Don't Look Over Your Shoulder, SEC

   A CNN/SI writer makes the case that the lesser of the southern leagues, the ACC, is making strides on the SEC.

   Though he acknowledges the yawning gap between the top tier teams in the league title games, the Saturday scores say that Georgia Tech schooled Georgia and Clemson did the same to South Carolina.

   The ACC did land a potential 10 teams in bowl games, compared to a maximum of eight for the SEC. But that's because a bunch of ACC teams finished 8-4 and 7-5. If you have a 12-0 (Alabama) and an 11-1 (Florida), you're naturally going to have more teams with losing records.

   Are you worried, SEC devotees, that the ACC is catching up?

    

Heisman? No, But Tebow Belongs In The Picture

   Tim Tebow was pissed when some Florida State fans celebrated an injury to teammate Percy Harvin. He asked Florida coach Urban Meyer to call his number on the next few running plays. Meyer obliged, and an angry Tebow bulled across the goal line.

   That's what a Heisman Trophy winner is made of.

   Yet, a few hours later, Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, with a much slighter build than Tebow, scrambled toward the end zone and went airborne, putting his body at great risk. Bradford was nearly knocked into the first row, but he dusted himself off and led the Sooners over Oklahoma State.

   Bradford gets my vote. With two other blanks on the ballot, I'm unsure among Tebow, Texas' Colt McKoy and Texas Tech's Graham Harrell. I'm sleeping on it.

   Does Tebow belong in the top three? If so, where?

You Couldn't Draw This Up Any Better

   Ultimately, it doesn't matter if Florida is ranked only fourth in the BCS while getting No. 2 recognition by the Associated Press poll.

   The winner of the SEC title face-off Saturday is surely headed to the national championship game.

   It's essentially a BCS semifinal at the Georgia Dome, with the winner playing Oklahoma, Texas or Southern Cal for all the marbles. Alabama is in with a win, of course, and Florida's computer ranking jumps up with a victory over No. 1.

    Now that the BCS ratings have settled that much, we're left to wonder on the point spread for Saturday (Gators by a touchdown over Bama?) and the status of Percy Harvin (will an ankle injury sideline the scary receiver/running back?).

   And ask ourselves: Is this the most anticipated league title showdown ever? (It is to me.)

   One loss between them, Florida against Ole Miss. Two sky-high rankings. Two brilliant coaches, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer. A delicious contrast in styles, Bama's traditional offense and the Gators' spread.

   Both did their part with wins by 30 points or more Saturday. Alabama flat-out crushed Auburn 36-0. Florida overcame adverse weather conditions and a hatin' crowd by smacking Florida State 45-15.

   Six days to kickoff. Counting down the seconds already.

   What's your key to the outcome?

   Would Harvin's absence make a big difference?

   How much would you pay for a seat in the Georgia Dome?

    

Will Iron Deficiency End Tuberville's Reign?

   Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville did not hear the good ol' vote of confidence from Tigers brass after the 36-0 drubbing from Alabama in the Iron Bowl. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it leaves his fate murky.

   Tuberville made no bones Saturday about his desire to remain on the Plains. The season was a disaster and, given that he was nearly run off a few years ago, it's clear the Auburn administration is not wedded to him.

   But, unlike at Tennessee and Mississippi State, which ran off Phil Fulmer and Sylvester Croom, Auburn has not been in a steady decline. This season was an aberration, so the guess here is that Tommy will be back in the same saddle.

   Do you think Tuberville will return?

   Does he deserve to?

   

Woe is Georgia, South Carolina

   Florida was the sole league winner in the three SEC vs. ACC instate rivalry games.

   Georgia, ranked No. 1 nationally to start the season, did not even wind up No. 1 in its state. Georgia Tech beat the Dawgs 45-42 on Saturday with only one complete pass.

   Its option offense befuddled the Bulldogs, who had two weeks to prepare but looked as if they'd spent two minutes learning the intricacies. Because Georgia's defense seemed helpless during all three losses this season, coach Mark Richt must think long and hard about replacing defensive coordinator Willie Martinez.

   Should Martinez be fired?

   How would you sum up Georgia's 9-3 season?

   South Carolina, with Hall of Fame coach Steve Spurrier, couldn't outfox Clemson interim Dabo Swinney, whose chances of full-time status was uncertain . . . until the Tigers' 31-14 trouncing Saturday.

   The Gamecocks' offensive master went through 12 games, five of them setbacks, without developing a quarterback. The loss in the finale gives Clemson a leg up on statewide recruiting battles.

   Has Spurrier lost his touch?

    

Bottom of the Bowl(s) for Kentucky, Vandy

   With four out of 12 losing-record teams ineligible for bowls, the SEC falls short of filling its nine guaranteed post-season slots. So, Kentucky and Vanderbilt will go bowling -- with less momentum than a bowling ball rolling uphill.

   Kentucky, humiliated Saturday by Tennessee, wasted a 4-0 start to finish 6-6, last in the East. The Wildcats' lone win in their last five games was by one point at home against West cellar-dweller Mississippi State.

   Vandy, drubbed by Wake Forest, opened 5-0 amid speculation that Bobby Johnson was the leading candidate for coach of the year. Oops. The Commodores also limped home 6-6, their only victory in that span against . . . Kentucky.

   Neither deserves much more than the Independence (Shreveport) or Papa Johns (Birmingham). But Kentucky could rise into the Music City (Nashville), which would be unlikely to select the local team.

   Would you Kentucky and Vandy fans prefer to pull the plug on the season and move on to basketball?

   If not, what would be the attainable bowl of your choice?

   

Black Head Coaches: And Then There Were Three

   When Sylvester Croom was passed over for Kid Shula at Alabama in 2003, it seemed clear that the Crimson Tide was not ready for an African-American head coach.

   It now seems Croom was not ready to run an SEC football program.

   He resigned, under some pressure, Saturday at Misssissippi State, which has far fewer resources than Bama. Still, any coach in this league that is 17 games under .500 after five seasons is not long for the job.

   Do you think Crooms deserved another season or two?

   Who should be his replacement?

   On a grander scale, Croom's departure means that half of the six black head coaches on college's top level are moving out. Ty Willingham is toast at Washington, Ron Prince at Kansas State. That leaves Turner Gill at Buffalo, Randy Shannon at Miami and Kevin Sumlin at Houston.

   Do you consider this a problem for college football?

   If so, what should be done to increase diversity?

Rain May Make Saturday Predictions All Wet

   Predicted rain across the Southeast on the final Saturday of the regular season could impact games to different degrees.

   --For No. 1, Alabama, its power running game should not be thrown off against Auburn. The Tigers' only winning scenario is a 17-14 type of game, but they would have trouble hitting that total under sunny skies. Weather edge to Alabama.

   Worried, Crimson Tide fans?

   --For Tennessee, showers could put a damper on Philip Fulmer Appreciation Day and help Kentucky, which can get off the bowl fence with a victory.

   Now, for the three intrastate rival games:

   --Georgia Tech, which hardly ever passes, could benefit the most. The Yellow Jackets, who employ a post-modern wishbone offense, would welcome a slippery field against Georgia, which throws the 'skin extremely well.

   --Multi-faceted Florida is unlikely to be affected by any inclement weather, short of a blizzard. That won't happen in Tallahassee against Florida State.

  --With South Carolina, who knows? Steve Spurrier will X-and-O to the death to beat Clemson, but the Tigers have greater incentive assuming they want to remove the interim tag from coach Dabo Swinney.

    Which of the three SEC teams is most likely to stumble against their stately neighbors?

   Then there is the SEC-ACC brain bowl, Vanderbilt vs. Wake Forest. These are smart people, right? So they'll figure out how to cope with rainy conditions.

   One more thing: Can Florida climb higher than No. 2 with a butt-whipping of the Seminoles?

    

    

Rebels Are The Right Team For Cotton Bowl

   Even though Ole Miss roughed up LSU a week ago, you had to wonder if the SEC was sending its most qualified available team to the Cotton Bowl. Even in decline, the Tigers seemed more Dallas-ready than the Rebels.

   Never mind. With Ole Miss mauling Mississippi State on Friday, followed by the Tigers' collapse at Arkansas, it's clear that the Rebels are headed to the proper post-season destination. And LSU should be headed to a bottom-feeder bowl.

   LSU lost its last four league games. The only wins during that stretch were against Tulane and Troy, the latter a comeback from a 31-3 deficit.

   Quarterback problems haunted LSU all season, but this one falls on the defense. The Razorbacks' QB brotherhood of Nathan and Casey Dick rang up 31 points on the Tigers' defense.

   Anybody for Houston Nutt as coach of the year?

   What does that make Les Miles -- bust of the year?

Ex-Raider To The Lost Ark

   Tennessee athletics director Mike Hamilton is digging furiously to get out of a hole of his own creation. Meaning, the hole may be getting deeper.

   Hamilton infamously extended Philip Fulmer's contract last season, only to fire him this season -- to the awful tune of a $6 million buyout.

   Now he appears poised to hand the orange reins to the unproven 33-year-old Lane Kiffin. The guy has the most misleading NFL reference imaginable on his resume -- head coach of the Raiders, which doesn't count, given Oakland's sorry state. He had a short stint as offensive coordinator at Southern Cal -- not too shabby, until you notice he shared play-calling duties with another aide.

    Because of the Fulmer buyout, Hamilton may have restricted himself in the coaching search with a maximum $2 million-a-year salary package. Sad to say, that's relatively cheap for an SEC power, and it probably eliminated potential suitors.

   On the bright side, Kiffin has the reputation as an effective recruiter, which fills a need at talent-depleted Tennessee. Still, wouldn't you think the Vols could have tapped a more season successor to Fulmer?

   Who should they have hired?

   We pick on Hamilton a lot, so let's applaud him for green-lighting "Philip Fulmer Appreciation Day" at Saturday's game against Kentucky. It's not too often a fired coach gets to exit to such recognition.

   Of course, if Kentucky ends a quarter-century losing skein to the Vols, the longest existing streak in the nation, the party will be spoiled. Still, nice move, Mike.

   Do you think Fulmer deserves his day? 

A Lawrence Welk Championship: A-One and A-Two?

   Thank you for trying, Associated Press voters. You elevated Florida to No. 2 behind top-ranked Alabama in your latest poll, potentially setting up the most scrumptious SEC championship game in league annals.

   Pending the outcome of this week's games -- the Crimson Tide versus Auburn, the Gators against Florida State -- the ballots move the SEC closer to locking up a BCS championship game berth. If the Atlanta-bound pair avoid upsets on Saturday, your favorite league will be represented in the BCS title game.

   What are the chances of Bama and Florida stumbling Saturday?

   The Harris (coaches') poll did not agree with AP, situating Florida third behind Texas. And the computer-heavy BCS placed the Gators fourth behind the Longhorns and Oklahoma. Their opponent last Saturday, The Citadel, did them no strength-of-scheduling favors.

   In the long run, it won't matter where the Gators are today. Win, and they're in the Big One.

   Despite the Gators' recent pillaging and plundering, they may be the more vulnerable SEC finalist this week. Their starting defensive tackles may sit out with injuries, and FSU just hammered Maryland. Auburn can salvage something out of a joyless season by beating the Tide, but its offense is unlikely to bruise Bama's formidable defense.

   Who do you think the SEC champion would play in The Big One?

     

Rebel Swell: Ole Miss Cottons To Big Bowl

The Cotton Bowl is no longer a top-tier postseason game. Still, Ole Miss could not have aspired higher at the dawn of the season.
Now, having stomped on a fallen-and-can't-get-up LSU on Saturday, the Rebels likely will be pickin' Cotton if they handle Mississippi State. Their resume is enhanced by the upset over Florida.
Could you have imagined Ole Miss excelling so quickly under first-year coach Houston Nutt?
Missy State's win over Arkansas reduces the SEC's bowl contenders to nine. Auburn gets the axe if it bows to Alabama.
The Kentucky-Vanderbilt loser will dip to 6-6 but, with bowl berths as plentiful as BCS bashers, probably will squeeze in before the door closes. The Commodores, who took two steps back in a beatdown from Tennessee, would be less than appealing because they would have gone 2-6 after a 4-0 start.
Where do you see your favorite team headed for the holidays?

Percy-vering: Florida's Harvins Muddling Heisman Race?

Florida's offensive numbers with Tim Tebow at the helm have been so mind-boggling that 512 yards -- in the first half -- Saturday barely turned heads. Of course, the fall guy was The Citadel. The Gators' 70 points moved the needle hardly at all for Tebow in the Heisman Trophy chase.
The Texas Tech-Oklahoma game was widely viewed as a winner-take-all Heisman duel between Graham Harrell and Sam Bradford. If so, give the hardware to the Sooners' Bradford.
That's a short-sighted way to evaluate a season-long process. Here's hoping voters factor in other elements.
Does one of the Big 12 boys deserve the trophy?
Also wondering, with so much made of Midwesters splitting their votes among the Big 12 quarterbacks (also Colt McCoy of Texas), would southeast ballots have enough Percy Harvins on them to cut into Tebow's chances? After all, Harvin is the nation's premier multi-purpose player, leading a team in line for a national title shot in rushing AND receiving.
Which of the two Gators would get your vote?

This Scenario Sucks: One SEC Team In BCS?

    You wouldn't be a college football fan if you are not losing sleep these days about your team or league getting screwed by the whack-job BCS system. A CBS Sportsline columnist has come up with a plausible chain of events that could leave Florida out of the big picture.

    Frankly, any two-loss team should not have any complaints. On the other hand, should the Gators win out in the regular season and lose on a buzzer-beating field goal to Alabama, they would no doubt be considered among the nation's elite eight.

   Would that be unfair to the Gators?

   Another less than farfetched outcome is one-loss Southern Cal getting left out in the cold. That's a problem to be discussed on a Pac-10 blog but is included here to point out that the system does not pretend to be fair.

   It does strive to assure a legitimate title game, and here's hoping one emerges.

   Should the NCAA and ESPN have waited until a discussion driven by the president-elect played out before signing a deal through 2014 that effectively shuts out a playoff?  

Hide Your Eyes, Unless You're A Gator?

   With some trepidation, I looked at The Citadel's scores for this season, fearing evidence of a tissue defense that might allow Florida to slap a hundred on it. Urban Meyer's twisted concept of playing a game full-out, regardless of the score, is well-documented.

   Well, The Citadel has been roughed up thrice, allowing 44, 45 and 47. Once was to Clemson, the other two to reputable smaller colleges Appalachian State and Georgia Southern.

   So, any carnage Saturday at The Swamp could be bearable to neutral obversers. Unless . . 

   Of specific interest (to me, anyway) is how long Tim Tebow plays now that he's back in the Heisman Trophy chatter. With Tebow looking every bit as good as last year, when he won the thing, and the other top candidates likely to split votes in the Midwest, their stomping grounds, Tebow could get a bookend trophy.

    How many points will Florida ring up?

   Should/Will Meyer keep him in the game late?

   Where is Tebow on your Heisman ballot?

   

        

   

Take A Breath, SEC Fans -- But Not A Deep One

   It's SEC lite this weekend, with only four games, none of any magnitude. But the three conference matchups carry fetching subplots and all, if the betting public knows its stuff, are anticipated to be close.

   --Vanderbilt, which has beaten Tennessee once in the last quarter-century, ranks as a three-point favorite. In between game-planning, Phil Fulmer has placed calls to colleagues for advice on his next coaching move. Here's some advice: Beat the Commodores and salvage a speck of football dignity from the season.

   Is this Vandy's year to start balancing out this one-sided rivalry?

  --LSU, not long ago in the national title discussion, is a mere three-point fave at home against resurgent Ole Miss. The Tigers' resurrection from near-death against Troy was impressive but it verified that LSU, with spotty QB play and an inconsistent defense, is second tier this year.

   Inconceivable at the start of the season, can the Rebels give LSU a run for the money?

   --Arkansas picked itself up after a dreadful start and is somehow a road favorite in the SEC, if only against Mississippi State (and by one point). Bobby Petrino has steered this young team into position for to contend next year in the SEC West. Well, for third place, maybe.

   Who wins this one?

And the Vols' Next Coach Is . . . ?

   If Brian Kelly of Cincinnati is Tennessee's choice to succeed Phil Fulmer, as reported by local media, that's not exactly the blockbuster announcement predicted by, ahem, "sources" to the cbssportsline.com college crew.

   But it wouldn't be a bad selection.

   Tennessee's name is well-established in football circles, so the school doesn't necessarily need to hire Mike Leach or Tommy Tuberville to lure recruits. All that should matter is the right coaching fit.

   Kelly would do well to defeat Pitt on Saturday, with the Big East title on the line, to enhance his candidacy.

   Jim Leavitt's hat also is squarely in the ring. The South Florida coach is among the most fiery in the land, and his teams overachieved until taking a step back this season.

   Is Kelly a good match for the Vols? How about Leavitt?

   If not them, then who?

    

Oh, Meyer: Gators Playing Like a No. 1

   Let's be honest. If you were a college football pollster ranking teams based on how good they are now, is there any doubt?

   Florida, baby.

   The Gators are destroying teams, most recently South Carolina in Steve Spurrier's worst defeat ever. Urban Meyer says this team is superior to '06, which happened to win a national title.

   How do you compare the two?

   The numbers defy belief. My favorite: In the first quarters of the past six games: Florida 101, Foes 0.

   The Gators whipped the Gamecocks and their No. 1 defense (in the SEC)  by a half-hundred.

   Two AP ballots set aside the fact that Alabama and Texas Tech are unbeaten and had the Gators on top.

   Tough to argue with them. Right? 

He's No Saint Nick

   Alabama coach Nick Saban supposedly uttered a four-letter word that rhymes with spit and snit last week at fans' suggestion that the Crimson Tide might be looking past Mississippi State to the Auburn and Florida games.

   The $4 million man apologized, to a degree, but got his point across. The Tide pounded Mississippi State to maintain their No. 1 rating.

  Does Bama deserve it?

   Saban's lads can pour more sodium in Auburn's wounds by officially denying the Tigers a bowl bid in what could be their seventh loss. Not that Tommy Tuberville would wish to extend this dreadful season.

   Can Auburn gather the troops to ruin Alabama's season and salvage something for itself?

    

Oh-ver-ate-ed? So Says EWriter About SEC

   A cnnsi.com scribe presents the case that, when you get past the elite pair, the SEC is overrated. He cites disappointing teams in the league's midsection.

   I see his point, but because league games are the most low-scoring of any conference, the numbers don't jump off the page as they do in, say, the Big 12.

   So, while I may have dropped my esteem for the league a tad, I'd still put it up against anybody, top to bottom.

   Have you reduced your appreciation for the league? Or is it still the same kick-ass conference in college football?

    

Comeback of the Millenium

   How'd they do it? In arrears by 28 points with 16 1/2 minutes left, only to win by . . . nine?

   In a make-up game postponed for two months by the remnants of Hurricane Gustav, LSU had lost its focus at the tail end of the SEC season. Was this the Alabama school Troy, or the men of Troy -- as in Southern Cal?

   Of course, the Tigers had to rev up their offense to amass so many points as QB Jarrett Lee overcame his astonishing seventh pick-six of the year.

   But it was LSU's defense that should take the biggest bow. Troy averaged 1.5 yards on its last 30 snaps. The Tigers withstood 72 passes by the visitors.

   Where does this game rank among LSU's many achievements?

   Bu the way, much of Tiger Stadium was empty during the comeback. The LSU following has a rep for being faithful, but it is no more devoted than other crowds.

   Who do you consider the most loyal SEC fans?

   

Vandy Is (Finally) Dandy

   Two-and-a-half cheers for Vanderbilt, which took five games for its sixth win. No big deal to most SEC schools, but a W over Kentucky makes the Commodores (6-4) eligible for its first bowl in 26 seasons.

   Now, 6-6 isn't a sure thing for bowling, but it's probable. Besides, the 'Dores have two shots at a seventh victory, against Tennessee and Wake Forest.

   Does anyone share the feel-goodness ofVandy?

   The Wildcats (6-5) also can pick on Tennessee for No. 7, which means the Volunteers could be stepping-stones for two historically SEC lightweights to extend their seasons.

   Can the Vols rise up and damper things for two of its rivals?  

   

The Greater Gators

   You read it here first. Well, maybe not first, but pretty damn early: Florida over Alabama in the Georgia Dome.

   The soon-to-be betting public apparently agrees. ESPN checked with oddsmakers, who say the Crimson Tide would be at least a touchdown underdog to other BCS championship game contenders.

   As for Florida, it would be favored against everybody but the one most likely to be left out in the cold: Southern Cal. USC would be punished by its weak Pac-10 schedule, over which it has no control.

   Do you think Florida or Alabama would get lanced by the Trojans?

   It can be cruel, this BCS system. (Am I right, people?) Speaking of which . . . 

A Playoff System? Fahgeddaboutit

   The pending deal between ESPN and the BCS to carry the big bowl games through 2014 forestalls a college playoff deep into the next decade. Here is why that's slightly bad news for the SEC:

   A plus-one system, favored by league commissioner Mike Slive, or a straight four-team mini-tournament almost surely would include an SEC member. The conference is too strong to be excluded from a final four, which means it would have a shot at the title each year.

   The current system, confined to a one-off championship game, is dicier for the league. Its own title game can just as easily eliminate a BCS contender as affirm one.

   The stars aligned for the SEC this year in that, barring a late-season collapse by Alabama and Florida, whoever wins in Atlanta is BCS-bound. Not so in other seasons.

   Your thoughts on an expanded playoff as it relates to the SEC?

   And why wait for SEC title talk? Who do you like in the Georgia Dome?

      

Take a (Short) Breath This Weekend

   The SEC schedule is absent a blockbuster, can't-miss (unless you have a hot date) game. But one is alluring and three others significant.

   --South Carolina's Steve Spurrier returns to the Swamp with a decent bunch whose sole loss in the last six games was to LSU. He will combat Florida's raucous crowds by alternating quarterbacks, allowing the ol' ball coach to convey the play on the sidelines.

   Some staggering statistics speak to Florida's dominance in its past five outings. Here's one you may not have heard: In the first quarters, it's the Gators 80, opponents zero.

   On the subject of stats, the Gamecocks boast the league's primo defense. For Florida, that will be a red cape being waved in front of a bull.

   Do the 'Cocks have a chance?

   --Surprise: Alabama has been whupped two straight by Miss'ippi State. In their past three encounters, the Crimson Tide is without an offensive touchdown. Bama has locked up the SEC West title, but a defeat would shatter its national title aspirations.

   Is there any way Bama can lose?

   --Georgia can push Auburn to the brink of getting shut out from the bowls. The Tigers would dip to 5-6, with Bama left on the schedule. Now that Phil Fulmer is toast Tommy Tuberville is the only SEC coach whose job hands in jeopardy. 

   Should Tuberville be replaced if the Tigers go 5-7, or even 6-6?

   --The prize to the Kentucky-Vanderbilt winner is bowl eligibility, though the loser will get another chance. Each plays Tennessee later.

   Meantime, the Volunteers are idle -- officially. It only seems that they have been the past several weeks.

   Excited about a no-loss Saturday, Vol fans?

   --    

Alabama-Florida: Start The Drumroll

   Let me be the first (or maybe the second or third) to say Florida will flummox Alabama in the SEC title game at the Georgia Dome.

   A standing O to the Crimson Tide for an amazing win at LSU under immense pressure. (Didn't Nick Saban have more state troopers protecting him from the LSU loonies than the quarterbacks had linemen surrounding them?) Credit to the stout Tide defense and to resourceful quarterback John Parker Wilson.

   Still, Bama won in large part because of an LSU hole at quarterback. Freshman Jared Lee ain't ready for SEC prime time, yet the Tide still had to go into OT for the win.

   In Nashville, Florida led Vandy 35-0 after 18 minutes. The Gators have beaten their last four SEC foes by 30-points-plus each. Tim Tebow is playing like the Heisman Trophy winner he was last season.

   Nick Saban has a young squad that has exceeded expectations by a country mile. Urban Meyer has a championship-ready team that is ripping through the SEC like a tornado.

   Go (to the national title game), Gators.

   Who's your pick?

   

Rank Observations: Difference of Opinion

   Musings about the latest ratings, out Sunday:  

 --The humans think more of Alabama than the computers. The Tide is rated first before flesh-and-blood voters, second in computer rankings behind Texas Tech.

   Agree with mankind or machine?

  --Florida is third, one spot above Texas, in the Associated Press, while in reverse order in the BCS poll. No matter who's ahead now, we could do a lot worse than see them 1-2, either way, after the season. What a scrumptious title game that would be. (But after my eyeballs popped out at the sight of Texas Tech's offense Saturday night, give me the Red Raiders in the BCS showdown.)

   Who would you put third?

    --Georgia remains much higher in the BCS (10th) than AP (13th) because computers factor in strength of schedule more than humans.

   Which is on the money with Georgia?

   --LSU remains in the top 20 in both despite three losses, which speaks to the SEC's strength.  

Dawgs-Cats: A Tasty Appetizer

   Rarely has SEC fandom soaked in two thrillas like Saturday's. The prelude to Alabama-LSU almost upstaged the main event, Georgia outgasping Kentucky 42-38. Some subplots:

   --Mohamed Massaquoi, Georgia's superb receiver, might have needed to be called off a ledge after two fumbles in the fourth quarter. But Matthew Stafford went right back at him for a 78-yarder that turned momentum the Dawgs' way. Nice to see Massaquoi redeem himself and Stafford to keep the faith.

  --Randall Cobb came to Kentucky with the promise that he'd compete for a quarterback role, a vow he could not extract from other schools. Primarily a receiver, he drew his second start behind center and played brilliantly until his last play . . . 

  --Defensive end DeMarcus Dobbs seemed to drop from the sky to intercept Cobb's screen pass and end the drama. Here's the amazing part: Dobbs was wearing casts on both arms.

   Six lead changes. A fourth-and-two incompletion by Cobb near the end that was negated by a Georgia face-mask penalty, just before the Dobbs' pick. Stafford throwing the game-winner to a receiver, A.J. Green, who was surrounded by four defenders.

   A classic, surely not forgotten even after Bama-LSU.

   Did you watch the fantastic finish, or switch over the the Tide-Tigers game?

   

    

   Regarding the competition for the biggest bust this season, the leader in the schlub-house is . . . . Tennessee. In fact, this bust now rivals Pamela Anderson's.

    Phil Fulmer and staff evidently checked out Monday when the coach's forced resignation was announced. The Vols were favored over Wyoming by nearly four touchdowns; in a normal year, it would have been 40-plus. But all of the players who hailed Fulmer last week did nothing but validate the decision made by UT brass.

   The silver lining: Relatively few Orange backers saw it. The building was two-thirds full -- for homecoming.

   Auburn gave Tennessee a run for the biggest-bust money at its own homecoming. The Tigers found themselves in a third-quarter tie before drawing away. The grumbling faithful reminded themselves that, hey, their team had not won since September.

   Tommy Tuberville, nearly sacked by the school a few years back, has to wonder if he will be joining Fulmer in the unemployment line.

   Which team gets your Biggest Bust award (presented by Pamela Sue)?

   This news flash, courtesy of the Knoxville Sun: Butch Davis of North Carolina is No. 1 on the Vols' wish list.

 

   

Alabama-LSU: Tighter Than A . . .

I want to pick LSU over Alabama. I really do. Sometimes, you can just smell an upset coming. Let's see if my nostrils are deceiving me.
1. Tigers fans, notoriously intimidating under normal circumstances, will unleash flat-out hatred for Bama coach Nick Saban. )Which I don't get. The guy delivered a national title to Bayou country.) The Crimson Tide are unbeaten on the road. (Not to mention at home.)
2. LSU has the No. 1 rusher in the SEC, based on yards per carry: Charles Scott (6.7). The Crimson Tide has the next best: Glen Coffee (6.6).
3. LSU ranks third in the SEC in rushing defense. Bama's offensive line averages 308 pounds per man and creates holes that an elephant could burst through.
4. LSU has allowed 50 points in two of its games. No. 1-ranked teams are 2-2 the past four weeks.
5. Tigers premier linebacker Darry Beckwith is back from injury. The Tide's ferocious nose tackle, Terrance Cody, is expected back from injury.
For each point, there is a counter-point. I think the difference will be (a.) Bama's cool quarterback, John Parker Wilson, and LSU redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee, who has thrown five picks returned for touchdowns, and (b.) Nick Saban somehow outfoxing the estimable Les Miles with a team relying on only nine scholarship seniors.
Bama by a touchdown.

Hold Your Fire: Coaching Moves Too Early?

   Tennessee is among four major colleges that have declared their intentions to replace the head football coach after the season. Athletics directors, under pressure from alumni, should ask themselves if it's better to resit and wait until the uniforms are stored for the winter before announcing the dismissals.

   Here's an example why:

   Among Georgia high school players who have committed to the Vols, one (Antonio Foster of Valdosta) has switched to Georgia Tech and two others (Toney Williams of Milton and Nigel Mitchell-Thornton of Stephenson) are wavering. This, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since Phil Fulmer learned his fate, effective after the season, Williams already has heard from four SEC teams, plus two from the ACC.

   Is this a fair and legitimate tactic by those schools?

   Had the Vols waited another five weeks, prospects would more likely be locked in, with fewer options. These midseason sacking announcements hurt recruiting, to be sure.

   Should Tennessee have held off until the season was done?  

   

    

Having Their Fill Of Phil

   Let's feel a little sorry for Phil Fulmer. He was loyal to his school. By all accounts, he played by the rules. He was a hard-working, though not innovative, coach.

   But let's not feel a lot sorry for him. He lasted nearly 17 season at Tennessee, longer than anyone not named Paterno or Bowden can expect nowadays. He basked in glory, won championships and got to coach Peyton Manning. And he walks away with a staggering $6 million.

   For that, Volunteer fans should be outraged that athletics director Mike Hamilton awarded Fulmer a long-term extension after last season when he knew the Big Orange Man was falling out of favor. Were I a booster, I would tell Hamilton to figure out how to pay off this bonanza without raising ticket prices the next several seasons. The deal was a terrible decision by the A.D., whose primary decisions involve the employment status of the head football coach.

   Farewell, Phil. You'll be missed.

   

   

High(est) Tide: Bama Rules

   The team that SEC media predicted would finish third in the SEC West? Today, it lords over America as the top-rated team in the BCS.

   Alabama has all but assured itself a gig in the national championship game if it can win out. The two other noted unbeatens, No. 2 Texas Tech and No. 3 Penn State, are unlikely to nose out the Tide if all three attain regular season perfection.

   In a year of dazzling offenses, concentrated in the Big 12, Bama is not wowing anyone. But its defense is lights-out and should only be tested twice more, Saturday at LSU and in the SEC title game, likely against Florida.

   The Gators' spanking of Georgia lifted them to No. 5, behind Texas, in the BCS. (The AP poll reverses that order.) Both teams are solidly in the BCS picture, especially with the Red Raiders' next three foes only slightly less scary than the Longhorns team they beat Saturday.

  Do you have any beef with the rankings?

   No. 14 Georgia and No. 15 LSU are hanging on by a fingernail for a BCS bowl appearance. The Tigers have the better chance because a win over Bama would hoist them in the poll.

   The guess here is that even a No. 1-rated Alabama would be an underdog against the Gators in Atlanta.

   What's your take on that potentially juicy matchup?  

An Oscar For Meyer

   Minutes after Florida dressed down Georgia 49-10, Gators coach Urban Meyer was asked to address throwing passes late in the game and calling two timeouts in the last minute to score a needless touchdown.

   Straight-faced, Meyer said he wanted to get a few extra carries for a reserve running back.

   As a character in the film "Night Shift" said of the Flinstones' Barney Rubble, "What an actor."

   This was partly how "we'll handle it," Meyer said in a book about the Gators' payback for an end zone celebration in last year's Georgia win.

   What do you think of Meyer's late-game approach?

   And, whether or not Meyer had anything to do with it, the Gator defense hit Matthew Stafford hard and, on a couple of occasions, after the whistle -- drawing penalties. The obvious goal was to get extra-physical with the quarterback. It worked as Stafford, the better pro prospect of the two QBs, played hurt in the second half.

   Did the Gators go overboard in hitting Stafford?

   As for the better college QB, Tim Tebow did a one-man celebration, skipping down the sideline during the timeouts to rev up a Florida crowd that hardly needed any more incentive.

   While Meyer's tactics Saturday are not easy to interpret, seeing as how he's done some of this  before, this is unmistakable: Florida is the superior team with a shot at the national title -- again.

   How do you see the Gators' chances?       

"So we'll handle it. And it's going to be a big deal."