The SEC has six teams ranked in the latest AP and Harris Polls and five in the USA Today poll. LSU and Alabama are unanimous 1-2 in all polls, followed by Arkansas 8th in all three polls.
South Carolina is 10th in AP and USA Today and 11th in Harris while Georgia is 18th in AP and 20th in Harris and USA Today polls. Auburn rounds out SEC’s presence in the polls, 25th in the Harris and AP polls.
Saturday’s LSU at Alabama tilt will be the first time in the history of the SEC that two of its teams ranked 1-2 will face off in the regular season. Only twice before this has happened and both were in the SEC Championship Game.
In the 2009 SEC Championship Game, #2 Alabama defeated #1 Florida, 32-13, and in the 2008 SEC Championship Game, #2 Florida defeated #1 Alabama, 31-20.
Since 1980, only 13 times has two SEC teams played against each other while ranked in the AP Top 5. The last time this happened was the 2009 SEC Championship Game (#2 Alabama defeated #1 Florida, 32-13). The last time this happened in the regular season was on Oct. 10, 2009, when #1 Florida defeated #4 LSU, 13-3 in Baton Rouge.
The SEC has six teams ranked in an AP poll for the fourth time this season and the 70th time since 1992. The SEC has had at least six teams ranked in an AP poll every season since 1997 except one (2002).
This week’s SEC Community Service Team Player of the Week is Vanderbilt senior defensive tackle T.J. Greenstone. Since arriving at Vanderbilt in 2007, Greenstone has been active in the Nashville community, visiting local elementary schools, visiting patients at Vanderbilt Hospitals and is active in Athletes in Action and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He is currently the president of Vanderbilt’s FCA chapter.
The SEC has had 10 of its 31 intra-conference games this season decided by 10-points-or-less. Since 2004, the league has had 176 of its 374 intra-conference games decided by 10-points-or-less. Since 2004, only the ACC and the Sun Belt has had as many close games by the 10-point margin.
In 55 home dates, the SEC has had 4,145,638 fans go through its turnstiles, an average of 75,375 fans per game. SEC stadiums have been filled to capacity 24 times this season and at an average capacity of 95.37 percent.
SEC teams have scored 170 rushing touchdowns and 137 passing touchdowns this season. Every SEC team has scored a defensive touchdown except Georgia and every team has scored at least one non-offensive touchdown. South Carolina leads the SEC with four defensive touchdowns scored and five non-offensive touchdowns scored this season.
South Carolina’s 20 play, 98-yard, 11:35 drive against Tennessee for a TD is the longest (plays) in the SEC since 2008 when Arkansas had a 20-play drive against Kentucky and Auburn had a 20-play drive against West Virginia. It’s the longest drive by time since Kentucky had a 11:54 drive against South Carolina in 2004.
SEC teams, collectively, are averaging 28.2 points per game this season and giving up an average of 20.8 points per game. Both are the lowest in the league since 2008 (25.6 scoring; 20.5 defensively). The national average for scoring offense is 28.9. The SEC is eighth in the nation at 28.2 points per game (National Leader: Big 12 - 36.5). The national average for total offense is 397.2. The Big 12 leads the nation at 469.6 yards per game (SEC is 11th).
Eight SEC teams are in the top 40 in the latest NCAA stats for scoring defense, seven in total defense, eight in pass defense and four in rush defense.
Schedule of Saturday, Nov. 5 Games
Vanderbilt (4-4, 1-4 SEC) at Florida (4-4, 2-4 SEC)
12:21 p.m. ET • SEC Network / ESPN3.com
Gainesville, Fla. • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field (88,548)
Series Record: UF leads, 33-9-2 • Last Meeting: Nov. 6, 2010 (UF, 55-14)
New Mexico State (3-5) at Georgia (6-2, 5-1 SEC)
12:30 p.m. ET • CSS / ESPN3.com
Athens, Ga. • Sanford Stadium (92,746)
Series Record: UGA leads, 3-0 • Last Meeting: Sept. 28, 2002 (UGA, 41-10)
Ole Miss (2-6, 0-5 SEC) at Kentucky (3-5, 0-4 SEC)
3:30 p.m. ET • ESPNU
Lexington, Ky. • Commonwealth Stadium / C.M. Newton Field (67,942)
Series Record: UM leads, 27-13-1 • Last Meeting: Oct. 2, 2010 (UM, 42-35)
Middle Tennessee (2-5) at Tennessee (3-5, 0-5 SEC)
7 p.m. ET • FS South / ESPN3.com
Knoxville, Tenn. • Neyland Stadium / Shields-Watkins Field (102,455)
Series Record: UT leads, 1-0 • Last Meeting: Sept. 7, 2002 (UT, 26-3)
South Carolina (7-1, 5-1 SEC) at Arkansas (7-1, 3-1 SEC)
6:15 p.m. CT • ESPN
Fayetteville, Ark. • Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium (72,000)
Series Record: UA leads, 12-7 • Last Meeting: Nov. 6, 2010 (UA, 41-20)
Tennessee-Martin (5-3) at Mississippi State (4-4, 1-4 SEC)
6:30 p.m. CT • CSS / ESPN3.com
Starkville, Miss. • Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field (55,082)
Series Record: First Meeting
LSU (8-0, 5-0) at Alabama (8-0, 5-0)
7 p.m. CT • CBS Sports
Tuscaloosa, Ala. • Bryant-Denny Stadium (101,821)
Series Record: UA leads, 45-24-5 • Last Meeting: Nov. 6, 2010 (LSU, 24-21)
OPEN: Auburn (5-3, 3-2 SEC)
(Thanks to SEC Associate Commissioner - Communications & Public Relations Charles Bloom for contributing to this report.)
