College Football: The SEC's Wild, Wild West And It's Effect on the BCS

As of Sunday morning, seven SEC teams are in the Top 25 of the Associated Press Poll (AP). Four of those seven teams are from the western division of the SEC—three of them are in the Top 10.

The SEC West became very interesting after the Alabama Crimson Tide got rolled up in Columbia, by the South Carolina Gamecocks, over the weekend.
No. 7 Auburn, the team that few gave a chance, rallied to defeat the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday.

That made their record 6-0 coming into this weekend's match-up with No. 12 Arkansas, down on 'The Plains'.

Arkansas will come in with "upset" on their mind as they try to get back into the Top 10 at the expense of their division rival.

Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas, and LSU are all in a position to win the division, and represent the western half of the conference in the SEC Championship Game in December.

As things stand right now, Arkansas would need a little help because they lost to the Tide, but none of the other teams (Auburn, Alabama, or LSU) have played each other yet, so there is still plenty of SEC Championship hope for the Razorbacks.

Even more, after Alabama's loss to South Carolina, the BCS will be looking for a new SEC team to hitch it's wagon to, and the story of the "Cardiac Cats" (Auburn) or "Lucky Les" (LSU) seems fitting in this year of anything can happen in college football.

Who has the best chance to come out on top?

At this stage, Auburn's schedule sets up the most favorably. They face Arkansas, LSU, and Georgia at home in the coming weeks, and will have a bye prior to taking on Alabama in the Iron Bowl on November 27th.

Alabama still has a chance to get back on track as well, however, after all, the loss they suffered was not within their division and , if they can reshuffle the deck a bit, they have just as much a shot as any one in the west to come out on top.

LSU seems to be playing with fire, but the replacement of Jordan Jefferson for Jarrett Lee may prove to be the best decision Les Miles has made this season. Jefferson was reeling and his poor play was becoming a drain on what little offense his team could muster.

Add to that, Miles seems to be back to his old 2007 tricks—calling plays like a Maverick and getting all the lucky bounces he can possibly hope for on the football field.

As for Bobby Petrino's crew, Ryan Mallett may be the catalyst for that offense, but the team will win or lose with Mallett's poise—or lack thereof. If the senior quarterback can maintain his focus, Arkansas can still be the surprise team that many picked them to be at the start of the season. The game against Auburn could be the start of something big or the end of a dream.

The SEC West has become a wild place to be this season. What team will be the last one standing when the smoke finally clears?...

Georgia Bulldogs Football: After Four Losses, Georgia FINALLY Feels The Thrill of Victory

Last week it seemed improbable that the Georgia Bulldogs would get anywhere near a win—anytime soon.

As recently as Tuesday, even coach Richt seemed hesitant to give a vote of confidence to his team—apparently balking at the mere idea that they were favored by nearly two scores over a Volunteers program that very nearly sent the LSU Tigers to a bitter end the week prior.

What a difference a week and a change in philosophy can make for one football team.

This week the Georgia Bulldogs finally walked away from the football field with a win, and they looked quite impressive doing so. They secured their first SEC win of the year and their second win of the season by defeating the Tennessee Volunteers 41-14 at Sanford Stadium.

It was clear from the first possession of the game that this was going to be a different football team on this week. The tell-tale sign appeared when Tennessee was not allowed to score on their first possession.

That may seem like small potatoes, but Georgia has been horrid over the last four weeks at doing just that.

Starting in week two, the Georgia defense allowed the opposition to score on its first possession each and every week. Georgia's offense took the field, in each of their last four games, trailing their opponent. So, the fact that they were able to get a stop on the first defensive series against Tennessee, and follow that up with a touhdown, on the first offensive possession, was a welcome sight for Georgia Bulldog fans.

Even more, Georgia did not give up the big plays that have killed them over the losing stretch.

Aside from a huge catch and run by Justin Hunter in the second quarter, and a 2-yard run by Tauren Poole near the end of the third quarter, Tennessee found it difficult to sustain a drive against Georgia's defense. Tennessee quarterback, Matt Simms did the best he could under duress, but he never got comfortable in the pocket, and that led to an inability to find any offensive rhythm against the Bulldogs.

The defense looked as good as it did in week one against Louisiana, and it was clear that Justin Houston, Akeem Dent, Brandon Boykin, and Christian Robinson were all playing with a little extra something under their helmet on Saturday, because all made some significant plays at key moments in the game.

This was the win that the Georgia Bulldogs and their fans needed. It was long overdue and could be just what the doctor ordered for a beleaguered and put-upon coaching staff that has witnessed its fair share of criticism over the past month.

While there can be no guarantees offered the rest of the way, for once, in what seems like a long while, the Georgia Bulldogs can celebrate a win in Athens.

LSU vs UNC: No Marvin Austin? No Greg Little?...The Heels Are in Trouble

The game between the LSU Tigers and the North Carolina Tarheels looked to be a great match-up between two teams with a lot to prove in 2010.

Les Miles, presumably the only SEC coach that is truly on a "hot seat" this year, is trying to show that the wheels on the bus at LSU are firmly mounted. He's got both the talent (albeit mostly young and inexperienced), and the opportunity (the SEC west is fairly open this season) to bring his Bayou Bengals back in a big way this season—if he can avoid the mistakes of last season.

As for Butch Davis and his Tar Heels, they were finally beginning to garner the kind of national attention that a team like North Carolina needs to really get the ball rolling. Their offense wasn't much to brag about but their defense, led by the supremely talented Marvin Austin, was going to be a showstopper. The unit returned nine defensive starters from 2009—most of whom were considered to be NFL level talent.

The presence of what was shaping up to be a very formidable defense was the reason why the opener against LSU looked as if it might go the Heels way—Vegas agreed—they were considered the favorites to win the game at one point. However, once the NCAA came calling, the complexion of the game changed. Now, we are not only uncertain as to how good this game will be, but whether it will be much of a game at all.

Yesterday, it was reported that defensive tackle, Marvin Austin has been suspended indefinitely. That was a mighty blow, but most saw that one coming. Now, today, it has been learned that Greg little will be out as well.

That hurts the offense a great deal because Little was the leading receiver in 2009. He tallied 724 yards and five touchdowns for the Heels last season and was one of the most explosive players on the team.

Little's suspension places more pressure on North Carolina quarterback, T.J. Yates, to make something happen—not good. Yates is already fairly pedestrian as a quarterback, does he really need to be placed in this position, this early in the season, on this grand of a stage? It just seems like a recipe for disaster.
 
Furthermore, even if Yates can hold it together, who can he count on to step-up and make plays for him at the receiver spot? Is Erik Highsmith ready to go from freshman phenom (37 catches, 425 yards, and two td's) to sophomore superstar? Is Jheranie Boyd ready to step in and become legit? Yates will need the play of both if he plans to keep the defense of LSU honest.

Ryan Houston and Shaun Draugn will also be counted on to try and exploit the weaknesses LSU has up front. The Tigers have plenty of talent, as mentioned above, but they are young and it is not yet known if they will be better than last season's unit (which often struggled with the pass rush and often gave up too many rushing yards).

If Houston and Draughn can find some room to run, they might be able to control the tempo of the game and keep the quick feet of the Tigers offense off the field—a must if they plan to keep the game interesting.

As of now, it is not known how many of North Carolina's players will miss the first game (up to 16 is possible), so it is hard to say just how thin the Heels' defense will be when it takes the field. However, if the rumors are true, and they will not only be without Marvin Austin, but possibly Quan Sturdivant (LB), Bruce Carter (LB), Kendrick Burney (CB), and Deunta Williams (FS) as well, nothing the offense does will matter because it wouldn't be enough—LSU would win the game handily.

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• AP Source: UNC's Little Won't Travel for LSU Game (abcnews.go.com)
• UNC suspends DT Marvin Austin indefinitely (sfgate.com)