1.   Aleksei Kovalev has been out since midseason following knee surgery and is not supposed to return until next autumn.

2.   Lee, a team captain and devout Christian, sees a midseason knee injury threaten his college football future.

3.   One handicap is that he might share votes with Lewis, who is back from a midseason knee injury.

4.   Marshall Faulk, following midseason arthroscopic knee surgery and a few light game days, also is on his game just in time for the playoff drive.