The Southeastern Conference race has been locked up, with a matchup between No. 2 Auburn (11-0, 7-0) and No. 17 South Carolina (7-3, 5-3) set for Dec. 4.
The Gamecocks have been relishing their 36-14 win against Florida that gave them the outright Eastern Division title. When the team arrived home from Florida at 2 a.m. after the game, 2,500 fans waited to greet them.
“It’s the first division South Carolina has won — ever — since they joined the conference about 18 years ago,” said South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier. “We haven’t had a lot to celebrate here in football. The last championship was 1969 when South Carolina won the ACC. That’s been it. ”
Spurrier said he has enjoyed the win but is ready for the team to move on to its game against Troy (5-4, 4-2 Sun Belt) this week.
Auburn will take a break this week from both football and the allegations surrounding quarterback Cam Newton.
“It’s been 14 or 15 consecutive weeks, which is really hard to do,” said Auburn coach Gene Chizik. “The bye week comes at a good time.”
Chizik said he would not comment on anything but Newton’s play on the field. The Tigers are looking ahead to the Iron Bowl against Alabama next Friday.
“Obviously the Iron Bowl is going to be a huge game for our team,” Chizik said. “It ought to be an exciting time for Auburn and our players.”
VOLS AND COMMODORES HOPE FOR SECOND SEC WIN
Tennessee (4-6, 1-5) and Vanderbilt (2-8, 1-6) have one thing in common this season besides their locations: Both teams have beaten Ole Miss.
Vanderbilt played Ole Miss close on Sept. 18, winning 28-14. Last weekend was no contest, with the Volunteers throttling the Rebels, 52-14.
When they meet this Saturday, the Commodores hope to stop a five-game SEC losing streak. The Volunteers hope to start an SEC winning streak.
“We got our first SEC win. Now we’ll see if we can win two in a row,” said Tennessee Coach Derek Dooley.
MISSISSIPPI STATE HOSTS ARKANSAS
It’s an unusual year when a late season game between Mississippi State (7-3, 3-3) and Arkansas (8-2, 4-2) is one of the premier matchups of the week.
“Our team is excited to go on the road and face a very, very good football team,” said Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino. “Their secondary has done a real nice job this year of keeping everything in front of them. They haven’t given up a lot of big plays.”
Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said the defense will have a big challenge facing Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallet. He described Mallet as one of the best quarterbacks in the country.
Mallet has completed 212-of-315 passes for 2967 yards and 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season.
Mullen said the team has been emphasizing red zone defense, particularly important against a high-scoring team like Arkansas.
“It’s critical when we get down there to make sure we can bend but don’t break and hold teams to a field goal,” Mullen said.
 
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