2011 Southeastern Conference preview
The Southeastern Conference is not being shy about the fact it has won five consecutive BCS championships, putting a blue-and-yellow jersey -- the league's colors -- with the No. 5 on the cover of its conference media guide. Does the SEC have a sixth straight national champion? Alabama and South Carolina are the favorites to play in Atlanta for the SEC championship.
Eastern division
2010: 9-5 overall, 5-3 SEC
Coach: Steve Spurrier (44-33 in 6 seasons at South Carolina and 186-73-2 in 21 seasons overall)
Returning starters: 14 (7 offense, 7 defense)
Key players returning: WR Alshon Jeffery, RB Marcus Lattimore, C T.J. Johnson, DE Devin Taylor, CB Stephon Gilmore
Big shoes to fill: Good luck replacing a versatile gamer such as tight end-fullback Pat DiMarco. The two-year captain did everything -- and did it well.
2010 highlights: It was a 5-3 season in a down division, but it was good enough for the school's first appearance in the SEC title game. There were some good moments and progress. Time to take another step.
Outlook: The core returns for a team that had glimpses of greatness in 2010. Lattimore and Jeffery are as good at their positions as anyone in the country. If Jadeveon Clowney has any sort of impact, this could be a BCS-type team.
2010: 6-7 overall, 3-5 SEC
Coach: Mark Richt (96-34 in 10 seasons at Georgia and overall)
Returning starters: 13 (4 offense, 7 defense, kicker, punter)
Key players returning: LT Cordy Glenn, QB Aaron Murray, DE DeAngelo Tyson, CB Brandon Boykin
Big shoes to fill: Everyone's talking about Murray as a breakout candidate, but he will miss A.J. Green as a target.
2010 highlights: Not many. A sub-.500 season for Richt is an aberration, but he will not be afforded any additional missteps. Bulldogs fans are always happy to defeat Georgia Tech, though. A 42-34 victory got UGA to a bowl last season.
Outlook: Despite only four returning offensive starters -- all good ones -- the Bulldogs are expected to fare well in a relatively weak division. Win that early-season home game against South Carolina, and who knows? Feels like there's nowhere to go but up after 2010.
2010: 8-5 overall, 4-4 SEC
Coach: Will Muschamp (first season at Florida and overall)
Returning starters: 10 (6 offense, 3 defense, kicker)
Key players returning: QB John Brantley, RB Jeff Demps, DT Sharrif Floyd, SS Matt Elam
Big shoes to fill: Has to be coach Urban Meyer, who became a hall of famer based on the success he had in a short, six-year run in Gainesville.
2010 highlights: An overtime win against Georgia and a bowl romp against Penn State were nice, but this wasn't the same level of success the Gators are used to.
Outlook: Still plenty of talent left at Florida. It's just a matter of how quickly Muschamp and the team fuse. Brantley, for one, has to be excited about a more conventional offense. How Florida's young -- but athletic -- defense plays will decide what sort of year it is for the Gators.
2010: 6-7 overall, 3-5 SEC
Coach: Derek Dooley (6-7 in 1 season at Tennessee and 23-27 in 4 seasons overall)
Returning starters: 11 (5 offense, 5 defense, kicker)
Key players returning: QB Tyler Bray, RB Tauren Poole, WR Justin Hunter, S Janzen Jackson
Big shoes to fill: Tight end Luke Stocker had a catch in every game last year. There's bound to be a dropoff at the position.
2010 highlights: The Volunteers seemed to take a couple of steps forward in cleaning up the mess left behind by Lane Kiffin. Strange losses, like the one at LSU and in the bowl to North Carolina, marred what could have been an even better year.
Outlook: Tennessee is just looking for more progress. The Vols are in the process of building depth -- and quality depth. They're not there yet, but another bowl trip and strong recruiting class and Dooley might be on to something.
2010: 2-10, 1-7 SEC
Coach: James Franklin (first season at Vanderbilt and overall)
Returning starters: 20 (10 offense, 8 defense, kicker, punter)
Key players returning: QB Larry Smith, RB Warren Norman, LB Chris Marve, SS Sean Richardson
Big shoes to fill: Not only was John Stokes a valuable linebacker, but he was the team's long snapper. Don't underestimate that position.
Outlook: The Commodores actually return more starters than anyone in the league, but is that a good thing when it comes from a two-win team? If Franklin can get his players to buy in early, this team could pull a few surprises and win four or five games.
2010: 6-7 overall, 2-6 SEC
Coach: Joker Phillips (6-7 in 1 season at Kentucky and overall)
Returning starters: 13 (4 offense, 7 defense, kicker, punter)
Key players returning: WR La'Rod King, RG Larry Warford, LB Danny Trevathan, P Ryan Tydlacka
Big shoes to fill: The offense will be decimated by the departures of quarterback Mike Hartline, receiver Randall Cobb and running back Derrick Locke.
2010 highlights: The Wildcats won just a pair of conference games, but erasing a big second-half deficit against South Carolina -- coming off a win against then-No. 1 Alabama -- was a high-water mark.
Outlook: Kentucky is going to struggle because of the losses of its top two playmakers, Cobb and Locke. The rest of the division being down a bit should help a little.
Western division
2010: 10-3 overall, 5-3 SEC
Coach: Nick Saban (43-11 in 4 seasons at Alabama and 134-53-1 in 15 seasons overall)
Returning starters: 14 (7 offense, 7 defense)
Key players returning: RB Trent Richardson, RG Barrett Jones, LB Dont'a Hightower, SS Mark Barron
Big shoes to fill: Julio Jones was one of the top playmakers in the country, and don't discount his effect in the return game. Mark Ingram was a Heisman winner in 2009.
2010 highlights: Weird when a three-loss season is a step backward. Alabama had plenty of chances to defeat both LSU and Auburn, letting those games slip away. A 49-7 rout of Michigan State in the bowl had to make the Tide feel a little better.
Outlook: Expect a rebound this season. You can't keep a Saban team down -- and especially one that has Richardson. This could be another special season for Tuscaloosa, still healing from the April tornado.
2010: 10-3 overall, 6-2 SEC
Coach: Bobby Petrino (23-15 in 3 seasons at Arkansas and 64-24 in 7 seasons overall)
Returning starters: 14 (5 offense, 7 defense, kicker, punter)
Key players returning: RB Knile Davis, WR Greg Childs, LB Jerry Franklin, FS Tramain Thomas
Big shoes to fill: Ryan Mallett had 62 passing touchdowns in just two seasons.
2010 highlights: A fairly steady team all year, the Razorbacks had big November wins against South Carolina, Mississippi State and LSU to get to a BCS game. Now, if Ohio State just hadn't played all those ineligible players.
Outlook: Some key pieces such as Mallett are gone and Davis -- the SEC's leading rusher in 2010 -- is out long-term with a preseason injury. But Petrino and the Hogs still have plenty left. This is the team that figures to give Alabama the biggest fits for the right to play in Atlanta. Don't be surprised if Tyler Wilson winds up being better than Mallett.
2010: 11-2 overall, 6-2 SEC
Coach: Les Miles (62-17 in 6 seasons at LSU and 90-38 in 10 seasons overall)
Returning starters: 15 (8 offense, 7 defense)
Key players returning: QB Jordan Jefferson, WR Russell Shepard, DE Sam Montgomery, LB Ryan Baker
Big shoes to fill: Patrick Peterson was the best cover corner in the country and an excellent returner. Good thing the Tigers recruit so well.
2010 highlights: Quirky, Miles-driven wins defined a season that just missed being a national title kind of year. Nothing topped the Tigers getting an extra play to defeat Tennessee.
Outlook: This is another talented team. Last season was dictated by the defense's success, but this year, it will require more help from the offense. If Jefferson and Shepard realize their potential, it could result in a return to the BCS.
2010: 9-4 overall, 4-4 SEC
Coach: Dan Mullen (14-11 in 2 seasons at Mississippi State and overall)
Returning starters: 16 (8 offense, 7 defense, kicker)
Key players returning: RB Vick Ballard, WR Chad Bumphis, DT Josh Boyd, SS Charles Mitchell
Big shoes to fill: An offensive line -- and a quarterback -- always misses a left tackle. And Derek Sherrod, an All-American, was a good one.
2010 highlights: Mullen's return to Florida, and a win, was a big moment in propelling the Bulldogs to a nine-win season and a New Year's Day bowl, a route of Michigan.
Outlook: A lot of the skill players from last year's team are back, but the Bulldogs lost some of the glue guys -- especially on defense. Will that rear its head in the rigors of a very difficult division?
2010: 14-0 overall, 8-0 SEC
Coach: Gene Chizik (22-5 in 2 seasons at Auburn and 27-24 in 4 seasons overall)
Returning starters: 5 (2 offense, 3 defense)
Key players returning: RB Michael Dyer, TE Phil Lutzenkirchen, WR Emory Blake, CB T'Sharvan Bell
Big shoes to fill: No team in the country has more to replace than the defending national champs, beginning with Heisman winner Cam Newton at quarterback and dominant defensive tackle Nick Fairley.
2010 highlights: A truly remarkable season that required improbable comebacks, such as the first South Carolina game and the rally at Alabama, and ended with a victory against Oregon in the BCS title game.
Outlook: Now Chizik and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn will see what sort of coaches they really are. This could be a challenge.
2010: 4-8 overall, 1-7 SEC
Coach: Houston Nutt (22-16 in 3 seasons at Ole Miss and 133-86 in 18 seasons overall)
Returning starters: 11 (6 offense, 3 defense, kicker, punter)
Key players returning: DE Kentrell Lockett, RB Brandon Bolden, LT Bradley Sowell, FS Damien Jackson
Big shoes to fill: Things were bad with a veteran QB such as Jeremiah Masoli. What will the fall be like without him?
2010 highlights: Brutal year that included just one SEC victory -- a seven-point win against a Kentucky team that won two conference games.
Outlook: On the bright side, the Rebels return the bulk of the offensive line and a serviceable back in Bolden. On the downside, quarterback and the entire defense sure look like liabilities.
