Only 48 hours until judgement day.This weekend’s Southeastern Conference opener between Florida and Tennessee has been must-see TV ever since Lane Kiffin took the job at Tennessee last December.Kiffin started his first press conference with the Volunteers by suggesting his new team would knock off the Gators in the 2009 conference opener. He escalated his predicament on National Signing Day when he accused Florida coach Urban Meyer—incorrectly — of violating recruiting rules.The general consensus is the No. 1 Gators will romp in The Swamp to a third-consecutive beatdown of the Volunteers, and maybe even rub it in a little bit.Florida is 4-0 against Tennessee since Meyer arrived, outscoring them 126-53 since 2005. Since all-everything quarterback Tim Tebow took over the Gators’ offense in 2007, Florida has beaten Tennessee by an average score of 44.5 to 13.”It’s our first SEC game, so obviously it’s very important,” Kiffin said in a teleconference. “[Florida] is the most talented team in the country and probably the most talented team ever to play.”The Vols don’t look much more capable of derailing Florida’s quest for a repeat national championship this season, as they sputtered to 208 total yards and four turnovers last week in a home loss to UCLA.
While those two battle it out in Gainesville, there are two other matchups that could have a lot to say about how the SEC shakes out.MALLETT, ARKANSAS MAKE SEC DEBUTSophomore quarterback Ryan Mallett looked like the perfect fit for Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino’s pass-happy system in the Razorbacks’ season opener against Missouri State. Mallett completed 77 percent of his passes for 309 yards and a score, while the Arkansas ground game combined for 144 yards rushing in a 48-10 win.The Hogs’ conference opener promises to be considerably more challenging, as they enter SEC play against No. 23 Georgia.Few teams have had a crazier start to the season than the Bulldogs. Their offense was utterly stuffed in a 24-10 loss to then-No.9 Oklahoma State, and while the world prepared for a defensive struggle against South Carolina in week two, the Dawgs saved their season from early destruction with a wild 41-37 win against the Gamecocks.
“They’ve had two great battles, and we haven’t been tested yet,” Petrino said. “It’s something we’ve got to learn about ourselves, how to get into a big game and battle.”
A Georgia win would put the Bulldogs on top of the SEC East with a 2-0 conference record, which is about as much as a fanbase can hope for after losing the season opener.MALZAHN EFFECT, PART IIIRemember back in 2008 when a highly anticipated Auburn-West Virginia matchup turned into an absolute dud because of slow starts by each team?The Tigers and Mountaineers were both preseason top-15 teams and both suffered early season losses brought on by poor offensive performances. West Virginia eventually overcame a 17-3 deficit for a 34-17 win. Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville was fired after a 5-7 season, and the rest is history.Remember three short weeks ago when this year’s Auburn-West Virginia matchup generated no excitement because of the perceived rebuilding efforts needed by both teams?Enter Gus Malzahn, first-year Auburn offensive coordinator and prize hire of Tigers’ coach Gene Chizik. Malzahn helped Darren McFadden become a household name and multimillionaire by helping Arkansas implement the Wildcat offense in 2006. He then moved to Tulsa, where the Golden Hurricane finished the 2007 and 2008 seasons as the nation’s No. 1 offense, averaging 543 and 569 total yards per game, respectively.It hasn’t taken long for Malzahn to establish his offensive prowess at Auburn, as the Tigers — one of the game’s most atrocious attacks in 2008 — currently rank No. 4 in total offense, averaging 572 yards per game against Louisiana Tech and Mississippi State.The Mountaineers are humming along as well, despite losing a living WVU legend in former quarterback Pat White.WVU senior quarterback Jarrett Brown is doing just fine in White’s stead, as he has completed 75 percent of his passes through two games for 577 yards and four scores.The winner of this one could find a way into next week’s top 25 after starting 2009 with little to no expectations.”It’s going to be a great challenge for us in finding out what we are and who we are. I’m not sure that we know that yet,” Chizik said.—-Contact David Helman at [email protected]