MISSISSIPPI STATE

Florida might be the No. 1 team in the BCS standings, but Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen sees Alabama as the co-No. 1.

No matter how you rank them, both teams are loaded with talent and the Bulldogs will have their hands full against the Tide on Saturday in Starkville.

Mississippi State is coming off its bye week, which means Mullen had some extra time to prepare for a tough game against Alabama.

As far as which team is better, that will be decided on Dec. 5 when Alabama and Florida get together for a rematch of last year’s SEC title game.

Last week: Bye week
This week: vs. Alabama, 7 p.m., ESPN

ALABAMA

Nick Saban enjoyed working alongside Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw as an actor in the film “The Blind Side,” a biopic on former Ole Miss offensive lineman Michael Oher who now plays for the Baltimore Ravens. But Saban said he’s not quitting his day job anytime soon.

Saban has a newfound respect for the amount of work that goes into making movies and said he had no problem getting acting advice on the set of the film that opens on Nov. 20.

“I think it’s easy to take orders when you don’t know what you’re doing,” Saban said.

The Tide will travel to Starkville on Saturday to play a Bulldogs team that has been competitive with some Top 25 teams this year.

Last week: Beat LSU 24-15
This week: at Mississippi St., 7 p.m., ESPN

LSU

The Tigers head into Saturday’s game against Louisiana Tech coming off a tough loss to rival Alabama.

Coach Les Miles welcomes the break in SEC play, and it should be a good chance to get the Tigers back on track heading into the final two conference games against Ole Miss and Arkansas.

LSU’s only losses this season have come against the top two teams in the BCS standings (No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Alabama). So not exactly a reason to be ashamed.

Last week: Lost to Alabama 24-15
This week: vs. Louisiana Tech, 7 p.m., ESPNU

ARKANSAS

The Razorbacks host Troy while looking to build on a performance against South Carolina that coach Bobby Petrino said was probably the best overall game this year for Arkansas.

Petrino is not overlooking speedy Troy, a team that has scored more than 40 points in its last four games.

Senior quarterback Levi Brown has thrown for 2,777 yards and 15 touchdowns with three games left on the schedule.

Last week: Beat South Carolina 33-16
This week: vs. Troy, 7:30 p.m.

OLE MISS

Up next for the Rebels is a Volunteers team that is really starting to put it together offensively.

Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton threw for a career-high 331 yards and five touchdowns (also adding one rushing score) last week against Memphis. Crompton has already thrown 21 touchdown passes to lead the SEC this season.

The Volunteers also have some talented tailbacks in Montario Hardesty and Bryce Brown. Hardesty is averaging 100 yards per game and is on pace for a 1,000-yard season.

Last week: Beat Northern Arizona 38-14
This week: vs. Tennessee, noon, CBS

AUBURN

Tigers coach Gene Chizik takes his team to Athens for a rivalry game against Georgia that just doesn’t seem as important as usual.

Both teams are 3-3 in conference play, so the stakes aren’t quite as high as they are many years.

Just don’t tell that to either team. The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry will be bitterly contested as the Tigers aim to end a three-game skid in the series.

Last week: Beat Furman 63-31
This week: at Georgia, 7 p.m., ESPN2