Alabama and Arkansas meet in Western Division clash; Florida heads to Kentucky
Georgia at Ole Miss (Saturday at 12:21 p.m. on SEC Network)
It didn't take long for this matchup to be coined the "Hot Seat Bowl," as the jobs of both UGA coach Mark Richt and Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt appear to be in jeopardy after this season. Coming off a 30-7 loss to Vanderbilt, the Rebels are hoping to rebound at home against the Bulldogs, while Georgia's defense looks to build on its shutout of Coastal Carolina last weekend.
"I think that they are a team that is obviously going to be hungry for a victory, a team that is going to be a little wounded, a little mad," Richt told reporters. "But we are a little wounded and a little mad too, so it ought to be a pretty good game."
No. 14 Arkansas at No. 3 Alabama (Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on CBS)
Alabama's second-ranked defense meets Arkansas' No. 8 offense in what is expected to be a tight contest in Tuscaloosa.
Despite the preseason injury to running back Knile Davis, quarterback Trey Wilson has passed for 822 yards in just three games, but the Razorbacks will have to stop the Alabama rushing attack of Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy.
"Arkansas has some really good wide receivers out there," Alabama coach Nick Saban told reporters. "They have a really good quarterback. Those are the things they are going to try and use. They have offensive weapons, so obviously they are going to use them. They are real big on the passing game, so obviously our pass rush is going to have to be on point this week."
No. 15 Florida at Kentucky (Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN)
The Wildcats are looking to rebound at home after a loss to Louisville against the Gators. Florida goes to Lexington after a 33-23 victory in which Chris Rainey made some noise in college football, tallying 212 total yards.
"This is definitely an emotional game," UK coach Joker Phillips told reporters. "You have to wear your emotions on your sleeves. We want our guys playing angry. That's the way this game is meant to be played."
Florida Atlantic at Auburn (Saturday at 7 p.m. on FSN)
After a loss at Clemson, Auburn will get the chance to bounce back against lowly FAU, which lost 41-3 to Florida and 44-0 to Michigan State. The score against Auburn should be no different as the Tigers look to gain momentum before traveling here to play USC. The issue for Auburn has been the defense, which is ranked No. 107 in the country.
"Obviously, we'd love to be playing better on defense right now," Auburn coach Gene Chizik told reporters. "We're going to continue to work in that direction," Chizik said.
No. 2 LSU at No. 16 West Virginia (Saturday at 8 p.m. on ABC)
West Virginia will be LSU's third ranked opponent on the road in just the fourth week of play. While LSU's offense wasn't sharp in Starkville against Mississippi State, they've had over a week to iron out the wrinkles before heading to Morgantown. Though the Mountaineers are No. 7 in passing, as Geno Smith already has 1,008 yards on the season, they have yet to face a secondary like LSU's.
"It's a group that's made out of very talented individuals," West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said of LSU's defense. "They're not just from the state of Louisiana — they get them from Texas and from all over. Coach (Les) Miles has established the program over the last several years."
Louisiana Tech at Mississippi State (Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPNU)
Mississippi State fell out of the rankings this week after going 0-2 in the SEC with losses to Auburn and LSU. The Bulldogs have a chance to get back some momentum at home against Louisiana Tech before having to travel to Athens to play Georgia.
"There's a lot of things that we want to accomplish as a team this year that are still ahead of us," MSU coach Dan Mullen said. "Most importantly, it's becoming a better football team."
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