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Topics for Discussion // 09.06.09

Is Tennessee back? Sure, it was Western Kentucky, but 63-7 against an FBS opponent is still pretty impressive. The Vols hadn't scored 63 points against anyone since doing it vs. Arkansas back on Nov. 11, 2000. Jonathan Crompton was 21-of-28 for 233 yards, 5 TDs and 2 INTs. Montario Hardesty ran for 160 yards; Bryce Brown had another 104. On the other hand, Tennessee scored 56 of its points in the 2nd and 4th quarters, when less talented and less well-conditioned teams tend to break down.

Can anyone challenge Florida in the East? Georgia looked far from impressive in losing to Oklahoma State on Saturday and South Carolina was offensively inept Thursday. Unless Tennessee is going to be this year's surprise team, that leaves only very long shots Vanderbilt and Kentucky. Do any of these teams stand a chance?

Which Alabama offense is the Alabama offense? The one that struggled early in the game, or the group that took the field beginning late in the first half and kept going until it had almost 500 yards of total offense? Greg McElroy looked impressive late, but the WildElephant fell flat.

What happened to John Chavis fixing LSU's defensive problems? The Tigers allowed 478 yards Saturday to an offense that averaged 263 yards per game last year and didn't even come close to 478  yards in any game in 2008. Washington had 25 first downs, averaged 4.2 ypc and held an 11-minute time of possession advantage. The offense wasn't great, but the defense was what really caused the problems for LSU last year. If John Chavis doesn't turn things around, how can LSU hope to compete with Alabama and Ole Miss?

What about Kentucky, Mississippi State, Auburn, Arkansas and Vanderbilt? They cruised past Miami (OH) (42-0), Jackson State (45-7), Louisiana Tech (37-13), Missouri State (48-10) and Western Carolina (45-0), respectively. Do any of those scores impress you?