One quick question and I’ll get on with it. If Centreville Academy is as good as it looked last Friday night against an ACCS team that appeared fairly rugged with good size and speed, how good is Bowling Green, which beat CA a week earlier?

To be sure the Tigers of veteran skipper Bill Hurst came to play against coach Bo Swilley’s Rebels, who were hitting the field for the second time this season. CA’s quick-hitters had the Rebels off balance most of the night, so you can know why a speedy team like the Tigers showed promise in a 41-8 Class 3A win.

Centreville, remember, is defending state MPSA Class 3A champions. And since they looked so good against the Rebels – whom I admit could have blocked and tackled better – I have to believe the Bowling Green setback was not according to Hoyle.

Meantime, I also have to believe that coach Swilley’s ACCS team, which I thought was adequately big and quick, has only to kick it up a notch offensively and defensively to finish high in 3A Academy competition this fall.

I also believe it’ll take more than &uot;thinking&uot; better blocking and tackling; the Rebs just &uot;have to do it.&uot; They’re big enough and actually quick enough. They were just weren’t focused well enough Friday night, and fumbled too much.

AND On the college scene, Mississippi State walked all over Middle Tennessee but Ole Miss was fortunate to slide by what I believe might be a good Memphis team this year. By a field goal, no less. Fans will be able to get a better handle on Memphis State this Saturday.

Personally, though, I believe State will win by 10 points or more. Even in

Memphis. In fact, the jury’s still out, but the Bulldog returnees appear to be

farther along this time of the year than Memphis or Ole Miss. Saturday will tell.

The Ole Miss Rebels … well, they say you have to take into consideration a lot of things before judging any team early, and I guess that’s correct. But the one thing I noticed most about the Rebels was the sometimes-shoddy play of quarterback Romaro Miller. So I guess you can say that if he was for a fact less than his best last Saturday, maybe he can step it up a notch this Saturday.

Ole Miss shouldn’t, in fact, find Arkansas State too troublesome Saturday in Oxford after coach David Cutcliffe takes a long look at the OM-Memphis films.

There was just too much kicking the football around (mistakes) on the part of both teams. A first-game malady, yep, but something good teams should be able to correct.

About LSU’s close shave (29-21 victory) in Tigertown against San Jose State, it was very likely another of those cases of the big dog being outfought by the little dog. About all I have to say, though is don’t believe that coach Gerry DiNardo’s 1999 Fighting Tigers are &uot;Kittens.&uot;

In other words, don’t sell DiNardo short, is my advice. North Texas will fall by 3-4 touchdowns to the Tigers this week in Tiger Stadium, I’m claiming.

And to top off big week one of big college football, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles came on like gangbusters in Hattiesburg Monday afternoon against defending Conference USA champion Tulane, swamping the Greenies 48-14.

It couldn’t get any better than that, because it was on the tube before a sellout crowd in the Hub City, proud home of USM.

Fact of the matter, the Southerners slashed Tulane up one side and down the other in snapping the Greenies’ 13-game winning streak, 12 of which came last year in their USA championship run and bowl victory. I’m taking USM over Northwestern Louisiana this Saturday, and I would advise you to.

I can’t believe it’s finally football season.