Succumbing to peer pressure (actually, the boss thought it might be a good idea; hint, hint), yours truly and trusty sidekick Jason Elliott are going to take a stab at picking local high school football games this season.

And maybe some local college football games.

And perhaps a Seahawks or 49ers game or two.

We’ll see.

Some of these picks might come with an expected twinge of political correctness you might see in other pigskin picks columns, some might come from the heart more than from the head, and some might be just to elicit a desired reaction.

So if we don’t pick your team this week, don’t take it personally. We’ll try to have some fun with this, and so should you.

Coeur d’Alene at Folsom (Calif.)

Tonight, 7 p.m.

NELKE: I’m still a bit bummed this game isn’t being played up here, after the Vikings opened last season at Folsom as well. If Colson Yankoff was healthy, I would have been tempted to pick Coeur d’Alene in an upset. Last year Folsom couldn’t stop Yankoff, who accounted for four touchdowns and nearly 400 yards of total offense in a 55-36 loss. Though it doesn’t have as many Division I recruits as last year, Folsom is said to be a better overall team this year. Still, Coeur d’Alene will give Folsom a battle, because that’s what Viking teams do.

Folsom, 49-32

ELLIOTT: Coeur d’Alene has a ton of firepower back at the skill positions, with some guys that are going to win them a lot of games in the coming weeks. Not having Yankoff tonight will hurt a little bit.

Folsom, 42-30

Sandpoint at Post Falls

Tonight, 7 p.m.

NELKE: This wouldn’t have been a bad game for the football debut of the new grandstands at Barlow Stadium, but alas it’s the wrong year in this home-and-home (and sometimes elsewhere) arrangement. This will be Sandpoint’s first visit to Post Falls since 2011 — the 2013 game was played at Eastern Washington’s Roos Field, and the 2015 tilt was moved to the Kibbie Dome due to concerns over smoke from area wildfires. Sandpoint was a 4A playoff team last year. Post Falls, despite a 6-3 record, might have been a 5A playoff team last year had it played in another league. Post Falls has won 10 of the last 11 meetings with the Bulldogs.

Post Falls, 35-21

ELLIOTT: Post Falls was heading in the right direction before injuries hit the Trojans in the backfield in 2016. While Sandpoint has the talent to compete for a state 4A playoff spot, so do the Trojans. Did we mention they’re pretty athletic?

Post Falls, 28-20

St. Maries at Kellogg

Tonight, 7 p.m.

NELKE: 2A St. Maries pummelled 3A Kellogg 52-12 in last year’s season opener, a kick-start to a 12-0 season and the Lumberjacks’ first state title in football. St. Maries was hit hard by graduation, while Kellogg returns the most starters in the Intermountain League.

St. Maries, 30-20

ELLIOTT: The last time I had the chance to see these two open the season against each other, it was in the Kibbie Dome in 2015, where the Lumberjacks pulled away late against the Wildcats. St. Maries will have a lot of new faces as they defend the program’s first state 2A title this season. Kellogg’s got a brand new scoreboard and a coach who guided Superior (Mont.) to a state title to help the Wildcats light it up with points.

St. Maries, 44-18

Lake City at Madison

Tonight, 6 p.m. (PDT)

NELKE: The Timberwolves figure to be improved in Year 2 under coach Bryce Erickson. Madison won 48-7 at Lake City in last year’s opener, and made it as far as the state 5A quarterfinals. The Bobcats received a couple of votes in this year’s preseason media poll, for what it’s worth.

Madison, 32-22

ELLIOTT: Lake City will be better this year, but the Bobcats are at home.

Madison, 28-14

Lakeland at Skyview

Tonight, 6 p.m. (PDT)

NELKE: Kudos to the Hawks (Rathdrum version) for stepping up and scheduling the Hawks (Nampa version). As Coeur d’Alene has learned, playing tougher foes in the preseason is a better barometer, though the win-loss record might take a hit. Skyview might even unseat perennial favorite Bishop Kelly in the 4A Southern Idaho Conference.

Skyview, 38-20

ELLIOTT: The Hawks are going to win tonight. But since I can’t pick Seattle over Kansas City in this one, again I’ve got to go with the guys not riding a school bus. Hopefully for Lakeland’s sake, they have a little better luck that I did the last time I was at Skyview — when I got locked out of the gym and had to climb a fence to meet the photographer while covering state girls basketball.

Skyview, 38-28

Lewis County at Kootenai

Today, 3 p.m.

NELKE: Normally, Kootenai would be the safe pick here. But the Warriors have just nine players, and if somebody gets hurt, coach Doug Napierala might have to find a way to sneak onto the field and look like a high school kid — or talk the opponent into making it a 6-man game. Lewis-County won last year’s opener 44-34 in Craigmont, en route to a 5-4 season (Kootenai finished 4-4). Still ...

Kootenai, 32-26

ELLIOTT: Something about teams that ride on the school bus makes me favor the home team. Playing at 3 in the afternoon really makes me favor the home team.

Kootenai, 34-30

Frenchtown at Timberlake

Saturday, 5 p.m.

NELKE: Timberlake is coming off an un-Timberlake 3-7 season in 2016, which started with a 24-20 loss at Frenchtown that become the first of six straight losses to open the season. Still, the Tigers were good enough to roll through the Intermountain League once again. Timberlake has just four seniors this year.

Timberlake, 24-20

ELLIOTT: There’s going to be a lot of new faces in key places for Timberlake this year. Last year’s game came down to a couple of missed field goals. This year ...

Frenchtown, 27-17