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Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008 , 12:00 a.m.

SEC football rankings

1. GEORGIA BULLDOGS

Arizona State had 12 players on the field when it stopped Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno at the goal line with seven minutes remaining in last Saturday’s game and Georgia leading 24-10. The play even was reviewed to see if Moreno crossed the goal line. The Bulldogs settled for a short field goal. No wonder coach Mark Richt, when asked to assess the performance of the Pac-10 crew, simply said, “Wow.”

n This week: vs. No. 8 Alabama, 7:45 p.m. (ESPN)

2. FLORIDA GATORS

Urban Meyer said he’ll continue putting Percy Harvin back on punt returns with Brandon James to make teams pay for kicking the ball away from James. “Those two back there could be lethal,” Meyer said. Half of James’ four punt-return touchdowns have come against Tennessee (he had a third called back due to a block in the back), and he’s two away from tying Kentucky’s Derek Abney for most in SEC history.

n This week: vs. Ole Miss, 12:30 p.m. (Raycom)

3. LSU TIGERS

Get ready for some Les-speak concerning the quarterback situation at LSU. “The view of ‘starter’ is not necessarily just the guy that goes on the field first,” Miles said. Huh? Jarrett Lee’s surprising second-half performance — he started the game 0-for-5 with an interception — likely earned him extra playing time. Andrew Hatch suffered a concussion and did not practice Monday, but Miles said he’ll play Saturday.

n This week: vs. Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

4. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

Terrence Cody, Alabama’s 365-pound nose tackle, faced Rimington Trophy winner Jonathan Luigs of Arkansas last Saturday and came away thinking Luigs was not the best center he had ever faced. “Honestly,” Cody said, “I still feel like Antoine (Caldwell of Alabama) is the best center I’ve played against.” Cody made two tackles but wasn’t needed to stop the run much after Arkansas fell behind quickly.

n This week: at No. 3 Georgia, 7:45 p.m. (ESPN)

5. AUBURN TIGERS

Great story out of Auburn: Tez Doolittle, a sixth-year senior noseguard, will start for the first time in his career Saturday against Tennessee. Doolittle’s career nearly ended when he snapped his Achilles’ tendon last August. “Tez Doolittle probably played the best game he’s ever played,” Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said of his performance against LSU.

n This week: vs. Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)

6. VANDERBILT COMMODORES

Twenty-four points in 53 seconds? It happened in Vanderbilt’s win over Ole Miss. On consecutive plays following an Ole Miss field goal, the Rebels’ Peria Jerry returned a fumble 13 yards for a touchdown, Vandy’s Jared Hawkins fumbled the kickoff, Ryan Hamilton returned a Jevan Snead interception 79 yards for a touchdown and Ole Miss’s Mike Wallace returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.

n This week: Off

7. KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Quarterback Mike Hartline has thrown for 461 yards in three games and was booed by Kentucky fans. But coach Rich Brooks is pleased. “The good news about Mike Hartline is he’s 3-0 as a starting quarterback at Kentucky,” Brooks said. “He’s not throwing interceptions and he managed the team well. He’s brought the team from behind in the fourth quarter. Talk to me about how many other quarterbacks in their first year were 3-0 and done what he’s done. Not very many.”

n This week: vs. Western Kentucky, 7 p.m.

8. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

The Vols rank 10th in the SEC in passing efficiency, and Jonathan Crompton ranks 12th in the league behind nine other starters and the two quarterbacks at LSU. Crompton’s passer rating is 104.2, which is just ahead of Mississippi State quarterback Wesley Carroll’s mark of 98.2. Matthew Stafford of Georgia ranks first, followed by Florida’s Tim Tebow.

n This week: at No. 15 Auburn, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)

9. OLE MISS REBELS

Defensive end Greg Hardy played for the first time this season after missing a month with a stress fracture in his right foot. He didn’t play much, but he did sack Vanderbilt quarterback Mackenzi Adams in the fourth quarter. “It just felt good to get in there and feel like I’m part of the team,” Hardy said. Jerrell Powe, the Rebels’ 340-pound defensive tackle, made his first big play of the season when he tackled running back Jared Hawkins for a loss.

n This week: at No. 4 Florida, 12:30 p.m. (Raycom)

10. SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS

Coach Steve Spurrier is making rampant changes on the offensive side of the ball, moving receiver C.C. Whitlock to defense and junior Chris Hail to receiver. Running back Mike Davis will miss Saturday’s game due to academic issues. Quarterback Stephen Garcia might start. “There may be some different starters this week all over the offense,” Spurrier said. “We’re going to have tryouts this week to see who we think the best players are that can go and play.”

n This week: vs. UAB, 7 p.m.

11. MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS

Coach Sylvester Croom said he’ll stay with Wesley Carroll as the starting quarterback but didn’t rule out playing Tyson Lee and Chris Relf. The Bulldogs have scored three touchdowns in three games against FBS competition, with 10 turnovers. “It doesn’t matter who’s in there. We’ve got to find a way to win,” Carroll said. “If we have to put a running back back there, a wide receiver, it does not matter.”

n This week: at No. 5 LSU, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

12. ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS

Here’s a bit of good news for the Razorbacks: Tailback Michael Smith looked impressive against the Tide, racking up 158 all-purpose yards in his first SEC start and 91 on the ground. His 124-yard rushing average ranks second in the league behind LSU’s Charles Scott. “I was really impressed with Michael,” Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. “I think he showed a tremendous amount of competitiveness, a tremendous amount of courage.”

n This week: at No. 7 Texas, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)

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