Saturday's game between Arkansas and South Carolina contains two top-20 teams and two coaches who had forgettable stints in the NFL.
Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier left Florida after the 2001 season to guide the Washington Redskins and went 12-20 in two years before resigning. Razorbacks counterpart Bobby Petrino left Louisville after the '06 season to coach the Atlanta Falcons, and he went 3-10 before leaving with three games left in the '07 season.
"When he went to the Falcons, I originally gave him two years," Spurrier said Wednesday. "He didn't last two. I lasted at least two and found out that league wasn't for me. I think he found out in less than one year it wasn't for him, either. It's just not much fun."
Said Petrino: "It wasn't a lot of fun. I can go with Coach Spurrier on that."
Alabama's Nick Saban went 15-17 during his two seasons with the Miami Dolphins in 2005-06. Spurrier's Redskins regressed two games (from 7-9 to 5-11) during his time, while Saban's Dolphins regressed three (from 9-7 to 6-10).
"The lifestyle of the NFL is so different from the lifestyle of a college coach," Spurrier said. "In the NFL, every time you lose, it is always the coach's fault. For some reason, the media believes that every team has great players, and if they don't win, it's the coach's fault."
Pasquali's Pix:
Georgia Tech at Va. Tech: The winner of this game has captured the ACC's Coastal Division each of the past five seasons, and it's no different this year. Hokies 30, Yellow Jackets 19.
Florida at Vanderbilt: It's highly unlikely the Gators will choke this week, either. Gators 32, Commodores 14.
Idaho State at Georgia: Notable ISU football alumni include Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, Vikings defensive end Jared Allen and former Steelers running back and current ESPN analyst Merril Hoge. Bulldogs 51, Bengals 0.
UTC at Auburn: Wouldn't it be something if B.J. Coleman threw five touchdowns and five interceptions again this week? Tigers 48, Mocs 13.
Alabama at LSU: When it comes to SEC tandems, Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson defeat Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee. Crimson Tide 27, Tigers 16.
TCU at Utah: As is the case with every week in every season, the biggest game can be found in the Mountain West Conference. Horned Frogs 24, Utes 21.
Arkansas at South Carolina: The pass-happy Razorbacks face a Gamecocks team woeful against the pass, but that just seems too easy. Gamecocks 33, Razorbacks 27.
Tennessee at Memphis: Both of these teams were 0-for-October. Volunteers 35, Tigers 18.
Last week:
Winners.................17
Granthams...............8
Pasquali is 179-46 overall (79.6 percent) this season.
OTHER PICKS
Kentucky 41, Charleston So. 6
Ole Miss 44, UL-Lafayette 21
Miami 20, Maryland 13
Clemson 28, N.C. State 24
Virginia 23, Duke 20
Boston Coll. 16, W. Forest 15
Florida St. 35, No. Carolina 27
Oregon 49, Washington 18
Boise State 52, Hawaii 19
Wisconsin 27, Purdue 12
Nebraska 29, Iowa State 17
Stanford 26, Arizona 23
Oklahoma 31, Texas A&M 22
Missouri 24, Texas Tech 16
Iowa 38, Indiana 3
Mich. State 45, Minnesota 28
Okla. State 30, Baylor 29