SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW
August 20th, 2012
BY MIKE NOWOSWIAT
The SEC will yet again be the top conference this year that features eight of our top 28 teams in the land. The SEC champion has traditionally gone on to play for the title, but this season the top teams will have to be on their game if they want their respective opportunities at glory with Oklahoma, USC, and Florida State all likely candidates for undefeated seasons. Missouri and Texas A&M are welcomed to the party and will struggle to have the seasons that they are accustomed to as A&M joins the best division in football while Missouri will be the 7th member of the much improved Eastern Division. LSU was king of the conference last year only for Alabama to oust them in the BCS National Championship game. This year should be more of the same as LSU and Bama will duke it out in the Western Division and the winner will face the Eastern Champion with the most likely candidates being Georgia, Florida, or South Carolina; these three will separate themselves from division-mates because of their stout defenses. When the dust settles, only one the 14 teams can claim themselves as the alpha in this dog-eat-dog league; our prediction: Alabama wins the conference and will have to go undefeated if it wants to defend its national title.
Eastern Division1. Georgia
2011 Record: 10-4
Defense Returning Starters: 9 Offense Returning Starters: 6 Head Coach: Mark Richt 2. Florida
2011 Record: 7-6
Defense Returning Starters: 10 Offense Returning Starters: 7 Head Coach: Will Muschamp 3. South Carolina
2011 Record: 11-2
Defense Returning Starters: 5 Offense Returning Starters: 6 Head Coach: Steve Spurrier 4. Tennessee
2011 Record: 5-7
Defense Returning Starters: 9 Offense Returning Starters: 10 Head Coach: Derek Dooley 5. Vanderbilt
2011 Record: 6-7
Defense Returning Starters: 7 Offense Returning Starters: 8 Head Coach: James Franklin 6. Missouri
2011 Record: 8-5
Defense Returning Starters: 6 Offense Returning Starters: 6 Head Coach: Gary Pinkel 7. Kentucky
2011 Record: 5-7
Defense Returning Starters: 5 Offense Returning Starters: 6 Head Coach: Joker Phillips |
Western Division1. Alabama
2011 Record: 12-1
Defense Returning Starters: 5 Offense Returning Starters: 6 Head Coach: Nick Saban 2. LSU
2011 Record: 13-1
Defense Returning Starters: 5 Offense Returning Starters: 7 Head Coach: Les Miles 3. Arkansas
2011 Record: 11-2
Defense Returning Starters: 6 Offense Returning Starters: 7 Head Coach: John L. Smith 4. Auburn
2011 Record: 8-5
Defense Returning Starters: 9 Offense Returning Starters: 6 Head Coach: Gene Chizik 5. Mississippi State
2011 Record: 7-6
Defense Returning Starters: 7 Offense Returning Starters: 5 Head Coach: Dan Mullen 6. Texas A&M
2011 Record: 7-6
Defense Returning Starters: 6 Offense Returning Starters: 7 Head Coach: Kevin Sumlin 7. Ole Miss
2011 Record: 2-10
Defense Returning Starters: 8 Offense Returning Starters: 8 Head Coach: Hugh Freeze |