In one week college football kicks off its 139th season. Can you believe it's that time of year again!

Several important games headline the action in the South next week. N.C. State and South Carolina get things going next Thursday night in Columbia. ESPN will be there to bring us all the action.

On Saturday, August 30, Memphis visits Ole Miss; Florida entertains Hawaii; Virginia Tech travels to Charlotte to face East Carolina; Southern Cal crosses the continent to play Virginia. Clemson meets Alabama in the Georgia Dome in the week's marquee match-up.

Play resumes Sunday, August 31, when bitter rivals Louisville and Kentucky square off.

Tennessee closes out the Labor Day football fest when the Vols travel to Los Angeles for a meeting with UCLA on Monday night.

Wow! I'm out of breath, but I can hardly stand the wait!

Next week Old Claude will break down these and a few other games to get you ready for the opening weekend. To get things started here are my pre-season Dixie Dozen rankings:
1. Florida
2. Georgia
3. Clemson
4. Auburn
5. LSU
6. Wake Forest
7. South Florida
8. Virginia Tech
9. Tennessee
10. Alabama
11. South Carolina
12. Florida State