ESPN College Football

Even though being invited to the NFL combine is most direct route to being drafted, it's not necessarily a prerequisite.

Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com lists six guys that weren't invited who still might get drafted. Two of those six are SEC players -- Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton and Florida linebacker Ryan Stamper.

Despite his inconsistency, Crompton has a chance to make it as a third quarterback on a roster, Pasquarelli writes. And even though Stamper doesn't have ideal size for a linebacker, he could be an immediate contributor on special teams.

Some SEC links to munch on:

• Edward Aschoff of The Gainesville Sun wonders if this will be the year Florida finally breaks its defensive tackle curse.
• Alabama says it did due diligence on director of player personnel Ed Marynowitz, who was linked to recruiting violations at Central Florida.
• Former Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton may surprise a few people with his NFL draft projection, writes David Climer of The Tennessean.
• Former Arkansas quarterback Matt Jones has not been overly impressive in his stint with the Bengals.
• With no Alabama and no LSU, the schedule could be turning in Georgia's favor the next two seasons.

Matt Hayes of The Sporting News plays the underrated and overrated game with a few departing college players as they take their shot at pro football.

A couple of SEC players are on his list.

With the NFL combine scheduled for Feb. 24, we're certain to get a few more "underrated/overrated" reports.

But Hayes has Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton as his overrated quarterback and cites Crompton's accuracy problems and all the interceptions he threw during his career (22) as the big reason.

Crompton had no chance to be drafted before his senior season, but blossomed under Lane Kiffin and passed for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2009. For what it's worth, Kiffin was adamant even before Crompton's senior season that he could go as high as the third or fourth round in the draft.

Two other SEC players who were bracketed into the underrated category by Hayes were Tennessee running back Montario Hardesty and Alabama offensive guard Mike Johnson.

Hardesty's a punishing runner with great moves. If he can stay healthy like he did during his senior season, he has a chance to be a very effective NFL runner. Johnson is one of those guys who'll play 12 years in the league. He's smart, tough, physical and plenty athletic for a guard.

Another guy I'd put on the underrated list from the SEC is Vanderbilt cornerback Myron Lewis.

I don't know when he' ll be drafted or what kind of time he'll run at the combine, but he's a big, physical corner who can cover and has great ball skills. His coaches at Vanderbilt felt like he was a better overall pro prospect than D.J. Moore, who went in the fourth round last year to the Chicago Bears.

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)

After creating a stir off the field leading up to his first season on the job, Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin got off to a solid start on the field in his first tour through the SEC.

The Vols (7-5, 4-4) were a couple of disappointing home losses away from being a nine-win team. They’d love to have the UCLA and Auburn games back, where they simply didn’t play their best football. Kiffin was probably a little too conservative with his play-calling in the 19-15 loss to the Bruins, and Monte Kiffin’s defense didn’t have a lot of answers for Gus Malzahn’s spread offense in the 26-22 loss to the Tigers after losing middle linebacker Nick Reveiz the week before.

But during the second half of the season, with the notable exception of the 42-17 blowout loss to Ole Miss, Tennessee played its best football and seemed to get better as a team. Never was that more apparent than senior quarterback Jonathan Crompton’s transformation. He looked rattled during the first month of the season and was an interception machine, but settled down and wound up finishing second in the SEC with 26 touchdown passes.

Monte Kiffin’s defense held up well despite a glut of injuries at linebacker. Kicking woes cost the Vols in several games, in particular the 12-10 loss to Alabama. Tennessee had two field goals blocked in that game, including one as time expired that would have won the game.

If there’s such a thing as a quality loss in the SEC, the Vols had two of them this season against Alabama and Florida. Their best win was a 45-19 pasting of Georgia, but they also get a shot at No. 11 Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Offensive MVP: Montario Hardesty, RB. He’d battled injuries previously during his career and was also under-utilized, but Hardesty put together a sensational senior season with 1,306 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns. He carried the ball a league-high 264 times and didn’t lose a single fumble on a rushing attempt.

Defensive MVP: Eric Berry, S. His interception numbers declined, but that’s due mainly to the fact that the Vols used him in a different role than the previous season. Berry played closer to the line of scrimmage, almost like a linebacker, and finished second among SEC defensive backs with 83 tackles. He’s one of the most complete defensive players in the league.

Turning point: The Vols were 2-3 and coming off a home loss to Auburn when Georgia rolled into town the second week of October. Another home loss would have been devastating, but Tennessee delivered its best performance of the season in 45-19 rout of the Bulldogs and only lost twice more the rest of the way.

What’s next: Several of the seniors who were the backbone of this team are gone, and Berry is also probably gone. He’s projected to be one of the top picks in the NFL draft. Kiffin may also have to fight to keep some of his coaches. Eddie Gran and Frank Wilson have already bolted for other jobs, and there are rumblings that others may follow. The schedule only gets harder next season, and the Vols will be playing with a new quarterback. There's some good young talent in the program, but Kiffin has his work cut out.

We take an afternoon look at what's making headlines in the SEC:

• Alabama coach Nick Saban says running back Mark Ingram will practice Monday, but will be limited after suffering a hip pointer last week against Auburn.
• Randy Rosetta of The Baton Rouge Advocate writes that 9-3 should be good enough for LSU fans.
• Jeff Schultz of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says Georgia coach Mark Richt should end the speculation and make a quick decision on the fate of defensive coordinator Willie Martinez.
• Joe Person of The State newspaper wonders if the young Carolina is the "New Carolina?"
• John Clay of The Lexington Herald-Leader wonders if Kentucky's succession plan is still guaranteed to succeed.
• Houston Nutt and Ole Miss look to regroup after ending the regular season with a disappointing 41-27 loss to Mississippi State.
• Tennessee senior quarterback Jonathan Crompton shakes off the early interception and plays his best in the clutch in the Vols' overtime win over Kentucky.
• Kevin Scarbinsky of The Birmingham News wonders why the Iron Bowl struggle last week didn't drop Alabama in the polls like it did Auburn in 2004.

Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton is the runaway winner for most improved honors in the SEC this season based on where he was in September and where he is right now.

Crompton, a fifth-year senior, heads into Saturday night’s game at Kentucky with 25 touchdown passes, second in the league. During his last seven games, he’s thrown 18 touchdown passes and just three interceptions.

The person least surprised by Crompton’s performance is Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin, who said back in August that he thought Crompton had a chance to be a middle-round selection in the NFL draft.

“I really thought he was going to have a great year,” Kiffin said. “He’s worked so hard. He has all the tools and prepared for this season. I really thought he was going to play great and play as well as anybody in the conference. It’s been great to see this.”

Kiffin said the rough patch Crompton went through in September was more about what was going on around Crompton with all the injuries to receivers and an overall lack of chemistry in the passing game.

“Finally, it calmed down and guys stayed healthy for a little bit, and I think that’s showed,” Kiffin said.

Who’s the best quarterback in the SEC?

There are all sorts of variables to consider when you set out to answer that question, but the best place to start is how a guy has fared against SEC competition.

That said, we've pulled out the numbers of the SEC starting quarterbacks in league games. Only the quarterbacks who started more than half the games are included, which eliminates Kentucky’s Mike Hartline.

Vanderbilt’s Larry Smith was injured in the fifth game, and Mackenzi Adams finished the season for the Commodores.

A few things of interest when you’re looking at these numbers:

• Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett, Tennessee’s Jonathan Crompton, South Carolina’s Stephen Garcia and LSU’s Jordan Jefferson have all gone against both the Alabama and Florida defenses, the top two ranked defenses in the country.

• Florida’s Tim Tebow has eight rushing touchdowns to lead all quarterbacks and has also rushed for 532 yards in SEC games. That said, only Auburn’s Chris Todd (four), Mississippi State’s Tyson Lee (three) and Smith (two) have thrown fewer touchdowns this season in SEC games than Tebow’s seven.

• Georgia’s Joe Cox has thrown the most touchdowns (17), but he’s also thrown the second most interceptions (11). Ole Miss’ Jevan Snead has thrown the most interceptions (12).

• The best touchdown-to-interception ratios belong to Mallett, Alabama’s Greg McElroy and Crompton, in that order. Mallett has 15 touchdowns and four interceptions. McElroy has nine touchdowns and three interceptions, and Crompton has 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. All three players still have one more SEC game remaining this week.

• Mallett, who has 1,962 yards passing against SEC defenses, should surpass the 2,000-yard mark Saturday against LSU.

• Of the guys who’ve played at least seven games, Snead has the lowest completion percentage (51.5).

So, who’s the best quarterback in the SEC? Make up your own mind, but here are the hard numbers (Quarterbacks are listed in order of passing yardage in SEC play):

SEC blogger Chris Low takes a look at the most improved player in the SEC so far this season.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that as we point toward Week 11 in the SEC:

• Florida’s winning streak of 19 games is the longest in the SEC since Auburn won 20 straight from 1993-94. Alabama holds the longest winning streak in the SEC since 1960, winning 28 straight games twice. The Crimson Tide did it from 1978-80 and again from 1991-93.
• Florida has won 17 of the past 18 games against South Carolina with the one loss coming in Columbia four years ago. Steve Spurrier is 1-3 against his former team.
• Mississippi State running back Anthony Dixon is eighth nationally in rushing with an average of 125.1 yards per game, but he’ll have his work cut out for him Saturday. Alabama’s defense hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 29 consecutive games.
• With a win at Mississippi State, Alabama would extend a couple of its NCAA records by (No. 1) starting a season 10-0 for the 17th time and (No. 2) recording its 22nd winning streak of 10 or more games.
• Alabama coach Nick Saban has never won 10 or more games in back-to-back seasons as a head coach. That changes with a win over Mississippi State on Saturday night in Starkville.
• Alabama sophomore running back Mark Ingram is tied for second nationally with 38 rushes of 10 yards or more and has nine receptions of 10 yards or more for a total of 47 plays of 10 yards or more. Of Ingram’s 199 touches (175 rushes, 24 receptions), almost a quarter (23.6 percent) have gone for at least 10 yards.
• Ingram has gained 752 of his 1,364 rushing/receiving yards after contact this season, accounting for 55.1 percent of his total yards. He reeled off a season-best 167 total yards after contact against South Carolina on 24 rushes and two receptions. He also broke the 100-yard barrier on yards after contact against Virginia Tech (115) and LSU (107) and got close at Ole Miss (95).
• Over its last four games, Alabama has kicked 14 field goals and scored only four offensive touchdowns (two last week against LSU). In those games, the Crimson Tide have managed just one touchdown in 12 red zone trips. For the season, Alabama ranks 116th nationally in red zone touchdown percentage (41 percent).
• Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett has 2,477 passing yards and needs 152 yards Saturday against Troy to break Clint Stoerner’s school record for most passing yards in a season. Mallett also has 123 pass attempts without an interception and is 12 attempts away from breaking Stoerner’s mark, which was set during the 1997 and 1998 seasons.
• Vanderbilt’s Warren Norman needs 110 more yards to break Herschel Walker’s SEC freshman record of 1,805 all-purpose yards in a season. Walker set the record almost 30 years ago – 1980.
• LSU has a nation’s best 22-game win streak against nonconference opponents. The Tigers’ last nonconference loss was to Iowa in the 2005 Capital One Bowl. LSU has also won 27 consecutive nonconference games at home.
• Returning punts has been a nightmare for Auburn, which ranks 114^th out of 120 teams nationally with a 3.8-yard average. The Tigers have used five different players back deep to return punts and have six fumble/muffs this season, three of those leading to turnovers.
• Auburn sophomore receiver Darvin Adams has 10 catches for 183 yards and four touchdowns in his last two games. He leads the SEC with nine touchdown catches.
• Tennessee senior quarterback Jonathan Crompton leads the SEC with 21 touchdown passes. The only other players in Tennessee history to have thrown more touchdown passes in a season are Peyton Manning (36 in 1997 and 22 in 1995), Eric Ainge (31 in 2007), Heath Shuler (25 in 1993) and Casey Clausen (27 in 2003 and 22 in 2001).

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

It’s that time of week again we all look forward to. Who’s hot and who’s not in the SEC?:

En Fuego

Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton: He’s gone from getting death threats a year ago to leading the SEC with 21 touchdown passes this season. Crompton has been a different player for the Vols. He’s playing with confidence and precision, and the players around him are playing a lot better, too. He threw five touchdown passes last week in the 56-28 win over Memphis and set a school record for most passing yards in a half with 305 of his 331 yards in the first half. Not even Peyton Manning threw for that many yards in one half when he was at Tennessee. Crompton has thrown 12 touchdown passes and just two interceptions in his last four games and is playing the kind of football everybody in Knoxville envisioned when he came out of Waynesville, N.C., five years ago as one of the most highly rated prep quarterbacks in the country.

Hot

Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett: Another SEC quarterback who’s red-hot right now, Mallett was 23-of-27 for 329 yards last week in the 33-16 win over South Carolina. He’s gone 121 pass attempts without an interception.

Not

Vanderbilt’s offense: Mackenzi Adams is now running the show at quarterback with Larry Smith out injured, but it didn’t make much difference against Florida. The Commodores haven’t scored more than 10 points in an SEC game all season.

Hot

Alabama coach Nick Saban: He’s not only hot about all the grumbling going on about the officiating. He sounds downright steamed and says it’s about time somebody stood up for the officials in this league.

Not

South Carolina’s running game: The Gamecocks are last in the league in rushing offense, averaging 121.6 yards per game. They’ve been held to 65 yards or less in three of their last four games and don’t scare anybody running the football.

Hot

SEC assistants: Get ready to hear a few names of SEC assistants popping up as possibilities as head coaching jobs come open. LSU’s Larry Porter may be in play at Memphis and Kentucky’s Steve Brown at Western Kentucky. Auburn’s Gus Malzahn will also be a commodity, and maybe this is the year that Florida’s Charlie Strong finally gets his shot.

Not

Title game drama: Just like last year, there won’t be much drama down the stretch about who’s going to play for the SEC championship. Alabama and Florida have already locked up their trips to Atlanta. Can they lock up more?

Hot

Auburn receiver Darvin Adams: He leads the SEC with nine touchdown catches, including four in his last two games. Adams has 10 catches for 183 yards the last two weeks and is making a strong push for first-team All-SEC honors at receiver.

Not

Instant replay: Remember when everybody was all giddy about instant replay being added in college football and how it was supposed to eliminate all the controversy? Ask Dan Mullen and Les Miles how they feel about that.

Ice, Ice Baby

SEC love: If you haven’t noticed, they’re not real fond of the SEC in other parts of the country. The growing sentiment is that there are two legitimate powerhouses in the league and that everybody else is overrated. And if you look at this week’s BCS standings, there are more Big East teams in the Top 25 than SEC teams. Now you can spin that any way you want depending on which side of the fence you sit. But the bottom line is that the SEC’s in prime position to play for its fourth straight BCS national championship and its fifth in the last seven years. You think the outcry (or jealousy) is at fever pitch now? Watch what happens if a one-loss SEC champion manages to navigate its way into the BCS National Championship Game over an unbeaten TCU, Cincinnati or Boise State.

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.