TENNESSEE
Tennessee is ready to play its second top-ranked team on the road this season when it faces Alabama.

Coach Lane Kiffin said that while playing No. 1 teams is beneficial to his team, it is not something he focuses on during the week.

When comparing Alabama to the last No. 1 team the Vols faced, Florida, Kiffin said the styles of both teams are very different. “One plays in-your-face downhill defense while the other tries to trick you by moving people around,” he said.

Last week: Off
This week: At Alabama, 3:30 p.m. on CBS

FLORIDA
The talk this week is about Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen going against his former mentor in Florida coach Urban Meyer.

According to Meyer, losing offensive line coach John Hevesy might have been just as important.

Hevesy was Meyer’s offensive line coach at Bowling Green and Utah before Florida, and coached what Meyer called the “nuts and bolts” of a Utah team that went undefeated.

Hevesy is at Mississippi State with Dan Mullen now, but Meyer says both were present “in the meetings when we first put together the spread nine years ago.”

Last week: Beat Arkansas 23-20
This week: At Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN

GEORGIA
Coach Mark Richt certainly doesn’t believe the hype that the SEC is down.
Richt said the bottom line is that mathematically, you can’t have more than two teams undefeated in the league. He goes on to say that the 6^th through 9^th teams in the SEC can beat any other teams on any given Saturday.

The Bulldogs get a week off of the SEC grind before playing Florida on Oct. 31.

Last week: Beat Vanderbilt 34-10
This week: Off

SOUTH CAROLINA
Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks play Vanderbilt this week and Tennessee next week. The Head Ball Coach says that playing teams from his home state of Tennessee doesn’t mean too much to him anymore.

Spurrier said that the games offered a little extra motivation earlier in his career, but now the biggest motivation is that the Vols and Commodores are in South Carolina’s division.

The Gamecocks’ coach also addressed Alabama’s use of white tape to mark where the ball was to be spotted on field goal attempts. Spurrier said the league told him the markers were illegal.

Last week: Lost to Alabama 20-6
This week: Hosts Vanderbilt, 7 p.m.

VANDERBILT
The Commodores held Georgia’s running game in check last week through the first three quarters. Coach Bobby Johnson said his defense was tired in the fourth quarter, though.

Georgia rushed for 120 yards during the final quarter, turning a 17-10 contest into a 34-10 rout.

Johnson said that because of injuries, his defense didn’t have enough depth to sustain its level of play. He also knows that the Commodores schedule doesn’t get any easier the next three weeks. Vanderbilt travels to No. 24 South Carolina on Saturday, then hosts No. 12 Georgia Tech on Oct. 31. After that, the ‘Dores travel to face No. 2 Florida.

Last week: Lost to Georgia 34-10
This week: At South Carolina, 7 p.m.

KENTUCKY
Rich Brooks is happy with Kentucky’s win against Auburn last week, but he doesn’t think his team will get a rest against Louisiana-Monroe this week.
Brooks said that running back Derrick Locke has been slowed in practice this week and a few key defenders are out with the flu.

The Kentucky coach also stated that his quarterbacks (Morgan Newton and Will Fidler) “need to grow up real fast.”

Last week: Beat Auburn 21-14
This week: Hosts La. Monroe, 7 p.m. on Sun Sports