Here are some links to get you through your Friday afternoon:

• West Virginia's not talking about what center it will start Saturday against Auburn, writes Mike Casazza of the Charleston Daily Mail.

• Here's another story from Casazza about how the Mountaineers will try to silence the Jordan-Hare Stadium crowd.

• West Virginia knows this isn't the same Auburn offense if faced a year ago, writes Tony Dobies of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

• Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette answers plenty of questions about the game in this chat transcript.

• ESPN.com's Chris Low has some things you should know about the SEC heading into this week.

• Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News writes that things have been good so far for Auburn's Gene Chizk and West Virginia's Bill Stewart, who aren't too different.

• Jerry Hinnen of Joe Cribbs Car Wash fame goes through his chart of the Mississippi State game. It's very thorough.

• Lane Kffin's mouth has been writing checks his Volunteers can't cash. And it's probably going to be ugly in Gainesville this Saturday, writes Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN.com.

• Texas Tech coach Mike Leach likes pirates. Saturday is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. The Red Raiders play Texas that day. Upset? C'mon, how often do all the stars line up like that?

• Pete Thamel of the New York Times writes that college stars are constantly in the spotlight, even when they're off the field.

• Here's a new one for smaller FBS schools: getting paid not to play someone. LSU ponied up $700,000 to nullify the final six games of a 10-year contract with Tulane, writes Jim Kleinpeter of the Times Picayune.

• Ball State, which might go from 12-0 to 0-12, is trying to get out of a game with Iowa next year, writes Doug Zaleski of the Star Press.

• SI.com's Andy Staples writes that the NCAA needs to do something about football recruits who struggle to finance their college visits.

• And finally, Stewart Mandel of SI.com chimes in with his weekly mailbag. He also makes a prediction on the Auburn game here. His pick? Pretty close to mine. Auburn 34, West Virginia 30. Here's what he had to say:

• It's time to find out whether Auburn's thus-far drastically improved offense (572.5 yards per game, No. 4 nationally) is truly legit. West Virginia boasts a well-balanced attack, led by quarterback Jarrett Brown, as well as a five-game winning streak against SEC foes. But something tells me the atmosphere at Jordan-Hare on Saturday night will be electric.