OTHER PICKS
LSU 42, E. Michigan 13Kentucky 35, E. Kentucky 16Miami 27, Cincinnati 24Va. Tech 19, Pittsburgh 16N.C. State 30, Louisville 28Duke 24, Boston College 23FSU 31, Wake Forest 16Notre Dame 25, Clemson 22Oklahoma 31, W. Virginia 30TCU 24, Texas 17Michigan St. 35, Purdue 10UCLA 38, Arizona State 29Michigan 27, Maryland 16Ohio State 37, Indiana 14Baylor 42, Texas Tech 21Stanford 27, Arizona 20Wisconsin 31, Iowa 23
Starting quarterbacks in the Southeastern Conference are getting younger by the week.
After a first month of the season in which Florida turned to redshirt freshman Will Grier and Auburn turned to redshirt freshman Sean White, the first Saturday in October will pit a pair of true freshman starters when Missouri and Drew Lock host South Carolina and Lorenzo Nunez.
"It is interesting around the country how more freshmen are playing," Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said Wednesday on the SEC teleconference. "I don't know if guys get disgruntled and leave or if they get hurt or flunk out. I don't know what's happening, but a lot of us are playing a lot of young players."
Nunez became South Carolina's starter last week, replacing former walk-on Perry Orth, who replaced an injured Connor Mitch during the second game of the season. Lock is replacing Maty Mauk, who has been suspended by coach Gary Pinkel for disciplinary reasons.
Lock, a 6-foot-4, 205-pounder from Lee's Summit, Mo., was rated this past winter by Rivals.com and 247Sports.com as the No. 7 pro-style quarterback nationally, and he was a top-100 overall prospect according to 247Sports.com. He has appeared in all four games for the Tigers, completing 15 of 25 passes for 225 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
"I think he's very excited," Pinkel said. "He's a very talented player, and he's very thankful that we've given him some of the work that he's had. Generally, in cases like this with first-game starting quarterbacks, I'm more concerned about the people around him."
Pinkel believes the offense will not change much with Lock, who has a strong arm but not the same foot speed as Mauk. The change may not be temporary if Lock performs well, but Pinkel said Mauk's status on the depth chart would be discussed by the coaches on Sunday.
Nunez had quite the successful debut in last week's victory over winless UCF, rushing 18 times for 123 yards (6.8 per carry) and completing 12 of 22 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-3, 210-pounder from Kennesaw, Ga., was the No. 10 dual-threat quarterback this past winter according to 247Sports.com.
"It is what it is," Spurrier said. "You try to give your quarterback a game plan so he knows what's going on and then let him go play."
Pasquali's Pix:
South Carolina at Missouri: If this "Battle of the Columbias" is anything like the past two, whichever team gets way out front is going to lose. Gamecocks 24, Tigers 22.
North Carolina at Georgia Tech: It hasn't been a banner start for the ACC's Coastal Division, which has nine combined losses so far to nonconference opposition. Yellow Jackets 27, Tar Heels 24.
Alabama at Georgia: Though he's had just three previous opportunities, Bulldogs coach Mark Richt could defeat Steve Spurrier and Nick Saban for the first time in the same year. Crimson Tide 24, Bulldogs 20.
San Jose State at Auburn: The Tigers have gone from SEC favorites to trying to find six wins for a bowl game. This is a must as far as that goes. Tigers 30, Spartans 20.
Vanderbilt at Middle Tennessee: The Commodores are 12-3 lifetime against the Blue Raiders but 0-3 since 2000. Blue Raiders 27, Commodores 21.
Arkansas at Tennessee: Bret Bielema can't win close games and Butch Jones can't hold fourth-quarter leads. The Up-And-Coming Bowl is suddenly the Shell-Shocked Bowl. Volunteers 27, Razorbacks 23.
Ole Miss at Florida: The Rebels have enjoyed a noticeable upgrade in talent compared to Jim McElwain's last go-around in the SEC. Rebels 31, Gators 20.
Mississippi State at Texas A&M: This pits the largest enrollment (62,185 at Texas A&M) and the smallest enrollment (20,365 at Mississippi State) among the SEC's 13 public schools. Aggies 34, Bullies 27.
Last week:
Winners..19
Conversion charts..6
Pasquali is now 81-19 overall (81.0 percent) this season.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.