Game Day - Nov. 22

Tennessee vs.Vanderbilt

For years and years, the Tennessee-Vanderbilt game has been played from the same angle. The Volunteers are usually playing for bowl positioning or to win the Southeastern Conference's East Division, while the Commodores are playing strictly for pride.

This time, that shoe has switched feet. All UT has at stake Saturday in Nashville is a chance to give coach Phillip Fulmer a going-away present, while Vandy can improve its bowl status and seal a winning season.

At 3-7 overall and 1-5 in the SEC, the Vols are trying to avoid the worst season in school history. One more loss will clinch that ignominious accomplishment.

Fulmer, who needs wins in the last two games to finish his UT career exactly 100 games over .500, said a week off has been good for his battered squad.

The likes of Dan Williams, Walter Fisher and Ellix Wilson -- all key players on defense who have been less than 100 percent in the last three weeks or more -- are closer to 100 percent now.

That should help the Vols against a Commodore offense that showed signs of life in a 31-24 win last week at Kentucky, getting 273 total yards from QB Chris Nickson.

Still, UT should be able to muzzle Vandy's attack, which scored 49 points during a four game losing streak. The question is, can the Vols find any kind of offense to test the Commodores' offense?

Fulmer's QB wheel of fortune has landed on Jonathan Crompton, who returns to the starting role for the second time this year. Look for B.J. Coleman, who impressed during a JV game last week, to get some playing time behind Crompton.

Game Day - Nov. 15

Georgia vs. Auburn

It's the renewal of the oldest rivalry in the Deep South. Auburn leads the series 53-50 with eight ties, but the Bulldogs routed the Tigers 45-20 last year and seem poised to do it again. Georgia averages 121 yards more per game than Auburn (436.8 to 315.4). But the Bulldogs are wary of mobile quarterback Kody Burns.

Something has to give when the SEC's 10th-ranked scoring offense faces Georgia's 11th-ranked scoring defense. The Bulldogs have given up 38, 49, and 38 points on the last three weekends, while Auburn has scored 17, 7 and 37 points. On the other hand, Georgia has the top-ranked passing offense, which should make for an interesting match against Auburn's third-ranked passing defense. High-scoring duals have been rare around Auburn this season, but maybe this weekend the scoreboard gets a workout.

After making Kentucky's offensive attack look like a juggernaut, the Bulldogs will try to clamp down on Auburn, another below-average offensive team in the SEC.

So far, conference opponents are scoring 28.7 points a game against Georgia.

Georgia has given up 125 points the past three games. The Tigers, however, average just 19.5 points.

Still, mobile quarterback Kodi Burns is a big worry for the Bulldogs, and after the below-average UK offense ran over, around and through Georgia last week, the Bulldogs are taking nothing for granted.

Georgia has ridden its high-powered offense to an 8-2 record and finishing second in the SEC East to Florida will result in a prestigious, though non-BCS, bowl invitation.

A potent offense should be enough to get past Auburn. But Bulldogs' fans would like to see the defense finally tighten up to build momentum and finish a season it started ranked No. 1 in the nation with momentum.

Game Day - Nov. 8

Alabama vs. LSU

It would have been very easy for the Tide to get caught looking past the Red Wolves of the Sun Belt Conference, especially with LSU coming up this weekend in Baton Rouge.

The Tide snapped its nine-game losing streak in the month of November with its 35-0 shutout of the Red Wolves. Before Saturday's homecoming victory, the last time Alabama won a game in November was on Nov. 5, 2005, when third-ranked Alabama defeated Mississippi State 17-0.

Since then, Alabama had been 0-for-November with three losses to LSU, three losses to Auburn, two losses to Mississippi State and an embarrassing 21-14 loss to Louisiana-Monroe last season in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Next Saturday the Crimson Tide heads to Baton Rouge, La., in hopes of ending a five-game losing streak to LSU. Alabama has not beaten the Tigers since a 31-0 shutout victory on Nov. 16, 2002.

LSU opened the game against Tulane with an impressive eight-play, 86-yard scoring drive, then pretty much sat back and played effective but uninspiring football the rest of the night in registering a 35-10 victory.

The Tigers (6-2, 3-2 SEC) turned things over to their defense, which limited the Wave to 163 yards and three points. The visitors' only touchdown came on an interception return, which earned LSU quarterback Jarrett Lee some boos when he returned for the next two series.

Players to Watch:

P - Brady Dalfrey averaged 46.5 yards per attempt on four punts, backing up Tulane inside its 20-yard line three times.

DE - Rahim Alem came up with his sixth sack of the season, forcing a fumble on the play that CB Chris Hawkins returned 24 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.

RB - Mark Ingram bounced back from a subpar performance against Tennessee to rush for 113 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns.

S - Rashad Johnson not only picked up his second interception of the season, he returned it 32 yards for the first touchdown of his career. Plus, he was in on 13 tackles.

Game Day - Nov. 1st

Florida vs. Georgia

The world's largest cocktail party takes on even more significant meeting when the two meet Saturday afternoon in Jacksonville. The winner of the game will move atop of the SEC East and remain in the BCS title. The Gators will be looking to avenge a 42-30 loss to the Bulldogs in which Georgia players stormed the end zone following its first touchdown.

But the Bulldogs may have added a little extra incentive when their whole team rushed the field following their first touchdown against the Gators last season. The early emotional lift carried Georgia to a 42-30 win over Florida, just its second win over the Gators in its last 10 meetings.

Tebow will have to wait until Saturday afternoon to get his chance. The Gators and Bulldogs will renew acquaintances at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium with more than bragging rights at stake. The Gators are ranked eighth in this week's BCS standings. Georgia is ranked sixth. The winner will keep national title hopes alive while jumping to first place in the SEC East.

Florida receiver Percy Harvin said avenging last season's loss to Georgia will serve as more motivation then avenging the touchdown celebration.

No team can match the track-star speed of the Gators.

But the Bulldogs, who are readying for the annual showdown with Florida in Jacksonville, might have the best football player in running back Knowshon Moreno.

The sophomore leads the SEC with 925 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. And he killed Florida in last year's 42-30 win, running for 188 yards and three scores.

Florida is concerned about Moreno, and understandably so.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

QB Tim Tebow

Game Day - Oct. 25th

Alabama vs. Tennessee

For Alabama fans, two games stand out above all the rest: the season-ending "Iron Bowl" contest against Auburn and the "third weekend in October" against Tennessee.

No. 2 Alabama (7-0, 4-0) travels to Knoxville to take on Tennessee (3-4, 1-3) Saturday afternoon.

Two concerns this week for Alabama: One is the loss of massive nose tackle Terrence Cody. The 365-pounder has been able to occupy two and sometimes three blockers in the middle, freeing the linebackers to attack and make plays. Cody even went in as a blocking fullback on a short touchdown run against Ole Miss last week. But with a strained MCL, Cody is expected to be out for at least two weeks, which leads to the other concern at Alabama.

Second is a lack of depth.

The Tide has faltered in the second halves of its last three games. Maybe it's because the team has gotten such big leads the players lose focus, or maybe it's because this team, for all its talent, is still not deep enough to keep players from wearing down as the season goes on.

Nick Saban said from the beginning that depth would be a major concern this season. He's done a great job of shortening games by burning the clock and running the ball. But when left tackle Andre Smith has gone out (he's missed parts of two games with slight injuries), the offense has faltered.

Beating Alabama won't be easy, but last week's 34-3 rout of Mississippi State has given the Vols hope.

UT made improvements in its running game, which produced one lousy yard at Georgia Oct. 11, and has a quarterback who hasn't tossed an interception in his first three starts. What's more, it will get the Crimson Tide without 365-pound nose guard Terrance Cody.

But the Vols' offense might be hampered if WR Gerald Jones and OG Anthony Parker can't shake off ankle injuries. And this is an offense which hasn't exactly been a power this year with everyone at full strength.

Still, it's an opportunity for this disappointing team to make one positive impact in what's been a miserable season.

Game Day - Oct. 18th

Ole Miss vs. Alabama

A week after watching three of the top five teams in the nation — Oklahoma, Missouri, and LSU — fall, Alabama returns to action to see if the Tide can keep the same thing from happening to them.

No. 2 Alabama (6-0, 3-0) hosts Ole Miss (3-3, 1-2) Saturday in Tuscaloosa.

This is the kind of game Nick Saban has been preaching about since the season-opening victory over Clemson, the kind of game where everyone is telling his team how great it is, and they begin to listen to it and forget what got them to this point.

Watching top teams lose over the weekend was the perfect illustration for Saban to use to get his team's attention; that, plus an Ole Miss team that handed Florida its only loss of the season.

But the Tide is healthy, and as long as the offensive line is together, Alabama will continue to control time of possession (an SEC-best 33:17 per game). What's most impressive is the Tide's first-half success, particularly not giving up a point in the first quarter of a game this season.

If Alabama is vulnerable, it appears to be in the second half, when inevitably the Tide has a letdown. However, maybe that's the natural byproduct of having a big lead.

Ole Miss had a week off after being shredded by South Carolina for 300-plus passing yards. With quarterback John Parker Wilson and receiver Julio Jones waiting, the Rebels could get torched again.

Everyone else is already pointing to that Nov. 8 showdown with LSU in Baton Rouge. Nick Saban is only interested in getting past Ole Miss this weekend.

Game Day - Oct. 11th

Tennesse vs. Georgia

Tennessee leads the all-time series with Georgia 20-15-2 dating to 1899. UT rallied for a 51-33 triumph two years ago in Athens--the Vols' second straight win at UGA's Sanford Stadium.

The Big Orange own a 10-7-1 advantage over the Bulldogs in Athens, and UT head coach Fulmer boasts an 11-5 career mark against Georgia. Fulmer won his first eight games against UGA from 1992-99. Those eight triumphs were part of a nine-game win streak for Tennessee against Georgia that marked the longest such streak by either team in the series (1989-99).

Senior tailback Arian Foster will see a pleasing and familiar site Saturday as he walks on to the field at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga.

In his last two games vs. Georgia, Foster has rushed for a combined 161 yards and scored a remarkable six touchdowns. In the 2007 game in Knoxville, he scored on the ground in each of the first three quarters to help bury the Bulldogs behind a 28-7 deficit. His TD carries were of 9, 22 and 4 yards, respectively.

Tennessee is averaging 18.0 points a game, while Georgia is putting up 34.4 points per game. In scoring defense, Tennessee is surrendering 16.6 points a game while the Bulldogs have allowed 19.2. The Bulldogs rank fifth in the SEC in punting (36.8 net average) and the Volunteers are holding down the 12th spot (29.0). Tennessee (-1) and Georgia (+2) rank sixth and fifth, respectively, in the SEC in turnover margin. The Bulldogs have been near perfect in scoring inside the Red Zone. They are scoring at a 94 percent clip (16-for-17) with 13 touchdowns and three field goals. The only time Georgia has not scored inside the Red Zone was when the clock ran out in the 27-10 win at ASU with the Bulldogs at the 1 yard line.

In Georgia’s four wins this year, the Bulldog have outscored their opponents 79-17. In the season opener, the Bulldogs built a 24-0 lead over Georgia Southern and they jumped out to a 28-7 edge over CMU. Georgia trailed South Carolina 7-6 and led ASU 21-3. In Georgia’s 41-30 loss to No. 8 Alabama, it was the Crimson Tide who had the quick start after building a 31-0 halftime lead.

Game Day - Oct. 4th

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow acknowledged before the season began his goal was to lead the Gators to an undefeated season.

That goal won't be realized following Florida's stunning, 31-30 loss to Ole Miss at The Swamp last Saturday. Instead, the No. 12 Gators (3-1) will look to get back in the BCS title hunt beginning Saturday at Arkansas.

Arkansas, under first-year coach Bobby Petrino, has struggled defensively this season. The Razorbacks have given up 38.0 points per game and are coming off a 52-10 loss at Texas.

The reality of a rebuilding year has set in at Arkansas, and we're barely to October.

Consecutive drubbings to Alabama and Texas will do that to a program.

But coach Bobby Petrino is calling for calm and patience from Razorback Nation.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

QB Tim Tebow — Tebow issued a teary-eyed apology following his team's loss to Ole Miss. How he bounces back against Arkansas could determine the kind of season Florida has the rest of the way. Tebow scored his first two rushing TDs of the season, but failed to convert a 4th-and-1 run with 38 seconds remaining. He has yet to lead Florida to a second-half comeback win in his career.

CB Joe Haden — Haden is just a sophomore but has started every game in his UF career. The experienced cornerback will try to get the Florida secondary to regroup after it gave up too many big plays in the Ole Miss loss.

RB Michael Smith — The 5-foot-7 back, who plays much bigger than his size, has been the Razorbacks' only consistent ground threat, averaging 96 yards per game.

TE D.J. Williams — The talented sophomore has a bright future for the Hogs. He's leading the team in receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns.

Game Day - Sept. 27th

The No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs made a loud statement at Arizona State. The 27-10 final does not reflect how thoroughly they outclassed the Sun Devils.

Georgia held the Sun Devils to four rushing yards, sacked Rudy Carpenter four times and was never really challenged in the second half.

With quarterback Matthew Stafford, running back Knowshon Moreno and emerging freshman wideout A.J. Green, the Bulldogs' offense looked impossible to stop.

Now, the defense is looking nearly as dominant. Linebacker Rennie Curran shot through gaps Saturday night to disrupt the Sun Devils, and the unit's overall speed was breathtaking.

Alabama comes to town for a major showdown Saturday night. It's another chance for Georgia to show the nation it deserves to climb back up and claim one of the top two spots in the polls.

The No. 9 Tide (4-0) scored touchdowns on its first two possessions, returned two interceptions for touchdowns and thoroughly dominated Arkansas (2-1) in a lopsided 49-14 score.

Saban seemed more pleased than he had been after the opening victory over Clemson, probably because as well as his team played, there was enough concern to allow him to continue preaching this week about not letting up — especially with Georgia on the schedule this weekend.

What Saban had to be pleased about, however, was that the players seem to get it. They knew before they hit the postgame locker room that they had not played anywhere near as good of a game as the score indicated. The defense came up big, but they've some work to do before Alabama takes on Georgia Saturday night.

Game Day - Sept. 20th

But does anyone besides fans of the teams really care?

Over the past few years, whenever one team is up, the other is down. Or at least not near the top of the heap.

Florida is back among the SEC's elite, and Tennessee isn't. The Vols won the Eastern Division last season, and they've played in three league title games since 2001, but they haven't won any of them.

The 2-0 Gators are ranked No. 4 in this week's USA TODAY Coaches' Poll, but the Volunteers are 1-1 and unranked after a 27-24 overtime loss to UCLA and a 35-3 thrashing of Alabama-Birmingham.

None of that means Florida will simply show up and throttle the Vols on Saturday.

But the Gators have the Vols in their sights as junior WR/RB Percy Harvin prepares to make a splash after being limited in the first two games with a right heel injury.

Florida has won three of its last four games in Neyland Stadium, but will need more balance on offense and better offensive line play to win on the road in its Southeastern Conference debut.