In the East, it's Florida at Tennessee (3:30 p.m., CBS). The fourth-ranked Gators had a week off to tune up for the Volunteers, spent mainly on cranking up the offense after an uninspiring performance against Miami. Coach Urban Meyer is 3-0 against UT.
Tennessee, for its part, rebounded against UAB after handing over a gift-wrapped win to UCLA. Some Vols players bitched about Florida running up the score last year in a 59-20 rout, a charge renewed recently after his game by UM coach Randy Shannon. But UT coach Phil Fulmer dismissed any ill intent by the Gators. He is more concerned about his quarterback, Jonathan Crompton, still less than comfortable behind center.
On the West side, it's LSU at Auburn (7:45 p.m., ESPN). The No. 6 Tigers from the bayou must cope without standout linebacker Darry Beckwith, declared out with a sore knee. In their favor, the spread offense by No. 7 Tigers from the plains won't be unfamiliar, seeing as how the Tigers have faced a similar attack in their two prior games.
Auburn's offense coordinator, the refreshing Tony Franklin, is the willing target of criticism after three shaky outings, the latest which produced only a field goal against Mississippi State. "The first finger that needs to be pointed is at me," said the coach, who presumably meant an index finger and not the one next to it.
Franklin says he will shrink the playbook and call plays based on more instinct rather than with a confining script. Meantime, his boss, Tommy Tuberville -- a former defensive coordinator -- is one of few who found beauty in the Tigers' 3-2 victory.
Who do you like in these games? Florida or Tennessee? LSU or Auburn?
Let the games begin.
1 comment:
Gators running the score up? The pollsters only remember the final scores of early season games when BCS determinations are made.
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