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Going back to my post on potential 1,000-yard rushers next season in the SEC, I thought it would be interesting to see who has produced the most 1,000-yard rushers in the league over the past five seasons.

That would be Arkansas with six, including four different players. Darren McFadden did it twice, and so did Felix Jones. In fact, they both rushed for 1,000 yards in the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

Florida and Vanderbilt have not had a 1,000-yard rusher over the past five seasons.

The Gators’ last 1,000-yard rusher was Ciatrick Fason in 2004 with 1,267 yards. The last time the Commodores produced a 1,000-yard rusher was Jermaine Johnson in 1995 with 1,072 yards.

Last season, Marcus Lattimore became the first South Carolina player to rush for 1,000 yards since Derek Watson had 1,066 yards in 2000.

Here’s a rundown:

Arkansas: 6 (Darren McFadden 1,830 yards in 2007, Darren McFadden 1,647 yards in 2006, Knile Davis 1,322 yards in 2010, Felix Jones 1,168 yards in 2006, Felix Jones 1,113 yards in 2007, Michael Smith 1,072 yards in 2008)

Auburn: 3 (Cam Newton 1,473 yards in 2010, Ben Tate 1,362 yards in 2009, Mike Dyer 1,093 yards in 2010)

LSU: 3 (Charles Scott 1,174 yards in 2008, Stevan Ridley 1,147 yards in 2010, Jacob Hester 1,103 yards in 2007)

Ole Miss: 3 (Dexter McCluster 1,169 yards in 2009, BenJarvus Green-Ellis 1,137 yards in 2007, BenJarvus Green-Ellis 1,000 yards in 2006)

Tennessee: 3 (Montario Hardesty 1,345 yards in 2009, Arian Foster 1,193 yards in 2007, Tauren Poole 1,034 yards in 2010)

Alabama: 2 (Mark Ingram 1,658 yards in 2009, Glen Coffee 1,383 yards in 2008)

Georgia: 2 (Knowshon Moreno 1,400 yards in 2008, Knowshon Moreno 1,334 yards in 2007)

Mississippi State: 2 (Anthony Dixon 1,391 yards in 2009, Anthony Dixon 1,066 yards in 2007)

Kentucky: 1 (Rafael Little 1,013 yards in 2007)

South Carolina: 1 (Marcus Lattimore 1,197 yards in 2010)

2009 overall record: 8-5

2009 conference record: 3-5

Returning starters

Offense: 7; Defense: 8; Kicker/punter: 1

Top returners

RB Onterio McCalebb, RB Mario Fannin, WR Darvin Adams, OT Lee Ziemba, C Ryan Pugh, LB Josh Bynes, LB Daren Bates, CB Neiko Thorpe

Key losses

QB Chris Todd, RB Ben Tate, TE Tommy Trott, DE Antonio Coleman, CB Walter McFadden

2009 statistical leaders (* returners)

Rushing: Ben Tate (1,362 yards)

Passing: Chris Todd (2,612 yards)

Receiving: Darvin Adams* (997 yards)

Tackles: Josh Bynes* (104)

Sacks: Antonio Coleman (10)

Interceptions: Walter McFadden (6)

Spring answers

1. Newton named No. 1: Auburn went out and got Cameron Newton from the junior college ranks to be its quarterback, and Newton didn’t disappoint this spring. He’s a 6-6, 242-pound specimen who can both run and throw and quickly earned the confidence and trust of his teammates with the way he performed and diligently went about his business. Auburn coach Gene Chizik named Newton the Tigers’ No. 1 quarterback at the conclusion of the spring, and it’s going to be hard to wrest the job away from him.

2. Picking up the pace: If you think the Tigers played fast on offense last season, wait until you see them in 2010. Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn wants to play even faster, keeping defenses off balance, and thinks he has the personnel in place to do that next season. It helps that it will be the second time through Malzahn’s system for most of these guys. If Newton responds in the fall the way the Auburn coaches think he will, look for the Tigers to delve even deeper into Malzahn’s playbook.

3. Bates moving up: Even though he didn’t practice this spring because of a bum shoulder, Daren Bates made a little news. The Tigers plan on moving him to a hybrid linebacker role after he earned Freshman All-SEC honors last season at safety. The idea is to get faster on defense, and Bates was one of the Tigers’ most aggressive tacklers last season. It’s also a way to build depth at linebacker, which was a huge problem a year ago. Bates is a quick learner. He proved that last season after arriving in August and starting all 13 games.

Fall questions

1. In a rush: Chizik says the Tigers have to be a better power running team next season. Who’s going to be the go-to guy at running back now that Ben Tate is gone? Senior Mario Fannin will get the first crack after bouncing around between receiver and running back the last two years. Onterio McCalebb is healthy again and more of a change-of-pace guy, while redshirt freshman Dontae Aycock has also shown some promise. And, oh yeah, coveted freshman signee Michael Dyer arrives this summer. The best news is that Auburn returns four of five starters in the offensive line.

2. Defensive depth: The Tigers simply didn’t have the numbers nor the depth a year ago to play consistent defense for 12 games, which is a big reason why they lost five of their last six SEC games. They should be a little deeper next season, especially when everybody from the 2010 signing class gets on campus. Still, there are concerns. It’s never ideal to count on true freshmen, which means players such as sophomore linebacker Eltoro Freeman and redshirt freshman defensive lineman Nosa Eguae need to come through in a big way next season.

3. Walking wounded: The Tigers have three veteran safeties returning from serious injuries – Mike McNeil, Aairon Savage and Zac Etheridge. There’s a chance all three could come back and make major contributions, and there’s also a chance that they won’t ever be able to get back to where they once were. Savage has missed the last two seasons because of injuries, and Etheridge had a scary neck injury last season. Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof is hopeful on all three, but will reserve judgment once he sees them on the field in the fall.

Checking in on what's making headlines around the SEC:

• NFL general managers are doing a safety dance over Eric Berry, writes Dave Hooker of The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Former Alabama cornerback Kareem Jackson has been one of the fast risers on NFL draft boards.
• Former Auburn running back Ben Tate will give fans an up-close and personal view of his draft experience.
• Kentucky's new starters up front hit the line running, writes Chip Cosby of The Lexington Herald-Leader.
• Kentucky lands a quarterback from California for the 2011 class.
• Georgia reserve safety Makiri Pugh plans to transfer to another school to get more playing time.

AUBURN, Ala. -- It’s fair to say we know a little bit more about Gene Chizik than we did this time a year ago, when some on the Plains were still scratching their heads over his hiring.

In that same regard, we also know a little bit more about where the Auburn football program is headed under Chizik.

“Last year, everybody was still trying to feel each other out,” senior linebacker Josh Bynes said. “Now, everybody is fully aware of how it works here. We know each other. We know what coach Chizik is about.

“We also know for a fact that there’s nothing else we want other than a championship. It’s one thing to say that’s your goal, but we actually feel it in our bones.”

To say there’s some serious momentum right now in Auburn’s program would be akin to saying that Tiger Woods might face a smidgen of scrutiny next week at Augusta.

An eight-win season and Outback Bowl victory during Chizik’s maiden voyage in the SEC was followed up by a recruiting class that was ranked No. 4 nationally.

The Tigers head into their second season under Chizik with 24 seniors, including a couple of key leaders returning from injury, and they were the only team in the league to keep their entire coaching staff intact.

What’s next?

Good luck in getting the no-frills, tell-it-like-it-is Chizik to make any grandiose predictions.

He’s too busy worrying about the next practice, the next meeting, the next recruiting tape he needs to watch.

What he will tell you is that he likes the tone that has been set and the attitude he sees on the practice field this spring.

“Everybody knows what the expectations are and what we’re trying to do,” Chizik said. “Now, it’s trying to make our football team a more consistent football team all the way around.”

In a lot of ways, the Tigers were close to double-digit wins last season. But they were also, in Chizik’s words, a feast or famine team.

“That’s a classic sign of a very inconsistent team,” Chizik said.

A lack of depth was a huge issue, particularly on defense. The Tigers finished 11^th in the SEC in total defense.

And even though Ben Tate had a big year running the football, the Tigers’ power running game wasn’t nearly as productive as Chizik would like. They dipped to an average of 133.2 rushing yards per game in their last four SEC outings.

“There were games in there where we didn’t run the ball very well. There were some games we ran it great,” Chizik said. “You can make stats look however you want to make them look. But when you look at SEC games, were we consistently moving the football running it?

“We’ve got to get better.”

Returning four starters on the offensive line should help, and while Tate is departing, the Tigers went out and signed one of the top running back prospects in the country in Michael Dyer of Little Rock, Ark.

Defensively, Chizik said it’s a given that first-year players will have to play next season.

In fact, he said it’s going to be that way the next couple of seasons.

“That’s just the way it is until we build our roster back up,” he said. “Roster management is going to be extremely big for us, how we handle the roster. The young guys coming in are going to have to contribute. That’s just where we’re at in terms of depth.”

And, really, when you look deeper at the numbers crunch the Tigers faced a year ago, coupled with the fact they had to play 11 straight weeks without a bye, it’s pretty remarkable they were able to scratch out eight wins.

The players don’t necessarily see it that way.

“A couple of plays here or there, a little more focus, and we’re 11-2,” Bynes said. “We have a lot of seniors, a lot of guys who’ve played. The chemistry is going to be tremendous. When we get the numbers right, and we will, I can’t wait to see what this team can do.”

Even more so than what the Tigers did on the field last season, Chizik and his staff really made their presence felt on the recruiting trail.

They reeled in highly rated prospects from just about everywhere -- Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, Arkansas, and yes, from inside the state, too.

The Tigers never blinked in the face of Alabama’s massive recruiting machine, which was only bolstered by the national championship.

Instead, they got creative.

The Big Cat Weekend led to secondary violations, and the Tiger Prowl limo tour drew some snide comments from rival coaches in the league.

But nobody was arguing with the results.

“We’ve got to continually find ways to upgrade the way we’re recruiting, what we’re selling, how we’re selling it, what our ideas are,” Chizik said. “It’s no different than a multimillion-dollar company trying to figure out how to generate more revenue than they did the year before. It’s the same idea.

“It’s not easy. I can promise you that. In-state battles for recruiting in the state of Alabama are extremely challenging, certainly when you’re recruiting against somebody who can now say they recently have another national championship. We’ve got our work cut out for us, but it’s not like we don’t know where we’re at. We know exactly where we’re at.

“We know what we have to tackle and how we have to do it, and we’re going to go full steam ahead.”

Don’t expect Chizik to waver, either.

He’s as grounded as they come, which is why the negative chatter surrounding his hire following a 5-19 record at Iowa State never registered a blip with him.

It’s the same reason he refuses to get caught up now in any “Auburn is back” chatter.

“The reception when I came here a year and a half ago was great,” Chizik said. “The bottom line is there were a couple of outspoken guys, and you’re never going to be able to control that. The ones that are negative and the loudest sometimes give the perception that they’re the majority, and that’s not necessarily the truth.

“The majority of the Auburn people have been phenomenal, because they love Auburn.”

And so does Chizik, who calls it a dream come true to be leading this program after serving as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator from 2002-04.

“We need to continue to work toward the vision we have for this place, and that is that we need to be better this year than we were last year,” Chizik said. “That’s not going to be easy to do.”

Perhaps not, but there’s no mistaking the buzz around Auburn’s campus these days.

“This first season … all it did was confirm all the goals and dreams we had when we first got here,” offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said.

You gotta love Ben Tate's attitude.

There's a swagger about him that's genuine and not trumped up. And like most great athletes, he's pretty skilled at finding all the motivation he needs.

The former Auburn tailback helped himself at the NFL combine last week with his 4.43 in the 40-yard dash, the third fastest time among running backs. He also had a 40.5-inch vertical leap, which was second among running backs, and tied for the most reps on the bench-press among running backs with 26.

Still, the highest you're seeing the 220-pound Tate projected in the upcoming NFL draft is the third round, which is probably fitting. Last season, with all the strong performances by running backs in the SEC, Tate sort of got lost in the shadows despite his 1,362 yards rushing.

That's OK, though, because that underdog role drives him, and will only pay dividends at the next level.

He chose not to run again during Auburn's pro timing day on Tuesday, and who could blame him given his time in Indianapolis?

But he made it clear that he's pushing as hard as ever.

"I think I've been underestimated my whole career," Tate told reporters. "It drives me. It keeps me working hard. I don't mind being the underdog. One day the underdog will be on top."

The NFL combine wraps up Monday and Tuesday, and already several former SEC players have helped themselves.

A few might have hurt themselves, too.

Auburn running back Ben Tate had a super workout session. Weighing 220 pounds, he turned in the third fastest 40-yard dash time among the running backs (4.43), was second among the running backs with a 40.5-inch vertical leap and tied for the most reps on the bench-press among running backs with 26. He also had a 10-4 broad jump, which tied Tennessee's Montario Hardesty for first among the running backs.

Hardesty, who had bulked up to 225 pounds, ran a 4.49 40-yard dash and did 21 reps on the bench.

The defensive linemen and linebackers are working out on Monday, and Georgia defensive tackle Jeff Owens set the bar pretty high on the bench-press with 44 reps. His teammate, Geno Atkins, did 34 reps. As a comparison, Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh did 32 reps.

Kentucky linebacker Micah Johnson put up 31 reps Monday morning.

The strongest former SEC player of the combine was Arkansas offensive guard Mitch Petrus, who did 45 reps over the weekend. That tied a combine record (since 2000).

The fastest former SEC player was LSU return specialist Trindon Holliday, who ran a 4.34 40-yard dash.

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow didn't throw at the combine. He'll show off his new delivery at the Gators' pro day on March 17, but he did demonstrate what kind of athlete he is. He ran a 4.72 40-yard dash, fourth fastest among the quarterbacks, and tied Josh McCown's record for quarterbacks with a 38.5-inch vertical leap. Tebow's hands (10 1/8) also measured the largest of the quarterbacks.

One of the biggest surprises of the combine so far was that Ole Miss' Dexter McCluster didn't turn in a faster 40 time. Weighing 172 pounds, McCluster ran a 4.55, but did show off his strength with 20 reps on the bench-press.

LSU receiver Brandon LaFell also had a disappointing 40 time (4.6), while Ole Miss' Shay Hodge was even slower (4.63).

Some players chose not to run the 40 and/or work out because they were injured or simply wanted to wait until their school's pro day. Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez had a strained back and didn't run.

The defensive backs work out on Tuesday.

This is when it really gets tough, because there’s not a lot of difference in the 10^th best player in this league and the 20^th best player.

Of the first 10 players to make the cut, five will be back next season.

Let’s see how many of these next 20 will be back.

Here we go with selections No. 20-16:

No. 20: Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida: Versatile enough to play just about anywhere up front, Pouncey remained at center and was the anchor of the Gators’ offensive line this past season. Go back and count how many times he cleared the way for one of Tim Tebow’s key conversions on third or fourth down. Pouncey won’t be easily replaced -- on the field or off the field. He started in 39 games in three seasons and was one of the strongest leaders on the team. He’s giving up his senior season to turn pro.

No. 19: Mike Johnson, OG, Alabama: As a junior, Johnson was overshadowed somewhat by first-team All-Americans Andre Smith and Antoine Caldwell. But this past season, with the Crimson Tide losing three starters up front, Johnson stepped up front and center as one of the most complete offensive linemen in the league. He was a consensus first-team All-American from his left guard position and anchored an offensive line that was rock-solid all season. All the while, Alabama went 14-0, won its first national title in 17 years and put up even better offensive numbers than it did a year ago.

No. 18: Montario Hardesty, RB, Tennessee: One of the comeback players of year nationally, Hardesty saved his best for his senior season. He’d been inundated with injuries through much of his career and really didn’t get much of a chance as a junior. But this past season, he plowed his way to 1,345 rushing yards and scored 14 touchdowns. Hardesty carried the ball an SEC-high 282 times and didn’t fumble a single time on a rushing attempt. Prior to this past season, Hardesty had never rushed for more than 387 yards in a season.

No. 17: Ben Tate, RB, Auburn: Tate was one of those guys who didn’t quite make the cut on the preseason list. He was hurt by how dysfunctional Auburn was on offense in 2008. That wasn’t a problem this past season. The Tigers fed him the ball, and he delivered. The 5-11, 218-pound senior rushed for a career-high 1,362 yards and 10 touchdowns. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry and proved to be one of the toughest backs in the league to bring down. Despite carrying the ball 263 times, Tate lost just 44 yards all season. He also showed that he wasn’t just a power back and had three touchdown runs of 35 yards or longer.

No. 16: Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee: Williams had been a solid player for the Vols prior to this past season, but he certainly hadn’t risen to the level where he could be considered one of the top 30 players in the league. That all changed during his senior season. He was consistently the best interior defensive lineman in the league in 2009 and likely played his way into the first round of April’s NFL draft. Williams led all SEC defensive tackles with 70 total tackles and led the Vols with nine tackles for loss and nine quarterback hurries. He stuffs the run with the best of them, but is also an effective interior pass-rusher.

• No. 21: Rennie Curran, LB, Georgia
• No. 22: Randall Cobb, QB/WR, Kentucky
• No. 23: Shay Hodge, WR, Ole Miss
• No. 24: A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
• No. 25: Pernell McPhee, DE, Mississippi State
• No. 26: Malcolm Sheppard, DT, Arkansas
• No. 27: Mark Barron, S, Alabama
• No. 28: Terrence Cody, NG, Alabama
• No. 29: Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU
• No. 30: Julio Jones, WR, Alabama

I wanted to make sure I pointed out that Kentucky fullback John Conner is also playing in the Senior Bowl. He was a late addition.

The 5-foot-11, 240-pound Conner is an outstanding blocker and would fit in nicely with any team that still uses the fullback a lot. He's athletic enough to catch the ball and has more than held his own during the first two days of practice.

Four of the five running backs playing on the South team are from the SEC. Mississippi State's Anthony Dixon, Auburn's Ben Tate and Alabama's Roy Upchurch are also on the active roster.

Dixon weighed in at 245 pounds, but it wasn't a flabby 245 pounds. Scouts were impressed with his solid build, and he's also going to get some work at fullback this week.

Here are the official heights and weights of SEC players who were present for the weigh-in:

• Javier Arenas CB Alabama 5-8.5/195
• Geno Atkins DT Georgia 6-1.3/286
• Ciron Black OT LSU 6-4.5/331
• Jamar Chaney LB Mississippi State 6-0.6/241
• Terrence Cody NG Alabama 6-4/370
• Antonio Coleman DE Auburn 6-1.5/255
• Harry Coleman SS LSU 6-1.4/206
• Riley Cooper WR Florida 6-3.4/214
• Morgan Cox DS Tennessee 6-2.6/248
• Anthony Dixon RB Mississippi State 6-0.6/245
• Shay Hodge WR Ole Miss 6-1.3/208
• John Jerry OG Ole Miss 6-5.4/332
• Mike Johnson OG Alabama 6-5.3/306
• Trevard Lindley CB Kentucky 5-11.1/178
• Dexter McCluster RB Ole Miss 5-8.1/165
• Eric Norwood OLB South Carolina 6-0.7/246
• Jeff Owens DT Georgia 6-1.2/304
• Colin Peek TE Alabama 6-5.4/250
• Mitch Petrus OG Arkansas 6-3.1/304
• Charles Scott RB LSU 5-11.3/239
• Ben Tate RB Auburn 5-10.7/214
• Tim Tebow QB Florida 6-2.6/236
• Leigh Tiffin K Alabama 6-0.1/198
• Roy Upchurch RB Alabama 5-11.7/210
• Dan Williams DT Tennessee 6-2.2/329

Here’s a look at the SEC seniors invited to participate in the NFL scouting combine Feb. 24-March 2 in Indianapolis. There will also be some underclassmen invited once the deadline passes for early entry into the draft.

LSU had the most players invited in the SEC with 11. Alabama was second with eight:

ALABAMA

CB Javier Arenas

NG Terrence Cody

DE Brandon Deaderick

OL Mike Johnson

TE Colin Peek

K Leigh Tiffin

DE Lorenzo Washington

S Justin Woodall

ARKANSAS

OL Mitch Petrus

DT Malcolm Sheppard

AUBURN

RB Ben Tate

FLORIDA

WR Riley Cooper

DE Jermaine Cunningham

RB/RS Brandon James

LB Brandon Spikes

QB Tim Tebow

GEORGIA

DT Geno Atkins

KENTUCKY

FB John Conner

LB Micah Johnson

CB Trevard Lindley

LB Sam Maxwell

DT Corey Peters

LSU

DE Rahim Alem

DT Charles Alexander

OT Ciron Black

LB Harry Coleman

CB Chris Hawkins

RS Trindon Holliday

WR Brandon LaFell

LB Perry Riley

RB Charles Scott

RB Keiland Williams

DT Al Woods

MISSISSIPPI STATE

RB Anthony Dixon

OLE MISS

CB Marshay Green

DE Greg Hardy

WR Shay Hodge

OL John Jerry

S Kendrick Lewis

RB Dexter McCluster

SOUTH CAROLINA

LB Eric Norwood

S Darian Stewart

TENNESSEE

RB Montario Hardesty

OT Chris Scott

DT Dan Williams

VANDERBILT

CB Myron Lewis

OT Thomas Welch

A quick look at Auburn’s 38-35 overtime victory against Northwestern on Friday in the Outback Bowl:

How the game was won: After seemingly winning the game on two previous occasions, Auburn finally survived when defensive back Neiko Thorpe slammed Northwestern’s Zeke Markshausen out of bounds and kept him from getting into the end zone on a fake field goal attempt in overtime. The Wildcats had the ball at the 5, but had already missed three field goal attempts – one that would have won the game at the end of regulation. So they tried to win it in regulation with a little trickery, but the Tigers weren’t fooled

Turning point: Auburn had a 35-21 lead with 7:32 to play in regulation and appeared to be cruising to a win. But the Tigers turned the ball over twice in a span of two minutes. Ben Tate lost a fumble at the Northwestern 31, and Demond Washington lost a fumble at midfield after a long kickoff return. The Wildcats were able to score a pair of touchdowns in the final three and a half minutes of regulation to force overtime.

Turning point II: Walter McFadden’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter changed the whole complexion of the game. It looked like Northwestern was about to tie the game at 7-7. The Wildcats had a first-and-goal at the four. But on third down, McFadden tipped a pass to himself in the end zone and raced untouched down the right sideline for the touchdown to give Auburn a 14-0 lead.

Stat of the game: Where do you start? The two teams combined for 1,074 yards of total offense and 53 first downs. Northwestern had 35 first downs, and the Wildcats’ quarterback, Mike Kafka, passed for 532 yards. But Kafka, who threw a Big Ten-low seven interceptions this season, was intercepted five times by the Tigers.

Stat of the game II: The Tigers overcame 12 penalties for 139 yards, including a couple of personal fouls toward the end of regulation and in overtime.

Player of the game: McFadden had two of Auburn's five interceptions. His first pick set up the Tigers' first touchdown, and he returned his second pick 100 yards for a touchdown to give Auburn a 14-0 cushion.

Unsung hero: Auburn receiver Darvin Adams capped a big sophomore season with perhaps the best game he played all season. Adams finished with 12 catches for 141 yards and made several plays to help keep drives alive.

What it means: Getting to eight wins in Year No. 1 under Gene Chizik has to be considered a success on all fronts for Auburn, which also stopped the bleeding. The Tigers (8-5) closed the regular season by losing five of their last six SEC games. Still, the way Northwestern moved the ball up and down the field is a reminder that Auburn still needs to upgrade its depth on defense and its talent on that side of the ball if the Tigers want to be a player in the Western Division race over the next couple of seasons. That’s where these next couple of recruiting classes come in.

The 2010 Senior Bowl will have a definite SEC flavor.

Already, 10 SEC players have been announced as participants. The latest two were Tennessee teammates Montario Hardesty and Dan Williams.

Five Alabama players were selected -- offensive guard Mike Johnson, tight end Colin Peek, nose guard Terrence Cody, cornerback Javier Arenas and kicker Leigh Tiffin. Also selected were Auburn teammates Antonio Coleman and Ben Tate as well as Mississippi State running back Anthony Dixon.

It hasn't been announced yet, but look for Ole Miss running back Dexter McCluster to also get an invite.

The beginning of the Gene Chizik era at Auburn was better than most people expected. The Tigers (7-5, 3-5) won their first five games and soared into the national rankings.

But with a serious numbers problem and an even more serious lack of depth problem, Auburn hit the skids once it got into the teeth of its SEC schedule. The Tigers lost five of their last six SEC games, although that final loss might have been the best game they played all season.

Coming off their bye week, the Tigers jumped out to a 14-0 lead on Alabama and hit the Crimson Tide with everything they had. But Alabama staged a late drive to win 26-21 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The Tigers were a lot of fun to watch on offense, and when they had it going, they were difficult to stop. First-year coordinator Gus Malzahn spread teams out with his no-huddle attack and wasn’t afraid to try anything. They seemed to hit a lull, though, in back-to-back losses to Kentucky and LSU in which they didn’t score more than 14 points in either game.

The real problem was on defense. The Tigers were last in the SEC in scoring defense and gave up 41 touchdowns this season.

Offensive MVP: Ben Tate, RB. He prospered in Malzahn’s offense and had a huge senior season, rushing for 1,254 yards and eight touchdowns. Tate averaged 5.2 yards per carry and was easily the Tigers’ most consistent threat. Receiver Darvin Adams also had a big year with 10 touchdown catches.

Defensive MVP: Antonio Coleman, DE. Despite not having big numbers at the beginning of the season, Dunlap closed with a flurry. He led the SEC with nine sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss and was a consensus first-team All-SEC selection.

Turning point: Having lost three in a row after its 5-0 start, Auburn put the brakes on its skid and whipped Ole Miss 33-20 at home in a game that was absolutely a must-win for the Tigers.

What’s next: The Tigers were picked over several other 7-5 teams to play in the Outback Bowl and will face Northwestern. It’s another chance to put a positive stamp on Chizik’s first season on the Plains. To take that next step in 2010, the Tigers will need to get better on defense. They should be deeper next season.

Auburn (7-5) vs. Northwestern (8-4)
Jan. 1, 11 a.m. (ESPN)

Auburn was one of six teams in the SEC this season finishing 7-5, but emerged out of the pack as the Outback Bowl’s top choice. The Tigers were one defensive stand away from knocking off Alabama in the regular-season finale two weeks ago and really putting a memorable stamp on Gene Chizik’s first season as head coach.

The long break before the bowl game should help Auburn as much as any team in the SEC. The Tigers battled depth problems all season, which explains in part their fast start and rocky finish to the season. They wound up losing five of their last six SEC games. But the way they played against the Crimson Tide gives everybody on the Plains hope that there are better days ahead.

Gus Malzahn’s offense is one of the more unpredictable units in the country. The Tigers like to spread you out and will run everything from reverses, to direct-snap packages to throw-back passes. Their bread and butter this season, though, was turning around and handing the ball off to Ben Tate, who rushed for 1,254 yards.

Defensively, it was a struggle for Auburn. The Tigers finished last in the SEC in scoring defense (26.9 points per game). But, again, they looked like a different defensive unit against Alabama and turned in their best effort of the season on that side of the ball, holding Mark Ingram to 30 yards rushing.

Let’s examine three keys to Friday's game for both Alabama and Auburn:

ALABAMA

Spreading the wealth: Quarterback Greg McElroy has done a much better job of that the past few weeks and has connected on big plays to a number of guys, including Julio Jones, Marquis Maze and Darius Hanks. With the Crimson Tide spreading the ball around to different players, the Tigers won’t be able to concentrate on Mark Ingram as much.

Shutting down Tate: The Alabama defense has been stingy against the run all season and has now gone 31 games without allowing a 100-yard rusher, the longest such streak in the country. Not allowing Auburn running back Ben Tate to get started means quarterback Chris Todd is going to be in a lot of third-and-long situations, which is where Alabama’s defense is lethal.

Playing well early: The last thing Alabama wants to do is give Auburn a reason to believe it can win, and more importantly, give the Jordan-Hare Stadium crowd hope. A fast start by the Crimson Tide takes the fans out of the game and allows the Tide to play at their place, running it when they want to and throwing it when they want to.

AUBURN

Forcing McElroy to beat them: That’s easier said than done, because it requires shutting down Mark Ingram and the Crimson Tide’s running game. McElroy has shown that he can throw the ball this season, but he’s yet to be in a position against an SEC defense where he has to bring a team back in the second half from a double-digit deficit. The Tigers would like to put him in that position.

Red-zone defense: Auburn has been the worst team in the league when it comes to red zone defense. Alabama has struggled to score touchdowns once it gets into the red zone. The Tigers have to make sure that continues. They have a chance to win this game if Leigh Tiffin is finishing Alabama drives by kicking field goals. They have no chance to win if Ingram and Julio Jones are the ones finishing drives.

Quick strikes: Nobody has taken the ball and consistently driven the ball against Alabama’s defense all season. That’s probably not going to change now. The Crimson Tide are just too strong up the middle. What that means for Auburn is that somebody, be it Darvin Adams, Mario Fannin, Onterio McCalebb or Terrell Zachery, needs to come up with a few big plays to soften up that Alabama defense.

Rivalry week is upon us in the SEC, and with Thanksgiving coming up on Thursday and Alabama and Auburn playing on Friday, we’ll take an earlier look than normal at what to watch this week in the SEC.

Here’s how Week 13 shapes up:

1. Keeping an eye on each other: Both Alabama and Florida face tough rivalry games, which makes it anything but ideal to think about anything other than what’s right in front of you. Still, how far away will the Gators be from the Crimson Tide’s mind, and how far away will the Crimson Tide be from the Gators’ minds? These two teams have been on a collision course now for this entire month. With the big showdown looming next week, the key is for both teams to block out that game and play winning football this week against two teams that would love nothing more than to ruin their seasons.

2. Ingram vs. Tate: Who’s the best running back in the state of Alabama? Looks like we’re going to find out. Auburn’s Ben Tate is already on record (sort of) as saying that he is. The truth is that both he and Alabama’s Mark Ingram have had outstanding seasons. Both are alike in that they’re power runners and thrive on contact. Tate’s a little bit bigger, but Ingram’s probably more explosive through the hole. Ingram heads into this game as the front-runner in the Heisman Trophy race. But if he’s out-dueled by Tate, it will be interesting to see how much that hurts his chances. This is a nationally televised game the day after Thanksgiving, and everybody will be watching.

3. Winning on the Plains: Alabama last won at Auburn in 2001, a 31-7 victory during Dennis Franchione’s first season as the Crimson Tide’s coach. But for Nick Saban, he’s still looking for his first win on the Plains. He’s 0-4 at Auburn as a head coach. His first Alabama team lost 17-10 in 2007 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. And at LSU, he lost in 2000, 2002 and 2004. That 2004 loss (10-9) came when LSU was ranked No. 5 nationally and had won 10 straight games dating back to the previous national championship season.

4. Tebow’s farewell: He’s scored an SEC-record 54 touchdowns and been the most visible player in all of college football the last two years. Tim Tebow plays his final home game on Saturday in the Swamp against Florida State. He’s part of a senior class that’s gone 46-6 at Florida with two national championships and two SEC championships. As loathed as he is around the league by opposing fans, Tebow is beloved by the Gator Nation. While this will be his finale as a player, he’s hinted that he might return to Florida some day as a coach.

5. Les is more: It’s going to take a while for LSU coach Les Miles to crawl out from under that end-of-game disaster last weekend against Ole Miss. There are some on the Bayou who think it won’t ever completely go away. Then again, they forget pretty quickly in the SEC when you’re winning big. Miles was winning big a couple of years ago when he won the BCS national championship. But since that game to end the 2007 season, the Tigers are just 7-8 against SEC foes. The last thing Miles needs is for that mark to slip to 7-9 this Saturday against Arkansas. A win over the Hogs certainly wouldn’t fix everything. But a loss to the Hogs would take an already difficult situation and make it unbearable.

6. Jackson’s impact: After having the attempted armed robbery charges against him dismissed this week, Tennessee freshman safety Janzen Jackson will jump right back into the starting lineup against Kentucky. The whole ordeal was embarrassing for Tennessee, but the most damaging thing on the field for the Vols was not having Jackson in the lineup. He’s missed the last three games, including the Memphis game for an earlier suspension. Tennessee defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin feels like Jackson is as important to what the Vols do defensively as Eric Berry, and it’s pretty obvious the last few weeks that Tennessee hasn’t been nearly as good without him on the field. Jackson will be a big key in helping to keep Kentucky’s Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke contained.

7. Defenseless Dogs: Nobody has a short memory in the Georgia camp this week. The Bulldogs were shredded last season by Georgia Tech to the tune of 409 rushing yards in a 45-42 loss in Athens. They get another shot at Paul Johnson’s option offense this Saturday in Atlanta, although there’s not a lot of proof that the Bulldogs are any better equipped to stop the Yellow Jackets. Despite its struggles on defense, Georgia is actually ranked third in the SEC in rushing defense. What’s killing the Georgia defense is its inability to keep teams from scoring. If you eliminate Tennessee Tech and Vanderbilt this season, the Bulldogs are giving up an average of 31.4 points per game.

8. Turning it over in bunches: Georgia is 119^th nationally in turnover ratio. The only team worse is Miami (Ohio). The Bulldogs are minus-18, which includes just eight takeaways and 26 giveaways. David Hale, who covers Georgia for The Macon Telegraph, did some research and discovered that the Bulldogs’ turnover ratio this season is the 11^th worst of any FBS team over the last decade. You knew it was bad, but that’s really putting it into perspective. Of the 10 teams that were worse than Georgia this decade, nobody finished with more than four wins. The Bulldogs have six heading into Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech.

9. McCluster’s race to 1,000: Ole Miss’ Dexter McCluster needs 97 yards this weekend against Mississippi State to get to 1,000 yards rushing for the season. That’s always an impressive milestone in the SEC. But when you consider that McCluster didn’t even have 200 yards heading into the Arkansas game on Oct. 24, it reinforces what an incredible second half of the season the 170-pound senior from Largo, Fla., has enjoyed. He’s been the Player of the Year in the SEC the second half of the season and is averaging 184.7 yards rushing against the last four SEC defenses that he’s faced.

10. Ending droughts: Kentucky has lost 24 straight football games to Tennessee, the longest active losing streak in the country among teams that play every year. South Carolina has lost 10 of its last 12 meetings with Clemson and 16 of the last 21 games in the series. It’s difficult to call either one a rivalry at this point. Tennessee has dominated Kentucky, and Clemson has dominated South Carolina. Is this the year the Wildcats and Gamecocks finally quit becoming the punching bag in the game their fans care most about? We find out on Saturday.