I will be breaking down every team in the SEC East, and explore their strengths and weaknesses. I have them listed below in the order I expect them to finish the 2008 season.
1. Florida Gators
2007 Recap: 9-4 (5-3) Lost to Michigan 41-35 in the Capital One Bowl.
2008 Preview: The Gators return a bevvy of starters on both sides of the ball. Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow returns at QB. WR's Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy will provide able targets
along with TE Cornelius Ingram for Tebow. On defense the Gators return nearly every starter from
a defense that was often disappointing. Hard hitting S Major Wright will be joined in the secondary
by CB Joe Haden, who proved to be quite a pleasant surprise in his first year on defense.
Florida challenged itself a little more this year with it's non-conference schedule. Replacing the likes
of Western Kentucky and Troy with Hawaii and Miami(FL). The SEC schedule will once again be
difficult to navigate through. Along, with the annual showdown with Georgia, the Gators host LSU
and Ole Miss, as well as travel to Tennessee.
Difference Maker - Percy Harvin. Tebow may get the accolades, but this offense does not go without Harvin.
Biggest Game - Nov. 1 vs. Georgia at Jacksonville. The cocktail party could have national title implications once again.
Intangible - Brandon James and the UF return game has been phenomenal the past two seasons.
Look for James to break open more than one game this year with one of his game-changing run backs.
2. Georgia Bulldogs
2007 Recap - 11-2(6-2) Defeated Hawaii 41-10 in the Sugar Bowl.
2008 Preview: The 'Dawgs are returning a very potent offense for 2008. Matthew Stafford returns at QB and early Heisman favorite Knowshon Moreno makes Georgia on of the more dangerous teams on the ground. Mohammed Massaquoi returns at WR, and as usual UGA will have one of the top O-lines in the SEC. Defensively, Georgia will be solid up front once again with Roderick Battle and Jeremy Lomax at the bookending Jeff Owens and Geno Atkins up the middle. Asher Allen also returns to solidify the secondary.After two easy Non-conference games against Georgia Southern and Central Michigan, the Bulldogs schedule becomes incredibly difficult. Starting September 13, Georgia plays at South Carolina, at Arizona St., Alabama, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, at LSU, Florida, at Kentucky, at Auburn, Georgia Tech. That's a pretty tough schedule.
Difference Maker- Knowshon Moreno RB.Biggest Game- Nov. 1 vs. Florida at Jacksonville. Can Knowshon repeat his performance from last year.
Intangible - Last year Mark Richt suddenly became the master motivator. Can he continue to keep his team fired up or will they tire of his act?
3.South Carolina Gamecocks
2007 Recap- 6-6(3-5)
2008 Preview: Needless to say, the Gamecocks were very disappointed in the way in which their 2007 season ended. 4 straight losses and missing a bowl game was not how Steve Spurrier envisioned his season going. A QB controversy is brewing in Columbia heading into Spring. Last year's part-time starter, Chris Smelley is looking to fend off redshirt freshman Stephen Garcia at the position. Whoever wins the job will have a couple of weapons behind him. Mike Davis returns at RB and Kenny McKinley is back at WR. The Gamecocks defense will be their strongest asset in the upcoming season. Jasper Brinkley is back at LB, while Captain Munnerlyn and Carlos Thomas are back in the secondary.
Carolina's schedule is not as tough as last year's. Their toughest non-conference game against NC State is at home, as is most of their SEC contests. The toughest part of the schedule are the last two games when South Carolina travels to both Gainesville and Clemson.
Difference Maker - Jasper Brinkley LB. It's weird to have a defensive team MVP on a Steve Spurrier squad, but that's the case for 2008.
Biggest Game - Sept. 13 v. Georgia. South Carolina needs to start quick this season to erase the memories of the end of last year. Spurrier owns UGA, so this seems to be an early-season must-win.
Intangible - Williams Brice Stadium. I've always thought Columbia doesn't get the credit for being a tough place to play. South Carolina always plays tough at home, and the crowd can get fierce. This year the Gamecocks play NC State, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee and Arkansas at home.
4. Tennessee Volunteers
2007 Recap - 10-4(6-2) Defeated Wisconsin 21-17 in the Outback Bowl.
2008 Preview: The Volunteers head into Spring with an all-out QB controversy. The departure of Erik Ainge leaves Jonathan Crompton, Nick Stephens and B.J. Coleman as the candidates to lead Phil Fulmer's offense. For the first time since I can remember the Vols actually return a solid receiving corps. Austin Rogers and Josh Briscoe both return as targets for whoever becomes QB. There's not much on defense to get excited about with this year's Vols. Eric Berry is back at SS. Other than that, there is much to be desired.
Tennessee has a tough non-conference match-up at UCLA. Hopefully this trip to PAC-10 country than last year's Cal game. Florida comes to Knoxville this year, but Tennessee has to travel to Auburn, Georgia and South Carolina.
Difference Maker - Eric Berry will have to play like an All-American to help out the yet to be proven defense.
Biggest Game - Nov. 1 at South Carolina. If Tennessee gets good play out of it's QB position and from the defense, this game could have serious implications on the SEC East race.
Intangible - Daniel Lincoln. In a conference in which every point counts, having a solid place kicker could mean the difference in a bowl year and Phil Fulmer ending up on the hot seat once again.
5. Vanderbilt Commodores
2007 Recap - 5-7(2-6)
2008 Preview - Chris Nickson is back at QB. Nickson may very well be the most underrated quarterback in the SEC. I've seen Nickson in person and the he has definitely got the talent to take the 'Dores bowling. Also, in case Nickson goes down, Vanderbilt has a solid backup in Mackenzi Adams. The Commodores have always been solid defensively under Bobby Johnson. If the offense is able to improve, Vanderbilt could be considered one of the better turnaround teams of '08.
Vanderbilt has a relatively soft non-conference schedule, which includes a trip to Miami(OH) and visits from Rice and Duke.Vanderbilt also lucks out as LSU and Alabama are not on their schedule this year.
Difference Maker - Chris Nickson. If a play breaks down, he has the ability to make things happen.
Biggest Game - Nov. 22 vs. Tennessee. How do these rivals not close out the season against one another?
Intangible - Jermaine Doster RB. I really don't know if Doster will make any kind of impact this year, but he went to my High School Alma Mater, so I wanted to mention him. His older brother was Kwane Doster, who now has his number 1 painted on the field after his untimely death.
6. Kentucky Wildcats
2007 Recap - 8-5(3-5) Defeated Florida St. 35-28 in the Music City Bowl.
2008 Preview: The Wildcats will have a tough time replacing Andre Woodson and Kennan Burton on offense. Dual threat QB's Curtis Pulley and Mike Hartline will be battling to see who can take over Woodson's spot. Pulley seems to be the early favorite. Dicky Lyons, Jr. is back at the WR position. Lyons always seemed to make the big plays when they were needed most. Look for coach-in-waiting Joker Phillips to establish a more open offense to compete with the rest of the SEC. Kentucky also has to replace All-Everything TE Jacob Tamme from last year's squad.
The Wildcats have an incredibly easy non-conference slate. Kentucky travels to re-building Louisville for their annual match-up, and then welcomes Norfolk St., Middle Tennessee, and Western Kentucky. You'd think Kentucky was a Big-12 team with that schedule. The SEC schedule gets much tougher for the Cats as they travel to Alabama, Florida and Tennessee.
Difference Maker - Dicky Lyons, Jr. His knack for making plays when necessary is something special.
Biggest Game - Oct. 4 at Alabama. The Wildcats will need to open SEC play if they want any kind of chance at a postseason berth.
Intangible- Joker Phillips. The soon-to-be coach is a great play caller. How he will adjust to the departure of Woodson will be key to the Wildcats success.
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