With the departure of the “Evil Genius,” AKA Steve Spurrier, the SEC East takes on a new look this season. But make no mistake about it, Florida still has loads of talent and will be right in the thick of the SEC East race. But this will be the season of that ugly orange tidal wave known as the University of Tennessee. The Vols return a number of key players and the schedule is very favorable, a total of 9 games will be played inside the state Tennessee, including the Florida game. After coming up short against LSU’s best squad in over 15 years in the SEC Championship, the Vols will be hungry for an SEC title and possible National Championship. Tennessee will start 8 seniors on defense, 4 on the defensive line. Casey Clausen (QB) is a top Heisman contender and with talented Kelly Washington (WR), who torched LSU for over 250 yards last season, and a bevy of young stud running backs, the Vols will not be denied this season.
I initially picked Georgia to win the SEC East. A bit of a trendy pick but justifiable I thought. But after reviewing Georgia’s tough SEC road games, I had to reconsider. The Bulldogs play at South Carolina, at Alabama and at Auburn and play Florida in Jacksonville. Mark Richt will be at Georgia a while and will eventually break through, but just not this year. The manner in which Richt handles the Greene vs. Shockley situation at QB will be very telling on this season. Greene had a fantastic freshman year but Shockley’s abilities could be compared to Charlie Ward. The Bulldogs have no depth at RB and need to plug some big holes on the D-Line. However, anything less than 9 wins this season would be a big disappointment.
I personally will miss Steve Spurrier. He took no prisoners and regularly spoke his mind about the thugs right up the street from Gainesville, AKA the “Criminoles” or “Free Shoes University.” Florida is in good hands with coach Ron Zook. Grossman is back and the Gators will be right in the mix. Florida’s offense should have a more diversified running attack which will take some of the pressure off Grossman (another top Heisman candidate), not that he really needs it. The games against Miami, UT and FSU create a brutal schedule for a first year coach, but don’t be surprised if the Gators win at least 2 of those games. Talent abounds and the Swamp is one of the toughest places to play in the country.
South Carolina got bad news this off-season when terribly talented and terribly misguided Derek Watson was kicked off the squad in January after being arrested for possession of marijuana. (I can’t tell you how many convictions I have had for that offense in only 5 months of doing misdemeanors. Reefer Madness I say!) The Gamecocks do return one of my favorite players, Ryan Brewer. The guy is nothing to look at but is the consummate “football player.” I encourage everyone to watch this guy in his senior season. He can do it all.
Kentucky will always be a basketball school. Football is an afterthought, and this year is no different. With a rebuilt O-Line and probation hanging over this team, don’t expect too much. Jared Lorenzen is back as the biggest QB in all of football, coming in at a solid 6’4,” 275 pounds. UK will put up some serious numbers, but they will give up even more. Winning 5 games this season would be a great accomplishment.
Vanderbilt is breaking in another new coach who will try and break Vanderbilt’s current string of 19 (?) consecutive years without a bowl appearance. Don’t expect any great uprising from the Dores this year. They lost their starting QB and Vandy will always be playing teams with superior talent. Only games against Furman and UConn will keep Vanderbilt from going winless this season.
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