Strange: Alabama's best interest to win big; Fulmer on apathy : govolsxtra.com

How do we know get-serious time has arrived in the college football season? No, it's not because Clemson has already dumped its coach or because SEC elders Phillip Fulmer and Tommy Tuberville are both on the hot seat.

Well, it's not just because of that.

The first BCS rankings come out Sunday.

So Alabama doesn't just want to beat Ole Miss on Saturday. It wants to crush Ole Miss.

The national championship will be decided Jan. 8 in Miami. If the regular season were suspended today, Texas and Alabama would be the participants, with Penn State the odd team out.

The Longhorns and the Tide hold the top two spots, respectively, in both the coaches' and Harris Interactive polls. That's two-thirds of the BCS equation. The other component is a compilation of six computer rankings.

In Alabama's surprising emergence, coach Nick Saban has been dogged about minimizing distractions. He's about to get another one Sunday.

"What I tell (the team),'' Saban said, "is, 'Can you tell me who was ranked where on this date a year ago?' If anyone can tell me that, I guess it has some significance. Otherwise, it doesn't.''

I can tell him. (OK, I had to look it up.)

Ohio State and South Florida were 1-2 when the first 2007 BCS rankings came out. The Buckeyes ended up playing LSU (which opened at No. 4) for the championship.

What Apathy?: Fulmer said on this week's SEC teleconference he's too busy trying to fix his team to notice whether apathy has set in among the UT fan base.

"When you say apathy,'' he said, "I don't know if it's gotten to that extent or not. I've seen many people (be) very supportive. Thank goodness for that.

"I'm sure a lot of people are wondering what's going on. This is not the way we typically play here at Tennessee.''

Fulmer said he hadn't read or heard athletic director Mike Hamilton's interview with the News Sentinel in which Hamilton termed apathy "a bad place to be institutionally.''

My Kingdom For a Fumble: UT is now the only team among 119 in the Bowl Subdivision that has not recovered a fumble. LSU and Arizona State got off the goose egg last weekend.

Second-Down Vols: Tennessee was a wipe-out on second down in a 26-14 loss at Georgia. The Vols were 0-of-9 passing. Four runs netted a minus-1 yard.

"It's a lot of individual breakdowns,'' said offensive coordinator Dave Clawson. "Our first down production wasn't as good as it had been, which put us in more second-and-longs and then third-and-longs.''

Heads Up, Eric Berry: Mississippi State receiver Brandon McRae has come out of nowhere to lead the SEC with 33 catches.

Prior to this year, the junior had two career catches, both in 2007. He transferred from Morehead State, where he snagged 28 passes in 2005.

Darren Who?: Arkansas lost the two best running backs in the league when Darren McFadden and Felix Jones moved on to the NFL.

So the Razorbacks replaced them with, well, maybe the best running back in the SEC - Michael Smith.

With midseason report cards due, the 5-foot-7, 173-pound Smith leads the SEC in rushing at 119.8 yards per game and in all-purpose yardage at 166.4 per game. He's caught 20 passes and returns punts.

"If he gets in behind those big old linemen, it's hard to see him,'' said Kentucky coach Rich Brooks, "and when he pops out he surprises the defense on which crease he's coming through.''

Stat of the Week: Next to Tim Tebow (35) the active SEC players with the most career touchdowns will be in Neyland Stadium on Saturday. Anthony Dixon of Mississippi State has 26 and Arian Foster 22. Foster has not scored this year.

Last Word: Auburn's Tuberville, when asked on the SEC teleconference by Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post what it's like "being passed by Alabama as the top team" in the state:

"Next question.''

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strangem@knoxnews.com.