WESTERN DIVISION
No. 8 Arkansas (10-2, 7-1)This week: vs. Florida, SEC Championship in Atlanta; 5 p.m. on CBS
Possible bowl berths: Sugar, Capital One, Cotton Arkansas coach Houston Nutt is not hesitant to admit that his team is exhausted. The Razorbacks have played eight consecutive games in the newly-formatted 12-game regular season. “This is the time of year where it’s all about mental preparation,” Nutt said in a Monday teleconference. “Our guys are beat up, but we’ll be ready to go. I have a feeling they’re going to give it everything they have.”
No. 5 LSU (10-2, 6-2)This week: no gamePossible bowl berths: Rose, Orange, Capital One All LSU can do is sit back and hope this weekend that the Bowl Championship Series officials select the Tigers for a top-notch bowl berth. But in LSU coach Les Miles’ book, the Tigers have more than made their case for a BCS bowl berth. “We would like to play at the Rose Bowl,” Miles said. “We feel like we deserve the opportunity to show our country really how good this LSU football team is.”
No. 11 Auburn (10-2, 6-2)This week: no gamePossible bowl berths: Cotton, Capital One After playing 12 games in 12 weeks, the Auburn Tigers are getting some well-deserved rest. The Tigers closed out the regular season with a 22-15 victory against the University of Alabama in the annual Iron Bowl. Now the team can relax as bowl practice will begin Dec. 14, according to a report in the Mobile Press Register.
Alabama (6-6, 2-6)This week: no gamePossible bowl berths: Independence, none University of Alabama coach Mike Shula was fired Monday and will not coach if the team is invited to a bowl game, Athletics Director Mal Moore said at a news conference. “Our 10-2 record in 2005 was no fluke; it was evidence of a program on the rise,” Shula said in prepared statement. “Although the past season was not as fulfilling, it was nevertheless a season that witnessed the emergence of several young players who will help the Crimson Tide win big in the years to come.” Shula compiled a 26-23 record in four seasons as Crimson Tide coach, including a 13-10 victory in the 2006 Cotton Bowl versus Texas Tech.      
Ole Miss (4-8) and Mississippi State University (3-9) are not bowl eligible and have completed their regular season schedules.
EASTERN DIVISION
No. 4 Florida (11-1, 7-1)This week: vs. ArkansasPossible bowl berths: BCS Championship, Sugar, Orange, Capital One As far as Florida coach Urban Meyer thinks, the Gators deserve a shot at the national championship if his team defeats the Razorbacks this weekend. “I think the BCS has done the best they can in a very difficult position,” Meyer said. “I’ve coached in other leagues against a lot of other teams, and there’s no finer league than the Southeastern Conference.” The Gators’ appearance in the SEC Championship is their first since 2000.
No. 17 Tennessee (9-3, 5-3)This week: no gamePossible bowl berths: Outback Tennessee’s 22nd consecutive victory against the University of Kentucky came with a bit of drama at Rocky Top. Wildcats quarterback Andre Woodson’s fourth-and-goal pass fell incomplete with 3:02 left to play and sealed the Volunteers’ 17-12 win. “It’s great to win when you don’t play particularly well,” Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said. “I don’t remember a game in this series ever being easy at all, and this is an example of [Kentucky’s] defense doing a great job of taking the challenge.”
Kentucky (7-5, 4-4)This week: no gamePossible bowl berths: Liberty, Music City Kentucky’s seven wins this season earned the Wildcats the honor of being the fifth most-improved team in college football. After winning only three games in 2005, Kentucky’s plus-four win improvement from 2005 trails Arkansas’ plus-six and Kent State University, Wake Forest University and Rice University’s plus-five improvements. “Obviously, this was a very disappointing loss,” Kentucky coach Rick Brooks said after his team’s 17-12 loss to Tennessee. “I’m just really disappointed we’re not 8-4. We just didn’t quite finish the deal.”
Georgia (8-4, 4-4)This week: no gamePossible bowl berths: Chick-fil-A Two impressive wins to close the season over Auburn University and Georgia Tech improved the University of Georgia’s postseason bowl prospects. Two games before the Bulldogs’ 15-12 victory against the Yellow Jackets, Georgia dropped a disappointing 24-20 decision on the road to Kentucky. “This is a huge win for us – the last two games have been very big,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said in a news release after the game. “We had a lot of people doubting us and have had a lot of trouble. Everybody stayed strong. I will never forget the job [this team] did.”
South Carolina (7-5, 3-5)This week: no gamePossible bowl berths: Liberty, Music City The University of South Carolina used a resounding 31-28 victory against in-state rival Clemson University to secure an at-large bowl berth. Clemson had won eight of the previous nine games in the series, and the Gamecocks had not beaten the Tigers on the road since 1996. “We are just glad we aren’t on the bowl bubble anymore,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said in a news release after the game. “We have seven wins now, and it isn’t going to come down to us and Alabama. It doesn’t matter where we go; we will just go where they tell us and play.” The win was also the Gamecocks’ first against a ranked opponent this season in six attempts.
Vanderbilt (4-8) is not bowl eligible and has completed its regular season schedule.
—–Contact Kyle Whitfield at [email protected]