This Determines the Beast of SEC East

Forget the players. This is more of a matchup between Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier, two of the most successful and intriguing coaches of our time; two master tacticians and motivators.

With Spurrier and Holtz involved, Saturday’s showdown for the Southeastern Conference’s East Division title will be as much psychological as it physical.

“The game is played between the ears as much as anywhere else,” Spurrier said.

Holtz has made believers of a South Carolina squad that had lost 21 consecutive games before this season. He has made a career of turning around programs, including Notre Dame, which he led to a national title in 1988 only three years after taking over Gerry Faust’s 5-6 team.

Holtz is a classic sandbagger, constantly touting the virtues of his opponent while downplaying his team’s talents.

This season Holtz has exploited his underdog tactics to pull off upsets against Georgia and Mississippi State, although his concerns about taking on Florida at Gainesville are certainly legitimate.

“The biggest concern I have is if the players believe they can win or not,” Holtz said. “We’ve never been in this environment.”

Holtz praised a Florida team that has flourished of late with stellar play of freshmen--quarterback Rex Grossman and receiver Jabar Gaffney.

“I think last year’s Florida team and this year’s early Florida team was not a typical Steve Spurrier team,” Holtz said. “Now, I think they have a legitimate chance to win the national championship. Every day I try to come up with a different way we can win. Now I think the thought of the day I share with the staff is perhaps when Florida scores they’ll put it up on the wrong side of the scoreboard.”

Keep it coming, Lou.

You figure there is too much at stake for Spurrier’s Gators to get lulled into a trap. Despite a sluggish start, Florida is No. 5 in this week’s bowl championship series standings and still has a legitimate shot at the national title. If the Gators win Saturday, they play at Florida State next week and then in the SEC title game on Dec. 2 in Atlanta. Three wins over top opponents might give Florida a shot at the coveted No. 2 position in the BCS rankings.

RATING THE TV GAMES

The line: Florida by 14.

**** Whoa, Nellie

*** The yardwork can wait

** OK to pay bills while watching

* For XFL scouts only

** Penn State (4-6) at No. 20 Michigan (6-3), 9 a.m., ESPN.

Paterno has fewer gray hairs (52) than points Michigan gave up to Northwestern last week (54).

* The line: Michigan by 16.

** Houston (3-6) at East Carolina (5-3), 9 a.m., FSN.

Somewhere, this game means something to somebody.

* The line: East Carolina by 14 1/2.

*** Pittsburgh (5-3) at No. 2 Miami (7-1), 9 a.m., ESPN2.

Miami in a race against time and BCS computers.

* The line: Miami by 20.

** Iowa State (6-3) at Colorado (3-6), 12:30 p.m., FSN2.

Think Barnett regrets pulling up stakes in Evanston?

* The line: Colorado by 5.

*** Boston College (6-3) at No. 11 Notre Dame (6-2), 12:30 p.m., Channel 4.

Irish get a break as Eagle quarterback Hasselback will sit out game because of an injury.

* The line: Notre Dame by 9.

** Fresno State (5-3) at No. 18 Texas Christian (7-1), 12:30 p.m., FSN.

Texas Christian at a loss to explain last week’s loss to San Jose State.

* The line: Texas Christian by 13.

** No. 13 Ohio State (7-2) at Illinois (5-4), 1 p.m., ESPN.

Ohio State has one eye on Illinois and the other on Michigan (Nov. 18).

* The line: Ohio State by 7.

*** Colorado State (8-1) at Air Force (6-3), 3 p.m., ESPN2.

As always in these Rocky Mountain affairs, we root for snow.

* The line: Colorado State by 3 1/2.

*** No. 4 Nebraska (8-1) at No. 16 Kansas State (8-2), 4 p.m., FSN.

Nebraska exacts revenge for face-mask wrenching 1998 defeat in Manhattan.

* The line: Nebraska by 4.

*** No. 14 Georgia (6-2) at No. 22 Auburn (7-2), 4:30 p.m., ESPN.

Auburn needs a victory to keep SEC West title hopes alive.

* The line: Auburn by 2.

*** Louisiana State (6-3) at Mississippi (6-2), 6 p.m., ESPN2.

A good SEC game in Oxford in November. What more do you want?

* The line: Mississippi by 2 1/2.

*** No. 10 Oregon State (8-1) at Arizona (5-4), 7:15 p.m., FSN.

CNN projects Oregon State win in second quarter, then has to retract.

* The line: Arizona by 1.

* Nevada (1-8) at Hawaii (1-7), 10:30 p.m., FSN2.

Based on overnight ratings, FSN re-ups Hawaii contract for an additional 50 years.

* The line: Hawaii by 13.

5 THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. The Heisman shakedown: The trophy is Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel’s to lose, a grass-roots campaign if there ever was one. If Oklahoma slips, Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke and Purdue quarterback Drew Brees can step up to snatch the award. Texas Christian tailback LaDainian Tomlinson’s bid probably ended last week because his team lost to San Jose State, while Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch needs to beat Kansas State this weekend and win a rematch against Heupel in the Big 12 title game to restate his Heisman case.

2. Oregon State Coach Dennis Erickson ending all speculation about his future by signing a new long-term contract at the school. Attention athletic directors, it’s not official yet. “We’re in the process of redoing my contract,” Erickson said this week. “If that thing works out the way we think it is, then I’ll be here for a long time.” If not?

3. Another Florida State title run. A month after Matt Munyon missed Wide Right III against Miami, the Seminoles have fought back to the No. 2 position in the BCS and found a kicker in Brett Cimorelli, who made four field goals in last week’s 54-7 win over Clemson. This is progress. “He kicked line drives when he first got here in the fall,” Coach Bobby Bowden said.

4. Don’t touch that remote and pass the Oregon trail mix. If Oregon beats California on Saturday, Duck players will gather around the television Saturday night to root for Arizona to beat Oregon State in Tucson. That’s because an Oregon victory coupled with an Oregon State loss will clinch a Rose Bowl berth for Oregon.

5. Oklahoma (8-0) at Texas A&M; (7-2). Will the nation’s last undefeated Division I-A team take a tumble this weekend in College Station? Not if you believe history. Texas A&M; is 0-8 versus top-ranked teams in the Associated Press poll. The last time Texas A&M; faced No. 1 was 1977, when top-ranked Texas defeated the Aggies, 57-28.

THE OTHER GAMES

SATURDAY

*--*

FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG at Oregon 13 California at Stanford 2 1/2 Arizona State West Virginia 15 at Rutgers at North Carolina State 19 1/2 Duke Syracuse 9 1/2 at Temple Florida State 48 at Wake Forest at North Carolina 7 Maryland Wisconsin 6 1/2 at Indiana Purdue 8 1/2 at Michigan State Northwestern 12 1/2 at Iowa Northern Illinois 14 at Eastern Michigan Ohio 9 at Bowling Green Western Michigan 34 1/2 at Eastern Michigan at Toledo 31 1/2 Ball State at Kentucky 6 1/2 Vanderbilt Missouri 12 at Baylor Texas 12 1/2 at Kansas Oklahoma 10 1/2 at Texas A&M; at Louisville 18 1/2 Army Cincinnati 2 1/2 at Memphis at Texas Tech 10 Oklahoma State Utah 14 at Wyoming at Boise State 17 Utah State at Mississippi State 7 Alabama Southern Miss. 10 at Ala. Birmingham at Nevada Las Vegas 8 New Mexico at Arkansas State 7 1/2 North Texas at Tulane 13 1/2 Navy Virginia Tech 12 at Central Florida at Akron 29 Buffalo at Marshall 5 1/2 Miami (Ohio) at Southern Methodist 2 1/2 Tulsa at Tennessee 14 Arkansas at Idaho 6 1/2 New Mexico State at Texas El Paso 13 Rice

*--*

GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 21 South Carolina (7-2) at No. 5 Florida (8-1), 12:30 p.m., Channel 2