GEORGIA: Safety Thomas Davis, who is considering leaving early for the NFL, said he will play against Auburn. Greene is fine after losing seven to eight pounds from a stomach virus early in the week. Tailback Danny Ware is recovering from a sprained ankle. Regardless of Ware’s status, freshman Thomas Brown will start against Auburn. Tailback Tyson Browning is back to full speed after hyper-extending his knee. Greene has lost only once on the road when LSU beat Georgia last year. Georgia is 15-1 on the road under Coach Mark Richt. The Bulldog offensive line must be able to move Tiger defense ends Stanley McClover and Quentin Groves. (UGASports.com)

ALABAMA: Tailback Ken Darby was named the SEC offensive player of the week for his 200-yard performance against Mississippi State. Darby was only the 12th player in Tide history to run for 200 yards or more in a single game. He ran for 197 yards against Southern Miss and 99 against Tennessee. Darby averages 103 yards per game. Kicker Brian Bostick was named the SEC special teams player of the week for kicking three field goals in the same game. Tide coaches said starting quarterback Spencer Pennington played his best game to date against Mississippi State. Safety Carlos Andrews played 61 snaps on defense in place of the injured Charlie Peprah. Offensive lineman Wesley Britt has spent most of the week wearing a boot to protect his left mid-foot sprain he sustained in the State win. If Britt can’t play then Chris Capps will take his place. Center J B. Closner, who had a stinger in his neck and right shoulder, will play. Alabama has the nation’s best defense (223 ypg), while LSU (256 ypg) is fourth nationally. (BOL.com)

LSU: The Tigers have had several close games this season. Three of LSU’s wins have been by four points or less. One was decided in overtime. The other two were decided in the fourth quarter. Alabama is 15-1- 1 in Tiger Stadium since 1971. LSU is 8-3 in the state of Alabama since 1982. Alabama averages 229 yards rushing and LSU allows only 102 ypg rushing. Junior Rudy Niswanger is replacing Ben Wilkerson at center after he ruptured his patella tendon. Sophomore Brian Johnson, who previously played at guard, will likely start at tackle. Junior Nate Livings moves from right tackle to right guard. (TigerBait.com, Times-Picayune)

SOUTH CAROLINA: The USC defense is third nationally in pass efficiency. USC quarterback Syvelle Newton is completing 58% of this passes and has rushed for 214 yards and five touchdowns. The State is reporting that a USC representative has contacted former Gator coach Steve Spurrier to see if he has an interest in coaching the Gamecocks if Lou Holtz retires. (Gamecockcentral.com)

FLORIDA: The Gators are 12-0 against USC since joining the SEC in 1992. Florida is 5-4, the most losses in a season since a 6-5 finish in 1986. Tailback Ciatrick Fason is on pace for a 1,400 yard season if the Gators make a bowl game. The Gators have played in 16 straight bowl games. Fason was the only UF player to show up for Tuesday morning’s media session. Coach Ron Zook said he will not be at the Gator Growl Homecoming event Friday night in order not to take attention away from the players. (GatorBait.net)

OLE MISS: This is a bowl elimination game. The Rebels (3-5) were off last week. They must win their next three games (road games at Arkansas and LSU and home against Mississippi State) in order be bowl eligible. Not only will the Rebels rotate three quarterbacks in this game, but they will rotate three tailbacks--Vashon Pearson, Jamal Pittman and Alan Abrams. Last year, Ole Miss beat Arkansas 19-7. (RebelGrove.com)

ARKANSAS: The Hogs are third in the SEC in rushing (187 ypg) and fifth in passing 224 ypg). Because the defense is not tackling well, Coach Houston Nutt said he is taking a look at defensive backs Randy Kelly and John Johnson with the first team. Arkansas must beat Ole Miss, Mississippi State and LSU in order to qualify for a bowl. (Hawgsports.com)

MIAMI: In the second half against Clemson, Miami averaged 2.6 yards per play compared to 5.4 ypp in the first half. Cornerback Antrel Rolle’s toe problem means he might not be able to play Saturday. One of the problems for the defense is that only one defensive back was signed in 2003. The lack of depth means Anthony Reddick and Carlos Armour are being asked to play as to freshmen. Tight end Greg Olsen will play with a broken wrist. Devin Hester, who will play in the secondary, and tailback Frank Gore have recovered from various injuries and will play. Miami has allowed 117 yards to Clemson’s Reggie Merriweather and 176 yards to North Carolina’s Chad Scott. Miami quarterback Brock Berlin has 15 touchdowns and only four picks. During the losing streak, Miami has allowed nearly 200 yards rushing per game. In the past four games, Miami has allowed 31 points and more than 465 yards per game. The temperature in Charlottesville Saturday night will be in the 40s. (Canesport.com)

VIRGINIA: The Cavs run a 3-4 defensive scheme, which is different from what Miami is used to seeing. Virginia has solid running backs averaging 255 yards per game and a good offensive line led by Elton Brown facing a Miami defense that is struggling. Since senior tailback Alvin Pearman moved into the starting lineup, he has rushed for nearly 400 yards. Tight end Heath Miller is a threat at any time. Quarterback Marques Hagans could be neutralized by the Cane front seven. Linebackers Darryl Blackstock and Ahmad Brooks wrecked havoc against the Maryland offense. (Rivals.com)

FLORIDA STATE: The Noles rallied in the second half to beat N. C. State 17-10. They have struggled on the road this year with losses to Miami and Maryland. They trailed Syracuse, Wake Forest and N. C. State at halftime. The win was number 350 for Coach Bobby Bowden. Tailback Lorenzo Booker scored on runs of 1 and 5 yards and Gary Cismesia kicked a 44-yard field goal in the second half. The Wolfpack led at halftime 10-0. FSU held N. C. State to 123 total yards, while the Noles gained only 121 yards. Wyatt Sexton has completed 70% of his passes at home and less than 50% on the road. That trend continued Thursday night as Sexton was 5-of-18 for 73 yards and an interception. Sexton has been sacked nine times on the road (three in the first half against the Wolfpack) and six at home. Willie Reid was pivotal in helping FSU change field position with 129 return yards. Nole Coach Bobby Bowden celebrated his 75th birthday this week. ESPN is showing the FSU vs. Florida game at 7:45 p.m. This is the first time since 1990 that the game has not been televised by either ABC or CBS. FSU was 0-11 on third down against Duke. Going into the N. C. State game, the Noles were last in the nation (24%) in third down conversions. (Warchant.com, and Florida Times Union)

N. C. STATE: The loss to FSU assured the Wolfpack of their first losing season under fifth-year coach Chuck Amato. The Wolfpack scored on a John Deraney 28-yard field goal and a Chris Hall 87-yard punt return, all in the first half. Quarterbacks Jay Davis and Marcus Stone struggled all night with the FSU defense. The Wolfpack has thrown 15 interceptions and lost 13 fumbles. The N. C. State defense is first in the ACC (241 ypg) and first in pass defense (125 ypg). They allow 16 ppg. Their position in the stats should not change much, if any, after the FSU game. Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato beat FSU in 2001 and 2002 and lost by six points in overtime last year. Quarterback Jay Davis, who was 6-of-19 for 72 yards against FSU, has thrown nine picks during N. C. State’s four game losing streak. He has 14 interceptions and just nine touchdowns on the season.

N. C. State has committed 28 turnovers and 93 penalties, the worst in the ACC. (Rivals.com and Florida Times Union)

NORTH CAROLINA AT WAKE FOREST: UNC quarterback Darian Durant has passed for 1,580 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Both teams have four wins and need to win out in order to be bowl eligible. Wake has games left at Miami and Maryland. The Tar Heels play at Duke next week. UNC allows 235 yards on the ground, while Wake averages 217 yards on the ground. North Carolina has won six of the past seven games at Wake. (Rivals.com)

CLEMSON AT DUKE: By overcoming a 14-point deficit with 24 minutes remaining, Clemson became the third team in 177 tries since 1985 to beat Miami after trailing in the fourth quarter. Over the past 13 games, Clemson has beaten FSU, Miami and Tennessee. The defense has improved. Tommy Bowden credited defensive end Mo Fountain for his play last week against Miami. (Rivals.com)

UCONN AT GEORGIA TECH: UCONN has good linebackers, but an average run defense at best. Tech quarterback Reggie Ball has thrown 12 scores and 15 picks on the year and completed less than 50% of his passes over the past two games. Conversely, UCONN senior quarterback Dan Orlovsky is 154-of-248 for 1,918 yards with 14 scores and 10 picks. With a win, Tech could be bowl eligible. After the UCONN game, they end with a home game against Virginia and a road game at Georgia. (Rivals.com).

BRENT BEAIRD IS A SPORTS WRITER FOR THE CLAY COUNTY LINE IN ORANGE PARK, FL.
HE ALSO WRITES FOR RIVALS.COM AND SAMSPORTSLINE.COM.