THE BIG STORY

Three SEC teams are ranked in the top 10 of the first BCS poll, with more four teams in the top 25.

LSU is at No. 4 after suffering its first loss of the year at Kentucky on Saturday. The win moved Kentucky to No. 7 in the BCS, just behind No. 6 South Carolina. Florida is No. 15, Auburn No. 17, Georgia No. 20 and Tennessee No. 21.

“I’ll be honest with you,” LSU coach Les Miles (right) said Sunday night of the Tigers’ BCS ranking. “I am concerned about one thing and one thing only — our next opponent.”

South Carolina last appeared in the BCS rankings in November 2005 when the Gamecocks were No. 23 following a 30-22 win against Florida. The Gamecocks are one of seven SEC teams ranked in the top 21 in the BCS rankings and the Associated Press poll. Five of those seven are from the SEC East.

“I guess all these teams are having pretty decent years,” Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said, whose team plays Vanderbilt this week. “(Unranked) Vandy’s capable of beating everyone. We just hope it isn’t us this week.

“It’s a good conference, a good division, even though it’s a very tough division,” he added. “You’ve got to rely on somebody beating somebody else, and probably some kind of 6-2 record will win the division — maybe on both sides nowadays.”

Kentucky has become one of the biggest stories in college football and will have a chance to increase its national profile even more this week when ESPN’s Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard arrive in town to do their popular pre-game and post-game shows live from the Lexington campus.

Wildcats’ coach Rich Brooks said he spent much of the night following the LSU win talking to national sports radio shows to spread the word about his program, and said the CBS and GameDay showcases can bolster recruiting.

“When you’re in national rankings and GameDay comes to town, it’s just exposure to let recruits and young players know they can come to Kentucky and be in the thick of things just as well as the schools that have historically been in the thick of things,” Brooks said. “The more successful programs can’t say you can’t win at Kentucky anymore.”

The rest of the league:

ALABAMA

Replay official Doyle Jackson was ultimately responsible for overturning a 41-yard, fourth-and-22 reception that appeared to give Ole Miss an opportunity to win or tie Saturday’s game from the Tide’s 4-yard line in the final seven seconds. The play occurred on Alabama’s sideline. Tide coach Nick Saban raced to the scene of the play, arguing that Rebels receiver Shay Hodge stepped out of bounds before seizing Seth Adams’ deep pass away from cornerback Lionel Mitchell. “I was watching the guy on the sidelines,” Saban said. “He ran out of bounds. He was cut off. He still made a great catch.” Saban gambled on his viewpoint, calling a quick timeout so replay officials could take another look. Had the play not been overturned, Alabama’s timeout would have allowed Ole Miss an additional play call without the clock moving. The Rebels, in fact, had called a fade route to go for the game-winning touchdown. An incompletion would have meant a 21-yard field goal for the tie. SEC commissioner Mike Slive was in attendance at Saturday’s game, won 27-24 by Alabama. Afterward, the league issued a statement: “In the judgment of the replay official, Doyle Jackson, the receiver stepped out of bounds on his own. Also, the replay official ruled the receiver touched the football first, thereby making it an illegal touch. The result of the play is that the ball goes back to the original line of scrimmage with a loss of down.”

ARKANSAS

Saturday’s 9-7 loss to No. 18 Auburn in Reynolds Razorback Stadium dropped Arkansas to 0-3 in the Southeastern Conference. Hogs’ coach Houston Nutt said he doesn’t want his players listening to the fan criticism or worrying about whether he’ll be the coach next season. “The contract (Arkansas officials) have given me, it’s real clear: It says 2012,” Nutt said, referring to the one-year contract extension he received in December. It doesn’t say you’re gone (in) 2007, 2008. It says 2012.” Nutt said the mood in the locker room following the loss was noticeably down. With the Razorbacks likely out of the SEC West race, Nutt said he planned to tell his players during a team meeting Sunday afternoon that this was the beginning of a new season. “I’m basically going to present to (the players) it’s a brand-new season. It’s brand-new; you’re at the midway point,” Nutt said. “What we’ve been best (at) is being able to keep everybody in our circle. We’ve done that since 1998.” In 2001, the Razorbacks dug themselves out of an 0-3 start in the SEC, winning six consecutive games to finish the regular season with a 7-4 record and an invite to the Cotton Bowl.

AUBURN

It’s almost becoming cliché the way Auburn plays close games, especially on the road. A short time after surrendering a 6-0 lead to Arkansas with less than two minutes to play, the Tigers — led by quarterback Brandon Cox — drove 50 yards in eight plays and set up freshman Wes Byrum’s 20-yard field goal with 21 seconds left for a 9-7 win over the Razorbacks Saturday night. In a game similar to the Tigers’ win at Florida, Cox directed the offense within striking distance for a score and Byrum took it from there. When Arkansas scored its touchdown with 1:36 to play and the stadium crowd erupted, the Auburn bench remained calm. That demeanor would be evident as the Tigers set about their drive to reclaim the lead and take the win. As he prepared to kick another game-winner, Byrum said he had only one thought. “I just thought I had to get it,” he said. “I had already missed two (field goals of 36 and 46 yards) in the game and we shouldn’t have been in there (in the position of needing a field goal for the win).” As he approached the kick, he said he told himself, “Just get up there and finish it off. I thought about (the misses) a little bit when I got out there, but I also thought ‘just get it done.’ (The offense) drove down great. They told me I was going to have to hit a 53- or 54-yard kick (to win the game), and I ended up getting a short one.”

FLORIDA

University of Florida walk-on football player Michael Guilford was killed early Friday morning in a motorcycle crash at Old Archer Road and SW 23rd Terrace, Gainesville Police reported. Also killed in the accident was UF student Ashley E. Slonina. Guilford, 19, and Slonina, 20, had been riding on a 1998 silver Kawasaki when they hit a median at SW 23rd Terrace and Old Archer Road. The two were ejected and suffered fatal injuries. Officers estimated the motorcycle the two were riding on was traveling at 55 to 65 mph, according to preliminary police reports. The posted speed limit at the roadway is 35 mph. Guilford was a redshirt freshman defensive back from Quincy who attended Blountstown High School. “We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Michael Guilford,” UF football coach Urban Meyer said in a statement on Friday. “He was an outstanding, quality young man that was loved, respected and admired by all of us. His unselfish efforts on helping his teammates getting ready to play every week were only a glimpse of the person he was. We pray that God’s blessing be with Michael’s family, friends and teammates during this sad and difficult time,” Meyer continued. “Our condolences and blessings also go to the family and friends of Ashley Slonina, who also passed away in this sad and tragic accident.” Junior tight end Cornelius Ingram said Guilford’s death was a real blow to the players. “He was one of the most popular walk-ons on the team,” he said by phone Friday. Guilford, whose nickname was “Sunshine,” was named the Gators’ scout team player of the week earlier this season for his effort in practice before the Ole Miss game. He also played the role of Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith during UF’s preparation for the national championship game in January. The Gators had a bye week last week, and there was no curfew for the players.

GEORGIA

Georgia (5-2, 3-2 SEC) avoided its worst seven-game start since 1996 and falling to last place in the SEC East with the 20-17 victory at Vanderbilt that came on Brandon Coutu’s 37-yard game winning field goal. That set up a celebration that spilled to midfield where players jumped up on Vanderbilt’s star and `V’. Georgia coach Mark Richt was heading to shake Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson’s hand when he changed direction to push players off the logo. “I’m going to see Coach (Johnson) to shake his hand and I see our guys celebrating on the logo,” Richt said. “Whether they are doing it spontaneously or on purpose, I couldn’t tell that. I was upset and I was pushing them off the doggone thing and telling them that was a bunch of baloney and we’re not going to do that.” Richt apologized after the game on ESPN2 to Vanderbilt fans and spoke briefly with Johnson after the incident. “We shook hands and the first thing out of my mouth was just apologizing for our guys doing that,” Richt said. “He said don’t worry about it or something like that. He said good luck next week and I said the same. My exchange with him was as cordial as it could be under the circumstances.” Georgia players celebrated at midfield at Tennessee in 2001. “I told the guys we did that in 2001 when we didn’t know what it meant to win on the road,” Richt said. “We’re not going to accept that.”

KENTUCKY

Kentucky pulled off one of the biggest wins in school history Saturday night, outlasting top-ranked LSU 43-37 in three overtimes in front of a frantic crowd of 70,092 at Commonwealth Stadium. It was only the third win over a No. 1 team for the UK program and the first since beating Mississippi in 1964. Kentucky improves to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the Southeastern Conference heading into next week’s home game with Florida. The game will kick off at 3:30 and will be nationally televised by CBS. The ESPN College GameDay crew will also be in Lexington for the game. “In terms of the oddsmakers, ours wasn’t as big of an upset as an Appalachian State beating Michigan or Stanford beating USC,” Kentucky Coach Rich Brooks said. “I just like to think that we’ve got a good football team and if we play well enough, we can beat any team in the nation. All I know is we’re trying to get in the SEC race and be a factor in the championship, and we made a significant step in that direction tonight. Those people who didn’t think we’re a real contender, maybe that changed tonight.” “We knew we were a great team, we just had to show other people that we were a great team,” UK quarterback Andre Woodson said. “That’s just the maturity level of this team,” UK senior tight end Jacob Tamme said. “We know we can compete blow for blow with anyone in the country. We showed everyone else tonight.” Brooks said it was perhaps his biggest win in a coaching career that started in 1977. “It’s got to be right up there at the top,” Brooks said. “To beat the No. 1 team in the nation, and the way we did it, to keep coming back … and it wasn’t a fluke.” Kentucky linebacker Braxton Kelley stopped LSU running back Charles Scott on fourth-and-2 in the third overtime to seal the win.

LSU

The Tigers (6-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) dropped four spots to No. 5 in the USA Today, Associated Press and Harris polls following their 43-37, triple-overtime loss to No. 17 Kentucky on Saturday night in Lexington, Ky. “I’ll be honest with you,” LSU coach Les Miles said Sunday night. “I am concerned about one thing and one thing only — our next opponent.” LSU hosts No. 18 Auburn (5-2, 3-1 SEC) at 8 p.m. Saturday on ESPN. Auburn was ranked No. 17 in the BCS. Kentucky (6-1, 2-1) rose to No. 8 in the Associated Press poll from a No. 17 ranking and debuted at No. 7 in the BCS ranking. Ohio State (7-0), which lost the BCS national championship game last season to Florida, is No. 1 in all the polls. “You don’t worry about the national title at this point,” Miles said. “You worry about our next opponent. You get focused on Auburn and get to the open week and get some health built up. We go from there. If our football team comes to practice and we focus one opponent at a time, get a string of victories, everything we want to play for is still there. I enjoy the position we are in currently, but it will only be enhanced by the ability to achieve game-by-game the rest of the season.”

OLE MISS

Seth Adams couldn’t keep his dinner down Friday night, much less breakfast on Saturday morning. On the day Adams was supposed to lead his team at quarterback against the Alabama Crimson Tide, he was sick with stomach flu. So, while the rest of the team rested at a Tupelo motel, Adams was driven back to Oxford early Saturday morning so that he could be replenished with fluids via I.V. “I felt OK, no excuses,”Adams said. He didn’t need any. Adams completed 22 of 40 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns. “Seth’s a gamer,” coach Ed Orgeron said. “He battled and competed. I never had any doubt that he would play and play well.” Adams and his teammates thought he should have had a 23rd completion, one that would have given Ole Miss a chance to win or tie the game. What was first ruled a 41-yard pass completion to Shay Hodge was overturned by replay officials. “It’s disappointing,” Adams said. “I have to watch it on film, but I felt like (Hodge) caught the ball. What can you say about that?”

MISS. STATE

Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom made it clear in his post-game news conference that he didn’t like the boos directed at quarterback Mike Henig when Henig replaced starter Wes Carroll in the final minute of the first half of Saturday’s 33-21 loss to Tennessee. Carroll was knocked silly on the series before. “Wes didn’t know his name,” Croom said. “I thought he was done.” Henig, the former starter still recovering from a broken hand, isn’t ready to play but MSU had no other option, Croom said. “For our fans to boo him, that was disgraceful,” Croom said. “You can boo me anytime you want to, because I get paid to do this job, but those kids are out there fighting for the maroon and white and to me, that was disgraceful.” Some fans, not knowing that Carroll was hurt, probably were booing Croom for putting Henig - who was ineffective in last week’s game - on the field. Later, the fans booed when MSU went conservative at the end of the half, giving Tennessee a late possession that it converted into a field goal for a 17-14 lead. Croom said his goal was a 14-14 tie; he didn’t want a repeat of the LSU game, when a late pass was intercepted and led to a Tigers touchdown. “We got booed, and that’s OK,” Croom said. “… I’m going to do whatever I feel like gives us the best chance, regardless of what anybody thinks. That’s the way it’s going to be here.”

SOUTH CAROLINA

Upon further review, Steve Spurrier’s play calling against North Carolina was not as distasteful as he thought. When South Carolina’s offense stalled in the second half of Saturday’s 21-15 victory at North Carolina, the Gamecocks’ coach took responsibility after the game for “calling that conservative run-run crap.” On Sunday, Spurrier defended his decision to put the safety lock on his “Cock ’n’ Fire” offense after USC built a 21-3 halftime lead. “I’ve always been conservative where I don’t want to call plays to lose a game. After the game, I was a little mad at myself. After watching the tape, I think probably what I did was smart. I really do,” Spurrier said. “We tried to run the ball. We didn’t make a lot of third-and-1s and 2s, which we thought we could. … And our defense was playing very well at that time. We’re up 21-3, so we’re going to try not to lose the game. Don’t do anything pretty stupid.”

TENNESSEE

UT running back Arian Foster rushed 21 times for 139 yards and a touchdown during the Vols’ 33-21 defeat of the Bulldogs. It was the seventh time the junior has rushed for more than 100 yards in a game at UT. Foster also moved into 17th place on the Vols’ career rushing yards list (1,735). “They played off the line, more than we expected,” Foster said. “We knew this was going to be a physical game. There were some tough guys on the other side of the ball and my hat goes off to them. They are one of the most physical opponents we’ve gone against.”

VANDERBILT

After weeklong speculation that Mackenzi Adams could take over as the Vanderbilt starter, it was Chris Nickson who got the start at Saturday’s homecoming game against Georgia. Two plays later, however, he was replaced by Adams, starting a game-long rotation between the two signal callers that proved to be successful in the first half — and painfully unproductive in the scoreless second. In the end, Adams provided more of the offensive spark. The redshirt sophomore completed 7-of-10 passes for 125 yards passing and a touchdown and added another 46 rushing yards. Nickson, who has now made 18 consecutive starts for Vanderbilt despite several sub-par efforts this season, was 2-of-5 for 6 yards. “We had a package that would suit Chris Nickson well and a package that would suit Mackenzie Adams well,” Vanderbilt Coach Bobby Johnson said of his decision to go with a two-quarterback attack. “… We feel like we have two good quarterbacks and we will keep working to see what they can do and see what is the best situation each week.”