SEC football predictions: As Tennessee opens with a cupcake, Florida and LSU should watch out | Adams

Tennessee football's growing affinity for the MAC is understandable. The Vols have averaged 38 points while winning all nine football games against MAC opponents.

So, you should expect more of the same when UT opens its season Thursday against Ball State.

Tennessee 55, Ball State 12: Vols backups should have an opportunity to gain experience before the fourth quarter. For those looking ahead, UT's second MAC victory is scheduled for Sept. 17 against Akron.

Georgia 38, Oregon 20: This matchup is regarded as a neutral-site game, which must be baffling to Oregon players with any sense of geography.

The Bulldogs will make the short drive from Athens to Atlanta, where throngs of fans dressed in black and red will be barking their approval of the defending national champions. Conversely, the Ducks will have to travel through four time zones.

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Former Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning might provide Oregon with inside info in his first head-coaching job. But the Ducks would have a better chance if Lanning had stayed put, and preseason All-Americans Brock Bowers and Jalen Carter had transferred to Oregon.

Alabama 52, Utah State 13: I’m puzzled why anyone would think it’s a great idea to be Alabama’s opponent for a season opener. Miami tried that last season and lost 44-13.

The Tide had 27 points before Miami crossed midfield. I would put the over-under on Utah State crossing midfield at 20 minutes, 17 seconds.

Utah 31, Florida 24: New Gators coach Billy Napier is a proponent of physical football, so he should appreciate the Utes, last seen pushing Ohio State to the brink before losing 48-45 in the Rose Bowl.

Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson has been showered with preseason hype after an up-and-down freshman season that produced spectacular highlights.

But the most accomplished quarterback in this matchup is Utah’s Cameron Rising, who passed for 20 touchdowns and threw only five interceptions while rushing for 499 yards in making first-team All-Pac-12.

LSU 27, Florida State 23: If you think Atlanta is a neutral site for Georgia vs. Oregon, then you might believe the Tigers and Seminoles will be on equal footing in the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

LSU fans could peak too early for the Sunday night game. But the noise still will be in their favor.

Coaching also will favor the Tigers.

First-year LSU coach Brian Kelly has won wherever he has been while FSU coach Mike Norvell has had back-to-back losing seasons. One more season like those and Seminoles fans should be ready for Urban Meyer.

South Carolina 34, Georgia State 21: The Gamecocks apparently didn’t consult former Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt before scheduling the Panthers, who upset the Vols as a 25-point underdog in the 2020 season opener.

South Carolina at least should find out if its run defense has improved. It ranked 94th nationally last season.

Georgia State had the eighth-best rushing offense and returns four starting offensive linemen as well as running backs Tucker Gregg and Jamyest Williams, who totaled more than 1,800 yards rushing.

Arkansas 27, Cincinnati 17: The Bearcats made history by qualifying for the College Football Playoff team as a Group of 5 team. There was nothing historical about their performance, though.

Alabama more than doubled Cincinnati in yards and first downs en route to a 27-6 semifinal playoff victory.

Ole Miss 40, Troy 20: The Trojans averaged fewer than 20 points per game in Chip Lindsey’s last season. They decided to fix their offense by hiring Jon Sumrall, a former co-defensive coordinator at Kentucky.

Go figure.

Perhaps, the hire will work out for them in the long run but not against Ole Miss, which – thanks to the transfer portal – could field another potent offense under Lane Kiffin.

Missouri 38, Louisiana Tech 19: The Tigers gained by subtraction when defensive coordinator Steve Wilks returned to the NFL after presiding over a disaster in his one season with Missouri.

Tigers coach Eliah Drinkwitz has improved his quotability more than his coaching. He's not on the hot seat but he's in the same room with it.

Mississippi State 34, Memphis 17: SEC officials went overboard in not showing partiality to a conference team last season at Memphis. As a result, a couple of botched calls handed the Tigers a victory over Mississippi State.

That could serve as motivation for the experienced Bulldogs, who should field their best team under third-year Bulldogs coach Mike Leach.

Vanderbilt 34, Elon 10: The Commodores’ opponent isn’t related to Elon Musk. However, Musk is toying with the idea of starting his own university.

Or maybe, he was kidding – just as I thought Vanderbilt was kidding when I read it would play Elon in its second game.

Should Musk ever own a university, Vanderbilt likely will be the first school to call if his school fields a football team.

Auburn 45, Mercer 7: This could be as good as it gets for second-year Tigers coach Bryan Harsin. I would recommend he retire for health reasons after what should be a rousing victory.

Texas A&M 45, Sam Houston State 17: The Aggies should get immediate help from the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class. Freshman defensive lineman Walter Nolen, who starred on Powell High’s state championship team, could start.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: SEC football predictions: New LSU, Florida coaches' openers are tough