2008 CFN SEC Preview
Click for Team Previews &
Predictions
East
Florida
|
Georgia
|
Kentucky
|
South Carolina
|
Tennessee
|
Vanderbilt
West
Alabama
|
Arkansas
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Auburn
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LSU
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Ole Miss
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Miss State
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CFN All-SEC Team &
Top 30 Players
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Capsules
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Rankings
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Predictions
By
Pete Fiutak
Oh sure, there have
been some legendary SEC coaches from Shug Jordan to General Neyland to
The Bear, but when the 2008 season kicks off it’ll be the start of a new
era of SEC football. Call it the renaissance or call it everyone keeping
up in the arms race, but make no mistake about it, this is the greatest
collection of college coaches to ever occupy one league at the same
time.
Five of the coaches (Phil Fulmer, Steve Spurrier, Les Miles, Urban Meyer
and Nick Saban) have won national titles, Tommy Tuberville did
everything but win the national championship in 2004, and Mark Richt has
been hanging around the national title ever since he took over at
Georgia and has the team to break through this season. Rich Brooks,
Houston Nutt, Sylvester Croom and Bobby Johnson are SEC veterans who
have all fielded strong teams over the last few seasons.
Forget about the apprenticeships and the grace periods and the old
college try, this is an all-star collection with several future
hall-of-famers and crusty veterans who know everything there is to know
about the SEC. They know all the talent, all the fan bases, and they’ve
been through all the wars and have survived long enough to still have
jobs in the more pressure packed of college conferences.
Even so, there are several major question marks. Georgia still has to
find a consistent passing game. Florida has to prove that all the raw
talent will translate into production on defense and in the rushing
attack. LSU has to replace several key starters from his national
championship squad. Tennessee and Auburn are working with new offensive
coordinators, Steve Spurrier isn’t planning on calling the plays at
South Carolina, Kentucky lost all its offensive firepower, Alabama still
appears to be at least a year away from all the top recruits kicking in,
and Arkansas and Ole Miss have new coaching staffs.
Fortunately, for everyone who has patching to do, the coaches are in
place to make sure everything works.
Team That'll Surprise
Ole Miss - It's not like Ed Orgeron was kicked out with an empty
cupboard. He did a decent job of bringing in some good talents at key
spots, and Houston Nutt will benefit. As long as his head is screwed on
straight, Greg Hardy will be one of the nation's premier pass rushers
and the star of a defense loaded with experience. Michael Oher's
decision to return for one more year gives Nutt a strong O line to work
around. Most importantly, QB Jevan Snead, the Texas transfer, appears to
be the real deal.
Team That'll Disappoint
Georgia – It’s all relative. Considering Georgia will be in everyone’s
preseason top three, if not No. 1, there’s nowhere to go but down when
it comes to expectations. No, the team won’t be bad by any measure, but
the margin between being great and being a national title contender is
razor thin in the SEC. The loss of huge-legged PK Brandon Coutu might be
enough to cost the Dawgs a game. The schedule isn't conducive to winning
a national championship.
SEC Game of the Year
Florida vs. Georgia, Nov. 1 – The Cocktail
Party has always been one of college football’s greatest
rivalries and a key piece to the SEC puzzle, but now the stakes will be
raised even higher. Both teams will likely be in the national title
hunt, and after the emotional battle last year in Georgia’s win, the
hype could be out of control.
One Bold Prediction
Not only will Georgia not win the national title and not only will it
not win the SEC, it’ll have to battle to win the East. While the team
will be among the three best in America, things won’t go as expected
because of three things: schedule, schedule, schedule. It’s asking way
too much for anyone to get through unscathed at South Carolina, at LSU
and at Auburn while hosting Alabama and Tennessee. Of course, there’s
the Florida showdown to deal with, too..
5 Big-Time Players Who Deserve a Bigger Spotlight ...
1. CB D.J. Moore, Jr. Vanderbilt
2. DE/LB Eric Norwood, Jr. South Carolina
3. S Rashad Johnson, Jr. Alabama
4. S/KR Derek Pegues, Sr. Mississippi State
5. OG Tyronne Green, Sr. Auburn
Coach on the Hot
Seat
Tony
Franklin, offensive coordinator, Auburn – With Alabama the hot resurgent
SEC West program, LSU coming off a national title, at Ole Miss and
Arkansas coming up with splashy coaching changes, Auburn is working to
make sure it doesn’t get lapped. With the change to the spread offense,
the spotlight will be on Franklin to make the Tiger attack work right
now. There’s no grace period.
5 biggest SEC non-conference games
1. Auburn at West Virginia, Oct. 23
2. Georgia at Arizona State, Sept. 20
3. Alabama vs. Clemson, Aug. 30
4. Florida at Florida State, Nov. 29
5. Miami at Florida, Sept. 6
5 Best Pro Prospects
1. QB Matthew Stafford, Jr. Georgia
2. QB Tim Tebow, Jr. Florida
3. OT Andre Smith, Jr. Alabama
4. DT Sen'Derrick Marks, Jr. Auburn
5. DE Tyson Jackson, Sr. LSU
5 Biggest Shoes to Fill
1. Ricky Jean-Francois
for DT Glenn Dorsey,
LSU
2. Michael Smith
for RB Darren McFadden,
Arkansas
3. Jonathan Crompton
for QB Erik Ainge,
Tennessee
4. Harry Coleman for S Craig Steltz, LSU
5. Brandon Deaderick for DE Wallace
Gilberry, Alabama
Click for Team Previews &
Predictions
East
Florida
|
Georgia
|
Kentucky
|
South Carolina
|
Tennessee
|
Vanderbilt
West
Alabama
|
Arkansas
|
Auburn
|
LSU
|
Ole Miss
|
Miss State