Aside from it being another gameday weekend, some members of the male student body will have an extra reason to smile.

Six female University students are featured in the October issue of Playboy. The women are in a 10-page nude pictorial entitled “Girls of the SEC.”

The semi-annual issue featuring the section on college students rotates between the different football conferences every fall.

The Southeastern Conference last was featured in October 2001.

“Our readers love to see the girl next door,” said Theresa Hennessey, public relations director for Playboy. “The majority of these girls have never modeled before, and their natural beauty appeals to the readers.”

College women from all 12 SEC universities auditioned throughout the spring 2007 semester.

Three women from the University were selected to be in the Playboy Olympics.

Thirty-eight college women were selected to appear in the issue. The University was second in the amount of women selected to the University of Florida, which had eight models. The models appearing from the University are Taylor Lynn, Brittanie Knight, Ally Ling, Melani Chase, Danielle Malone and Jordan Schell.

Some of the models opted to use pseudonyms in the publication for privacy reasons, Hennessey said.

Some women said they were unaware of auditions until friends and classmates also auditioning informed them.

“A friend of mine called me, and I drove back from Gwinnett to audition on the last day,” said Brittanie Knight, a sophomore from Duluth. “I always wanted to be in Playboy and was hopeful that the photographer and editors would like me.”

Danielle Malone, a fifth-year from Peachtree City, said after auditions, she was surprised to receive a call from the magazine informing her that she had been selected for the pictorial.

“I was in the car with my friends, and originally, I was in disbelief until I received specific information about the photo shoot,” Malone said.

Many of the models that posed for the pictorial over the summer did not have prior experience.

“Everyone at the shoot was very nice, things were done in a tasteful manner and there was never a point where I felt uncomfortable,” Malone said.

Since the shoot, many of the models said their lives have maintained a sense of normalcy. Many models opted to share the news with people closest to them during early stages.

With the issue now available for purchase, the models prepared themselves for the reactions of family, friends and fans.

“My friends have been counting down until the magazine’s release and my mom had been really supportive, but my dad – not so much,” Knight said.

Malone also said she has generally received support from those around her. She said her parents, however, are not aware of her picture being in the magazine.

Although the models said they are happy with their experience, most said that school remains their primary focus at the moment.

However, some said they would consider auditioning for the magazine again in the future.

“I loved the entire experience. I could do this everyday,” Knight said.