Five of the six teams remain in the running.

Still in the running for the title and playing another Eastern Division team, not to mention the already mentioned new team-old team dynamic, should be plenty to motivate Spurrier to motivate his Gamecocks for Saturday's battle.

But there is another personal reason the visored-one wants this one a little more than usual. Spurrier likes to win, hates to lose - something all good coaches have in common. South Carolina has lost three games in a row. Spurrier has not suffered a four-game losing skid since his first season as the head man at Duke in 1987.

The music of the late and great Ray Charles - "Georgia on My Mind" - is the background for the next segment here. Georgia has certainly been on the collective minds of the Auburn football nation this past week. Players, coaches and fans all remember vividly last year's 37-15 humiliation at the hands of the Bulldogs … a whipping administered on Auburn's home turf at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The upset loss cost Auburn, ranked No. 5 in the nation at the time, a shot at the SEC title and perhaps a national crown.

This newest installment in the oldest running Deep South football rivalry - 111 games and counting - will be charged with emotion as Auburn (7-3, 4-2) heads to Athens to take on Georgia (7-3, 4-3) between the hedges at Sanford Stadium. Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville has talked openly during the past week about the loss and recognized 24 Auburn players who hail from the Peach State during a team meeting - a move obviously designed to rev up the emotional level of his team.

Auburn needs to win to keep its Western Division title hopes alive. Georgia needs to win to stay atop the competitive Eastern race. The War Eagles really don't mind playing between the hedges. Unlike a lot of teams, Auburn has had good luck in the past playing in the shrubbery. Auburn leads the series with Georgia 18-9 in games played in Athens and has won six of its past seven at Sanford Stadium. Another game note seems to be a good omen for the Tigers - in games where both team are ranked (Georgia is No. 10, Auburn No. 18 in national polls), the lower ranked team holds a 9-6 edge.

Other league games this week include Arkansas (6-3, 2-3) at Tennessee (6-3, 3-2), Kentucky (6-3, 2-3) at Vanderbilt (5-4, 2-4) and Alabama (6-3, 4-2) at Mississippi State (5-4, 2-3). No. 2-ranked LSU (8-1) will sort of take the day off Saturday. The Bayou Tigers will host 4-5 Louisiana Tech in a non-conference exercise.

Alabama is a slight favorite on the road this week in Starkville, Miss. The Tide's status with national observers was helped by it's moral victory (yes, Bama coach Nick Saban said more than once following the game that there is no such thing as a moral victory - but in saying that, he showed that it was true) last week.

Although LSU ended up winning the game, Bama's play against the Tigers was inspired. The Tide led most of the way and seemed on the road to an upset after Javier Arenas' 61-yard punt return for a TD. The superior team prevailed. But LSU was out-coached and almost lost to a team with less talent and less depth.

The Tide-Bulldogs contest should prove interesting since Mississippi State can't pass and the Tide defense is very good against the run. Against the pass, Bama is only so-so. It will also be interesting to see if the Bulldogs elect to punt or kick the ball to Bama's Arenas. After the first couple of weeks of play, Alabama opponents have kicked the ball away from the Tide return man. LSU wanted to show it wasn't scared and kicked right at him - and paid the price.

After 10 weeks, the SEC still has over half its members listed among the nation's top 25 teams. No. 2 LSU leads the way, of course, with Georgia also in the top 10 as No. 10. Then comes Florida (17), Auburn (18), Alabama (21), Tennessee (22) and Kentucky (24).

WEEKEND TV LINEUP

11 a.m.
North Carolina at N.C. State (WB), Michigan at Wisconsin (ESPN), Wake Forest at Clemson (ESPN2), Penn State at Temple (ESPNU), Indiana at Northwestern (ESPN Classic)
11:30 a.m. - Alabama at Mississippi State (Lincoln Financial), Texas A&M at Missouri (FSN South), Kansas St. at Nebraska (Versus)
Noon
Eastern Ill. at Jacksonville State (CSS)
1:30 p.m.
Air Force at Notre Dame (NBC)
2:30 p.m.
FSU at Virginia Tech (ABC), Auburn at Georgia (CBS), Furman at Ga. Southern (SportSouth), Connecticut at Cincinnati (ESPNU)
3:30 p.m.
Memphis at Southern Miss (CSS)
5:30 p.m.
Baylor at Oklahoma (FSN South)
6 p.m.
Virginia at Miami (ESPN2)
6:45 p.m.
Florida at South Carolina (ESPN)
7 p.m.
Kansas at Oklahoma St. (ABC), Western Carolina at Appalachian St. (ESPNU)
9 p.m.
Washington at Oregon St. (FSN South)
10 p.m.
Fresno St. at Hawaii (ESPN)