from ESPN.com - SEC Blog :
Ole Miss just can't catch a break in openers.
Last year was the embarrassing, double-overtime loss to Jacksonville State at home and this year the Rebels ran out to a 13-0 lead, only to watch it disappear in Oxford as BYU took advantage of a handful of Ole Miss mistakes to win 14-13.
Will it cost the Rebels a bowl at the end of the season? We'll see.
Then there was Auburn, a team playing with more youth than anyone these days. The Tigers went back-and-fourth with Utah State before a perfectly placed onside kick from kicker Chris Brooks set up Auburn's game-winning touchdown with less than a minute left.
Exciting stuff, really.
Georgia looked lost for most of its game against Boise State -- a game basically played in the Bulldogs' backyard of Atlanta. The second half was dominated by the Broncos, who left with a 35-21 victory, and the last play was very telling of how the second frame went when Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray took a sack as the clock ticked down to three seconds.
But the stars of the league were the LSU Tigers. Facing all of those distractions and missing three key offensive players, the Tigers stayed together and routed No. 3 Oregon 40-27. LSU didn't need much offense -- and didn't get much -- but that fast, fierce defense slowed down the Quack Attack, proving once again that SEC speed is king.
Here are how our bowl projections look after the first week of games:
Allstate BCS National Championship Game, Jan. 9: Alabama
Allstate Sugar Bowl, Jan. 3: LSU
Capital One Bowl: Jan. 2: South Carolina
AT&T Cotton Bowl, Jan. 6: Arkansas
Outback Bowl, Jan. 2: Mississippi State
Gator Bowl, Jan. 2: Florida
Chick-fil-A Bowl, Dec. 31: Tennessee
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, Dec. 30: Georgia
AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Dec. 31: Auburn
BBVA Compass Bowl, Jan. 7: Ole Miss
