WESTERN DIVISION
No. 17 Arkansas (4-1, 3-0)This week: Southeast Missouri (3-2), 1 p.m. Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said there have been no signs of an imminent let-down this weekend after the Razorbacks’ 27-10 road upset Saturday against Auburn. “We’ve made a real point to come to work,” Nutt said. “I loved the way we practiced [Tuesday] – that’s always the temperature, how you gauge your team.” Very few people predicted Arkansas would be the SEC West leader as the season nears the halfway point, but Nutt said he had a feeling his team could be competitive on one condition. “I knew if we all stayed healthy, we’d have a chance,” he said. No. 11 Auburn (5-1, 3-1)This week: Florida, 6:45 p.m. on ESPN When the SEC split into two divisions in 1992, the change eliminated a string of 58-straight games played each season between Auburn and Florida. But the rivalry will be renewed in a big way Saturday in a battle of the No. 2 and No. 11-ranked teams in college football. “We hadn’t played [Florida] in a few years, and I think you lose some of the continuity with the fans,” Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said of the rivalry. “It’s hard to get the matchups. You know a little bit more about each other when you play each year.” To add to the hype, Saturday night’s game also will be featured on ESPN’s “Full Circle” – a type of programming where fans can view different camera angles during the game on different ESPN cable channels. ESPN’s “College GameDay” preview show also will air from Auburn.
Alabama (4-2, 1-2)This week: Ole Miss, 2:30 p.m. on CBS Alabama coach Mike Shula said there will be one player on Ole Miss’ defense that his team will undoubtedly look out for Saturday. Linebacker Patrick Willis leads the SEC with 62 tackles, an average of 10 tackles per game, and is regarded by many coaches as one of the best linebackers in college football. “Patrick is as good a player as there is in the SEC,” Shula said. “We’ve got to do a good job of knowing where he is and get somebody to block him.” No. 14 LSU (4-2, 1-2)This week: Kentucky, 7 p.m. Second year LSU coach Les Miles is experiencing unchartered criticism from LSU fans on Internet forums after his team lost its second regular season conference game. “I don’t think there’s anybody more discerning on our coaches than ourselves,” Miles said. “We want our team to play to that.” The Tigers lost one conference game in 2005 – at home against Tennessee. They also dropped the SEC championship game to Georgia the same season. The last time an LSU team finished with multiple SEC losses was back in 2004 when the Tigers finished with a 6-2 SEC record and a loss to Iowa in the Capital One Bowl.
Ole Miss (2-4, 1-2)This week: at Alabama Ole Miss’ defense is beginning to come around as the Rebels head into their fourth conference game of the season. After yielding an average of 29 points in its first four game, Ole Miss held Georgia to 14 points two weeks ago and allowed only 10 points Saturday to Vanderbilt. “I think we’ve made tremendous improvement on defense the last two weeks,” Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron said. Orgeron said freshman wide receiver Dexter McCluster has not practiced this week, and a decision on whether he will play this weekend will be made toward the end of the week. McCluster leads Ole Miss with 232 yards receiving and one touchdown. He injured his head while returning a kick against Vanderbilt.
Mississippi State (1-5, 0-3)This week: Jacksonville State, 1:30 p.m. As if the Bulldogs’ 1-5 start could get any worse, Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom said both starting quarterback Omarr Conner and third string quarterback Tray Rutland are out for Saturday’s game and likely the entire season. Conner severely strained his groin Saturday against the University of West Virginia, and Rutland tore knee ligaments. Quarterback Michael Henig, who began the season as the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback, will start against Jacksonville State. Henig broke his collarbone in the season opener against South Carolina, which gave Conner the starting role. “[Injuries] are part of the game, and it’s not something as a coach you want to happen,” Croom said. “It’s not fun…nobody is going to feel sorry for your misfortune.”
EASTERN DIVISION
No. 2 Florida (6-0, 4-0)This week: at Auburn One week after then No. 2 Auburn’s loss to Arkansas, Florida is the SEC team who is likely to be on the outside of the Bowl Championship Series rankings that will be released Sunday. The Gators are ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll and No. 3 USA Today/Coaches’ Poll, which will likely mean that Florida will be ranked No. 3 in the initial release Sunday of the BCS standings, pending a Florida victory this weekend. “We’re too busy to be worried about [the BCS],” Florida coach Urban Meyer said. In 2003, Auburn went undefeated and was left out of the BCS championship game. “That’s nonsense,” Meyer said. “That shouldn’t have happened.”
No. 16 Georgia (5-1, 2-1)This week: Vanderbilt, 11:30 a.m. on Lincoln Financial Sports Georgia coach Mark Richt said his team is responding as best as can be expected after the 51-33 loss Saturday to Tennessee. “The first thing you look for is anyone or any group of players becoming segmented from the group,” Richt said. “I don’t see anyone moving away from the group. You worry about the morale of the team a little bit, but at the same time, if they don’t feel a little bit bad then you wonder if you have the right guys on your team.” Richt said Joe Tereshinski will start at quarterback against Vanderbilt but also that Matthew Stafford will see action in the first half.
South Carolina (4-2, 2-2)This week: Bye The Gamecocks are hoping for the same second-half season success they experienced in the 2005 season. After starting 0-3 in conference play in 2005, South Carolina won its final five SEC games. “The second half of the season is upon us now,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. “Whether we can come close to what we did last year is yet to be seen. Who knows what can happen.” South Carolina has dates left this season with Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida.
No. 8 Tennessee (5-1, 1-1)This week: Bye Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said he warned both his team and the media about the strength of Georgia’s special teams prior to this past Saturday’s game. “I said going in [when] one of the writers asked me, ‘What is your biggest concern?,’ and I said their return game,” Fulmer said. “They do a really good job with their schemes and the effort that their youngsters give.” Georgia returned both a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown in the 51-33 loss to the Volunteers. Kentucky (3-3, 1-2)This week: at LSU The Wildcats’ injury blues continue. Running back Rafael Little had his knee scoped this week and will be out for at least a month. Little led the Wildcats with 286 yards on 61 carries in five games this season. Also, defensive tackles Lamar Mills and Myron Pryor have not practiced this week and are doubtful to play, according to coach Rich Brooks. “I’m sure we’re not going to get a happy LSU team, losing their second conference game,” Brooks said. “We’re coming off a tough loss to South Carolina. We have a pretty disappointed group of players.”
Vanderbilt (2-4, 0-3)This week: at Georgia The Commodores are virtually 12 points away from being undefeated in the SEC. Vanderbilt’s three SEC losses this season have come by an average of 4 points against Alabama, Arkansas and Ole Miss. But coach Bobby Johnson said close games do not cut it for his program. “We had good chances to win those games,” Johnson said. “The team feels the same way. We’re not there to come close. Every game we play in this league, we play to win.”
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