Kosmo isn’t getting that Arch Manning money, but he’s also looking to be a little more accurate in Week 2.

Embracing his inner-Wednesday Addams, Kosmo is brooding a bit after a very ho-hum opening weekend of prognostication. Sure, being very right about Clarkston dining in the den that is Wayne State on Belleville was spot-on, but yours truly also let it sail a bit on a few outcomes.

This ain’t baseball, but it’s a long season, so chalk it up to a little dust. Like Arch and Alabama must be saying to themselves, it’s better to stink it up now than when league play hits its peak. Like in Week 1, there’s not many of those matchups this Friday, though LVC is already in full bloom.

Without further ado, Kosmo’s pinpoint picks for the second weekend of prep football:

Friday, Sept. 5

Milford at Waterford Mott, 7 p.m. — The good news for Milford is that Hudson Smith completed over half his passes for nearly 400 yards and four TDs on opening night. Unfortunately, going down 24-0 against a team like Walled Lake Western can make for tough sledding. On offense, the Mavs should be able to maintain more balance, but Mott passed its initial test under first-year head coach Tra’Jan Seay by shutting out WL Northern, 45-0. Kosmo says: Milford

Football, Lakeland at Walled Lake Northern, 7 p.m. — Picking Lakeland to beat South Lyon last week was a take colder than the UP in mid-February. The Eagles couldn’t stop the run, allowing over 250 yards on the ground. They did manage to chunk out some yards with their own run game, but not to the same level of efficiency. After losing its LVC opener for the first time in six years, Lakeland will look to pick itself up, as will the Knights after suffering a 17th loss in a row dating back to 2023. Kosmo says: Lakeland

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep at Jackson Lumen Christi, 7 p.m. — Last year’s game between these teams was an absolute slobberknocker. Down by 10 in the fourth quarter, the Irish rallied and played well in all three phases to complete their comeback. Gone are some of the playmakers responsible for that comeback that defined ND Prep last season — as is Lumen Christi RB Kadale Williams, though he missed the last meeting — but there’s seemingly a lot more to replace for the D6 champs than the defending D5 titlists. The Titans dropped a tough one in their opener to Lombard Montini (IL), 20-16. Pick: ND Prep

Harper Woods at Clarkston, 7 p.m. — Neither team here got tested as much in their respective openers as one might’ve thought. It’s well-documented that the Wolves wiped the floor with Belleville with Bryce Underwood in the rearview mirror. Meanwhile, Harper Woods didn’t allow a single point to Redford Union, all the while averaging over seven yards per carry. Star junior receiver Dakota Guerrant managed to score twice despite a modest amount of touches. The Pioneers, however, also turned the ball over throwing the ball three times in Week 1, and everyone at Wayne State saw what Clarkston can do with a turnover. They’re going to need to minimize mistakes to win one of the best games of the second weekend. Pick: Clarkston

Detroit Catholic Central at Toledo Central Catholic, 7 p.m. — Don’t get your tongue tied with this one. Not to be confused with the Shamrocks, the Fighting Irish won a state title as champions of Division 3 in the O-H again last season. They’re also on the verge of being 0-3, and welcoming DCC into town must feel like being between a rock and a hard place. The Shamrocks also have some top-end talent like DB Victor Singleton (Texas A&M) and TE Preston Fryzel (Notre Dame), but Catholic Central, coming off a 41-7 romp, just might not allow the Shamrocks to wash away that bad taste just yet. Pick: Detroit Catholic Central

Oxford at Birmingham Groves, 7 p.m. — With most of its starters back on offense, Hartland looked to be a good test in Week 1 for Oxford, but the Wildcats kept Hartland scoreless for nearly the first three quarters for a fine performance in Trevor Potts’ head coaching debut. Groves led U-D Jesuit by three touchdowns at halftime and ended up tacking on two more from there to easily handle the Cubs in their opener. Oxford would force everyone to readjust the notion that it will be a rebuilding year for the Wildcats if they snatch one from the Falcons on the road. Pick: Groves

Saturday, Sept. 6

Detroit Country Day at Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 1 p.m. — Not the start that the Yellowjackets were looking for, one would suppose. After losing by 14 to Portland to open 2024, the Raiders handed DCD a 30-6 loss, aided by a pick-6 — one of two on the evening — in the opening half. Only a touchdown pass from junior QB James Torain to Atlas Amezcua helped Country Day avoid the shutout. Liggett has some great talent at the skill positions, including sophomore receiver Julius Barnett, and will also be looking to get on the right end of the win column following a 14-6 loss to Detroit King. Pick: GPW University Liggett

Leave your GPT nonsense at home, for no AI model can duplicate the pigskin picks of the great Kosmo.

Yes, folks, it’s that time of year again. The wizard of wide receivers, wing-T, Walled Lake and all things Oakland County football is ready to forecast via the crystal ball for another fall. Not that Kosmo could figure out any of this artificial intelligence stuff if he tried, but who needs that fancy pants tech when it’s all up in this ol’ noggin for your consumption.

The 2024 season was another heckuva year for footballing in the OC, and this looks like it’ll be no different. While some will kick it off on Friday, plenty of programs will find out if all the hard work they put in over the dog days of summer paid off on Thursday night.

Here’s a heavenly seven games that will be part of the Week 1 slate.

Thursday, Aug. 28

Clarkston vs. Belleville (at Wayne State), 4 p.m. — Right up there with Rockford and Saline, it may not have Bryce Underwood, but this remains one of the state’s best games of the opening week, and that’s the bottom line, ‘cuz Kosmo says so. Seriously, though, the Tigers remain more than formidable with Tre Britton at receiver and Kendall Franklin stepping up into Underwood’s shoes. Your wise one also hears Belleville’s next batch of beasts are in the oven, but Clarkston QB Alex Waszczenko isn’t so green for this one. If it was later in the year, it might be the Tigers’ game, but Kosmo really believes this one can go the way of the Wolves. Kosmo says: Clarkston

Lake Orion vs. Northville (at Wayne State), 7 p.m. — Two years ago, Northville defeated Clarkston by two scores in the Battle at the Big House to start the year, then Lake Orion exacted some OAA revenge in the season opener in 2024, beating the Mustangs 21-13. After playing in Northville last season, the teams will go toe-to-toe on neutral turf. Veteran coach Chris Bell felt he caught a young Northville at a good time by facing them so early last season. With some talent back along the lines, the Dragons are capable of grinding out another low-scoring victory again. Kosmo says: Lake Orion

South Lyon at Lakeland, 7 p.m. — The Lions are going to be determined to get revenge from last year’s meeting. Lakeland put up four TDs in a row to put a damper on homecoming festivities for South Lyon, with credit to running back Sam Broome for laying it on. Don’t expect a South Lyon team with some key linemen back to lay down, either. It should be a close game, but the Eagles should pull it out if they can avoid early mistakes at home. The way Walled Lake Western is expected to be strong again, it’s hard to afford losing a game like this to open the year in the LVC. Kosmo says: Lakeland

Bloomfield Hills at Troy, 7 p.m. — Scott Merchant looks to begin shaping Bloomfield Hills into a winner beginning Thursday. And there might be some bumps along the way this season. Troy will have a student section loud and ready to greet them, but this is a good draw for the Black Hawks getting a team that’s turning the page at QB and graduated its best WR, too. Kosmo says: Bloomfield Hills

Friday, Aug. 29

Farmington at Oak Park, 7 p.m. — Similar to Bloomfield Hills and Troy, this is one of the few OAA league games to start the season. This one, though, is more likely to involve teams in the hunt for the Blue Division title, with the teams doing battle in Oak Park picked to finish third (Farmington) and fourth. The Knights’ offense sputtered in last year’s 17-6 loss, but yours truly is under the impression there will be more scoring in this one. Kosmo says: Oak Park

Football, Warren Michigan Collegiate at Clarkston Everest, 7 p.m. — Everest might not have gotten deep into the playoffs last season, but it did win a bunch of games handily throughout its 9-0 start to 2024. The exception was its season opener in Warren, a 27-24 victory. Now, the Mountaineers will again face WMC. Kosmo expects Everest to have another winning season, make no mistake, but the Cougars bring back something like 15 starters from a team that, after the loss to the Mountaineers, didn’t taste defeat again until Marine City in the playoffs. Kosmo says: Warren Michigan Collegiate

Football, Chippewa Valley at Detroit Catholic Central, 7 p.m. — OAA vs. MAC games often litter the lineup of Week 1 and 2 games, but here’s a MAC/CHSL crossover for the masses. The Reds have some college-bound talent, like sophomore receivers Jude Tyler and (small but speedy) Joel Williams, as well as some quality players in the front seven of the defense like Dominik Kosznicki. It’ll provide the Shamrocks’ secondary a fun test before getting into the league portion of the schedule the following weekend, but this is likely to be no more than a flex of what other teams are in for from CC. Kosmo says: Detroit Catholic Central