SEC matchups for Saturday

Auburn (4-4, 2-3 SEC)

at Ole Miss (4-4, 2-3)

Time: 12:30 p.m. TV: WVLT.

Skinny: Auburn tries to stop its season free-fall after losing four of its past five games. The Tigers own a 24-8 series advantage and have won 13 of the past 15 meetings with Ole Miss. The Rebels’ four losses this season have each come by a touchdown or less.

Key players: Auburn QB Kodi Burns rushed for 82 yards and a TD and passed for 111 yards and a TD in last week’s 34-17 loss to West Virginia. Ole Miss QB Jevan Snead is third in the SEC with 209.1 yards passing per game. Shay Hodge has been on the receiving end of six of Snead’s 12 TD passes.

Line: Ole Miss by 6.

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Tulsa (8-0) at Arkansas (3-5)

Time: 2 p.m. TV: None.

Skinny: It’s reunion time Part II for the Razorbacks. Last week, Houston Nutt came home and brought his Ole Miss Rebels with him for a 23-21 victory. This week it’s Tulsa offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, another Arkansas defector. Tulsa leads the nation in offense (56.6 ppg and 624.7 ypg), but hasn’t won in its past 16 tries against the Razorbacks.

Key players: Senior quarterback David Johnson leads the Golden Hurricane high-octane offense. In eight games, he has 2,661 yards passing for 32 TDs and nine interceptions. Arkansas RB Michael Smith is sixth in the nation averaging 131 yards rushing per game.

Line: Tulsa by 7.

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Kentucky (5-3, 1-3 SEC)

at Mississippi State (3-5, 1-3)

Time: 2:30 p.m. TV: PPV.

Skinny: MSU handed Kentucky a 31-14 defeat in Lexington last year, but the Wildcats still have a 20-15 all-time series advantage. Both teams are struggling this year, Kentucky has lost three of its past four, including a 63-5 smackdown at Florida last week. The Bulldogs beat MTSU 31-22 a week ago.

Key players: Former Alcoa High School quarterback Randall Cobb has been named Kentucky’s starting QB after Mike Hartline struggled to get anything going against the Gators. Cobb passed for 78 yards and rushed for 52 in relief. MSU RB Anthony Dixon had 124 yards and three TDs against MTSU.

Line: Mississippi State by 3.

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Arkansas State (4-3)

at Alabama (8-0)

Time: 3 p.m. TV: PPV.

Skinny: It was a year ago around this same time when Alabama lost to Louisiana-Monroe, a Sun Belt conference team like Arkansas State. This is a different Crimson Tide team still holding onto national championship hopes after beating UT 29-9 last week. Arkansas State’s losses have come to Southern Miss, Memphis and Louisiana-Lafayette.

Key players: Arkansas State has a balanced offense led by junior QB Corey Leonard and the RB duo of Reggie Arnold and Derek Lawson. Alabama RB Glen Coffee could have a field day against a porous Arkansas State run defense.

Line: Alabama by 23.

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Florida (6-1, 4-1 SEC)

at Georgia (7-1, 4-1)

Time: 3:30 p.m. TV: WVLT.

Skinny: The “neutral-site” game in Jacksonville used to be billed as the world’s largest outdoor cocktail party. It’s a game that usually carries SEC East title implications and this year is no different. No. 8-ranked Florida has a 47-37-2 series advantage, including 15 of the past 18, but No. 6-ranked Georgia won 42-30 in 2007.

Key players: The Gators have been on fire led by QB Tim Tebow, scoring 51 points against LSU and 63 against Kentucky the past two games. Georgia’s Matthew Stafford was 17-of-26 passing for 249 yards and two TDs in a 52-38 romp past LSU last week. He also rushed for TD. RB Knowshon Moreno had 163 yards and a TD against the Tigers.

Line: Florida by 6.

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Tulane (2-5) at LSU (5-2)

Time: 8 p.m. TV: PPV.

Skinny: The defending national champions from LSU are licking some wounds after blowout losses to Florida and Georgia surrounded a tight 24-17 victory at South Carolina. LSU owns a 67-22-7 series advantage, including 16 in a row against Tulane. The Tigers won 34-9 last year in New Orleans.

Key players: LSU’s rushing defense has been torched in recent weeks, but Tulane will start freshman Nate Austin at RB after Andre Anderson broke his leg in a loss to Rice last week. Tigers’ QB Jarrett Lee had a wild game against Georgia, throwing for 287 yards and three TDs, but getting picked off three times.

Line: LSU by 25.