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John L. Smith might not have given his introductory press conference as Arkansas’ interim coach Tuesday without stern advice from his wife, Diana.

“She said, ‘Here’s the deal. You’re going back to people that love you and back to a team that is a good football team and you have a chance to fight for a national championship,’" Smith said. “She said, ‘You’ve done this your entire life and this might be the only chance you have left.’ So she said, ‘You’re going back!’ And here I am.”

The man known for his offseason skydiving endeavors and running with the bulls in Pamplona actually needed a little extra push.

So after struggling with the decision to leave Weber State, his alma mater, just four months after accepting the head-coaching job, Smith, 63, decided to get in touch with Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long shortly after Long fired Bobby Petrino on April 10. From there, it was a match made in 10-month heaven.

“Today, I firmly believe we’ve hired a coach that will serve in the best interest of our student-athletes and the university, both in the upcoming season and in helping us shape the long-term future of our program,” Long said just before he introduced Smith. “There’s no question it’s the best decision for this team, for the 2012 season.”

And that’s exactly what Smith is in Fayetteville for -- this team.

Long made it clear that this hire was made on an interim basis because it will create a better time frame for “attracting candidates we would expect for one of the nation’s premier college football head-coaching positions.”

Arkansas brought in Smith, who coached special teams for the Razorbacks for the past three years and has worked with eight Arkansas assistants, in order to keep this team together. This was a very comfortable hire for Long, and it showed with just how comfortable Smith was when he referred to stud running back Knile Davis as “Ka-Nile” at his presser.

You don’t intentionally botch a star’s name without having some clout.

This hire was made to keep from losing this team if an outsider arrived. This hire was made to bring a familiar face to a team that didn’t want change to interfere with all the talent it had.

This hire was made to win now and worry about the future along the way.

“Our expectations here are still the same,” Smith said. “Nothing’s going to slow down. In fact, we’re going to speed up. Our expectations are that were going to go ahead and we’re going to battle and we’re going to fight for a national title.

“Let’s make it a special year.”

Smith will look to make it a special year by avoiding much change. He isn’t looking to completely take over Arkansas’ program. He’ll have veto power, but as he put it, he’ll let his “coordinators coordinate.”

He’ll work with the defense and special teams, but he’ll let offensive coordinator Paul Petrino and the other offensive coaches do their jobs without much interference.

No need to get in the way of a team filled with offensive fun and Heisman Trophy candidates like Davis and quarterback Tyler Wilson.

Smith sees himself as “a mentor,” “an adviser,” and “a minor decision-maker.

“I have all the confidence in the world in what’s going to take place and I know these coaches,” he said. “… We have good coaches and I’m not going to goof them up.”

Smith’s 40 years of coaching experience, including 18 as a head coach, were certainly factors in Long’s decision, but the fact that Smith is familiar and knows what will be expected in such a short amount of time was exactly what Long wanted and felt his program needed.

However, there is uncertainty. Most of lies in what will happen in 2013. It doesn’t sound like Long is looking at Smith as a long-term option, but Smith didn’t rule out that he might throw his hat in the ring if he succeeds this fall. But recruits will likely be a little stumped as well.

What exactly will coaches tell recruits? Will any of the coaches on this current staff be there next year? What will change if/when another coach comes in?

There isn’t much Smith or any of his coaches can say, but Smith assures he’ll sell the school, the program and the coaches, all in that order.

“We’re going to do everything that we can do to sell every guy that we think can play -- every player out there -- to come out, take a look at this institution,” Smith said. “… This is a top-10 program. Program, not individual. So that’s the way that we’re going to approach it.”

And a winning season should definitely help. There’s no question about it, but the first sign of danger could turn recruits off, making things rather awkward. Things could also get awkward if this experiment doesn’t work. Not getting to 10 wins could reek of failure because Smith was brought in to win now -- not in 11 months.

There certainly is risk in this hire, but players and administrators are convinced this was the right decision, so they hope those around them will jump on board. Smith made it clear that this program can't proceed further without its fans, like the record 45,250 who showed up for the spring game.

“We just have to continue on,” he said. “Let’s get more excited. Let’s lock it up together and trudge on. We have to make it a special season. We have to embrace the adversity -- I said we’re going to be better because of it -- and we’re moving on.

“Fans, come on out.”

Oh, they will … ready for wins.

It sounds like Arkansas is going to take its time in deciding where it goes from here, and that’s another good call by athletic director Jeff Long.

There’s no reason to rush at this point.

You’ve got a proven, veteran staff, one the players feel comfortable with, and they’ve all been pointing toward the same thing: Breaking through in the Western Division and winning an SEC championship.

The most interesting dynamic concerning the staff at this point is whether or not Paul Petrino will hang around. Paul Petrino is the younger brother of Bobby Petrino, and that’s sure to be a delicate situation with Bobby on the outside looking in now.

Still, Long has said he hopes Paul will remain, which would be a bonus for the Hogs on offense. Bobby ran that show, called the plays and put the plan together each week.

Paul would be the closest thing to an extension of Bobby.

The hard part with bringing somebody else in right now is that guy would certainly want to assemble his own staff.

What’s more, how many established coaches are going to want to leave their current players high and dry at this point?

Unless Long can find exactly what he’s looking for in the next few weeks and find a coach he thinks is the long-term answer, it makes sense to stick with the current staff.

Either way, the 2012 season is going to be a monumental challenge for the Hogs, who have the talent to fight through this ordeal no matter what the staff makeup looks like in the fall.

Linebackers coach Taver Johnson will stay in charge through the remainder of spring practice, which concludes on April 21.

But after that, the spotlight is back on Long.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, who was involved in a motorcycle accident on Sunday night.

According to Arkansas state police, it was a single-vehicle crash that occurred when the motorcycle Petrino was driving left the road. Petrino was taken to a hospital for treatment and kept overnight.

Arkansas officials are working on a statement. The crash occurred about 23 miles southeast of Fayetteville.

In talking to several in and around the Arkansas program, the good news is that it doesn't sound like Petrino's injuries were life-threatening. Still, there's going to be some recovery time involved, although Petrino's the type that he's not going to stay away for too long.

The other thing that helps is that Petrino's younger brother, Paul, is back on the staff as offensive coordinator and knows exactly what Bobby wants. There shouldn't be any confusion there.

Gene Chizik couldn’t wait to leave Atlanta.

Shortly after speaking with the media at the Chick-fil-A Bowl news conference inside the fast food chain’s headquarters, Chizik went straight into overdrive getting back to Auburn for meetings and practice.

He wasn’t necessarily having a bad time being surrounded by the aroma of chicken sandwiches and milkshakes, but he was on a schedule that was shorter than usual with his new job as both head coach and defensive coordinator for the Tigers.

Days before, Ted Roof left to take a similar job at Central Florida, so Chizik, who has 11 years of defensive coordinating experience, took over the position through bowl season.

“I did that for so many years,” Chizik said of coaching Auburn’s defense. “You just kind of jump back on the horse and get back at it.”

Still, with time management and time constraints being just two things changing for Chizik, you could imagine there’s a little more stress in the Chizik household these days.

Bowl anxiety is truly setting in and his double duty act will really be put to the test Saturday night against Virginia.

While Chizik might be stressing more than usual, his players aren’t. Sophomore defensive end Nosa Eguae said things are relatively the same for players. To him, the defense hasn’t changed much when it comes to preparation, and Chizik’s defensive knowledge has made the short transition easy.

“He has a great football mind,” Eguae said. “Anytime we’re in a meeting, everybody gets it and understands it.

“I love it. There are people who can balance the two of being head coach and defensive coordinator and he’s great at what he does.”

The only real difference, outside of not seeing Roof overlooking the defense, is Chizik’s demeanor. Eguae said Chizik’s defensive passion is glowing, and it can get a little intimidating.

“When he’s focusing more on the defense you can see that intensity in his eyes and hear it in his voice,” Eguae said. “I love it.”

Auburn isn’t the only team dealing with change. Arkansas has welcomed in a new offensive and defensive coordinator in Paul Petrino and Paul Haynes. Florida lost offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, who is now the head coach at Kansas, and temporarily promoted running backs coach Brian White.

No one was probably more caught off guard by change than Florida’s players. Weis said weeks before taking the Kansas job that he expected to be in Gainesville for the long haul. But his abrupt exit left players shocked.

While Florida struggled tremendously on offense this season, White said he wants to keep some order by maintaining the same offensive philosophy. There will be some tweaks, but plays and formations should be relatively the same.

“It’s pretty much status quo. This is what our players know,” White said. “This is what we’ve coached all year. We can’t all of the sudden go and do something out of the box in a couple weeks. That would be foolish.”

Unlike Auburn and Florida, Arkansas’ coordinators are locked into next season.

Petrino is very familiar with the Hogs. Not only is his big brother the head coach, but he was also on staff in 2008 and 2009. Even with Garrick McGee now UAB’s head coach, Arkansas’ offense shouldn’t change much under Petrino, but he does have some big shoes to fill.

Haynes, who takes over for Willy Robinson, left Ohio State to work in a conference where defense truly is king. Arkansas’ defense took an unexpected step back in 2011, ranking no higher than eighth in the SEC in major defensive categories.

In order to keep things easier for defenders, Robinson isn’t changing much, either, and plans to show a multiple defense attack.

While it isn’t always easy to say goodbye to a coach, these replacements appear to be making life better. Limiting the thought process seems to be the recipe for smooth transitions.

“There’s not going to be a lot of thinking come Saturday,” Eguae said.

It’s that time of year in the SEC with coaches coming and going.

Ole Miss is the only school to have a head coaching change. Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt have yet to have any changes on their staffs.

Here’s an update of who’s in and who’s out at each school:

ALABAMA

OUT

• Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Jim McElwain left to take the Colorado State head coaching job.

ARKANSAS

OUT

• Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee left to take the UAB head coaching job.
• Defensive coordinator Willy Robinson wasn’t retained.
• Special teams coordinator/outside linebackers coach John L. Smith left to take the Weber State head coaching job.

IN

• Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Paul Petrino was hired from Illinois.
• Defensive coordinator Paul Haynes was hired from Ohio State.

AUBURN

OUT

• Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Gus Malzahn left to take the Arkansas State head coaching job.
• Defensive coordinator Ted Roof left to take the UCF defensive coordinator’s job.

FLORIDA

OUT

• Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Charlie Weis left to take the Kansas head coaching job.

KENTUCKY

OUT

• Co-defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach Steve Brown wasn’t retained.

OLE MISS

OUT

• Head coach Houston Nutt and his staff weren’t retained.

IN

• Head coach Hugh Freeze was hired from Arkansas State, where he was the head coach.
• Defensive coordinator/safeties coach Dave Wommack was hired from Arkansas State.
• Defensive line coach Chris Kiffin was hired from Arkansas State.
• Linebackers coach Tom Allen was hired from Arkansas State.
• Recruiting coordinator/tight ends coach Maurice Harris was hired from Arkansas State.
• Offensive line coach Matt Luke was hired from Duke.

SOUTH CAROLINA

OUT

• Running backs coach Jay Graham left for a job as running backs coach at Tennessee.

TENNESSEE

OUT

• Assistant head coach/receivers coach Charlie Baggett wasn’t retained.
• Special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Eric Russell left to take a job on the Washington State staff.

IN

• Running backs coach Jay Graham was hired from South Carolina.

ARKANSAS

Record: 10-2, 6-2 SEC

In any other conference, Arkansas might be sporting a championship ring right now and making plans for a BCS bowl.

But Alabama and LSU also reside in the SEC’s rugged Western Division, and the Hogs didn’t have any answers for either one of those clubs this season. They lost 38-14 to Alabama the fourth week of the season and 41-17 to LSU in the regular-season finale.

The margin of those two losses was disappointing, but it wasn’t a disappointing season.

The Hogs won 10 games for the second straight season, the first time they’d done that since the old Southwest Conference days in 1988 and 1989.

Junior Tyler Wilson stepped in for Ryan Mallett at quarterback, and the Hogs’ offense was as potent as ever. They missed running back Knile Davis, who fractured his ankle in the preseason, but Dennis Johnson came back from his own injury in 2010 to finish second in the SEC with 1,351 all-purpose yards.

It didn’t go as well as planned on defense. Whereas Arkansas made significant strides on defense from 2009 to 2010, it went the other way this season. The Hogs were hurt by injuries to defensive ends Jake Bequette and Tenarius Wright and gave up 28 or more points in six of their 12 games.

In their two losses to Alabama and LSU, they gave up a total of 79 points, although two of the touchdowns they allowed came on punt returns.

Offensive MVP: Receiver Jarius Wright. One of the Hogs’ senior leaders, Wright took his game to new heights this season and broke a ton of records along the way. He set school records with 63 catches and 1,029 receiving yards and led the SEC with 11 touchdown catches. He also set an Arkansas single-game record with 281 receiving yards against Texas A&M.

Defensive MVP: Linebacker Jerry Franklin. Watching an Arkansas game without Franklin next season will be weird. For the fourth straight season, he led the Hogs in total tackles with 93, including 10 for loss. Franklin, who’s made 30 consecutive starts, also returned a fumble 94 yards for a touchdown against Vanderbilt that was the difference in that game.

Turning point: Coming off the 24-point beating at Alabama, Arkansas found itself trailing Texas A&M 35-17 at the half the next week and its season teetering. But the Hogs came charging back in the second half behind Wilson’s school-record 510 passing yards to win 42-38 and ignite a seven-game winning streak.

What’s next: The Hogs will spend the postseason in a familiar locale and face No. 8 Kansas State on Jan. 6 in the AT&T Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas. It’s a chance to get to 11 wins, something the Hogs haven’t done since 1977, which was Lou Holtz’s first season in Fayetteville. Arkansas’ staff will look a lot different next season. Coach Bobby Petrino fired defensive coordinator Willy Robinson earlier this week, while offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee (UAB) and special-teams coordinator John L. Smith (Weber State) both left for head-coaching jobs. Petrino has already replaced McGee with his younger brother, Paul Petrino, who’s returning to Arkansas after spending the past two seasons at Illinois and will coach the Hogs in the bowl game.

Paul Petrino is back with his brother, Bobby Petrino, at Arkansas.

With offensive coordinator Garrick McGee leaving the Hogs for the head-coaching job at UAB, it didn't take Bobby Petrino long to fill McGee's spot. He put in a call to his younger brother, who was at Arkansas in 2008 and 2009 before going to Illinois to call plays for Ron Zook.

The Petrino brothers had coached together for seven years before Paul took the Illinois job. The reason he left Arkansas was to get out from under his brother's shadow and try to better position himself for a head-coaching job. Paul Petrino coached receivers during his first stint at Arkansas, but he's also previously coached quarterbacks.

Here’s a Western Division breakdown of who’s out and who’s in for the 2010 season. Auburn was the only team in the league without any turnover:

ALABAMA

Who’s out: Associate head coach/linebackers coach James Willis

Who’s in: Alabama coach Nick Saban promoted Jeremy Pruitt from director of player development to fill the vacancy left by Willis, who went to Texas Tech to be Tommy Tuberville’s defensive coordinator. Pruitt had been Alabama’s director of player development for the last three seasons and coached at Hoover High School just outside Birmingham prior to that.

ARKANSAS

Who’s out: Offensive coordinator/receivers coach Paul Petrino, assistant head coach/offensive line coach Mike Summers and defensive ends coach Kirk Botkin.

Who’s in: Garrick McGee was promoted to offensive coordinator after Paul Petrino left to take the Illinois offensive coordinator’s job. Kris Cinkovich will coach receivers after spending the last six seasons coaching receivers at UNLV. Steve Caldwell, who was out of coaching last season, will coach ends. Caldwell was on Phillip Fulmer’s staff at Tennessee for 14 seasons. Chris Klenakis will coach offensive line after coming over from Nevada.

LSU

Who’s out: Assistant head coach/running backs coach Larry Porter, receivers coach D.J. McCarthy and tight ends/recruiting coordinator Don Yanowsky.

Who’s in: Frank Wilson, who was at Tennessee last season, will coach the running backs and serve as recruiting coordinator. Billy Gonzales will coach receivers and serve as the passing game coordinator. Gonzales spent the last five seasons at Florida. Steve Ensminger, a former quarterback at LSU, will coach tight ends. He spent last season coaching high school football, but was at Auburn the six seasons prior to that and has also coached at Georgia, Clemson and Texas A&M.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

Who’s out: Defensive coordinator Carl Torbush and defensive line coach David Turner.

Who’s in: Manny Diaz will be the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator and also coach linebackers. He was the defensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee State the previous four seasons. Chris Wilson will serve as co-defensive coordinator and coach the defensive line. He spent the last five seasons coaching the defensive line at Oklahoma.

OLE MISS

Who’s out: Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kent Austin.

Who’s in: Dave Rader will coach quarterbacks and take over as co-offensive coordinator for Austin, who left to take the head-coaching job at Cornell. Rader was out of coaching the last three seasons, but was the offensive coordinator at Alabama under Mike Shula from 2003 to 2006. He was also the head coach at Tulsa from 1988 to 1999. Rader will share the coordinator duties with Mike Markuson, who was promoted by Houston Nutt and will also continue to coach the offensive line.

Arkansas' coaching staff looks a little different than it did at the end of the regular season.

The newest addition to the staff is former Nevada offensive coordinator Chris Klenakis, who will coach the offensive line. He replaces Mike Summers, who left to join Joker Phillips' staff at Kentucky.

All told, the Hogs have three new assistants. Steve Caldwell will coach defensive ends and Kris Cinkovich will coach receivers.

Garrick McGee's not a new face on the staff, but he was promoted to offensive coordinator after Paul Petrino left to take the offensive coordinator job at Illinois.

With Florida, Georgia and Mississippi State all looking for defensive coordinators and Arkansas recently promoting Garrick McGee to offensive coordinator to replace Paul Petrino, I thought it would be interesting to see what the offensive and defensive coordinators (the guys who call the plays) made this year in the SEC.

These numbers are according to a recent USA Today study on coaching salaries in college football.

It’s worth noting that Petrino will make $475,000 as offensive coordinator at Illinois. The only assistant coaches in the SEC who made more than that this year were Tennessee defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and Tennessee assistant head coach/recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron.

Vanderbilt’s salary figures weren’t available. Also, South Carolina doesn’t have an offensive coordinator, but passing game coordinator Steve Spurrier Jr. called a lot of the plays, so he’s listed.

OFFENSE

Gary Crowton, LSU: $469,917

Jim Chaney, Tennessee: $380,000

Jim McElwain, Alabama: $360,150

Gus Malzahn, Auburn: $350,000

Mike Bobo, Georgia: $325,600

Joker Phillips, Kentucky: $323,460

Paul Petrino, Arkansas: $308,000

Kent Austin, Ole Miss: $300,000

Les Koenning, Mississippi State: $250,000

Steve Addazio, Florida: $210,000

Steve Spurrier Jr., South Carolina: $209,000

DEFENSE

Monte Kiffin, Tennessee: $1.2 million

John Chavis, LSU: $450,000

Willy Robinson, Arkansas: $378,238

Ted Roof, Auburn: $370,000

Kirby Smart, Alabama: $369,350

Tyrone Nix, Ole Miss: $365,500

Ellis Johnson, South Carolina: $359,300

Willie Martinez, Georgia: $327,415

Steve Brown, Kentucky: $315,100

Charlie Strong, Florida: $310,000

Carl Torbush, Mississippi State: $260,000

You think a few offensive coordinators around the SEC perked up when they heard what Paul Petrino was going to be making at Illinois?

Petrino, who left Arkansas to take the Illinois offensive coordinator's job, received a two-year deal worth $475,000 per year.

That’s more than any offensive coordinator in this league is making, and in a lot of cases, $100,000 or more than what SEC offensive coordinators are making.

Make no mistake. It’s a gamble for Petrino. Illinois faces a win-or-else season next year, or Ron Zook will almost certainly be out of there. But Petrino does have a two-year deal, and it’s also a chance for him to call plays.

Getting out from under his older brother’s shadow and calling his own plays was probably something he needed to do if he’s going to get a head-coaching job.

The younger Petrino certainly did a nice job with the Arkansas receivers. The threesome of Greg Childs, Joe Adams and Jarius Wright -- all sophomores -- combined to catch 18 touchdown passes this season.

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino didn't have to look far to find a replacement for his brother.

Garrick McGee has been promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator, Petrino announced Monday. McGee takes over for Paul Petrino, who left to become the offensive coordinator at Illinois.

"Garrick McGee is one of the top young college football coaches in the country,” said Bobby Petrino, who calls the plays at Arkansas. “He came to Arkansas after a successful tenure as the offensive coordinator at Northwestern. His accomplishments as an assistant coach, including as an offensive coordinator in the Big Ten, demonstrates his ability and his outstanding leadership.

"I want to thank my brother, Paul, for his hard work and dedication to the Razorbacks the past two years. He feels like this move will help him achieve his professional goals. I have always supported my brother, and will continue to do so. I wish him the best of luck. Our search to fill the vacant position on our staff begins immediately.”

McGee has served the last two seasons as quarterbacks coach for the Razorbacks where he has been instrumental in the development of Ryan Mallett. Under McGee’s guidance, Mallett led the SEC in passing, pass efficiency, touchdown passes and total offense in 2009 along with setting or matching 16 different school records. In addition, Arkansas quarterbacks have combined to pass for a school record 3,640 yards in 2009.

Coordinators are coming, going and being wooed in the SEC at a dizzying rate.

At this point, it’s difficult to find a team in the league that hasn’t been affected.

The latest one on the move is Mississippi State defensive coordinator Carl Torbush, who’s going to Kansas to be Turner Gill’s defensive coordinator. Torbush was at Mississippi State for one season under Dan Mullen. This will be Torbush’s six different job as a defensive coordinator in college football. He’s also been a head coach at both North Carolina and Louisiana Tech.

Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain has talked with San Jose State about its head coaching opening, and Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart is one of the hottest coaching commodities in the league.

Georgia coach Mark Richt fired defensive coordinator Willie Martinez earlier this month, and the Bulldogs had Smart at the top of their list. But it looks like Smart, the Broyles Award winner, is staying put for the time being.

The reality is that Smart is going to be in line for a bunch of head coaching opportunities in the next year or two.

Ole Miss defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix met with Florida coach Urban Meyer last week and was offered the Gators’ defensive coordinator’s job after Charlie Strong left to take the Louisville head job. But Nix decided to stay at Ole Miss, where he will receive a raise.

Nix’s name had also come up in the Georgia defensive coordinator talk. Two others to watch there are longtime Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster and Kansas State defensive coordinator Vic Koenning, who was previously at Clemson under Tommy Bowden.

Arkansas offensive coordinator and receivers coach Paul Petrino will be introduced as Illinois’ new offensive coordinator later Monday. Petrino, who received a raise and multiyear deal, will call plays at Illinois, whereas his brother, Bobby, called the Hogs’ plays.

South Carolina running game coordinator and offensive line coach Eric Wolford is leaving the Gamecocks after just one season to take the Youngstown State head coaching job.

It looks like the Petrino brothers are parting ways.

Paul Petrino, Arkansas' offensive coordinator and receivers coach, is expected to join Ron Zook's staff at Illinois. JC Shurburtt of ESPN's Scouts Inc. and The (Champaign) News-Gazette have both reported that Illinois is set to name Petrino as offensive coordinator.

Petrino is the younger brother of Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino. They've worked together since 2003 when Bobby Petrino was named the head coach at Louisville.

At Illinois, Paul Petrino would step in for Mike Schultz, one of four assistants fired last week. The Illinois job would also be a chance for Paul Petrino to call plays, whereas Bobby Petrino calls his own plays at Arkansas.

Some SEC links to munch on the day before Turkey Day:

• Florida linebacker A.J. Jones is out for this weekend's Florida State game with an MCL sprain.

• Despite new faces in key places, Alabama's offense has been even better in 2009.

• Auburn's players are still motivated by last season's 36-0 Iron Bowl beatdown by Alabama.

• Ole Miss offensive tackle Bradley Sowell cools some of the critics with his play last week against LSU.

• Georgia's Mark Richt: "We're not dead yet."

• The Vols welcome back freshman safety Janzen Jackson with open arms.

• It's a two-man race on who's the top player in the state of Mississippi - Dexter McCluster or Anthony Dixon - writes Rick Cleveland of The Jackson Clarion-Ledger.

• Arkansas could be growing up at just the right time, according to offensive coordinator Paul Petrino.