Georgia Southern (1-1) —

Central Michigan (2-1): The Chippewas bounced back from the Georgia loss by winning their conference opener at Ohio, but it wasn’t easy. CMU fell behind 14-0, recovered to lead 31-21, and had to hold on for the 31-28 win. In fact, CMU had to force a fumble on their own goal line to stop a late Ohio drive (sound familiar?). Next they get a chance for revenge against a team that beat them not once but twice last season. THIS WEEK: @ Purdue

South Carolina (1-2): It’s possible to attach too much significance to the loss to Georgia, but at 0-2 in the league the Gamecocks might already be reduced to a spoiler role in a year where people are beginning to question the direction of the program. Two easy games should have the Gamecocks back over .500 soon, but then what? THIS WEEK: Wofford

Arizona State (2-1): Whether the loss to UNLV was a case of looking ahead or a sign of bigger problems, it wasn’t how the Sun Devils wanted to go into this weekend’s big game. The bloom is off the rose somewhat with ASU dropping out of one poll, but they are still a very dangerous team. Everyone is focused on the matchup of Arizona State’s passing offense against the Georgia defense, but the Bulldog offense should also be in the spotlight after managing a single touchdown and just 14 points last week. THIS WEEK: Georgia

Alabama (3-0): The Tide had no problems dispatching Western Kentucky, and their 3-0 start has earned them a spot in the top 10. They will put that ranking to the test and start the SEC schedule with consecutive road trips. Arkansas shouldn’t be too much of a problem, but they can’t get caught looking ahead to Georgia. THIS WEEK: @ Arkansas

Tennessee (1-1): As expected, the Vols had little trouble with a horrible UAB team and earned their first win. The win still wasn’t enough to erase concerns with QB Jonathan Crompton, and he’ll be squarely in the spotlight for the SEC opener against Florida. Tennessee has to draw some confidence from Miami’s ability to keep Florida off the scoreboard (for a while, anyway). If they’re to have a chance, they must have at least as much success against the Florida offense, and the ground game that was abandoned at UCLA has to show up. The Vols were able to win the SEC East despite losing this game a year ago, but a 1-2 start with Auburn and Georgia coming up soon would put Tennessee in a tight spot. THIS WEEK: Florida

Vanderbilt (3-0): Halfway to bowl eligibility. Again they were outgained but came away with another win. They made up the difference in return yards and defensive adjustments that shut out a quality Rice offense in the second half. Their next four games include both Mississippi schools, Auburn, and Georgia. THIS WEEK: @ Mississippi

LSU (2-0): Les Miles was itching to play a game, and I guess playing North Texas qualified. The Tigers have had two lightweight warmups and a third delayed when their stadium was damaged by a hurricane. Was it enough to prepare the defending champions and their new quarterbacks for the SEC? We’ll find out right away – there’s a lot at stake and some history to overcome in their first conference test. THIS WEEK: @ Auburn

Florida (2-0): The Gators have had two weeks to prepare for the Vols, and that doesn’t seem to be a good omen for this weekend’s hosts. Percy Harvin is back, but the story so far has been the Florida defense. They’ve been stifling in their first two games, and if they can continue to remain strong against the Tennessee ground game, Florida should come away with the early advantage in the SEC East. THIS WEEK: @ Tennessee

Kentucky (3-0): I thought last week that Kentucky’s game against MTSU might be more interesting than it seemed, and it definitely was. Rich Brooks – stolen signs or not – is getting proper criticism for nearly blowing the game, but the Wildcats narrowly avoided becoming MTSU’s second BCS conference victim. So here they are at the bye week, undefeated, and will likely head into October without a blemish before the meat of the SEC schedule. THIS WEEK: BYE

Auburn (3-0): Everyone has had a laugh at the expense of Auburn’s 3-2 win at Mississippi State, and playing against the LSU defense isn’t a good prescription for an anemic offense. No one’s laughing at the Auburn defense, and they’ll be counted on to rattle an LSU quarterback making his road debut. Brad Lester’s status for the game is still up in the air, and his absence would be a big hit to Auburn’s chances. LSU’s stable of tailbacks and receivers should give them the edge, but the home crowd and a big play or two by the defense could flip the advantage. THIS WEEK: LSU

Georgia Tech (2-1): For the second week in a row the Yellow Jackets went on the road and played a tight, competitive ACC game. This time, at Virginia Tech, they came out on the losing side. The Paul Johnson offense has struggled to get out of the upper teens against conference competition, but the defense has kept the games close so far. The over/under for their next game might be in the single digits. THIS WEEK: Mississippi State