2010 Conference Preview - SEC

With this article I introduce you to the 2010 college football conference previews.  For those who haven't read my Conference Previews before, I will show how I expect the final conference standings to fall out, I will pick a conference winner, and I will talk in some detail about 4 different teams.  The Best will detail the projected conference champs.  The Surprise talks about a team that may be flying under the radar.  The Slip will cover a team I think may take a step backwards in 2010.  Then finally I will talk about a team that you shouldn't look past in a section called Don't Forget About.

So lets get the 2010 previews underway with a look at the South East Conference...

Projections


SEC East

1. Florida

2. South Carolina

3. Georgia

4. Tennessee

5. Kentucky

6. Vanderbilt



SEC West

1. Alabama

2. Auburn

3. Arkansas

4. Mississippi

5. LSU

6. Mississippi State



Conference Champions: Alabama Crimson Tide



The Best

Alabama Crimson Tide

The defending National Champs will have a tough road in front of them, as they will have big targets on them, and a defense that is only going to be returning 2 starters from last season. Having said that, they are a team poised to make a run at repeating, on the backs of what is promising to be a devastatingly good offense.

Greg McElroy is not the most flashy of starters, nor is he the most draft ready of prospects, but he does possess incredible intangibles as a starting QB, and the kid knows how to win. Including his high school career, McElroy is 30-0 as a starter and that is hard to argue with. Mark Ingram will be back in the Tide backfield, and along with backfield mate Trent Richardson, they make up the nation’s best tandem of ball carriers. Julio Jones is one of the country’s most dangerous wideouts and will provide ample opportunities for the Tide to stretch opposing defenses.

On the defensive side of the ball, studs like McClain, Cody, Arenas, and Jackson are all now playing on Sundays, but although young, the cupboard was not left bare. DE Marcell Dareus is one of the top prospects for NFL and could become one of the nation’s premiere linemen. SS Mark Barron will return to Tide as the lead pass defender from the SEC last year, amassing 7 picks. Donta Hightower was expected to be an impact player at LB last season, but injuries curtailed him. In 2010 he will be back as the leader of this unit, and I think if he stays healthy he can become an adequate replacement for McClain.

As for their schedule, the Tide will get tested early as Penn State comes to town for a week two showdown. As for their SEC games, they get Florida and Auburn both at home this year, with their toughest road contest coming against South Carolina. Their Sept 25 matchup on the road against Arkansas could prove to be the stumbling block for Bama though, as the Gators are on deck, and the Razorbacks will be much improved.



The Surprise

South Carolina Gamecocks

Year after year, the fans in Columbia are waiting for the great Steve Spurrier to lead the Gamecocks to SEC glory. This year will be the best chance for him to do just that.

South Carolina will have the uber talented, but often troubled Stephen Garcia lining up under center. He is an athletic, fast footed Quarterback who now has some experience under his belt. I expect for him to put up real good numbers this year, if he stays focused. He will have a tall receiving corp to throw to this year, and that could create some matchup problems for opposing defenses. Barnes, Gurley, and Jeffery are 6’4”, 6’5”, and 6’4” respectively… yikes! TE Weslye Saunders is one of the top TE prospects in the country this year, and he too brings some size at 6’6”, 273 lbs.

The defense will be anchored by DE Cliff Matthews, who right now has a fringe first round grade for next year’s NFL draft. He will provide pressure off the edge for the Gamecocks and will make opposing signal callers quite uncomfortable. Losing Eric Norwood in the middle will hurt this unit, although the unit as a whole is more experienced than last year’s group at the same point in time. In the secondary, the continued improvement of CB Stephon Gilmore should result in the continued improvement of the whole unit, and subsequently the entire defense.

The schedule maker gave South Carolina the opportunity to play host to Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Arkansas at home this year, but they will have to visit Gainesville, Auburn, and Clemson. Road wins over Auburn and Clemson would go a long way to establishing this program as a legit SEC power.



The Slip

LSU Tigers

The biggest bright spot for the Tigers in 2010 will be at QB as they are returning Jordan Jefferson. He is a good QB and should be a better passer this year with some experience under his belt. The running backs should out produce the numbers the unit put up in 2009 considering all of the injuries they sustained. Although they are younger, if they stay healthy they could support Jefferson’s passing game a bit. The receivers should be fine targets for the returning QB, especially the converted QB, Russell Shepard, who will be a full time pass catcher in 2010. The o-line has lost Ciron Black, and will be relying on LT Joseph Barksdale to keep defenders off Jefferson and their stable of running backs.

The Tiger defense is expected to be a pretty good unit, especially in the secondary on the back of one of the nation’s best corners, Patrick Peterson. Brandon Taylor and Jai Eugene are both skilled Safeties, and I think this could be one of the best defensive backfields in the entire country. Having said this, the team will still have to stop the run to be effective, and MLB Kelvin Sheppard will be expected to lead the team in stops again in 2010 to make this happen. There is nothing overly impressive with the front four, and although they may equal the units production from a year ago, those numbers were nothing to write home about.

Opening the season in Atlanta again ACC upstart North Carolina will be a tough way to start the 2010 season. They also have road games at Florida, Auburn, and Arkansas waiting for them over the course of the season too. They will host Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee, all of which should be difficult battles for the Tigers this season.



Don’t Forget About

Florida Gators

Although not as star studded as past Gator squads, the 2010 version will still be the class of the SEC East. The prodigal son has left Gainesville for Denver, as did a large portion of the defense, but Florida doesn’t rebuild, they simply insert studs you don’t know yet.

With Tebow gone, Jeff Brantley will get the reigns of Urban Meyer’s offense. I think the true impact of Tebow’s absence will be in the running game however, as Brantley is actually a better passer than Tebow was. Jeff Demps is one of the fastest players in the nation, and he will be the primary weapon for the Gators offense in 2010. He should have some holes to run through as I expect big things from C Mike Pouncey and G Carl Johnson. I think they are two of the nation’s top interior linemen, and will create some space for Demps to take advantage of.

On the defensive side of the ball I expect the unit to still play well. Although the d-line is composed of guys who many around the country haven’t heard of, they are a very talented group, and by season’s end you will know the name Omar Hunter. The sophomore shows some serious promise and will be an impact DT this year. The linebackers are young and don’t bring a lot of experience, but Brandon Hicks and AJ Jones are both real good athletes and should improve as the year progresses. The secondary boasts Janoris Jenkins at corner and Will Hill at safety, which will make this a very dangerous unit.

The Gators will only leave the swamp for 5 battles this year, with the most notable coming on Oct 2 at Alabama. South Carolina and LSU both have to visit Gainesville this year, and although Florida has to travel to Doak to close the season, the Gators have owned FSU in recent years.