OTHER PICKSMichigan St. 26, Boise St. 23Florida 34, Bowling Green 10Arkansas 63, Jax State 14Ole Miss 42, Cen. Arkansas 21Missouri 40, SE Louisiana 16Miss. St. 38, Jackson St. 15Louisville 31, Kentucky 22North Carolina 44, Elon 9Maryland 37, William & Mary 7Virginia 35, Richmond 18Miami 27, Boston College 24Florida St. 52, Murray St. 3Wake Forest 45, Liberty 20Duke 21, Fla. International 16Notre Dame 30, Navy 21MTSU 33, McNeese State 12Southern Cal 48, Hawaii 15
Texas A&M's maiden voyage into Southeastern Conference football just got a lot more treacherous.
The Aggies were scheduled to play Louisiana Tech in Shreveport tonight, but slow-moving Hurricane Isaac postponed the matchup until Oct. 13. Texas A&M's first game in its new league is now next Saturday, when Florida visits College Station.
"For our guys, it was a bittersweet kind of situation," first-year Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin said Wednesday. "They were ready to play somebody else and were down a little bit, but we're moving on to Florida, and that's where our focus is right now."
Texas A&M must now play 12 consecutive games without an open date, which is a first for an SEC program since Vanderbilt had to play the first 12 Saturdays of the 2009 season. Kentucky will play 10 straight games this season before a bye week, while South Carolina must play nine straight.
"You just have to sell your team that we have an opportunity to play again and again and again," Kentucky's Joker Phillips said, "but this is such a brutal game that you have to stay healthy, and sometimes a break in between allows you to stay healthy."
Pasquali's Pix:
South Carolina at Vanderbilt: Steve Spurrier is 5-0 with the Gamecocks in Thursday night season openers, and he's been chirping lately. Gamecocks 19, Commodores 9.
Tennessee vs. N.C. State: Sure it's been a tough several seasons for the Volunteers, but being relegated to Friday night football on ESPNU? Vols 27, Wolfpack 20.
Buffalo at Georgia: Awarding a point for every Bulls first down still would not make this close at all. Bulldogs 48, Bulls 7.
North Texas at LSU: There were no classes at LSU on Wednesday, and there will be none today. A decision on this game will be made after Isaac leaves Louisiana at some point tonight. Tigers 44, Mean Green 6.
Auburn vs. Clemson: This not only could be the best game of the weekend, but it may possess the best first-name Scrabble quarterback matchup - Kiehl vs. Tajh - in college football history. Auburn 23, Clemson 20.
UTC at South Florida: The Mocs have a 488-498-35 all-time record, which includes a 56-7 loss at West Virginia in 2002 in their only other matchup against a Big East team. Bulls 28, Mocs 13.
Alabama vs. Michigan: The Wolverines would be much better off if they let the head coaches wrestle for it. Crimson Tide 27, Wolverines 10.
Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech: Possibly the most important game of the weekend, considering the Yellow Jackets and Hokies have combined to win every Coastal Division title since the ACC went to division play in 2005. Hokies 24, Jackets 19.