ESPN College Football

Our Monday stroll around the SEC:

• Coming out of the SEC athletic directors' meetings, it sounds like there's momentum to keep permanent cross-divisional rivalries such as Auburn-Georgia and Alabama-Tennessee.
• LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger is adjusting to more responsibility.
• One of LSU's running backs could get a look at wide receiver.
• Dave Matter of The Columbia (Mo.) Tribune has a Q&A with Missouri coach Gary Pinkel.
• Former Vanderbilt linebacker Chris Marve is ready to tackle a career in law.
• New Kentucky receivers coach Pat Washington adjusts to another new locale.
• Alabama coach Nick Saban dismisses Trent Richardson's knee injury as very minor.
• New Auburn defensive backs coach Willie Martinez is in assessment mode.
• Georgia cracks top prospect Robert Nkemdiche's top 5 along with Alabama, Clemson, LSU and Ole Miss.

Ending the week with some SEC links.

• Arthur Lynch working to be Georgia's top tight end.
• Texas A&M's spring cleaning starts with getting rid of the Big 12 logo in the Aggies' football facility.
• South Carolina announces its spring schedule.
• Former Missouri tight end Michael Egnew backs up his performance at the NFL combine during Missouri's pro day.
• Jim Kleinpeter of the New Orleans Times-Picayune takes a look at key position battles as LSU opens spring practice.
• Expansion could impact traditional SEC rivalries, like Florida-LSU.
• Arkansas should see about 25 top prospects visit campus for this weekend's junior day.
• New Auburn defensive backs coach Willie Martinez will take his time when it comes to judging the secondary.

With Willie Martinez joining the Auburn defensive staff, Tommy Thigpen will move from coaching safeties to linebackers.

Thigpen, who was an All-ACC linebacker at North Carolina, had coached the Tigers' safeties for the past three seasons. He was the North Carolina linebackers coach from 2005-08 before joining the Auburn staff and also coached linebackers for a season at Illinois.

Martinez, a former defensive coordinator at Georgia, will coach Auburn's entire secondary. The past three years under Gene Chizik, the secondary duties had been divided at Auburn. Phillip Lolley coached the cornerbacks and Thigpen the safeties.

Brian VanGorder takes over the Auburn defense after coming over from the Atlanta Falcons.

The Tigers finished last in the SEC and 86th nationally in passing-efficiency defense last season. They gave up 23 touchdown passes and intercepted just 11 passes.

Making our way around the SEC on a Wednesday:

• A few years can make all the difference in recruiting.
• New Tennessee defensive coordinator Sal Sunseri is pleased with the defensive line help the Vols picked up in the junior college ranks.
• Arkansas' Brandon Mitchell uses his quarterback lessons on the hardwood.
• Former Florida assistant coach Dan McCarney suffered a stroke.
• Former Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez is likely to join Auburn's staff.
• New Alabama offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier has risen quickly through the coaching ranks.
• Tommy Tuberville, Texas Tech's coach and formerly Auburn's coach, says he still can't figure out why Texas A&M left for the SEC.
• Georgia is bringing back mat drills this offseason.

While you're still cramming to find just the right Valentine's Day gift, check out some of these SEC links to calm your nerves.

• Tennessee coach Derek Dooley blasts the SEC's new oversigning rules.
• Eleven South Carolina representatives will travel to Los Angeles to meet with the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions on Friday and Saturday.
• Former Georgia assistant Willie Martinez has emerged as a favorite to join Auburn's staff.
• Auburn tight end/H-back Philip Lutzenkirchen could miss spring practice after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
• Florida coach Will Muschamp doesn't have to worry about new offensive line coach Tim Davis being a good fit for the Gators.
• Alabama's 2012 recruiting class was the best around, but 2013 might be just as good for the Crimson Tide.
• Defensive line coach Terrell Williams is leaving Texas A&M to coach the Oakland Raiders' defensive line.
• Vanderbilt coach James Franklin won't comment on the possibility of reuniting with former Maryland quarterback Danny O'Brien, who recently left Maryland's football program.

Two years ago, Auburn was the only school in the SEC that returned its entire coaching staff intact.

But as Gene Chizik enters what will be his fourth spring practice as the Tigers' coach, he finds himself in the market for what will be his third new hire since the end of the 2011 season.

Phillip Lolley, who coached the Auburn cornerbacks the past three seasons, has been reassigned to an administrative capacity within the football program.

Ted Roof left as defensive coordinator right after the season to be the UCF defensive coordinator and was then later hired at Penn State by Bill O'Brien to be his defensive coordinator. Brian VanGorder, the defensive coordinator at Georgia before going to the NFL, was hired to replace Roof at Auburn.

Gus Malzahn left his post as Auburn's offensive coordinator to take the head-coaching job at Arkansas State. Chizik brought in Scot Loeffler to run the Tigers' offense. Loeffler was at Temple this past season, but previously spent time on the Florida and Michigan staffs.

One of the names floating around out there to replace Lolley as cornerbacks coach is former Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez, who was the defensive backs coach at Oklahoma the past two years and wasn't retained following this past season.

With LSU opening spring practice Monday, I thought it might be wise to go over all the coaching changes in the SEC this year.

As usual, it was a revolving door this past offseason. In fact, Auburn was the only school in the league that didn’t have any staff turnover. The final number of head coaches or assistants departing for various reasons was 31.

Some were fired. Others got better gigs, while there were a few that were swayed elsewhere (within the conference) for more money.

Here’s an Eastern Division breakdown of who’s out and who’s in for the 2010 season. We'll do the Western Division a little bit later:

FLORIDA

Who’s out: Associate head coach/defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, defensive coordinator George Edwards, recruiting coordinator/receivers coach Billy Gonzales, cornerbacks coach Vance Bedford and running backs coach Kenny Carter.

Who’s in: Teryl Austin, who spent the last seven seasons as the Arizona Cardinals’ defensive backs coach, is Florida’s new defensive coordinator. He replaces George Edwards, who held the job for less than a month before going back to the NFL with the Buffalo Bills. Edwards replaced Charlie Strong, who left following the season to take the Louisville head job. Stan Drayton returns to coach running backs. He was at Florida earlier this decade before moving on to Tennessee and most recently Syracuse. D.J. Durkin will coach defensive ends and special teams after spending the last three seasons at Stanford. Zach Azzanni will coach receivers. He was previously the assistant head coach/receivers coach at Central Michigan.

GEORGIA

Who’s out: Defensive coordinator/secondary coach Willie Martinez, co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach John Jancek and defensive ends coach Jon Fabris.

Who’s in: Former Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Todd Grantham takes over as Georgia’s defensive coordinator. He was the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive line coach the last two seasons. Scott Lakatos will coach the defensive backs after spending the last six seasons on the Connecticut staff, and Warren Belin will coach linebackers after spending the last eight seasons on the Vanderbilt staff.

KENTUCKY

Who’s out: Head coach Rich Brooks, offensive line coach Jimmy Heggins and defensive line coach Rick Petri.

Who’s in: Joker Phillips, who was already the Wildcats’ coach in waiting, takes over the head coaching reins. Mike Summers will coach the offensive line after serving as assistant head coach/offensive line coach at Arkansas the last two seasons. Former Tennessee quarterback Tee Martin will coach the receivers. Martin was the quarterbacks coach at New Mexico last season. David Turner, who has coached at four different SEC schools, will coach the defensive line. Turner was at Mississippi State the last three seasons.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Who’s out: Offensive line coach/running game coordinator Eric Wolford.

Who’s in: Shawn Elliott replaces Wolford, who left to take the head coaching job at Youngstown State. Elliott has spent his entire coaching career at Appalachian State, including the last nine seasons as offensive line coach.

TENNESSEE

Who’s out: Head coach Lane Kiffin, defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, recruiting coordinator/defensive line coach Ed Orgeron, quarterbacks coach David Reaves, receivers coach Frank Wilson, offensive line coach James Cregg, running backs coach/special teams coordinator Eddie Gran and defensive backs coach Willie Mack Garza.

Who’s in: Derek Dooley was hired as the Vols’ head coach after Lane Kiffin left to take the Southern California head job. Justin Wilcox comes over from Boise State to be the defensive coordinator. Charlie Baggett will serve as assistant head coach and coach the receivers. He has 11 years of NFL experience and was on the St. Louis Rams’ staff last season. Harry Hiestand will coach the offensive line. He was the offensive line coach for the Chicago Bears the past five seasons. Darin Hinshaw will coach quarterbacks. He was the receivers coach at Memphis the past three seasons. Terry Joseph will coach the secondary and special tams. He was with Dooley at Louisiana Tech. Eric Russell will coach tight ends and coordinate special teams. He was also at Louisiana Tech with Dooley. Former Tennessee All-SEC performer Chuck Smith will coach the defensive line. He worked as an assistant defensive line coach with the New York Jets last season and has also tutored several defensive linemen over the years. He played professionally for the Atlanta Falcons.

VANDERBILT

Who’s out: Linebackers coach/special teams coordinator Warren Belin.

Who’s in: Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson is still working to replace Belin, who left to join the Georgia staff. Johnson promoted Jimmy Kiser to offensive coordinator, and Kiser will call all of the Commodores’ plays this season. Ted Cain remains on staff as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator.

Celebrating Valentine’s Day is all about spreading the love.

With the Day of Hearts coming up on Sunday, I thought I’d spread a little love throughout the SEC with a plume of happy thoughts.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

ALABAMA: Hey Tide fans, you got Nick Saban running the show. He delivered a national championship in three short years. Something tells me he’s not finishing stocking the Alabama trophy case, either.

ARKANSAS: He thought long and hard about jumping ship to the NFL, but quarterback Ryan Mallett is back for another season and will be even better his second time around in the SEC. He threw 30 touchdown passes last season. Is 40 out of the realm of possibility in 2010?

AUBURN: The No. 4 recruiting class in the country in Gene Chizik’s first full year to recruit serves notice that the Tigers mean business in the Western Division race the next few seasons.

FLORIDA: Judging by this latest recruiting class, Florida is where all the best high school football players want to play, and it doesn’t matter if the head coach is stepping away for good, on temporary leave or really not sure what he’s going to do.

GEORGIA: All those Georgia fans clamoring for Mark Richt to get rid of Willie Martinez the last few years got their wish. With the exception of Rodney Garner, the Bulldogs will have a whole new defensive staff in 2010. Todd Grantham and his 3-4 defense are in the house. Make that the “Dawg” house.

KENTUCKY: A new era opens in Kentucky football this fall. Rich Brooks brought class, respect and improvement to the program. Now Brooks is retired, and Joker Phillips takes his shot at keeping the Wildcats in the bowl equation every year and maybe even taking them to the next level.

LSU: All four of LSU’s losses last season went down to the final few minutes of the fourth quarter. That means it’s due to swing the other way next season. Who knows? Maybe the Tigers find that same karma that was with them the whole way during their 2007 national championship season.

MISSISSIPPI STATE: Dan Mullen, entering his second season as coach, has shaken things up in the Magnolia State. He’s delivering on his promise to make the state of Mississippi his priority in recruiting. He’s 1-0 against arch-rival Ole Miss and told the world after last season that one program in the state was headed in the right direction – the guys who wear maroon.

OLE MISS: The best offseason news for the Rebels was that they held onto Tyrone Nix, who’s one of the best (and most underrated) defensive coordinators in college football. Florida’s Urban Meyer came after him, and there were rumblings that Georgia might have been interested. Wisely, Ole Miss sweetened his deal, and Nix will be back in Oxford for a third season.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Raise your hand if you’ve heard this before, South Carolina fans. But I’m going on record right now. There is no more “Wait until next year.” This IS next year, and with 19 starters returning, the Gamecocks are going to make a legitimate run in the East in 2010.

TENNESSEE: Hey Vol Fans, Lane Kiffin is now three time zones away. That means no more uninformed accusations of another coach cheating. No more crashing cars in the wee hours of the morning. No more sleepless nights for Tennessee compliance director Brad Bertani. And lastly, Kiffin’s replacement, Derek Dooley, seems to get Tennessee.

VANDERBILT: Give Bobby Johnson credit for not sitting pat. The Commodores’ offense simply hasn’t cut it the last two seasons, so Johnson brought in a junior college quarterback (Jordan Rodgers), two 6-4 receivers (Jordan Matthews and Chris Boyd) and shook up his offensive staff. Jimmy Kiser is now calling all the offensive plays.

In a move that's been two years in the making, Georgia coach Mark Richt has overhauled his defensive coaching staff.

Defensive coordinator Willie Martinez, defensive ends coach Jon Fabris and linebackers coach/co-defensive coordinator John Jancek have all been fired.

At this point, the only defensive staff member that remains is assistant head coach/tackles coach Rodney Garner.

Martinez has been under fire from fans for the last two seasons. Richt stuck by Martinez following last season. But after Georgia's defense struggled again this season, Richt had little choice but to make a change.

Martinez had been at Georgia with Richt since 2001, when Richt first took the job. They both played collegiately at Miami.

The Bulldogs, who lost five games for the first time under Richt this season, gave up 30 or more points five times. They ended the regular season a year ago by giving up 38 or more points in four of their last five games. Martinez's defense was particularly vulnerable against the pass in each of the past two seasons.

As hard as it was for Richt to make this move, he was at a point where he had to do something to try and pump some new life into a defense that simply didn't play up to its talent level the last two seasons.

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.

How quickly does it (can it) turn in the SEC?

Consider this: Not quite two years ago, Georgia lambasted Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl, soaring to second in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll for 2007 and whetting the appetite for what would come next in Bulldog Land.

Sure enough, the Bulldogs started that next season No. 1 in the polls with a roster full of NFL talent.

This was an already elite program in the SEC on the move.

Nobody could have ever guessed in which direction.

Since that Sugar Bowl win, Georgia is just 16-8 and is coming off its first home loss to Kentucky in 32 years.

The Bulldogs (6-5, 4-4 SEC) are in danger of having their first non-winning regular season since 1996, Jim Donnan’s first season in Athens.

In games against their biggest rivals and historically elite teams in this league (Alabama, Florida, Georgia Tech, LSU and Tennessee), they’re just 2-6 the past two seasons.

That record will slip to 2-7 unless they knock off No. 7 Georgia Tech on Saturday in Atlanta.

And in 10 of their last 20 games dating to last season, the Bulldogs have allowed 30 or more points.

“I think all programs go through some cycles, and we’ve been on a pretty good upswing for quite some time,” said Georgia coach Mark Richt, who’s won 10 or more games in six of his eight seasons in Athens. “This year has certainly been a downturn when it comes to record. It is what it is.

“Will we get it back on track and get back to the winning ways we’re used to? I think so. I don’t think there’s any doubt about it.”

Richt has been too good of a coach to think that he can’t get the Bulldogs out of this funk.

But clearly there will have to be changes. Georgia is continuing to recruit at a high level, which is all the more maddening for Bulldogs fans.

The only thing more maddening is how penalty-prone Georgia has been the past two years and how many crippling mistakes the Bulldogs have made to cost them games. They turned the ball over four times in the second half against Kentucky.

The first thing Richt has to do is take a long look at himself to make sure his approach is working. The penalties and turnovers would suggest that something’s just not getting through.

The next move is looking at his staff, and there will almost certainly be some staff changes. Defensive coordinator Willie Martinez has been a target of the fans for the past few years. He and Richt are extremely close, too.

But given Georgia’s struggles on defense, Richt’s going to be hard-pressed to keep Martinez as his defensive coordinator.

The best move Richt could make is figuring out a way to knock off the Yellow Jackets, who rushed for 409 yards in a 45-42 win over the Bulldogs last season.

One win wouldn’t make a season, and it probably wouldn’t be enough to keep Richt’s staff intact.

But it sure would go a long way toward easing some of the pain and helping to fight off some of the negativity heading into the bowl season and the rest of the recruiting period.

As we've seen, it can turn quickly in this league.

Anybody who watched the first quarter of Saturday's Auburn-Georgia game and got up and walked away probably would have bet a lot of money that the Bulldogs were finished.

Instead, the Bulldogs came up with a brilliant finish in their 31-24 win over Auburn.

Auburn looked like a million dollars to start the game. Georgia looked lost, much like the Bulldogs have for much of this season on defense.

But after giving up two quick touchdowns, Georgia showed perhaps the most courage it has all season, and the Bulldogs' defense didn't allow another touchdown.

Auburn had 156 yards on its first two touchdown drives, but was held to 197 yards the rest of the way.

It's been a long year for Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez. His emotional embrace with Georgia coach Mark Richt on the sideline after the Bulldogs stopped the Tigers on downs in the final minute was pretty telling.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

In the spirit of Halloween, here’s a different kind of look at the SEC:

	Doug Benc/Getty Images
	Beware The Swamp, which has been a house of horrors for opposing teams lately.

Haunted House: The official name is Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, but it’s best known as the Swamp. There’s something inherently spooky about any swamp, and Florida’s Swamp is no different. Entire defenses have been known to disappear amid the sweltering heat and ear-splitting noise.

Cursed: The dreaded Chicken Curse has haunted South Carolina ever since the Gamecocks started playing football more than 100 years ago. Legend has it that they’ve been doomed to mediocrity. Only twice in school history have they ever won more than eight games. And in their best season, which saw them start out 9-0 and go to No. 2 in the polls in 1984, they somehow managed to lose to Navy.

Monster Mash: Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is still picking out the cobwebs after being leveled in the pocket by Kentucky defensive end Taylor Wyndham on Sept. 26. The whole scene was scary. Tebow, who on the way down hit his head on the leg of one of his linemen, lay motionless on the turf for what seemed like an eternity before being helped up and taken to the hospital. He suffered a concussion, but came back and played two weeks later against LSU.

Boo (Boo): Alabama sophomore linebacker Dont’a Hightower, one of the most versatile defenders on the Crimson Tide’s team, suffered a season-ending knee injury against Arkansas on Sept. 26. He tore the ACL, MCL and meniscus in his left knee and underwent reconstructive surgery. He hopes to be back in full by the start of preseason practice next August.

Night of the living dead: Ole Miss is getting good at this second life stuff. The Rebels won their last six games a year ago and look like they might be finding a second life again this season after a disappointing start. They’ve won their last two games in impressive fashion and will try to make it three in a row this weekend at Auburn.

Scary Movie: If you’re looking for one of those slasher movies that makes you sick, Tennessee would probably “volunteer” the last four seconds of its Alabama game. The Vols were on the cusp of pulling off the upset of the season, but Alabama’s Terrence Cody had other plans when he bulled his way through and blocked Daniel Lincoln’s 44-yard field goal attempt as time expired to preserve the Crimson Tide’s 12-10 victory.

Jack-o-lantern: Auburn quarterback Chris Todd could use a light going off in his head, and for that matter, so could the entire Auburn offense after a brutal last three weeks. The Tigers started the season as one of the most balanced offenses in the league. They’ve looked like one of the worst during their three-game losing streak.

Nightmare on Broad Street: It’s been a nightmarish season and a half for Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez, who’s really feeling the heat. The Bulldogs have given up 37 or more points in eight of their last 16 games. They desperately need a good defensive performance Saturday against Florida.

Ghosts, Goblins and Ghouls: Among those SEC players you wouldn’t want on your bad side and certainly wouldn’t want to meet up with in a dark alley include Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes, Mississippi State defensive end Pernell McPhee, Arkansas defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard, Auburn offensive tackle Lee Ziemba and Kentucky linebacker Micah Johnson.

Favorite costumes: Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain/Darth Vader; Florida quarterback Tim Tebow/Superman (way too easy); LSU running back Trindon Holliday/Speedy Gonzalez; South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier/Happy Gilmore and Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin/Eddie Haskell.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

If you didn’t know better, you’d think Florida and Georgia went out and handpicked each other for this weekend’s game.

	Rick Dole/Getty Images
	Urban Meyer says the Gators are working on their red zone offense.

That is, Florida’s offense and Georgia’s defense.

The Gators haven’t been able to throw the ball this season, and the Bulldogs haven’t been able to stop anybody from throwing the ball this season.

It’s a match made in football heaven, or more precisely, perhaps a chance for both Florida’s offense and Georgia’s defense to get healthy at just the right time.

Who’s going to flinch first?

The Gators are 80^th nationally in passing offense. Tim Tebow is ninth in the SEC in passing average and is coming off one of the worst games of his career. He threw two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns in the 29-19 win over Mississippi State.

As much as anything, it appears Tebow only has confidence in a few guys, namely tight end Aaron Hernandez and receiver Riley Cooper. He's also getting a lot more pressure than he did a year ago and has been sacked nine times in his last two games.

Compounding the problem has been Florida’s woes in the red zone. In SEC games this season, the Gators have scored just seven touchdowns in 25 attempts in the red zone. They’ve scored touchdowns on just two of their last 15 trips inside the 20-yard line.

“I’m not going to lie to you and say it's not frustrating because we want to score every time we’re in the red zone, and turnovers are frustrating,” Tebow said. “It’s just things we’re not used to doing. That’s frustrating. We’re working on it. It could be a good thing because it could give us a little bit of an edge.

“We haven't arrived. We still have a lot of work to do.”

Despite Florida’s lack of a downfield passing game, Georgia coach Mark Richt scoffs at the notion that the Gators are somehow hurting on that side of the ball.

“I’ll say this: Florida is undefeated. Florida hasn’t lost a game in 17 games. They’re No. 1 in the country. I think they’re doing pretty darn good,” Richt said. “They’re playing extremely good defense. They’re spreading people out offensively. They’re pounding the ball. They’re hammering the ball with their backs and with their quarterback, and they have basically taken control of every game and handled everybody with that strategy.

“So I don’t know if they feel like they’ve had to take a lot of chances downfield quite frankly. Whatever strategy they’re using right now, I think it’s working extremely well.”

Florida coach Urban Meyer sounded a similar tune about Georgia’s defense, which has given up an SEC-high 15 touchdown passes this season and ranks 90th nationally against the pass.

	Christian Petersen/Getty Images
	Mark Richt's defense has only six takeaways this season.

The Bulldogs have been better against the run, ranking fifth in the league in that department. But they’ve also give up 12 touchdowns in 25 red zone chances.

“I’m flipping on Georgia (on tape), and statistically, I know everybody is like, 'What about this and what about that?' " Meyer said. “All I know is what I see, and that’s as good a defensive personnel as there is in college football.”

The key for the Bulldogs, who’ve had an extra week to prepare, is playing to that talent level this Saturday.

They’ve only done it in spots the last two seasons. In fact, in their last 16 games, they’ve given up 37 or more points eight times.

It hasn’t been the best of times for Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez, but Richt said the ball also hasn’t bounced the Bulldogs’ way at times this season on defense, either.

“We need to tackle well, play fast, play disciplined and find a way to not only force a turnover or force a fumble, but to get on it,” Richt said. “We’ve had nine fumbles and only gotten on one. We’ve had balls hit our hands that could have been picks. So we’ve been in position to make some turnovers. We just haven’t followed it through to the end. That’s very crucial.”

The Bulldogs are last in the SEC with six takeaways. Everybody else in the league has at least 11.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Making the rounds in the SEC:

• Tired of the public bickering, SEC commissioner Mike Slive tells Urban Meyer and Lane Kiffin to zip it ... again.

• Kentucky fullback John Conner will take on an expanded role in the Wildcats' offense and get a look at tight end.

• Georgia's Bulldogs are in a defensive deficit, writes David Paschall of The Chattanooga Times Free Press.

• Former Alabama linebacker legend Barry Krauss likes what he sees in this group of linebackers for the Crimson Tide.

• The last two weeks have tested the short memory of Georgia cornerback Brandon Boykin, who was burned for two long touchdowns last week against Arkansas after playing brilliantly the week before against South Carolina.

• It's time for Ole Miss to be special in special teams, writes David Brandt of The Jackson Clarion-Ledger.

• Auburn spreads its message without the help of the outside media, writes Evan Woodbery of The Mobile Press-Register.

• Les Miles and LSU aren't reluctant to throw the deep ball. The Tigers just have to hit some of those passes.