” at espn.com (no Spectrum required), then finding out whom the winners of the Big Games will be in this very spot. 

OK, then, where do we stand after the first real week of college pigskin?

Nebraska, whose truly loyal fanbase deserves some joy, spit it out again. Turned it over twice late in the 4th to lose at Minnesota.

Iowa scored on an opening drive TD pass for the first time since, oh, 1991. OC Son of HC wants to keep his job, and his contract mandates the Hawkeyes average 25 ppg, but he only led them to 24.

We spied the not so triumphant, but joyous to savor return of clemsoning. Feelin’ sorry for Dabo? Uh, no.

And the former Louisville RiverBats outfielder who scored the first run ever at Slugger Field is all the rage all the time in the sport.

Coach Prime.

Coach Prime indeed.

Of course, I jumped on that Diss Train. No way that blowhard’s total makeover of a team could beat last season’s darlings, Texas Christian University.

Oops. I wasn’t the only one with egg on my face.

So that was a wrong prediction. As was South Carolina over North. But the ACC was 2-0 over SEC. A good thing.

On the plus side, Utah smacked the Gators, the Cats bashed Ball, and my Cardinals showed serious mettle in coming back to best the Ramblin’ Wreck.

Another 3-2 weekend, to go 6-4 on the season.

As Brian Kelly assured the Bayou Bengal faithful that his team will get better, I am positive I’ll soon move on up to my rightful status as the Pigskin Planet’s most fine predicticator.

This week’s winners:

Texas A&M @ Miami. To me, this is the most fascinating battle on the schedule. Mario Cristobal trying to resurrect the U. Jimbo Fisher, who used to toil up the road, making a bold move to take his Aggies to the next level. Talking about you, Herr Petrino. The guys with the 12th Man at the ready scored a bunch in their opener. But it was against New Mexico. The Canes poured it on Miami (OH). Will Miami (Fla) have any kind of home field advantage? Who knows? Will it make a difference? I dunno. but such is my enmity toward that Aggie OC, who just plain quit (twice in different fashions) at my beloved school, I’m picking Miami.

Ole Miss @ Tulane. This is the second most intriguing games on this weekend’s slate. Both teams coming off of solid Ws. Ole Miss rolled over a rummie. The Green Wave took care of biz against an underrated South Alabama squad. The guys from St. Charles Street were last season’s non-TCU darlings. Coach Willie Fritz, the Flavor of the Month. Especially after that scintillating “upset” of Southern California in the Cotton Bowl. The last time Ole Miss played an AAC team on the road, they lost to Memphis State. Oh, how I love the Crescent City. Oh, how much I want Tulane to prevail. Just don’t see it happening.

Texas @ Alabama. One of the running jokes of big time football is the hackneyed belief almost every year that “Texas is back.” No school with so many resources has been as disappointing through the decades as the Longhorns. But they do have their own TV network. Their fan base is rabid. Not only Matthew McConaughey. But I got a buddy, who’s in exile in Colombia or Venezuela or one of them equatorial republics, who adores his Hook ‘Em Horns. So, are they back? Well, Steve Sarkisian is back in Tuscaloosa where he spent a couple of years in his own exile after some personal mistakes. His team? Uh, maybe. But, ya know, this is A La Bam A in Tuscaloosa. Where the guys in Burnt Orange will learn what it means to care more.

Eastern Kentucky @ Kentucky. EKU is moving up a grade in hoops, joining Bellarmine in the ASUN. But this isn’t Sprint Football like the Knights play in the MSFL. This is Big Boy Pigskin. And the Wildcats have a lot more of them than the Maroons. Cats go Krogering.

Murray State @ Louisville. So, what we have here — Sorry, Racer fans — is Part Deux of the rejuvenation of University of Louisville Cardinal football. Not that it’s been totally in the dumps, mind you. Except for that last season of Bobby P II. Favorite son of U of L’s First Family of Football, along with bros, in their home debut in charge. After a stellar campaign opening W on the road. First game of Brohm Regime as coaches in the Stadium Schnell Built. One has to believe the joint will be Eeee Lec Trick. Even the most out of the blue performance by MSU wouldn’t be enough to spoil this partay.

— c d kaplan