Pasquali's Pix: Aggies, Tigers try to end lousy month well

David Paschall

LSU began this football season ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press poll, and Texas A&M was No. 4 in the first installment of the playoff rankings.

It's been an unkind November to say the least for the Tigers and Aggies, who are 1-2 since Halloween and are nowhere to be found in the playoff rankings entering tonight's game in College Station. Texas A&M's lone triumph of the month occurred last week against Texas-San Antonio by the not-so-impressive count of 23-10.

"When you lose two straight weeks, you've got some people who start doubting themselves a little bit," A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said Wednesday. "I think the best thing for us was to get a win last week and then get some guys back in practice this week and to be at home. We've still got a lot of good stuff out there for us with a victory in this game.

"A victory could put us in a nice place in January."

A triumph tonight would give the Aggies a 9-3 record, which could be the Southeastern Conference's second-best mark this season if Alabama defeats Auburn and Vanderbilt upsets Tennessee this weekend. An Aggies loss would result in a possible third straight 8-5 finish, thus adding to the staleness of the post-Johnny Manziel era.

LSU, meanwhile, could be playing for the final time with Ed Orgeron as interim coach. Orgeron was 6-2 during his interim role at Southern California in 2013, and he would be 5-2 with a win tonight.

"This time, it was easier to manage, to be honest with you," Orgeron said Wednesday. "In your second time around, you kind of know what to expect, and you know what to do and what not to do. We made it easier on ourselves here, because we're kind of in a little cocoon. We don't read the internet. We just go to work.

"We got together as a staff and took things one game at a time and one day at a time and let the chips fall where they may. Here we are nearing the finish line, but to finish it you've got to focus, and it's been easier the second time around to focus on the task at hand."

The Tigers enter tonight amid speculation the university already has offered the coaching job to Florida State's Jimbo Fisher. LSU defeated the Aggies 19-7 last November amid talk that Les Miles was getting fired.

Miles was retained, only to get fired four games into this season and get replaced by Orgeron.

"These are life lessons, and we've gotten closer together as a team," Orgeron said. "Adversity brings you closer."

Pasquali's Pix:

LSU at Texas A&M: A short week to prepare for LSU? No thanks. Tigers 27, Aggies 19.

Weber State at UTC: Who thought the Mocs would be having to guard against overconfidence after facing Alabama? Mocs 31, Wildcats 10.

Georgia Tech at Georgia: Don't be surprised if this is the best game of the Thanksgiving weekend. Bulldogs 24, Yellow Jackets 22.

Michigan at Ohio State: The magnitude of this rivalry is back, but what about the balance? Michigan has won once in the last 12 meetings. Buckeyes 31, Wolverines 17.

Mississippi State at Ole Miss: Welcome to the "At Least We Beat Texas A&M Bowl." Rebels 34, Bullies 31.

Auburn at Alabama: The closest Iron Bowls during the Nick Saban era have been when Auburn is healthy and effective at quarterback. Crimson Tide 30, Tigers 9.

South Carolina at Clemson: Will Muschamp was having such a good year until he said, "Thanksgiving is a meal. It's not a day," when asked about practicing this morning. Tigers 38, Gamecocks 10.

Tennessee at Vanderbilt: The Volunteers are trying to become the first team to allow 1,000 rushing yards in a game and still prevail. Volunteers 34, Commodores 29.

Florida at Florida State: Could the Gators possibly have any emotion left after last week's trip to the Bayou? Seminoles 23, Gators 13.

Last week:

Winners20

Allevas.5

Pasquali is now 236-64 overall (78.7 percent) this season.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.