By RON HIGGINS, Scripps Howard News Service

From August until the end of their seasons, college-football teams live in controlled, confined worlds.

Almost every day is scheduled to the minute. It's all about focus and reducing distractions, a repetitive daily process involving the same familiar faces.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Ask Vanderbilt football coach James Franklin a question and there is no such thing as a short answer.

But when it comes to talking about redshirt junior quarterback Jordan Rodgers' bloodline, Franklin basically gives a Forrest Gump impression: "And that's all I have to say about that."

Finally, the stage is set for the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 regular season meeting ever between SEC teams, on Nov. 5 when top-ranked LSU plays at Alabama. The only time SEC teams ranked No. 1 and 2 have met was in the 2009 SEC championship game, when No. 2 Alabama beat No 1. Florida, 32-13.

The last time LSU coach Les Miles looked in his locker room, Peyton Manning or Tom Brady wasn't ready to run on the field as the Tigers' starting quarterback.

All last week during Ole Miss' open date, the topic of discussion was being a vast underdog in the Rebels' home game Saturday against No. 2 Alabama.

"We've talked about it every day after practice," said Rebels sophomore flanker Ja-Mes Logan. "The QBs, the running backs, the receivers, all the skilled people, we all meet and talk about what we've got to do.

There's a perception that college football, fueled by the deep pockets of TV money in the chase for the prestige and the major paychecks provided by BCS bowls, has spun off its moral axis for good.

Whatever the sport, there are certain Southeastern Conference schools that have a reputation for consistently developing the best players at a certain position.

Gentlemen, start your lobbying.

LSU coach Les Miles, whose 9-1 team is fifth in the BCS, believes that the highest-ranked SEC team should play in the BCS national championship.

The SEC schedule-makers had no idea that Lane Kiffin would dump Tennessee after one season and take his "What? Me Worry?" head coaching philosophy to USC.

And they couldn't have predicted that the Vols would hire Derek Dooley as Kiffin's replacement.

Before the start of this season, it was anticipated that Saturday's Tennessee at Georgia game would be the emotionally charged homecoming of first-year Vols' coach Derek Dooley.

He's returning to the town where he spent his childhood and the school where his father, Vince, coached for 25 years and was athletic director for more than two decades.