Dawgs and Gators duke it out for the top spot

By Nick Zaccardi

It's okay, the SEC rankings have returned with a player wearing a moo-moo, a coach wearing body paint and, of course, a different No. 1 school for the third straight time. This week, the 12 schools are averaged by their poll spots in seven sports -- men's basketball, women's basketball, gymnastics, golf, tennis, swimming and track and field. Onto the rankings!

1. Georgia

	Courtney Kupets and the rest of the Gym Dogs host top-ranked Florida in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 dual meet Friday night. Photo courtesy of Courtney Kupets
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The Bulldogs edged rival Florida by one point to get to the top and will have opportunities to broaden the gap with three key matchups against the Gators this weekend.

In gymnastics, Courtney Kupets and the Gym Dogs host the top-ranked Gators in a highly anticipated No. 1 vs. No. 2 dual meet Friday night. As of Thursday, Georgia had sold out all of its non-student seats for the meet. On Saturday, the Bulldogs will be one of several teams taking part in the Diet Pepsi Invitational track meet hosted by the Gators. Then on Sunday, the Bulldogs travel to Gainesville in a women's basketball showdown.

Last season, Georgia wiped then-No. 24 off the college basketball top 25 scene with a 37-point whooping at the O'Connell Center. After the game, Georgia coach Andy Landers likened the beating to Hurricane Katrina.

"It's kind of like when that levee down there in Louisiana started leaking," Landers said. "It started with the first turnover."

If Landers wasn't publicly reprimanded for that comment, I hope Georgia athletics director Damon Evans at least brought the distinguished coach into his office.

SPOTLIGHT: Georgia senior thrower Jennifer Dahlgren has started off her final semester in strong fashion. She won SEC Field Athlete of the Week honors for break the Rod McCravy Memorial Meet record in the weight throw by almost 7 feet, or one Shaq. Her throw of 71 feet, ¾ inches automatically qualified her for the NCAA Championships and placed her second in the nation in the event.

2. Florida

The taste went from sweet to bitter very quickly for those in titletown, winning the national championship then falling behind Georgia in the power rankings. The Gators still have the top football, men's basketball, gymnastics and men's golf (according to Golfweek's most recent rankings) teams in the country, but their bottom-feeding women's basketball team failed them yet again in the rankings.

The attention shifts to Joakim Noah at this time of year. In the past it's been his on-the-court yells, off-the-court wardrobe, which included a  moo moo-type dress and his famous father, former tennis great Yannick Noah. Now opposing fans just like to make fun of the 6-foot-11 junior in any way possible.

"My favorite thing they say is Joakim's gay," teammate and roommate Corey Brewer said.

SPOTLIGHT: Don't call him Ryan Lochte yet, and don't you dare misspell his last name either. Freshman Roland Rudolf was named the national swimmer of the week by collegeswimming.com, upstaging his SEC swimmer of the week award for the same stretch. In a tri-meet against Alabama and South Carolina and then a dual-meet at Auburn, Rudolf won four events, three backstrokes and a 500-meter freestyle. Rudolf could be on his way to joining Lochte on the podium of great Gators swimmers.

3. Auburn

Alabama hired Nick Saban to beat Auburn, but the Tigers continued their dominance over their in-state rival this week -- in men's basketball. In the topsy-turvy world that is SEC hoops, Auburn upstaged Ronald Steele for an upset win to take sole possession of first place in the SEC West with a mediocre 3-3 conference record. At the end of the game, chants of "overrated" at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum reportedly morphed into a rendition of "We want Saban." The Iron Bowl rivalry continues Friday night with a top-10 matchup of gymnastics teams.

SPOTLIGHT: The swim teams aren't the only Auburn squads dominating the SEC. Auburn's track and field teams combine to earn top honors in the power rankings, thanks in large part to thrower Cory Martin, who won the weight throw at the Clemson Indoor and automatically qualified for NCAAs by five feet. The junior currently leads the nation in the weight throw by more than seven feet, or one Shaq.

4. LSU

John Brady's men's basketball squad may be struggling, but Pokey Chatman's women's team keeps the Tigers afloat in the power rankings. No. 8 LSU (19-2, 5-1) defeated Arkansas, 70-53, at home this week, running the nation's longest home-winning streak to 41 games. Sylvia Fowles put up her eight straight double-double to lead the Tigers.

The home slate gets tougher for LSU as Connecticut and Tennessee come to the Maravich Center next month.

SPOTLIGHT: Baton Rouge may be Cajun country, but one Jamaican calls the bayou home as well. Senior track athlete Shaunette Davidson, a native of Manchester, Jamaica, made it to LSU by way of Barton Community College in Kansas. Davidson competes in the pentathlon for LSU and won the even at this weekend's LSU Combined Events meet.

5. Tennessee

Oh, the many wardrobes of Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl. Every day he can wake up with a myriad of choices in his closet. We've already seen the sweat-drenched gray suit and Volunteer-orange sport coat. But old Bruce ditched clothes altogether -- save for a pair of shorts and a headband -- for some body paint during Monday's women's basketball game against Duke. It didn't help as the Blue Devils scored the game's first 19 points and went on to win 74-70.

SPOTLIGHT: High school track practice at Pensacola (Fla.) Woodham High will receive a golden touch this spring. Former Tennessee sprinter and Olympic Gold Medalist Justin Gatlin will reportedly return to the track as a coach at his former high school.

Good luck to Gatlin, the world record holder and reigning Olympic champion in the 100 meters, as he tries to move on following a positive drug test for testosterone and other steroids. He could be facing an eight-year ban from international meets.