Auburn won its first four games and knocked off defending national champion LSU along the way. But that was just a preview.

The featured performance didn't come until Oct. 2 at Neyland Stadium. That's when Auburn established itself as a contender for the national championship with a 34-10 victory over Tennessee.

"It opened up our eyes a little more, that we had a chance to do something special," Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell said during Monday's SEC teleconference. "To go into a place like Tennessee at night time and do what we did, was just extremely good.

"From that point on, I think we understood what we could do if we continued to play together."

The opposition soon got the same idea. Auburn's one-sided victory over the Vols became the rule, not the exception. In an 11-0 season, only Alabama and LSU have come within 18 points of the third-ranked Tigers, who are a 13-point favorite in Saturday's rematch in the Georgia Dome.

"We know it will be a much better game," Campbell said. "They'll play us much harder. Playing a team twice, you've really got to dedicate yourself to preparation. I think we will get their best shot the second time around."

Safety Junior Rosegreen, who had four interceptions against UT in the first game, attributed Auburn's quick start and a consistent pass rush as the key factors.

"We knew we couldn't give them nothing to get excited about," Rosegreen said. "We just had to come out and jump on them. They played hard and did everything they could possibly do. But we were just ready for it.

"I really can't say (quarterback Erik) Ainge made mistakes. He made some good reads. Our defense had some pressure on him. If you put pressure on the quarterback and he gets hit, a good pass will be a bad pass."

Following injuries to Ainge and Brent Schaeffer, the Vols relied on quarterback Rick Clausen to win high-scoring games against Vanderbilt and Kentucky.

"He stands tall in the pocket like Ainge," Rosegreen said. "He throws the ball pretty good. We've got to sit back in coverage, and try to put pressure on him (up front)."

Auburn running back Ronnie Brown said the Tigers won't be overconfident despite UT's struggles against Kentucky and Vanderbilt the last two weeks.

"Sometimes you come out and play to the level of your competition," Brown said. "This is a new game, a championship game. You have to put all the other games out of the way."

Auburn has another reason not to be overconfident in the SEC championship game. Last year, the Tigers were a consensus top-10 pick in preseason, and The Sporting News picked them No. 1 in the nation.

They then lost their first two games convincingly and finished the season a disappointing 8-5.

"It kind of humbled us as a team," Brown said. "It made us realize we will have to work for everything we get."