The goings on of the rest of the SEC are somewhat difficult to truly follow. Because of the number of times that BWE and I (Ghost, standing in for Juco because he's "busy") have seen uninformed fans make sweeping judgments of opposing teams based solely on their quarterback and halfback, we decided to start a segment where, though we will talk about halfbacks and quarterbacks, we'll also talk about the other players on teams that are succeeding or failing.
ALABAMA 7-0 (4-0 SEC)
Greg McElroy had the worst game of his career, but the locomotive that is Mark Ingram churned up the earth in Tuscaloosa, reeling off 214 yards and a touchdown at a rate of 4.7 yards per carry. Wowza. The 20-6 win over South Carolina was a close one, but that's seemingly become Alabama's modus operandi this season. This weekend, Alabama will host the hated Volunteers of Tennessee during the afternoon CBS game. Expect another low-20's to single-digit type score with this one.
ARKANSAS 3-3 (1-3 SEC)
In the most controversial game of the week, Arkansas lost a nailbiter to the Florida Gators. Dennis Johnson was the star of the Razorback offense, putting up over 100 yards on 7.4 yards a carry. Defensively, the Razorback front four deserves most of the credit outside of Florida's own shortcomings for keeping the Gators at bay. Tim Tebow was sacked six times last Saturday, the most he has ever been sacked during his storied career in Gainesville. Arkansas is travelling somewhere to play somebody in a game which will be broadcast on the SEC's Jefferson Financialcom Network's early game slot.
AUBURN 3-3 (1-3 SEC)
If the quick 4-0 start with a sorta-hallmark win over West Virginia was "day," these last two weeks have been a very, very dark "night." Ben Tate did the best he could to help Auburn, putting up 132 yards and a touchdown, but Chris Todd of old came out of hibernation and, not even breaking the 100 yard mark, could not get the Gus Malzhan offense moving efficiently. This week, the Tigers will be playing...
LSU 5-1 (3-1 SEC)
The weekend after a home loss to the then number one Florida Gators was met with a bye week. LSU plays a suddenly struggling Auburn program this Saturday evening at 7:30 on ESPN2. With an extra week to prepare, I would expect the Tiger defense to be prepared to stop the Tiger offense. Wait. That's confusing. Here: LSU wins.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 3-4 (1-2 SEC)
Averaging five yards per carry, Anthony Dixon led the Bulldogs to a 27-6 win over Middle Tennessee State. With 135 yards and two touchdowns, he accounted for forty percent of State's offensive output. This week, the Western Division Dawgs will face the Florida Gators at home. While a predictable blowout on paper, it is very important to note that Florida has not won in Starkville since the 1980's. The State of Mississippi in general is apparently a death-trap for the Gators. Will Dan Mullen's knowledge of the Florida personnel and playbook make a difference, or will Florida remain undefeated?