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BASEBALL SCHEDULE
Much of this is not on your television anytime soon, but we do have a few baseball games of note this weekend. As always, rankings are from Baseball America unless specified.
7 South Carolina vs. Clemson (Clemson, 6:30 p.m. ET Friday; Greenville, 2 p.m. ET Saturday; Columbia, 3 p.m. ET Sunday): South Carolina has held the edge in this series over the last few years, but the Tigers have a chance for revenge as the underdogs this season.
3 Arkansas at the Coca-Cola Classic: The biggest game on tap for the Hogs is against Arizona State, which is fringe-ish Top 25, depending on which poll you're looking at. ASU won the first round 3-2 on Thursday, but the teams meet again at 6 p.m. ET Saturday.
Texas A&M at the Astros Foundation College Classic: The Aggies will play No. 13 Rice at 8 p.m. ET Saturday and top-ranked UNC at 3 p.m. ET Sunday.
Tennessee at USA Baseball Tournament: This event will bring the Vols into games against two ranked teams: No. 22 Notre Dame at 6:30 p.m. Friday and No. 25 Virginia Tech at noon Sunday.
Miami at Florida (7 p.m. ET Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, 1 p.m. ET Sunday): Neither of these teams is a consensus Top 25 team right now, which is kind of weird, but it's still a rivalry. (Miami's ranked in a few places.) It's also one of the few games you might be able to catch, at least if you live in Florida. The Friday edition will be either on Fox Sports Florida or Sun Sports, and the Saturday game will be on Sun Sports.
9 LSU vs. Brown, Nicholls State: These are not major games, but they are on television if you have Cox Sports in Louisiana: 8 p.m. ET Friday for the Brown game and 4 p.m. ET Sunday for the Nicholls State game. The Saturday game against Brown is not televised.
NEWS
Kevin Sumlin just picked up a million dollars a year extra
He's up to $3.1 million for a couple of years, then more than $3.2 million in 2015 and 2016 before settling back down to a meager $2.8 million in 2017. Of course, if he's still having this kind of success in 2017, he can always get that bumped back up -- and likely will. In any case, it's money well spent.
And there are perks
Nothing too much, but it looks like Steve Spurrier might want to join Sumlin for a round of golf if he's ever in the area.
You again?
Alabama is going back to the White House on Wednesday for the national championship commemoration. Assuming the sequester has not caused a hole to open up and swallow Washington, D.C. by then.
South Carolina defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward earned a three-year contract and a $100,000 raise Thursday after the Gamecocks second straight 11-win season.
The school announced a $45 increase to season ticket prices for 2013, raising the cost to $365 a seat for the Gamecocks seven-game schedule.
In fairness, they say it's for facilities and such.
Dan Mullen, in one quote
The Mississippi State coach was confronted with a question he probably wasn't thrilled about -- asking for a comment re: Tim Brewster leaving for Florida State -- and gave a Mullen-esque answer to a question he's not thrilled about.
"About what? He did a good job for us."
The Big East will no longer be the Big East. Instead, the Big East will be the Big East
The Catholic 7 -- which sounds like a clique at the conclave but is really a group of universities -- are taking the Big East name with them as they walk out of the conference. There goes the neighborhood, and the name of the neighborhood.