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A quick look at Virginia Tech’s 37-14 victory over Tennessee on Thursday in the Chick-fil-A Bowl:

How the game was won: Virginia Tech dominated the second half, outscoring Tennessee 20-0 after halftime. The Vols couldn’t tackle Virginia Tech freshman running back Ryan Williams, who rolled up 79 yards in the third quarter alone before getting hurt. That’s after Tennessee held him to 38 yards on 17 carries in the first half. The Vols generally unraveled in the second half, and no play defined that any more than a wide-open Denarius Moore dropping a sure touchdown pass on a deep ball with just under 13 minutes to play in the game.

Turning point: Virginia Tech broke a 14-14 tie just before halftime with a Matt Waldron 21-yard field goal as time expired. It looked like the Vols would go into halftime with all the momentum after fighting back from a 14-0 deficit. But with 18 seconds to play in the first half, Tyrod Taylor uncorked a 63-yard pass to Jarrett Boykin down to the Tennessee 4. The game clock ran out on the field, but the play was reviewed, and the officials ruled that Virginia Tech called timeout with two seconds remaining. That left enough time for Waldron to kick the field goal and steal the momentum away from the Vols.

Stat of the game: The Hokies rushed for 230 yards, which was the third time in the past five games that the Vols have given up at least 200 yards on the ground.

Unsung hero: Even though he had the early interception, Tennessee senior quarterback Jonathan Crompton came back and played courageously the rest of the way in his final game.

What it means: The Vols (7-6) were looking to put an exclamation mark on their first season under Lane Kiffin. Instead, they put more of a question mark on a season that was highlighted by quality losses and moral victories. Tennessee played respectably in hard-fought losses to Alabama and Florida, improved significantly on offense after a dismal 2008 season and had a defensive stretch during the middle of the season when it played as well as anybody in the league. But in the end, this season will be remembered more for what Kiffin did and said off the field than anything the Vols accomplished on the field.

Second guessing: What was Tennessee’s coaching staff thinking at the end of the first half? In that situation, there’s no excuse for having the defensive backs in any position where a receiver can get behind them.

Who was the most improved team in the SEC this season? Who went the other way?

Let’s make it easier and break it up into categories.

We’ll start with Most Improved. Who says we don’t accentuate the positive around here?

Total offense: Auburn.

The Tigers under first-year coordinator Gus Malzahn were third in the league with an average of 432.3 yards per game, which was 129.4 yards better than a year ago when they were eighth at 302.9 yards per game.

Tennessee was close behind with a jump of 126.6 yards per game. Interestingly enough, the only three schools who didn’t improve their total offense numbers from a year ago were Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss.

Rushing offense: Mississippi State

The Bulldogs were first in the league this season, riding Anthony Dixon and averaging 227.6 yards per game. That’s after finishing 11^th last season with an average of 100.6 yards, a difference of 127 yards.

In one of those odd stats, the perception was that Georgia’s running game had dropped off dramatically this season with Knowshon Moreno gone. In actuality, the Bulldogs averaged more rushing yards per game than a year ago. They were ninth in the league, averaging 157.1 yards per game and were fifth a year ago, averaging 148.3 yards per game. So they were up 8.8 yards per game.

Passing offense: Tennessee

The Vols were a runaway winner thanks in large part to Jonathan Crompton’s transformation.

They were third in the league with an average of 225.6 yards per game and finished 11^th last season with an average of 145.8 yards per game, an improvement of 79.8 yards per game.

Total defense: Florida

Despite their struggles in the SEC championship game, the Gators were second in the league with an average of 253.8 yards per game after giving up 285.3 yards last season, a difference of 31.5 yards.

Alabama was the only other team in the league that improved its total defense numbers. The Crimson Tide finished first in the SEC, allowing an average of 241.7 yards per game. They gave up an average of 263.5 yards last season, a difference of 21.8 yards.

Rushing defense: Arkansas

That’s right, Arkansas. The Hogs were ninth in the league, giving up an average of 150.1 yards per game. That’s after giving up an average of 170.8 yards per game a year ago, an improvement of 20.7 yards.

Only three teams in the league improved their rush defense numbers from a year ago -- Arkansas, Mississippi State and Florida.

Passing defense: Ole Miss

Ole Miss was sixth in the league with an average of 179 yards per game. That’s after finishing last a year ago with an average of 221.7 yards, a difference of 42.7 yards.

Turnover margin: Arkansas

The Hogs were second in the league at plus-13 and led the league with 27 forced turnovers. They were 11^th last season at minus-9, a difference of plus-22.

(Read full post)

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Picking the No. 1 team right now in the SEC is an impossible chore.

One minute, you think it’s Florida. The next, you’re leaning to Alabama. Something tells me it’s going to be that way until we get to Atlanta on Dec. 5:

1. Florida: The Gators (9-0, 7-0) weren’t exactly an offensive juggernaut in their 27-3 win over Vanderbilt, but they were good enough. And with the way their defense and special teams are playing, “good enough” is going to win them a lot of games. But will it win them a second straight national championship? Looks like we’re going to find out.

2. Alabama: The Crimson Tide (9-0, 6-0) were forced to come from behind and win last week in their 24-15 victory over LSU, clinching the Western Division title and a trip to Atlanta to face Florida in the SEC championship game. Quarterback Greg McElroy answered the skeptics with a big game, and Alabama dominated the fourth quarter. This is a team that just finds a way to get it done.

3. LSU: The 24-15 loss to Alabama was costly on a couple of different fronts. The Tigers (7-2, 4-2) were knocked out of the Western Division title race, and a couple of their top players were injured. Running back Charles Scott was lost for the season with a broken collarbone, and quarterback Jordan Jefferson had to leave the game with a sprained ankle. Jefferson hopes to return this week.

4. Tennessee: The Vols (5-4, 2-3) obliterated Memphis 56-28 last Saturday, and senior quarterback Jonathan Crompton put on a record-setting performance. Is he the most improved player in the league? Tennessee has a chance to really finish this season up strong and get to an attractive bowl game, but it all hinges on beating Ole Miss this weekend in Oxford.

5. Auburn: The Tigers (7-3, 3-3) go for win No. 8 this weekend at Georgia, which would be a pretty sweet accomplishment when you look at where this team was a few weeks ago after losing three straight and some of the depth issues it’s faced. Quarterback Chris Todd has seemed to find his second wind. This will be a big test for the defense, which gave up a lot of points to Furman last week after the starters left the game.

6. Georgia: Here’s one final chance for the Bulldogs (5-4, 3-3) to salvage something out of this season of discontent. They beat up on Tennessee Tech last week, and next up is a home date with Auburn. The grumbling among the fans has already been loud enough. It will only grow louder if Gene Chizik comes into Sanford Stadium in his first year as the Tigers’ coach and handles the Bulldogs.

7. Ole Miss: The Rebels (6-3, 2-3) have one decent win at this point, and that’s the 30-17 victory over Arkansas at home last month. Otherwise, they’ve beaten up on a bunch of lightweights. Any chance of playing for the Western Division title was gone a long time ago, but they still have a chance to make this season a respectable one. And that starts this weekend by beating Tennessee at home in the "Ed Orgeron Bowl."

8. Arkansas: The Hogs (5-4, 2-4) can become bowl eligible this week with a win over Troy. They’ve been a different team at home this season, and quarterback Ryan Mallett has been especially good when the Hogs are wearing their home jerseys. He carved apart South Carolina last week in a 33-16 win. Something says he’s not done carving and that the Hogs aren’t done winning.

9. South Carolina: That familiar late-season fade is looking more and more like a reality for the Gamecocks (6-4, 3-4). They’ve lost their last two games, including a 33-16 setback at Arkansas last week, and haven’t scored more than 16 points in their last four SEC games. With Florida coming to town this weekend, it doesn’t get any easier. The Head Ball Coach sounds about as frustrated as he did at the end of last season.

10. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs (4-5, 2-3) had last week off to get ready for a stretch run that will determine their bowl hopes. They get Alabama this weekend at home, then travel to Arkansas and come back home to face Ole Miss. They need to win two of their last three to ensure that there will be a postseason. Dan Mullen’s club has had several near-misses this season. Maybe the Bulldogs are due for a couple of big hits in November.

11. Kentucky: One of the most time consuming things Kentucky coach Rich Brooks does every Sunday is read off the injury report. The Wildcats (5-4, 1-4) are really banged up. Derrick Locke and Randall Cobb didn’t play last week in the 37-12 win over Eastern Kentucky, but both are expected back this week against Vanderbilt. The Wildcats would like to get all the drama out of the way and become bowl eligible this week. Otherwise, they’ll have to beat Georgia or Tennessee to do so.

12. Vanderbilt: Give the Commodores (2-8, 0-6) some credit. They haven’t mailed it in and played Florida tough most of the way last week before losing 27-3. They just can’t score and have now gone six straight SEC games this season without scoring more than 10 points. If they’re going to avoid a winless season in the league, they better get Kentucky at home this weekend.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

The SEC championship game is all set. Alabama and Florida will play for the title for the second year in a row on Dec. 5 in Atlanta.

All that remains is to see whether there will be more at stake than just the league title. At this point, it would be a pretty major upset if both teams weren’t unbeaten and playing for a berth in the BCS National Championship Game.

Here’s a look at what we learned in the SEC in Week 10:

1. Alabama vs. Florida one more time: For the seventh time, Alabama and Florida will meet in the SEC championship game. The Gators have won four of the previous six affairs. It’s never too early for a quick preview, even if there’s still three weeks left in the regular season. Both teams have some holes offensively, and in particular, they’ve struggled in the red zone. Both teams have dominant defenses with difference-makers all over the field on that side of the ball. They both have dangerous return men and reliable kickers, although Florida is better in its coverage units and better across the board on special teams. Alabama looks to be the more physical team, but the great equalizer is the guy pulling the trigger at quarterback for Florida. He’s the reason the Gators beat the Crimson Tide last season in Atlanta. Tim Tebow made some pinpoint throws in the fourth quarter, especially on third down. And, remember, Percy Harvin had a bum ankle and didn’t play in that game. Let the hype begin. Dec. 5 can’t get here soon enough.

2. Gators get defensive: Lost in all the questions about Florida’s offense not being as explosive and all the hubbub over Brandon Spikes’ suspension and Urban Meyer being fined $30,000 for his public comments about the officials is the fact that the Gators are playing at a championship level defensively. Their 27-3 win over Vanderbilt marked the fifth time this season that they haven’t given up a touchdown in a game. Spikes watched the game from the sideline, but the Gators didn’t skip a beat. Ryan Stamper started at middle linebacker in Spikes’ place and came up with his second career interception to set up a touchdown. This is a defense that’s given up just six touchdowns all season and a team that has a much different identity than a year ago, more of a grind-it-out identity. Meyer knows that, and he’s going to play to his strength the rest of the way -- his defense.

3. Quarterbacks make a comeback: Take a quick gander around the league at some of the numbers the quarterbacks are generating. The feeling at the beginning of the season was that this league had never been more unsettled at the quarterback position outside of Tebow and Jevan Snead. But with three weeks left in the regular season, there’s a chance that five different quarterbacks may end up with at least 20 touchdown passes this season. Tennessee’s Jonathan Crompton leads the way with 21. Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett has 18, and Georgia’s Joe Cox, Auburn’s Chris Todd and Ole Miss’ Snead each have 17. South Carolina’s Stephen Garcia has 13 and has an outside chance to get there with a strong finish in his last three games, which would include a bowl game. Did you notice who’s not among the leaders in touchdown passes? Tebow has just 11 touchdown passes. But with at least five games to play, he could also easily get to the 20-touchdown plateau. A year ago, only three quarterbacks in the league accomplished that feat -- Matthew Stafford, Snead and Tebow.

4. Mallett’s impact: Speaking of quality quarterback play, what about the impact Mallett has had at Arkansas? He’s really starting to blossom in Bobby Petrino’s system and has gone 121 pass attempts without an interception. The school record is 134 straight, which was set by Clint Stoerner during the 1997 and 1998 seasons. Mallett was 23-of-27 against South Carolina, and it’s obvious his understanding of the offense right now is as good as it’s been all season. With Joe Adams back healthy and tight end D.J. Williams having his best game of the season, Mallett now has all of his weapons at his disposal, too. If he continues to progress at this rate, this offense is going to be the one nobody wants to face next season, not to mention an offense that may put up its biggest numbers this season in these last few games.

5. More officiating questions: Maybe it’s come to this. Every week, there’s going to be some controversy in the SEC about the officials. The latest involved LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson’s interception on the sideline -- or non-interception -- as was the ruling on the field in the 24-15 loss to Alabama and then upheld by the replay official. There was a mark left on the field (assuming that it was indeed the mark left by Peterson’s shoe) that certainly suggested that Peterson got a foot down before going out of bounds. He insisted afterward that he did. The replays also seemed to support him. But there has to be inconclusive video evidence, and the replay official in this case, Gerald Hodges, obviously didn’t feel like the video was convincing enough to overturn the call. Therefore, Alabama retained possession and moved into position for Leigh Tiffin’s clinching field goal. And we’re left to debate another disputed call. It’s become life as we know it in the SEC.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

On a weekend where there were more mismatches than legitimate matchups in the SEC, we still saw some outstanding performances.

That said, let’s pass out a few helmet stickers for Week 10 in the SEC:

Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton: What a turnaround it’s been for Crompton during the second half of the season. The much maligned fifth-year senior passed for a career-high 331 yards and five touchdowns in the 56-28 win over Memphis. It’s the second time he’s thrown for five touchdowns in a game this season. He also did it in the opener against Western Kentucky and now has an SEC-high 21 touchdown passes on the season. Crompton has 18 touchdown passes and only four interceptions in the Vols’ five wins this season.

Alabama’s offensive line: The Crimson Tide lost a couple of All-Americans off last season’s offensive line, but they’ve been solid all season up front and took the game over Saturday in the second half of Alabama's 24-15 win over LSU. Alabama gained 121 of its 176 rushing yards after halftime, and left tackle James Carpenter released and took care of two men on Julio Jones’ 73-yard touchdown romp down the sideline on a wide receiver screen. These guys may not be mashing people like the Tide did a year ago, but they’re getting it done when it counts.

Ole Miss receiver Shay Hodge: With Dexter McCluster taking most of the night off, Hodge stepped front and center with a career-high 169 receiving yards on seven catches, including two touchdowns. His 65-yard touchdown catch from Jevan Snead capped the Rebels’ scoring in their 38-14 victory over Northern Arizona. It was Hodge’s second straight 100-yard receiving game.

Auburn quarterback Chris Todd: For the longest time, it looked like Todd wasn’t going to throw an incompletion in Auburn’s 63-31 rout of Furman. He completed his first 14 passes before throwing his first incompletion with just under three minutes to play in the first half. He finished 17-of-18, breaking Jason Campbell’s school record for completion percentage in a game (94.4 percent), and threw for 256 yards and four touchdowns before halftime. Todd’s 17 touchdown passes are tied for fourth on Auburn’s single-season list.

Arkansas tight end D.J. Williams: We’ve been waiting on this kind of performance from the Hogs’ ultra-talented tight end this season, and he delivered in a game that was crucial to Arkansas’ bowl hopes. Williams caught seven passes for a season-high 137 yards and hauled in a 69-yard catch right before half to set up a key field goal in the Hogs’ 33-16 win over South Carolina. Williams only had 16 catches on the season entering Saturday’s game. But when he’s getting the ball with a chance to run after the catch, he opens up a lot of things for everybody else around him.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

We have a change at the top this week in the SEC power rankings thanks to Florida’s most complete game of the season:

1. Florida: The Gators (8-0, 6-0) answered the mounting questions about their offensive shortcomings emphatically last Saturday with a 41-17 whipping of Georgia in Jacksonville. It’s the kind of complete performance Florida needed heading into the November stretch and was enough to push the Gators past the Crimson Tide into the No. 1 spot.

2. Alabama: Even though the Crimson Tide (8-0, 5-0) dropped to No. 2, it was a productive week. They had a bye, which came at a perfect time with LSU coming to town this weekend. Ultimately, it’s not going to matter whether the Crimson Tide are No. 1 or No. 2 if they keep winning. They’ll get their shot to prove they're the SEC’s best team on the field.

3. LSU: The Tigers (7-1, 4-1) have come to life offensively the last two weeks and are coming off a 42-0 rout of Tulane. They get their chance Saturday to move to the forefront of the Western Division race with a win over Alabama. The Tigers have proven they’re good enough defensively to pull it off. Whether they’ve improved enough offensively remains to be seen.

4. Tennessee: The Vols (4-4, 2-3) just keep getting better and are one of those teams nobody wants to play right now. They followed up on their near upset of Alabama with a convincing 31-13 win over South Carolina last weekend. Their defense has allowed just one touchdown in the last three games, and quarterback Jonathan Crompton is playing the best football of his career.

5. South Carolina: The Gamecocks (6-3, 3-3) need to find a way to hold on after losing badly at Tennessee. This can still be a successful season, but it starts to head the other way in a hurry if they lose a second straight this Saturday at Arkansas. The Gamecocks turned the ball over three times in the first 16 minutes of their 31-13 loss at Tennessee. They have to play smarter and with more discipline.

6. Auburn: The Tigers (6-3, 3-3) stopped the bleeding with a much-needed 33-20 win over Ole Miss. Suddenly, winning eight games seems like a real possibility again. The most encouraging news about the win over the Rebels was the way the defense played. Chris Todd also returned to the form that made him one of the league’s most productive quarterbacks in September.

7. Georgia: There have certainly been better days for the Bulldogs (4-4, 3-3). They’ve now lost 17 of their last 20 meetings with archrival Florida and look like they might be limping to the finish this season. The defense continues to give up big numbers. The offense is limited, and the penalties and turnovers just won’t go away. Mark Richt sounds like he’s considering making a change at quarterback after Joe Cox threw three interceptions last week.

8. Ole Miss: Just when you thought the Rebels (5-3, 2-3) were about to get on a roll, they lay an egg at Auburn in a 33-20 loss. It’s already been a disappointing year for a team that opened the season ranked in the Top 10, but it could really turn ugly if the Rebels don’t take care of their business down the stretch. Their resume to this point is pretty unimpressive.

9. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs (4-5, 2-3) are playing some of their best football right now, and senior running back Anthony Dixon has been off-the-charts good. He’s coming off a school-record 252 yards rushing in the 31-24 win over Kentucky. Dan Mullen’s club gets a week off before Alabama comes to town on Nov. 14.

10. Arkansas: The Hogs (4-4, 1-4) beat up on Eastern Michigan 63-27 in one of those name-your-score type of games. Of course, scoring hasn’t really been a problem for this team, which still has a lot to prove in SEC play. The Hogs played well in their 23-20 loss to Florida a couple of weeks ago, but need to come up with a few more league wins down the stretch to make this a successful season.

11. Kentucky: The Wildcats (4-4, 1-4) continue to play shorthanded, although middle linebacker Micah Johnson was able to come back from an MCL strain and play in the 31-24 loss to Mississippi State. Kentucky gets Eastern Kentucky this Saturday and will then need one more win against either Vanderbilt, Georgia or Tennessee to become bowl eligible. There aren’t any guarantees.

12. Vanderbilt: The Commodores (2-7, 0-5) played great for a half against Georgia Tech, but then the bottom fell out. The Yellow Jackets scored 28 unanswered points to turn a 31-28 Vanderbilt lead in the third quarter into a rout. The Commodores have now lost five straight and travel to No. 1 Florida on Saturday. They’re the only team in the league that’s been eliminated from bowl contenti$on.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Alabama and Florida are both still unbeaten as we head to November. But are they genuinely the two best teams in the country?

Neither team made a very convincing argument Saturday. Survival was the name of the game.

Will simply surviving be good enough the rest of the way? Stay tuned.

Here’s a look at what we learned in the SEC in Week 8:

1. Tebow is human: First of all, Tim Tebow is the epitome of a man. Anybody who’s watched him play football knows that. But for him not to man up and face the media Saturday after throwing not one, but two pick six’s in Florida’s 29-19 win over Mississippi State makes you wonder if the pressure is starting to get to Tebow. Florida coach Urban Meyer admitted afterward that a lot of people, including him, were pressing. Well, Tebow made a couple of awful decisions in that game, the kind that would have beaten the Gators had they been playing a more talented team or a team capable of moving the ball and scoring points. Keep in mind that Florida’s defense didn’t allow a touchdown. Only Tebow did, two to be exact. For a team ranked No. 1 in the BCS standings and riding a 17-game winning streak, the Gators looked and sounded pretty frustrated late Saturday night. But, then, some of the issues they’re having right now offensively will do that to you. Just ask Tebow … when you get a chance.

2. Leaning on the ‘D’: The burden is getting heavier every week for the Alabama defense. And the more Alabama struggles in the passing game, the heavier it’s going to get. If the Crimson Tide are indeed going to win a championship -- an SEC championship or a national championship -- it’s pretty obvious that the defense is going to have to do all the heavy lifting. In a lot of ways, it’s reminiscent of the 1992 season when Alabama went unbeaten and won it all with one of the strongest defenses in school history. Is this defense as good as that one? It looks like we might find out. This much we know: The Crimson Tide managed to win against Tennessee on Saturday despite not scoring a touchdown and did so with noseguard Terrence Cody blocking two field goals in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Greg McElroy was ineffective throwing the ball for the third straight game, finishing with just 120 passing yards, and Alabama doesn’t have a lot of margin for error playing this way. The Crimson Tide are going to have to be special on defense to keep it going. So far, they have been. The bye couldn’t come at a better time with LSU coming to town on Nov. 7.

3. Auburn is teetering: The Tigers’ bubble hasn’t just burst. It’s completely evaporated. After starting the season 5-0, they’ve now lost three in a row after dropping a 31-10 decision to LSU on Saturday, and if you look at their remaining SEC schedule, it’s difficult to see them winning another game in the conference. They’ve got Ole Miss at home next week, travel to Georgia on Nov. 14 and then end the season at home against Alabama on Nov. 27. It’s a little bit of everything right now for Gene Chizik, too. Quarterback Chris Todd all of a sudden looks like he did last year before he had shoulder surgery, and the defense has been spotty all season. That’s not a good combination. If Gus Malzahn and the Auburn offense, which looked like one of the most balanced units in the country during its five-game winning streak, can’t get back to scoring points and moving the ball, then it’s really going to get ugly on the Plains the rest of the way.

4. Kiffin still learning: His Tennessee team is playing its guts out, and the Vols have really responded to his style of coaching. But Lane Kiffin has now twice made questionable decisions at the end of games that might have cost the Vols a pair of wins. His play calling inside the 3-yard line against UCLA in Week 2 was iffy, and his decision to play for a long field goal in the final minute of the Alabama game -- especially when his kicker, Daniel Lincoln, had already missed one from that range and had another one blocked -- was a move that Kiffin himself was second guessing in the immediate aftermath of Tennessee’s bitter 12-10 loss to Alabama. In that situation, a 44-yard field goal is anything but a sure thing, something Kiffin learned the hard way. He obviously didn’t have enough confidence in quarterback Jonathan Crompton to throw the ball a couple of times there and try to get closer. That’s despite Crompton playing two of the best games of his career the past two weeks. The result was another moral victory. The Vols may end up leading the country in moral victories at this rate.

5. Mississippi State on its way: Nobody was happy about the 29-19 loss to No. 1 Florida, but Mississippi State has plenty to be happy about when you look at the direction of this football program right now. What a great atmosphere Saturday night at Scott Field where a record crowd of 57,178 was as loud as a crowd twice that size when freshman safety Johnathan Banks took that interception back 100 yards for a touchdown right before halftime. First-year coach Dan Mullen is playing a lot of freshmen, and more importantly, a lot of freshmen with promise. He needs to keep having the kind of recruiting years in-state that he did this past year, and if so, the Bulldogs will have a chance to make some noise in the Western Division down the road. Athletic director Greg Byrne and his staff have done a great job of marketing the program, building support for the program and rallying the Mississippi State community. The next step is building on the Bulldogs’ talent level, which makes this recruiting class coming up probably even more important than Mullen’s first one in Starkville.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

This week, Tennessee’s football team gets a chance to catch its breath, and Lane Kiffin gets a chance to do one of the things he does best -- recruit.

The Vols are off this Saturday after their 45-19 thrashing of Georgia last week, and all of a sudden, those fears of going 0-for-October have been replaced with renewed hope.

	Jim Brown/US Presswire
	Lane Kiffin and the Vols have an extra week to prepare for Alabama.

Maybe there will be an Octoberfest for the Vols after all.

“We love this feeling we’ve got right now,” Tennessee junior receiver Gerald Jones told reporters Monday. “Not only did we beat a team like Georgia, but we beat them by a large margin. I think we love this feeling, and we’re not going to let it slip up.”

The Vols (3-3, 1-2) put it all together in their best all-around performance of the season against the Bulldogs. And if they were any better on special teams, that game would have been even more lopsided than it was.

Even in its three losses this season, Tennessee has hung around and played well enough on defense to still be in the game in the second half.

But you never got the sense that the Vols were potent enough offensively to be a threat against the upper-tier teams in this league … until that Georgia game.

Jonathan Crompton had a career day against the Bulldogs with 310 yards passing and four touchdowns. He’s not going to play like that the rest of the way, but it’s also reasonable to think that he’s not going to play as poorly as he did in September, either, when he threw eight interceptions in four games.

Ifs and buts are just that, but what would Tennessee’s record be right now had Crompton been merely serviceable in those games?

He’s played better the past two weeks and should have some momentum going to Alabama in two weeks. With a competent passing game, Tennessee becomes a team nobody wants to face the second half of the season.

Winning at Alabama is a long shot regardless of how well Crompton plays at quarterback, but that South Carolina game on Oct. 31 in Knoxville looms as large as ever.

There were four home games that were critical for the Vols coming into this season -- UCLA, Auburn, Georgia and South Carolina. Splitting those four games would almost certainly mean that this team could get to at least seven wins and go to a bowl game.

The Vols could get that split by beating the Gamecocks, which would be a stark reversal from how the season ended a year ago.

It was like a funeral around Rocky Top last November. But there’s hope on the horizon as the Vols point toward the second half of the season this year.

A bowl game, any bowl game, would be huge for this team. If for nothing else, just to get the extra practice time.

We saw how Kiffin’s Vols handled that patch of adversity in September. They kept fighting and kept believing.

We’ll see now how they handle a little success.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

In the end, the most anticipated Saturday of the season in the SEC didn't produce any thrillers in the marquee matchups.

Arkansas and Tennessee both pulled off surprises in how convincingly they won, while Alabama and Florida continued to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

Lots of candidates for this week's helmet stickers, although a couple were no-brainers:

Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes: He's the igniter of the Florida defense and one of the best linebackers in the country. Spikes got the Gators going early on defense Saturday in their 13-3 win over LSU, and they never looked back. He finished with a team-high 11 tackles, including 2.5 sacks. He also forced a fumble and was LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson's worst nightmare all night long.

Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton: If the Vols would have had this version of Crompton all season, who knows what their record would be right now. The fifth-year senior quarterback was outstanding in the 45-19 win over Georgia. He was 20-of-27 for 310 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in what was easily the best game of his career. With all the abuse Crompton has taken at Tennessee, he deserves some good things to happen to him.

South Carolina receiver Alshon Jeffery: One of the Gamecocks' most prized signees this past February, Jeffery had his official coming-out party in the 28-26 win over Kentucky with three touchdown catches. He had five catches in his first five games before going off on the Wildcats, who were missing their two starting cornerbacks. Two of Jeffery's touchdown catches were as good as you're going to see. He pulled in a 28-yarder with one hand and made a sweet adjustment on a fade route to catch a 22-yarder. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound freshman finished with seven catches for 138 yards.

Alabama running back Mark Ingram: A week after he ran for 140 yards against Kentucky, Ingram rolled up a career-high 172 yards in the 22-3 over Ole Miss. His 36-yard run was the game's only touchdown. He's now scored a touchdown in 14 of his 20 games at Alabama and established himself as one of the more versatile running backs in college football.

Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson: It hasn't been a lot of fun heading up the Hogs' defense this season, but Robinson had his guys ready Saturday against previously unbeaten Auburn. The Tigers were held to under 400 yards of total offense for the first time all season, and Arkansas played its best all-around game defensively of the season in a 44-23 win over Auburn.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

There wasn’t a lot of shakeup in the SEC power rankings this week, although Auburn continues its steady climb. Three teams in the Western Division remain unbeaten -- Alabama, Auburn and LSU.

Here’s a look at the updated rankings:

1. Alabama: Pardon the pun, but Alabama (5-0, 2-0) just keeps rolling along. The Crimson Tide have scored 30 or more points in their first five games, the first time that’s happened in their rich history. They were a bit sloppy to start last week’s 38-20 win over Kentucky, but unleashed a flurry of points over the span of a few minutes to send the Wildcats packing. The Crimson Tide face their toughest road test so far this season Saturday at Ole Miss.

2. Florida: Will he or won’t he? The Tim Tebow wait continues. The Gators may not know until later in the week if they will have their star quarterback Saturday against LSU. He still has to be cleared by doctors for contact after suffering a concussion against Kentucky two weeks ago, and nobody knows when and if that will happen. In the meantime, the Gators (4-0, 2-0) are preparing with sophomore John Brantley at the helm. They were off last weekend.

3. LSU: While everybody keeps waiting for the Tigers (5-0, 3-0) to take off and put it all together in one of those performances that makes the rest of the college football world stop and go, “Whoa,” they just continue to win. This latest time, they scored a pair of touchdowns in the final 2:53 to escape at Georgia Saturday. Now it’s onto the Gators.

4. Auburn: The surprise of the league has clearly been Gene Chizik’s bunch. Somebody must have forgotten to tell the Tigers (5-0, 2-0) that they weren’t supposed to be any good in Chizik’s first season. That offense has been something else with Chris Todd throwing and Ben Tate and Onterio McCalebb running. The Tigers face another road test at Arkansas this weekend after disposing of Tennessee last Saturday in their first road game of the season.

5. Georgia: This is where it gets difficult. The Bulldogs (3-2, 2-1) have lost two games, including the 20-13 home decision to LSU in the final seconds last Saturday, but they also own the head-to-head win over South Carolina. Both of the teams Georgia lost to were ranked in the top 10 at the time of the game. The Bulldogs need to find a running game fast, or they’re going to find themselves in the lower half of the league.

6. South Carolina: The Gamecocks (4-1, 1-1) are solidly in the top half of the league and in prime position to climb even higher coming off their 38-14 win over South Carolina State. They get Kentucky at home this weekend before going to No. 3-ranked Alabama the following weekend. This team has played some terrific defense this season, which bodes well for what lies ahead. If the Gamecocks can stay healthy the rest of the way, they have an excellent chance to win at least eight games.

7. Ole Miss: The team with the chance to make the biggest jump this coming week is Ole Miss. The Rebels (3-1, 1-1) get Alabama at home in one of the most anticipated games at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in decades. They need the “real” Jevan Snead to show up this Saturday to put pressure on an Alabama defense that is one of the best in the country. The Rebels are probably better than the seventh best team in the SEC, but wins over Memphis, Southeastern Louisiana and Vanderbilt don’t warrant them being ranked any higher at this point.

8. Arkansas: You talk about must-wins. The Hogs (2-2, 0-2) had to have that one in Arlington, Texas, last Saturday. They fell behind 10-0 early, but came roaring back behind Ryan Mallett’s four touchdown passes to beat Texas A&M 47-19. A third straight loss would have really sent Bobby Petrino’s club into a tailspin. Now, though, Arkansas comes back home with a little momentum to face Auburn in a game that could give the scoreboard a workout.

9. Tennessee: The Vols (2-3, 0-2) have suffered two home losses now and could go winless in October if they don’t find some answers on offense and special teams. Quarterback Jonathan Crompton was better in the 26-22 loss to Auburn on Saturday, but still not good enough to win. The kick coverage stunk for the second straight week. What is it about Tennessee and poor special-teams play? Georgia comes to town this Saturday, and the Vols desperately need a win.

10. Mississippi State: Dan Mullen has upgraded the offense pretty quickly in Starkville. The Bulldogs (2-3, 1-2) have scored 24 or more points in four of their five games this season, but they’ve also given up some big numbers on defense, sandwiched around a defensive gem against Vanderbilt. They need to find a way to put it all together, because there are some new players in the program (Chad Bumphis, Leon Berry and Pernell McPhee) playing at a high level.

11. Kentucky: The Wildcats (2-2, 0-2) really need to be careful now that it all doesn’t go south after back-to-back losses at home to Alabama and Florida. Quarterback Mike Hartline needs to get back to playing with more confidence, and the Wildcats have to avoid the crippling mistakes on offense and defense.

12. Vanderbilt: It’s really a struggle right now for the Commodores (2-3, 0-3) on offense, and that’s a shame because they’re playing at a high level defensively and giving themselves a chance on that side of the ball. The thing that galled Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson most about the 23-7 loss to Ole Miss Saturday was the processional of silly penalties. The Commodores finished with 12, which is highly uncharacteristic of Johnson’s teams.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

On a weekend when No. 1-ranked Florida was idle, the rest of the league had the spotlight to itself.

LSU made good on its end of the bargain, setting up a huge showdown of top 5 teams in Tiger Stadium next Saturday night. Auburn is obviously serious about making some noise in the Western Division race, and Alabama rolls into its toughest road test of the season at Ole Miss on the heels of another runaway victory.

Here’s a look at what we learned in the SEC in Week 5:

1. Resolve over luck: LSU has been called overrated, even lucky by some. Could it be, though, that these Tigers simply know how to win? There’s something to be said for having the ability to make plays when you need them, and LSU has certainly shown that ability in starting this season 5-0. It hasn’t always been pretty and hasn’t always been textbook. But the bottom line is that different guys have stepped to the plate all season long for LSU when called upon. In the 20-13 win over Georgia, it was senior running back Charles Scott who came through, but what about the poise of sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson in those final minutes? And do the Tigers win without freshman Rueben Randle’s sweet 16-yard catch over the middle on third-and-10 in the drive to go ahead 12-7? LSU coach Les Miles said it best: “Our football team, if you turn your back on them, they’re going to beat you up and steal a victory.”

2. Quick-strike Tide: After seeing Alabama mash people on offense a year ago, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that this version of the Crimson Tide is a bit different. And nobody at the Capstone is complaining. This team can score points in bunches, and everybody gets into the act. The most encouraging thing about Saturday’s 38-20 win over Kentucky was that the offense sort of bumbled along in the first half, but the Crimson Tide still managed to send the Wildcats reeling with a head-spinning flurry that turned a 7-6 game into a 31-6 romp in a span of fewer than five minutes of actual game time. Alabama had ranked 11^th in the SEC in takeaways entering the game, but scored 17 points off turnovers. The 45-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Courtney Upshaw with 21 seconds to play in the first half is the play that broke Kentucky’s back, but then Mark Ingram answered for the offense with a 32-yard touchdown run in the first 80 seconds of the second half. The Crimson Tide can get you in a lot of different ways.

3. Early dibs to Chizik: Everybody wondered which one of the three new head coaches in the league would make the quickest impact. We now have our answer. Gene Chizik has Auburn 5-0 and playing the kind of football they’re used to on the Plains. The Tigers beat Tennessee 26-22 on Saturday night in their first road game of the season and are building confidence each week. That’s the thing that jumps out when you talk to any of the Auburn players right now, how confident they are in Chizik, his staff and the system. The defense isn’t dominant, but has been good enough so far. And Gus Malzahn’s offense epitomizes balance. Quarterback Chris Todd hit 19 of 32 passes against the Vols for 218 yards, and running back Ben Tate rushed for 128 yards. The 459 total yards by the Tigers were the most Monte Kiffin’s defense has given up this season by more than 100 yards.

4. Props for Ole Miss’ defense: While there’s still some concern in Oxford about the Ole Miss offense, specifically quarterback Jevan Snead’s inability to put together a whole game, it’s time to give it up for Tyrone Nix’s defense. The Rebels have played well enough on defense this season to still be unbeaten right now. The 16-10 loss at South Carolina was hardly their fault, and the D was dominant Saturday in a 23-7 victory at Vanderbilt. Granted, the Commodores aren't going to be confused with an offensive juggernaut, but the Ole Miss offense put the defense in some tough spots in the second half, and Nix’s guys responded every time. There are a lot of teams who’d be willing to trade for the Rebels’ front seven on defense, which is the best thing Ole Miss has going for it next Saturday entering one of the biggest games the Rebels have played at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in the past 40 years. Beating Alabama starts up front on defense, and Ole Miss has what it takes there to get it done.

5. Tough season for the Vols: It’s shaping up as what could be a second straight non-winning regular season for Tennessee following the 26-22 home loss to Auburn. The Vols (2-3, 0-2) will have a difficult time getting out of October with a win. Georgia comes to town next weekend, and then Tennessee goes to Alabama following a bye and gets South Carolina at home on the final day of the month. There were some good signs against Auburn. Quarterback Jonathan Crompton played the best game of his career against an SEC opponent, and Tennessee has continued to get after people. Lane Kiffin has seen to it that this team is going to play hard. But as the losses and injuries continue to mount, you wonder if the Vols will be able to sustain that same intensity. If they can get to 6-6, that could still get them into a bowl game, which would be huge with all the younger players playing key roles this season. But they sure don’t want to be 2-6 heading into that final month. They need to find at least one win somewhere in October, and that won’t be easy.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Is LSU overrated? Is Auburn for real? Can Ole Miss get back on track before Alabama comes to Oxford next week?

As top-ranked Florida takes the week off and Tim Tebow recovers from his concussion, the rest of the league will try to sort out a few matters.

Here’s a look at what to watch in the SEC in Week 5:

1. Green vs. Peterson: Individual matchups can be over-hyped, but watching Georgia receiver A.J. Green and LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson go at it is a treat for any football fan. Green has asserted himself as the best receiver in the league and is one of those guys few defensive coordinators would dare single cover for most of the game. But Peterson has the size, strength and speed to match up with anybody, and he’ll get his chance to show the college football world Saturday in Sanford Stadium that he is indeed one of the premier cornerbacks out there. These guys are going to be around for a while longer, too. They’re only sophomores.

2. Georgia’s generosity: At some point, Georgia’s carelessness is going to catch up with it. Really, it’s a wonder the Bulldogs are 3-1 right now when you consider that they’ve turned it over three times in every game this season, lead the SEC with 12 turnovers and have committed more penalties (41) than every other major college team in the country with the exception of Texas Tech. It’s called sloppy football, and the Bulldogs have to cut it out starting Saturday against LSU if they want to be a player in the Eastern Division race.

3. Something to prove: No one who’s watched LSU play this season, at least no one with a conscience, can say that the Tigers are genuinely the fourth-best team in the country right now. But this is a team with a lot of talent. We’re talking numerous players that will be playing in the NFL some day, so it stands to reason that the Tigers are going to put it all together sooner rather than later. The players may still be adjusting some to John Chavis’ defensive system, and the offense also seems to be searching for its identity. Either way, this is a team that will likely play its best football in the second half of the season. If you’re going to get the Tigers, you might want to get them now.

4. Replacing Hightower: Losing a player the caliber of Alabama sophomore linebacker Dont’a Hightower was difficult enough. He was a true difference-maker on defense. But then you stop and look at all the roles he filled for the Crimson Tide, and his loss becomes even more daunting. He was as good against the run from his weakside linebacker spot as he was rushing the passer when the Tide moved him outside to jack linebacker. Alabama coach Nick Saban isn’t sure one player will be able to fill his shoes. Against Kentucky, Saban is leaning toward bringing sophomore Courtney Upshaw off the bench to play jack linebacker, moving Cory Reamer to Hightower’s weakside spot and Eryk Anders to strongside.

5. Tennessee’s health: The Vols were already thin in several spots, but they enter Saturday’s home game against Auburn without several key performers. Middle linebacker Nick Reveiz is out for the season after tearing up his knee. Reveiz called all of the signals on defense, made the checks and got everybody lined up. He’s also been one of the Vols’ surest tacklers. Their best pass-rusher, sophomore defensive end Chris Walker, has a back problem and may not play. Coach Lane Kiffin also doesn’t anticipate starting guard Vladimir Richard being able to play. Richard sat out last week with a knee injury. The Vols are hopeful that receiver Quintin Hancock will be able return this week from a broken jaw.

6. Unfamiliar territory: Not only will Auburn be playing away from home for the first time this season, but Tennessee’s defense will pose the stiffest test for what’s been a well-balanced Auburn offense. Operating any offense efficiently on the road is always more difficult, but running a hurry-up, no-huddle attack with the crowd working against you can really get hairy. The only close game Auburn has been in this season was West Virginia, and the home crowd was a huge factor in that game. It remains to be seen how Auburn will react if the Tennessee game goes down to the fourth quarter and Neyland Stadium is rocking.

7. A year later: When Jonathan Crompton and Chris Todd were last seen on the same football field, it wasn’t pretty. Auburn slopped its way to a 14-12 victory over Tennessee last season at Jordan-Hare Stadium in a game that set offensive football back for decades. Crompton completed eight passes and threw for 67 yards that day, while Todd completed 14 passes for 93 yards. They meet again Saturday night, and while Crompton continues to struggle, Todd has been a different quarterback since offseason shoulder surgery. He leads the SEC with 1,012 passing yards and 11 touchdowns and is third in passing efficiency. And while Todd has thrown just one interception, Crompton has thrown eight.

8. Home sweet home: So much for a few breathers out of conference, huh? Mississippi State, on the heels of an emotional 30-26 loss to No. 4-ranked LSU last week, stays home to face No. 25-ranked Georgia Tech this week. After that comes another home game the next week against No. 12-ranked Houston. The rest of the Bulldogs’ home schedule includes No. 1-ranked Florida, No. 3-ranked Alabama and No. 21-ranked Ole Miss. That’s a sweet lineup if you happen to have Mississippi State season tickets this year, but it’s not so sweet if you’re lining up against those folks every week.

9. Third down anyone? The toughest two teams in the SEC to convert against on third down this season have been Ole Miss and Vanderbilt, who square off Saturday night in Vanderbilt Stadium. The Rebels lead the SEC, allowing opponents to convert just 21.7 percent of the time. The Commodores are right behind at 22.1 percent. Despite their troubles elsewhere, both teams are off to solid starts defensively, and a big reason why is that they’ve been able to get off the field on third down.

10. Hog Heaven: For all the gnashing of the teeth about Arkansas’ defense, the Hogs actually held in there pretty well against the run in the 35-7 loss to Alabama last week. The big plays have been killing the Hogs on defense, and it’s what they will be looking to stop against Texas A&M this Saturday. Alabama had three scoring plays of 50 yards or longer against Arkansas, which was also victimized by the big play in its 52-41 loss to Georgia. They say they do everything bigger in Texas. The Hogs better hope that doesn’t go for the Aggies’ offense, or they’ll be leaving Jerry Jones’ new palace with their third straight defeat.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

There's been a shakeup at the top this week in the SEC power rankings.

Alabama and Florida have swapped positions. The Gators really didn't do a lot to lose the No. 1 spot. It was more the Crimson Tide doing enough to earn the No. 1 spot.

Nick Saban's club has been the most consistent, the most physical and the most impressive team in the league through the first month of the season and also has a win over a top-10 team on a neutral field to its credit.

Until further notice, Alabama sits atop the SEC throne:

1. Alabama: The Crimson Tide (4-0, 1-0) didn't have any problem in their SEC opener, a 35-7 spanking of Arkansas that could have been worse had Saban not stepped off the gas in the fourth quarter. Even without sophomore linebacker Dont'a Hightower, who will undergo surgery to repair ligament damage in his knee, this is still one of the nastiest defenses in the country.

2. Florida: We'll have to wait and see what Tim Tebow's status is and how long it takes before he's cleared again for contact. Concussions are all different. The good news for the Gators (4-0, 2-0) is that they're off this weekend and don't play again until they travel to LSU on Oct. 10. Other than the brutal hit on Tebow, they had little trouble with Kentucky in a 41-7 blowout on the road.

3. LSU: This is where it gets tough. We could have some serious debate about who's the third best team in the SEC at this point. The Tigers (4-0, 1-0) get the nod based on process of elimination. They really haven't played all that great and have done just enough to get by most of the time. But there's no debating their talent or some of the plays they've made. See Chad Jones' punt return last Saturday.

4. Georgia: The Bulldogs (3-1, 2-0) have sure made things interesting. They escaped this past weekend against Arizona State thanks to a Blair Walsh 37-yard field goal as time expired. The best thing the Bulldogs have going for them is their resolve. They could easily be 1-3 right now, but they've overcome their own mistakes to remain unbeaten in the league heading into Saturday's home showdown with LSU.

5. Auburn: The concern with the Tigers (4-0, 1-0) has been their defense. They've been super explosive on offense, but are 10th in the league in scoring defense and total defense. In each of their last three games, they've given up at least 24 points. The equalizer has been their ability to force turnovers. They lead the league with 10 turnovers gained in the first four games. They hit the road for the first time this Saturday against Tennessee.

6. South Carolina: What was a successful month of September for South Carolina (3-1, 1-1) could have been a perfect month had the Gamecocks made one more play against Georgia. They're that close to being unbeaten despite playing a tough schedule. The win over Ole Miss last Thursday puts them in great shape to be 5-1 heading to Alabama on Oct. 17. Any South Carolina fan would have taken that back in August.

7. Ole Miss: The Rebels (2-1, 0-1) take the biggest tumble after checking in at No. 3 in the SEC power rankings last week. They still have the talent to contend in the West and played well on defense in the 16-10 loss to South Carolina. But they look disjointed on offense right now, and Jevan Snead isn't playing like a franchise quarterback. He just doesn't look to be in sync, and his struggles have worn off on the rest of the offense. The Rebels are capable of catching fire. They better hurry, though. Alabama comes to town in two weeks.

8. Tennessee: The most impressive thing the Vols (2-2, 0-1) have done to this point is play Florida close at the Swamp. It continues to be a struggle for senior quarterback Jonathan Crompton, and the Vols are starting to see the injuries pile up across the board. They lost middle linebacker Nick Reveiz for the season in last Saturday's 34-23 victory over Ohio. If they can stay away from any more injuries, the defense is good enough to carry this team. What kind of season the Vols have hinges on these next two home games against Auburn and Georgia.

9. Arkansas: The Hogs (1-2, 0-2) have been the most disappointing team in the league through the first month of the season. They're plenty explosive on offense, and Ryan Mallett will pile up the passing yards against a lot of teams. But coach Bobby Petrino provided the greatest indictment against his team when he said afterward that the Hogs didn't believe they could win. That's not a good omen for a team that has given up 87 points in two SEC games.

10. Kentucky: A lot of teams are going to look bad against Florida this season, but it only gets more daunting for the Wildcats (2-1, 0-1) with Alabama rolling into the Bluegrass this week. Kentucky looked awful on offense to open the game against Florida and was down 31-0 at the end of the first quarter. If the Wildcats continue to make those kinds of mistakes and look that sloppy on offense, they can forget about making it to a bowl game for the third straight season. The silver lining is that they played respectably following that nightmarish first quarter.

11. Mississippi State: What a tough loss to swallow for the Bulldogs, who needed a foot at home to knock off LSU and couldn't get the ball into the end zone. Mississippi State (2-2, 1-2) showed a lot of heart in its 30-26 loss to the nationally ranked Tigers, and defensive coordinator Carl Torbush has that defense playing a lot better after the Auburn debacle the second week of the season. It doesn't get any easier for the Bulldogs these next two weeks with nationally ranked nonconference games against Georgia Tech and Houston.

12. Vanderbilt: It remains to be seen if the Commodores (2-2, 0-2) are truly the worst team in the league. They bounced back from their home loss to Mississippi State with a much-needed 36-17 win over Rice that included several big plays on offense that the Commodores had been lacking. Vanderbilt has the defense to get back to a bowl game, but there's still a long way to go on offense.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

When is a loss really a win?

See Tennessee’s 23-13 setback at No. 1-ranked Florida on Saturday.

The Vols weren’t supposed to just lose the game. They were supposed to lose their manhood, their pride, any sense of belonging as a legitimate threat in the SEC this season.

	Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
	Lane Kiffin and the Vols hope to build off their performance against Florida.

Well, none of the above happened, and it’s a new day on Rocky Top.

Now the hard part begins: Can Tennessee build on the biggest moral victory this program has seen since maybe 1979, John Majors’ third season as coach.

The outmanned Vols were 20-point underdogs that day and faced a No. 1-ranked Alabama team that would go on to win its second straight national championship.

Tennessee took the fight to Alabama and jumped out to a 17-0 lead at Legion Field, but Alabama came charging back to win a hard-fought 27-17 game.

Not that the Big Orange Nation needs to be reminded, but Tennessee lost at home two weeks later to Rutgers on homecoming.

It’s just that kind of dip that Lane Kiffin’s club wants to avoid, especially with Ohio coming to town this weekend.

Build off what you did at the Swamp. Don’t live off it.

On the field, this Tennessee team still has plenty to prove. The Vols are 1-2, and their only win came over a Western Kentucky team that lost 28-7 at home last week to Central Arkansas.

So nobody should be making BCS bowl plans just yet … or any bowl plans, for that matter.

But the Vols’ defense is certainly good enough to keep this team in every game it plays. The running game, namely Montario Hardesty, showed some spark against the Gators, and the young talent on the roster is impressive.

The biggest hurdle remains a passing game that’s non-existent at this point, and that’s not all on senior quarterback Jonathan Crompton, either. Yes, he has seven interceptions in three games. And, yes, he hasn’t proven he can get it done against a legitimate defense.

But pass protection and receivers being where they’re supposed to be, running the proper routes and making plays all factor into the equation.

Kiffin’s greatest dilemma may be when and if he’s going to give backup quarterback Nick Stephens a chance. There’s no reason to believe that Stephens would be a huge upgrade. Otherwise, he’d already be playing.

But when a player struggles the way Crompton has, the head coach owes it to the rest of the team to at least look at his options. In the past, Stephens has fared better in games than he has in practice.

The Vols have three straight home games upcoming that will shape their season one way or the other. After Ohio’s visit this weekend, Auburn and Georgia come to town.

This is a team that’s capable of getting hot and being the kind of team nobody wants to face in a bowl game. The Vols proved that at the Swamp.

It’s also a team that’s capable of being average at best and not much of a threat to anybody that counts, as the Vols showed at home two weeks ago in their 19-15 loss to UCLA.

Stay tuned to find out which team comes to the forefront at season’s end.

Of course, the first order of business is making sure there's not a repeat of that Rutgers debacle 30 years ago.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Who’s hot and who’s not in the SEC? It’s that time again to find out:

En Fuego

Auburn’s running game: Running the football at a high level is as much a part of the Auburn football program as the flight of the eagle prior to kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Tigers have done it with the I-formation. They’ve done it with Bo Jackson, Joe Cribbs, James Brooks, Stephen Davis, Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown. Now they’re doing it with Gus Malzahn’s version of the spread offense, which proves yet again that running the spread doesn’t necessarily mean you’re slinging the ball all over the ballpark. The Tigers have rushed for 300 yards in both of their games, with Ben Tate and Onterio McCalebb each topping 100 yards. It’s the first time in Auburn history that two players have rushed for 100 yards in back-to-back games. Running Back U. is alive and well.

Hot

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow: The Man of Steel is now up to 45 career rushing touchdowns, tying him for third place all-time in the SEC with Carnell Williams, and is just four away from tying Herschel Walker for the SEC career record.

Not

Mississippi State’s defense: Not only did the Bulldogs give up 589 yards of total offense in their 49-24 loss to Auburn, but they also didn’t make many adjustments to stop the bleeding. And that comes straight from their head coach.

Hot

Tennessee’s recruiting: The Vols got some sweet consolation from their disappointing loss to UCLA on Saturday when three ESPNU 150 prospects committed the next day – defensive line teammates Corey Miller and Brandon Willis of Duncan, S.C., and receiver/athlete DeMarco Cobbs of Tulsa, Okla.

Not

South Carolina’s special teams: For the second straight week, the Gamecocks had their issues on special teams, giving up a kickoff return for a touchdown and having an extra point blocked against Georgia. It’s the reason they’re 1-1 right now and not 2-0.

Hot

The Gator Nation: They don’t want to just beat Lane Kiffin and the Vols. They want to punish them and make that punishment last over four long, steamy quarters. How many points will be enough? That’s hard to say, but something tells me the Gators aren’t practicing their kneel-down plays this week.

Not

Alabama receiver Julio Jones: He wasn’t a big factor in the opener against Virginia Tech and now has a bruised knee after getting hurt on the opening drive against Florida International. Jones has just five catches, and his longest reception has gone for 16 yards.

Hot

Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran: The guy is a tackling machine. He tied a career high with 15 tackles against South Carolina and saved the game for the Bulldogs in the final seconds by tipping away Stephen Garcia’s fourth-down pass at the goal line.

Not

Alabama’s kickoff coverage: At this rate, the Crimson Tide are going to give up more touchdowns on special teams than they do on defense. Two kickoff returns for touchdowns in two weeks? Man, I wouldn’t want to be on those units in practice this week.

Ice, Ice Baby

Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton: The Vols’ fifth-year senior quarterback has certainly been here before. After throwing five touchdown passes in the opener, Crompton reverted to his error-prone ways of a year ago in the 19-15 loss to UCLA. He made some inexplicable throws against the Bruins into coverage on plays where he had other guys running wide open. Against bona-fide defenses in game situations, Crompton simply hasn’t proven he can get it done. But he had help in stinking it up last week. The Vols didn’t do a whole lot up front offensively, and Lane Kiffin’s play-calling in the final minutes down near the goal line was about as unimaginative as it gets. Here’s the really scary part for the Vols: They will play against at least six defenses the rest of the way that are as good, if not better, than UCLA’s.