COLLEGE FOOTBALL: South Carolina at Mississippi State

It's fitting that on the day my dad and I must submit a final roster for our fantasy baseball entry, the Tennis Titans, the 2006 college football season begins. Just as baseball was my big sports passion during my youth, college football has become my top interest over the past 10 years. Living in the South certainly helps. It's a way of life down here, just like baseball in St. Louis and New York, hockey in Montreal and Minnesota, or basketball in Indiana and Kentucky.

Today's one to watch is the matchup of South Carolina & Mississippi State. Though road games are rarely easy in the tough Southeastern Conference, I don't expect this game to be very competitive. 2nd year MSU coach Sylvester Croom still has a long way to go before rebuilding that school's dreadful program.

On the other hand, many expect big things from the Gamecocks this year. Why? Although USC may have a similarly shallow tradition of winning football, the Cocks also now have the cockiest (and best) college football coach I've ever seen - the Ole Ballcoach, Steve Spurrier.

Though his visor is no longer blue and orange, I still root for Coach Spurrier. As a Gator fan I continue to admire his accomplishments at Florida from 1990-2002. Hell, this guy even won an ACC football championship in 1989 with miserable Duke and ex-NY Giants bust Dave Brown at QB! Yes, I drink the Kool-Aid. I even pulled for the Redskins during the years when Spurrier tried to bring his "Fun and Gun" offense to the pros. It may not have worked in the NFL. But there's no reason it can't work again in the SEC. So once a year, and with mixed emotions, I shall root for South Carolina to lose only when they play Florida. Otherwise, Spurrier's still the man. And I think USC can win 9 games this year while making some noise in the SEC East.

Look for junior QB Blake Mitchell to make great progress in his 2nd year in Spurrier's system. Last year Mitchell threw for a respectable 17 TD's. In 2006 that number will increase or he'll experience the coach's short fuse. And though I haven't learned their names yet, I'm sure Spurrier has been recruiting top athletes at WR, just as he always did in Gainesville. Though these players won't get the glory of a Heisman QB like Danny Wuerfell or the spotlight of a #1 WR at someplace like Florida State or Southern California, Spurrier's "Fun and Gun" depends on multiple athletic wideouts getting open for quick passes. Former UF greats like Jacquez Green, Ike Hilliard, Taylor Jacobs, and Travis McGriff come to mind. Here's to the good old days and to hoping new coach Urban Meyer can bring some more!

My pick: South Carolina.

Don't you just love college football? Go Cocks!