The high school football regular season is over, and now the real fun begins.

The state playoffs start on Friday, and The Herald’s coverage area still has six teams alive for a chance at a state championship. Congratulations to all.

While Spring Garden, Collinsville, Cedar Bluff, Sand Rock, Piedmont and Cherokee County want to prove their mettle, yours truly wants to do the same after last week’s debacle.

I went 8-3 overall, when I’m used to having marks like 9-2, 10-0 and such. That Halloween hijinx I was talking about in last week’s column must have bit me.

Anyway, I’m 94-17 for the year. Hopefully, I’ll hit the century mark in picking correctly this week, but it isn’t going to be easy.

Let’s see what we’ve got in store for the first round of the state playoffs.

Collinsville (6-4) at Appalachian (8-2): These days, there’s a lot of proud folks in Collinsville, and it has nothing to do with basketball.

The Panther football team has clinched its first playoff berth in seven seasons. When one watches them play, you can see why. The duo of quarterback Robert Gray and running back Jonathon Cole can give a defensive coordinator a serious migraine headache.

Collinsville meets a familiar face in the playoffs in Appalachian head coach Ernie Willingham. The last time the Panthers played in a playoff game, Willingham was Collinsville’s head coach. Willingham coached the Panthers from 1997-2001 and won the last region championship in 1999.

While I’m sure Willingham is glad to see his old team back in the playoffs, he’s going to do all he can to help his current team advance. Collinsville has had a memorable ride this season, but I’m afraid the end of the line will be Friday night … Appalachian 28, Collinsville 21.

Spring Garden (8-2) at Ragland (7-3): There must be something to having a Panther as a team mascot this year, because another pride of them makes their first postseason trip in six seasons.

Spring Garden is coming off a huge win over Class 2A Sand Rock in overtime, which has that community on Cloud 9. One of the first things head coach Jason Howard told me after the win was the team needs to get focused on Ragland.

I don’t think Howard will have much trouble getting the Panthers focused for this game. I look for the backfield trio of Jake Scott, Trey Littlefield and Tyler Messer to have big outings and help trump the Purple Devils … Spring Garden 26, Ragland 19.

Victory Christian (8-2) at Cedar Bluff (8-2): A team that is no stranger to the playoffs is Cedar Bluff. The Tigers have made it to the second season for the 13th consecutive year.

On the other hand, this is the first time the Lions have tasted the postseason since coming into the Alabama High School Athletic Association in 2002.

Experience will play a role here, as will the Tigers getting back several of their weapons back to full strength. I look for the Tigers to roll on to the next round … Cedar Bluff 42, Victory Christian 16.

Lineville (3-7) at Sand Rock (9-1): On paper, this one looks like a mismatch, but don’t let Lineville’s record fool you.

Aggie head coach Steve Giddens knows how to get the most out of his teams. He’s led them to the playoffs in all 10 of his seasons at the school, including two state championship appearances.

Meanwhile, Sand Rock’s Russell Jacoway has led 21 Wildcat teams into the postseason in his 26 seasons, including a state title in 1985. This team is one of his finest, and it’s coming off a loss. I think that’s bad news for Lineville … Sand Rock 35, Lineville 20.

Sardis (7-3) at Piedmont (8-2): Speaking of coaches with postseason experience, Piedmont’s Steve Smith is also playoff savvy.

He’s led the Bulldogs to the playoffs in each of his three seasons at Piedmont, and he did so in 10 of his 11 years at Cedar Bluff.

Even with the Bulldogs making a move to Class 3A this season, they’ve proven to be a contender. They’re a dangerous team to be playing at any point of the season, and I think the Lions (with former Piedmont assistant coach Chris Garmon at the helm) will find that out come Friday … Piedmont 32, Sardis 21.

West Point (5-4) at Cherokee County (10-0): Speaking of dangerous teams, the Warriors may just be the most dangerous one there is in the state.

They certainly have the offense to prove it. The Tribe averages 38 points per game, and the defense seems to be getting better from week to week.

Cherokee County has also proven it can play with the big dogs, too. They’re coming off a 40-18 blasting of Class 5A Scottsboro last Thursday in which five separate players scored touchdowns.

The buck stops here for West Point … Cherokee County 48, West Point 14.

College Football

Western Kentucky at Troy: The Trojans are coming a heartbreaking loss to Louisiana-Monroe, so I look for them to get back on track. They’re at home, and that means something to the folks at Troy … Troy 26, Western Kentucky 17.

Jacksonville State at Tennessee Tech: With the playoffs out of the equation, the Gamecocks can still salvage the season the next couple of weeks.

I look for head coach Jack Crowe to get them motivated for the stretch run, including this week against Tennessee Tech … JSU 32, Tennessee Tech 24.

Tennessee Martin at Auburn: Before the season began, most folks thought this one was a lock for the Tigers. Now, we’re not so sure with what has transpired this season.

Still, can you really see UT-Martin pulling off a win? At Jordan-Hare Stadium, no less? I think the Skyhawks will give the Tigers a game, but I just don’t see Auburn losing … Auburn 21, UT-Martin 10.

Alabama at LSU: Look who’s the No. 1 team in the land.

It’s been a while since the Tide has been this high, and Bama fans sure are enjoying it. But the prognosticators don’t seem to share that enthusiasm. A lot of them are looking for this team to fold, and they see this week as being where it will happen.

I, on the other hand, see things a bit differently. True, the Tide is young in several key areas. But like him or hate him, Nick Saban knows how to get teams prepared for big games. And he’s going against his former team (which is a touchy subject for him, I might add).

I look for Saban to use all of what I mentioned above as motivation, and for Bama to bounce the Bayou Bengals … Alabama 27, LSU 24.

Bonus College Pick

Oklahoma State at Texas Tech: The Red Raiders proved they’re for real with a thrilling win over former No. 1 Texas last week. They don’t have much time to celebrate, because another top 10 team comes to town in Oklahoma State.

The question is how well the Red Raiders handle the pressure. Not well, I’m afraid … Oklahoma State 34, Texas Tech 32.