SHANE SHACKLEFORD: Excitement Of Watching College Football Is Almost Like Christmas Morning

Finally, the Rock...has come back to…

Oops, my bad. A little take on The Rock’s WWE schtick.

No, really, it’s finally football season. It’s almost like Christmas morning. The excitement is everywhere, especially across the juggernaut that is the SEC.

Week one had a little of everything over the Alliance Killer (just ask the Big 10, Pac-12, and the ACC). Blowouts, great games, and an upset.

So without further adieu, let’s discuss the week that was in the SEC.

Kentucky 45, ULM 10

Why Should I Care: If you’re a UK fan, you definitely care. The Cats blistered the Warhawks on both sides of the ball and have a ton of momentum coming into Saturday’s showdown with Missouri in Lexington.

Missouri 34, Central Michigan 24

Why Should I Care: The Tigers had a struggle with the Chippewas in Columbia, but found their footing in the second half behind Tyler Badie’s 197 yards on the ground. They can ill afford a slow start this weekend.

Tennessee 38, Bowling Green 6

Why Should I Care: The Vols opened the Josh Heupel era on Rocky Top with a comfortable win. The sledding gets tougher next Saturday with Pittsburgh coming to town.

Alabama 44, Miami (FL) 13

Why Should I Care: Every year some Power Five school opens up against Alabama. Every year their fan base screams “We Want Bama!” Every year that school gets thumped by Alabama. It's the circle of life. Next up for the Crimson War Machine is Mercer in Tuscaloosa. Ouch.

Arkansas 38, Rice 17

Why Should I Care: Woo Pig opened up with a nice win over a former Southwest Conference foe. This Saturday another former (and soon to be new) rival visits Fayetteville in Texas. Circle this game on your calendar and be on the lookout for a Hogs upset.

Mississippi State 35, Louisiana Tech 34

Why Should I Care: If anything the dawgs are going to be interesting with their Air Raid offense and lack of defense. It’s very difficult to outscore teams in the SEC week after week without at least a competent defense. We will know more about MSU after Saturday.

ETSU 23, Vanderbilt 3

Why Should I Care: I’ll be honest. I feel sorry for Vandy and new Commodore Clark Lea. Reckon he misses his old job as defensive coordinator at Notre Dame? I believe honestly that Vanderbilt is the toughest FBS coaching job in the country. I also believe I’ll have an article on that soon.

South Carolina 46, Eastern Illinois 0

Why Should I Care: On the flipside, the Gamecocks opened the Shane Beamer era in Columbia with a comfortable win of their own against FCS EIU. USC had 443 yards of total offense, 258 of that on the ground. Next week, SC has a chance to go 2-0 against East Carolina on the road.

Florida 35, Florida Atlantic 14

Why Should I Care: Florida opened a new era of their own with a new quarterback and key receivers in the Swamp. I’m not convinced the Gators are the second-best team in the SEC East. They just don’t have the ‘pop’ factor for me. The Gators play at home again next Saturday against another overmatched foe in South Florida.

Georgia 10, Clemson 3

Why Should I Care: In a Top five showdown in Charlotte, both teams brought their dominant defenses to the Queen City. Problem is, neither offense could move the ball against the other. I feel UGA is good on offense and it will show as the season wears on. Next up for the Dogs is a solid Alabama-Birmingham squad. I think there should be a little more offense in that one.

Texas A&M 41, Kent State 10

Why Should I Care: The Aggies open their season with an easy win over the Golden Flashes in the runup to their showdown a few weeks down the road against the Crimson Tide. Next week, Gig ‘Em goes on the road to play Colorado. The Buffs will put up a fight, but not enough to topple the Aggies.

UCLA 38, LSU 27

Why Should I Care: The Tigers got upset on the road in the City of Angels, but I am almost inclined to give LSU a small pass. Between being forced on the road for a week due to the Hurricane Ike disaster and all that weighing on their minds without question, the Bayou Bengals put up a fight against a much-improved Bruins squad. Next up for the Tigers is FCS McNeese in Baton Rouge as of right now.

Louisville 24, Ole Miss 43

Why Should I Care: My bad, I got kicked out for targeting my Diet Mountain Dew. I thought U of L was in over its heads playing Ole Miss. Turns out I was right. Ole Miss is nuclear on offense and improving on defense. Could they slide into the discussion as the second-best team in the SEC West? As for the Cards, they might want to stick to the ACC. Just a thought.

Week Two Predictions

Last week, the Backwoods Swami went 13-1 with the only loss being the ETSU/Vanderbilt upset. This week has a slate of a little tougher matchups.

This week’s game predictions with the winner in bold. See if you notice the upset.

Alabama State at Auburn

South Carolina at East Carolina

Pittsburgh at Tennessee

Florida at South Florida

UAB at Georgia

Texas A&M at Colorado

Mercer at Alabama

Texas at Arkansas

NC State at Mississippi State

Missouri at Kentucky

Austin Peay at Ole Miss

McNeese at LSU

Vanderbilt at Colorado State

Shane Shackleford is a regional sportswriter from Speedwell, Tenn. He is a member of the Football Writers Association of America and the United States Basketball Writers of America. Shane is also a football color analyst for WRIL-FM 106.3 Sports in Pineville, KY. He has written and published his first book “Bounce: A Basketball Love Story” which can be found on Amazon. You can find Shane on KySportsStyle.com Magazine, A Sea of Blue, The London Sentinel-Echo, The Corbin Times-Tribune, The Mountain Advocate, Harlan County Sports, and The Mountain Eagle. Contact Shane by email at coachshack50@gmail.com and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.