The SEC

Here are a few questions and answers about the SEC this year. By the way, the traditional best conference in America will probably take a back seat to the Big 12 again.

1. Will anybody be able to dethrone Florida as the SEC champion? Absolutely. In 2010. Maybe. They have a few potential weaknesses. First, Tim Tebow could easily get hurt with the running he does. Second, this will be Urban Meyer's first year as a head coach without Dan Mullen, who took over at Mississippi State. Mullen was even with Meyer when both were assistants at Notre Dame. Third, they have some great rush ends, but sometimes they abandon the run game. Teams should be able to run off-tackle occasionally on them. That's all I got. I would REALLY be surprised if they weren't in the NC game. I know I'm not alone. I see 2 losses at the absolute most, realistically 11-1 (they have plenty of games they COULD lose, they'll probably drop one), but the West doesn't have a hope in the SEC Title game.
2. Who will rise up in the west? Ole Miss. Why? The schedule is kind. I think they have a good team, but they will benefit the most from an "easy" schedule. The nonconference is a joke. I didn't know it was legal to play two I-AA teams (SE Louisiana and Northern Arizona). At Memphis and home against UAB rounds out the schedule. They don't play Florida. They get Alabama, Tennessee, and LSU at home. The only trouble they've got is at South Carolina and possibly at Auburn. They will probably go into the SEC title game at 11-1, in the top 10, looking like they belong in a BCS game. They'll leave at 11-2 and looking like the Gators little whipping boy.
3. Can Alabama repeat what they did last year? Not likely. 5th year senior QB, gone. Solid O-line, needs to be replaced. Julio Junes, standout WR, trying to recover from sports hernia surgery (which doesn't always work out). The defense should be spectacular. They do have a pretty favorable schedule as well, but I think Saban takes a step backwards this year, before taking two steps forward in 2010. 10 wins isn't out of the question, but I think Ole Miss comes out as victor over Bama head-to-head, and that will be the difference in the West.
4. Can Vandy extend its consecutive bowl streak to two? No. The stars aligned for the Commodores last year. Senior leadership. Had a few upsets. Schedule lined up nicely. This year, the schedule isn't so nice. The receivers lack the playmaking ability that carried them through games last year. How is 5-7 for optimism?
5. Which new coach in the conference will have the best season? You have Gene Chizik at Auburn, Lane Kiffin at Tennessee, and Dan Mullen at Mississippi State. Gene Chizik has the best team, but he's the worst of the coaches. Lane Kiffin can definitely bring Tennessee back to where it was in the 90's, but it will take time. He is probably the best of the coaches, but walked into a mess of a situation. Within 3 years, they will give Florida a viable threat in the East. Dan Mullen has a decent squad in as weak an SEC West as there has been in a long time. Very few first-time head coaches succeed in their first year. He had a great mentor, we will see how good of a student he is! I think Kiffin has the best season, followed by Mullen, and Chizik was just a mistake. Auburn fans will be reliving the glory days of Tuberville for the foreseeable future.