SEC Football Rolls Into Week Three
by Paul Jordon
Auburn out, S.C. in!
Talking about the Top 25 football poll, in which the Southeastern Conference continues to have a great showing.
Six SEC teams were in the national poll before the season began and it's the same story today. That's almost one-fourth of the ranked teams coming from the SEC … very good representation considering there are six BCS leagues. No other conference has more than four teams in the poll.
With its second straight impressive blowout win last week - this one coming against a good football program, not an "initial school" or lower division patsy (48-7 over Virginia Tech) - No. 2 ranked LSU proved itself to be the most dangerous team in America at this point in time. The Tigers should be ranked No. 1, not No. 2. Other ranked teams this week include No. 5 Florida, No. 12 South Carolina, No. 18 Arkansas, No. 22 Tennessee and No. 23 Georgia.
Other SEC swap in the polls could occur this week if one of this week's top games comes out in favor of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Unranked Bama, 2-0 after coming off a solid win over Vandy last week, will welcome Arkansas to Tuscaloosa Saturday.
Another solid victory this week should propel Coach Nick Saban's Tide into the Top 25. A loss Saturday would drop the Hogs … like Auburn last week … right out of the polls.
There are four conference games on this week's SEC schedule - with the annual battle between Florida and Tennessee taking top billing.
The winner of the annual Gator-Vol clash more often than not goes on to take the Eastern Conference title … a fact not forgotten by coaches and fans on both sides and the big reason this is always a huge early-season contest.
A win by Tennessee would go a long way toward reestablishing its confidence and reputation - both of which took a hit in the loss to California. A win by Florida would vault the Gators into the "one of the best in the nation" or "a team to watch" category.
There are two interesting trends in the game. The first bodes well for Tennessee - both teams have been ranked for their past 18 meetings and the lower-ranked team has won 10 of those games. The second bodes well for Florida - 100 of 108 players on the Gators' roster have never lost to Tennessee.
A huge game for Tommy Tuberville and the Auburn Tigers is on tap for Saturday when Mississippi State invades The Plains. The Bulldogs will be hungry to prove last week's win over Tulane was not a fluke and they are on the way back. Auburn comes in knowing another tepid showing after the squeaker over Oklahoma State and the loss to South Florida would put its season into a tailspin.
The final league game is a lower tier battle between Eastern Division cellar-dweller Vandy and Western Division doormat Ole Miss in Nashville. Both teams come in a 1-1 overall.
The top non-conference contest may well be an interstate battle that usually is of interest only to fans in the Bluegrass State. But this Saturday's Louisville at Kentucky matchup has much bigger implications. The SEC is 3-3 against non-conference foes from leagues whose champion automatically qualifies for the BCS. So for the SEC, the game is big because of what it represents. A win by unranked Kentucky over the No. 9-ranked Cardinals, coming after LSU's whipping of Virginia Tech, would only enhance the SEC's image. A loss would mean the SEC falls to below .500 against BCS teams.
The other three SEC games on this week's slate are laughers more fit for opening day massacres - Georgia hosting Western Carolina, South Carolina hosting South Carolina State and LSU entertaining (it will be that for Tigers fans, but a painful experience for Blue Raider supporters) Middle Tennessee.
This weekend's college football TV schedule kicks off tonight, Friday, with an intriguing intersectional matchup that should give fans a quick comparison between two teams from the Heart of Dixie. Oklahoma State, which gave Auburn fits before the Tigers pulled off a fourth-quarter comeback in the season opener for both teams, will travel once again to south Alabama, this time taking on Troy University at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Saturday's weekend TV lineup, other than pay-for-view is as follows:
Virginia at N.C., 11 a.m., WB
Towson St. at Mass., 11 a.m., CSS
Pitt at Michigan St., 11 a.m., ESPN
Central Mich. at Purdue, 11 a.m., ESPN2
Illinois at Syracuse, 11 a.m., ESPNU
Mississippi St. at Auburn, 11:30 a.m., Lincoln Financial Sports
Iowa at Iowa St., 12:30 p.m., Versus
Notre Dame at Michigan, 2:30 p.m., CBS
Tennessee at Florida, 2:30 p.m., ABC
Rhode Island at Delaware, 2:30 p.m., CSS
Ohio State at Washington, 2:30 p.m., ESPN
Texas at Central Florida, 2:30 p.m., ESPN2
FIU at Miami, 2:30 p.m., ESPNU
UCLA at Utah, 4 p.m., Versus
Arkansas at Alabama, 5:45 p.m., ESPN
Georgia Southern at Coastal Carolina, 6 p.m., SportSouth
Louisville at Kentucky, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Classic
Boston College at Georgia Tech, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Southern Cal at Nebraska, 7 p.m., ABC
FSU at Colorado, 9 p.m., ESPN
Hampton at N.C. A&T, 10 p.m., ESPNU