GAME NOTES: Sporting the nation's longest current win streak, the Florida Gators hit the road this week for an SEC showdown with the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville.

The defending national champions won their 16th straight game last week, but the 16-13 slugfest with the Arkansas Razorbacks did not impress the pollsters, who dropped Urban Meyer's Gators from the top spot and replaced them with Alabama. Now second in the national poll, Florida could use this as motivation the rest of the way.

Dan Mullen's Bulldogs might have found a little spark last weekend, as they ended a three-game slide with a 27-6 thrashing of Middle Tennessee. The victory pulled MSU to 3-4 on the year.

That spark could ignite with a strong showing against the defending champs according to Mullen.

"I'm real excited about our game this weekend. Anytime you get to play the number-one team in the country, it is a neat experience. If you're wanting to build a championship program, there is nowhere better to start than to face the champions."

These two teams have not met since 2005. Florida holds a 32-18-2 advantage in the all-time series, but Mississippi State has won seven of the 10 meetings in Starkville.

Florida has not exactly lit up the scoreboard in the last two weeks, but that shouldn't make the opposition feel any easier about trying to stop Tim Tebow and company. Despite the shortage of eye-popping numbers of late, the statistics on the season are still impressive, with Florida averaging 36.3 ppg, on a hefty 470.5 yards of total offense. It is the balanced attack that has to worry foes. UF has the ability to beat teams on the ground (259.8 ypg) or through the air (210.7 ypg).

Tebow is completing a healthy 65.5 percent of his passes thus far, for 1,032 yards and eight TDs. The top targets in the vertical game are Aaron Hernandez (28 receptions, for 360 yards, two TDs) and Riley Cooper (23 receptions, for 333 yards, three TDs).

A number of talented rushers can get the job done in any given game. Tailbacks Jeff Demps (8.4 ypc, five TDs), Chris Rainey (6.8 ypc, two TDs) and Emmanuel Moody (8.8 ypc) can all break off long runs. Throw Tebow (63 yards per game, five TDs) in the mix as well and it is easy to see where the offense's strength lies.

The team's lack of explosiveness on the offensive side of things lately doesn't seem to overly concern Urban Meyer.

"We are just maneuvering through a difficult part of the schedule and trying to get some things worked out."

Defense is the name of the game in Gainesville this season and Florida possesses one of the best stop units, ranking first nationally in scoring defense (8.7 ppg) and second in pass defense (133.3 ypg).

The unit is chock-full of All-Americans, each with the ability to make huge plays. Standouts like Ahmad Black (33 tackles, one INT) and Joe Haden (32 tackles, two INTs) highlight the secondary. The linebacking corps features Brandon Spikes (32 tackles, three sacks) and Ryan Stamper (33 tackles, one sack). Carlos Dunlap (16 tackles, three TFLs, two sacks) is the player that gets all the attention up front, but that has allowed Jermaine Cunningham (16 tackles, 6.0 TFLs, 3.0 sacks) to get upfield and make plays.

The Bulldogs possess a more one-dimensional offense, but the ground game is extremely productive this year, generating 219.0 yards per game. Senior tailback Anthony Dixon has quietly gone about his business and is one of the conference's top backs thus far, averaging 5.2 yards per carry and 116.0 yards per game. Dixon is also responsible for seven of the team's 13 rushing TDs to date.

Senior signal-caller Tyson Lee has struggled with his consistency under center, having completed just over 58 percent of his tosses, for 981 yards, with three TDs and six INTs. There is no gamebreaker on the outside, as Chad Bumphis is the team's leading receiver with just 23 receptions on the year.

The MSU defense may be overmatched in this game as well, as the team is allowing 354.7 yards of total offense this year, resulting in 24.0 ppg for the opposition.

Junior LB K.J. Wright leads the team in tackles (47), followed closely by fellow LBs Jamar Chaney (46 stops) and Chris White (423 tackles). Sophomore safety Charles Mitchell (35 tackles, two INTs) has been solid in the secondary, while junior rush end Pernell McPhee (29 tackles, team-high 6.0 TFLs, 2.5 sacks) has provided the most push along the defensive front.

The Bulldogs don't match up very well with the Gators and even though this game takes place in Starkville, look for Florida to assert its dominance on both sides of the football in what should be a lopsided affair.