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| David Greene completed 15-of-27 passes for 224 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs in UGA's 27-25 win over Alabama. Scott Halleran/Getty Images |
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Georgia
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LSU
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Florida
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Tennessee
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Auburn
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Alabama
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Mississippi
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Kentucky
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South Carolina
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Arkansas
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Mississippi State
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Vanderbilt
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Number of overtimes Arkansas has played the past two seasons in just two games. The Razorbacks lost 41-38 to Tennessee last Saturday in six overtimes. The Hogs won 58-56 against Ole Miss last season in seven OTs.
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"We haven't played enough games yet to say who should be the hunter and who should be the hunted."
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Georgia head coach Mark Richt
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By Chris Low, Special to CNNSI.com
The last time Georgia's football team won a championship of any kind, Herschel Walker was bulling over defenders and Vince Dooley was still seven years from retirement as the Bulldogs' head coach.
Hard as it is to believe, it's been that long, 20 years to be exact. It probably seems even longer to the Georgia fans, who still talk reverently about the glory years and that 1982 SEC championship team.
To put the drought in perspective, current receiver Fred Gibson was a year old, and current quarterback David Greene was just six months separated from the womb.
This season's Georgia team seems intent on providing some new memories. This is the first time they've been 5-0 since that 1982 season and the first time they've ever had sole possession of first place in the SEC's Eastern Division.
"It's about time we knocked the lid off this program," Georgia place-kicker Billy Bennett said.
The sixth-ranked Bulldogs head into this weekend's showdown with 10th-ranked Tennessee coming off one of their most impressive road wins since Mark Richt took over as head coach.
Their 27-25 victory last week at Alabama had a little bit of everything. The Bulldogs shut down the Crimson Tide's running game, came up with their own big plays in the passing and running games and had the resolve to come back in the final minutes for Bennett's game-winning 32-yard field goal with 32 seconds left. That's after Georgia built an early 24-12 lead, only to see it evaporate.
Richt said it's important his club maintain that momentum, and more importantly, that hunger. As he pointed out, this is new ground for the Bulldogs and no time for them to get ahead of themselves.
"We beat Tennessee last year, but they still played in the SEC Championship Game," said Richt, in his second season at Georgia. "Who has been in the conference championship the last 10 years? Who has been pretty good, but never gets there? That's us."
Richt has a good feeling about this team, but he also has a funny feeling about this particular game. Tennessee comes in as the underdog, especially with quarterback Casey Clausen hurting, and the Vols haven't been shabby in the underdog role the past few seasons.
There was the win at Florida a year ago, and the 1998 game at Georgia has also been brought up a few times this week. Tennessee went into that game coming off a shaky performance against Auburn and without top tailback Jamal Lewis, who suffered a season-ending knee injury the previous week. The Vols dominated both lines of scrimmage and won 22-3.
"The motivation, I think, is leaning heavily toward the Tennessee side," Richt said. "We've got to find a way to get motivated ourselves."
Nobody has ruled Clausen out of this game, but X-rays revealed a hairline fracture of his left collarbone. He hasn't practiced the past two days, but isn't giving up hope of at least trying to play.
"There are definitely opinions out there, but I'm going to have a say in the final decision," said Clausen, who's 21-4 as the Vols' starter. "I'm not going to be stupid about it. I have to be smart. People around here have known me for three years and know what I'm about, but I'll be smart."
Added Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer, "It's been a real unusual year due to injuries to some key people. But each time we've had those, we've had somebody that's been able to step up and help us get a win. I expect we'll have somebody step up and help us if Casey is not able to go."
C.J. Leak is the Vols' backup. He's a transfer from Wake Forest and hasn't started a game since the 2000 season when he suffered a serious knee injury. The Vols have also toyed with using Kelley Washington some at quarterback.
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Jabari Davis doesn't take too kindly to being told he looks like a fullback. The 6-foot, 232-pound sophomore tailback isn't going to win many races, but he was fast enough last weekend in Tennessee's 41-38 win against Arkansas in six overtimes.
In his second start, Davis churned out a career-high 135 yards on 25 carries. And, yes, he showed a little speed on his 58-yard touchdown run to put the Vols ahead 17-3 in the fourth quarter. He also showed his power with a 12-yard run in the fifth overtime.
With Tennessee's running game struggling for much of this season, Davis said it was just a matter of time before the Vols broke it open. It was the first time all season that any Tennessee running back had carried the ball more than 13 times in a game.
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HOT: Ole Miss LB Eddie Strong
His return from an ankle injury was a huge boost for the Ole Miss defense, which shut down Florida.
NOT: Florida QB Rex Grossman
Was kept guessing by Ole Miss' defensive schemes and threw four interceptions against the Rebels.
HOT: Georgia DE David Pollack
Had eight tackles, including a sack, eight quarterback pressures and blocked a field goal against Alabama.
NOT: Alabama's running game
Santonio Beard and Shaud Williams combined for just 67 yards rushing against the Georgia defense.
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There were several offensive play calls by Tennessee that were questionable last week in its 41-38 victory against Arkansas in six overtimes. But the real puzzler came in the fifth overtime when the Vols called a quarterback draw on the two-point conversion.
Quarterback Casey Clausen never had a chance and was smothered. This was after he injured his left (non-throwing) shoulder midway through the fourth quarter and suffered a slight concussion in the second overtime. Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer said Clausen had the option of changing the play, but Clausen said there wasn't enough time on the play clock to audible at the line of scrimmage.
"I got hammered pretty good," Clausen said.
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 Ole Miss S Matt Grier
Intercepted two passes last Saturday in the 17-14 win against Florida and returned one of those 24 yards for the game-winning TD.
Georgia RB Musa Smith
Unable to shake injuries much of his career, Smith came up big with a season-high 126 yards on 21 carries in the win against Alabama.
Tennessee QB Casey Clausen
Suffered the worst beating of his college career, but still had the toughness to stand in and deliver the winning TD pass to Jason Witten.
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How good is LSU? Even head coach Nick Saban is talking like the jury is still out -- and rightfully so.
The Tigers travel to Florida this weekend at 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the conference. They've won four in a row after opening the season with a 26-8 loss at Virginia Tech. But those four wins have come against, in order, The Citadel, Miami (Ohio), Mississippi State and Louisiana-Lafayette.
"You're only really as good as your last play," Saban said. "Basically, what we've done the last three or four weeks won't help us a whole lot in this game."
The Gators (4-2, 2-1 SEC) have plenty to prove themselves after last weekend's 17-14 loss to Ole Miss. Even with that loss, though, they still control their own destiny in the Eastern Division. If they win out, they're in Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game.
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LSU running back LaBrandon Toefield broke his left arm in the 48-0 victory against Louisiana-Lafayette and will miss a minimum of two weeks. Toefield's career has been marred by injuries. He tore a ligament in his left knee during last year's SEC Championship Game. He redshirted his first year at LSU after tearing a ligament in his right knee as a high school senior. ... There was talk that former Auburn head coach Pat Dye's assertion that Georgia wasn't man enough to beat Alabama was really a ploy to motivate the Bulldogs. Dye is a former Georgia player and remains close to a couple of assistants on the Georgia staff. Whatever his motives were, they worked. "I really think Pat Dye was trying to help us," said Georgia head coach Mark Richt. ... Florida's defense certainly can't be blamed for the Gators' 17-14 loss to Ole Miss. They held the Rebels to just 191 total yards, and Ole Miss had just one drive longer than 23 yards. ... If Casey Clausen doesn't play this Saturday against Georgia, Tennessee will have had 12 starters who missed games this season. ... Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe warned his players about the dangers of falling goal posts in the days leading up to the Rebels' 17-14 win against the Gators. Sure enough, the goal posts came down in a wild postgame celebration. "Have you any idea what it feels like to get hit with a goal post?" Cutcliffe asked his players after a practice last week. "It's pretty painful." ... Auburn is 4-1 heading into this Saturday's game against Arkansas, but the Tigers haven't beaten a team that has a win against a Division I-A team. ... Mississippi State has lost 11 of its last 13 SEC games, and it was especially difficult for head coach Jackie Sherrill last weekend. He wasn't pleased with South Carolina throwing the football in the closing minutes of the Gamecocks' 34-10 win. "You've got too much class to do what you did," Sherrill told South Carolina head coach Lou Holtz following the game.
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