Hunter Norris takes over No. 1 spot in local ESPN college pick 'em contest

Jalen Hurts (2) comes up to the line against CSU.

The third week of our local ESPN College Football Pick ‘Em Contest is officially in the books, and when the dust settled after Saturday’s games, Hunter Norris found himself in sole possession of first place in the local standings.

Last week, Norris and Mike Dailey were tied for the No. 1 spot.

David Parker moved into second place, up from fifth place, and Dailey dropped into third place. We had a three-way tie for fourth place involving Arthur Ingram III, Drew Skipper and Mark Peacock.

Steven Newton was in eighth place while Luther Upton and Ricky Taylor were tied for ninth place. Casey Grant, Sharon Peacock and Travis Presley were tied for the No. 11 spot.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I was among three contestants tied for the No. 16 spot in the standings.

With that said, if you’re playing in the contest and didn’t make the Top 10, don’t give up. The contest will run for a total of 14 weeks, and we’ve got 11 more weeks to go. Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

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This coming Saturday, there will be eight games involving SEC football teams, including five games that will feature head-to-head match-ups between SEC opponents. For what it’s worth, here’s how I see those games coming out. I like Alabama over Vanderbilt, Auburn over Missouri, Texas A&M over Arkansas, Georgia over Mississippi State, Florida over Kentucky, Tennessee over UMass, LSU over Syracuse and South Carolina over La. Tech. Ole Miss is off this week.

Last week: 5-5. So far this year: 28-8.

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I got the chance to watch Alabama play in person on Saturday, and Alabama’s win over Colorado State was telling in many ways.

Alabama is obviously struggling with injuries on the defensive side of the ball, so it should have come as no surprise when the Rams were able to pile up a bunch of yards against the Crimson Tide. Also, for whatever reason, Alabama seemed to substitute a little more freely in this game and perhaps a little earlier than they normally would, which may have contributed to their lack of crispness throughout the game.

On the positive side of the coin, quarterback Jalen Hurts played well and Alabama’s running game seemed to be headed toward mid-season form. Alabama also had no interceptions and no lost fumbles, which bodes well for a team that will open conference play this coming Saturday against Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt is riding high with a 3-0 record, but reality will likely set in for the Commodores around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Alabama hasn’t played Vanderbilt in Nashville in around a decade, but I don’t figure the home field advantage will help Vanderbilt that much. In many ways, the “real season” begins for Alabama on Saturday, and it’ll be interesting to see if the Crimson Tide can get off on the right foot. Like most folks, I would be shocked if Vanderbilt upsets Alabama, but I’ll be almost just as shocked if this one is close after the third quarter.