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As usual, the Tiger Bowl will go a long way in determining who has the upper hand in the SEC West race, although I am sure Alabama would like to have a say in determining the division winner (I am going to hold off considering them a contender until I see how they play against Georgia next Saturday).
Both LSU and Auburn possess strong defenses, which is nothing out of the ordinary for a couple of annual SEC powers. But what will decide this game is quarterback play.
Neither team has a signal caller with much experience, let alone against a team as good as what they will be facing Saturday night (although Chris Todd did lead the Auburn Tigers to a high-octane 3-2 win at Mississippi State this past week). LSU will feature a platoon of Andrew Hatch and Jarrett Lee, while the home Tigers counter with Chris Todd.
Ultimately, whichever quarterback makes the fewest mistakes and manages the game the best will lead his team to victory.
I have to give the edge to Auburn seeing how this game is in Auburn, but I did pick LSU to win the West at the beginning of the season, so I am kind of torn on who will actually take home the victory.
Florida at Tennessee
It wouldn't be the third Saturday in September without the Vols and Gators squaring off, although this rivalry isn't quite as intense as it was back in the Spurrier days, seeing how the Ol' Ball Coach and Phillip Fulmer didn't exactly see eye-to-eye. But this game is still huge in the SEC East landscape each and every season.
Adding fuel to the fire this year is a former Gators player who claimed the Vols gave up late in last year's 59-20 Florida win at The Swamp. If that doesn't motivate Tennessee, I am sure the fact that they were upset at UCLA and weren't overly impressive against UAB will.
The Vols need to come out and play inspired football on Saturday at Neyland, and after reading about their lack of desire late in last year's contest, I am sure they will be pissed off.
But if they want to upset Florida, they need to neutralize Tim Tebow, a healthy Percy Harvin, and Florida's other big playmakers. It won't be easy.
However, I expect UT to stick around and make this an interesting game behind the rabid fan base in Knoxville.
Georgia at Arizona State
While the SEC East and West both feature early season showdowns, another conference player will partake in the rare non-conference SEC showcase by traveling to Tempe on Saturday night.
This game probably has lost some luster on the national landscape, seeing how the Sun Devils somehow managed to lose at home to UNLV in Week Three. But UGA needs a convincing win to prove the voters shouldn't have dropped them from No. 1 in favor of USC after the first week of the season.
Arizona State could use a win to keep their at-large BCS berth hopes alive down the road, assuming they do not upend the Trojans in the Pac-10 race.
The Dawgs can't go marching into what will be an extremely hot game and play uninspired football. No looking ahead to the 'Bama game. This is almost like a fifth SEC road game, and the Sun Devil Stadium faithful will make it feel that way.
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