Citadel at South Carolina

1. Forty-one years after playing and coaching at The Citadel, Defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson faces his alma mater for the first time.

2. A win today by South Carolina means the Gamecocks will be gunning for their 10th victory of the season when they face Clemson.

Kentucky at Georgia

3. Georgia’s seniors began their careers with double-digit winning seasons.  They can end that way as well.

4. A few lessons Kentucky can learn from Georgia this year.

5. Joker Phillips: “I love playing Georgia.”

6. A win today would clinch Mark Richt’s fifth SEC Eastern Division title.

Furman at Florida

7. With Florida State up next, this is a chance for the Gators to improve their offense.

8. The Paladins could make things interesting with their offense.

Georgia Southern at Alabama

9. Alabama’s fifth-year seniors took a chance on a new head coach back in 2007.

10. Win today means four straight 10-win seasons for Nick Saban.

11. Oklahoma State loses in double-overtime. Alabama fans celebrate.

12. Does the loss mean the Heisman race is back to a duel between Andrew Luck and Trent Richardson?

Samford at Auburn

13. Auburn’s motto today - just win, baby.

14. Auburn knows it needs to get more receivers involved in the passing game.  Three receivers account for nearly 60% of receptions.

Extra – Urban Meyer edition

15. Meyer: “No truth” to the rumors he’s taken the Ohio State job. Pat Dooley tweet.

16. Cleveland Plain Dealer: “If you asked who I believe will be the best Ohio State head coach, it’s Urban Meyer. As of right now, that’s still only a belief, not a report.”

17. If the rumors turn out to be true, would LSU coach Greg Studwara be joining Meyer in Columbus?

1.  Billy Donovan’s new assistants at Florida — John Pelphrey and Matt McCall — will bring a lot of familiarity to Gainesville next season.

2.  Pelphrey says “hopefully” he can be a better aide in his second go-round with Donovan.  “I’m sure it will come back (to Donovan) that I was a tremendous pain in the neck to him.” 

3.  Despite months of rumors, Georgia Southern “has not been and will not be in conversation with Washaun Ealey,” the former Georgia leading rusher.  Ouch.

4.  Is Mark Richt getting tougher… or just more pragmatic?

5.  UGA’s Mark Fox has lifted a Twitter ban on his hoops team.

UPDATE — 6.  The Orlando Sentinel has a Q&A with Dawg QB Aaron Murray.

7.  New basketball coach Cuonzo Martin helped collect goods for Tennessee residents impacted by last month’s tornado outbreak.

The rumors have been floating around for a while.  Georgia tailback Washaun Ealey was being kicked off the team and he would transfer to Georgia Southern.

Yesterday morning, ESPN.com reported that Ealey had been indefinitely suspended from the team, not dismissed.  Then Seth Emerson of The Macon Telegraph actually caught up with Ealey who admitted that he’d been suspended, wouldn’t say why he had been disciplined and said “of course” when asked if wanted to remain in Athens.

However, he also said, “I’m looking at my options… and (we’ll) see what happens.”

In announcing Ealey’s suspension, Richt said that his leading rusher from a year ago would eventually earn his way back on to the team.  “We have certain expectations and standards that apply to all our student-athletes.  We expect them to do things the right way, the Georgia way.  If Washaun does things the Georgia way, he’ll be back in good standing.”

Ealey’s career has never taken off as expected at UGA.  Now the suspension and the signing of top prep back Isaiah Crowell throws Ealey’s future further into question.

Multiple internet sites are reporting that yesterday’s rumors have become today’s facts.

William & Mary defensive coordinator Bob Shoop has resigned and is expected to be hired in that same capacity at Vanderbilt.

FootballScoop.com is reporting that former Georgia Southern defensive coordinator Brent Pry will join James Franklin’s staff as Shoop’s co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

It is expected that Shoop will coach the Commodores’ safeties.

(As for the photo, that’s Shoop on the left, Pry on the right.)

New Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin has already put the finishing touches on his offensive staff, but work on the defensive side of the ball remains.  According to FootballScoop.com, things may now be heating up in that area.

The website reports this morning: “Our sources tell us that James Franklin has offered a position to Georgia Southern defensive coordinator Brent Pry.”

Rumors have persisted all weekend that Pry would leave Statesboro for a job with the Commodores, but no one seems to know whether he’ll serve as Franklin’s defensive coordinator or not.

Pry has been a coordinator at two schools — Georgia Southern last season and Louisiana-Lafayette from 2002 through 2006.  He has also coached at Western Carolina and Memphis.  That’s not exactly an SEC resume, but at least Pry has recruited the Deep South, unlike most of Franklin’s new aides.

Pry currently coaches safeties for the Eagles, but he has coached defensive linemen and linebackers at previous stops.

Other rumors making the rounds have William & Mary defensive coordinator Bob Shoop taking over the same spot in Nashville.  Don’t be surprised if VU goes the co-coordinator route.

Shoop has been at William & Mary since 2007.  Prior that he has coached at Yale and Villanova.  He was also head coach at Columbia from 2003 to 2005.

According to the W&M website, Shoop handles recruiting in Western Pennsylvania and Richmond.  And he coaches the secondary for The Tribe in addition to coordinating the defense.

While Yale and William & Mary might not look too impressive on an SEC coach’s resume — and they don’t — Shoop was named the FCS Coordinator of the Year by the aforementioned FootballScoop.com.  If Franklin turns to the FCS for his aides, Shoop would certainly be high on the list.

Vanderbilt has four spots open on the defensive side of the ball.