On his weekly radio show tonight, MSU coach Dan Mullen named junior Chris Relf the starting quarterback for Saturday’s season opener against Memphis (6 p.m., ESPNU).

Earlier today, Mullen tweeted that he would probably name the starter there. About halfway through the program, he said, “Chris Relf is gonna start at quarterback for us, but we will play more than one quarterback in the first game.”

Relf and Tyler Russell have been battling all offseason for the job, and both will play. And it sounds like Mullen will stick with the two-QB system throughout the season.

“We need to get both of them in the flow for the rest of the season, for the big picture of the season,” Mullen said.

The second-year coach noted that both quarterbacks are much more ready this year. Relf has never drawn a start, and Russell, a redshirt freshman, hasn’t played a college game.

“He’s a quarterback now,” Mullen said of Relf. “He was kind of an athlete last year that could make things happen.”

Of Russell, he said, “He might have thought he was ready last year, but now he understands he was nowhere close to ready to step on that football field.”

Mullen also named Robert Elliott, a junior from Okolona, the starting tailback. On this week’s depth chart, he was listed as co-No. 1 with junior college transfer Vick Ballard. Mullen said those two and redshirt freshman LaDarius Perkins will all play.

“I’d love to see at the end of day all our tailbacks with equal reps and playing fresh and fast the rest of the season,” Mullen said.

My trusty 2010 college football syllabus says I should now bring y’all the best of the SEC blogs this fine afternoon. So, here is a little something on the other 11 SEC football teams. (Some of these beat reporters apparently do not blog 3-4 times a day like yours truly, so some of these are a day or two old.)

• ALABAMA: The defending national champs open with San Jose State, which is 0-3 against SEC teams. Bammer coach Nick Saban tried to say that his team’s record and SJSU’s record from last season are irrelevant, an assertion which I’m sure will be validated on the field.

• ARKANSAS: Law & Order: Two Razorbacks were suspended for the opener against Tennessee Tech, likely because of alcohol-related arrests in the offseason. Obviously, this drops the line from 45.5 points to 45 points.

• AUBURN: A couple of days old, but this sort of honesty should never be overlooked. Yeah, Arkansas State is gettin’ paid, so by all means, do your worst and call ’em Susan (2:05 mark).

• FLORIDA: Should Gator fans be worried about their defensive line? Not after these guys show up on their Moped of Death.

• GEORGIA: Coach Mark Richt said yesterday that one BCS opponent on the non-SEC slate is quite enough, thank you very much.

• KENTUCKY: We’re asking about pregame coin tosses (1:38)? Really?? The storyline well is obviously bone dry.

• LSU: My boy Randy Rosetta has his own SEC power rankings. We obviously have differing opinions about Georgia.

• OLE MISS: Another plea for a downtrodden athlete to be freed from his prison of oppression.

• SOUTH CAROLINA: As I write this, we’re less than three hours away from the first SEC game of the season, as the Gamecocks host Southern Miss. Wonder what kind of hotel rates the Golden Eagles are getting in Columbia.

• TENNESSEE: Some thoughts from UT quarterback Matt Simms, who used to play at Louisville until he realized, “I’m Phil Simms’ son. Why the crap am I playing for LOUISVILLE?!”

• VANDERBILT: It’ll be a meeting of the minds on Saturday when Vandy plays host to Northwestern. Pat Fitzgerald, the Wildcats’ coach, gives his thoughts on the Commodores. You might have the better team, sir, but you wouldn’t stand a chance against Robbie Caldwell on Last Comic Standing.

• BONUS: This entry would not be complete without including a funny, moving, inspiring post by Spencer Hall of Every Day Should Be Saturday (EDSBS). Outstanding.

Next game: vs. Memphis, Saturday, 6 p.m. (ESPNU, Clay Matvick and Herm Edwards)

Welcome to the first prediction thread of the 2010 collegiate football season. This is where we all pretend to have psychic powers and predict the final score of a game contested between dozens of 18-22-year-old men in funny-looking outfits (because seriously, sports uniforms just look silly when worn somewhere besides a sports venue, and by someone else other than the athlete who that jersey number actually belongs to).

Oh, I kid (mostly). To the game.

Mississippi State is a 21-point favorite† and, given a likely sellout and all the offseason anticipation, I could see that happening. Then again, over the past five years, the Bulldogs have not fared well against the spread as a home favorite – only once in nine such games has MSU covered, and that was last year against Jackson State (35-point fave, won by 38). Four of those games, State straight up lost. (Thank you for that info, Phil Steele.)

I’m not sure if MSU will cover, because I could see Memphis, re-energized by new coach Larry Porter (who must be a Dan Mullen clone because he’s stolen MSU’s copyrighted mantra of “relentless effort”), making things tough on the Bulldogs. Cannon Smith was once a really good high school quarterback, and there’s not much useful film to watch on the Tigers.

Most definitely, though, MSU will win. If you happen to be a betting man‡, well, let history be your guide. And as this week’s ESPNU analyst will remind you, focus on what’s most important: Not covering a spread, but playing to win the game.

My prediction: MSU 35, Memphis 17. (Don’t forget to vote on Facebook, fools!)

*–Not really.

†–For entertainment purposes only! Gambling will leave you penniless and gives you severe acne.

‡–I’m not a betting man, thus my immaculate complexion. Not sure how to explain the bank account, though.

Give Dan Mullen credit: He knows how to sell. That’s been well-established, and he probably picked up a few extra listeners for his season debut of DawgTalk tonight. It airs at 7 p.m. (on 96.3 in Tupelo, 100.9 in West Point), and Mullen tweeted earlier that some starting positions could be revealed tonight.

Then, he got more specific: “QB Position might be one of those positions named tonight.” When you capitalize a common noun, you know it’s extra important.

So, any guesses? We know it’s either going to be Chris Relf or Tyler Russell. I’d go with Relf simply because of his experience and his supposed improvement as a passer. As a fellow writer told me the other day, though, you never know with Mullen. He certainly has a touch for the dramatic.

Besides, whoever starts might not even throw the first pass of the season. Remember who threw the first one of 2009? Yeah, Chad Bumphis, a freshman receiver at the time. It was incomplete.

So who knows, maybe Bumphis gets the nod at QB and will line up in the Wildcat formation with Relf and Russell split wide. Oh, PLEASE let that happen.