• It is interesting that Steve Spurrier will not be starting Chris Smelley at quarterback this weekend. Former starter Blake Mitchell was arrested earlier this week and suspended from playing on the team. Charges against Mitchell were dropped on Friday, but Spurrier is still keeping Mitchell on the sidelines. He stated that Mitchell was probably not going to be used much in the game against Wofford, even if the incident hadn't occurred. Mitchell is nursing some injuries and has had trouble moving the offense this season for the Gamecocks. Instead, Syvelle Newton will line up under center. Newton has seen some reps at the quarterback position and has the Gamecocks only passing touchdown this season. However, Smelley didn't look bad against Mississippi State when he came in against that very good defense. So the question remains as to why you wouldn't start the freshman against a team from Division 1-AA. It is not like Wofford should pose too much of a challenge for South Carolina. And if they did, it is never too late in that game to switch to Newton at quarterback if needed. But why not get Smelley some confidence at quarterback in a game which should be a simple win for the South Carolina? Arkansas used the same thought process in starting Mitch Mustain at quarterback last week when they played Utah State, a game they won 20-0. Mustain will be back under center this weekend against Vanderbilt, in a game that matters much more. Apparently Chris Smelley isn't ready for prime time in the eyes of Steve Spurrier. It will be interesting to see how much work he gets today in what should be an easy win.
• Speaking of Mustain, this note from ESPN's Insider rundown of the SEC before the week began:
  

  In particular, first-year offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn wants to run more of his hurry-up, no-huddle attack as Mustain becomes more comfortable.

  
  It might just be me, but didn't Mustain play under Malzahn in high school just last season? I understand that the game changes a bit in college, but Malzahn scheme probably hasn't changed that much. The ESPN article does say that Mustain is not used to lining up under the center as he took most of his snaps in high school from the shotgun, but it seems to be that that is a weak excuse to use for dumbing down an offense that a quarterback should know very well at this point. Look for Dareen McFadden to still get a large number of carries this week against the weak Vanderbilt defense. The Commodores have given up an average of 190 yards a game on the ground in their first two contests.
• Joe Tereshinski is out at quarterback for Georgia after injuring his ankle against South Carolina last weekend. Freshman Matt Stafford will take over as he did last weekend. Stafford could be the starter over the next four years if things go well while Tereshinski is out. That would put him up there with David Greene in Georgia quarterback lore. Greene might want to keep an eye on his SEC records if Stafford is able to turn around a performance that saw him throwing 3 interceptions in a back-up role against the Gamecocks.
• The biggest obstacle to Tennessee wining this week might not be Florida. Instead, it is the injuries that the Vols are trying to overcome. Starting corner Inquoris Johnson is out after undergoing surgery this week for some pretty horrific injuries suffered during Tennessee's game against Air Force last weekend. The word is that Inky may never play football again after the surgery repaired torn blood vessels and nerve damage in his shoulder area. This could open up an already strong passing game for Florida. Starting running back Arian Foster might also be out after spraining his ankle. If Foster is out, the Florida defense will be able to concentrate on stopping Erik Ainge and the pass a bit more. And defensive tackle Justin Harrell postponed his surgery on torn bicep muscles to play in this game. It might be just me, but I think he is going to need those muscles to get around the offensive line of Florida and pressure Chris Leak. All these injuries could make for a long day in Knoxville, and a big day for Chris Leak's Heisman hopes.

To close, a little humor from an email sent to me by Blogcritics Sports Editor, Matt Sussman, even if it has nothing to do with the SEC:

Oh God. Syracuse plays Illinois. Failure never looked so orange.

Enjoy the games.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com