Welcome to the SEC Coaches Stock Market Report, Week Eight. We look at SEC coaches and the impact they have on their teams like a Wall Street analyst watches stocks. We are gauging multiple factors to evaluate their performance. We are not privy to their practices or insider information; therefore we base our opinions on what we see and read about each team. Our goal is to let you know who is up and who is down in the SEC.

This week for the first time, SEC losers outpaced winners 6-5.  The weekend has mostly SEC teams playing SEC teams; so most teams met expectations.

Just so everybody understands the rules of the game; Our analysis is a big picture evaluation which includes a lot of factors. We are not evaluating how well a coach calls a game, unless he completely blows it with the potential of losing the confidence of his team. In our opinion, the SEC has twelve of the best coaches in the nation.

The confidence factor is our confidence in the program going forward; Five ***** being the highest rating. If you want to play at home, send us your rankings. Until then, enjoy. It is a volatile market. The stars indicate how we are feeling about a particular coach and this year’s team, but what really matters is the rank order of the coaches week to week.

1)      Our Coach of the Week is Bobby Johnson.  Vandy beat #6 ranked South Carolina 17-6 in Columbia.  The win was Vandy’s first true road win over a top 10 opponent.  The Vandy defense was on a mission with seven sacks, three interceptions and forcing three fumbles, recovering one.  Vandy held the Gamecocks to zero touchdowns on 282 yards of offense.  This week,  the Commodores host Miami of Ohio who is 4-4.  There is no TV coverage.  We predicted that Vandy would upset a few teams this year in the SEC, and we will keep them at a solid 3.5*** confidence rating.

2)      Bama beats rival Tennessee in Tuscaloosa 41-17.  Life was good for the Crimson Tide on Saturday.  QB John Parker Wilson threw for 363 yards.  Wide receiver DJ Hall is solid.  This week Alabama has a bye week.  We will keep the Crimson Tide at a solid 4**** confidence rating.

3)      When you score a big touchdown at the end of the game, you deserve the spot light.  LSU continues to find the big plays under high pressure.  LSU 30, Auburn 24.  The Auburn game is always close and Les Miles bounced back from the Kentucky loss with resolve.  There were some questionable time-outs called during this game by LSU, but a win is a win.  This week, LSU has a bye week.  We will keep LSU at a 4.5*** confidence rating.

4)      Florida Gators snapped a Kentucky Wildcat home winning streak of eight games.  Tim Tebow posted five touchdowns, including four passing and one rushing.  Florida 45, Kentucky 37.  Tebow injured his non-throwing shoulder during the win but will be ready for the Georgia game.  The Gators are odds-makers favorites for this year’s rivalry.  We believe Florida has a psychological advantage and some momentum going into this weekend.  Game time is 3:30 pm ET and will be covered by CBS.  We will keep Florida at a 4.5**** confidence rating.

5)      Houston Nutt is fighting for his job at Arkansas and there is nothing like a win to reduce some pressure.  Arkansas finally gets their first SEC win in beating Ole Miss 44-8.  Darren McFadden and Felix Jones both rushed for over 100 yards in this game.  This week Arkansas host Florida International (0-7) and it should be  blowout.  There is no TV Coverage.  We will keep Arkansas at a 3.5 *** confidence rating.

6)      Mark Richt needed a bye week to re-group his young talented team.  The Bulldogs had two weeks to figure out how to stop Florida QB Tim Tebow.  The Bulldogs are due for a good game where everything comes together.  Matt Stafford came on strong at the end of last year; so we think the game will be a good one to watch.  If Florida is overconfident and Georgia hungrier, it will go down to the wire.  We will keep Georgia at a 3.5*** confidence rating.

7)      Tommy Tuberville thought he had beaten LSU again.  But Matt Flynn threw the perfect pass to win the game for LSU 30-24.  Auburn was nearly double digit underdogs in this game and had their opportunities to win.  Auburn is getting better each week, and we like their power going into the heat of the SEC schedule.  This week Auburn hosts Ole Miss for a 5 pm CT pay per view game.  We will keep Auburn at a 4**** confidence rating.

8)      Kentucky’s eight game, home-winning streak is snapped.  Florida wins in Kentucky 45-37.  Playing South Carolina, LSU and Florida back-to-back would be tough for anybody.  Andre Woodson recorded a season high 415 yards.  The Wildcats gained more than 500 yards on the Gators.  This week, the Wildcats hosts Miss State Bulldogs for a Lincoln Financial 12:30 pm ET game.  We believe the Wildcats will win this one, and we will keep them at a 4**** confidence rating.

9)      Sylvester Croom took a beating in the first quarter.  West Virginia reeled off 28 points before the Bulldog’s first fifteen minutes had expired.  Tough away game for MSU.  This week the Bulldogs try to pull an upset when they travel to Commonwealth Stadium to play the Kentucky Wildcats.  We will keep the Bulldogs at a 3.5*** confidence rating.

10)  Ed Orgeron is the only SEC Coach that does not have an SEC win this year.  Ole Miss is struggling, and when Arkansas came to town they were focused to get the win.  This is a young team and needs a couple of more years to compete week in and out.  This week, Ole Miss travels to Auburn and will try to pull an upset.  Game time is set for 5 pm CT and it is a pay per view game.  We will keep Ole Miss at a 2.5** confidence rating.

11)  Phillip Fulmer is struggling again.  The Alabama game was brutal for Vols.  Once again, the Vols were involved in a blowout game as they lost to their rival 41-17.  This is a hot and cold Tennessee team.  This week, the Vols are playing for survival like most everybody else.  The Vols hosts Steve Spurrier for a 7:45 pm ET game covered by ESPN.  Right now, Tennessee is favored to beat the Gamecocks.  We will be watching this game closely and will keep Tennessee at a 3.5*** confidence rating. 

12)  Steve Spurrier leaves another game scratching his head.  Vandy came into Columbia more focused and hungrier and walked out with the win.  The odds -makers had this game given to the Gamecocks by thirteen points but the Carolina offense never showed up.  This week, the Gamecocks are playing for the SEC East top spot as they travel to Knoxville.  We will keep the Gamecocks at a 4**** confidence rating.

Jay Holgate is an analyst with SECSportsReport.com

Read more SEC stories at www.SECSportsReport.com