Ask Georgia players about a tough road game, and they will tell you how loud the cowbells were in Starkville. Ask them about a tough defensive front, and they will tell you how aggressive Mississippi State was.

So much for references.

The Bulldogs are 4-0, and ranked fifth by The Associated Press, but none of their opponents has a winning record. Mississippi State is their only road test.

Tennessee 20, Georgia 16: UT looked awful in losing to Florida in its first SEC road game against a ranked team. Florida looked even worse against Alabama in its first SEC road game against a ranked team.

Now it's Georgia's turn.

South Carolina 27, Kentucky 20: Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier once beat Kentucky 70-7 when he was the head coach at Florida. He then quipped, "Keep in mind, it's only Kentucky."

And if his Gamecocks are fortunate enough to beat the Wildcats by seven points, someone should remind him, "It's only Kentucky."

South Carolina fans can get more excited if the Gamecocks beat Vanderbilt in two weeks.

LSU 42, Vanderbilt 24: LSU coach Les Miles has lost only one SEC game, but he's already being treated like most Vanderbilt coaches. No one asked him a question during Wednesday's SEC teleconference.

That was probably just fine with Miles, who likes answering questions almost as much as he likes playing passing teams.

He won't even be able to enjoy a game against the Commodores.

Vanderbilt leads the SEC in passing. LSU ranks last in pass defense.

Florida 34, Mississippi State 10: If Illinois coach Ron Zook wakes up in a cold sweat early Saturday morning, it won't be because his team has lost three consecutive games or because he's playing Indiana. It's Mississippi State-Florida weekend, which is a big deal only if you're in the Zook household.

Losing to Mississippi State last year cost Zook his head-coaching job at Florida. Happy anniversary, Coach.

First-year Florida coach Urban Meyer doesn't have to worry about losing his job or losing to Mississippi State. But he should be concerned about his offense.

If you discount the first half against Kentucky, Florida has scored only one touchdown in 10 quarters of SEC play.

Arkansas 41, Louisiana-Monroe 13: The Razorbacks have disproved one of college football's maxims: "You have to establish the running game."

The Razorbacks keep establishing the running game. They also keep losing.

They have rushed for 277.8 yards per game to rank fourth nationally. They're averaging 6 yards per carry.

And they're 1-3.

Ole Miss 27, The Citadel 13: The Rebels haven't disproved any maxims or established much of anything. In fact, they have failed to beat anyone whose starting quarterback didn't break his leg in the first quarter.

The Rebels' 1-3 start is especially disappointing to their fans since new coach Ed Orgeron spoke so optimistically in preseason. He talked about the program eventually competing for championships and vowed to build a fence around Memphis in recruiting.

What he should have said: "We're going to compete for the state championship and we're going to build a fence around Oxford."

Top 25: Southern Cal 45, Arizona 10; Texas 34, Oklahoma 17; Virginia Tech 45, Marshall 7; Florida State 34, Wake Forest 10; Ohio State 30, Penn State 17; Miami 45, Duke 0; Cal 27, UCLA 24; Nebraska 30, Texas Tech 27; Wisconsin 40, Northwestern 30; Arizona State 45, Oregon 38; Boston College 27, Virginia 23; Michigan 34, Minnesota 24; Louisville 38, North Carolina 23.

Record: 81-26 (.757) overall, 54-53 (.505) against the spread.