The most uninspired weekend of the SEC season is upon us!

That’s impossible. No Saturday with a full slate of college football games is boring.

Saturday Down South’s Brad Crawford and Christopher Smith begin their weekly picks battle after getting a chance to see all teams — except Florida — in action during Week 1. We’ll keep score against the spread (ATS) and straight-up for the remainder of the season.

Readers can make their Week 2 picks here.

RELATED: SEC power rankings 

There’s only one game pitting two conference teams this week, so we’ll start in Nashville …

No. 15 Ole Miss (-20) at Vanderbilt (LP Field)

Brad: Ha. Temple’s 37-7 win over the ‘Dores on opening night was my SEC ‘Lock of the Week’. I overanalyzed Vandy’s new-look defense and was chastised for it in the SDS office right around halftime. I took my ball and went home. I’m no Vandy homer, but I feel like I’ve swung and missed a hanging slider on the Commodores’ projected win total this season as well. I bought into Derek Mason’s competitive nature this summer and thought he could get to six, possibly seven victories in his inaugural campaign. After last week’s stinker, it won’t happen. There’s major quarterback issues in Nashville at the moment, a terrible sign going up against what I consider the SEC’s best secondary. Five turnovers and limited total yardage means the Rebels cover. Rebels 38, Vanderbilt 14

Christopher: A real-life SEC game! I’m a Stephen Rivers fan. Unfortunately, the Commodores have no clue who they’re going to start at quarterback. A seven-turnover performance in a 30-point home loss to Temple would make any first-time head coach gun-shy. Ole Miss, meanwhile, is a legitimately good — not great — team despite Bo Wallace temporarily forgetting his team’s jersey color against Boise State. However, I think Vandy comes into this game as a desperate and dying program. Ole Miss wins, but Vandy covers. Rebels 31, ‘Dores 17.

RELATED: Matchup breakdown: Ole Miss DL vs Vandy backfield

East Carolina at No. 21 South Carolina (-16.5)

Brad: South Carolina’s not a bad football team, though I saw with my own eyes how unprepared the Gamecocks were to play last week. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve seen a total lack of poise at home, not to mention Steve Spurrier abandoning his game plan midway through the first quarter. The front four without Jadeveon Clowney and Kelcy Quarles? Pathetic. I’ve received texts and tweets all week from Pirate fans picking the upset, but I think South Carolina will get back to basics this week and rebound with a quality non-conference win. An 0-2 start? No chance. South Carolina 45, East Carolina 24

Christopher: I think the public has overreacted to Texas A&M’s dream game on a Thursday night to open the season. This Gamecocks team is flawed — Dylan Thompson is a downgrade at quarterback, the team may struggle to replace two NFL draft picks along the defensive line and the secondary has been a question mark all offseason. South Carolina still is a contender in the SEC East as far as I’m concerned. Still, Shane Carden and Justin Hardy have the ability to score at least a few touchdowns on Steve Spurrier’s boys. Knowing Brad will take South Carolina here, and with that 16.5 points looking too tempting to resist, I’ll play a little game theory and go with the Gamecocks to win, but not cover. South Carolina 35, East Carolina 21.

RELATED: Gamecocks’ AP Top 25 streak on the line

San Jose State at No. 5 Auburn (-32.5)

Christopher: Oh, do San Jose State fans miss David Fales. Auburn isn’t afraid to let its backups score touchdowns against lesser teams. As Phil Steele pointed out, the Tigers beat Arkansas State, Western Carolina and Florida Atlantic by a combined 145-22 last season. Nick Marshall surely is anxious to tamp down any misconstrued notion that Jeremy Johnson is just as good, while Johnson and the other backups want to prove they can score at will just as easily. Auburn 49, San Jose State 14.

Brad: I’d rather watch replays of SEC games than live football in other leagues, so consider me clueless when it comes to West Coast football outside of a couple PAC-12 elites. Gus Malzahn’s ground game won’t let up, but it’s the new wrinkle down field that has me projecting Auburn as the West’s best at this point. If the Tigers don’t reach the 50s in their second outing, I’ll be surprised. Auburn 59, San Jose State 14.

Sam Houston State at No. 12 LSU (-32.5)

Brad: I wanted more from Leonard Fournette, heck, we all did. Too many grass smoothies I guess. LSU won’t be nearly as motivated this weekend as the Tigers were in the second half of last week’s comeback victory over Wisconsin, but the Bearkats won’t have an answer defensively. Les Miles slows this game to a crawl — since QB play could still be suspect — during the second half as the Tigers roll and cover, 41-7.

Christopher: It’s tough to gauge what LSU will do in this game, as the Tigers are desperate to get playing time for Brandon Harris and a stable of young receivers and defensive tackles. LSU will have no problem with the Bearkats, but may be a bit disjointed in spots late in the game. I’m worried the Tigers’ run game will lead to a few fourth-quarter scores even with the backups playing, but I’ll still take Sam Houston State plus-32.5. LSU wins, 38-7.

Lamar at No. 9 Texas A&M (-51)

Christopher: The Aggies’ defense still is bad. Maybe horrible. Thompson and South Carolina left points on the table. They’ll be a good value play in a few weeks after they’ve destroyed a few no-name teams and remain in the Top 10(!?). Texas A&M, though, is more than capable of scoring 52 points in a game. The Aggies probably can score as many times as they please against Lamar. But I can’t fathom wagering on a game where I have to lay 51 points. Texas A&M 52, Lamar 3.

Brad: For the next three weeks, Texas A&M’s going to appear unstoppable and Kenny Hill could exceed 15 touchdowns by the time the Aggies return to reality against Arkansas on Sept. 27. If I’m a Texas A&M fan right now, I’m excited about what’s in store the next few seasons with an incredible venue and potential all-conference playmaker under center. Oh, and Kevin Sumlin’s legit. Texas A&M 55, Lamar 21.

Florida Atlantic at No. 2 Alabama (-40.5)

Christopher: Call it the FauxPelini curse. After Florida Atlantic fired Carl Pelini, Bo Pelini’s brother, FAU closed the 2013 season with four consecutive wins, only to get shunned by the bowls. Then the Owls opened the season at Nebraska, where Doak Walker Award candidate Ameer Abdullah rushed for 232 yards and the Pelini family got their revenge. Now FAU gets T.J. Yeldon, Derrick Henry and a rejuvenated Alabama offense. I’d stay far away from this game as a gambler, but since I’m forced to pick, I’ll predict Nick Saban to shut it down early. Alabama wins, 42-10, but fails to cover the points.

Brad: One pass to O.J. Howard last week … how the heck does that happen? Howard’s an elite player, arguably Alabama’s most underrated athlete, but Lane Kiffin almost completely ignored the rangy target against West Virginia. He’ll score this week, as will Yeldon, Henry and both Alabama quarterbacks. Alabama covers, barely, and the secondary goes untested. Crimson Tide 45, Owls 3.

No. 24 Missouri (-3.5) at Toledo

Christopher: This is another game on which I’d refuse to gamble with my own money. Missouri’s pass defense looked suspect against South Dakota State last week, Maty Mauk played OK but inconsistent, and Toledo’s spread offense, led by Alabama transfer quarterback Phillip Ely, steamed to more than 50 points against New Hampshire last week. This game is in the Glass Bowl, where coach Gary Pinkel used to coach the Rockets. This game opened at -6.5, and it’s not the public pouring money on Toledo. I’ll go against the sharps and duck for cover in this one. Missouri 31, Toledo 27.

Brad: I’d stay away from this game if I was betting real money because I’ve bought into the fact that the Tigers have an eight-win ceiling this season. This will anger Mizzou fans, but it’s a game (on the road) that Gary Pinkel’s group could certainly lose. In a close finish, the Tigers cover with a late score, 30-24, and Russell Hansbrough has a solid outing.

Arkansas State at Tennessee (-17.5)

Brad: Knoxville’s going to explode with unnecessary excitement if the Vols cover again. Time to find the nearest bomb shelter. Tennessee 38, Arkansas State 17.

Christopher: Tennessee averaged just 2.8 yards per carry against a Utah State team begging to get blown off the field. The Vols eventually obliged, but not before taking more than a half to put the Aggies out of their misery. UT has some nice skill players, but I don’t trust that rebuilt offensive line. Arkansas State will keep this one competitive on a short week for Tennessee, which won’t pummel the Red Wolves’ offensive line into submission as they did to Utah State. The Vols win, but the Red Wolves cover. Final score: Tennessee 31, Arkansas State 14.

UAB at Mississippi State (-28)

Christopher: The Blazers crushed Troy State to open the Bill Clark era, an emotional boost after a two-win season that also relegated UAB to a trivia question: Which team did Southern Miss beat to end its 23-game losing streak? But Mississippi State is a legitimate eight or nine-win team even in the SEC West if the Bulldogs can stay healthy. (Incidentally, the Bulldogs beat Southern Miss, 49-0, last week.) Mississippi State wins big again and covers, 38-7.

Brad: Consecutive shutouts perhaps? I was very impressed with the Bulldogs’ defensive performance last week against Southern Miss and UAB’s offense doesn’t pose any realistic threats. Dak Prescott’s banged up a bit and getting him to the sideline by halftime is a good idea. Mississippi State covers in convincing fashion, 42-6.

Ohio at Kentucky (-13)

Brad: I’m a fan of the Bobcats’ matte green helmets, but not much else. After Saturday, Kentucky will need only four wins to reach bowl eligibility in Mark Stoops’ second season, a commendable feat for a program looking to rise out of the cellar. Kentucky 35, Ohio 14.

Christopher: Kentucky will have their “return to earth” moment this season. Betting against a Frank Solich team usually would terrify me in a game like this, but Kentucky is both confident and humble, and won’t overlook the MAC opponent. The Wildcats are 6-0 against MAC teams since 2007. Patrick Towles and company make it seven this week. The Wildcats win and cover, 31-14.

Eastern Michigan at Florida (-38.5)

Christopher: The “save Will Muschamp” campaign finally begins in earnest, barring another appearance Noah’s Ark and the Great Flood. Kurt Roper, Jeff Driskel and the offense have been waiting months and months to show off, while Eastern Michigan won two games last season and opened the year with that embarrassing sledgehammer debacle that went viral. I normally stay away from these big spreads as a gambler unless I have a good reason to like the underdog, but with no money at stake here, I’ll take Florida to win and cover, 42-3.

Brad: I picked Florida to win 10 games this season as the SEC’s Eastern Division champion, so you can guess I was a bit bummed last weekend when the Gators’ game against Idaho was rained out. I’m anxious to see the return of Jeff Driskel and a couple new elements in the Florida offense. Kelvin Taylor’s workload will be light, but he’ll pile up the yardage in the first half. The SEC’s top defense overall flexes it muscles in the Gators’ first game of the season but doesn’t cover, 45-7.

Nicholls State at Arkansas (-39.5)

Brad: Razorbacks roll, 56-10, as Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams each hit the 100-yard barrier.

Christopher: I’m not even going to pretend like I have any meaningful analysis for this game. With a line this high, it’s a crapshoot anyway. Brad probably will lay the points, so I’ll go the other way. Arkansas 42, Nicholls State 7.