Tar Heels keep Tigers guessing

LSU football coach Les Miles has a dilemma, and it has nothing to do with hat size.

The Tigers are two days away from facing North Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, and they aren’t certain which Tar Heels will be available. North Carolina is suffering from a preseason double whammy, with the NCAA investigating alleged improper contact by agents and the university looking into potential academic misconduct by a former tutor.

“We’re planning on playing their best players,” Miles said Wednesday during the SEC teleconference. “They’re very, very talented and have a lot of seniors who are back and have positioned themselves to be next-level players. We’re looking and preparing for what we’ve seen on film, and we’re not trying to speculate on who is and who isn’t going to be there.”

The Tar Heels had five first-team selections on the preaseason All-ACC defense. One of them, defensive tackle Marvin Austin, was suspended Wednesday and won’t play against LSU.

Asked if he might check which UNC jerseys are present during pregame warmups at the Georgia Dome, Miles said, “I suspect we will take attendance at that time.”

Pasquali’s Pix:

Southern Miss at South Carolina: Nothing like a matchup of teams that go 7-6 each season. Gamecocks 19, Eagles 10.

Southern Cal at Hawaii: Following a win by the Trojans, Lane Kiffin boasts of having the best win percentage in program history and reiterates that Tennessee is better off from his presence. Trojans 34, Warriors 13.

Miami of Ohio at Florida: This is a huge revenge game for the Gators, who lost 16-7 to the RedHawks (then the Redskins) in the 1973 Tangerine Bowl. Gators 55, RedHawks 6.

Louisiana-Lafayette at Georgia: The Bulldogs take their hit-and-run attitude from campus parking decks to the field. Bulldogs 44, Ragin’ Cajuns 10.

Appalachian State at UTC: With fantastic weather projected for Saturday, the white-out audience may indeed exceed 20,000. Mountaineers 24, Mocs 17.

UT-Martin at Tennessee: If 248-pound Vols defensive tackle Gerald Williams could find somewhere to pack on two more pounds, he would weigh as much as Auburn quarterback Cam Newton. Vols 45, Skyhawks 3.

San Jose State at Alabama: Crimson Tide fans are quick to recite their number of national championships and SEC titles, but they’re not as willing to discuss that 6-4 all-time record against WAC teams. Tide 42, Spartans 7.

Boise State vs. Virginia Tech: The Broncos have a schedule each year that mirrors NASCAR, because the first game usually is their biggest. Hokies 29, Broncos 26.

E-mail David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com