The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What to watch for this weekend
GAME OF THE WEEK No. 6 Florida (7-1, 4-1 SEC) vs. No. 8 Georgia (6-1, 3-1) at Jacksonville, Florida: The winner of this game moves a giant step closer to representing the Eastern Division in the SEC championship game. The loser is essentially eliminated from playoff contention. Florida enters this game with its highest AP Top 25 ranking since December 2012 as it tries to snap a two-game skid in this annual series. Both teams are coming off an open date and should be rested for this showdown.
BEST MATCHUP
Florida State passing offense vs. Miami pass defense.
The Seminoles (4-4, 3-3) seemed to find a groove last week with QB Alex Hornibrook replacing James Blackman, rolling to a 35-17 rout of struggling Syracuse. Florida State ranks second in the ACC with an average of 277.1 yards passing. The Hurricanes (4-4, 2-3) allow fewer than 200 yards per game through the air and held Pittsburgh without a touchdown and to a seasonlow 146 yards passing in a 16-12 victory that threw the Coastal Division into further chaos.
UPSET WATCH
Can Kansas and first-year coach Les Miles do it two weeks in a row? The Jayhawks are again underdogs at home, this time against No. 22 Kansas State. The Wildcats have won 10 in a row in the Sunflower State rivalry, not long after an 11-game winning streak in the series. Kansas State got back in the AP Top 25 after its big home win over then-No. 5 Oklahoma last week. Kansas had lost 19 of 20 meetings against Texas Tech, including 11 in a row, before a 37-34 win over the Red Raiders last week.
LONG SHOT
Northwestern, 11 ½-point underdog at Indiana
The Wildcats are the lowest-scoring team in the nation (10.7 ppg) and have lost five in a row. They rarely are out of a game, though, because they have a solid defense that doesn’t give up many big plays. Northwestern has won five straight and nine of the last 10 in the series and can pull the upset if the Hoosiers are still busy celebrating becoming bowl eligible.
PLAYER TO WATCH Illinois RB Dre Brown
Brown ran for 131 yards on 18 carries last week against Purdue, both career highs, and he’ll be going against a Rutgers defense that’s last in the conference against the run. Brown is averaging 6.2 yards per carry, and he leads the league with his 27.6-yard average on kick returns.
FACTS AND FIGURES
No. 1 LSU is atop the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2011, when it owned the No. 1 ranking before losing to Alabama in the BCS championship game . ... Florida has won six games that it trailed in the fourth quarter during Dan Mullen’s two-year coaching tenure . ... The team with the most rushing yards has won the FloridaGeorgia game each of the last 13 years . ... Arkansas’ C.J. Grady got his 12th career touchdown catch - the most ever by a Razorbacks tight end - in a 48-7 loss to No. 2 Alabama last week . ... Tennessee’s Jauan Jennings had 174 yards receiving and two touchdowns last week in a 41-21 victory over South Carolina. He became the first Volunteer to have both 150-plus yards receiving and two touchdown catches in an SEC game since Donte’ Stallworth had 169 yards and three scores against Kentucky in 2001 . ... Since Wisconsin rushed for 359 yards against Michigan, the Wolverines have allowed a combined 259 yards on the ground in five games and 1.6 yards per carry . ... ACC teams are playing more close games than those in any other conference. According to ESPN Stats & Info, 51 games involving at least one ACC team have been decided by one possession — 13 more than any other league — and 32 of those games involved at least one Coastal Division team. Miami and North Carolina have each played seven one-possession games — including the Tar Heels’ 28-25 victory over the Hurricanes — to share the lead among Bowl Subdivision teams . ... Oklahoma and Texas last weekend lost on the same day for the first time in more than five years, since Oct. 4, 2014 . ... Baylor is 7-0 for fourth time in program history, the third time this decade. The Bears were also 7-0 in 1970, 2013 and 2015.