The Southeastern Conference has long been known as a league that has an abundance of bowl tie-ins. This season may be the year that they fill out more bowl slots than ever before, and certainly more than any other league.

Of course, the SEC was a charter member of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). Their former commissioner, Tennessean Roy Kramer, was the architect and guru of the Football Bowl Association's Tostitos National Championship Game. Now his successor, Mike Slive, heads up the BCS, too.

The SEC may very well get two of its member teams in the BCS year, now that the number of available slots in BCS Bowls and the National Championship Game have been expanded from 8 to 10 in the new "Plus One" format that adds an extra game to the equation. The SEC's strength as the #1 conference in America just might get them an extra BCS slot.

No matter how many SEC teams get BCS bids, however, the SEC has a whopping nine teams that will most likely be bowl eligible at year's end. I could see Florida playing in Phoenix for it all while another SEC team gets a Sugar Bowl slot.

Now that everyone plays a total of 12 games in the regular season, you only have to win half your games and go 6-6 in order to qualify for a bowl. This means that many teams going to bowls will wind up their seasons with a losing record, an anomaly that certainly should not have been a consequence of this new policy.

Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, LSU, and Arkansas all have strong records. Even after the Vols' embarrassing loss to Arkansas in Fayetteville, odds are they will finish 9-3. The Hawgs, Gators, & War Eagles will battle for the Capital One Bowl berth in Orlando if none of them get into the BCS. LSU or Arkansas, if they don't make it into the BCS, will most likely get the Cotton Bowl bid to Dallas, with the other one getting the Chick-Fil-A Bowl nod in Atlanta.

Georgia and Alabama already have the 6 qualifying wins to go to a bowl and one of them may get the Outback Bowl bid to Tampa, but will most likely have to settle for either the Autozone Liberty Bowl in Memphis or the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl in Nashville.

That leaves South Carolina needing only one win to go bowling. Kentucky qualified for a bowl by beating Vanderbilt. One of them will most likely be picked to go to either Memphis or Nashville, and the other will get the Independence Bowl bid in Shreveport. If this scenario develops, only Vanderbilt and the two Mississippi schools, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, will be left at home for the holidays.

For any conference to have 9 of its 12 members in bowls would be a major accomplishment. We all know the SEC is the strongest football conference in America and may be the best in basketball, too. Look for the bowls to have a huge SEC flavor in 2006.

Georgia and Alabama are big-name schools with large followings, so they will certainly get bids, but at least one school with at least a 6-6 record may get left out if the SEC doesn't get 2 BCS slots, South Carolina or Kentucky.

The Wildcats might muster a 7-5 season if they beat Louisiana-Monroe next week. However, would the Independence Bowl take them over a 6-6 South Carolina Gamecock team with Steve Spurrier's star power as head coach?

There's always the possibility that the SEC could negotiate a slot with another bowl should that eventuality occur. However, it would take a lot of maneuvering to get that done.

One thing that isn't generally known about the Chick-Fil-A Bowl is that it gets the 4th or 5th pick of teams from the SEC, depending on how many SEC teams make it to the BCS. After SEC BCS slots are filled, the Capital One Bowl picks next, & then the Outback Bowl gets to pick the SEC Eastern Division team it wants & the Cotton Bowl gets to pick the SEC Western Division team it wants. Only after those selections are made, with the proviso that the Outback can take the next Western team & the Cotton can take the next Eastern team instead of one from the division they have first choice over, does the Chick-Fil-A Bowl get to make its pick.

However, the Chick-Fil-A Bowl is tied to the Atlantic Coast Conference in a much stronger way, getting the second pick overall in that league. Thus, the SEC teams that play in that bowl are almost always at a disadvantage by playing a team from the ACC that is ranked higher nationally & probably stronger. There is also a disparity in payout, as the Chick-Fil-A pays the ACC school more than the SEC school, the only bowl I know of in which the payouts aren't equal to each participating team.

Something needs to be done in the new bowl contracts to correct that inequity. It makes the SEC a second-class team in that bowl & creates an unfair disadvantage & distribution to that conference team. While the SEC must always keep its slot in the prestigious Capital One Bowl, it ought to start letting the Chick-Fil-A Bowl pick next & demand an equal payout with the ACC.

One more thing that SEC Commissioner Slive needs to do is get the SEC involved again in the Gator Bowl. It is a natural for the SEC & has hosted most every SEC school in the past. It is a tragedy that no SEC team has played there for many years. The bowls in general ought to do some trading so that they don't always match up teams from the same conferences each year. The SEC was fortunate to get involved again with the Liberty Bowl, also a natural venue for the SEC, but getting some sort of tie-in with the Gator needs to be a top priority.

What does the future hold for Southeastern Conference football coaches? Here's a look at them and an analysis of who's on the hot seat and who may be moving on for other reasons:

1. Rich Brooks at Kentucky - Even though the Wildcats have improved somewhat, it's all just taking too long. Surely UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart will want to pull the trigger and try to offer the job to his friend, David Cutcliffe, before Cutcliffe pulls up stakes and takes an offer from UNC in Chapel Hill. The big win over Georgia will help Brooks, though.

2. Ed Orgeron at Ole Miss - You've got to know that this season is absolutely killing the Rebel faithful, seeing the success Cutcliffe has brought back to UT...ouch! The season Ole Miss is having also vindicates Tennessee Head Coach Phillip Fulmer for taking a stand and pulling the plug on the troublesome QB, Brent Schaefer...Don't you know that the Ole Miss fans would love to swap their QB for UT's OC again?

3. Sly Croom at Mississippi State - Although this will be a quiet hot seat, realistically any coach has to be minimally successful or at least competitive at MSU. They're used to being a factor in the West, and unless they can pull off some miracle wins at the end of this year, he may only have one season left. The big win over Bama, though, might give him an extension.

4. Bobby Johnson at Vandy - He and his staff came from Furman cocky and brash like they had some magic formula for making expensive private schools competitive in tough football conferences. The thing is, he inherited success at Furman...but can he build it at Vandy? We'll see how it goes without Cutler there to make him look good. He probably should capitalize on his win over Georgia and get a better job while he can. He played Florida tough.

5. Les Miles at LSU - The Bengal Tiger fans were ruined by Nick Saban, who would probably love to be back in Baton Rouge. And to be fair, Miles inherited a ton of talent and hasn't really pushed them up and over that hump. If he has another multi-loss season next year, he could start to hear serious rumblings from the Cajuns, even though he finally won a big one on the road at UT.

6. Mike Shula at Alabama - He's got the luxury of an obviously talented freshman QB to point to as hope for the near future. What he doesn't have is any hardware to hold up as evidence that he's going to restore Alabama to SEC prominence. He's 1-3 vs. Tennessee and is headed for a drubbing from Auburn again & an abysmal 2-6 SEC record. He certainly won't get any big wins this year. Another year without seriously contending for the SEC West in 2007 and restless Bama faithful will be looking for a change, maybe someone else willing to cheat again to get them back on top.

7. Phillip Fulmer at Tennessee - No doubt there was a lot of loose talk over this past off season. No doubt the fact that the Vols were one point away from being 8-0 going into the LSU game (with that one loss coming against perhaps the eventual national champion) has Fulmer, the dean of SEC coaches, back in the saddle again...with a HUGE assist from his friend Cutcliffe. The Vols are a fun team to watch again!

8. Houston Nutt at Arkansas - He's surprisingly leading the SEC West and has the Hog fans going crazy. Another rough Southern Cal loss notwithstanding, the Hogs are playing tough physical football...just ask Auburn. If he can beat Tennessee, they will try to extend his contract. The big win over Spurrier on the road helped him, too.

9. Steve Spurrier at South Carolina - The Gamecock Nation still thinks that Spurrier's going to lead them to the promised land of an SEC/National Title. If nothing else, he's raised the level of expectations and has built on what Lou Holtz did to pull SC more into the national spotlight. But the Ole Ball Coach is a victim of his own success. He changed the SEC with his offensive innovations in the 1990's, and when he did, he took away his own advantage. As long as he keeps the Gamecocks in a minor bowl annually, he can stay in Columbia as long as he wants. If he beats Clemson once in awhile, he'll be a hero. Odd that he'd find himself pitted against a Bowden again in an in-state rivalry. If he doesn't have the 'Cocks in the SEC championship game by 2008, however, he won't hang around another season - and it will be his own call, since he won't be able to stand not being on top again any longer. Fulmer may outlast him at 2 separate league schools.

10. Mark Richt at Georgia - "Defending SEC Champs" had a nice ring to it for Bulldog fans. A 51-33 loss to the hated Vols, when they got their nose broke & their face stomped on by a hobnail boot, really hurt, but they know they're unsettled at QB and David Greens don't grow on trees. There's no panic for the Bulldawg faithful that suffered through the Goff and Donnan years, but the losses to Vandy & UK were embarrassing.

11. Tommy Tuberville at Auburn - Consistently challenging for the SEC West title and the SEC Crown, Auburn is relevant again and the Tiger fans are happy. If he keeps doing that and beating Alabama every year, he's going to be fine for as long as he wants to be a War Eagle. He may be in a BCS bowl without even going to the SEC Championship Game this year.

12. Urban Meyer at Florida - Gator fans will suffer another jilted heartbreak in 2008 when he leaves Gainesville for the $$$ and the fame of the NFL. I know his offense doesn't translate well to the pro game, but that will be overlooked due to his wins and losses and his youthful energy. Don't be surprised to see him come in and replace Jeff Fischer in Nashville with the Titans. Meyer never stays in any one place too long.

After 9 tough games in 2006, the Tennessee Volunteer football team only has one more hurdle remaining to speak of, at Arkansas in Fayetteville this coming Saturday. They have far exceeded expectations in turning things around after a rare losing season last year, even after this weekend's heartbreaking loss. Here are the grades they have earned so far:

QUARTERBACK (A)

Erik Ainge's improvement under Offensive Coordinator David Cutcliffe has been remarkable. He has the confidence of his teammates and coaches, and his receivers are sure-handed, with an offensive line that protects him well. He is a leader in the SEC in passing offense. Crompton stepped up & did well with 2 great TD throws vs. LSU.

RUNNING BACKS (C)

Injuries to both LaMarcus Coker and Arian Foster have left this unit decimated. Montario Hardesty combines power & speed nicely & has potential, but he is recovering from past injuries, too.

WIDE RECEIVERS (A)

Robert Meachem is a gifted athlete who is far more menacing after the catch. He is a leader nationally in receiving yards. He will most likely go to the NFL early. Jayson Swain is a money man. Bret Smith is a notch below them, but is sure-handed, too.


OFFENSIVE LINE (C)

While they give good pass protection, their run blocking is abysmal. Is that because they are more mobile & less beefier, something everyone cried out for them to be last year? They had minus rushing yardage vs. Florida for that game & minus rushing yardage for LSU for a good part of that game, both losses, of course. If Ainge didn't have such a quick release, there would've been more sacks this year. Crompton is more mobile & rolls out & moves the pocket or he would've been sacked more, too. Sears is great & McNeil is good, but the others are just average.

DEFENSIVE LINE (C)

The Vols' front 4 is weak now that Justin Harrell is gone, and they give up too many 3rd down conversions to opponents. They also don't get enough sacks. They have given up far more rushing yards than Chavis' units usually do. LB Ryan Karl is having to make tackles that ends Xavier Mitchell and Antonio Reynolds should be making. The youth of the line means it will be much better in 2007.

LINEBACKERS (B)

Ryan Karl, Jerod Mayo and Marvin Mitchell have all stepped in to fill the shoes of 3 stars who are gone from last season & done very well for themselves. Mitchell & Mayo are among leading tacklers in the SEC. Rico McCoy is also a rising star-to-be in this corps.

DEFENSIVE BACKS (C)

Inky Johnson's injury forced Antwan Stewart and Demetrice Morley to both step up, but their weaknesses have been exposed. Talent is there, but no depth, resulting in spotty play when the starters tire. Jonathan Wade is a star and Morley is becoming one after his LSU game heroics. Jonathan Hefney had a big INT in that game & is a great tackler, too, but he is making tackles the DL should be making.

SPECIAL TEAMS (C)

Place-kicker James Wilhoit & punter Britton Colquitt are at the top of the SEC in talent. Kick coverage has improved somewhat but is still poor, and return yardage is still not good, either. Wilhoit is doing well on FG's, but missed a key one vs. LSU. Colquitt has a great average, but his net average is just average due to the fact that we can't cover.

COACHING (B)

They didn't keep enough fresh players rotated throughout the game against either Florida or LSU, resulting in blowing 10-point second-half leads in both games & bitter league home losses. Credit Fulmer for bring back Cutcliffe, who has certainly turned around the offense, doubling its output. Inexperience and injuries make Chavis' job very tough.

OVERALL (B)

No question this group is talented & capable of ringing up points if Ainge recovers from his injury, or even if he doesn't. Scoring 3 TD's on LSU is impressive. It's as much as Florida did & far more than Auburn did. Putting up 51 points on Georgia was no fluke, either. This team has improved markedly over last year but for the 8th year in a row, UT won't be playing for a championship of any kind. They will be a decided underdog at Arkansas. However, with a bowl win, they can lose to the Hawgs & still finish 10-3, doubling their win total in 2005. Fans will expect even more improvement for 2007, though, as it is time for UT to get back to Atlanta for sure.

After 9 tough games in 2006, the Tennessee Volunteer football team only has one more hurdle remaining to speak of, at Arkansas in Fayetteville this coming Saturday. They have far exceeded expectations in turning things around after a rare losing season last year, even after this weekend's heartbreaking loss. Here are the grades they have earned so far:

QUARTERBACK (A)

Erik Ainge's improvement under Offensive Coordinator David Cutcliffe has been remarkable. He has the confidence of his teammates and coaches, and his receivers are sure-handed, with an offensive line that protects him well. He leads the SEC in passing offense. Crompton stepped up & did well with 2 great TD throws vs. LSU.

RUNNING BACKS (C)

Injuries to both LaMarcus Coker and Arian Foster have left this unit decimated. Montario Hardesty combines power & speed nicely & has potential, but he is recovering from past injuries, too.

WIDE RECEIVERS (A)

Robert Meachem is a gifted athlete who is far more menacing after the catch. He leads the nation in receiving yards. He will most likely go to the NFL early. Jayson Swain is a money man. Bret Smith is a notch below them, but is sure-handed, too.


OFFENSIVE LINE (C)

While they give good pass protection, their run blocking is abysmal. Is that because they are more mobile & less beefier, something everyone cried out for them to be last year? They had minus rushing yardage vs. Florida for that game & minus rushing yardage for LSU for a good part of that game, both losses, of course. If Ainge didn't have such a quick release, there would've been more sacks this year. Crompton is more mobile & rolls out & moves the pocket or he would've been sacked more, too. Sears is great & McNeil is good, but the others are just average.

DEFENSIVE LINE (C)

The Vols' front 4 is weak now that Justin Harrell is gone, and they give up too many 3rd down conversions to opponents. They also don't get enough sacks. They have given up far more rushing yards than Chavis' units usually do. LB Ryan Karl is having to make tackles that ends Xavier Mitchell and Antonio Reynolds should be making. The youth of the line means it will be much better in 2007.

LINEBACKERS (B)

Ryan Karl, Jerod Mayo and Marvin Mitchell have all stepped in to fill the shoes of 3 star who are gone from last season & done very well for themselves. Mitchell & Mayo are among leading tacklers in the SEC. Rico McCoy is also a rising star-to-be in this corps.

DEFENSIVE BACKS (C)

Inky Johnson's injury forced Antwan Stewart and Demetrice Morley to both step up, but their weaknesses have been exposed. Talent is there, but no depth, resulting in spotty play when the starters tire. Jonathan Wade is a star and Morley is becoming one after his LSU game heroics. Jonathan Hefney had a big INT in that game & is a great tackler, too, but he is making tackles the DL should be making.

SPECIAL TEAMS (C)

Place-kicker James Wilhoit & punter Britton Colquitt are at the top of the SEC in talent. Kick coverage has improved somewhat but is still poor, and return yardage is still not good, either. Wilhoit is doing well on FG's, but missed a key one vs. LSU. Colquitt has a great average, but his net average is just average due to the fact that we can't cover.

COACHING (B)

We didn't keep enough fresh players rotated throughout the game against either Florida or LSU, resulting in blowing 10-point second-half leads in both games & bitter league home losses. Credit Fulmer for bring back Cutcliffe, who has certainly turned around the offense, doubling its output. Inexperience and injuries make Chavis' job very tough.

OVERALL (B)

No question this group is talented & capable of ringing up points if Ainge recovers from his injury, or even if he doesn't. Scoring 3 TD's on LSU is impressive. It's as much as Florida did & far more than Auburn did. Putting up 51 on Georgia was no fluke, either. This team has improved markedly over last year but for the 8th year in a row, UT won't be playing for a championship of any kind. They will be a decided underdog at Arkansas. However, with a bowl win, they lose to the Hawgs & still finish 10-3, doubling their win total in 2005. Fans will expect even more improvement for 2007, though, as it is time for UT to get back to Atlanta for sure.

Fresh off big wins over Alabama at home and South Carolina on the road, the Tennessee Volunteers return to Neyland Stadium this Saturday afternoon for a nationally-televised visit from the LSU Bengal Tigers. The Vols pulled off a miraculous victory in the hurricane-delayed game in Baton Rouge last season in sweltering Tiger Stadium, where the on-field temperature was over 100 degrees, with the heat index much higher.

Thus, LSU has revenge on its mind. It was the only big victory that UT had for all of 2005, and it kept the Tigers from having a perfect Southeastern Conference record and perhaps a shot at the National Championship. However, UT Quarterback Erik Ainge also has a lot to prove in this one. After showing a lot of panic and throwing a last-minute interception in the first half at LSU last year that led to a Tiger touchdown and put his team in a huge hole, he didn't play the rest of the game and was bailed out by backup QB Rick Clausen, who led Tennessee to its come-from-behind win.

You can bet that LSU will go after Ainge with all they can on defense, showing blitzes to rattle him. However, these Tigers don't appear to be as toothy as last year's edition. For one thing, they lost their only two big tests of the year to nationally-ranked Auburn, 7-3, and to SEC East-leading Florida, 23-10.

The rest of their schedule has truly been a bunch of also-rans, UL-Lafayette, Arizona, Tulane, Mississippi State, Kentucky, and Fresno State. They have piled up big numbers on offense against those weak defenses, and have held their inept offensive opponents to less than a touchdown on average. For those 6 games, they have won each by an average score of 44-6, so for the most part, they are truly untested except for their 2 losses.

LSU Coach Les Miles should be highly motivated to prove he can win big games against Top 10 teams on the road. However, with LSU QB Jamarcus Russell running hot and cold and unable to score even a touchdown against Auburn and only one TD against Florida, it doesn't appear that the LSU offense presents much of a problem for John Chavis' Vol defense, which was proven to be stout.

Since LSU relies almost solely on the pass, with no running game to speak of, the UT secondary will again get a workout. Pass interference penalties, both those that were called and those that weren't, in the past couple of games, indicate that the Vols need to shore up that part of their "D".

As for whether Tennessee can score on the Tigers, it will be up to Ainge to prove he can withstand the pressure, not let his adrenalin get the best of him, and stay calm in the pocket. As teammate wide receiver Robert Meachem has pointed out in post-game comments after each of the last two wins, Ainge is a much better QB when he is calm. He overthrew a number of receivers in both the Alabama and South Carolina games that could have made those much more comfortable wins for UT.

This may be a game in which both teams virtually rely solely on the air attack. The Big Orange has still been unable to establish any consistent running game of its own, and key injuries at tailback make it unlikely they will be able to do so until a weak defense like Kentucky comes up on the schedule for them to feast on and gobble up yardage on during Thanksgiving weekend.

LSU is virtually out of the championship race again this season. Tennessee, on the other hand, is not only in the SEC picture, but could easily back into the national championship game with some help down the stretch. Thus, you should give the motivational edge to the Volunteers, which should trump any revenge emotions that the Tigers bring to Knoxville.

Florida could easily lose another SEC game, even at Vanderbilt this weekend, but certainly when they host South Carolina the next Saturday. Nothing would please Steve Spurrier more than to beat his alma mater in his first trip back to Gainesville since becoming head coach of the Gamecocks.

If the Gators lose another SEC game and UT keeps taking care of business against its final four SEC foes, they would face Arkansas or Auburn in Atlanta, with a chance to play their way into the National Championship Game by winning the SEC Championship. Even if Florida doesn't falter, if the Vols win out, they will most likely get a BCS bowl bid of some kind. While the winner of the SEC Championship Game will either play in the National Championship Game in Arizona or in the Sugar Bowl in the newly-refurbished Superdome in New Orleans, the loser of the game in Atlanta will most likely be relegated to the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

It would be a huge turnaround for UT to be in the BCS after last year's losing season, in which they didn't go bowling at all. It would mean that Tennessee was back with a vengeance nationally. It would give them a huge leg-up on recruiting and a title run next year, especially if they win a big bowl game in the Fiesta, Orange, Sugar, or Orange Bowls. Hungry fans would flock to any of them, too.

History is on Tennessee's side in the upcoming game against LSU. UT is 11-1-1 against the Tigers in Knoxville. Even LSU's best team ever in 1959, with Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon, came away from their trip to Neyland Stadium with a loss that denied them a perfect season and the national championship. LSU's only win in Knoxville came in 1988 when the Vols had another rare losing season. The Bengal Tigers have only beaten the Vols 5 times total in the entire history of their football program.