See you at the Tide-Gamecocks game at Williams-Brice. It’ll be the first time Alabama’s been in Columbia since the blowout in 2005. For a larger version of the sked, click below.

PDF: 2010 SEC Helmet Schedule

To give a little perspective on the events of the week, Dennis Pillion of al.com caught up with Spencer Hall of Every Day Should Be Saturday and SB Nation.

In the lead-off spot Friday was Auburn, whose starting quarterback played for Dennis Franchione’s son at Blinn College, a juco we actually covered back in the day. The year we were there, the big news was that Blinn got the old lockers from Texas A&M (OOH!), and would have won the juco national title if the quarterback hadn’t been suspended for two games. So, yeah. Auburn wants to do a little better than the Outback Bowl this year but with a No. 3 finish in the West, the sportswriters don’t think the Tigers will do much better.

Why, hello, Tennessee. Karma is a sweet-ass bitch, isn’t it? Oh, you mountain ‘necks were laughing in your moonshine jugs when all hell was falling on Tuscaloosa in the early aughts. The Vols are now on their third skipper in as many years, hoping that a protégé of Nick Saban and scion of Vince Dooley could right the ship and try to compete for the division title again. Isn’t going to happen this year.

Enough with the orange already. Miles was third up, saying that his inability to properly use the clock in a late-game situation last season was a new one for him. While this seems suspicious to us, and when every football fan in the country is thinking, “What the fuck are they doing,” while watching LSU flub its way to a loss, Miles likely knew better and just blew it. But he says he’s changed. Good news!

Finishing off the week was the Right Reverend himself, the man with the GIGGITAHs that pay, Houston Nutt. He owned up, kind of, to what happened last season by saying that it’s hard to go from playing on Saturday to doing a Thursday night game on the road — that is, against Carolina last year. Nutt said you needed to have an internal Dr. Phil to handle those sorts of situations. Not sure if we want a coach to have any part of an internal Dr. Phil. Maybe an internal Charles Barkley: “That run contain is just turrrrrrrible.”

SEC Champion
Alabama

SEC East Champion
Florida

SEC West Champion
Alabama

SEC East
1. Florida, 1030 (153)
2. Georgia, 791 (15)
3. South Carolina, 790 (8)
4. Kentucky, 462
5. Tennessee, 450
6. Vanderbilt, 194 (1)

SEC West
1. Alabama, 1034 (157)
2. Arkansas, 726 (6)
3. Auburn, 691 (10)
4. LSU, 653 (1)
5. Mississippi State, 320
6. Ole Miss, 293 (3)

Hey, Carolina — the sportswriters think y’all just might be second in the East. That could mean a halfway decent bowl game to get beat in. Sure beats losing to Connecticut at Legion Field. Maybe the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Short trip. In other news, it looks bad for LSU and Ole Miss, particularly for Tiger head coach Les Miles. It took Phil Fulmer about 10 years to go from hero to goat. Miles is going to make the journey from raising the crystal football to being canned in record time if what’s listed above really happens. As far as the Right Reverend goes, Ole Miss fans can be a little more tolerant, though being the dark horse one preseason to bottom-dweller the next isn’t what they’d call progress.

Hubbard, who represents the Auburn area, was given the contract even though his broadcasting company’s bid was a solid $4 million below the top bidder, Kentucky-based Host Communications, in 2002. Host was later sold to IMG, and after winning the contract, Hubbard’s firm was sold to ISP Communications, which is based in North Carolina.

Considering that his is also the chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, Hubbard seems to think this is a political play by Senate Democrats and not related to his involvement, and other alleged mismanagement of university budgets. Considering Hubbard’s position of power, it no doubt behooves Auburn officials to be a little more than friendly with him. The same can be said of the University of Alabama‘s relationship with U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby.

The following is what SEC teams will be getting this year.

Music City Bowl
Kentucky: RCA high-def camcorder, Fossil watch, Majestic fleece pullover, New Era cap, Ogio Metro laptop pack
Independence Bowl
Georgia: Sony gift suite, Timely Watch Co. watch, New Era cap, football
Chick-fil-A Bowl
Tennessee: $250 Best Buy gift card, Fossil watch, Russell Athletic knit cap, Russell Athletic travel bag, football, Chick-fil-A gift card
Outback Bowl
Auburn: Best Buy gift card, Pro-Swiss watch, Jostens ring, hat, Outback Steakhouse gift card
Capital One Bowl
LSU: Party at Best Buy ($420 limit), Timely Watch Co. watch
Sugar Bowl
Florida: Sony, Apple, Trek, Garmin and Weber gift suite, Timely Watch Co. watch, New Era cap, Ogio Politan laptop pack, Lane recliner
Papajohns.com Bowl
South Carolina: RCA high-def mini-camcorder, Oakley Surf Pack backpack
Cotton Bowl
Ole Miss: Unknown
Liberty Bowl
Arkansas: Westinghouse 19-inch LCD HDTV/computer monitor, Fossil watch, Nike training shoes/sport sandals/sunglasses, football
BCS National Championship Game
Alabama: Sony gift suite with Trek and Garmin, Fossil watch, New Era 59Fifty cap, Ogio Politan laptop pack

The suspension was one of a list of six sanctions the Office of Greek Life recommended be handed down to the chapter after it was alleged to have been hazing its pledges, according to an article in The Auburn Plainsman student newspaper.

Being placed on suspension means the chapter will no longer be recognized by Auburn University for a period of six to 36 months.

According to the story from The Press-Register, the allegations are pretty weak sauce. They add up to errands, chores and interrogations. Really? Oh, like that isn’t a basic part of being a pledge at any fraternity anywhere in America. Beyond the yuks we got from the fact that it’s a fraternity named FarmHouse at Auburn, unless there are serious charges involved further than what was reported, this is totally lame.

It’s funny how fraternities come under fire so much, but rarely are Olympic sports under the microscope. When we were at Carolina, we’d see freshmen (these were on the swim team), who’d be seen in public on campus and off campus with embarrassing haircuts and plain T-shirts that read things like, “Fresh Meat.” If any fraternity did that anywhere, it’d be shut down in two seconds.

So, we hope that if FarmHouse really did something beyond the pale, that the students involved are suitably punished. Otherwise, Auburn should lay the hell off.

Dec. 19, 4:30 p.m., ESPN
Fresno State v. Wyoming

Dec. 19, 8 p.m., ESPN
Central Florida v. Rutgers

Dec. 20, 8:30 a.m., ESPN
Southern Miss v. Middle Tennessee State

Dec. 22, 8 p.m., ESPN
No. 18 Oregon State v. No. 14 BYU

Dec. 23, 8 p.m., ESPN
No. 23 Utah v. California

Dec. 24, 8 p.m., ESPN
Nevada v. Southern Methodist

Dec. 26, 1 p.m., ESPN
Marshall v. Ohio

Dec. 26, 4:30 p.m., ESPN
No. 17 Pitt v. North Carolina

Dec. 26, 8 p.m., ESPN
Boston College v. No. 24 Southern Cal

Dec. 27, 8:30 p.m., ESPN
Kentucky v. Clemson

Dec. 28, 5 p.m., ESPN2
Texas A&M v. Georgia

Dec. 29, 4:30 p.m., ESPN
UCLA v. Temple

Dec. 29, 8 p.m., ESPN
No. 15 Miami v. No. 25 Wisconsin

Dec. 30, 4:30 p.m., ESPN
Bowling Green v. Idaho

Dec. 30, 8 p.m., ESPN
No. 20 Arizona v. No. 22 Nebraska

Dec. 31, Noon, ESPN
Houston v. Air Force

Dec. 31, 2 p.m., CBS
Oklahoma v. No. 21 Stanford

Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
Navy v. Missouri

Dec. 31, 6 p.m., NFL Network
Minnesota v. Iowa State

Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
No. 11 Virginia Tech v. Tennessee

Jan. 1, 11 a.m., ESPN
Northwestern v. Auburn

Jan. 1, 1 p.m., CBS
No. 16 West Virginia v. Florida State

Jan. 1, 1 p.m., ESPN
No. 13 Penn State v. No. 12 LSU

Jan. 1, 4:30 p.m., ABC
No. 8 Ohio State v. No. 7 Oregon

Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m., Fox
No. 5 Florida v. No. 3 Cincinnati

Jan. 2, Noon, ESPN2
South Florida v. Northern Illinois

Jan. 2, 2 p.m., ESPN
South Carolina v. Connecticut

Jan. 2, 2 p.m., Fox
No. 19 Oklahoma State v. Ole Miss

Jan. 2, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
Arkansas v. East Carolina

Jan. 2, 9 p.m., ESPN
Michigan State v. Texas Tech

Jan. 4, 8 p.m., Fox
No. 6 Boise State v. No. 4 TCU

Jan. 5, 8 p.m., Fox
No. 10 Iowa v. No. 9 Georgia Tech

Jan. 6, 7 p.m., Fox
No. 25 Central Michigan v. Troy

Jan. 7, 8 p.m., ABC
No. 2 Texas v. No. 1 Alabama

BCS National Championship Game
No. 1 Alabama v. No. 2 Texas
Sugar Bowl
No. 5 Florida v. No. 3 Cincinnati
Capital One Bowl
No. 12 LSU v. No. 13 Penn State
Cotton Bowl
Ole Miss v. No. 19 Oklahoma State
Outback Bowl
Auburn v. Northwestern
Chick-fil-A Bowl
Tennessee v. No. 11 Virginia Tech
Music City Bowl
Kentucky v. Clemson
Liberty Bowl
Arkansas v. East Carolina
Independence Bowl
Georgia v. Texas A&M
Papajohns.com Bowl
South Carolina v. Connecticut

Definitely some interesting matchups — Georgia and Texas A&M are a couple big name teams for a small bowl, so that should be good. In other bowls, the Gator Bowl gave a big, wet, sloppy kiss to Bobby Bowden by inviting Florida State and West Virginia. Travesty. Though it was technically OK, Miami and Boston College were higher up in the selection order in the ACC. Southern Cal, the over-hyped 8-4 team, is going to play the Eagles in the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco.

Ooh! There are other BCS games?

Fiesta Bowl
No. 6 Boise State v. No. 4 TCU
Rose Bowl
No. 7 Oregon v. No. 8 Ohio State
Orange Bowl
No. 9 Georgia Tech v. No. 10 Iowa

Carolina might have upset Clemson to post its seventh win, but that doesn’t appear to have changed much in the bowl perspective from two weeks ago. And why’s that? The upper-level bowls wanted to take another date to the dance.

Guess which team comes out smelling like a rose? That’s right, your favorite and mine, the cheap-trick, dirty-playing team from the worst place in the lower half of Alabama not named Montgomery. Auburn got the invite to the Outback Bowl, which means the Tigers get to have fun in the seedier areas of Ybor City while trying to figure out how to beat Wisconsin. Of course, the joke’s on the Aubies, with the godawful early start of 11 a.m.

LSU, with the third-best record, got its expected trip to Orlando for the Capital One Bowl. Depending on which team is picked for an at-large bid in a BCS bowl, LSU will play either Penn State or Iowa.

The first part of the dam to break was the news given to ESPN that Ole Miss is going to the Cotton Bowl for the second straight year. What’s different for the Rebels this time, and their batshit crazy head coach, is the game will be played at Cowboys Stadium instead of the aging monument to football at the Texas state fairgrounds. Just imagine Houston Nutt, on the biggest high-definition screen anywhere, looking over JerryWorld like a Southern-fried Big Brother. Word is that Ole Miss will be facing Oklahoma State.

Hm. Who do we dislike more? It all comes down to fan bases — mountain rednecks from East Tennessee versus the biggest group of bandwagon fans in college football. You know it — it’s Tennessee v. Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Imagine the weird thoughts going through Tech. It began the season in the Georgia Dome against an SEC team, and it will end the season that way. Of course, Tennessee isn’t Alabama, so we’d imagine the Hokies would be favored.

Carolina fans were crossing fingers and praying hard for the Gamecocks to get the invitation to the Music City Bowl (what a bunch of Gaylords). But — a-ha! — foiled again by Kentucky. The gentlemen who run the bowl want to bring the Wildcats to Nashville, so that’s how it goes. It’s expected that either North Carolina or Miami will be the ACC representative in the game.

Ooh, not looking good. Next up, the Liberty Bowl, which shocked no one by taking Arkansas. It takes, ah, only a walk over the bridge to get from the Natural State to Memphis, so Razorback fans will be filling the stadium. If Houston beats East Carolina in the Conference-USA Championship Game, the bowl will be a throwback to the old Southwest Conference days.

Shreveport goes to Georgia, a quite unfortunate end to the season for the Bulldogs. Let’s face it — no team wants to go to the Independence Bowl. The only reason we saw Carolina play Missouri there a few years ago was because it was on the way to Dallas, where Alabama was taking on Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl. Oh, Gamecocks. That means y’all are in…

…the Papajohns.com Bowl. Yessir, that’s my antiquated monument to Southern football! Welcome back to Birmingham, Carolina. We missed you. It’s been 30 years since you last played at Legion Field, losing to Missouri in the Hall of Fame Classic. If you recall, there used to be an upper deck over the west stands. Structural integrity can be a fickle mistress, and it was taken down several years ago. So, enjoy playing a mediocre Big East team in the cold, try not to get shot in one of the worst neighborhoods in town and for Heaven’s sake, make a trip to Milo’s. You’ll thanks us later for that last one.

However, it was close for the No. 2 team in the country. James Carville once said that on Election Night ’92, he wasn’t elated that Bill Clinton beat George H. W. Bush. He was relieved. We’ve been down this road before.

In 1996, Alabama met Auburn for the Iron Bowl in Birmingham. Even with two losses, Bama still had a chance to go to the Sugar Bowl. There was a little over two minutes on the clock when the Tide started deep inside its own territory, down 23-17. Quarterback Freddie Kitchens led a brilliant drive that put Alabama up 24-23 for one of the most thrilling games in the series.

Witness:

This time there was a national championship on the line. With those two weeks of planning, the Tigers put a linebacker exclusively on running back Mark Ingram and shut him down. It was up to “the other back,” Trent Richardson, quarterback Greg McElroy and the invaluable receiver Julio Jones to get it done. And, they did. Down by one, the offense methodically moved down the field, chewing up clock and getting into the end zone to secure the Tide’s second straight undefeated regular season. It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t pretty and it damn sure about caused us a heart attack, but a win’s a win. Now, it’s just to beat Florida and Alabama is in Pasadena playing for it all.

Florida won’t have Auburn’s advantage. The Gators have to play Florida State on Saturday, then go into the usual week-long prep. That is better for Bama. Another silver lining is that the Crimson Tide was able to win after being down by two touchdowns early, and without any significant contribution from a player that makes a habit of putting up 150+ yards against SEC opponents. The SEC Championship Game should be a very different kettle of fish.