Nothing else to say except my picks took it on the chin in the openers. The first week is always the most difficult, but last weekend was downright treacherous. Historically, however, I tend to bounce back well from poor weeks. Let's hope that is the case this time around.

Maybe I should play it safe and stick to games with two-TD favorites, so that at least I'll get my straight-up picks correct... right? Wrong. What fun would that be?

Be sure to look for my first Top 10 listing on October 1.

2003 PREDICTION RECORDS:
Straight-Up -- 3-6
Against-The-Spread -- 2-7 (22%)

Week 2 Schedule (the top games of the week)

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

Notre Dame (-4 1/2) 27, Washington State 13 -- The Irish isn't being given much respect in the early polls, but I can't foresee it chunking the opener at home against a respectable but far from formidble foe.

South Carolina (+4 1/2) 20, Virginia 17 -- With the Cavaliers' starting QB likely sidelined, I like Gamecocks coach Lou Holtz to find a way to get it done at home.

Colorado (-1 1/2) 31, UCLA 20 -- The Buffaloes survived a tough opener against rival Colorado State, which gives them the edge over a young Bruins team that hasn't played yet.

Oklahoma 24, Alabama (+10) 15 -- An upset pick is tempting, because I love to go with bigtime programs as home underdogs... but the Sooners have too much to lose outright.

Miami (-13 1/2) 38, Florida 17 -- The Hurricanes (yawn) are very good again this season. So are the Gators, but not on the same level.

LSU (-12) 34, Arizona 16 -- The Tigers are coming into the season somewhat under the radar, because of the expected prowess of SEC rivals Georgia and Auburn, but this is a very talented squad.

USC 24, Brigham Young (+22 1/2) 14 -- Obviously, the Trojans were quite impressive in blanking Auburn on the road in their opener, but that leads me to believe they'll let down a little here. The Cougars are solid, especially at home, and coming off a good win over Georgia Tech, so I expect them to keep this one competitive.