There's a lot of focus on Florida possibly being the team to beat in the Eastern Division after it edged Tennessee, 21-20, last Saturday in Neyland Stadium.

But it would be foolish to discount defending SEC champion Georgia.

While the Bulldogs (3-0, 1-0 in SEC East) may not yet be as explosive offensively as the Gators while they build an offense with a true freshman at starting quarterback, Georgia does have a strong running game.

It also has two elements almost every championship team has - a great defense and a solid kicking game.

Georgia has back-to-back shutouts against South Carolina two Saturdays ago and UAB this past weekend. The Bulldogs have given up just one TD this season, and it came with reserves in the game in the season opener against Western Kentucky near the end of the first half with Georgia leading, 33-0.

"I'm sure we'll face some people who will test us more than we've been tested to this point, but the thing that makes our guys special right now is how hard they're playing and the amount of confidence they're playing with right now," Georgia coach Mark Richt said.

Also, Georgia has been good in every phase of the kicking game. Placekicker Brandon Coutu hasn't missed a kick this season, with 7-for-7 on field goals and 11-for-11 on extra points. He nailed a 55-yarder against UAB. Punter Gordon Ely-Kelso averaged 49.3 yards on three punts vs. UAB and is third in the conference in net punting. Finally, Georgia blocked a UAB punt and returned it for a TD last Saturday. Against Western Kentucky, the Bulldogs had a punt return for a TD.

The Bulldogs have a good shot at recording three consecutive shutouts, something that hasn't happen since 1971. Georgia is at home today against 0-3 Colorado, which has scored just two TDs and 23 points this season.

Sticking With Newton Despite having previously suspended starter Blake Mitchell available again, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is sticking with Syvelle Newton at quarterback. The reason is Carolina's offensive line hasn't been great, so Newton has the mobility to scramble for his life.

"It's been difficult for Blake especially to play back there because he's not a scrambler," Spurrier said. "At least Syvelle gives us a chance to run out of there and shake a guy off and make some plays. That's sort of what convinces us that our best chance to win may be with Syvelle back there because he can get out of trouble."

Last Saturday against Wofford, Newton, who Carolina's starting QB before Spurrier became coach, got his first start in two years and completed 12-of-18 passes for 196 yards and ran for 67 yards in 13 carries in a 27-20 win.

"Syvelle made a lot of plays out there on his own that enabled us to win the game," Spurrier said. "I don't know if we win the game if he's not playing quarterback because the pass protection was not all that good."

It's Chris Vick Vanderbilt quarterback Chris Nickson was so impressive in last weekend's close loss to Arkansas - he threw for 124 yards and one TD and ran for 74 yards and three TDs - that he was paid a high compliment by Arkansas defensive tackle Keith Jackson.

"That quarterback is a great player," Jackson said. "He's going to win a lot of ballgames for them, and I think he came out there with the mind-set to come out and win the game himself like a Michael Vick-type of guy."

Hard Nutt To Crack Last Saturday, Arkansas coach Houston Nutt became the third coach in Razorbacks' history to coach 100 games at the school. He picked up his 59th win (against 41 losses) when a last-second gust of win left a Vanderbilt game-winning field goal two yards short.

The other Arkansas coaches with 100 or more games are athletic director Frank Broyles (144-58-5 in 207 games 1958-76) and Fred Thomsen (56-61-10 in 127 games 1929-41). The other 11 SEC schools have had a combined 30 head coaches since Nutt was hired to coach the Razorbacks in December 1997.

"I've seen a lot of different faces," Nutt said. "That shows you how volatile it can be in the SEC. You feel good to still be around."