October 22, 2004

SEC Week Eight Preview & Standings

It's the fourth Saturday in October and that can only mean one thing--a full-slate of SEC contests, highlighted by the annual grudge-match between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Alabama Crimson Tide. (Sorry, but as much as I try, the whole "fourth Saturday in October" just doesn't have the same ring as "third Saturday in October" when it comes to UT/Bama...)

Here's a look at this week's games in and around the SEC.

Florida at Mississippi State (12:30 p.m. EST, Jefferson Pilot Sports regional game).
The Gators roll into Starkville after demolishing MTSU at home last week. This game is a must win for the Gators to stay within striking distance of Tennessee for the Eastern Division crown. Mississippi State, after having a lot of promise in its first game, has struggled in the new Sylvester Croom era. Florida leads the SEC with 12 scoring drives of less than two minutes and Mississippi State has the league's youngest defense.

Eastern Kentucky at Vanderbilt (2 p.m. EST)
From the Ohio Valley Conference comes the Colonels of Eastern Kentucky to face the Commodores of Vanderbilt. Vandy leads the league in lost fumbles this season.

Kentucky at Auburn (2:30 p.m. EST)
The good news for Auburn--they're currently fourth in the BCS polls. The good news for Kentucky--it's almost basketball season.

Alabama at Tennessee (3:30 p.m. EST, CBS)
Last year, it took the Vols six overtimes to finish off the Tide and stem the start of another potential Alabama streak. This year, the off-the-field circus surrounding this rivallry has almost overshadowed the game. Hopefully all of this bad blood will be put aside when the ball is kicked off.

Bama comes into the game after rolling past Southern Miss last week. Freshman tailback Kenneth Darby piled up 197 yards rushing in his first start last week. The Vols esacped with a 21-17 win over Ole Miss last Saturday night in Oxford. The Vol defense is playing well and will have to step up again to dam the Tide.

But then again, this is a rivallry game and anything can happen.

Georgia at Arkansas (7 p.m. EST, ESPN2)
How Arkansas does in this game largely depends on one factor--if Matt Jones can start and, if he does, how long can he play? Last week, the Razorbacks got mowed down by Auburn.

Georgia, on the other hand, mowed down Vanderbilt last week. The Bulldogs go on the road in a difficult environment to win. The Razorbacks have dealt a dagger to the heart of national title dreams before to one-loss teams (Tennessee in 99) and will be looking to do so again this week.

Troy at LSU (8 p.m. EST, ESPN Gameplan)
The crowd at this game will be the largest ever to see Troy play. The only problem: it's a night game in Baton Rouge where most of the crowd will be pulling against them.

SEC Standings

East
Georgia (10) 3-1 5-1
Tennessee (11) 3-1 5-1
South Carolina 3-2 5-2
Florida (20) 2-2 4-2
Vanderbilt 1-3 1-5
Kentucky 0-3 1-5

West
Auburn (3) 4-0 7-0
Alabama 2-2 5-2
LSU (18) 2-2 4-2
Mississippi 2-2 3-4
Arkansas 1-2 3-3
Mississippi State 0-3 1-5

Posted by Michael Hickerson

 

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Comments & Trackbacks

1. lawrence says:

   posted on October 22, 2004 10:43 PM — link

   Ihope the tide stomps the vols be cause i think the vols are over rated and the tide is under rated the yanks have liked the sec in the top 25 poles

2. Michael Hickerson says:

   posted on October 23, 2004 09:39 AM — link

   Shut down the run game and what does the Tide have? Very little else on offense.

   Big plays by the Vols offense win the day.