Conference Rankings

Lets get things started with what I believe are the rankings of the eleven conferences.


1. SEC

And it really isnt even close. Florida is considered the favorite for the National Championship again this year. Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss have all been previewed as top 10-15 teams. While the top may not be as strong as the Big 12, the depth of the conference is what sets it apart. After those four teams, you have Georgia, who will not fall nearly as far as people think, a rebounding Auburn, Tennessee, and Arkansas team. Kentucky, Vanderbilt and South Carolina all played in bowl games last year, yet I have them ranked 9-11 in the conference. Mississippi State is the clear weak spot, looking to rebuild under new coach Dan Mullen.

Speaking of new coaches...lets welcome Lane Kiffen, Dan Mullen, and Gene Chizek to the SEC. Inheriting the most talent is Kiffen, who has already managed to stir the pot and get everyone in the SEC to not like him. Despite one of their worst seasons in recent memory, Tennessee posted pretty solid defensive numbers, led no doubt by all world safety Eric Berry. There is no reason Tennessee shouldnt return to a bowl game this season. The Chizik hire was ineresting to say the least. Auburn rid itself of Tommy Tuberville, a man who is 4 years removed from going undefeated with the Tigers, and replaced him with the Iowa State coach who was 5-19 in two seasons in Ames. Like I said, very interesting hire. Chizik inherits a nice defense as well, led by DE Antonio Coleman. Auburn doesnt have Florida on their schedule, so they have that going for them. Is this the year that Kodi Burns can showcase his talent? Dont expect the honeymoon to last too long between Auburn and Chizik if he can't get the Tigers back into the bowl games.

Bobby Petrino is quietly rebuilding Arkansas like something we havent seen before. Yes, gone are Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, the wildcat, and all that, moved south to Oxford. Petrino has a nice stable of wide receivers to utilizie his 4 WR sets made famous at Louisville. The architect of the offense will be Michigan-transfer Ryan Mallet, who looks ready to go. Despite it not being your grandpa's Arkansas team, they still have Michael Smith, who rushed for over a thousand yards last year. Consider this Arkansas team a team on the rise with an offense that the SEC hasn't seen since........the days of Steve Spurrier. Speaking of the ol ball coach, consider him on the hot seat. High expectations every year have led to major dissapointments for fans in Columbia. While their defense has been consistent, he has never been able to recreate the fun n gun of the 1990s Florida teams. Maybe Stephen Garcia is the answer at QB, maybe not. Eric Norwood on the defense is a beast, and the unit may be able to keep them close in some games, but dont expect South Carolina returning to a New Years Bowl game, or any bowl game for that matter,if they can't put points on the board.

Last year, the SEC flexed its muscles in the bowl games. Two of these games featured SEC - Big 12 matchups, in which the SEC won both (the Title Game and Ole Miss routing Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl). Beyond that, Georgia beat Michigan State, Kentucky beat East Carolina, and Vanderbilt beat Boston College. LSU turned in what was perhaps the best game anyone played in all the bowls and dominated Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The only bad performances were turned in by South Carolina and Alabama. Before I digress too far into the bowl record, I would like to point out that many thought the Big 12 was the superior conference last year, which was refuted by the teams' performances in the bowl games. Texas Tech was thought to be one of the best teams in the nation last year, and were routed by an Ole Miss team that no one gave a chance. With Auburn, Tennessee, and Arkansas possibly returning to from in 2009, it will be interesting to see if teams like Vanderbilt and Kentucky can stay successful. After knocking on the door for a few seasons, Vanderbilt finally made a bowl game. Their team stays pretty much intact, and there is no reason they won't be playing in December once again..

Predicted Finishes:

WEST EAST
1. LSU 1. Florida
2. Alabama 2. Georgia
3. Ole Miss 3. Vanderbilt
4. Arkansas 4. Tennessee
5. Auburn 5. Kentucky
6. Mississippi State 6. South Carolina

With all conference previews, expect more in depth previews of the ranked teams when I unveil the ranked teams preview.