OTHER PICKS
LSU 33, Syracuse 10South Carolina 21, UCF 12Boise State 34, Virginia 27UNC 45, Delaware 14Indiana 26, Wake Forest 21Va. Tech 23, E. Carolina 20Louisville 41, Samford 18N.C. State 27, S. Alabama 16Boston College 24, NIU 17Ohio St. 49, W. Michigan 6Mich. St. 34, C. Michigan 13Baylor 52, Rice 10TCU 37, Texas Tech 35Arizona 31, UCLA 24Notre Dame 42, UMass 7MTSU 27, Illinois 24
The 2015 college football season has been anything but hog heaven for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Ranked No. 18 in August and remaining there after a 48-13 opening rout of UTEP, the Razorbacks have succumbed the past two weeks to the unranked duo of Toledo, 16-12, and Texas Tech, 35-24. Arkansas looks nothing like the team that skunked LSU and Ole Miss by a combined 47-0 last November, nor the squad that shredded Texas 31-7 last December in the Texas Bowl.
"There are certain things that have been steady," third-year coach Bret Bielema said Wednesday on the SEC teleconference, "but defensively we had four players get drafted who were not only good on the field but were great leaders. We're still building there, and we're a team where the roster isn't quite where we need it to be depth-wise at certain positions, and it's something only time and recruiting will help.
"We develop our players, hopefully, as well as anybody in the country, and we're going to get better every week. During my time as a head coach, we always play better at the end of the year than we do at the beginning."
Bielema does indeed have such a track record, leading his final Wisconsin team to a 70-31 humiliation of Nebraska in the 2012 Big Ten championship game. That trend will be challenged this year, though, with the Razorbacks facing out-of-state games against Texas A&M, Tennessee, Alabama, Ole Miss and LSU.
The losses the past two weeks have saddled Bielema with an 11-17 record at Arkansas after he went 68-24 with the Badgers.
Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury was open in his enjoyment of beating Bielema's Hogs, who rank 79th nationally in rushing offense after ranking 26th last season. Bielema responded, referring to last year's score (a 49-28 Razorbacks rout) and labeling Kingsbury as a .500 career coach.
Whether his Razorbacks rebound or continue to struggle, Bielema is probably going to continue the chatter.
"If you've known me over time, you know I've kind of spoken my mind about what I believe in," he said. "On the same account, I do not want to draw any negativity to our program or our university or anything like that. I think it will be water under the bridge as we move forward.
"When you win games, people see it as a positive, and when you lose games, everybody spins them as a negative. It's the world we live in."
Pasquali's Pix:
Southern at Georgia: If Nick Chubb's running and Greyson Lambert's accuracy aren't enough for Bulldogs backers, there is always Southern's "Human Jukebox" halftime show. Bulldogs 59, Jaguars 3.
Georgia Tech at Duke: The last two ACC Coastal Division champions collide in Durham, where the Yellow Jackets have won five consecutive times. Yellow Jackets 27, Blue Devils 20.
Tennessee at Florida: This is the biggest sporting event in human history because it's the next one. Yours truly, Butch Jones. Volunteers 20, Gators 17.
ULM at Alabama: It's atonement week in Tuscaloosa, given last week's loss to Ole Miss and the 2007 loss to the Warhawks. Crimson Tide 42, Warhawks 7.
Vanderbilt at Ole Miss: If the Rebels win the turnover ratio 5-0 again this week, there is no telling how gruesome this could get. Rebels 45, Commodores 10.
UTC at Presbyterian: A quick Rushmore of hoses - garden, industrial, panty and the 1986 Georgia-Auburn game. Mocs 34, Blue Hose 17.
Texas A&M at Arkansas: This matchup is scheduled for AT&T Stadium through 2024, and it's among the nine games the Aggies are playing this season within their state. Aggies 38, Razorbacks 27.
Mississippi State at Auburn: The Tigers will start a quarterback (redshirt freshman Sean White) who has never played a college game. The Bulldogs will start a quarterback (senior Dak Prescott) who could continue Will Muschamp's third-down woes. Bullies 27, Tigers 24.
Missouri at Kentucky: The Tigers looked dreadful last week in a 9-6 triumph over UConn that somehow did not include a field goal. In other words, Mizzou has everybody right where it wants them. Tigers 19, Wildcats 17.
Last week:
Winners: 19
Helpless Auburn DBs.: 6
Pasquali is 62-13 overall (82.7 percent) this season.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.