As the calendar turns to November, there is some separation in both SEC divisional races, though neither are wrapped up yet.

Tennessee kept its eastern division hopes alive with a 33-27 win at Kentucky in Lexington. The No. 21 Vols (6-2, 3-2) step out of conference play next Saturday against UConn with two critical conference game looming afterward.

As for No. 1 Georgia, the Bulldogs put themselves in position in their first game after a key injury two weeks ago by thumping Florida while another east team had an open date in week 9.

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As it stands, Tennessee is tied for third place in the division with Florida while Georgia holds the top spot and Missouri is second.

Here is what we learned about the Vols' upcoming league opponents on Saturday.

Georgia made a statement in its first game without Brock Bowers.

The Bulldogs' all-world tight end who accounted for much their offensive production during a string of slow starts went down with an ankle injury against Vanderbilt and the subsequent surgery has him sidelined for at least the next couple of weeks

If there were concerns that Georgia would struggle without him, the Bulldogs quelled them vs. Florida in Jacksonville.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Key takeaways: Vols' duo of backs make difference in road win over Kentucky

The Bulldogs found other ways to score. Quarterback Carson Beck was 19-of-28 passing for 315 yards and two touchdowns and wide receiver Ladd McConkey headlined the offense with six receptions for 135 yards and a score.

On the ground, running back Daijun Edwards rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, Georgia totaled eight tackles for loss and sacked Florida quarterback Graham Mertz four times, forcing a fumble on one that set up a scoring drive as part of a 36-point onslaught after the Gators took a 7-0 lead on their opening drive.

The Bulldogs (8-0, 5-0) are rolling at the right time with the back half of their schedule highlighted by a stretch that includes three-straight ranked teams in Missouri, Ole Miss and Tennessee.

Georgia gets No. 16 Missouri and No. 12 Ole Miss at home the next two weeks before play No. 21 Tennessee at Neyland Stadium on Nov. 18.

Missouri went into its bye week with plenty of momentum after beating South Carolina, 34-12 last Saturday.

The Tigers (7-1, 3-1) are still in the thick of the eastern division race and will have an opportunity to leap Georgia next week when the two teams meet at Sanford Stadium in Athens.

Behind quarterback Brady Cook, who has 2,259 passing yards and 15 touchdowns through eight games, the Tigers ranked fourth in the SEC in passing offense with nearly 295 yards per game.

Luther Burden III has been one of the top receivers in the league with 61 catches for 905 yards and six scores and running back Cody Schrader has more than 800 yards rushing with an average of 5.8 yards per carry.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Dylan Sampson answered call in Vols' win over Kentucky

Missouri, which has won two-straight games by a combined 72-33, will host Tennessee at Memorial Stadium in Columbia in two weeks and plays Florida and Arkansas to round out the regular season.

Over the next couple of weeks, the Tigers not only have the opportunity to make a statement, but clinch a spot in Atlanta in the process.

There was some hope that Vanderbilt could reach the postseason in Clark Lea’s third season.

The Commodores closed out the 2022 season strong and were win away from bowl eligibility, but this season has been underwhelming.

Vanderbilt’s path to a bowl game this year was all but eliminated with its 33-7 loss at Ole Miss.

It dropped the Commodores to 2-7 overall and 0-5 in conference play.

Their remaining schedule features Auburn in Nashville with two road games to end the season at South Carolina and Tennessee.

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