Why not LSU? Why not now?

The power base is (at least temporarily) shifting in the Southeastern Conference. It's departing Gainesville and Knoxville -- and perhaps departing the Eastern Division altogether.

Baton Rouge is among the towns prominently bidding to become the new seat of power.

UL-M Hands Collins First Win

On Sept. 18, three games into the season and three days before a game against Arkansas State, Mike Collins found himself the head football coach at Louisiana-Monroe. At the time it appeared he was being handed the controls of the Hindenberg. The Indians had won 3 of their last 25 games and had just lost to I-AA McNeese State. Bobby Keasler announced he was quitting at his weekly booster luncheon, and suddenly the defensive coordinator is the new boss. A bleak season could have gotten bleaker. Instead a ray of light has shone through. Last week came the payoff for Collins and the Indians, a 34-14 spanking of Idaho for their first win of the year. Their 600 yards of offense was the highest UL-M total in nine years, and their 326 rushing yards was the most in a decade. And the interim coach has reason to smile and exhale. At least for a day. "I think every football coach in the country is an interim head coach," Collins said. "For me to be worrying about that, I'd be taking away from what my responsibilities are. I'm having a ball, having a great time and enjoying these players and these coaches. It's just been a great experience. I couldn't be more excited about the first victory, for these football players more than anything else." Collins has made some changes. His team is playing a 3-3-5 defensive alignment he got from his father, and he's gone with talented true freshman quarterback Steven Jyles. As a result the Indians are rotating more bodies onto the field defensively, and Jyles has energized the offense by throwing for nearly 1,000 yards on the season. Louisiana-Monroe has scored points on its first possession in each of the three games Collins has been head coach. In fact, Saturday opponent New Mexico State doesn't need a genius defensive coordinator to know what's coming on the first play: Jyles to wide receiver Floyd Smith. The first play of the Collins Era, if you will, was a lateral to Smith, who threw a 32-yard completion. Next week, the first play was a lateral to Smith and a 29-yard completion. Last week, Jyles threw a screen to Smith. But the heavy lifting against the Vandals was done by running back Bryant Jacobs, who pounded for 185 yards (seventh-highest total in school history) and three touchdowns (tied a Malone Stadium record). He scored the first TD of the game, which was also UL-M's first rushing TD of the year. "It's been pretty great Sunday and Tuesday," Jacobs said of the afterglow of victory, rarely felt in Monroe in recent times. -- Pat Forde

Athens clearly has squatter's rights at present, but the Georgia Bulldogs haven't terrified anyone on their way to 6-0 and the top five. It's a fine body of work, but the 'Dogs' four games against grown-ups (Clemson, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee) have been won by a total of 16 points. Clemson missed a tying field goal, the Gamecocks fumbled twice inside the Georgia 5-yard line, and the Crimson Tide and Volunteers both had starting quarterbacks out with injuries.

If you're looking for the SEC Statement Game of the Season so far, the Tigers delivered it last weekend. (With some help from the Florida Gators, who made a statement of their own. A fairly pathetic one.)

They walked into The Swamp and completely demoralized the Gators, 36-7. Steve Spurrier clearly doesn't live there anymore, but his talented former players do -- and they were demolished. Florida hadn't been beaten this badly at home since 1979.

Most of the fallout from that game has centered on Ron Zook's rapid deconstruction of the Spurrier dynasty. But LSU and its impenetrable defense had a hand in things, too, and should have a hand in establishing the SEC's new order.

LSU might have signalled that times were changing in the 2001 league title game, when it whipped Tennessee. That marked the first time since 1988 that someone other than the Volunteers, Gators and Alabama had won the league championship.

This year looks like the second.

Tennessee and Florida each have two league losses -- something that hasn't happened in the same season since 1992, the first year of divisional play in the SEC. Alabama is ineligible for the title because of bad behavior.

Enter Georgia and the rest of the West.

Behind the Gators and Vols, the East has ruled Dixie. There have been 23 Top Ten SEC teams in the final AP poll since '92, 17 of them from the East. Six out of the last seven years, Florida or Tennessee was the highest-ranked SEC team.

At present, there are five SEC teams in the AP Top 25. Three of them hail from the erstwhile weak-sister West.

And heading into this weekend, when three East-West games will be contested -- South Carolina at LSU, Kentucky at Arkansas and Auburn at Florida -- the West holds a 4-3 lead in interdivision play. Of course, two of those wins were over Vandy and two were over (cough) Florida.

"I just think in the entire SEC there's a lot of conference parity," LSU coach Nick Saban said. "There may not be the dominant teams we've had in the past. There's 10 or 11 teams playing very good football.

"When things go your way, like they did at Florida ... that could happen to anyone, any game, in this league this year."

Right now it's happening to the Tigers, who have won three straight against Eastern Division opponents dating back to last year. They've also won five straight this season after opening with a 26-8 thumping at Virginia Tech.

"I do think our success last season affected how we played in the Virginia Tech game," Saban said. "Maybe we learned a lesson from that."

LSU's learning curve has been gradual on offense but dramatic on defense. The Tigers lead the nation in total defense by a wide margin (46 yards per game over second-place Texas). First-year coordinator Will Muschamp's unit is surrendering just 3.25 yards per play, 208 yards per game and has given up just seven touchdowns. It intercepted Rex Grossman four times last Saturday.

"Nobody has been able to attack LSU," Lou Holtz said. "Nobody. ... They're as well-coached and fundamentally sound as any defense you'll see."

"We've been able to play with some consistency," Saban said. "We're not giving up very many points, and now we're starting to get some turnovers and make some big plays. We've also cut down on the number of big plays (surrendered)."

LSU rolled last week without injured tailback LaBrandon Toefield, but now it could be meeting South Carolina without quarterback Matt Mauck as well. Mauck injured his foot in the fourth quarter of the romp in the Swamp. Initial x-rays were negative, but his foot was placed in a cast, and he was unlikely to play as of Wednesday afternoon.

"There's a good possibility it's more of a problem than we thought," Saban said.

Enter Marcus Randall, who must try to pull a Mauck. You might remember last year's SEC title game, in which QB Rohan Davey went down and Mauck came in to lead the Tigers past the Vols and into the Sugar Bowl.

That was Step One in LSU's bid to relocate the SEC's power base to Baton Rouge. Last Saturday was Step Two. Stay tuned for further Power Tracker updates.

Around the SEC

Alabama
You might recall that Dennis Franchione was rewarded a whopping 10-year, $15 million contract prior to the season -- but he hasn't signed it yet. That's caused some consternation in Alabama, but Franchione says the delay is simply due to the onset of the season and attention to the matters at hand. "I have not (signed it) and that's because I do not have one before to sign at this time," Franchione said. "People should not read into that more than there is. ... There should be nothing negative read into that." ... The Crimson Tide isn't doing much with the turnovers its defense is creating. Alabama has forced 14 turnovers on the season but they have led to just 24 points. Ten of those turnovers have come in the last three games, only two of which have resulted in point. ... Franchione noted that SEC teams coming off bye weeks have turned in some notably poor performances recently: Arkansas was drilled by Alabama, Auburn was drilled by Arkansas, Kentucky lost to South Carolina and Vanderbilt lost to Middle Tennessee State. The Crimson Tide coach will be on guard against a similar performance this week when Ole Miss comes to town. ... Once again, the paranoid Franchione is mum regarding the health of quarterback Tyler Watts and whether he or Brodie Croyle will get the start against the Rebels. Check back at kickoff.

Arkansas
Credit Houston Nutt with somehow keeping an entire herd of running backs happy, despite dispensing carries with an eye dropper. Through five games, Nutt has four players with between 47 and 53 carries (one of which is quarterback Matt Jones). Fred Talley had been something of a forgotten man behind Cedric Cobbs and redshirt freshman De'Arrius Howard -- until he went Vesuvius on Auburn last week for 242 yards, third-best rushing day in Arkansas history. In addition to Cobbs, Howard and Talley, Nutt has bruiser back Brandon Holmes, who showed promise last year as a sophomore but has lugged the rock just 14 times this year. Talley is a senior, but it wouldn't be a shock if at least one other Arkansas RB leaves school after this season in search of more work. Given all the drama that has surrounded fourth-year junior Cobbs, a pro gambit would not seem completely far-fetched. ... Nutt can spread the hokum as thick as any coach in America, but danged if he doesn't make it work -- especially when the deck appears stacked against him. In 1999, his Hogs followed a 22-point loss to Mississippi with consecutive upsets of No. 3 Tennessee and No. 12 Mississippi State. In 2000 Arkansas snapped an ugly four-game losing streak by upsetting No. 13 Mississippi State and No. 24 LSU in the final two weeks of the season to earn a bowl bid. Last year, a 1-3 start was followed by consecutive upsets of No. 9 South Carolina and No. 17 Auburn. This year, coming off a thumping from Alabama and the six-overtime gut-buster in Knoxville, the Hogs ripped No. 24 Auburn. The fact that these big performances tend to come in twos should be sobering news for this week's opponent, visiting Kentucky. ... Nutt said injuries on the defensive line -- including the fairly gruesome dislocated hip suffered by Keith Turner against Auburn -- might force him to burn a redshirt or two in the final half of the season.

Auburn
It won't happen again, Tommy Tuberville said. Last year's Tigers began a season-ending 1-4 tailspin by being gouged by Arkansas, but the coach believes this team is different. "We have more leaders on this team," Tuberville said. "And the Arkansas game is a little earlier this year." Nevertheless, Auburn's final six opponents include Florida, Mississippi, LSU, Georgia and Alabama so the going will not be easy. ... Auburn was blanked in the second half against Arkansas, and starting quarterback Daniel Cobb heard an earful from the fans. He threw two interceptions and fumbled once before being removed after three quarters and replaced by Jason Campbell. "I'm sure it hurts his feelings at times to hear booing from the fans, but I tell him, 'Hey, they're not booing you, they're booing me.' ... He'll learn from that," Tuberville said. "It's just unfortunate that he has to go through that." Despite Cobb's travails, Tuberville is sticking with him as a starter while Campbell continues to learn the complexities of a college offense. "(Campbell) is going to be our quarterback the next two years," Tuberville said. "Right now I'd rather him learn from Daniel's good experiences and bad experiences, then pick up the reins and go from there."

Florida
The Gators' first back-to-back SEC losses in a decade, first disappearance from the AP poll since 1990 and worst loss in Gainesville since 1979 has, shall we say, not played well. From Mike Bianchi in the Orlando Sentinel: "What in the name of Gerry Faust has Ron Zook done to Spurrier's program? In eight weeks, the Mona Lisa has been transformed into Dogs Playing Poker. Rex Grossman has turned into Gross Rexman. The revved-up Swamp is a dried-up ditch. And the Florida Gators might as well be Fort Valley State." Other than that, everything's fine. ... In a related development, business is booming at the infamous FireRonZook.com. ... Things have gone so sour for preseason Heisman Trophy front-runner Grossman that Zook now plans to dramatically reduce his quarterback's latitude to audible at the line of scrimmage. Zook has resisted going with backup Ingle Martin, but might not wait much longer if Grossman continues the eight-interception horror show of the last two games. ... Zook says the changeover from Steve Spurrier's highly successful systems is no longer a valid theory for explaining away poor play. "We can't use that excuse anymore," he said. "We're halfway into the season."

Georgia
Backup QB D.J. Shockley could be back in action Saturday when Vanderbilt arrives between the Hedges. And no, coach Mark Richt does not foresee it causing renewed problems for starter David Greene. "If everyone in the house understands the deal and why, and understands their role, it'll be fine," Richt said. In other words, the public and media can call it a quarterback controversy if they want, as long as it's not one in the locker room. Greene had struggled early in the year while sharing time with Shockley, but has had the job to himself in recent weeks and has played better. ... Count Vandy coach Bobby Johnson among those who don't want to see Shockley rush his return from a broken foot. "I think they need to rehab him another week to make sure he's completely well," Johnson said with a laugh. ... Sophomore hotshot receiver Fred Gibson began the Tennessee game on the bench, which came as a shock to Gibson. The coaching staff apparently was communicating its desire for more full-go effort from Gibson, who caught just two passes for 18 yards against the Volunteers.

Kentucky
Quarterback Jared Lorenzen's evolution from reckless gunslinger to prudent veteran has perhaps gone too far. Lorenzen, who threw a staggering 19 interceptions as a redshirt freshman, has thrown just three this year. But his noticeable reticence to chuck the ball downfield in losses to Florida and South Carolina left observers wondering whether he's completely forsaken taking chances with the ball. Coach Guy Morriss said his team had receivers "wide open" in the seams of South Carolina's zone, but a combination of faulty protection and hesitance from Lorenzen foiled the plays. Lorenzen completed eight passes to running back Artose Pinner against the Gamecocks, continually checking down and throwing underneath, as the 'Cats suffocated offensively in the second half. A 10-0 halftime lead turned into a 16-12 loss. "It just feels like we're not on the same page with Jared," said receiver Derek Abney. ... The news is not exactly the stuff of ticker-tape parades, but the Wildcats are no longer blowout material. Through six games they have lost two by a total of 11 points, to Florida and South Carolina. Last time the Cats made it six games into a season without at least one double-digit defeat: 1979. Last time they made it seven: 1975. The Cats are nine-point underdogs in Fayetteville this week. ... Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart is puzzled (to put it politely) by Arkansas AD Frank Broyles' refusal to make the game available on a pay-per-view basis in Kentucky. "I certainly have a great deal of respect for Coach Broyles, but I completely disagree with him on this," Barnhart told the Lexington Herald-Leader. "It's wrong."

LSU
Tigers cornerback Corey Webster was the league Defensive Player of the Week after picking off Grossman three times Saturday. He leads the league in interceptions with five in five games. ... Saban was not thrilled by questions about why Mauck was still in the game and running in the fourth quarter against Florida, which is understandable. Maybe when you're playing at Vandy you pull your starters with a four-touchdown lead. Not in a place where your school hasn't won since 1986. Not against a team that can pile up touchdowns the Florida can. (Or could, back in the day.)

Mississippi
Here comes the grind for the Rebels. Off to a 5-1 start, Ole Miss now enters the AAA portion of the schedule: Alabama, Arkansas and Auburn, the first two on the road. The final three games are no picnic either: Georgia, LSU and bitter rival Mississippi State. The Rebels, the only team in the Western Division that hasn't played in the SEC championship game, are currently tied for first in the West with LSU. ... Ole Miss used its defensive speed to hammer Grossman in its upset of Florida two weeks ago, but that smallish defensive front faces a dramatically different challenge at Alabama. "It'll be an entirely different approach," coach David Cutcliffe said of facing the Crimson Tide's formidable rushing attack, which can attack with power running, the option or misdirection. "They do it all, and they do it well," Cutcliffe said. "And they give you tons of formation looks." Give Mississippi's problems stopping Vanderbilt before Florida, this could be problematic. At the very least, Cutcliffe would like to keep the Crimson Tide from monopolizing the ball and wearing out his defense. Alabama leads the SEC in time of possession at nearly 34 minutes per game. ... Running back Robert Williams, who sat out the rout of Arkansas State last week, is healthy and ready to go against the Tide.

Mississippi State
Even when the Bulldogs win, the bad news seems to obscure the good. State's 11-8 win over Troy State accomplished two big things: it ended a three-game losing streak; and it avenged last year's embarrassing homecoming loss. But the grumbling continued unabated over the unimpressive showing, and peaked when quarterback Kevin Fant suffered a minor but completely avoidable injury at the end of the game. At a time when a couple of kneel-downs would have ended the game, State mystifyingly had Fant run a quarterback draw, whereupon he twisted an ankle. Nevertheless, coach Jackie Sherrill said Fant would practice Wednesday and should be fine Saturday against Memphis. "I don't see any reason why he's not going to play," he said. The final morsel of joy from last week was Sherrill's reprimand from the league office for carping about officiating. ... Although speculation has already begun about Sherrill's job security in Starkville, keep this in mind: Mississippi State has no full-time president in place. When was the last time college football saw an interim prez fire the winningest coach in school history?

South Carolina
Say this much for Corey Jenkins: What he lacks in artistic merit he makes up for in toughness. The South Carolina quarterback, who has carried the ball 41 more times than No. 2 rusher Andrew Pinnock, has taken a frightful number of hits this year but keeps going. Either passing or running, Jenkins has had the ball in his hands on 252 of South Carolina's 454 plays this season. "He's really a strong safety playing quarterback for us," coach Lou Holtz said. "But his toughness is second to none." ... Another gamer of a Gamecock is linebacker George Gause, who as a sophomore is all over the field in the mold of current NFLer Kalimba Edwards -- even playing on the kickoff coverage team. Gause has 5½ tackles for loss and 3½ sacks, has broken up two passes and caused three fumbles.

Tennessee
The Volunteers can use this off week to heal Casey Clausen's injured collarbone for the Oct. 26 visit from Alabama. Given the unspectacular performance of backups James Banks and C.J. Leak last week at Georgia, Clausen's health is at a premium. Consider Kelley Washington among those anxious for Clausen to return. Washington, who had produced 100 receiving yards in every game he'd played this season, was held to three catches for 32 yards against the Dogs. Maybe he'll admit that he does need some help from his teammates after all. ... Coach Phil Fulmer has been hearing it from a fan base finds 4-2 distasteful, but he'd rather hear it than not. "I really don't want expectations to change here," Fulmer said. "That's what makes it special here." ... Against teams ranked in the top 100 in the Sagarin Ratings, the Vols are 1-2.

Vanderbilt
Quarterback Jay Cutler is back after missing two games for disciplinary reasons, following his bust for underage drinking and ripping out a campus emergency phone. How much difference Cutler can make against the one of the nation's better defenses in Georgia remains to be seen, but Cutler was valiant in defeat at Mississippi before being suspended. Backup Benji Walker played decently in Cutler's stead in the Commodores' dispiriting loss to Middle Tennessee State -- the second year in a row Vandy has been embarrassed by Middle. ... If the 'Dores lose at Georgia, they will lock up their 20th consecutive non-winning season.

Around the Sun Belt Conference
Steve Roberts is 4-4 and needs just one win to record the most by a first-year Arkansas State head coach since Gene Harlow went 6-3 in 1955. Doing it this week against defending champion North Texas would make it extra sweet. The Indians' defense, which had allowed just two touchdowns in two games before being mauled for 52 points by Eli Manning and Ole Miss, should be happy to see offensively challenged North Texas come to town. ... Running back Danny Smith missed recording his fourth straight 100-yard game against the Rebels by two yards. He has 703 on the season and needs 203 to crack the school's single-season top 15. ... Idaho's ghastly defense has given up at least 34 points every week and is surrendering 42.3 points and 509.6 yards per game. ... The Vandals have won just two of their last 18 games, but coach Tom Cable said this off week comes at a bad time. "I think we'd be better off if we were getting back on the horse," he said. ... In the league's Game of the Year to date, Louisiana-Lafayette mounted a splendid 87-yard drive to tie New Mexico State with 41 seconds to go last week -- only to lose on a field goal on the final play. Nevertheless, the drive was the longest of the season for the Ragin' Cajuns and should inject some confidence back into struggling QB Jon Van Cleave (four TDs, 10 interceptions on the year). ... UL-L, aka Team Vampire, plays its first day game of the year this week at Middle Tennessee State. ... Louisiana-Monroe RB Jacobs' 185-yard effort was his third 100-yard game of the season. Last year he averaged just 3 yards per carry and had 305 yards on the season -- and still led the team. ... Middle Tennessee State put some shine on a disappointing season with its second straight upset of Vanderbilt. Not coincidentally, tailback Dwone Hicks was back after missing two straight dispiriting defeats with a knee injury. Hicks didn't go off on the Commodores -- 10 carries, 42 yards -- but he scored the winning touchdown in the final minute and gave his team a huge emotional lift. "Just having him in uniform, you could feel the buzz in the locker room," coach Andy McCollum said. "He's a leader and a winner." Hicks busted in with the winning points on third and goal from the 2. On the flip side, senior linebacker Chris Gatlin punctuated his first game action of the season with a touchdown-saving tackle on third down, forcing a field goal that was huge in a one-point Blue Raiders win. ... Don't blame Louisiana-Lafayette if it never wants to see New Mexico State kicker Dario Aguiniga again. For the second straight year, Aguiniga beat the Ragin Cajuns on the final play. Last year it was a 29-yard field goal that won a 49-46 shootout. This year it was a kick so clutch that Olindo Mare and Jason Elam would be envious: a 41-yarder into the face of an 18 mph wind for a 31-28 triumph. The junior from Mexico has made 27 career field goals and might have pro potential. ... Freshman Paul Dombrowski rode to the rescue again, replacing injured starting QB Buck Pierce and producing 254 yards of total offense. Dombrowski ran for 55 yards in the fourth quarter alone, as the Aggies held the ball for 11 of the final 15 minutes. New Mexico State's four-game home winning streak is the school's longest in 35 years. ... North Texas has been anxiously awaiting the return of injured starting QB Scott Hall, who was knocked out in the first game of the year against Texas, but he's listed as questionable after aggravating a shoulder injury in practice. Without Hall, the Mean Green has been held to less than 200 yards total offense in half its six games. The defense, meanwhile, has been stellar, which means the matchup with defense-minded Arkansas State Saturday could be a puntathon.

Pat Forde covers college football for the Louisville Courier-Journal.