Tennessee vs. Mississippi St., 8 p.m. ET, ABC
SEC Championship Game
At Atlanta
Last meeting: 1995 -- Tennessee 52, Mississippi State 14
Series: Tennessee leads 23-15-1

Mississippi State is looking at this game as its Super Bowl. Jackie Sherrill is selling this game as the Bulldogs' big opportunity to make a statement that registers at the national level, and Tennessee comes in with all this pressure on its shoulders. If the Volunteers lose, they could slide all the way down to a bid to the Outback Bowl.

But the Volunteers have handled stress and pressure as well as any team in the country. Here they are, the year after Peyton Manning leaves for the NFL and the Volunteers are No. 1 in the nation with Tee Martin at quarterback. They have found a way to win games late. They found a way to beat Florida, and week after week they have overcome one obstacle after another. They weren't expected to win in Athens, Ga. They did. And people are finally coming to the realization that this team is for real.

And as much as everyone talks about computer points and polls, these are the numbers that are most impressive about Tennessee: The Volunteers lost eight players to the NFL draft, three of which were taken in the first round, including the top overall selection. Earlier this season, the Volunteers lost their star tailback, Jamal Lewis, to a knee injury, and they have played much of the season with Al Wilson banged up or out of the lineup. They're still 11-0.

Would Kansas State be 11-0 if it played much of the season without Michael Bishop and Jeff Kelly? How about UCLA, if it was missing Cade McNown and Larry Atkins? I'm not trying to put down other teams, but Tennessee's perseverance has been impressive and some credit must go to Phil Fulmer for his recruiting.

Clearly, Mississippi State's offense is hurting. The Bulldogs' running back, James Johnson, is ailing, and quarterback Wayne Madkin has been playing well, but he's still struggling with a completion percentage that is below 50 percent for the season. Over the past four games, he averaged 185.75 yards passing.

Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis will cram the line and blitz all game long. Putting that many men in the box will take away the Bulldogs' running game, forcing Madkin to throw. On obvious passing downs, the Vols will bring the house like they did against Kentucky. The Vols have the athletes on the corners to play man-to-man coverage, allowing them to bring that kind of pressure.

On offense, the Volunteers will line up early to go with a conservative, ball-control passing game. Tennessee makes no secret of its game plan: The Vols run the ball behind Travis Henry and lull opposing defenses to sleep. That's when Tennessee stings teams with the play-action pass, letting Cedrick Wilson and Peerless Price get behind the defense.

And let's take time to give Martin credit. Comparing him to Peyton Manning is like comparing apples and oranges. They're two completely different quarterbacks. Manning was a top prospect his whole career -- a pure passer. But Martin is a great college quarterback. He isn't a quarterback who sits in the pocket and throws the ball. He moves around and makes things happen.