SEC Power Rankings after Week 6

1. Alabama -The Tide overtakes Florida, who while impressive at LSU, still don’t have the overall body of work the Tide do.

2. Florida. -Could their D be even better than we thought? 

3. LSU. -Struggled against the Gators, but still better than the other 9 teams.

4. South Carolina. -Not overwhelming against Kentucky, but the defense keeps them in any game.

5. Arkansas. -Ryan Mallet is the 2nd best QB in the league.  Too bad the D doesn’t match.  Good luck against Florida.

6. Auburn. -Shell-shocked from the Razorbacks, the Tigers still look solid offensively.

7. Tennessee. -Embarassed Georgia in their first solid game of football in 2 years.

8. Ole Miss. -The Rebels are like a high school summer romance: you’re in love with them in July, but you’ve forgotten about them come fall.

9. Georgia. -Rough times for the Georgia D.  AJ Green still bright spot for Bulldog offense.

10.  Mississppi St. -The cowbell ringers in Starkville have to be pleased despite the losses.  Dan Mullen will get this ship righted.

11. Kentucky.  -Wildcats lose QB Hartline for the season.  Basketball season is right around the corner Wildcat fans.

12.  Vanderbilt. -You lost to Army?  Wow.

Ranking the SEC after Week 3

For the most part, things have gone as expected in the SEC through 3 weeks.  Here are my rankings going into week 4…

 

1) Florida.  Obviously.  They didn’t struggle as much against Tennessee as the Vols stepped up to the challenge.  Gators still have the best athletes and coaching staff in the league.

2) Alabama.  The win over Virginia Tech is obviously the hallmark of the season to this point, and nothing appears to be slowing down the Tide, even having a new starting QB this year.

3) LSU.  With Washington’s win over USC this weekend, the Tigers 8 point victory over the Huskies in week 1 is even more impressive. 

4) Auburn.  These Tigers have hammered opponents thus far, averaging over 40 points a game.  Perhaps Tommy Tuberville WAS the reason for the dismal season last year.  Hmm…

5) Ole Miss.  Yes, I realize Ole Miss is a top ten team.  I also realize they’ve played Memphis and SE Louisiana so far, and didn’t look overly impressive against Memphis. 

6) Georgia.  God bless Joe Cox, who after gaining starts in 2007 before being replaced by Matthew Stafford, is finally able to shine.  Having a big time target like A.J. Green to throw to doesn’t hurt either.  But when will the Dawgs’ defense show up?

7) Kentucky.  A big win Saturday over rival Louisville just sets the tone for a big nationally televised game this coming week against Florida.  Yeah…good luck with that.

8) Tennessee.  The Vols showed heart in a 10 point loss to Florida at the Swamp Saturday, something they didn’t show the previous week against UCLA. 

9) South Carolina.  The Gamecocks’ D was impressive against NC State in week 1.  It looked downright pathetic in week 2 against Georgia.  They’ve got something to prove Thursday night against Ole Miss.

10) Arkansas.  A lone win against Missouri State impresses no one, similar to the defensive performance the Razorbacks had against Georgia Saturday.  On a brighter note, QB Ryan Mallett has played well.

11) Mississippi State.  The Bulldogs defense looked good against Vanderbilt.  Then again…it was Vanderbilt.

12) Vanderbilt.  The Commodores aren’t looking like a bowl bound team this year.  A valiant effort against LSU and Mississippi State failed with a total of 12 points scored in the two games.  Ouch.

Setting up the 2009-10 Bowl Matchups and Conference Winners

CONFERENCE WINNERS

SEC: FLORIDA over Alabama

BIG TEN: OHIO ST.

BIG 12: TEXAS over Kansas

ACC: VIRGINIA TECH over Florida St.

PAC-10: CALIFORNIA

BIG EAST: WEST VIRGINIA

MOUNTAIN WEST: TCU

CONF. USA: HOUSTON over East Carolina

WAC: BOISE ST.

MAC: CENTRAL MICHIGAN over Buffalo

SUN BELT: TROY

 

BCS BOWLS

TITLE GAME: Texas vs. Florida

ROSE: Ohio St. vs. California

SUGAR: Alabama vs. Boise St.

FIESTA: USC vs. Oklahoma St.

ORANGE: Va. Tech vs. W. Virginia

OTHER BOWLS

HUMANITARIAN: Colorado St. vs. Nevada

NEW MEXICO: Utah vs. La. Tech

POINSETTIA: BYU vs. Arizona

LAS VEGAS: TCU vs. UCLA

NEW ORLEANS: Southern Miss vs. Fla. Atlantic

ARMED FORCES: Tulsa vs. Air Force

HAWAII: East Carolina vs. Fresno St.

LIBERTY: Houston vs. South Carolina

MOTOR CITY: Michigan vs. Central Mich.

OUTBACK: Illinois vs. Georgia

CAPITAL ONE: Penn St. vs. Ole Miss

ST. PETERSBURG: Arkansas St. vs Marshall

PAPAJOHNS.COM: Cincinnati vs. MTSU

INTERNATIONAL: S. Florida vs. Bowling Green

TEXAS: Kansas St. vs. Navy

INDEPENDENCE: Nebraska vs. Kentucky

INSIGHT: Baylor vs. Northwestern

SUN: Colorado vs. Rutgers

ALAMO: Kansas vs. Iowa

HOLIDAY: Texas Tech vs. Oregon St.

COTTON: Oklahoma vs. LSU

GMAC: Wake Forest vs. Buffalo

EAGLE BANK: NC State vs. Memphis

EMERALD: Boston Coll. vs. Oregon

MEINIKE CAR CARE: Miami vs. Pittsburgh

MUSIC CITY: North Carolina vs. Auburn

CHAMPS SPORTS: Clemson vs. Michigan St.

GATOR: Ga. Tech vs. Notre Dame

CHIK-FIL-A: Tennessee vs. Florida St.

2009 SEC Football preview

(Each of my conference previews are determined in part by using a simple formula using certain nine variables to determine a teams ability to win games. These nine categories are as follows: Quarterback, RB/WR/TE, Offensive Line, DE/LB, Secondary, Coaching, Schedule Difficulty, Home Field Advantage, and Player Experience. Each team is ranked in descending order according to their strength in these areas. For example, the team in a conference with the best QB will be given a one, the second best rated team by QB will be given a 2, and on down through the remaining teams in that conference. This formula goes on for all categories. After all categories and teams are ranked, those rankings are added up to give the team’s a total score. The lower the score, the more likely a team will be successful this year and win more games than teams with higher overall scores. By no means is it an exact science, just my personal predictions for the upcoming season.)

 

 

The best conference in the nation brings back a mix of veteran stars and hard-nosed coaches. Combined with drama filled story lines, and the SEC is once again the most exciting conference to watch.

 

THREE BOLD PREDICTIONS

 

1. Tim Tebow will be Tim Tebow and lead Florida to another SEC title.

    

   Not like it’s a big shocker, but the Florida Gators will once again enter a football season as the favorite to win the SEC. Bringing back the best QB in the league as well as the best coach makes them the obvious choice. Not to mention a schedule that is fairly easy given the regular opponents the Gators must face (i.e. Georgia and LSU). 

   

   Don't worry, Tebow haters. You've only got one more year left to hear about the Superman-esque QB. (Photo courtesy of thewholegardenwillbow.com)

    

2. Lane Kiffin will become the most hated coach in the SEC (you’re welcome Nick Saban) but still lead the Vols to at least 8 wins. When UT decided to hire Kiffin, many fans were just glad to see someone other than Phil Fulmer listed beside the “Head coach” title. Kiffin has already made himself known to the SEC, tossing barbs at Florida in the way Spurrier used to do to UT back when he was coaching the Gators. Topped with a phenomenal staff (including his dad Monte and recruiting master Ed Orgeron) Kiffin has risen new hope in Knoxville that could lead UT back into SEC title contention in 3 years. Just imagine what he could do if he had a quarterback.

3. The SEC West will feature three 10 win teams. You expect a great season from LSU, and Alabama is bound to continue what they began last year. But Ole Miss, who came out of nowhere last year beating Florida and Texas Tech in a bowl game could easily finish with 10-plus wins with their rather pedestrian schedule. The Rebels don’t have to play Florida this season, and they get Alabama and LSU both at home.

 

THREE GUYS READY FOR DRAFT DAY

 

1. Eric Berry, S, Tennessee- As if the Heisman promotions from his own school aren’t telling enough, perhaps a NCAA leading 7 picks last year and a plaque proclaiming him SEC Defensive POY will convince you. Berry is an absolute freak on the field, and is practically a shoe-in as a top 10 pick, if not higher.

   

   Eric Berry hits hard, plays hard, and will most likely be the first DB taken in the 2010 draft. (Photo courtesy of media.scout.com)

2. Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida- The 6′3, 258 pound linebacker is a ball hawk and a physical specimen. He was a key to the Gators title run last year, helping them finish in the top ten nationally in defense.

3. Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama- If you want to talk about size, talk about Cody. Standing at 6′5 and weighing in at a hefty 365 pounds, he wreaks havoc on offensive linemen. He may not get a ton of sacks, but helps defenses by forcing double and even triple coverage.

 

THREE “CAN’T MISS GAMES”

 

1. Virginia Tech vs. Alabama, September 5- Could be the best non-conference game nationally this year. More to prove for the Hokies, but another dismantling of a quality ACC team for Bama could set precedent for another huge year.

2. Florida at LSU, October 10- If Florida is to lose a game this year, this would be the most likely one for a collapse. Most likely a night game on the Bayou, expect more of a defensive battle this year than last year’s 51-21 thrashing by Florida provided.

3. Alabama at Ole Miss, October 10- Huge West battle with big implications. Should LSU lose to Florida, winner of this game may have clear path to West division title.

 

 

THREE THINGS WE WON’T SEE THIS YEAR

 

1. Nick Saban wearing a hounds tooth hat. Even after an incredible season, folks in Tuscaloosa aren’t quite ready to proclaim Saban as the next Bear Bryant. One thing’s for sure though, he’s well on his way to earning that prestigious comparison. Saban coached the Tide to a phenomenal 12-2 record last year, falling short of the SEC Title to Florida. This year, according to rivals.com, Saban has pulled in the top recruiting class in the SEC. Until there’s national titles won, Saban won’t be “the Bear” quite yet. Will he stick around long enough to make that happen?

   

   Saban is quickly turning Alabama into one of the nation's best programs. Will he stay long enough to lead the Tide to a title? (Photo courtesy of nydailytimes.com)

2. Urban Meyer sending Lane Kiffin SEC championship game tickets. The Florida/UT rivalry took a big hit in recent years with the Gators’ complete domination over the Vols, winning 4 straight. Then came the ax of Phil Fulmer, and young Lane Kiffin took the reigns, immediately rekindling the trash-talking relationship with Florida. Now he’s even putting UT billboards in Florida, in an impressive attempt to steal recruits. If UT’s talent can match up to the boldness of it’s coach, the Vols may make that late September matchup with Florida a rivalry again.

3. A top-tier SEC school play USC. Despite all the great bowl matchups we’ve seen in recent years, we’ve yet to see one we really want: an upper-crust SEC team face off against Southern Cal. With USC expected to have a down year (and by down, I mean maybe 2 or 3 losses instead of just one), the chances aren’t great we’ll see that this year. The best chance we’ve got to see it is a playoff system, but that just wouldn’t make any sense, would it?

 

THREE REASONS TO WATCH THE SEC

 

1. New Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen. Mullen comes over from Florida where he served as the offensive coordinator. He’ll bring that spread offense over to MSU that helped Florida rack up nearly 44 points a game last year. The Bulldogs may not be great this season, but given time, Mullen could turn Miss. St. into a contender in the next few years in the SEC West.

2. Tennessee’s revival of relevance. Don’t look for big upsets this year, but Kiffiin is a young dynamo that has already pulled in an impressive recruiting class. UT has largely been an afterthought in the SEC in recent years, even in 2007 when they backed their way into the SEC title game. Now the Vols seem to have landed a coach to help them compete with the other stalwarts in the league. Will the Vols of the 2010’s match the Vols of the 1990’s?

3. Because it’s the best football conference in the nation. There’s a reason ESPN was clamoring to sign a multi-year television deal with the SEC. The conference features the best teams with the best players on any given Saturday. I’m as much of an ACC homer as they come, but you won’t find a Duke or Virginia or Maryland game featured on Saturday prime-time. Virtually every SEC team has been featured during a Saturday night game over the past 2 years. Yes, even Vanderbilt.

 

BOWL QUALIFIERS

Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU, Auburn