Out of all the weeks to pick high school football games, weeks 1 and 5 are the toughest.

The first week of the season is self explanatory, and the fifth week is much like Week 1. Non-region opponents clash.

Some teams schedule longtime rivals who aren’t in their region, while others schedule a team they normally wouldn’t play otherwise. It makes for an intriguing week (and like I said, a tough one to pick).

Speaking of picks, there’s an asterick hanging over my record last week. I went 8-1, pending the outcome of Monday’s Woodville-Collinsville game which was postponed from Friday.

That game aside, my only loss last week was Geraldine’s 12-7 win at Sand Rock. I was close to getting that one, but Geraldine won in the game’s final few seconds. For the year, I’m 32-2.

Now, on to Week 5.

Parkway Christian at Gaylesville: The Trojans are beginning to hit their stride, while Parkway Christian is hitting the wall.

Parkway is 1-3 and having trouble scoring points (its only scored 32 all season and has been shutout three times). Meanwhile, the Trojans have posted two straight shutouts. Is a third on the horizon? My Magic-8 ball says ‘All signs point to yes’… Gaylesville 26, Parkway Christian 0.

Fayetteville at Collinsville: A little confession here. I usually base a lot of my picks on what happens the week before.

Since Collinsville didn’t play on Friday, that’s going to be tricky this week. So what do I do in an instance like that? Go with last year’s result … Collinsville 35, Fayetteville 8.

Weaver at Cedar Bluff: The Tigers welcomed back a healthy Kyle Crane last week, and he didn’t disappoint. The senior quarterback had one of his best performances after throwing for 299 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-24 victory at Valley Head.

Crane and company should come up big again this week against Weaver … Cedar Bluff 42, Weaver 16.

White Plains at Spring Garden: Even though the Panthers lost last week to Class 1A’s No. 2 team, the Gaston Bulldogs, they held their own.

I think that bodes well when they host Class 3A White Plains, which is coming off a heartbreaking 7-6 loss to Glencoe … Spring Garden 21, White Plains 14.

Gaston at Sand Rock: Speaking of heartbreaks, Sand Rock had one last week against Geraldine. The Wildcats lost in the final 10 seconds after scratching and clawing all game.

Sand Rock showed a lot of heart, especially with many members of the team battling the flu. If they’re healthy this week, I think they can beat Gaston, since they won’t have to tackle Clemson signee Demont Buice. Here’s thinking the Wildcats will be healthy … Sand Rock 26, Gaston 21.

Ohatchee at Piedmont: With all the flash the Piedmont Bulldogs have on offense, they’ve been winning their last couple of games with defense.

In last week’s 15-6 win at Tarrant, the Bulldogs recovered three fumbles. They also held Tarrant to 44 total yards, including just six rushing yards.

Here’s thinking another performance like that, with a few more points, is in store against rival Ohatchee … Piedmont 32, Ohatchee 12.

Cherokee County at Cleburne County: The Warriors sure are making things look easy. In a game that should have been a lot better than it was on paper last week, second-ranked Cherokee County ran away with No. 6 Oneonta, 42-14.

This team is following in the footsteps of last year’s: it’s getting better with every passing week. That’s bad news for this week’s opponent, the Cleburne County Tigers … Cherokee County 38, Cleburne County 16.

College Football

Jacksonville State at Nicholls State: The road-warrior Gamecocks finally got in the win column last week at Alabama A&M. Their reward? Another road game.

This week, JSU travels to Thibodaux, La., to face the Colonels, who have struggled to score points in their previous three games. I think another win is in store for the Gamecocks before they finally get to play a home game … JSU 27, Nicholls State 10.

Arkansas at Alabama: Alabama coach Nick Saban couldn’t have asked for much better than the way the Tide performed in last week’s 53-7 win over North Texas. One concern remains the Tide’s special teams, which led to another touchdown last week.

That seems to be the only problem the Tide has. Look for Alabama to shore that up this week and hold off Arkansas … Alabama 34, Arkansas 20.

Ball State at Auburn: Who would have guessed Auburn would be 3-0? The Tiger offense is coming along nicely, and the defense has been opportunistic (just ask last week’s opponent, West Virginia).

I look for the Tigers to come up big again this week against Ball State … Auburn 42, Ball State 14.