Alabama-LSU might be the talk of the week in the SEC, and really the entire country, but the stakes become clear in every game at this point in the season.

Let’s take a look at 10 interesting tidbits about Week 10 of the SEC schedule:

  1. There are two non-conference games involving SEC teams this week. Tennessee will rekindle an old series (1947-51) as it takes on Tennessee Tech, while Ole Miss vs. Georgia Southern will be the first-ever meeting between each of the programs.
  2. Tennessee Tech is 0-7 in its last seven games against FBS competition — including Arkansas in 2010 and Georgia in ’09 — where it has lost by nearly 41 points each contest. Georgia Southern enters the game with the Rebels having lost four its last five but is 22-11 since joining the FBS in 2014.
  3. Altogether, there are eight SEC games on the slate for Week 10, and all 14 teams are in action.
  4. Texas A&M was handed the No. 4 slot in the first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night, which is its highest ranking since obtaining the No. 3 spot in the 1995 preseason AP Top 25 (it finished 15th). With Playoff contention in mind, the Aggies are looking to beat Mississippi State for the fourth time since joining the SEC in 2012.
  5. Outside of Alabama, Auburn is the SEC team that no one wants to see right now — so can it continue the tremendous momentum? During its five-game winning streak, the Tigers have outscored opponents by an average score of 40.4-13.2 and have outgained their competition by over 200 yards per game. They’ve lost their last two meetings with Vanderbilt, though, the last one coming in 2012.
John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

  1. Florida has dominated its cross-division series with Arkansas, entering this matchup with a 9-1 overall record and nine wins in a row, including two SEC Championship games. The Hogs have allowed 50 points per game in their three losses this season, and UF needs a win to stay atop the East standings.
  2. Missouri enters Week 10 on a seven-game losing streak on the road with its last win coming against Arkansas State during Week 2 of the 2015 season, 27-20. Over that stretch, Mizzou has been outscored by an average of 17 points. Meanwhile, fresh off an upset against Tennessee, South Carolina can begin to think about joining the postseason party with a win on Saturday.
  3. Oh, how things can change so quickly. A few weeks ago, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops’ buyout numbers were going viral after a poor 0-2 start. Since then, the Wildcats are 5-1 with a loss to Alabama and have the chance to improve to 5-2 in the conference with a win versus Georgia this weekend. But despite the Bulldogs’ struggles in 2016, they still own a 55-12-2 all-time series record over UK, having won the last six meetings by 20.8 points a game.
  4. Gear up, because it’s Alabama–LSU week and we’re headed to Death Valley, where the Tigers boast a 42-4 record (tied for second in the nation) since 2010. The Crimson Tide has dominated the rivalry with a 49-25-5 record dating back to 1902 and have won five in a row starting with the 2011 BCS National Championship Game. This will be Nick Saban’s fifth trip to Tiger Stadium with Alabama, where he’s 3-1 but each of his wins have come by one score. This also marks the 10th straight meeting in which both teams are ranked in the AP top 15.
  5. Vegas lists Ole Miss (-27.5) and Auburn (-25.5) as overwhelming favorites, by far the two biggest spreads in the SEC this week. Texas A&M (-13.5), Alabama (-7.5), South Carolina (-7), Florida (-5.5) and Georgia (-2.5) are all expected to come out on top as well.