well with the best athletes he has ever had on any of his teams. As the season progresses, it seems to be coming clearer that his offense does not work well against defenses with excellent speed. At his former coaching stops, his misdirection motion offenses never faced the speedy defenses he sees in the SEC.

Meyer hinted he may change the offense starting with the Georgia game. QB Leak proved he is a very good player in a pro-style offense and had the Gator offense cranking out points under former head coach Ron Zook, whose offenses were almost as good as the ones Spurrier had at Florida.

The Dawgs are a banged up team on both sides of the ball. The most damaging injury occurred last week when QB Shockley went down.

Look for Dawg head coach Richt to play it close to the vest and count on his running game and defense. Thus far, Richt has to be considered one of the front runners for “SEC Coach of the Year.”

If this game turns out to be an offensive slugfest, the Gators will win. An offensive slugfest doesn’t appear likely. What is more likely is a close defensive struggle with the ground game and pass rush being key. The Dawgs should have the advantage in these two areas.

Because the Dawgs have a better ground game and should be able to get more pressure and sacks on Leak , they should win by a 17-13 score.

TENNESSEE vs. SOUTH CAROLINA

Man for man, the Volunteers are the better team on both sides of the ball. Most importantly, they should be able to dominate both lines of scrimmage. To a lesser degree, the Vols had the same advantages over Alabama, Florida and Georgia but lost to all three teams.

This game is a wager’s nightmare because of the intangibles.

Vol coach Fulmer has a tough job. How does he get his team, which has to be suffering from the disappointing season, to exact revenge on his long-time nemesis? Gone are the Vols’ aspirations of a national championship season. After losing to Alabama despite a valiant effort, the Vols cannot even play for the SEC championship. Getting the Vols up for this game is going to be real test of Fulmer’s motivational skills.

The Gamecocks have come close to beating the Vols in the past but could never get over the hump. One reason was that the Vols always had the mental edge. They had post-season goals (SEC championship, BCS bowl game), which gave them the impetus to pull out close victories. Such is not the case this season. The Gamecocks need two wins to become bowl elgible. The Vols expect to be bowl elgible, so they won’t be as hungry perhaps.

Are the Vol players angry and embarrassed to the point they will seek redemption against the less-talented Gamecocks? There is no way to know until the game is played. If they are, the rout is on.

Stopping the run has been a problem for the Gamecocks, but they did a good job against Vanderbilt and an acceptable job against Auburn. Those efforts sandwiched a poor effort against Kentucky’s ground game. Not having to stop Gerald Riggs is a plus for the Gamecock defense. More than likely, the Gamecock defense is going to sell out to stop the run, which means the corners are going to be in man coverage. That could mean QB Ainge may see more action than Clausen, who is more of a dinker than downfield passer.

Spurrier hasn’t run many trick plays this season. He probably saved them for Fulmer and the Vols.

Call me insane, but I think the Gamecocks want this game more and will play with more emotion to pull out a 16-13 win.

AUBURN vs. OLE MISS

The inconsistent Rebels invade the jungle and hope to tame the Tigers of Auburn. That will not be an easy job because it appears these Tigers are getting closer and closer to being at the top of their game.

Tiger QB Brandon Cox has gotten better each week as has the Tiger ground game. TB Irons has shown more consistency lately and had a great game against LSU’s usually staunch run defense. The Tiger defense has played well for most of the year and now appears to be ready to dominate.

Ole Miss has had to transition to new schemes on both sides of the ball. There has been progress, but not nearly enough to be able to defeat a more talented Auburn team.

Rebels battle hard, but cannot tame these Tigers. Auburn wins 24-6.

MSU vs. KENTUCKY

These game pits perhaps the two worst teams in the SEC. Both have had their moments this season, but most of those moments have been forgettable.

Both teams are poor on offense and defense. Neither has a decent passing atack. MSU has the better running game and perhaps the better defense. Therefore, the Dogs should win 24-20.

ALABAMA vs. UTAH STATE

If the Tide defense comes to pay, State will have a difficult time moving the ball…much less be able to score.

Tide gets a chance to improve their offense in what should be an easy 30-3 victory.