Tennessee and Georgia face off in an AP Top-2 matchup Highlighting Week 10 In College Football

Tennessee and Georgia face off in an AP Top-2 matchup highlighting Week 10 In College Football.

On Tuesday, the first College Football Playoff rankings were released.  The top 4 were Tennessee, Ohio State, Georgia and Clemson.

SEC Nation and College GameDay are both head to Athens for the Top-2 matchup between Tennessee and Georgia. This is the third Top-5 matchup at Sanford Stadium. It's also the first Top-3 matchup between SEC East teams since the divisions were created in 1992.

This is the 53rd No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup in the history of the AP Poll. The first since LSU’s 46-41 win at Alabama in 2019. The No. 1 team holds a 29-21-2 advantage in the all-time series. It’s the sixth 1 vs 2 matchup between SEC teams but the first that doesn’t involve Alabama (2008 and 2009 SEC championship games against Florida, 2019 and 2011 – twice – against LSU).

Tennessee has lost 12 straight games against AP No. 1 opponents since beating Auburn in 1985. The Vols are 2-14 all-time against top-ranked opponents (the other win was against LSU in 1959).

This is the eighth time that a pair of SEC teams have met with both teams entering the game with 8-0 or better records. Tennessee won its only previous such game (1998 vs Arkansas) while Georgia lost its only previous instance (1971 vs Auburn).

Alabama and LSU are meeting as ranked opponents for the 30th time. It's the most frequent ranked matchup in SEC history and the fourth-most frequent in FBS.

Alabama is 27-8-2 (.757 winning percentage) in Baton Rouge since Tiger Stadium opened in 1924. The best record of any team to make at least 10 trips to the stadium (Tennessee is second at 9-4-2, a .667 winning percentage).

The winner won’t clinch a spot in the SEC championship game, but it will definitely have the inside track to Atlanta.

Texas A&M has won three of the five meetings between the schools. Since the Aggies joined the SEC, all three meetings have been decided by three or fewer points: Texas A&M won 41-38 in 2020 and 19-17 in 2017 after Florida won 20-17 in 2012 (A&M’s first game as an SEC member).

Both teams are just 1-4 in SEC play this season. Its the Aggies worst start to conference play since 1984 (lost five of first six SWC games) and the Gators worst start to SEC play since 1979 (finished 0-6).

Freshman Conner Weigman threw for 338 yards and four touchdowns in his first start against Ole Miss. That's the most passing yards by a true freshman in Texas A&M history. He also snapped the Aggies’ streak of 24 straight games against FBS opponents without throwing for 300 yards.

I will have my big Florida State-Miami preview tomorrow along with several other games.

The NFL Trade Deadline has come and gone. And there were 20 moves made in the NFL this year. Some of the bigger moves include Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco, Bradley Chubb to Miami, and JT Hockenson to Detroit. For years the NFL just didn't make trades. But over the last 5 years or so GM's have changed their tune on in season moves. There were 19 in season trades this year, up from 14 last season, and 13 in 2020. It seems like more teams are adopting the "F Them Picks" mentality that helped the Rams win the Super Bowl last season. General Managers are adapting to the changing times and it is good business. For years draft picks were thought of as gold. In reality 1st round picks can help, but they are still unknown entities.

When grading NFL trades, teams value different things. Some teams believe they are one player away from becoming a true Super Bowl contender. Other teams are closer to a rebuild and are looking to get future picks or an expiring contract before free agency. I also thing the players mentality has changed over the years. The player power is higher now than ever, and teams do not like to have guys in their locker room who don't want to be there. Whatever the reason for the increase in trades, it's a good thing for fans of the league. Grading NFL trades is tough because you are forecasting the future. Saying "let's see how it plays out" is boring. Let's get into grading NFL trades during the 2022 season.

The move was inevitable for the Panthers. There was no reason to keep an elite back on an offense with little talent surrounding him. By the time Carolina gets back to contender status in the league, CMC will be approaching 30. Getting 4 picks for a running back is good value, but I'm sure they wanted a 1.

GRADE: B-

Kyle Shanahan gets arguable the most versatile back to plug into one of the best running systems in the league. We've been able to see him play in a couple games with the 49ers so far, and 4 total TD's has been the result. San Francisco didn't have a 1st round pick, so they gave up a lot to get him.

GRADE: A

Denver has arguably been the most disappointing team in the NFL this season. Bradley Chubb was on the final year of his rookie deal and it was becoming apparent he was not going to resign with Denver. The 1st rounder in 2023 figures to be in the back half of the league, but it's better than not having one.

GRADE: B

Miami needed a pass rusher to line up opposite Jaelen Phillips. Emmanuel Ogbah, Melvin Ingram, and Andrew Van Ginkle haven't been overly impressive this season. The Dolphins got a true pass rusher for late game scenarios, a true closer. Miami solidified themselves as a team expecting to win games in the playoffs. That's a lot of picks to give up, but Miami is trying to strike while Tua is on his rookie deal.

GRADE: A-

This seems like a small return on a talent like Calvin Ridley. The 2024 pick can become a 3rd round pick based off playing time, and 2nd if Ridley signs an extension with the Jags. This was one of the more surprising moves of the day. I would have loved to see a young QB with Ridley, Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Cordarrelle Patterson. But that will not happen now.

GRADE: D+

The Jags think they are a year away from competing for the division. Indy is a mess, so is Houston, and the Titans are good, but not great. Since Ridley is suspended for the 2022 season, this is obviously a move for 2023. But looking ahead to 2023 in Jacksonville: QB Trevor Lawrence, RB Travis Etienne, WR Calvin Ridley, WR Christian Kirk. That looks like the makings of an explosive offense.

GRADE: B+

Ummmmm..... Why? Hockenson is one of the best Tight Ends in the league. He is not perfect, but he is pretty good. At some point Detroit is going to need to keep the talent they draft in the building. Sending him in the division is really strange too. Maybe the Lions are where the Dolphins were in 2021, and close to turning it around. But this was an odd move.

GRADE: C-

This was a great move for the Vikings. They get a top-10 Tight End and give Kirk Cousins another weapon to add to Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, and Adam Thielen. The Vikings have had the least production from the Tight End spot out of every NFL team this season. .Minnesota is one of the teams that will challenge Philadelphia come the playoffs. No more excuses kirk Cousins.

GRADE: A

This was once again smart business by the Steelers. Claypool's contract runs out at the end of the season. And with George Pickens and Deonte Johnson in Pittsburgh, Claypool was excess anyway. Smart business for the Steelers.

GRADE: B+

Look at the Bears buying at the deadline!? Most people would not have expected that at the beginning of the season. However Justin Fields has forced the front office into this move. His elevated play over the last few weeks has shown enough for the team to give him another weapon. Claypool is a solid #2 in the NFL.

GRADE: B

Indy has been another disappointing team in 2022. They don't get a ton back for a solid pass catching back, but with Jonathan Taylor back healthy he was excess.

GRADE: C

One of the few weaknesses in Buffalo this season has been the lack of production out of the Running Back position. Hines doesn't fix all of those issues, but he can help this team in the passing game. Buffalo is in a position where they can afford to take a shot on a talent like Nyheim Hines.

GRADE: B

San Francisco made the biggest move of the trade season acquiring Christin McCaffrey a few weeks back. Wilson has been a very good back since taking over for Elijah Mitchell, but he isn't in McCaffrey league. Mitchell is on track to return in week 10 following the team's bye. This made Wilson expendable in San Francisco.

GRADE: B

Miami needed a back after sending Chase Edmonds to Denver in the Bradley Chubb deal. Wilson has played with Mike McDaniel before, and should be a nice 1-2 combo with Raheem Mostert.

GRADE: B+