It’s finally here. (Actually, it started Thursday night ….) Granted, some of these Week 1 SEC matchups are less competitive than an intra-squad scrimmage against your team’s walk-ons, but it’s college football. And what good is college football without some insane predictions? That’s where we come in. These aren’t safe predictions, these are some wild attempts at prognostication. Without further ado, our Week 1 SEC bold predictions:

Alabama: The Tide roll — in a low-scoring game.

Yes, we like Alabama over Louisville. Who doesn’t? But a lot of folks are looking at Tua and salivating over a shoot-out with Bobby Petrino’s Cardinals. Not so fast. Year by year, Alabama’s defense has allowed fewer points per game and fewer yards per game in each of the last three seasons. Meanwhile, Louisville’s offensive line gave up 80 sacks in the past two years despite having one of the most mobile and talented QBs in college football history. Looks like a 38-7 kind of game from here.

Arkansas: A Cole day in Arkansas

Sure, the Razorbacks will crush Eastern Illinois. A more interesting prediction? Cole Kelley will lead the SEC in passing in Week 1. Chad Morris wants to make a statement and he’ll start out firing.

Auburn: The front seven have a field day

Washington might be a kind of glamorous pick of an Auburn team with a few question marks, but Auburn’s front seven are anything but a question mark. In particular, Marlon Davidson is the kind of player Washington just doesn’t see in the Pac-12. Remember how Jake Browning looked against Alabama in the 2016 Peach Bowl? He’ll look the same this week. Auburn by 17.

Florida: Florida picks a QB? Maybe not.

Dan Mullen generally is a one-QB guy. But he’s gone to great lengths to point out his pleasure with backup QB Kyle Trask, and when push comes to shove, he’s going to play two QBs, and not just because the Gators will blow out Charleston Southern. The two QBs will alternate all season, and you’ll start to see what that looks like this week.

Georgia: Fields of Bulldog Red

Jake Fromm will be fine this week against Austin Peay. Justin Fields will be even better. Granted, UGA was a run-heavy team last year and the last thing they’re going to try to do is show South Carolina too much of the playbook ahead of the Week 2 showdown. But Fields will do nothing to slow the oncoming QB situation in Athens.

Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky: A Rose by any other name

Benny Snell of Kentucky will be the focal point of Central Michigan’s defense on Saturday — as Snell will be for pretty much every team UK faces. Watch for sophomore back A.J. Rose to have an excellent game in relief of Snell. Rose starred in Kentucky’s spring game and brings a little more speed and edge running to the table than the powerful Snell. If he can get 80 yards and a couple of scores, it’ll give opponents something else to think about against UK.

LSU: Kelvin Joseph burns the Hurricanes

Miami is a slight favorite, but mostly because people are remembering the Hurricanes team that started 2017 10-0 and forgetting the one that finished the year losing the last three games. A key player? LSU true freshman Kelvin Joseph. A couple years ago, Florida had Vernon Hargreaves III at cornerback and opposite him was an untested kid named Jalen Tabor. Tabor had an even better season than Hargreaves. The same thing happens with the guy starting opposing lockdown corner Greedy Williams. Malik Rosier will test Joseph, and find out just how good this kid is. Tigers hold on to win late in a one-score game.

Mississippi State: No Fitzgerald, no problem

Sure the suspension of Nick Fitzgerald could have hurt the Bulldogs in Week 2. But in Week 1? They’ll grind behind that huge offensive line. State’s top rushing game in 2017 was 327 yards vs. La. Tech. They’ll best it this weekend.

Missouri: A Badie man in Columbia

Missouri has a lot of veteran offensive personnel. But one under-the-radar freshman who could impress is 5-9 running back Tyler Badie. Badie will first make an impact on special teams, as he’ll return kickoffs for the Tigers this weekend. There are plenty of tough runners ahead of him at the running back spot, but Badie will take a kickoff to the house and start becoming a favorite of Mizzou fans this week.

Ole Miss: Rebels falter late

Ole Miss still has an outstanding first 22 players, despite the exodus of transfers and the NCAA hammer. Where the past couple years will hurt the Rebels is in the fourth quarter. Ole Miss leads by 10 at halftime, but will cough up the game late, starting a tough season for Matt Luke.

South Carolina: Carolina finds another receiver

K.C. Crosby didn’t play a ton last season for South Carolina, catching just two passes at tight end. The reason for that was the presence of Hayden Hurst ahead of him on the depth chart. Hurst is gone, and while Carolina has some excellent receivers, don’t be surprised if they rediscovery Crosby in Week 1 against Coastal Carolina. We’ll call for 5 catches, 75 yards, and a touchdown.

Tennessee: Chyrst, you know it ain’t easy

The guess here is that Keller Chryst takes the UT starting job, and he’ll actually throw the ball well against a West Virginia team that has a pretty porous defense. Given the presence of Drew Richmond and Trey Smith at tackle, Chryst will get time to throw, and will make enough plays to throw for 300 yards. The problem is that UT’s defense is still a massive liability and Will Grier will throw for 400. WVU by two scores.

Vanderbilt: The Wright man for the job

SEC defensive player of the week? We’ll take Vanderbilt’s Charles Wright, who had 9 sacks last season and who helped lead the charge against a porous MTSU offensive line in last year’s opener. Vandy sacked the MTSU quarterback five times in that game, and given MTSU’s lack of stars in the ground game, that’ll be the difference in this one. Vandy by 20, Wright with a couple of sacks and a turnover forced.