Arkansas at Alabama and Tennessee at Florida are two of the headliner games in the SEC this week. Rece Davis, the host of ESPN College Football GameDay Final and ESPN College Football Live, weighs in with his opinion on this week's action.
TENNESSEE AT FLORIDA: Is the Florida defense ready for the challenge of the Vol offense? Can Tennessee counter Florida's quickness?
The big storyline is how quickly has Florida's defense matured.
"They gave up a lot of points to Troy, but a lot of that was in garbage time. It was over by then. They did a nice job shutting down an offense that can be troublesome. That's the big question because maybe I've been listening to (ESPN analyst) Lou Holtz too much, but I don't have any questions about (Gator quarterback Tim) Tebow playing in a big game environment. The improved passing mechanics help him. (Receiver) Riley Cooper has emerged as a threat. (Receiver) Bubba Caldwell not playing will hurt Florida, but fortunately they are deep at that position," Davis said.
Speed will make a difference in the game.
"Cal has a ton of speed. Florida has a ton of it. Speed has given the Tennessee secondary trouble, so I think it's a pretty good matchup. It's an important game for Tennessee. It's a very, very tough opening for Tennessee's schedule with Cal, Southern Miss and Florida. It's important for their morale and confidence not to get knocked around and start the season 1-2. I expect a great game Saturday night in the Swamp, but I think Florida's speed will be a little too much for Tennessee to handle," Davis said.
ARKANSAS AT ALABAMA: Can the Tide defense limit the Hog rushing attack? How will the Razorback defense handle Tide running back Terry Grant?
Fans of power running teams are in for a treat.
"You are going to have three of the top 15 rushers (Darren McFadden and Felix Jones from Arkansas and Terry Grant from Alabama) in the nation featured in this game. Jones and McFadden are proven. Grant is going to find out if he can do it against a great step up in competition. I think the game hinges on two things-- How Alabama's front seven holds up against the Arkansas running game and what kind of quarterback play will Alabama get? Can they contain the various plays out of the Wildcat (Hog) formation and not let Arkansas come up with huge plays from the direct snap to McFadden or Jones," Davis said.
Will the Tide passing game improve after the Vanderbilt game?
"What kind of quarterback play can Alabama get? John Parker Wilson's completion percentage is okay the first two weeks, but there have been opportunities in the pass game that they need to take advantage of with the teams left on their schedule," Davis said.
Expect an intense game.
"Can the Alabama front seven stand up against the always tough Arkansas offensive line? What level of quarterback play will Alabama get in the passing game? I expect it to be a very physical, game on Saturday night. It would be very interesting if it comes down to a Leigh Tiffin field goal attempt (Tiffin missed three field goals and an extra point in last year's game) at the end," Davis said.
MISSISSIPPI STATE AT AUBURN: Can State continue its momentum after the Tulane win? Will Auburn rebound after a tough loss to South Florida?
Mississippi State controlled the second half against Tulane, which was a good sign.
"(Bulldog quarterback Michael) Henig's numbers were pretty good (against Tulane), but this is an entirely different animal. Auburn is not to the level of LSU, but Auburn is closer to that level than Tulane when Mississippi State compares its first two games. It will be a good measuring stick," Davis said.
Furthermore…
"You can't compare scores, but there was not much difference in the scores between Mississippi State and LSU and Virginia Tech and LSU. The scores are pretty much the same. No one believes Mississippi State is as good as Virginia Tech, but it will be interesting to see how far they've come," he said.
Davis said Auburn's defense has been terrific.
"They've been playing at a winning level. (Tiger defensive end Quentin) Groves is a game changer. They've created turnovers," Davis said.
The weak link has been the offense.
"They need improved quarterback play from quarterback Brandon Cox. You can imagine how tough it is when you're getting your eyes beat in to find the right wide receiver and deliver it to him, but Auburn needs him to do that. They need to find a running back who doesn't put the ball on the ground. I really liked everything I saw from (Tiger tailback) Mario Fannin Saturday night except for the fact he put it on the ground. Some of the ingredients are there for Auburn to find an offense. Clearly the offensive line needs to protect the quarterback and the Cox needs to play better," Davis said.
Who wins the game?
"I expect Auburn to win the game because I expect their defense to be able to dominate the game, but it will be a good measuring stick for Mississippi State," he said.
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE AT SOUTH CAROLINA: How big was the Georgia win? Can the Gamecocks keep from regressing this week.
What did the win demonstrate for the Gamecocks?
"It showed (Gamecock Coach) Steve (Spurrier) was a bit premature to say they were just a bunch of average stiffs after the first game against Louisiana Lafayette. They won with their defense, which was a new concept for a Steve Spurrier team. It's something they've done more of at South Carolina. They went into a difficult place to play against a quarterback in Matthew Stafford with big time skills and kept him from having a big game. I was impressed with the South Carolina defense. They made enough plays on offense to help the defense not wear down and keep Georgia off balance," Davis said.
Davis believes South Carolina can win the Eastern Division.
"That game was huge. They had to steal a couple on the road and that one was a likely candidate," he said.
WESTERN CAROLINA AT GEORGIA: What will the mood of the Bulldog team be this week? Will they be looking ahead to Alabama?
"(Georgia Coach) Mark Richt does a great job keeping his team improving week- to- week. It was painful, but they will put it behind them and move on. Somebody will have to deal with Georgia before the season is out," Davis said.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT LSU: How impressed was Davis with LSU? What is the early outlook for this Tiger team?
LSU looked like the No. 1 team in the country and I think they should be voted as such after Saturday night.
"We've talked a lot about USC's defense and rightfully so, but LSU's defense is clearly national championship caliber. They have game breakers on offense. They have one of the most versatile players in the country with tailback Jacob Hester. They are a big time team. They are a championship waiting to happen. They are head- and- shoulders, from a talent standpoint, above anyone in the country and anyone in the SEC. It's a lot to live up to, but I think they have the talent to do it. I think Middle Tennessee could play LSU's defense for a month and not score the number of points that they did on Louisville," Davis said.
LOUISVILLE AT KENTUCKY: Will there be any defense played in this game? Can the Wildcats extract some revenge for the last several losses to the Cardinals?
Davis said it's very likely the football teams could score as many points combined as the basketball teams will later in the year.
"I think (Louisville basketball coach) Rick Pitino and (Kentucky basketball Coach) Billy Gillispie will have a tough time keeping up with the points put on the board by (Louisville Coach) Steve Kragthorpe and (Kentucky Coach) Rich Brooks. Louisville looks like they have a defense that is playing with only eight guys sometimes. There have been a couple of games where you can't even find a Cardinal defender in the frame on television. This is a couple of questionable defenses. I don't try to promote gambling, but whatever the over under is I would take the over," Davis said.
OLE MISS AT VANDERBILT: What is at stake for the winner? Which team overcomes last week's loss the fastest?
Davis asked how does Ole Miss have a 300- yard passer (Seth Adams) and 200-yard rusher (Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis) and not even come close to winning the game?
"It's pretty remarkable. Ole Miss has to step up the defense. Vandy didn't get anything out of the passing game, which is problematic when your best player (Earl Bennett) is a receiver. Ole Miss could be a bit of a salve for Vanderbilt. For either of these teams that want to get to the .500 level on the season this is one they need to get."
He continued…
"Ole Miss was beaten by a Missouri team that out-matched them. Ole Miss put up good numbers, but didn't come close to winning the game. They allowed Memphis to make a big run. They have to be very wary of a Vanderbilt offense that wants to atone for a less than stellar showing against Alabama last Saturday. Vanderbilt has some good players on defense, but not necessarily dominate players. This should be a very evenly matched game. If any of these teams have aspirations of being .500 then they need to win this game," Davis said.