Oh yes, I'm proud to announce this season we're pulling off a big debut.

I'll be in Waco, Texas, for Baylor's Friday-night tangle with TCU.

Then, I'll be making the trek Sunday to College Station for Texas A&M's game against SMU. Lots of Texas football in Week 1.

Last year, I was pretty happy with my predictions. I had a couple of rough weeks in conference play, but I rode a strong start and finished second (I think) among our bloggers.

On to the first set of predictions for the year ...

Last year: 77-19 (.802)

Overall: 0-0 (.000)

FRIDAY

TCU 24, Baylor 21: This is my pick of the week. Come back later today for a video in which I explain the pick.

SATURDAY

No. 21 Missouri 31, Miami (Ohio) 17: The RedHawks are underrated, and don't command a lot of respect ... until they take the field. The Tigers' offense will have a few kinks to work out, but will go home with a 1-0 record.

Iowa State 24, Northern Iowa 10: A rocky start for the new quarterback in Ames, too, but the Cyclones get the job done and Shontrelle Johnson loudly makes his presence known.

Kansas 27, McNeese State 17: Not sold on Kansas' ability to put up big points just yet, but there won't be an FCS embarrassment this time around. Right? Right??

Kansas State 41, Eastern Kentucky 10: The Colonels will have nightmares of Collin Klein running the zone read all the way back to Kentucky.

No. 8 Oklahoma State 62, Louisiana-Lafayette 24: Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon will be rocking ballcaps on the sideline for a front-row seat to the fourth quarter.

Texas Tech 55, Texas State 17: This game? Well, it's ... it's not going to be good. Seth Doege will make sure the entire Bobcats defense is 100 percent sure how to dougie by game's end.

No. 1 Oklahoma 41, Tulsa 27: This one's close for a half, and it's not pretty, but G.J. Kinne forces the issue late and the Sooners get away clean. Damaris Johnson is badly missed.

Texas 34, Rice 13: Texas shows a lot of promise in this one, but on the back of its running game. It's only Rice, so scale back your expectations on this solid performance.

SUNDAY

No. 9 Texas A&M 34, SMU 24: Like Miami (Ohio), SMU is way underrated. The SEC talk isn't a distraction for the Aggies, but SMU's offense is. The Ponies get in a couple of early shots against a maturing front seven, but the Aggies take control in the second half. (No, SMU, you can't get in the Big 12 by winning this game.)