NASHVILLE -- At the risk of mixing rivalries, I ask: What's the Auburn-Alabama game missing?

One answer: An SEC division champion.

Another answer: Chris Nickson and Earl Bennett, two key players in a Tennessee-Vanderbilt rivalry that was revitalized last year by Bennett’s game-winning touchdown catch at Neyland Stadium.

When the rivalry resumes Saturday at Vanderbilt Stadium, Nickson and Bennett will be right in the middle of it.

Nickson, a sophomore quarterback, and Bennett, a sophomore wide receiver, suddenly have become one of the hottest pitch-and-catch tandems in the SEC. And they've done it at Vanderbilt, not Alabama or Auburn.

Never mind their college choices. Nickson and Bennett have deep Alabama roots.

Nickson's mother is a long-time USDA food inspector in Alabama. He grew up in Brundidge, Ala., where he accomplished enough to fill two high school yearbooks.

Check out this senior year: He led his football team to the state championship, was named Alabama's Mr. Football, and was his class valedictorian.

After accounting for 142 touchdowns and 9,806 yards in high school, Nickson was recruited by Alabama schools as a defensive back.

Auburn and Alabama were less interested in Bennett despite an outstanding high school career in Birmingham. He started four years at West End High School and made first-team all-state his senior season.

Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe saw something in Bennett that Auburn and Alabama coaches didn't. He first recruited him to Ole Miss, where he was head coach; then recruited him to Notre Dame after joining coach Charlie Weis' staff.

"Coach Cutcliffe called me several times and told me I needed to come visit (Notre Dame)," Bennett said. "I never did."

Notre Dame's loss was also UT's loss.

Bennett starred as a true freshman last year and was at his best in the upset of UT when he caught 14 passes for 167 yards.

When Cutler departed for the NFL, how could anyone have expected Bennett to have a second season comparable to his first? But thanks, in part, to the development of Nickson, Bennett leads the SEC in receptions per game.

"A lot of people didn't get to see Chris in spring practice because he had a sore hamstring," Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said. "We knew Chris was an excellent runner.

"We always had confidence in his arm. The thing about Chris Nickson -- when he decided to Vanderbilt, he said, 'I want to be a complete quarterback.' "

He's still a work in progress, but his improvement and production have gotten the attention of every defensive coordinator in the SEC.

"It has been a game-by-game process," Nickson said. "I'm feeling more comfortable in the pocket."

Nickson, who ranks third in the SEC in total offense, accounted for 517 yards -- 446 passing and 71 rushing -- last week against Kentucky. The week before, he passed for 298 yards against Florida; three weeks ago, he passed for 250 yards and rushed for 150 against Duke.

"Chris is becoming a big-time quarterback," Bennett said. "Look at his passing. He's getting better and better."

Nickson completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes in each of his first three games. He was only 4-for-15 in a loss to South Carolina. But in the last three games, he has completed 60 percent of his passes and averaged 331.3 yards per game.

As his production increases, do does Bennett's. Against Kentucky, Bennett had 11 catches for 220 yards. With one game remaining in his sophomore season, he already ranks fourth at Vanderbilt in career receptions and receiving yardage.

Every catch is a reminder of what Alabama and Auburn missed.