Time Out
by Dan Rutledge
It’s the Third Saturday in October on the fourth Saturday of October. Or whatever you call it, it is Alabama vs. Tennessee Week in the SEC.
Every October — historically on the third weekend of the month — since 1928 (except in 1943 when World War II got in the way) the Crimson Tide and Volunteers have teed it up, with Bama leading the overall series 45-38-7. Of late, it’s been a back-and-forth affair with the Tide seeking to beat Tennessee in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1991-92.
The game is, of course, big for the Tide because it is undefeated (7-0, 4-0) and just needs to keep winning to stay on course for the SEC Championship Game … and beyond. Tennessee (3-4, 1-3) is in the midst of a down year and a “spoiler” win over Alabama would go a long way toward making the Vols and Phil Fulmer feel better about the 2008 season. (Line: Alabama by 6 _).
Alabama’s John Parker Wilson may have to have another good day if the Tide is to roll as expected. Tennessee’s offense had been inoffensive for the most part this season, but does seem to be improved since Nick Stephens was installed as the starting quarterback.
But look for the Tide to do its usual … score first and often and run up a big enough lead that it can withstand a second-half letdown and survive once again. Even without celebrated nose tackle Terrance Cody in the lineup — the big guy is expected to miss two games with a knee injury — the Bama defense will handle the Vols. Josh Chapman will replace Cody at nose and there will not be much letdown. In fact, Chapman already played a good deal of the time and would have been the starter at the spot this year if Cody had not transferred in from junior college.
Alabama has been criticized for not winning pretty, losing style points by not dominating every game, etc. A win is a win and to keep winning, game in and game out, in the SEC is not easy. The reason the SEC is the best league in the land is that every team, from the bottom up, is capable of winning every week. The parity is amazing. No one is going to dominate every game. In fact, having a habit of letting down in the second half because you have run up too big a lead in the first half is probably a pretty good problem to have.
Every game is a big game. That’s something you hear all the time. It’s part of the official coach-speak lexicon. But late in the season, it becomes literally true, especially if you add in the word “conference” to the opening sentence. It’s getting to be late enough in the 2008 Southeastern Conference football schedule (Week 
that all conference games are huge, make or break for one or both teams involved.
That’s the case Saturday when four of the six games on tap are league matchups. The SEC has just four teams — the least this season — listed in this week’s national top 25 polls. But all four are in the top half … Alabama leading the way at No. 2, followed by Florida No. 5, Georgia No. 9, and LSU No. 11. All four are involved in three of the four conference tilts.
The three other two-league games this week have Georgia (6-1, 3) at LSU (5-1, 3-1) (Line: LSU by 1_), Kentucky (5-2, 1-2) at Florida (5-1, 3-1) (Line: Florida by 24), and Ole Miss (3-4, 1-3) at Arkansas (3-4-1-3) (Line: Ole Miss by 5_). Wins by Florida and Georgia will keep them tied atop the Eastern Division standings. If one wins and the other loses, the winner will take control of the division. A loss by LSU would be the second in conference play and just about guarantee the appearance of the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game as the West winner.
The Arkansas-Ole Miss affair is more than your usual matchups of 3-4 teams. It has the old coach-returns-to-old-stomping-grounds soap-opera storyline when Huston Nutt returns to Fayetteville at the helm of the Rebels.
The other games this week have Vanderbilt (5-2) hosting Duke (3-3) in the “Smart Kids Bowl” (Line: Vandy by 10) and Mississippi State (2-5) entertaining Sun Belt Conference member Middle Tennessee (2-5) (Line: Mississippi St. by 10).
A quick word about the game that opened up the SEC schedule last (Thursday) night when Auburn blew a 17-3 lead and continued its downward spiral with a 34-17 defeat at the hands of Big East member West Virginia. The second-half meltdown was in front of a national TV audience, the game being broadcast on ESPN. It seems that both of the teams from the state of Alabama — the Crimson Tide and the Tigers — have the same habit: getting ahead in the first half and then suffering a mysterious letdown after intermission. Auburn, like Alabama, has led at halftime in every game this year. But the now 4-4 War Eagles haven’t been as successful as the Tide, at least, in maintaining their first-half advantage throughout the game.
WEEKEND TV LINEUP
The rest of the weekend television lineup continues tonight (7 p.m. ESPN2) with a game that has BCS implications. BCS-buster wannabe Boise State, currently ranked No. 12 nationally, will take on San Jose State. This is one of just two tough games — games in which the Broncos from the Western Athletic Conference could be seriously challenged — left on the Boise State schedule. Saturday’s television lineup follows (all times CST):
11 a.m.
Boston College at North Carolina (CW), Texas Tech at Kansas (ESPN), Illinois at Wisconsin (ESPN2), Minnesota at Purdue (ESPN Classic), Wake Forest at Miami (ESPNU)
11:30 a.m.
Oklahoma at Kansas St. (FSNS), Baylor at Nebraska (Versus), Kentucky at Florida (Raycom Sports)
2 p.m.
Wofford at Elon (SportSouth)
2:30 p.m.
Virginia Tech at FSU (ABC), Georgia at LSU (CBS), James Madison at Villanova (CSS), Michigan St. at Michigan (ESPN2), Virginia at Georgia Tech (ESPNU)
3 p.m.
Dartmouth at Columbia (Versus)
5:30 p.m.
Colorado at Missouri (FSNS)
6 p.m.
Fla. Atlantic at La. Monroe (CSS), Middle Tenn. at Miss. St. (ESPNU)
6:45 p.m.
Alabama at Tennessee (ESPN)
7 p.m.
Notre Dame at Washington (ESPN2), Penn St. at Ohio St. (ABC)
9:15 p.m.
USC at Arizona (ESPN)
