College Football: Power Ranking The SEC Quarterbacks After Week Six

See week five here.

1. Aaron Murray, Georgia (17/25 for 266 yards and 2 touchdowns. 7 carries for 44 yards and 2 touchdowns) vs Tennessee.

It was only a matter of time before Aaron Murray made his presence felt against an SEC opponent. The reconfigured offensive line, and a healthy A.J. Green on the football field, made the passing and running lanes easier for Murray to take advantage of as he scrambled, passed, and tip-toed his way into SEC Freshman of the Week Honors. He's for real folks...don't let any one tell you otherwise.

2010 season stats: 97/157 for 1366 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. 45 carries for 122 yards and 4 touchdowns. 

2. Cameron Newton, Auburn (13/21 for 210 yards and 1 interception. 28 carries for 198 yards and 4 touchdowns) at Kentucky.

People talk about the run of luck that Les Miles has had over at LSU, but Gene Chizik has had quite a run of good fortune himself—thanks in large part to Cam Newton. The junior transfer has been the x-factor in four of the six come-from-behind wins the Tigers have this season. Against Kentucky, he was the driving force behind several key downs where a first down was necessary if Auburn were going to have any chance at winning the game.

Newton showed, yet again, why he is one of the most dominant players in college football.

2010 season stats: 70/108 for 1138 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. 104 carries for 672 yards and 9 touchdowns).

3. Stephen Garcia, South Carolina (17/20 for 201 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception) vs. Alabama.

Garcia finally came up big in a big game. The junior found redemption for his mishap at Auburn two-weeks ago (where his last-minute gaffes contributed to a Gamecock loss)—upending No. 1 Alabama at Williams-Brice Stadium, and getting Steve Spurrier one step closer to realizing his goal of winning an SEC Championship at South Carolina.

2010 season stats: 73/101 for 944 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. 42 carries for 94 yards and 2 touchdowns).

4. Greg McElroy, Alabama (27/34 for 315 yards and 2 touchdowns) at South Carolina. 

McElroy finally faced the first loss of his collegiate, starting, career at the hands of a better-than-advertised South Carolina team that had plenty of time to prepare for his Tide's arrival. McElroy spent much of the day on his back—thanks largely to holding on to the ball too long in multiple situations—but he still managed to protect the ball and keep his team close for a time.

2010 season stats: 99/137 for 1238 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions.

5. Ryan Mallett, Arkansas (27/38 for 310 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception) vs. Texas A&M.

This game was likely too close for comfort for Razorback fans, as it took a last-minute interception of Aggies quarterback, Jerrod Johnson, to seal the victory at home. However, Mallett continues to be stellar this year—ringing up yet another 300+ yard passing game to add to his season total.

The senior is averaging just under 350 passing yards per game.

2010 season stats: 122/176 for 1748 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions.  

6. Larry Smith, Vanderbilt (16/27 for 253 yards and 2 touchdowns) vs. Eastern Michigan.

The Commodores had no problem dispatching Eastern Michigan, relying mostly on the rushing talents of Warren Norman and Zac Stacy, but Smith tossed a couple touchdowns in the second quarter for good measure.

2010 season stats: 67/119 for 793 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. 

7. Jarrett Lee, LSU (9/11 for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns) at Florida. 

Given the opportunistic nature of the Florida Gator's secondary this season (they lead the nation with 13), you have to be impressed with the poise of Jarrett Lee. After coach Les Miles called for a fake field goal late in the fourth, Lee tossed the game-winning touchdown to seal the victory for the Tigers.

2010 season stats: 27/36 for 330 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. 

8. Mike Hartline, Kentucky (23/28 for 220 yards and 1 touchdown) vs. Auburn.

Hartline was as steady and poised as you would have wanted him to be for this game against the Auburn Tigers. He didn't hurt his team with costly mistakes or turnovers and he kept his cool when his Wildcats were down early in the third quarter—tossing the touchdown that, eventually, led to the start of a Wildcat rally.

Sadly, Cam Newton proved to be too much for the defense, and Kentucky simply couldn't hang on.

2010 season stats: 125/188 for 1442 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions.

9. Matt Simms, Tennessee (9/13 for 178 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception) at Georgia. 

Simms did all he could to get the offense going but the Volunteers were mauled on both sides of the football field by a motivated Georgia Bulldog team. Still, Simm's scramble to shake off a potential Justin Houston sack and find Justin Hunter for the score, early in the game,  was one of the few shining moments of the day for the offense.

2010 season stats: 88/154 for 1136 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. 

10. John Brantley, Florida (16/24 for 154 yards and 1 interception) vs. LSU

Cracked ribs or no, Brantley is not the right guy for this Florida offense so long as his new coordinator, Steve Adazzio keeps calling the plays. Brantley is a pocket-passer trying to run a spread offense that is built for a guy like Trey Burton. It seems only matter of time before either Brantley or Adazzio is replaced because this offense has been anything but fluid this season.

2010 season stats: 105/169 for 1056 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. 

11. Tyler Russell, Mississippi State (5/9 for 72 yards) at Houston.

Russell came in to replace Chris Relf who, to be honest, did more damage with his legs than his arm (rushing for 96 yards and a score).

2010 season stats: 35/58 for 555 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. 

Georgia Bulldogs Football: 10 Things You Need To Know About Vanderbilt

Finally!! Georgia Bulldog fans woke up this past Sunday morning celebrating a win for the team. That means this week, they will be hoping for a new streak to commence—a winning one.

Mark Richt will take his team's 41-14 victory over the orange bunch from Knoxville and try to parlay it into another victory this week— this time against the Vanderbilt Commodores (2-3 overall, 1-1 SEC).

Georgia will have their hands full with Warren Norman, but the Bulldogs are hoping to make this Homecoming game match-up a winning one.

Here's what you need to know about the Commodores:

1. They still have Warren Norman and he's still pretty darn good. 

Norman remains a threat, both on offense and special teams, and needs to be given the proper respect. He's averaging 6.17 yards per carry, and is coming off a two-touchdown performance against Eastern Michigan.

He's also averaging better than 30 yards per attempt on kick returns—good enough for 2nd in the SEC.

2. Larry Smith is still Larry Smith. 

Smith has proven to be competent when he has time to gather himself behind his offensive line that is, for lack of a better phrase, still a work in progress. That said, he is still prone to decision-making errors that lead to costly interceptions and busted plays.

3. Chris Marve is one of the best linebackers in the SEC—period. 

He was forced to miss last week's game due to a torn meniscus, but there was hope that he would be able to return for this week's contest against Georgia. Marve has recorded 100+ tackles in two consecutive seasons and is looking to do so again this year. He, along with Sean Richardson, form a potent tandem in the linebacking corps.

4. They're atrocious against the run. 

In their two wins this year, Vanderbilt has given up 300 yards rushing. In their three losses, 619 yards—including 280 to LSU. Needless to say, they have a problem stopping the run. If ever there was a week for Georgia to get the running game going, it's this one.

5. By contrast, their pass defense is nearly tops in the conference. 

Vanderbilt's pass defense ranks 2nd in the conference and 15th in the nation. They've allowed 800 yards through the air, on the year, and are holding quarterbacks to less than 60 percent completion percentage. Junior, Casey Hayward, has an interception in each of his last four games, and plays the pass as well as any defensive back in the country.

6. Tim Fugger is a beast.

Fugger has forced fumbles on the year—leading the SEC. He has been one of the more consistent performers on an, otherwise, rebuilding defensive front that is still searching for more playmakers.

7. They're young.

The Commodores have started a lot of freshman this season, and have been aggressively looking for the right mix on both the offensive and defensive lines. However, there is a lack of depth at many key positions and that has meant the team has had to endure an extended bout of growing pains on both sides of the ball.

8. They have had trouble getting into the redzone.

A lack of consistency in the passing game coupled with an under-performing offensive line has meant few redzone opportunities for the Commodores this year. They are dead last in the SEC in redzone attempts (13) and are tied with their in-state counterpart, Tennessee, for touchdowns converted within those attempts (7).

9. The kicking game is still a sore spot. 

Vanderbilt averages less than 40 yards per punt. On the flip side, that has made their punt defense very stingy (3.67 avg).

10. Their offense doesn't spend much time on the field. 

They average 26 minutes a game in time of possession. That means their defense spends the better portion of each contest on the football field. That likely explains why Vandy ranks near the bottom of the conference in both scoring defense (9th) and scoring offense (11th).