Don't have much time this morning, so let's get right to the links:

• Anthony Dixon's return from a one-game suspension gives Mississippi State a legit four-deep at running back, writes Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger.

• Both coaches are ignoring last year's 3-2 game, mostly because neither of them were involved in it. Also, MSU has a few players sick but not too many in this Veazey notebook.

• Saturday's game won't answer all questions for these teams, writes Brad Locke of the Northeast Mississippi Journal.

• The Wildcat offense continues to spread throughout the SEC, writes Ron Higgins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Interestingly, no mention of Gus Malzahn in this article, one of the brainchilds who revived the formation.

• Higgins notes that only two SEC players have ever averaged over 400 yards passing for a season in this notebook. That would be Tim Couch for Kentucky in 1998 (412.2 ypg) and Rex Grossman for Florida (405.2) in 2002. He brings this up because Arkansas threw for 447 yards in its opener against Missouri State. Call us crazy, but we think that number might come down a little against legitimate competition.

• Georgia tight end Arthur Lynch began playing football because his grandfather was one of the most successful high school coaches in Massachusetts history, writes David Hale of the Macon Telegraph.

• Hale is also doing a live chat at noon ET/11 a.m. CT if you're interested.

• Nick Saban's contract has been finalized, writes Michael Casagrande of the Decatur Daily. Here's the final damage: he'll average $4.7 million per year for the life of the contract and made $42.35 million over the next nine years. Jeez, what will they have to pay him if he actually wins a national title?

• The fact that Alabama defensive lineman Brandon Deaderick is back at practice, let along thinking of playing, just two weeks after being shot is remarkable. Casagrande has the story here.

• ESPN.com's Chris Low has made his picks for Week 2, and he likes Auburn:

• Auburn 24, Mississippi State 13: The Tigers won 3-2 last season thanks to a home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. OK, there were no home runs, but a 3-2 score in football? A few things have changed since that shootout, most notably the head coaches. It’s the SEC debut for Auburn’s Gene Chizik and Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen. The difference in the game, though, will be Gus Malzahn’s balanced offense.

• Low also lists 10 things to watch in Week 2. One of them is how freshmen -- RB Onterio McCalebb included -- fares against tougher competition.

• Scouts Inc.'s JC Shurburtt lists the Top 25 recruiters in the country. Trooper Taylor makes the cut from Auburn.

• Look at the list of players who missed practice for Ole Miss because of the flu, according to David Brandt of the Clarion-Ledger.

• The NCAA and Florida State continue to have a back-and-forth verbal spat about the Seminoles' academic cheating case.

• And finally, SI's Stewart Mandel writes about why Notre Dame is so easy to dislike in this mailbag. I think right now it's mostly because Charlie Weis is so smug for never having won anything with the Irish.