Tide will get a challenge; Tigers will sail

One of our staff members, Josh Cooper, who covers Alabama, keeps telling us that the Crimson Tide won't have an easy time when it plays at Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Others around our office are skeptical.

After all, three of the most criticized post-Bear Bryant coaches, Bill Curry, Mike DuBose and Mike Shula, never lost to the Commodores while coaching the Crimson Tide, so why should mega-savior Nick Saban suddenly have trouble with them? Saban faced Vanderbilt once while at LSU, and his team won 24-7 in 2004.

I place great faith in Jeff Sagarin's college football ratings, which run in USA Today, and Sagarin has Alabama ranked 39th in the country with a 77.25 rating. Vanderbilt is 63rd with a 70.79. According to Sagarin, you add three points to the home team's rating, subtract the highest from the lowest, and you have a point spread — in this case, visiting Alabama would be favored by four.

As for Auburn, the Tigers should sail. Auburn (86.95 on the Sagarin scale) is hosting South Florida (66.32), and since the Tigers are at home, that would make them a 23-point favorite, which is a sizeable spread.

So let's get on to the picks:

Alabama (1-0) at Vanderbilt (1-0): The Crimson Tide hasn't lost in this series since 1984, and I'm not brave enough to pick an upset this time. But don't forget — it's part of Saban's process to lose a game or two in his first year or two that look surprising. A loss Saturday would count in that regard. ... Alabama 20, Vanderbilt 13.

South Florida (1-0) at No. 17 Auburn (1-0): The visiting Bulls won nine games last year, including an upset of West Virginia. That was a different team, however. ... Auburn 31, South Florida 19.

No. 9 Virginia Tech (1-0) at No. 2 LSU (1-0): One of these days, a Les Miles team at LSU will live up to its talent. Tech is ranked ninth in the nation, but No. 2 LSU is a superior squad. ... LSU 28, Virginia Tech 14.

South Carolina (1-0) at No. 11 Georgia (1-0): The Bulldogs have won five straight over Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks, who get quarterback Blake Mitchell back from a one-game suspension. The last time these two teams played in Athens, Georgia squeezed out a two-point win. ... Georgia 20, South Carolina 17.

Troy (0-1) at No. 4 Florida (1-0): The visiting Trojans lost at Arkansas last weekend 46-26 and now take on another strong SEC team. Since Urban Meyer arrived at Florida before the 2005 season, the Gators haven't lost at home. ... Florida 50, Troy 10.

Missouri (1-0) at Ole Miss (1-0): The Rebels lost 34-7 at Missouri a year ago and should put up a better fight this time. In Missouri's opener this season, the Tigers won at Illinois 40-34. Former West Limestone High standout Andy Maples is a defensive lineman for Missouri. ... Missouri 24, Ole Miss 21.

Mississippi State (0-1) at Tulane (0-0): Sylvester Croom is 2-1 against Tulane as MSU's head coach, including a 32-29 home loss last year. Beating Tulane wouldn't mean much for most teams, but it would for the Bulldogs at this point in their history. ... Mississippi State 24, Tulane 17.

Southern Mississippi (1-0) at No. 24 Tennessee (0-1): The Vols didn't look like a very good team in their season-opening 45-31 loss at Cal. Southern Mississippi opened with a 35-13 win over Tennessee-Martin. ... Tennessee 33, Southern Mississippi 21.

Kent State (1-0) at Kentucky (1-0): Kent State ruined former Auburn assistant Gene Chizik's debut as Iowa State's head coach. Kent won 23-14 at Iowa State. Kentucky is a better team, however. (I never thought I'd write those words about UK football.) ... Kentucky 34, Kent State 20.

No. 16 Nebraska (1-0) at Wake Forest (0-1): Mark this as one of the most interesting intersectional games of the weekend. Nebraska has improved from five to eight to nine wins in Bill Callahan's three previous seasons as head coach and look like they can record double-figures this year. Wake Forest won 11 games last year and played in the Orange Bowl, but the Deacons appear to be reverting back to their four-win formula of 2005. Something else that makes this game interesting — former Hartselle High standout Brett Byford is the starting center for Nebraska and a team captain. ... Nebraska 38, Wake Forest 28.

Last week: 10-0. (No real challenges last week, but that will change as the year goes on.)

Overall: 10-0.