When else but in 2020 can Southeastern Conference football coaches get asked about shaking the rust off entering the sixth week of the season?
Due to a spike in COVID-19 cases at Florida and Vanderbilt, the Gators and Commodores have not played since Oct. 10. They will resume this Saturday, when Florida hosts Missouri and Vanderbilt hosts Ole Miss.
"We've talked about the buildup," Florida's Dan Mullen said Wednesday. "I didn't expect Monday to be this unbelievably sharp practice. I just wanted us to have a great attitude and to be excited to be back out there. You have the energy and excitement to be back on the field, but you have to build up to be ready to play on Saturday. I don't think anybody has had this type of deal in football before.
"Sometimes before a bowl game you have a long layoff between games, but you're going to practice. We were shut down for two complete weeks, but our attitude has been really good."
Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky and Ole Miss will pass the halfway marks of their respective 10-game seasons Saturday, but the Gators and Commodores have played just three contests. Florida and Vanderbilt each went under the 53-player threshold the SEC implemented in order for it to be safe enough to play.
"Our guys are glad to get back to playing football," Vandy's Derek Mason said. "The reality is nobody wants to stop, but the availability of players just put us in a position that we had to look at where we were and slow down a little bit and then work towards getting back to playing. When you talk about rust level, we didn't have as many guys down offensively, whether it be for COVID or any reason, so we were able to work on some of the areas that we had self-scouted.
"We are excited to get back out on that field."
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This past summer, LSU's Ja'Marr Chase and Alabama's Jaylen Waddle were the primary candidates to battle it out for the best receiver in a conference loaded with juniors at the position.
Chase, however, opted out of playing in late August, while Waddle was lost for the season last Saturday due to a broken ankle on the opening kickoff at Tennessee, which likely had Chase thankful for his decision.
"I recruited Jaylen, and it made me sick to see it, I can promise you," LSU coach Ed Orgeron said Wednesday. "He is such a great young man and such a great player, and I hate to see that happen to anyone. I didn't think of it that way, but I'm sure Ja'Marr Chase and his family thought of it that way.
"Look at Terrace Marshall. He decided to play this year and is having a great year. When you play and show the NFL scout what you're doing, your stock rises."
Marshall has certainly capitalized on Chase's opt-out, amassing 27 receptions for 512 yards (19.0 per catch) and nine touchdowns for Orgeron's Tigers.
AP photo by Vasha Hunt / Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle tries to get past LSU cornerback Kary Vincent Jr. on Nov. 9, 2019, in Tuscaloosa.Pasquali's Pix
Georgia at Kentucky: This should be quite the punting showcase, with Georgia's Jake Camarda averaging 50.7 yards an attempt and Kentucky's Max Duffy averaging 47.5. This should also be an 11th straight series win by the Bulldogs. Bulldogs 31, Wildcats 10.
Notre Dame at Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets are hosting consecutive Associated Press top-five foes (Clemson and Notre Dame) for the first time since 1983, when North Carolina and Auburn visited Bobby Dodd Stadium. Fighting Irish 38, Yellow Jackets 13.
LSU at Auburn: This continues to be one of the SEC's most undervalued rivalries, as the past four meetings have been decided by 13 total points. LSU 30, Auburn 23.
Ole Miss at Vanderbilt: The Commodores enter Halloween with three offensive touchdowns in this coronavirus-altered season. Rebels 42, Commodores 19.
Mississippi State at Alabama: The Crimson Tide won the past two series meetings inside Bryant-Denny Stadium by the combined score of 75-3. Crimson Tide 45, Bullies 10.
Ohio State at Penn State: This will be the 48th game for the Buckeyes when ESPN's "College GameDay" show is on location, which will match Alabama for the most in college football. Buckeyes 31, Nittany Lions 24.
Arkansas at Texas A&M: The Aggies are 1-8 against Alabama, 1-7 versus LSU and 3-5 against Auburn since joining the SEC, but they're 8-0 against the Razorbacks. Aggies 34, Razorbacks 27.
Missouri at Florida: These teams have played seven straight games decided by 17 or more points, with Mizzou winning four of them. Gators 41, Tigers 28.
Other picks:
Minnesota 42, Maryland 15
Clemson 55, Boston College 6
Cincinnati 31, Memphis 28
Michigan 38, Michigan St. 9
Kansas State 26, West Virginia 21
Iowa State 49, Kansas 22
Wake Forest 27, Syracuse 20
Indiana 34, Rutgers 13
Oklahoma State 33, Texas 24
Virginia Tech 35, Louisville 30
Duke 24, Charlotte 19
North Carolina 23, Virginia 16
Oklahoma 30, Texas Tech 23
BYU 45, Western Kentucky 12
Purdue 32, Illinois 27
Appalachian State 39, Louisiana-Monroe 14
Winners - 19
Kiffin retweets - 6
Pasquali is now 82-32 overall (71.9%) this season.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.