1. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

Alabama safety Rashad Johnson guessed that highly regarded freshman quarterback Star Jackson would simulate Tim Tebow in practice. Jackson is redshirting this year. “Star is a good thrower and he can move around the pocket well,” Johnson said. Defensive end Bobby Greenwood suggested a different solution. “Just take any lineman and put him back there at quarterback,” he said.

This week: vs. No. 2 Florida (Atlanta), 4 p.m. (CBS)

2. FLORIDA GATORS

Here’s the contingency plan if Percy Harvin’s ankle won’t allow him to play Saturday: The Gators would move Louis Murphy to the slot and Carl Moore to the outside. Coach Urban Meyer said that Brandon James, David Murphy (who is playing really well) and Deonte Thompson would receive additional playing time. “We’ve had to play through it a couple of times before,” Meyer said. “Also, in the perimeter run game, we have Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey. So we have a plan. I just hope Percy’s ready.”

This week: vs. No. 1 Alabama (Atlanta), 4 p.m. (CBS)

3. GEORGIA BULLDOGS

OK, here are Georgia’s defensive rankings, and the reasons why Willie Martinez is having to defend himself. Maybe he’ll do a better job than the unit he’s coordinating. The Bulldogs finished 10th in the SEC in scoring defense, ninth in pass defense, seventh in rush defense, seventh in total defense and 11th in pass-efficiency defense. The Bulldogs forced only 15 turnovers, worst in the SEC.

Bowl projection: Capital One Bowl vs. Michigan State

4. OLE MISS REBELS

The Capital One Bowl isn’t ruling out Ole Miss yet. The Rebels, on a five-game winning streak, are hoping to land their first invitation ever to the Capital One. “It’s between Georgia and Ole Miss,” Capital One executive director Steve Hogan said. “We’re very interested in Ole Miss because they finished very, very strong.” The Capital One pays out $4.25 million. The Cotton Bowl’s payout is $3 million.

Bowl projection: Cotton Bowl vs. Texas Tech

5. LSU TIGERS

LSU is the worst defending national champion in the history of the BCS. And it only gets worse. The Tigers, who finished 7-5 overall, 3-5 in the SEC, after last week’s loss to Arkansas, became the first team to follow its national title with a losing conference record since Southern California went 3-4 in the Pac-Eight in 1975. LSU is the first consensus national champion to lose five games the next season since Ohio State in 1943.

Bowl projection: Chick-fil-A Bowl vs. Georgia Tech

6. SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS

Steve Spurrier benched tight end and leading receiver Jared Cook in the second half of the Clemson game and questioned his effort. Cook, safety Emanuel Cook and cornerback Captain Munnerlyn are all juniors who will likely leave school early, and Spurrier said he could tell. “A few guys aren’t playing quite like they did early in the year. I think that was obvious,” Spurrier said. “It’s disappointing.”

Bowl projection: Outback Bowl vs. Iowa

7. VANDERBILT COMMODORES

The Music City Bowl is stuck in a bad situation — take Kentucky for the third year in a row or keep hometown Vanderbilt. The Commodores deserve a chance to make a trip, even if it’s to Memphis for the Liberty Bowl, after waiting 26 years to qualify for the postseason. But the Music CIty will take the Commodores if enough fans commit to buying tickets. The loser of the ACC title game likely will get the Music City.

Bowl projection: Liberty Bowl vs. Tulsa

8. KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Freshman quarterback Randall Cobb underwent arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to repair cartilage in his left knee, according to coach Rich Brooks. Cobb suffered the injury against Tennessee and his status for the bowl game is not yet determined. Cobb, who started the last four games at quarterback, completed 52.5 percent of his passes this year for 542 yards and five touchdowns. He rushed for 316 yards.

Bowl projection: Music City Bowl vs. Boston College

9. AUBURN TIGERS

Tommy Tuberville met with university president Jay Gogue on Monday and athletic director Jay Jacobs on Tuesday morning to discuss his future plans after a 5-7 season. It’s doubtful Auburn will wait this long and then fire Tuberville, but expect staff changes on the offensive side of the ball. Tuberville has said he’ll let the new offensive coordinator hire his own staff, a luxury Tony Franklin did not get.

This week: Season over

10. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

Lane Kiffin’s wife, Layla, is receiving a lot of attention around the country. Here’s how they met: Layla’s father is John Reaves, a former All-America quarterback at Florida who played for nine years in the NFL. In 1999, Layla met Lane, then a graduate assistant at Colorado State, while working for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the special events department. They dated for three months before he proposed.

This week: Season over

11. ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS

MIchael who? True freshman Dennis Johnson filled in for the injured Michael Smith against LSU and totaled 230 yards of total offense — 127 yards rushing and 103 on kickoff returns — in the upset win. Johnson, who is 5-foot-8, wasn’t even that highly recruited out of Texarkana, Ark. He picked the Razorbacks over Oklahoma State, Louisiana Tech and Tulsa. ESPN rated him the No. 72 running back.

This week: Season over

12. MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS

Mississippi State athletic director Greg Byrne is telling recruits to expect an offensive-minded coach to replace Sylvester Croom. But Byrne’s friend, Boise State coach Chris Petersen, told The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss., he doesn’t want the job. “Greg and I have been friends for a long time. We talk often. He knows how happy we are at Boise, and that’s where we’re going to be,” Peterson said.

This week: Season over