ShareThisFive thoughts on SEC football as the season approaches the two-minute drill:
1. A tip of the visor to Georgia and Mark Richt. Left for dead -- by many of their own fans -- after an 0-2 start, the Bulldogs have only one bit of unfinished business left to wrap up their first appearance in the SEC championship game since 2005.
All Georgia has to do is beat Kentucky on Saturday and Richt will be grand marshal of the parade from Athens to Atlanta.
When Georgia lost to South Carolina on Sept. 10, it looked as if Richt might be wearing tar and feathers on a one-way trip out of Athens.
Tennessee fans can only wonder how different things might have been if the schedules had been flipped. The Bulldogs played Auburn, Ole Miss and Mississippi State from the West, who are a combined 5-14 in SEC play.
Tennessee played Alabama, LSU and Arkansas, who are a combined 19-2, the two losses against each other.
2. Maybe you hadn't heard about The SEC-Southern Conference Challenge.
What other explanation for Saturday's schedule with four SEC foes stepping down against FCS teams from the Southern Conference.
There's South Carolina-Citadel, Florida-Furman and Auburn-Samford. The marquee match is 9-1 Alabama against 9-1 Georgia Southern.
3. Can a coach get fired after two years?
No, I'm not talking about Tennessee's Derek Dooley. Kentucky's fortunes have declined precipitously since Joker Phillips replaced Rich Brooks.
The conditions that have led to Tennessee's dire straits have been well documented. Kentucky's situation has been a picture of stability in comparison, Phillips the coach-in-waiting as Brooks played out his string.
Phillips won't get fired after two years, but a significant segment of the Big Blue fan base has already cut bait.
4. There is great defense in the SEC this year, but isn't there some bad offense, too?
Nine SEC teams rank 76th or worse in total offense, and that includes No. 1 LSU (79th).
Kentucky is 118th, Ole Miss 113th. In spots 96-99 are, respectively, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida and Vanderbilt. South Carolina is 86th.
In scoring offense, seven schools rank 68th or worse, including Florida (82), Auburn (84), Tennessee (102), Ole Miss (109) and Kentucky (113).
5. Bad things are repeating themselves at Tennessee.
Exhibit A: Tennessee's first possession of the second half at Arkansas was sabotaged by a sack (minus-11 yards), followed by a shanked punt that gave Arkansas great field position for a touchdown drive.
We'd seen that sequence before. Against Georgia, the Vols started the second half with a bad shotgun snap (minus-15 yards), followed by a short punt that gave the Bulldogs field position for a touchdown drive.
Exhibit B: Dooley gambled on fourth-and-1 at his 40 against Arkansas and lost. The Razorbacks took over and threw a 40-yard TD pass on their first play.
At Alabama, Dooley gambled and lost on fourth-and-1 at his 39. The Tide took over and threw a 39-yard TD pass on the first play.
While I'm at it, at the end of the first half at Arkansas, Justin Worley threw an interception at the 1. Against South Carolina, he was intercepted at the 2.
(Contact Mike Strange of the Knoxville News Sentinel at strangem(at)knoxnews.com)
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