GLASGOW — Our annual college football contest is online. Last week was the first and the contest will continue through the end of the college football season, or about 13 weeks.

It is easy enough to go online and pick your winners (or losers, which I did four times last week).

Being a Southeastern Conference believer, I picked rather stupidly by thinking Auburn would beat Clemson. Then again, we are talking about Clemson, the team that never seems to live up to expectations each season.

Another flop pick on my part was thinking all of the turmoil at Penn State would not hurt the program. They opened at home against Ohio University and promptly lost to the Bobcats. (Reporter Susan Tebben, I am certain, jumped up and down at the result because she is an Ohio grad.) My thought on the pick was it was still Penn State and that the players would be bent on proving to the world that they would overcome. Instead, they were overcome by Ohio’s potent offense.

I believe you, my seven faithful readers, will indulge my other two miscues. Who would have ever picked Texas State beating Houston or Youngstown State downing Pittsburgh?

At least Youngstown has some history of football success, but Texas State is a sapling program lost amid the Redwoods of Texas college football, Houston recently being one of those tall trees.

In 2011, Texas State finished 6-6 and lost to such football powers as Northwestern State, a school in Louisiana not to be confused with the academic powerhouse, Northwestern, in Illinois. In the Bobcats’ last run in with Houston, the Cougars shredded them 68-28. That season, Texas State won four games.

Both Texas State and Youngstown are FCS schools, otherwise known as Div. I-AA to those of us who struggle with understanding all the CFB acronyms. Youngstown also won six games in 2011 and only three in 2010. Penn State beat them 44-14 two years ago. In the past decade, both schools have also had good runs in their division’s playoffs. Mostly, though, their good seasons end with six wins.

Youngstown did win four national titles in seven season with Jim Tressel as head coach. That’s more pedigree than Texas State.

So, go ahead, take a stab at picking winners and see how successful you might be. (My picks are the ones in all caps.



My Pick: Week of Aug. 27:

SE Louisiana vs. MISSOURI

Clemson vs. AUBURN

Murray State vs. FLA STATE

Eastern Kentucky vs. PURDUE

IOWA vs. Northern Illinois

MIAMI vs. Boston College

Richmond vs. VIRGINIA

Buffalo vs. GEORGIA

Western Michigan vs. ILLINOIS

Tulsa vs. IOWA STATE

Ohio vs. PENN STATE

Marshall vs. WEST VIRGINIA

NOTRE DAME vs. Navy

C. Arkansas vs. MISSISSIPPI

Jackson State vs. MISS. STATE

NW State vs. TEXAS TECH

Michigan vs. ALABAMA

Wyoming vs. TEXAS

Indiana State vs. INDIANA

Texas State vs. HOUSTON

OKLAHOMA vs. UTEP

Miami of Ohio vs. OHIO STATE

NORTHWESTERN vs. Syracuse

William & Mary vs. MARYLAND

Youngstown St. vs. PITT



My Picks: Week of Sept. 3:

Tulane vs. TULSA Penn State vs. VIRGINIA

Auburn vs. MISS. STATE

Maine vs. BOSTON COLLEGE

Austin Peay vs. VA. TECH

WKU vs. ALABAMA

Air Force vs. MICHIGAN

MICHIGAN ST. vs. C. Michigan

Florida vs. TEXAS A&M

Purdue vs. NOTRE DAME

INDIANA vs. Massachusetts

Washington vs. LSU

Florida A&M vs. OKLA.

Grambling State vs. TCU

OK. STATE vs. Arizona

Iowa vs. IOWA STATE

UTEP vs. MISSISSIPPI

UCF vs. OHIO STATE

MARYLAND vs. Temple

USC vs. Syracuse

Savannah State vs. FLORIDA STATE

Morgan State vs. BUFFALO

TEXAS TECH vs. Texas St.

GEORGIA vs. Missouri

New Mexico vs. TEXAS