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Last week, the eyes of the college football world focused on USC and Ohio State. This week, the SEC takes center stage.

With two nationally televised prime-time games (LSU at Auburn and Georgia at Arizona State) and the day's most anticipated afternoon game (Florida at Tennessee), the jostling for position officially begins in a conference that currently boasts five of the nation's top 10 teams. Throw in a pair of under-the-radar showdowns (Alabama at Arkansas and Vanderbilt at Ole Miss) and it's safe to say we'll know the conference's early pecking order a lot better by day's end.

Here's a helpful guide for anyone who plans to glue themselves to the tube for Saturday's action:

No. 6 LSU (2-0) at No. 10 Auburn (3-0), 7:45 p.m., ESPN

What we know: Both teams' defenses look dominant as before, each ranking in the top 12 nationally in yards allowed. Auburn in particular has been suffocating in holding Mississippi State's offense scoreless last week and limiting Southern Miss to 27 rushing yards (the Eagles have averaged 283 in their other games).

It's harder to gauge LSU due to its competition (Appalachian State and North Texas), but it's been no surprise to see the Tigers' veteran offensive line pave the way for a powerful rushing attack. Tailback Charles Scott ranks sixth nationally with 131 yards per game.

What we'll find out: LSU quarterbacks Andrew Hatch and Jarrett Lee will face their first true tests in as hostile an atmosphere imaginable. The two have split time fairly evenly so far (Hatch has 31 pass attempts, Lee 28) and have not been required to do much. "I'm glad they both got to play significant time in our first two games," said coach Les Miles. "Both will play significant time this weekend at Auburn."

Auburn is still tinkering with its new spread offense, and last weekend's ugly 3-2 win in Starkville has left many Tigers fans in a panic. Auburn ran the ball well but lost three fumbles, committed 12 penalties (not all on offense) and missed two field goals. Coordinator Tony Franklin insists his team is "so close" to grasping the system, which he plans to simplify. This will be a crucial game for anointed QB Chris Todd.

The expected result: Another low-scoring, down-to-the wire finish. The teams' last four games have all been decided by less than a touchdown. The average winning score: 14.5 points.

The "you never know" result: Auburn's offense suddenly catches fire, its defense smothers LSU and Auburn's Tigers make a resounding statement by stomping the defending champs.

No. 3 Georgia (3-0) at Arizona State (2-1), 8 p.m., ABC

What we know: This game lost much of its luster when UNLV stunned the Sun Devils last weekend, but this will still be an interesting test for the Dawgs, which haven't traveled this far west for a regular-season game since 1960. The Bulldogs have no shortage of proven commodities in QB Matthew Stafford, RB Knowshon Moreno and the nation's 12th-ranked rushing defense.

ASU boasts one of the nation's most prolific quarterbacks, four-year starter Rudy Carpenter, and an outstanding receiving corps led by senior Michael Jones. The Sun Devils rank just 91st nationally in rushing offense, however. Their defense played outstanding in a 41-17 win over Stanford but missed tackles on several costly plays in last Saturday's UNLV loss.

What we'll find out: Georgia's biggest preseason concern, its young offensive line, remains a concern following last week's 14-7 win over South Carolina in which Moreno gained just 79 yards on 20 carries. "The first two games [against Georgia Southern and Central Michigan], they weren't tested all that much, quite frankly," said Georgia coach Mark Richt. "Last week we met a little more resistance, and we struggled."

The Bulldogs' line, which may start four freshmen or sophomores, will gain valuable experience just by making the trip, but ASU's defense won't present the same challenge as South Carolina's. A more interesting test will be whether Georgia's pass rush, which has six sacks through three games, can get to Carpenter much the way it did to Tim Tebow and Colt Brennan last season.

The expected result: Moreno shreds ASU's defense to the tune of 150 yards and the Bulldogs' defense contains Carpenter by exploiting the Sun Devils' suspect offensive line.

The "you never know" result: This would be more of a Pac-10 result, but ASU feeds off the energy of an electric crowd and Carpenter throws for 350 yards in an upset.

No. 4 Florida (2-0) at Tennessee (1-1), 3:30 p.m, CBS

What we know: Florida's all-everything QB Tim Tebow put on a passing clinic in the fourth quarter two weeks ago against Miami, and electrifying all-purpose threat Percy Harvin says he feels "100 percent better" after undergoing offseason heel surgery. A more experienced Gators defense looked dominant against an admittedly young Miami offense.

Nearly three weeks have passed since the Vols' opening-week collapse at UCLA. "Our defense played well for 50 minutes but didn't finish the game," said coach Phillip Fulmer. The defense looked much more like itself in last week's 35-3 rout of UAB. Meanwhile, RB Arian Foster has 196 yards in his first two games and looks poised for a big senior season.