Other picks
Texas A&M 45, W. Carolina 19Va. Tech 19, Georgia Tech 16Pittsburgh 28, Duke 27FSU 27, N.C. State 20Louisville 34, Virginia 25UNC 26, Miami 21Notre Dame 34, Wake Forest 13Clemson 42, Syracuse 28Ohio State 37, Illinois 14TCU 59, Kansas 17Okla. State 22, Iowa State 21MTSU 23, Fla. Atlantic 20Michigan 31, Indiana 16Houston 38, Memphis 33Baylor 34, Oklahoma 27Iowa 20, Minnesota 14Stanford 23, Oregon 16
Gary Pinkel has been Missouri's head football coach for 188 games.
His 189th was in question.
Pinkel's Tigers are honing in again on Saturday night's showdown against BYU inside Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium. Missouri players chose last Saturday to boycott this week's game unless university president Tim Wolfe resigned, and Pinkel supported his team's actions on Sunday.
Wolfe stepped down Monday, so it was game on again for the Tigers and Cougars, saving Missouri more than $1 million.
"Obviously we have a unique set of circumstances here this week at Mizzou that we're experiencing," Pinkel said Wednesday on the SEC teleconference. "There is really no playbook for it. You've got to rely on your 25 years of being a head football coach, and I think our team is doing well, all things considered.
"There is the potential of big distractions. We certainly know that, and that's where you rely on the leadership of your team to make sure that doesn't happen."
Missouri, which joined the Southeastern Conference in 2012 and won Eastern Division titles in 2013 and '14, is just 4-5 this year and must win two of its remaining three games to qualify for a bowl. BYU, meanwhile, had the most taxing September schedule nationally, splitting games against Nebraska, Boise State, UCLA and Michigan, but the Cougars have since reeled off five consecutive wins.
The Cougars improved to 7-2 last Friday by escaping San Jose State, but that's just when the chaos in Columbia was getting started. Missouri's boycott resulted in Sunday's light workout getting scratched.
"For the most part, we're pretty good," Pinkel said of the preparation. "We lost a little bit on Sunday, but not very much. Our players have Mondays completely off, but the bigger concern is the video study - not the stuff that we do, but the stuff they do on their own.
"It also takes a lot to mentally get yourself in the right frame of mind to play. With all the distractions going on, those are the things I'm most concerned about. I know we'll practice well, but can we lock in and focus so we can play our best?"
Pasquali's Pix:
North Texas at Tennessee: It's taken 40 years, but the Volunteers finally get some revenge after Bill Battle's 1975 team was stunned 21-14 by Hayden Fry's Mean Green. Vols 52, Mean Green 3.
Georgia at Auburn: The Bulldogs failed to take the series lead last month at Tennessee. Now they have an opportunity to break their deadlock with the Tigers. Bulldogs 20, Tigers 17.
Florida at South Carolina: The Gators are obviously the surprise of the conference, but they showed last week just how potentially ugly next month's SEC title game could be. Gators 17, Gamecocks 10.
The Citadel at UTC: It's a SoCon winner-take-all clash between the team picked to win the league (Mocs) and the team picked seventh (Bulldogs). Mocs 28, Bulldogs 24.
Alabama at Mississippi State: There is not a more majestic drive in the United States than going from Tuscaloosa to Starkville. Crimson Tide 26, Bullies 17.
Kentucky at Vanderbilt: A Commodores win would really put a hurt on that $3.5 million salary Wildcats coach Mark Stoops is scheduled to make next season. Wildcats 16, Commodores 13.
Arkansas at LSU: With Steve Spurrier no longer walking the sidelines, this matchup of Bret Bielema and Les Miles pits the SEC's two most entertaining coaches. Tigers 20, Razorbacks 13.
BYU vs. Missouri: For a 4-5 team with an unwatchable offense, Mizzou sure has a way of providing excitement. Cougars 13, Tigers 10.
Last week:
Winners...18
Boycotts....7
Pasquali is now 193-57 overall (77.2 percent) this season.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.