TUCKER’S PICK ‘EM 2016: College football picks and previews for Week 1

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – 41NBC’s Tucker Sargent predicts this week’s college football games.

Record this year: 0-0
Record in 2015: 95-37

 

ALL TIMES EASTERN

 

The Citadel @ Mercer
Thursday, September 1 at 7 p.m.
This is supposed to be the year Mercer puts it all together. The Bears return 20 starters from a year ago, but they face a tough test in this season opener against the defending co-Southern Conference champion.

The Citadel has a new head coach, but don’t expect the Bulldogs to stray away from the triple option.

Brent Thompson was their offensive coordinator the last two seasons:

The Citadel 21, Mercer 20

Actual Score: The Citadel 24, Mercer 23 (WIN)

 

 

South Carolina @ Vanderbilt
Thursday, September 1 at 8 p.m.
Will Muschamp makes his debut as South Carolina’s head coach in the Gamecocks’ season opener in Nashville. The former Florida head coach spent 2015 as the defensive coordinator in Auburn. His defense finished 71st in the nation.

This year, he has a three-way quarterback battle on his hands. Whoever wins the job will face a tough challenge against the Vanderbilt defense, which is led by former Central High School (Macon) linebacker Nigel Bowden.

The Commodores have struggled on offense, though. Last season, they ranked 116th out of 127 FBS teams. Until they prove otherwise (and maybe they will), I have to predict this season will be similar:

South Carolina 14, Vanderbilt 10

Actual Score: South Carolina 13, Vanderbilt 10 (WIN)

 

 

Georgia Tech vs. Boston College (in Dublin, Ireland)
Saturday, September 3 at 7:30 a.m.
Georgia Tech hosts Mercer next weekend, but it opens the season with a conference game in Ireland. It’s the first time the Yellow Jackets have played a game outside the United States.

Boston College has a solid defense but is quite the opposite on offense. It gets some help this year in Kentucky quarterback transfer Patrick Towles, but I still like Paul Johnson’s offense better.

He’s 7-1 in season openers, by the way:

Georgia Tech 26, Boston College 17

Actual Score: Georgia Tech 17, Boston College 14 (WIN)

 

 

No. 16 UCLA @ Texas A&M
Saturday, September 3 at 3:30 p.m.
This Pac-12/SEC matchup features another transfer quarterback. Former Oklahoma Sooner Trevor Knight, who lost his starting job in Norman last season, is now an Aggie. In the 2014 season–Knight’s last as a starter–he completed 57% of his passes for 2300 yards.

On the flip side, UCLA sophomore Josh Rosen started all 13 of the Bruins’ games in 2015, completing 60% of his passes for more than 3600 yards.

This one could be a shootout. I’m counting on the Aggies’ defense, led by defensive end Myles Garrett, to win the battle:

Texas A&M 31, UCLA 21

Actual Score: Texas A&M 31, UCLA 24 – OT (WIN)

 

 

No. 5 LSU vs. Wisconsin (in Green Bay, Wisconsin)
Saturday, September 3 at 3:30 p.m.
LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda faces his former team in this SEC-Big Ten game at Lambeau Field.

Aranda led the Badgers’ D to a No. 2 national ranking last season before he was swept away by Les Miles. This year, he has eight starters returning, including the team leaders in sacks (Lewis Neal) and interceptions (Jamal Adams).

Runningback Leonard Fournette should shine against Aranda’s old unit, but if the Tigers are going to live up to the expectations some have set for them, quarterback Brandon Harris will need to do the same:

LSU 28, Wisconsin 13

Actual Score: Wisconsin 16, LSU 14 (LOSS)

 

 

No. 18 Georgia vs. No. 22 North Carolina (in Atlanta)
Saturday, September 3 at 5:30 p.m.
Kirby Smart’s long-awaited head coaching debut comes in the Georgia Dome, a place he’s quite familiar with, having served as Alabama’s defensive coordinator in SEC Championship Games there in five of the last eight seasons.

Smart still isn’t sure who he’ll start at quarterback. Maybe he actually is sure but isn’t sure why he should tell any of us. That’s probably more accurate. We do know the battle’s down to senior Greyson Lambert and freshman Jacob Eason.

We also know runningback Nick Chubb will play with no “pitch-count.”

That will help on offense, but Chubb won’t be playing defense:

North Carolina 34, Georgia 28

Actual Score: Georgia 33, North Carolina 24 (LOSS)

 

 

Savannah State @ Georgia Southern
Saturday, September 3 at 6 p.m.
There sure are a lot of new head coaches in college football this year.  Tyson Summers comes to Statesboro after serving one season as defensive coordinator at Colorado State.

Summers isn’t new to the GSU program. He was born less than three hours away in Tifton and worked as an assistant for the Eagles in 2006:

Georgia Southern 56, Savannah State 7

Actual Score: Georgia Southern 54, Savannah State 0 (WIN)

 

 

No. 20 USC vs. No. 1 Alabama
Saturday, September 3 at 8 p.m.
Alabama enters the season ranked No. 1 after winning its fourth national title in seven years.

We should all just get used to this.. as long as Nick Saban’s around:

Alabama 31, USC 7

Actual Score: Alabama 52, USC 6 (WIN)

 

 

No. 2 Clemson @ Auburn
Saturday, September 3 at 9 p.m.
The Tigers meet the Tigers for the 50th time in this season opener at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Clemson returns eight offensive starters from a team that won the ACC title in 2015 and put up 40 points in a College Football Playoff Final loss to Alabama. One of those returners is junior quarterback DeShaun Watson.

Auburn’s defensive front could be one of the best in the country, but it may not matter against a point-getting player like Watson.

If Gus Malzahn can’t re-create the offensive magic he’s found in the past, Watson will be too much for Auburn to overcome:

Clemson 33, Auburn 30

Actual Score: Clemson 19, Auburn 13 (WIN)

 

 

Fort Valley State vs. Miles (in Birmingham, Alabama)
Sunday, September 4 at 5 p.m.
Kevin Porter takes over a Fort Valley State team that was a win away from playing in the SIAC title game last season.

Who knows what will happen this year? The Wildcats do return quarterback Otis Brown, who got plenty of playing time in 2015:

Fort Valley State 21, Miles 14

Actual Score: Miles 34, Fort Valley State 21 (LOSS)

 

 

No. 10 Notre Dame at Texas
Sunday, September 4 at 7:30 p.m.
On the final Sunday without NFL until next year, Notre Dame visits Austin, Texas for the first time in 20 years.

Charlie Strong needs a better showing from his Longhorns after an embarrassing 38-3 loss to the Fighting Irish last season.

He should get that, but I think Notre Dame will win:

Notre Dame 35, Texas 27

Actual Score: Texas 50, Notre Dame 47 – 2OT (LOSS)

 

 

No. 11 Ole Miss vs. No. 4 Florida State (in Orlando, Florida)
Monday, September 5 at 8 p.m.
It’s all-star runningback vs. all-star quarterback. Florida State’s Dalvin Cook returns after averaging 7.4 yards per carry a year ago. Chad Kelly from Ole Miss is also back. He threw for more than 4,000 yards last year.

By the way, this is only the second meeting between the Seminoles and Rebels. Ole Miss won 33-0 in Oxford in 1961.

This will be far from a home game:

Florida State 34, Ole Miss 23

Actual Score: Florida State 45, Ole Miss 34 (WIN)