All twelve SEC teams see action this week, but the quality of opponent varies considerably.  Several in-conference matchups will provide excitement and begin to shape the conference rankings.  Additionally, two SEC-Big East contests will let a pair of mid-grade SEC teams know where they stand.

Game of the Week

Tennesee (1-1, 0-0 SEC) at Florida (2-0, 0-0 SEC)

 3:30 PM on Saturday 19 September (CBS)

Jeff Demps courtesy of the APs Phil Sandlin

For the Volunteers to come out of this one with a win, they’ll need to play a near perfect game.  Coach Kiffin would like to leave the game in the hands of his talented tailbacks, but that might prove difficult.  Expect Florida to bring up safeties to stuff the run and force Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton to throw the ball.  If this happens, Crompton needs to make better decisions than he did last week and avoid turnovers.  Three interceptions against the Gators would essentially ensure a loss.

The Volunteer defense needs to contain a multitude of players and try to force turnovers to help out their offense.  Taking away the run and forcing Tebow to win the game in the air is unlikely, but should be a goal for the defensive line.  Defensive coordinator Monte “Tampa 2” Kiffin will likely use a Cover 2 scheme, meaning the Vol defense will go with "bend, but don't break".  With this in mind, Tennessee can do themselves a lot of favors by forcing the Gators to settle for field goals when they get into the red zone.  If they can manage this, they might be able to stay close and give their offense a chance to make it a game.  Eric Berry is a phenomenal safety, but beyond him I don’t think that Tennessee has enough athletes to contain all of Florida’s offensive weapons.  

Florida needs to stay balanced on offense to keep Tennessee from keying on any particular play or pattern.  A mix of inside and outside runs coupled with pass patterns of varying depth will keep the Vols honest, and there's enough variety in the offense to make it work.  New offensive coordinator Steve Addazio likely has a few tricks up his sleeve, but pretty much just needs to keep doing what he’s been doing.

Defensive Coordinator Charlie Strong’s plan is simple, stuff the run and make Crompton throw often.  The Gators can accomplish this by forcing a lot of “third and longs”.  The experience and skill of the linebacking corps will help immeasurably here.  Ryan Stamper, A.J. Jones and Brandon Spikes are solid against both the run and the pass.  Charlie Strong loves to bring the heat, so expect heavy blitzes to force Crompton to make poor throws.  When he does, Joe Haden, Janoris Jenkins, Major Wright and Ahmad Black will be waiting for the pick.

Lane Kiffin talked a lot of smack in the off-season, and I’m sure the Urban Meyer was not appreciative.  Expect a fired up Florida football team who will be more than willing to run up the score.  Personally, I’m traveling to Gainesville to watch the game this weekend and I’m looking forward to it.   
 

Pick:  Tennesee 13, Florida 44

Players to Watch:

I'm going with two this week, you'll see why.  

Richard Samuel and Caleb King; running backs; Georgia

After two solid yet unremarkable showings against Oklahoma state (20 carries, 87 yards, 0 TD) and South Carolina (15 carries, 65 yards, 1TD), Samuel faces a defense that was dead last in the SEC in points allowed and rush yards allowed last season.  Arkansas’ one victory over an FCS school does nothing to disprove last year’s poor numbers.  This is Samuel’s chance to step up and be the tailback that Mark Richt and Joe Cox need him to be.

In the same storyline, Caleb King is expected to be back from a hamstring injury this week.  King was the #1 tailback before he got hurt.  I’m unsure if Richt will throw him in the game right away, but if Samuel won’t provide the fireworks King will get his shot.     
 

Upset Alert:

Mississippi State (1-1, 0-1 SEC) at Vanderbilt (1-1, 0-1 SEC): 7:00PM on Saturday 19 September

For the second week in a row, I’ve got Vanderbilt in my upset alert section; however, this time they’re the favorite who I think has a good chance of being taken down.  The Bulldogs are showing life out in Starkville, and Vanderbilt isn’t known for having an impressive home crowd.  Between quarterbacks Tyson Lee and Chris Relf, Coach Dan Mullen has a setup similar to the “Leak-Bow” offense Florida used in 2006.  Similar to Chris Leak and Tim Tebow, Lee (5’10”, 200lbs) and Relf (6’3”, 235lbs) vary considerably in size and playing style.  Anthony Dixon is proving to be a serviceable tailback managing 92 yards on 20 carries against a stout Auburn defense.  The passing game is certainly a work in progress, but was decent enough against Auburn.  

The bad news is the Bulldogs let Auburn run all over them (390 yards rushing allowed), and Vandy will bring more of the same.  Vanderbilt’s tailbacks are not as big (or in my opinion, talented) as Auburn’s, but they are strong runners nonetheless.  Vanderbilt tailback Zac Stacy carried the ball 20 times for 89 yards at LSU, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of.  Kennard Reeves also added 5 runs for an total of 35 yards.  Vandy’s defense held LSU to only two TDs, and LSU had to settle for field goals three times in the red zone.  I'm not sure the Commodores are ready for the spread though.  The line says Vandy by 9, I’m thinking they’ll win by less than a touchdown.  

Pick: Mississippi State 24, Vanderbilt 30

Noteworthy Games:

Georgia (1-1, 1-0 SEC) at Arkansas (1-0, 0-0 SEC): 7:45PM on Saturday 19 September (ESPN)

The Bulldogs look to stay unbeaten in conference play as they travel to Fayetteville.  A solid rushing attack against the worst rushing defense in the SEC last year should spell victory for the Bulldogs.  However, we can’t forget about Ryan Mallett slinging the ball around the field against a Georgia secondary that was porous last week.  Mallett is still an unknown quantity in my opinion, and this will be the first game where we get to see how he handles SEC conference play.  Despite the home field advantage for the Razorbacks, I expect Georgia’s defense to buckle down and find redemption after last week. 

Bottom line:  Caleb King coming back helps the running game and Joe Cox makes fewer mistakes than Ryan Mallett.  

Pick: Georgia 31, Arkansas 27  

West Virginia (2-0, 0-0 Big East) at Auburn (2-0, 1-0 SEC): 7:45PM on Saturday 19 September (ESPN2)

West Virginia is ranked #32 in the current AP poll with 30 votes.  Auburn is #33 with 26 votes.  With the teams considered to be so evenly matched, this game has the possibility of being very entertaining.  Conference bragging rights are on the line, and so is a chance to crack the top 25 depending on how other games go.  Auburn has dominated two weaker FBS opponents, including SEC West rival Mississippi State.  West Virginia played Liberty for their first game and won unconvincingly, but then beat a solid East Carolina team by 15 points.  The teams are also even defensively with West Virginia allowing 3 fewer yards per game and Auburn allowing 1.5 fewer points per game.  I consider those to be statistically insignificant differences.    

The difference is more apparent on the other side of the ball.  Auburn’s offensive production is about 100 yards per game higher than that of the Mountaineers, and I feel like the Tigers have more depth.  I may be drinking the Kool-Aid, but I’m feeling like Gene Chizik might be on to something at Auburn.  The tailback tandem of Tate and McCalebb will wear down the West Virginia defense.  Auburn pulls away late in the game.  War Eagle!!!

Pick: West Virginia 24, Auburn 34   

Remaining SEC Games:

Louisville at Kentucky Pick: Louisville 13, Kentucky 34  There’s big bragging rights in the bluegrass state when it comes to this game, but the improved play of the Wildcats keeps the Cardinals on the losing end.  Neither team played much of an opponent for their first game so some sloppiness may be present early.  Rich Brooks' defense should keep Louisville from dcoring often, and we’ll have to see if the offense continues to have success behind three solid looking tailbacks and quarterback Mike Hartline. 

North Texas at Alabama Pick: North Texas 13, Alabama 51  Julio Jones and Roy Upchurch may not play due to injuries suffered during the game against FIU.  It won’t make any difference.  I don’t think Nick Saban was happy with “only” a 40-14 victory over FIU, so expect the Tide to come out of the gate hard and fast.

UL Lafayette at LSU Pick: UL Lafayette: 10, LSU 44  This is a nice warmup game before the Tigers hit the road and play Mississippi State and Georgia in the next two weeks.  Look for Keiland Williams and Charles Scott to get less carries this week and Les Miles works more on the passing game.  The Tigers will still run the ball, but they’ll focus on improving their timing and routes before the road trips to Starkville and Athens.    

Florida Atlantic at South Carolina Pick: FIU 9, South Carolina 34  Look for Spurrier to try to keep the offense humming after a good performance against Georgia despite the loss.  Also keep your eyes out for freshman tailback Jarvis Giles, especially if Brian Maddox continues to be ineffective.  After a disappointing performance against Georgia last week, I expect South Carolina’s defense to have a chip on their shoulder.  They’ll be out for blood when the Owls roll into Columbia.    

Southeastern Louisiana at Ole Miss Pick: Southeastern LA 10, Ole Miss 52  It’ll be the Jevan Snead show against this FCS opponent.  Mississippi’s running game looked great against Memphis, and the tailbacks will see enough work to keep the running game in good form.  However, I think Houston Nutt will take advantage of the weak opponent to work out the passing game.  Snead’s stats against Memphis were average (12 of 22 for 175 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INTs).  Coach Nutt wants to get receivers Shay Hodge, Markeith Summers and Lionel Breaux some more touches prior to a demanding schedule over the next three weeks.  The Rebels play at South Carolina and at Vandy before returning and playing Alabama in Oxford on the 10th of October.