* - Six SEC teams have been ranked in either the Associated Press or USA Today Top 10 this season – Alabama (8 weeks), Arkansas (2 weeks), Florida (3 weeks), Georgia (6 weeks), LSU (8 weeks) and South Carolina (8 weeks). The SEC has had at least three teams ranked in either the AP or USA Today Top 10 for the last 21 consecutive polls, dating back to Week 4 of the 2011 season.
* - Florida senior kicker Caleb Sturgis is this week’s SEC Football Community Service Team Player of the Week. Throughout his previous four years at UF, the St. Augustine, Fla. native has participated in a variety of community service efforts with the Goodwill Gators program. He has spent time tutoring youth at Williams Elementary School, visited patients at Shands Hospital and also spent time visiting military veterans. He has welcomed children to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and has helped collect food items for the needy in the Gainesville area during Thanksgiving.
* - In his 20th season as a head coach in the SEC, South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier has accumulated 120 victories against conference foes, an average of six per season. The 120 wins are second in SEC history and his .736 against conference teams is 6th in league history.
* - The SEC leads all conferences in passing yards per completions. SEC teams are averaging 12.91 yards per completion, which is just ahead of the Big East (12.77) and ACC (12.75). SEC teams have completed 1,584 of 2,635 passes this season (60.1 percent) for 20,456 yards.
* - SEC offenses run the fewest plays per game than any other conference in FBS. SEC teams average 67.5 plays per game (38.2 rushing / 29.3 passing), which is just ahead of the Big East at 68.8 plays per game.
* - SEC teams have attempted the second fewest passes of all FBS conferences (29.3 per game). The Mountain West has attempted the fewest passes per game (28.7) and the Big East (30.7) is just behind the SEC.
* - SEC stadiums have been filled to 96.53 percent capacity with more than four million fans in attendance. Here’s another way to look at it – In 54 home dates, there have been 144,244 empty seats, or an average of 2,671 per home game. 27 of the 54 home dates have been sellouts.
* - SEC teams have given up just one punt return for a touchdown on 124 attempts this season – South Carolina’s Ace Sanders 70 yard return for a touchdown against Georgia.
* - Alabama is averaging an SEC-best 3.18 points per offensive drive (229 points in 72 drives) while Texas A&M is second at 3.10 points per offensive drive (254 points in 82 drives). Since the stat has been kept in the SEC (2000 season), the SEC best is 3.54 points per offensive drive by Florida in 2008 (545 points in 154 drives). Only four times has a team finished the season better than 3.00 points per offensive drive – Florida, 2008; Auburn, 2010 (3.50); Florida, 2007 (3.49); and, Florida, 2001 (3.27).
* - Alabama has scored an SEC-high 98 points when receiving the ball off opponents turnovers and has not given up any points when it turns over the ball to opponents. South Carolina is second in number of points off opponent’s turnovers (56) and Ole Miss is third (55) in the SEC. Mississippi State and Florida have allowed only three points each by opponents off its turnovers.
* - SEC teams have 169 scoring drives of two minutes or less and 49 scoring drives of more than five minutes. Arkansas, Missouri and Vanderbilt have not had a scoring drive of more than five minutes this season while Mississippi State and Florida lead the SEC (8). Texas A&M leads the SEC with 17 scoring drives of less than two minutes followed closely by Alabama (16) and South Carolina (15).
* - It’s always good to be near the top of the national leaders in scoring offense or scoring defense. Here’s a different way to look at it … The cumulative record of the top 10 teams in the nation in scoring offense is 45-13 (.776) while the cumulative record of the top 10 teams in scoring defense is 57-6 (.905).
* - SEC players listed as active career leaders in the NCAA FBS Division:
Yards per catch – Tavarres King, Georgia (17.8 ypc)
Interception Return yards – Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State (274 yards)
Punt Return yards – Dustin Harris, Texas A&M (898 yards)
Punt Return yards per Game – Dustin Harris, Texas A&M (20.4 ypg)
Punt Return TDs – Dustin Harris, Texas A&M; Marcus Murphy, Missouri (3 TDs)
Sacks per Game – Jarvis Jones, Georgia (1.0 spg)
GAME NOTES
LSU at Texas A&M (11 a.m. CT / ESPN / Sirius 91 / XM 91)
LSU leads the series with Texas A&M, 27-20-3 … Texas A&M is 7-1-1 in games played in College Station with the last game coming in 1995 (A&M, 33-17) … It is also the last regular season game in the series … The two teams played in the 2011 AT&T Cotton Bowl with LSU claiming a 41-24 win … Les Miles is 3-2 in his coaching career against A&M (1-0 while at LSU) … Kevin Sumlin has never competed against LSU as a head coach … LSU is sixth in the BCS standings while A&M is 18th … LSU leads the SEC in defensive 3-and-outs, holding opponents 45.2 percent of the time (42 of 93) … A&M leads the SEC in touchdowns per offensive drives, hitting paydirt 40.2 percent of its drives (33 of 82) … LSU has played 15 true freshmen this season – most in the nation.
Auburn at Vanderbilt (11:21 a.m. CT / SEC Network / Sirius 92 / XM 200)
The series is tied between the two schools, 20-20-1 … Auburn has won 13 of the last 14 meetings with Vanderbilt winning the last meeting, 14-13, in 2008 in Nashville … The game has already been announced as a sellout at Vanderbilt Stadium … It is the second straight sellout for Vandy, the first time in 16 seasons since the school has hosted back-to-back capacity crowds … Vandy’s Zac Stacy is second in school history with 2,501 career rushing yards, needing 131 more to become the school’s all-time leader … Emory Blake is just the ninth receiver in Auburn history to record 100 career catches (104 for 1,611 yards).
South Carolina at Florida (3:30 p.m. ET / CBS Sports / Sirius 91 – 135 / XM 91 – 135)
Florida holds a 23-6-3 series advantage over South Carolina … In games played in Gainesville, the Gators lead, 12-1-0 … South Carolina has won the last two in the series (2012, 17-12, in Columbia; 2011, 36-14, in Gainesville) … This week’s game against Florida will mark the third straight top-10 opponent for South Carolina (Georgia, LSU) … Florida has never lost three straight to South Carolina in the series history … For the first time in series history, both teams are ranked in the top 10 … South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is 3-4 as head coach against his alma mater (Florida), while Will Muschamp is 0-1 as head coach against the Gamecocks, but was part of coaching staffs at Auburn (1996, 2006) and LSU (2002, 2003) that defeated Carolina.
Middle Tennessee at Mississippi State (6 p.m. CT / ESPN2 / Sirius 94 / XM 199)
Mississippi State leads series, 4-0 … Last meeting was in 2009 in Murfreesboro, with State winning, 27-6 … The first three meetings were in Starkville … State has won its last eight games, which is tied for the third longest win streak in the nation and tied for third longest win streak in school history … The 6-0 start is tied for the second best in school history (1999, 8-0) … Through six games, State has trailed only 16 minutes and 11 seconds of game action … Only four teams have trailed for less time than the Bulldogs (0:15, Alabama; 1:51, Oregon; 12:43, Notre Dame; 15:30, Oregon State).
Alabama at Tennessee (7 p.m. ET / ESPN / Sirius 85 / XM 85)
The teams meet on the annual “The Third Saturday in October” … This will be the 95th meeting between two schools with Alabama leading the series, 49-37-8 … Alabama has won the last five meetings in the series with the last Vol win coming in 2006 in Knoxville (16-13) … In games played in Knoxville, the Tide leads, 22-20-1 … Alabama is the top-ranked team in the BCS Standings this week … Alabama is 27-for-28 in red zone trips, tied for fourth in the nation at 96 percent … Alabama QB A.J. McCarron has attempted 227 straight passes without an interception, which is the second longest streak in SEC history (325 by Andre Woodson, Kentucky, 2006-07) … Tennessee last defeated a No. 1 team on Sept. 28, 1985 against Auburn (38-20).
Georgia at Kentucky (7 p.m. ET / FSN / Sirius 92 / XM 200)
Georgia leads series with Kentucky, 51-12-2 … In games played in Lexington, the Bulldogs hold a 24-7 advantage … The Bulldogs have won the last two meetings with the last UK win coming in 2009 in Athens (34-27) … The Wildcats last defeated Georgia in Lexington in 2006 (24-20) … It’s Homecoming on the UK campus as well as Dermontti Dawson Day, honoring the past UK and Pittsburgh Steeler great and recent Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee … Kentucky has played the toughest schedule in the nation, according to Anderson and Hester and the Colley Matrix, two components of the BCS rankings … UK is fourth in the nation in most total freshmen (true and redshirt) played this season (26) … The Bulldogs are 13-4 under Mark Richt after an open date … UGA freshman RB tandem of Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall have rushed for 1,040 yards and 14 TDs this season (best freshman RB tandem by stats in UGA history is Thomas Brown and Danny Ware in 2004 with 1,567 yards and 12 TDs).
