OTHER PICKS
Ole Miss 48, Memphis 27LSU 31, Missouri 22Arkansas 55, Alcorn State 18Houston 49, Connecticut 16Stanford 24, Washington 21Notre Dame 37, Syracuse 24Ohio State 41, Rutgers 10Michigan 26, Wisconsin 23Nebraska 38, Illinois 24Michigan State 22, Indiana 21Oklahoma 27, TCU 20MTSU 33, North Texas 25Florida State 45, UNC 28Duke 30, Virginia 23Boston College 22, Buffalo 9Pittsburgh 45, Marshall 22N.C. State 23, Wake Forest 20
The firing Sunday of LSU's Les Miles four games into this football season has not been met with joy and praise from those still coaching in the Southeastern Conference.
South Carolina first-year coach Will Muschamp was fired during his fourth year at Florida in 2014 with two games remaining, but he was allowed to finish the regular season. Miles is being replaced on an interim basis by Ed Orgeron, who went 10-25 as the Ole Miss head coach from 2005 to '07 before he was canned.
"You find out who your friends are," Muschamp said Wednesday. "It's frustrating, and people from an administrative standpoint think that if it's going to be the decision, that it's better to make it now so that you can get started with the search. I get all that, and that's fine, but from a coach's standpoint, it's a tough situation.
"In Ed's situation, the questions that will surround the players will be hard to deal with. It's not a good situation."
The Tigers will make their debut under Orgeron against visiting Missouri on Saturday night.
Miles was in his 12th season at LSU and was the dean of the league, posting 114-34 record that included SEC titles in 2007 and 2011 and the '07 national championship. His last victim was Mississippi State's Dan Mullen, whose Bulldogs lost 23-20 in Baton Rouge on Sept. 17.
"I was pretty shocked," Mullen said. "I understand the pressure we're under, because every one of us are on the hot seat, and you're basically as good as your last game. We won our last game, so I guess I get a breather this week, but that's all you are.
"The timing of it surprised me, and I don't think it's good for the game or good for the kids in the program, because there is the opportunity to lose a lot of stability."
Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze is dealing with mixed reactions to the firing.
Freeze was hired as a Rebels assistant by Orgeron in 2006 and said, "There is no doubt I would not be where I am today without him giving me a chance." Yet Freeze also made headlines at SEC media days two years ago when he admitted that his daughter, then 15, kept a ranking of league coaches and had Miles at No. 1.
"When I heard the news, literally my stomach was sick," Freeze said. "Les has been so genuinely kind to me and my family, and I consider him a heck of a football coach and an even better man. My daughters certainly were close to him, and they wanted me to sit down and have a conversation about why."
Pasquali's Pix:
Florida at Vanderbilt: The Gators are looking to avoid allowing 38 consecutive points for a second straight week in the Volunteer State. Gators 23, Commodores 10.
Miami at Georgia Tech: Mark Richt went 5-0 at Bobby Dodd Stadium as a Florida State offensive assistant and 8-0 as Georgia's head coach. Hurricanes 24, Yellow Jackets 19.
UTC at East Tennessee State: The Mocs return to Johnson City for the first time since their 68-7 loss in 2003 to a program that was dropping the sport. UTC has improved since then. Mocs 45, Buccaneers 6.
Tennessee at Georgia: The Volunteers had a fairly decent comeback last week, but the Bulldogs are riding loads of momentum after scoring the final 14 points of the Ole Miss game. Volunteers 31, Bulldogs 24.
Louisiana-Monroe at Auburn: Daniel Carlson's 12 field goals and Carl Lawson's one safety will be too much for Louisiana-Monroe to overcome. War Eagle 38, Warhawks 13.
Texas A&M at South Carolina: Kevin Sumlin's Aggies certainly control their league destiny with October games against Tennessee and Alabama with an open date in between. Aggies 34, Gamecocks 13.
Kentucky at Alabama: Transitioning from Kent State to Kentucky clearly signifies the most treacherous two-game stretch in Crimson Tide history. Crimson Tide 42, Wildcats 10.
Louisville at Clemson: The Atlantic Coast Conference somehow received permission to stage its game of the year without Florida State. Tigers 27, Cardinals 22.
Last week:
Winners..18
Leprechauns..7
Pasquali is 82-18 overall (82.0 percent) this season.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.