The Feed Pail: October 24, 2014

AL.com: Auburn expecting a battle from South Carolina's struggling defense and For Auburn defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, South Carolina will always be home.

Columbus Ledger-Inquirer: View From the Other Side(line): Q&A with South Carolina beat writer Josh Kendall.

Montgomery Advertiser: Gus Malzahn and Steve Spurrier friends, competitors on all grass playing fields.

Vavel: College Football Preview: South Carolina Gamecocks vs Auburn Tigers by Merrick Harding.

Sportstalksc: Auburn Defensive Coordinator Ellis Johnson on SportsTalk (AUDIO) and Clemson and Texas A&M to hook up for two game football series.  Ugh.  The land grant lovefest I anticipate between A&M and Clemson will be unbearable ("Even though we are new to the SEC, we think you are so much better than South Carolina!" "Oh, we think we are too!").  Heard a lot of that crap already from the Ags.  Yet another reason - as if we needed one - why we should never have become permanent rivals with Reveille & crew.  Maybe we ought to do a deal with Texas to try and balance it out. Before you give A&M an attaboy for scheduling an intersectional game with Clemmy, keep in mind that it comes after bailing on home-and-home series with Oregon in 2018-19.  That would have been a much  better match-up for the SEC.

Rant: Auburn vs. South Carolina: 5 Bold Predictions for Big SEC Showdown.

FlyWarEagle: Auburn Football: Scouting the South Carolina Offense and Previewing South Carolina, By the Numbers (from Wednesday).

College & Magnolia Blog: You can tell that the Plainsmen are really worried about us if this was their lead story yesterday -  Auburn Tigers Future Out of Conference Games: The Oregon Ducks? Any chance the team is looking past us?

Gamecocksonline: Auburn Game Date Approaches for Gamecock Football Plus -  the No. 21 women's soccer team is Set for Road Trip to Vanderbilt, No. 6 Texas A&M and Men's Soccer Update With Coach Berson (video).  Check out - Coach Scott Swanson Mic'd Up.  One of the positives out of the SECN is the attention to SEC volleyball.

Bleacher Report: South Carolina vs. Auburn: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More.   Both squads have similar points of emphasis for this game - limiting turnovers, establishing the run and stopping the other from running.

Post & Courier: Gamecocks' injury-plagued Mike Matulis caps two-year comeback.  Great heart.

Gamecock Cereal: Rixon Lane goes Five for Five with our blogfather Brandon Larrabee.  Also - don't miss Who is South Carolina's most productive defensive player? by Rixon and If the SEC were Fast Food Restaurants by Aaron Weiss.

The Big Spur: G.A. Mangus has said that Connor Mitch is the backup QB, but the others are still putting in the effort - e.g.  Scarnecchia working hard on little things.   And - Matulis happy to be back, but not starting yet and Another Spurrier's name mentioned for a head coaching job (from Wednesday).  I believe that Bubba Spurrier doesn't get enough credit for being a good WR coach, but sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't be better for all concerned if he didn't go ahead and take a head coaching gig while the getting is good.  He has served as an assistant on two NC squads.  Buffalo would be a good fit.  On the other hand I sense a big issue is that he has four young kids - three of them triplets - and for all you who don't have families yet, moving away from your mom (i.e., grandma) and all the support that family brings for helping out with a young family is a big deal even with one child.  Triplets would make that exponentially harder.  Keep an eye on this.

GoUpstate: Ex Byrnes H.C. Bobby Bentley familiar with USC players Thompson, Jones.  Bentley is on the Auburn staff now.

Gamecock Central: Wes Mitchell writes Defense prepares for tough test (with video).  Plus -  ESPN analysts talk South Carolina Men's Basketball.

247: Roundball sophs McKie and Theus Jr. not pressured by last names by John Del Bianco.  Also - One-on-one with Austin Constable by John Whittle.

GamecockPride: What's everyone talking about after SEC Tipoff 2015? Amber Pennycuff also posts a  WBB: SEC Tip-Off Recap.

Fansided: Will Muschamp's Job Available On Craigslist (Photo).  Some good laughs - especially the last paragraph.

Orlando Sentinel: Sorry, Gators: Steve Spurrier isn't coming home.

MrSEC: NU's Bo Pelini - who (like OU's Bob Stoops) seems to have forgotten that he owes his current job to his work in the SEC - lashed out against the cozy ESPN/SECN relationship (also forgetting it was not so long ago that ESPN had a big package deal with the B1G before Jim Delaney wanted to keep all that revenue).  Chris Fowler replied.  John Pennington weighs in here - ESPN's Chris Fowler: Nothing Better For Ratings Than Dominant Big Ten.

Dennis Dodd: Preach it, Brother! UNC should get death penalty in academic fraud case, but it won't.  For years - decades - UNC has lorded its academics and superiority over USC.  Now they are revealed as the worst sort of hypocritical cheats.  Like Penn State, all the self-congratulatory b.s. has hidden an ugly underbelly.

Stewart Mandel: Oklahoma fans deserve better from Bob Stoops.   Stoopsy's anti-SEC tirades haven't done much for the Sooners on the field, now, have they?  That "huge" Sugar Bowl win over Alabama and roughing up the Vols doesn't  seem to be translating to success in BigXII conference play.

Sporting News: Notre Dame receiver spotted with porn star Lisa Ann at Knicks game .  At least she's real.  Eat your heart out, Manti.  Plus - Report: SMU enticing Mack Brown with $4 million contract.  Maybe Mack wasnt ready to hang up the headset after all.

SI.com: Lane Kiffin's mom worries for his safety in return to Tennessee.   Kiffin.  Knoxville.  Jilted 'em for Southern Cal in a midnight flier, then returns as OC for their hated rival who has owned 'em for a decade.  What could Mrs. K. possibly be worried about?

WSB Atlanta: Man who may have triggered Gurley investigation wants him reinstated.  Awww.  Isn't that special.  Knowing UGA fans and UT fans, that autograph-jobber is in a helluva lot more personal danger than Lane Kiffin.