OTHER PICKSKentucky 42, UL-Monroe 13FSU 35, Syracuse 22Miami 30, Cincinnati 19Clemson 34, Louisville 17Notre Dame 29, UNC 14N.C. State 24, Boston Coll. 21Marshall 32, MTSU 23Stanford 27, Wash. State 24Oklahoma 31, Texas 20Baylor 28, TCU 25Michigan St. 30, Purdue 17Oregon 31, UCLA 30Oklahoma St. 38, Kansas 9ECU 42, South Florida 10Penn State 23, Michigan 21Arizona 28, USC 23Wisconsin 35, Illinois 20
Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen said on Wednesday's SEC teleconference that it was crazier this time last week in Starkville, proving complacency already has devoured the Magnolia State.
Actually it proves that MSU and rival Ole Miss are looking for more after last Saturday's triumphs over Texas A&M and Alabama. The Bulldogs and Rebels are both 5-0 in the same season for the first time ever, and they're tied this week at No. 3 in The Associated Press poll.
In the 10 seasons leading up to this one, Mississippi State compiled a 57-66 record, while Ole Miss was 53-69.
"I don't know if anybody could have foreseen this," South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. "I think it is amazing, and I think it is wonderful for the state of Mississippi. They deserve it. They've sort of been down a bit, a little bit like our state had been, but in the last two years, Clemson and us have finished in the top 10.
"Our state was very proud of that, and now Mississippi certainly should be very proud of both of those teams."
ESPN's "College GameDay" show broadcast from Oxford last week and will be in Starkville this Saturday. Mullen's Bulldogs are hosting Auburn, while Hugh Freeze's Rebels are traveling to Texas A&M.
"I don't know that anybody should be surprised," Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin said. "Both are well-coached, and both programs have added real talent and have found their way. Dan has been there a little bit longer to get his system in place, and the level of recruiting at Ole Miss has really brought Hugh up to speed in a hurry."
Pasquali's Pix:
Georgia at Missouri: Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel on stopping Todd Gurley: "That is a challenge that everybody has had, and nobody seems to do it." Bulldogs 27, Tigers 22.
Duke at Georgia Tech: This is an overlooked matchup of teams with a combined 9-1 record, and there are $25 tickets available. Yellow Jackets 31, Blue Devils 28.
Auburn at Mississippi State: The No. 2 Tigers and the No. 3 Bulldogs comprise the highest-rated pairing ever held in the Magnolia State. Tigers 27, Bullies 24.
UTC at Tennessee: The Volunteers are now 0-2 in all-gray uniforms the past two seasons and 0-1 in front of a checkerboard crowd. Vols 41, Mocs 10.
Alabama at Arkansas: These two coaches can think like each other from an offensive standpoint, but they really don't look like each other. Crimson Tide 33, Razorbacks 20.
LSU at Florida: You know it's a unique year in the SEC when LSU-Florida is the fifth-best game of the weekend. Gators 17, Tigers 15.
Charleston Southern at Vanderbilt: This should be the easiest game of a difficult season for Vandy first-year coach Derek Mason. Commodores 28, Bucs 17.
Ole Miss at Texas A&M: For a coach known for his offensive success, Freeze sure has assembled a nice defense. Rebels 23, Aggies 20.
Last week:
Winners.................16
Field stormings......9
Pasquali is 124-26 overall (82.7 percent) this season.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.