UNION – Your Union Daily Times Pigskin Pick’ Em panel is back in action this week with a local celebrity throwing his hat into the ring. Radio personality Jeff Lewis Neal from The Planet 93.3 joins to do a little picking and if you don’t believe he’s a celebrity, just ask him, he’ll tell you. “It’s a real pleasure for you to have me on,” Neal informed me.

The pleasure is ours, Jeff. We’re not worthy. “You’re right,” he responded.

Jeff’s got jokes right out of the gate. That’s good. Maybe he won’t mind me telling our readers that he thought a nickle-back was that band whose music he plays for his listeners.

Speaking of music, I heard the sweet hallelujah chords when Steven Addis put up an 8-5 this week (48-16 overall), allowing me to slide into second place in our standings with a 10-3 record for the week, (49-15 overall).

Surely Kevin Shropshire was pleased with his 10-3 mark as well although his overall record of 47-17 leaves him in a two-way tie with Sam Phipps for fourth place.

Mr. Phipps had a bit of an off-week, missing on five games while our top picker, Doc Lipsey, turned in a 9-4 (49-15 overall) to keep his place at the head of the table.

While we talk a big game, “Bring it, don’t sing it” has become Doc’s new mantra.

Last week our guest picker, Charles Lott, Sr. indicated that he would give our panel a lesson in picking and when the results were tallied his score was also 9-4 on the week, tying Doc’s but one win shy of the 10-3 record that Kevin and I posted.

Kevin said he was beginning a slow but methodical march to the front of the pack…Apparently our ribbing has awoken the sleeping giant. “Ya’ll are nothing but gatorade to me,” he quipped.

This week, the regulars on the panel were in agreement for the majority of our high school picks, while our celebrity picker elected to go with Mauldin over Gaffney and Spartanburg over Dorman…We’re wondering if he knows something we don’t.

Mr. Neal also chose Wade Hampton over Boiling Springs which is no surprise since it’s his alma mater. “Lately we’ve gotten no respect at Wade Hampton but the football program is tough,” Neal explained.

I agree. In fact, I picked them too.

Union County is at home against Broome and this week our money is on the Jackets.

The panel is unanimous this week in its picks for the SEC showdown in South Carolina, although, admittedly, being a Clemson fan I wouldn’t mind being wrong on this one. I do believe the Gamecocks win this game, especially after UGA lost its leading receiver to a knee injury this week at practice.

Check back next week to see if I’m crying over this one.

Special thanks to Charles Lott Sr. for participating last week and to Jeff Lewis Neal for joining us this week.

Here are this week’s games:

Broome @ Union County

Clinton @ Chapman

Woodruff @ Chester

Mauldin @ Gaffney

Spartanburg @ Dorman

Wade Hampton @ Boiling Springs

Landrum @ Chesnee

Georgia Tech @ Clemson

Georgia @ South Carolina

LSU @ Florida

Pittsburg @ Syracuse

Florida State @ N.C. State

Texas A&M @ Mississippi

Miami @ Notre Dame

West Virginia @ Texas

Seattle Seahawks @ Carolina Panthers

Our panel’s picks:

Doc Lipsey

Last Week 9-4

Overall 50-14

Union

Clinton

Woodruff

Gaffney

Dorman

Boiling Springs

Chesnee

Clemson

USC

LSU

Syracuse

Florida State

Texas A&M

Notre Dame

Texas

Panthers

Tiffany Grady-Hudgins

Last Week 10-3

Overall 49-15

Points Behind Leader 1

Union

Chapman

Woodruff

Gaffney

Dorman

Wade Hampton

Chesnee

Clemson

USC

LSU

Pittsburg

Florida State

Texas A&M

Notre Dame

Texas

Panthers

Steven Addis

Last Week 8-5

Overall 48-16

Points Behind Leader 2

Union

Chapman

Woodruff

Gaffney

Dorman

Boiling Springs

Chesnee

Clemson

USC

LSU

Pittsburg

Florida State

Texas A&M

Notre Dame

West Virgina

Panthers

Sam Phipps

Last Week 8-5

Overall 47-17

Points Behind Leader 3

Union

Chapman

Woodruff

Gaffney

Dorman

Boiling Springs

Chesnee

Clemson

USC

Florida

Syracuse

Florida State

Texas A&M

Notre Dame

West Virgina

Seahawks

Kevin Shropshire

Last Week 10-3

Overall 47-17

Points Behind Leader 3

Union

Clinton

Woodruff

Gaffney

Dorman

Boiling Springs

Chesnee

Clemson

USC

LSU

Pittsburg

Florida State

Texas A&M

Notre Dame

West Virgina

Seahawks

Jeff Lewis Neal

Union

Clinton

Woodruff

Mauldin

Spartanburg

Wade Hampton

Chesnee

Clemson

USC

LSU

Syracuse

Florida State

Mississippi

Notre Dame

Texas

Seahawks