Adams: Ole Miss will miss opportunity against UT

Thousands of Tennessee fans will be reminded today that Ole Miss is different from the rest of the SEC.

Check the speed limit for starters. It's 18 miles per hour in honor of Archie Manning's jersey number (Good thing UT didn't honor Reggie White that way).

Also, check the colors. They're Yale blue and Harvard Crimson, which (I guess) explains why Ole Miss has been referred to as the "Harvard of the South."

Ole Miss has turned out more than 20 Rhodes Scholars, three Miss Americas, two famous quarterbacks named Manning, and one Charlie's Angel (Kate Jackson).

But famous alumni aren't the biggest factor in distinguishing Ole Miss from the rest of the SEC. It's the only conference school where a sorority girl is under more pressure than a football player.

You live in infamy at Alabama, UT or almost anywhere else in the SEC if you miss a potential game-winning, chip-shot field goal against one of your rivals. An Ole Miss coed will take more abuse if she walks through the Grove in non-designer clothes.

Tennessee 24, Ole Miss 17: The Vols have won big games, little games by big scores and back-to-back games under first-year coach Lane Kiffin. But they haven't won a close game.

They're due.

Florida 27, South Carolina 13: The Gators are more than a two-touchdown favorite to win their 20th consecutive game. What else is new?

In its 19-game winning streak, Florida has had only one game decided by fewer than 10 points (a 23-20 victory over Arkansas four weeks ago).

No opponent has scored more than 21 on the Gators during that stretch. And Florida has failed to score at least 31 in only six of those games.

The Gamecocks aren't fazed by any of that. They're more concerned about their protective goggles slipping off in a pileup.

Alabama 27, Mississippi State 13: The Tide is vulnerable to a letdown after last Saturday's victory over LSU. But if Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen did his homework, he will settle for coming close, rather than pulling off an upset.

His predecessor, Sylvester Croom, beat Alabama in back-to-back games. He was fired a year later.

Kentucky 24, Vanderbilt 17: If you don't think the SEC is a battle of attrition, check out the Wildcats and Commodores, both of whom played without their starting quarterbacks last week.

The Commodores also have played much of the season without senior defensive end Steve Stone, three-year starting safety Ryan Hamilton, and former leading rusher Jared Hawkins.

Kentucky lost preseason All-American cornerback Trevard Lindley for a chunk of games, but he has returned to the lineup. And it has had to play games without preseason All-SEC linebacker Micah Johnson and senior cornerback Paul Warford. Leading wide receiver Randall Cobb and leading rusher Derrick Locke sat out last week's game with injuries.

Now, these beat-up teams finally get to beat up on each other.

Auburn 24, Georgia 20: Don't try convincing the Tigers that the Bulldogs under-achieved with No. 1 draft pick Matthew Stafford at quarterback. Auburn went 0-3 against Georgia in Stafford's three seasons as a starter.

So quarterback Joe Cox should be a welcome sight. Fortunately for the Tigers, he played well enough in last week's victory over Tennessee Tech to keep his job.

LSU 37, Louisiana Tech 13: The Tigers don't just benefit from in-state recruiting. They also benefit from in-state opponents.

The Tigers have won 22 consecutive games against in-state opponents. They have won their last nine games against Louisiana opponents by an average of 45-7.

Nine of LSU's 22 highest scores have been registered against in-state opponents, including 93-0 over the school formerly known as Southwestern Louisiana.

Arkansas 45, Troy 24: The Razorbacks were probably the most excited team in the SEC when the NCAA gave the go-ahead on 12-game schedules. That gave them one more opportunity a year to beat up on a non-BCS opponent.

Since losing to UNLV in the 2000 Las Vegas Bowl, Arkansas has won 26 consecutive games against non-BCS opponents. In its last 19 games against non-BCS opponents, it has scored 44 points or more 13 times.

Top 25: Texas 42, Baylor 17; TCU 28, Utah 10; Boise State 52, Idaho 24; Georgia Tech 28, Duke 17; Pittsburgh 33, Notre Dame 20; Ohio State 27, Iowa 13; Southern California 34, Stanford 23; Miami 27, North Carolina 17; Houston 38, Central Florida 27; Oregon 34, Arizona State 19; Texas Tech 38, Oklahoma State 34; Arizona 34, California 27; Penn State 34, Purdue 17; Virginia Tech 38,. Maryland 21; Wisconsin 34, Michigan 28; BYU 45, New Mexico 10.

Record: 170-45 (.798) overall, 106-83 (.561) against the spread.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.