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The widespread flooding in Georgia this week hit home for Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson. The torrential downpours forced the Yellow Jackets to practice in the Georgia Dome on Monday. When they left, they were surprised to find the weather conditions were even more severe.

"You're kind of in that bunker mentality and you're locked down and you're working," Johnson said. "I know when I started to go home last night, my wife called and said you can't get home. The road is blocked. It never occurred to me that would happen. Then when you get there ... it looks like a lake."

Johnson said his home in north Atlanta was safe, but some roads near his home were blocked.

"I just parked somewhere else and walked (home)," he said. "I had to walk down a hill through some woods."

VA. TECH'S A WRECK: The numbers only lie a little, so when Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster sees his unit ranked 107th against the run, he doesn't mince words.

"Right now, for us to be 107th in the nation in rushing defense is appalling," Foster said. "It's embarrassing. It's unacceptable. That's it. That's all I've got to say."

With No. 9 Miami coming to Lane Stadium on Saturday in the Hokies' first ACC game -- and one that will give the winner a leg up in the race for the Coastal Division title -- Foster is cranking up his appeals to his players' pride.

This week, he hung a newspaper clip in every defensive player's locker noting that Virginia Tech has finished first twice and fourth twice in the last five seasons in fewest yards allowed, along with a note: "It's your responsibility to uphold the tradition."

HISSY FIT: Clemson coach Dabo Swinney could've thought of several different choices rather than No. 15 TCU for filling a hole in the Tigers schedule.

The Tigers were to conclude a series with Central Michigan, but allowed the Chippewas to back out if they helped secure a replacement. Clemson had talked with Idaho of the Western Athletic Conference before agreeing to face the Horned Frogs.

Swinney recalls when Clemson athleticS director Terry Don Phillips called him into the office last winter about the fall schedule. He preferred to bring a Bowl Subdivision team into Death Valley and figured he'd have a nice selection of willing opponents. Instead he was told there was only one in TCU, which finished last season ranked No. 7 in the AP poll.

"I thought 'Holy smokes, number seven in the country,'" Swinney said. "You'd think out of 120 (FBS teams), there'd be someone in the 60s out there, the 80s, 39?"

The Horned Frogs will get a $1 million guarantee for the one-time trip.

MICHIGAN BANS PURSES: Michigan is banning purses, diaper bags and all other bags of any size from Michigan Stadium as a security measure.

A recent arrest in Colorado related to a terrorism investigation has touched off national warnings. Michigan says in a statement that "adjusting security measures is the prudent thing to do."

School safety Deputy Chief Charlie Noffsinger says Michigan hasn't received information on any specific threats but says it acted after consulting with federal officials.

HOF MOVING TO ATLANTA: The College Football Hall of Fame, which never managed to attract the number of visitors its organizers hoped for after moving it to South Bend in 1995, is being moved to Atlanta. The National Football Foundation notified South Bend that it is terminating its agreement when its current lease ends on Dec. 31, 2010.