ESPN College Football

We’ve picked nearly 100 football games this season, and we’re dead even.

I’m 83-14 for a .856 percentage, and so is my soccer-loving colleague, Edward Aschoff. You know him best as the ATL Kid.

There was a time, not long ago, that he held a three-game lead. Something says you’re already well aware of that given how much he crowed about it.

But that was then, and this is now.

It’s bowl season, meaning it’s time to separate the pretenders from the contenders … and the rookies from the veterans.

Edward has fought the good fight. He’s learned not to pick his alma mater, Florida, every week, and he’s not basing his picks solely on how his Xbox games turn out anymore.

Hey, he’s picked enough games now that he’s no longer a rookie. We don’t use youth as an excuse on the SEC blog like some coaches in this league have been known to do.

We’ll kick off our picks with the non-BCS bowls and will come back in a week or so with our prediction in the Allstate BCS National Championship Game.

Enough talking, though. It’s showtime:

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl (Dec. 30)

Mississippi State (6-6) vs. Wake Forest (6-6)

Edward Aschoff: The Bulldogs didn't exactly have the year they expected, as offensive-line injuries and offensive inefficiency doomed them. They also enter this one with quarterback issues. Wake Forest started hot, but lost four of its final five, including a 41-7 defeat to Vanderbilt. Mississippi State's defense surprised most this year and will be the difference. ... Mississippi State 20, Wake Forest 17

Chris Low: Both teams just did squeeze into the postseason, but Wake Forest was really wobbling there at the end. The Deacons' only victories since the second week of October came over Duke and Maryland. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, were playing their best defense when the regular season ended, and that will be the difference in Nashville. … Mississippi State 31, Wake Forest 17

AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Dec. 31)

Cincinnati (9-3) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6)

Edward Aschoff: Vandy enters its first bowl game since 2008 with some nice momentum. James Franklin has turned the Commodores into a pretty tough team with some attitude. It looks like the Bearcats will have starting quarterback Zach Collaros back from his broken ankle, but while Cincinnati won a share of the Big East championship, this Vandy defense will be too jacked up and aggressive for the Bearcats. ... Vanderbilt 27, Cincinnati 21

Chris Low: It looks like Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros will be back for the bowl game after breaking his ankle in November. The Commodores’ defense will be ready no matter who lines up under center, and an improved Vanderbilt offense will make enough big plays to carve out only the third bowl victory in school history. … Vanderbilt 28, Cincinnati 24

Chick-fil-A Bowl (Dec. 31)

Virginia (8-4) vs. Auburn (7-5)

Edward Aschoff: These teams mirrored each other at times this season. Both won close games and were loaded with youth. However, Auburn's youngsters hit the wall at the midpoint of the season, while Virginia almost made the ACC title game. Coach Gene Chizik is now coaching Auburn's very subpar defense and star running back Michael Dyer is suspended. Advantage Cavaliers. ... Virginia 31, Auburn 17

Chris Low: It’s been hectic around the Plains lately. Defensive coordinator Ted Roof left for the same job at UCF, meaning Gene Chizik is running the defense for the time being. Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn is leaving for the Arkansas State head job after the bowl, and the Tigers’ only consistent offensive threat during the season, sophomore running back Michael Dyer, is suspended. The Cavaliers smell blood in the water, but Chizik loses bowl games about as often as he loses close games. … Auburn 27, Virginia 21

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl (Jan. 2)

Ohio State (6-6) vs. Florida (6-6)

Edward Aschoff: All anyone will be talking about in this one is Urban Meyer ... and he isn't even coaching. His former team (Florida) takes on his future team (Ohio State). Both teams really struggled on offense this season, but the Gators' defense ranks ninth nationally. Florida should be motivated to play the Buckeyes, but even with a new man calling the offensive shots, nothing tells us the offense will look any different. ... Ohio State 20, Florida 13

Chris Low: There’s no truth to the rumor that Urban Meyer will conduct the coin toss. In fact, he’s not even supposed to be at the game. He will be in spirit, though. Both teams have had forgettable seasons, although the Gators’ defense deserved better. At the end of the day, it’s Ohio State vs. an SEC team in a bowl game, and we all know how that movie ends. … Florida 21, Ohio State 17

Outback Bowl (Jan. 2)

Michigan State (10-3) vs. Georgia (10-3)

Edward Aschoff: The Bulldogs were one of the hottest teams in the country before getting blasted by LSU in the SEC championship game. Michigan State was also a victory away from the Rose Bowl. Both sport top-five defenses and fun offenses. This one could be one of the top bowl games of the year and should come down to the very end with Georgia squeaking by. ... Georgia 27, Michigan State 24

Chris Low: If you like rock-solid defense, this is your game. Georgia is ranked No. 3 nationally in total defense, Michigan State No. 5. The question is: Which offense can find a way to move the ball and score some points? The Spartans averaged 38.6 points over their final five games, and the Kirk Cousins-to-B.J. Cunningham connection was lethal. But Aaron Murray has an array of targets and will use them all in this game. … Georgia 30, Michigan State 21

Capital One Bowl (Jan. 2)

Nebraska (9-3) vs. South Carolina (10-2)

Edward Aschoff: The Gamecocks haven't been very good in bowl games, losing three straight. While Nebraska had its own bowl issues last year, barely showing up in the Holiday Bowl. Both teams really know how to run the ball, but South Carolina's defense has fed on offenses for most of the year. With all those athletes up front, the Gamecocks will end their postseason woes against the Huskers. ... South Carolina 27, Nebraska 20

Chris Low: It’s always risky to pick the Gamecocks in a bowl game, especially when you consider that they’ve lost their past three and didn’t come close to playing a decent game in any of the three. But the Head Ball Coach is doing things at South Carolina that have never been done before, and he has a defense that’s capable of dominating games. The Gamecocks will find a way to grind it out and accomplish another first – winning 11 games in a season. … South Carolina 24, Nebraska 20

AT&T Cotton Bowl (Jan. 6)

Kansas State (10-2) vs. Arkansas (10-2)

Edward Aschoff: Both of these squads looked BCS-worthy, but didn't make it to the party. Still, this game should have people glued to their TV sets. The Razorbacks and the Wildcats know how to move the ball, while their defenses had a lot of bend in them this year. There shouldn't be any shortage of points, but if this one turns into a shootout, Arkansas is better equipped when it comes to talent. ... Arkansas 34, Kansas State 28

Chris Low: Both of these teams feel like they should be playing in a BCS bowl game, although it doesn’t get much better than Cowboys Stadium and the Cotton Bowl. The Hogs’ big problem this season was that they happened to be in the same division as Alabama and LSU. Kansas State was one of the surprise stories of the college football season, but the Wildcats won’t be able to keep up with the Hogs. … Arkansas 38, Kansas State 24

The regular-season grades are in for the Auburn Tigers, who face Virginia on New Year’s Eve in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

OFFENSE: C-

What a difference a year makes. Better yet, what a difference Cam Newton made. We all knew Newton was a difference-maker and a special player. But after watching him sparkle as a rookie with the Carolina Panthers and watching Auburn struggle just to make a first down for much of this season, it’s obvious how much the Tigers missed him. Other than sophomore tailback Michael Dyer, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards for the second straight season, Auburn never found anything to hang its hat on offensively. And, now, Dyer is suspended indefinitely after violating team policy. The Tigers averaged just 24.2 points per game after leading the league in 2010 with an average of 41.2 points per game. They juggled three different quarterbacks, never established any kind of downfield passing game and gave up 31 sacks in 12 games. In their last seven SEC games, they scored more than 17 points only once, and that came against Ole Miss.

DEFENSE: F

Even during their 2010 national championship season, the Tigers weren’t a dominant defense. But they made plays when they had to, particularly in the fourth quarter, and rose to the challenge in the BCS National Championship Game. With so many of the key pieces from that defense gone, the Tigers went from an opportunistic defense to a bad defense and didn’t stop much of anybody this season. They were a poor tackling team and gave up more than 1,600 yards in total offense in their first three games, which sort of set the tone. They did hold South Carolina to 13 points and Florida to six points in wins. But LSU, Georgia and Alabama all ripped through Auburn for more than 40 points in what was an ugly end to the regular season for the Tigers. It didn’t take defensive coordinator Ted Roof long to skip town. He left for the UCF defensive coordinator’s job, and head coach Gene Chizik will oversee the defense during the bowl game.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B+

Punter Steven Clarke was one of the best in the country at pinning teams deep. Of his 69 punts, 32 ended up inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. The Tigers were also third in the SEC in net punting and had two different players -- Tre Mason and Onterio McCalebb -- to return kickoffs for touchdowns. They led the league in kickoff return average and also led the league in kickoff coverage. Cody Parkey was second in the league with 34 touchbacks and made 11 of his 15 field-goal attempts. The Tigers also perfectly executed an onsides kick in the final minutes of the season opener to help them escape against Utah State.

COACHING: C

Even though it wasn’t always pretty, Chizik and his staff were able to squeeze five wins out of this team through the first seven weeks of the season. The 16-13 win at South Carolina looked like it might propel the Tigers to a big season, bigger than most outside the program expected. But they went south from there and were blown out by LSU, Georgia and Alabama down the stretch. Getting blown out is one thing, especially given how well LSU, Georgia and Alabama were playing at that point. But most troubling to fans on the Plains was how uninspired the Tigers looked in those games. They weren’t even competitive. Auburn’s staff will have a new look to it next season. Roof is already gone, and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn will leave after the bowl game. He took the Arkansas State head coaching job. Despite the deficiencies on offense and defense, the Tigers did find a way to win four SEC games.

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.

Auburn now finds itself down two coordinators.

The latest to leave was offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, who will be introduced later Wednesday as Arkansas State’s new head coach.

Defensive coordinator Ted Roof left last week to take the UCF defensive coordinator’s job, meaning Auburn head coach Gene Chizik will serve as defensive coordinator for the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Roof was a convenient target this season for fans. He was coaching a young defense that made a ton of mistakes and gave up even more yards.

When you finish 11^th in the league in scoring defense and total defense and last in pass defense, memories tend to grow shorter, especially in this league.

Nobody remembers Roof as the guy who put together the defensive plan that held Oregon to 19 points in last season’s BCS National Championship Game. They remember him as the guy whose defense gave up nearly 30 points per game this season.

It’s a classic case of what have you done for me lately.

And in Malzahn’s case, he was simply ready for a change. More specifically, he was ready to take his shot as a head coach in the college ranks.

Malzahn turned down a $3 million per year opportunity to be Vanderbilt’s head coach last year. He was right on the cusp of taking the job, but then changed his mind at the last minute.

Auburn raised his salary to $1.3 million per year, making him the highest paid coordinator of any kind in the SEC.

Needless to say, Arkansas State isn’t paying that kind of cash, which tells you this move is about a lot more than money for Malzahn.

Arkansas is home for him, and it’s a chance to run his own program.

Already, some have questioned the wisdom of this move. After all, Malzahn turned down an SEC job last year and was in play at North Carolina earlier this year.

Many in and around the North Carolina program think Malzahn would have gotten that job had it not been for the video that surfaced of Malzahn’s wife, Kristi, being interviewed at a Christian Leadership Summit.

That’s unfortunate, because anybody who’s ever met her or been around her knows that she’s nothing like how she came across in that video that made the rounds on the Internet.

In fact, the Malzahns have done their best to avoid the spotlight. That’s not their style.

Malzahn is the antithesis of a self-promoter, the kind of coach who keeps his head down, does his job and shies away from the cameras.

It’s one of the many things that’s refreshing about him.

And while his entry into the college head-coaching fraternity may not have played out the way everybody thought it would, the winner here is clearly Arkansas State.

The Red Wolves are getting a good coach and a good man.

ATLANTA — Distractions are nothing new to Auburn coach Gene Chizik.

During last year’s national championship run, he was smothered by the off-field monster, but still came away with the Sears Trophy.

So, it only makes sense that right before Auburn’s bowl game — the game that could generate the needed momentum for spring — Chizik and his Tigers are once again surrounded by distractions.

There are coaching distractions with defensive coordinator Ted Roof leaving and rumors running rampant about the future of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. Things then took another disappointing step forward when star running back Michael Dyer was indefinitely suspended from the team for violating unspecified team rules.

Privately, these are probably headaches that keep Chizik tossing and turning at night, but he said he doesn’t have time to consume himself with selfish players and he certainly won’t waste his time with rumors floating around about his program.

“I don’t pay any attention to the outside chatter,“ Chizik said. “I think that’s what makes college football great that everyone has an opinion, and I appreciate it and respect it. But that’s not how I proceed with my football team. We know what’s going on within our four walls and that’s all I concentrate on.”

For now, Chizik is concentrating on not just preparing his team for Virginia in the Chick-fil-A Bowl but he’s trying to get his defense back into shape, after taking over as defensive coordinator following Roof’s departure. Chizik has 11 years experience as a defensive coordinator, so he has the credentials, but he expects the next couple of weeks to be a challenge with him pulling double duty.

“I did it for a lot of years,” Chizik said of being a defensive coordinator. “I gotta get back on the horse and ride that horse again.”

As far as hiring someone to take over as coordinator after the bowl game, despite the rumors swirling about who’s up for the job, Chizik said he has no timetable for making a hire.

“Certainly, we’ve started the process,” he said. “Once we find the right man, the one we feel is the best fit, then we’ll hire him.”

In the meantime, Chizik’s focus is on improving a tremendously young team. A year removed from that national championship run, Auburn basically had to start over after losing just about every component to last year’s special season.

Couple a boatload of youth with a pretty tough schedule, and Chizik expected growing pains and struggles.

He got both, as the Tigers head into their bowl with a 7-5 record.

Regardless of the season he and his team have had, Chizik refuses to make excuses and he refuses to say that expectations for this team should have been tempered. In fact, he thinks fans should have expected another championship push.

“In this conference, everyone who has allegiances to their schools have high expectations. That’s not going to change and I don’t think that’s a bad thing,” Chizik said. “People expect to win and at Auburn right now we’re all about championships.”

Two undefeated seasons in the last eight years will create that.

“That’s the expectation that we’ve come to know and that’s the expectation that everyone has -- that Auburn wins,“ Chizik said. “At the beginning of the year, we don’t make excuses about how many guys we do have or don’t have. We continue to move forward with the program and try to lay the foundation for a long time.”

And to Chizik, that foundation looks pretty solid. This season wasn’t always easy, but Chizik saw a young group that rallied behind its youth and remained strong. There were squabbles along the way, but underneath it all, Chizik found a group of talented youngsters who he believes will get this program back on track.

“I’m extremely excited about the future and what’s going on,” he said. “We have guys that want to win and guys that just had an unbelievable amount of exposure to a lot of things in this league and a lot of experience. It’s going to be great carryover.”

Auburn head coach Gene Chizik released a statement Wednesday on the departure of defensive coordinator Ted Roof, who is taking a similar position at Central Florida.

Here's what Chizik had to say:

“Ted has played an important role in the success of our football program, helping Auburn win 29 games in three years, including a national championship last season. I’m very appreciative of the passion, energy and work ethic Ted brought to the program every day. I know that this will be a great opportunity for Ted to be reunited with his mentor in George O’Leary and we wish him and his family nothing but the best at UCF.”

Taking a stroll through the league with some links.

• Jon Solomon of The Birmingham News writes that Ted Roof is getting a soft landing at Central Florida as the onus now shifts to Auburn head coach Gene Chizik.
• Alabama safety Mark Barron is eager to play in the rematch against LSU in the national championship.
• Former Florida star Danny Wuerffel continues his recovery from Guillain-Barre syndrome.
• New Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze earned Sun Belt coach of the year honors.
• An LSU win over Alabama in the Allstate BCS National Championship Game would take chaos out of the equation.
• South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney follows in the footsteps of Marcus Lattimore with his freshman of the year honor.
• Alabama and LSU bring bruising running games to the national championship.
• Tennessee receives a commitment from wide receiver "Pig" Howard.
• Vanderbilt fans snatch up tickets for the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

After three seasons as Auburn's defensive coordinator, Ted Roof is leaving the program to take a similar job at Central Florida.

Auburnundercover.com first reported the news Wednesday.

Roof, who signed a three-year contract with Auburn earlier this year, came under scrutiny after the Tigers' defense ranked near the bottom in every major defensive category this season. After ranking ninth nationally in run defense in 2010, Auburn was 11th in the SEC this year, giving up 194.8 rushing yards per game. Auburn was also 11th in total defense (405.8) and allowed 39 touchdowns.

Despite a plethora of youth taking over on the defensive side of the ball, the Tigers' defense failed to really improve throughout the season. Auburn gave up 30-plus points seven times in 2011, including giving up 40 or more three times in the last five games.

Auburn's defense ranked 78th nationally in total defense this season and has ranked no higher than 60th in three seasons under Roof.

It's unclear if Auburn will replace Roof in time for the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Virgina on Dec. 31.

» Power Rankings: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-12 | SEC

Hey, what do you know? The first BCS standings of the 2011 season look exactly like this week’s SEC power rankings at the top.

It’s still LSU and Alabama and then everybody else:

1. LSU (7-0, 4-0): For perspective on how well the Tigers have it rolling right now, they steamrolled Tennessee 38-7 in Neyland Stadium last Saturday, one of the Vols’ worst home beatings ever, and LSU coach Les Miles said afterward, “It wasn’t our best game, certainly, but we did the things we needed to do to secure victory.” It’s the same thing the Tigers have been doing all season, controlling the game with a punishing running attack on offense and then turning around and punishing opposing offenses with a suffocating defense. That’s seven straight wins by double digits, and LSU heads back home this week to face Auburn after debuting as the No. 1 team in the first installment of the BCS standings.

2. Alabama (7-0, 4-0): With the way the Crimson Tide are running through foes, it’s hard to imagine them being second to anybody. Checking in at No. 2 in the first BCS standings, they’ve won their four SEC games by a combined margin of 162-31 and are coming off a 52-7 pasting of Ole Miss on the road. It’s difficult to see anybody beating this team right now. That is, unless it’s LSU. We won’t have to guess much longer. Their Nov. 5 matchup is fast approaching. But Alabama still has Tennessee at home this week before turning its attention to LSU. The Crimson Tide might be known for their defense, but they’re also demonstrating that they can be plenty explosive on offense. And the guy wearing No. 3 on offense for the Tide ain’t half bad.

3. Arkansas (5-1, 1-1): The Hogs were the third SEC team in the top 10 of the first BCS standings. They were No. 9, which seems like a long way back. But if they keep winning, who knows what can happen? Coming off an open date, Arkansas travels to Ole Miss this week and has a very manageable schedule the rest of the way. The Hogs should also be as healthy as they’ve been after seeing several starters sidelined, including senior defensive end Jake Bequette, for much of the first half of the season. There’s a lot of momentum in the program right now, especially with the way junior quarterback Tyler Wilson is playing, and a second straight BCS bowl berth will be at stake over these next six weeks.

4. Auburn (5-2, 3-1): The Tigers might have one more loss than South Carolina, but they also beat the Gamecocks in Columbia and are coming off an impressive defensive performance in a 17-6 win at home against Florida. Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof and his staff deserve some props, because that defense has made considerable strides since those first few weeks of the season. The quarterback picture is unclear heading into the LSU trip this week, although Clint Moseley replaced Barrett Trotter in the Florida game and is likely the guy going forward. Either way, the Tigers continue to find ways to win and have been the SEC team that has done more with less, especially when you consider how inexperienced they were coming into the season.

5. South Carolina (6-1, 4-1): The Gamecocks can only hope they don’t have many more weeks like last week. Fifth-year senior quarterback Stephen Garcia was kicked off the team. Coach Steve Spurrier unloaded on a local columnist and was skewered for it nationally, and then star running back Marcus Lattimore suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 14-12 win at Mississippi State. Nothing has come easy for South Carolina this season, and it hasn’t always been pretty. The offense (other than the Kentucky game) has sort of puttered along, and it will really be a challenge now that Lattimore is out. Nonetheless, the Gamecocks control their own destiny in the Eastern Division race and are playing their best defense of the season. In their past four games, they’ve given up a total of 34 points. They’re one of four teams in the league off this week.

6. Georgia (5-2, 4-1): While it’s South Carolina that holds the head-to-head tiebreaker and controls its own destiny in the East race, Georgia might have the clearest path to the division title. The Bulldogs survived last week in a harrowing 33-28 win against Vanderbilt and have now won five straight games since opening the season with back-to-back losses. They get a week off before their Oct. 29 showdown with arch-rival Florida, which should ensure getting some of their best players back, including linebacker Alec Ogletree and freshman receiver Malcolm Mitchell. The start to the season was disappointing, but this is right where the Bulldogs wanted to be going into late October. They’ve fought their way back into the race. Now, we’ll see if they can finish the deal.

7. Florida (4-3, 2-3): After three straight losses to Top 25 opponents, the Gators get a week off. The even better news for them is that they hope to get senior quarterback John Brantley back in time for the Georgia game on Oct. 29. Brantley suffered a high ankle sprain in the Alabama game, and Florida’s offense has been dreadful ever since. The Gators have gone three straight games now without rushing for 100 yards and are still looking for an identity in a lot of different areas. The defense played better in the 17-6 loss to Auburn, but Florida made a ton of mistakes on special teams and still has a ways to go before climbing back into elite status in this league.

8. Tennessee (3-3, 0-3): There’s not a lot guaranteed for the Vols the rest of the way other than the fact that they’re going to have to scratch and claw just to finish .500 or better. It doesn’t look like sophomore quarterback Tyler Bray will be back during the regular season, as the plan now is for him to have surgery on his broken thumb. The Vols will need to get more out of backup quarterback Matt Simms and the passing game from here on out, but this next one could be even uglier than the 38-7 home loss to LSU last week. The Vols travel to Alabama looking to snap an eight-game losing streak against nationally ranked foes.

9. Vanderbilt (3-3, 1-3): The Commodores fought the whole game last week and nearly pulled off a big upset against Georgia. After the game, first-year coach James Franklin was still fighting mad as he and Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham almost came to blows. Franklin said this version of Vanderbilt isn’t going to “sit back and take it anymore.” It was a big step in the right direction offensively for Vanderbilt, which tried a little bit of everything in piling up 349 total yards and scoring 28 points. Next up is Army at home, a must-win for the Commodores if they’re going to be bowl-eligible this season.

10. Mississippi State (3-4, 0-4): The Bulldogs have Ole Miss and Kentucky to thank, or they’d be even lower in these rankings. Once ranked as high as No. 16 in the national polls this season, Mississippi State is still looking for its first SEC win. The consensus among the players coming out of last Saturday’s 14-12 home loss to South Carolina was that the Bulldogs weren’t that far away from being a good football team. That might be, but their record is a long way from being where everybody in Starkville thought it was going to be at this point.

11. Ole Miss (2-4, 0-3): It just keeps getting worse for the Rebels. They were flattened 52-7 last Saturday at home by Alabama, their 11^th SEC loss in their past 12 games dating to the 2009 season. If that’s not enough, they also lost two more key defensive players. Cornerback Marcus Temple and end Wayne Dorsey, both seniors, suffered season-ending injuries against the Crimson Tide. Ole Miss has scored just three offensive touchdowns in its three SEC losses this season.

12. Kentucky (2-4, 0-3): For the first time in a while, the Wildcats aren’t coming off a loss. That’s because they were off last week, a much-needed open date after four straight losses and a glut of injuries. The Wildcats are still searching for anything to get them going offensively. Coach Joker Phillips hopes to have a few more guys closer to 100 percent this Saturday against Jacksonville State. In the meantime, he doesn’t have to worry about his job. Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart said last week that Phillips would “absolutely” be back next season as coach.

We're hitting some SEC links while you dive into that brown bag to nibble on that soggy tuna sandwich.

• Georgia running back Isaiah Crowell aggravated his injured ribs against Coastal Carolina.
• Auburn running back Michael Dyer welcomes the chance to carry more of an offensive load for the Tigers.
• A week after his arrest, Florida backup linebacker Dee Finely will return to the team for this week's game against Kentucky.
• Despite athletic director Pete Boone calling out the passion of Ole Miss' football team, the Rebels are confident they can turn things around.
• Defensive coordinator Ted Roof and head coach Gene Chizik have limited time to fix Auburn's struggling defense.
• Alabama's football team has been subjected to countless highlights of Arkansas receivers inside the Tide's weight room this week.
• Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino says his team is fine heading into Saturday's showdown with Alabama, despite some hiccups last week against Troy.
• Mississippi State defensive coordinator Chris Wilson is now putting the defensive burden on the Bulldogs' experienced secondary.
• Redshirt freshman defensive back Victor Hampton will return to South Carolina's lineup Saturday against Vanderbilt after serving a three-game suspension for breaking unspecified team rules.

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Auburn’s defensive deficiencies were masked somewhat in the opener against Utah State because the Tigers found a way to win.

The same goes for last week against Mississippi State, which was stopped at the one-inch line to end the game.

There was no masking Auburn’s deficiencies on Saturday. This is a really bad defense right now, and there’s no other way to say it.

Clemson sliced through Auburn for 624 yards of total offense on its way to a 38-24 victory in Memorial Stadium, snapping Auburn’s 17-game winning streak and boldfacing some already serious questions about a defense that has now given up 1,603 yards in its first three games.

To his credit, Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof wasn’t running away from any responsibility.

“I’m responsible,” Roof said. “I have to go back and evaluate everything, including myself and what I’m doing.”

What the Tigers aren’t doing is stopping anybody. Their tackling was poor Saturday, and after opening the game with three excellent defensive possessions, they were on their heels the rest of the day.

There’s no question that Nick Fairley and his dominance up front saved them more than a few times last season. They don’t have that kind of game-changer anywhere on defense this season.

Instead, they have a bunch of new faces learning on the job, and it hasn’t been pretty to this point.

Clemson was 14-of-18 on third down and converted 10 straight at one point. For the season, Auburn has allowed the opposition to convert 65 percent of its third downs.

Auburn coach Gene Chizik, whose background is on defense, was asked after the game if he would get more involved in the Tigers’ defense.

His answer was that he would look at everything. The translation: You better believe he will.

The truth is that Chizik is already extremely involved. But his comfort level is on defense, and if there’s a chance he can help this group turn it around, he’s going to do anything he can.

It’s a defense that was on the field for a staggering 92 plays Saturday.

You’ve got zero chance to win in this league like that, and Chizik knows that as well as anyone.

He also knows what’s approaching in October, a brutal stretch that includes road dates at South Carolina, Arkansas and LSU.

“They’re going to handle it like men, and they’re going to go out tomorrow and practice again for the next game (Florida Atlantic),” Chizik said. “They’re going to have short memories and learn from what we didn’t do well, which is a lot of learning because we didn’t do a lot well.”

We’re a week into the 2011 college football season, which means somebody’s hot and somebody’s not in the SEC.

You’ve come to know this little exercise as Hot and Not, and it’s back for another season:

GLOWING EMBERS

LSU’s resiliency: What distractions? The Tigers ventured into Cowboys Stadium last Saturday with everybody wondering how they could possibly be on top of their game after everything that had happened off the field with quarterback Jordan Jefferson’s arrest. Never mind that they were playing the No. 3-ranked team in the country, and never mind that they were playing without three offensive starters. They never flinched and methodically took apart Oregon 40-27 in a win that should move the Tigers closer to that top spot in the polls. LSU coach Les Miles is no stranger to dealing with a crisis. Remember the terrible hurricanes in 2005, his first season as LSU’s coach, and the way he guided his team to an 11-2 record despite the Tigers having to move home games and most of the LSU campus serving as a medical triage? It’s obvious that Miles’ teams don’t lose their focus despite what’s happening off the field, and it’s just as obvious that this team has everything it takes -- physically and mentally -- to win a national championship.

HOT

South Carolina spur Antonio Allen: He lines up at spur in South Carolina’s defense, which is a hybrid safety/linebacker position. That’s fitting, because the 6-foot-2, 202-pound senior spurred the Gamecocks to a 56-37 win against East Carolina with a career night. He had 16 total tackles and forced two fumbles, both of which he recovered. He returned one of those fumbles 25 yards for a touchdown to help the Gamecocks pull away from the Pirates.

NOT

Auburn’s defense: Defensive coordinator Ted Roof vowed that he would get it fixed, and there’s a lot of fixing to do. Utah State piled up 27 first downs and 448 yards of total offense last Saturday, but Auburn escaped 42-38 thanks to a perfectly executed onside kick. There are a lot of new faces on that Auburn defense that will have to grow up in a hurry.

HOT

Mississippi State’s offense: You think the Bulldogs are salivating at the thought of going up against that Auburn defense after the way the Tigers were sliced and diced by Utah State? Granted, Mississippi State did its damage against Memphis, but the Bulldogs exploded for a school-record 645 yards in total offense in their 59-14 rout and scored five touchdowns that were 35 yards or longer.

NOT

Georgia’s momentum: The Bulldogs were hoping to go into their SEC opener against South Carolina with some momentum. Instead, they go into Saturday’s home game against the Gamecocks with their backs squarely against the wall. An 0-2 start would go over in Athens about the same way a going-away party would for Texas A&M right now in Austin.

HOT

Arkansas receiver Joe Adams: He’s easily one of the best receivers in the league, but worked his open-field magic last weekend on a pair of punt returns for touchdowns. He scooted 61 yards in the first quarter and 69 yards in the third quarter, becoming the first SEC player to return two punts for touchdowns in the same game since Kentucky’s Derek Abney in 2002.

NOT

South Carolina’s start: The Gamecocks looked more like the No. 12-ranked team in the SEC for much of the first half in their opener against East Carolina. They rebounded to win 56-37, but won’t be able to get away with falling behind 17-0 against most SEC teams.

HOT

LSU nickel back Tyrann Mathieu: If you like watching defense played at light speed, you’re going to love this LSU defense. Mathieu played every defensive snap (82) in the win against Oregon and led the Tigers with 10 tackles. He also forced a fumble in punt coverage that he returned 3 yards for a touchdown. Wherever the ball is, you can bet Mathieu will be there, too.

NOT

Kentucky’s offensive line: Maybe it was just a bad first game, but even coach Joker Phillips said his offensive line play was disappointing in the Wildcats’ 14-3 lackluster win against Western Kentucky. The Wildcats have had some nagging injuries in their offensive line. But if they don’t play well this season up front, it’s going to be a long season in the Bluegrass.

FREEZER BURN

Ole Miss’ collapse: The Jacksonville State loss in the opener a year ago was embarrassing. The 14-13 loss to BYU on Saturday in this season’s opener was crushing. The Rebels led 13-0 at home with a little more than 10 minutes to play, and Tyrone Nix’s defense had made one play after another to keep BYU out of the end zone. Then it all came crashing down, and the play nobody in Oxford can get out of their minds is one that should have never happened in the first place. The Rebels, leading 13-7 with 5:30 to play, had Zack Stoudt attempt to throw it from the shotgun on third-and-27 from their own 21 instead of running the ball and punting it away. Sure enough, somebody whiffed up front, and Stoudt -- playing in his first major college game -- was sacked and fumbled. BYU recovered the fumble for a touchdown, and just like that, Ole Miss trailed 14-13. From there, Ole Miss went into meltdown mode, complete with another puzzling decision on fourth-and-10 and several crippling penalties. The loss was costly enough, but it looks like the Rebels might have also lost star running back Brandon Bolden for the season to an ankle injury. The bottom line: You’re not supposed to lose games at home when you give up just one offensive touchdown and your defense also scores a touchdown for you. Yet, the Rebels found a way to do it.

Schedule: The Tigers opened practice on Wednesday and will hold their A-Day spring game on April 16 at 2 p.m. ET.

What’s new: Mike Pelton will coach the defensive line after coaching the defensive ends at Vanderbilt last season. Pelton replaces Tracy Rocker, who left to take a job on the Tennessee Titans’ staff.

On the mend: Offensive tackle Shon Coleman, who signed as part of the 2010 class, is on the roster after battling leukemia last year. He isn’t expected to go through spring practice.

On the move: Senior Neiko Thorpe has moved from cornerback to safety. Defensive coordinator Ted Roof said Thorpe is better suited to play safety. Brandon Mosley will slide from right offensive tackle to left offensive tackle, while A.J. Greene will return to the lineup at right tackle after suffering a season-ending ankle/lower leg injury last season. Ladarious Phillips, weighing in the 295-pound range, is going to get a shot at H-back.

Key battle: Prized true freshman Kiehl Frazier doesn’t arrive until this summer, so the spotlight this spring will be on Barrett Trotter and Clint Moseley. They will split the No. 1 quarterback reps evenly. Nobody is expecting either one of them to be Cam Newton. But, then, Newton wasn’t named the starter until after spring practice had concluded a year ago. Trotter, a junior, has the edge in experience, although Moseley feels like he’s much more equipped mentally and emotionally to win the job than he ever was a year ago.

New faces: The Tigers have three early enrollees from high school participating in spring practice -- center Reese Dismukes, offensive lineman Thomas O’Reilly and cornerback Jonathan Rose. Given the departures in the secondary, including the recently dismissed Mike McNeil, Rose may get a shot to play early.

Breaking out: If he’s healthy -- and Trovon Reed never really was last season -- he’s one of those guys who can take short passes and turn them into touchdowns. He’s also a strong candidate to be the Tigers’ Wildcat quarterback. Before he was shelved for good last season, Reed’s teammates saw enough of him on the practice field to know what he would mean to any offense. Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn said he made a few plays that caused you to go, ‘Wow!”

Don’t forget about: This will be a completely different team than the one that won the national championship last season. Not only are the two headliners gone -- Nick Fairley and Newton -- but a total of 35 players who were on the roster in January in Glendale, Ariz., are no longer on the team. It’s imperative that new leaders emerge, and a large chunk of those leaders need to come from that highly rated 2010 signing class. Corey Lemonier, Jeffrey Whitaker, Ed Christian, Mike Dyer and Reed -- this is your time.

All eyes on: The Tigers didn’t post flashy numbers last season on defense, but they were outstanding when it counted and played their best football in the SEC championship and BCS National Championship games. Can they recapture that magic with so many new faces on defense? The only defensive starters returning are Nosa Eguae at end, Daren Bates at outside linebacker and T’Sharvan Bell at cornerback.

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

• At the SEC's request, Auburn moved up its open date, and it won't be the week before the Alabama game during the 2011 season.
• Former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton will hold a workout in San Diego Thursday.
• Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof enjoys his first title.
• Former Tennessee receiver Gerald Jones speaks his mind to recruits about Auburn and Tennessee, specifically his former coach at Tennessee, Trooper Taylor.
• Kyle Veazey of The Jackson Clarion-Ledger takes a look at Ole Miss' updated football roster.
• Former Florida quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler will join Steve Addazio at Temple as the Owls' offensive coordinator, reports Mike Kern of The Philadelphia Daily News.
• Fans are hard to please, especially for Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart, writes John Clay of The Lexington Herald-Leader.

Let’s review some of the highs and lows of the SEC bowl season:

Best performance: Without defensive tackle Nick Fairley’s dominance up front, Auburn doesn’t win the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game. It’s that simple. Oregon coach Chip Kelly conceded after the game that the Ducks simply couldn’t block Fairley, who disrupted just about everything Oregon tried to do with three tackles for loss, including a sack, and a forced fumble.

Best out-of-nowhere performance: It wasn’t completely out of nowhere because Mississippi State’s Chris Relf improved as a passer this season. But he put on a clinic in the Bulldogs’ 52-14 rout of Michigan in the Progressive Gator Bowl. Relf finished 18-of-23 for 281 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 30 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown, earning Gator Bowl MVP honors.

Best team defensive performance: Led by linebacker Courtney Upshaw’s three tackles for loss, Alabama held Michigan State to minus-48 yards rushing in the Crimson Tide’s 49-7 blistering of the Spartans in the Capital One Bowl. It was the second lowest opponent rushing total in school history for the Tide.

Worst luck: South Carolina’s freshman sensation, Marcus Lattimore, was knocked out of the game on the Gamecocks’ first possession when he was blasted by Florida State’s Greg Reid. Lattimore was taken to the hospital with a cut to his mouth and a concussion. He never returned and the Gamecocks never recovered, losing 26-17 to the Seminoles in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Worst officiating: Go back and count the officiating blunders and/or questionable calls at the chaotic end of Tennessee’s 30-27 overtime loss to North Carolina. At the very least, the Tar Heels should have been penalized 15 yards (not 5 yards) there at the end of regulation before the game-tying field goal.

Best defensive game plan: Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof had more than a month to come up with a plan to at least slow down an Oregon offense that was supposedly unstoppable. Well, Roof went one better than slowing down the Ducks. His defense held them to 75 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Raise your hand if you saw that coming.

Worst field: How can the field that the national championship game is played on be so slick? It was like an ice rink out there with all the players slipping on the turf at the University of Phoenix Stadium.

Best freshmen: LSU had three interceptions in its 41-24 win over Texas A&M in the AT&T Cotton Bowl, and all three were by freshmen -- Tyrann Mathieu, Eric Reid and Tharold Simon.

Worst catch: Any of the six drops by Arkansas players in the 31-26 loss to Ohio State in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Best throw: Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett dropped one in beautifully to Jarius Wright for a 22-yard touchdown to pull the Hogs within 31-21 in the third quarter.

Worst throw: Mallett's interception off his back foot, ending the Hogs' comeback bid.

Best run: Auburn freshman running back Mike Dyer simply wouldn’t go down (even if most everybody else thought he was down) on a 37-yard run to set up the Tigers’ game-winning field goal. Dyer actually landed on an Oregon defender, but no part of his body ever touched the ground. He jumped up and kept running and wasn’t tackled until he got to the Oregon 23-yard line.

Best no-show: Georgia was there in body alone, as the Bulldogs went through the motions and dropped an embarrassing 10-6 decision to UCF in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

Best interception: Florida senior safety Ahmad Black went out in style and sent his coach, Urban Meyer, out in style with an 80-yard interception return to seal the Gators’ 37-24 victory over Penn State in the Outback Bowl.

Best special teams: John L. Smith’s special-teams units were on top of their game in the Sugar Bowl. Zach Hocker made all three of his field goal attempts, including a 46-yarder and 47-yarder. Punter Dylan Breeding dropped four punts inside the 20, including three inside the 10, and Colton Miles-Nash blocked a punt in the final minutes to give the Hogs a chance to win the game.

Worst decision: Georgia coach Mark Richt opting to kick a field goal down near the goal line on the Bulldogs’ first possession told you all you needed to know about the Bulldogs' state of mind for that game.