Tennessee, Mississippi State mirror each other in important ways

A casual glance around the Southeastern Conference reveals there are several teams with a lot in common. More and more teams have developed good defenses but been saddled with bad offenses.

Of course, Tennessee leads the way in this department. After the Vols' one rushing yard effort against Georgia, they are really struggling and putting more and more pressure on the defense. This week's opponent Mississippi State has also had trouble scoring consistently though running back Anthony Dixon has helped the Bulldogs develop a fairly dependable running game.

Kentucky and Auburn have also floundered consistently on offense. Even after Tommy Tuberville fired offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, the Tigers lost to Arkansas at home, which has to be the biggest upset of the conference season so far. Also, Vanderbilt is in danger of falling into this category as quarterbacks Mackenzi Adams and Chris Nickson both struggle.

As for this week's Tennessee/Mississippi State match up, if either team can score 20 points, I believe they will win. The Vols have only scored 45 points in their last four games, while the Bulldogs' offense showed signs of life against Vanderbilt and LSU in their last two games.

However, the Vols are playing at home. Expect this to be a physical game much like last year's game in Starkville. Tennessee won down there last year, and I believe they will get it done Saturday.

The pick: Tennessee 20 Mississippi State 17

Other SEC picks: Georgia over Vanderbilt, LSU over South Carolina, Kentucky over Arkansas, Alabama over Ole Miss

Last week: 2-3 (.400), Overall: 40-13 (.757)

Tennessee's season hinges on the Auburn game

With the stench of the Florida loss still lingering in Neyland Stadium, the Tennessee Volunteers have to pull themselves together for a tough test at Auburn on Saturday. I won't re-hash the Florida loss. It speaks for itself. It was a debacle that embarrassed the program nationally.

Simply put, Tennessee has to beat Auburn. With a loss, the program could be looking at a repeat of the 2005 season when the Vols finished 5-6 and didn't go to a bowl for the first time since 1988. It's that urgent. A loss Saturday will likely cause a complete lack of motivation for the rest of the season.

A win, however, will keep UT in the hunt for the SEC Eastern Division title. Based on what we've seen so far, that seems like the mother of all long shots already, but hope is a good thing.

Auburn is one of the toughest places to play in the league. However, the Vols have a few things going for them. Auburn is coming off a tough, emotional loss to LSU. As we all know, LSU usually beats up its opponents so badly that is often takes them weeks to recover (ask Alabama from last year). Plus, Auburn's offense is as inconsistent as Tennessee's. In a low scoring game, the Vols have a chance.

Still, based on what we've seen so far, can we expect Tennessee to rise to the occasion in such a hostile environment? My heart says one thing, but I better go with my brain.

The pick: Auburn 16 Tennessee 7

Other SEC picks: Georgia over Alabama, Florida over Ole Miss, South Carolina over UAB, Kentucky over Western Kentucky, LSU over Mississippi State, Texas over Arkansas

Last week: 5-2 (.714), Overall: 29-7 (.806)

SEC already showing why it is the nation's best football conference

If week one of the college football season revealed anything, it is that the SEC remains the best conference in the country.

While teams like Florida, Georgia, and Auburn abused creampuffs, other teams made impressive statements. Alabama buried Clemson, Kentucky embarrassed Louisville, and South Carolina shut out North Carolina State. Of course, Tennessee put a blotch on the conference's resume by losing to UCLA, but even the best conferences don't beat every non-conference opponent.

I know the rest of the country gets tired of hearing it, but the SEC rules. Until a conference comes along that can wrestle the crown away from it, the rest of the country should treat the conference with awed silence.

However, I believe a special nod should go to the Big 12. I like some of what I'm seeing from that conference. In addition to Oklahoma, I believe Missouri can be a special team if they can play some defense.

Week Two SEC picks: Florida over Miami (FL), Wake Forest over Ole Miss, South Carolina over Vanderbilt, Kentucky over Norfolk State, LSU over Troy, Auburn over Southern Mississippi, Alabama over Tulane, Mississippi State over Southeastern Louisiana, Arkansas over Louisiana-Monroe, Georgia over Central Michigan

Last week: 8-4 (.667)

Look for Auburn to win the SEC West this year

The Southeastern Conference's Western Division will be a division of plateaus this year.

The top two teams are clearly defending national champion LSU and Auburn. Alabama and Mississippi State should slug it out for third place, while Ole Miss and Arkansas will bring up the rear.

How will it all shake out? Let's take a look.

1. Auburn Tigers – After much consideration, I'm giving Auburn the nod to win the division. While mystery still remains around its spread offense, the defense should remain formidable enough to win games early in the season while the offense works out the kinks. The Tigers toughest conference games are at home (LSU and Tennessee), and their toughest conference road contest will be at Alabama. However, the Tigers are definitely in Bama's head and should continue their recent mastery of them. Also, kudos to Auburn for scheduling one of the most interesting non-conference games of the year. They will visit West Virginia on October 23.

2. LSU Tigers – It's true that LSU has tons of talent, but the Tigers have a gaping hole at quarterback. Ryan Perrilloux was dismissed from the team leaving them with little experience at the position. Also, while the Tigers had a great season last year, they also caught a lot of breaks (the most notable being when they threw a touchdown pass on the last play of the Auburn game when a short field goal was all that was needed). The breaks have a way of evening out, and I believe that will happen some this year.

3. Alabama Crimson Tide – Alabama has a lot of question marks. They staggered down the stretch last year, but according to the "experts" they recruited a great freshman class. If this young talent blossoms this year, Bama could win eight or nine games. If not, they could wind up in the Independence Bowl for the second straight year. Alabama is a program on the move, but they are at least one year away from challenging for the divisional title.

4. Mississippi State Bulldogs – The Bulldogs were the feel good story of last year. After a lot of hard work and patience, Coach Sylvester Croom squeezed eight wins out of his team after struggling to rebuild the program. A lot of experienced players return, but the Bulldogs must improve their passing offense, which ranked 113th in the nation last year. State will not sneak up on anyone this year.

5. Mississippi Rebels – Perhaps the most important change in the conference since last season was the hiring of Houston Nutt as new head coach at Ole Miss. Most believe the Rebels have good young talent. Nutt has a strong reputation as a motivator and developer of talent. If he can apply those skills successfully at Ole Miss, the Rebels may be entering an era of success

6. Arkansas Razorbacks – Truthfully, I don't know what to make of Arkansas. New coach Bobby Petrino showed when he coached Louisville that he can develop a powerhouse. However, he isn't coaching in the Big East anymore, and the cupboard may be a little bare when it comes to talent at Arkansas. However, give them credit for playing on the road at Texas in September.