SEC Football's Biggest Misconceptions Heading into the 2009 Season

The 2008 College Football season was another success for the SEC.

The Florida Gators won the National Championship, Alabama held the No. 1 ranking for much of the season, and Ole Miss emerged as one of the great surprises of the season.

Other teams struggled, like Auburn, Tennessee, and LSU. Bad quarterback play and disappointing defenses or running games all contributed to poor seasons.

So what is ahead for the 2009 season?

At this point, all we can do is guess or form educated opinions on what might happen.

As we all know, what we think prior to the season starting can often be drastically different from what actually happens.

So here is my crack at some of the biggest misconceptions involving SEC Football right now.

The only bad thing is that we will have to wait until December to see who's right.

A.J. Green Is Better Than Julio Jones

Jones: 58 receptions, 924 yards, four TD

Green: 56 receptions, 963 yards, eight TD

Just by looking at the statistics, it would seem that Green would get the slight upper hand.

However, factor into the equation that Green played with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, while Jones played with a quarterback who went undrafted.

Also, think of the help the two players had. The next leading receiver on Alabama's roster was Nick Walker, who had 324 yards. Georgia had Mohamed Massaquoi, who totaled 920 yards receiving.

Jones also put up his best games in Bama's biggest games. Against LSU, Georgia, and Florida, he averaged six receptions for 115 yards.

Throw in the fact that Jones played all of last year with a hurt wrist (many reported it as broken), and you have a clear-cut winner.

Tennessee Will Get Stomped by Urban Meyer and Florida This Year

Lets get one thing straight...I am not saying that Tennessee will win this game, because I don't think they will.

What I am saying, though, is that Tennessee will not get beat by 30, 40 or 50 points like many people believe they will. All this talk is a direct result of Lane Kiffin's big mouth. Here's what he had to say.

"I’m going to turn Florida in right now in front of you. Nu’Keese was here on campus (on his recruiting visit), and his phone kept ringing.

"One of our coaches said, 'Nu’Keese, who’s that?' He said, 'Urban Meyer.'

"Just so you know, when a recruit is on another campus, you can’t call him. I love the fact that Urban had to cheat and still didn’t get him."

Not only was the new Vols coach insulting the man who has the best team in the country, but he was wrong in his accusations too.

I have no doubt in my mind that Meyer will try to run up the score if he can, but Tennessee will be too good to let that happen.

Their defense will be stellar again this year, led by all-everything Eric Berry. It won't hurt to have defensive genius Monte Kiffin either.

A good recruiting class, which included stud running back Bryce Brown, should help out the offense.

Florida wins by a couple touchdowns, but it won't be the blowout many expect.

LSU Will Be in Contention to Win the West

After a very disappointing but predictable 2008 season, the Tigers are looking to rebound and win the Western Division of the SEC.

Contrary to popular belief, LSU's biggest problem last year was not their quarterback play; it was their defense. This couldn't have been more evident than when Arkansas put up 31 points and over 300 yards of total offense despite a good performance out of Tigers quarterback Jordan Jefferson.

So how well will the defense play this year?

They should be much improved. They have the talent, and they took their lumps last year.

Another big question that needs to be answered is how well Jefferson will play this year. It doesn't look like he'll make the big mistake, but I'm not sure if he can lead them down the field late in the fourth quarter for a win.

The biggest reason LSU won't win the West is because of their schedule.

Road games include Georgia, Alabma, and Ole Miss.
Home games include Florida and even Arkansas.

Ole Miss and Alabama do not have to play Florida or Georgia.

Greg McElroy Will Struggle as Alabama's Quarterback

It's funny how much of a difference a year makes.

This time last year, nobody thought LSU, Auburn, and Tennessee would struggle with inexperienced quarterbacks.

However, after those guys bottomed out, everyone expects the same thing to happen with inexperienced Greg McElroy.

There are three reasons why McElroy will not struggle this year.

First of all, he has sat on the bench for two years under Nick Saban. This means he knows the system well and has matured physically as well as mentally.

He should know what to expect when he starts this year, unlike Jarrett Lee, who was thrust into action right out of high school.

Second, he will have a solid running game. With Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson, and Roy Upchurch, the passing lanes should open up. A running game is something Tennessee and Auburn didn't have last year.

Lastly, Saban doesn't require his quarterbacks to throw the ball a lot. Last year John Parker Wilson only attempted 23 passes per game. Saban understands what his quarterbacks can and can't do and designs the game plan accordingly.

Percy Harvin Will Not Be Missed

Percy Harvin has been the most dynamic player in the SEC for the past three years. He was instrumental in both of Florida's National Championship seasons and was a first round pick by the Minnesota Vikings in this years draft.

But guess what? Florida doesn't need him; he's easy to replace.

Yeah right. Since when has 110 touches, 1,303 yards, and 17 touchdowns been easy to replace? Not to mention every time he touched the ball he went for an average of 11.8 yards.

I understand that Chris Rainey and Jeffrey Demps are playmakers who had good seasons last year, but they won't make up for Harvin's production.

Demps had 32 touches for just 103 yards against powerhouses Alabama, Georiga, and Oklahoma. Compare that to the 32 touches for 436 yards he had against Hawaii, Arkansas, LSU, and Florida State.

Rainey had a similar situation.

Florida is so talented that you probably won't notice Harvin's absence during most of the season. But when they get into a knockdown, drag-out battle, you'll notice Harvin isn't there to make the big play.

Auburn Will Improve Under Gene Chizik

There is absolutely nothing to suggest that Gene Chizik will restore pride to Auburn's football program—especially after his 5-19 stint with Iowa State.

One Auburn fan said it best when he yelled this at Auburn Athletic Director Jay Jacobs:

"Booooooo, we want a winner, not a loser!"

Chizik is also going to have a tough time bringing in top recruits. Although Auburn had the 16th best recruiting class this year, that was only good for sixth best in the SEC. That's according to Scout.com.

Taking a closer look, I also noticed that only one of their 27 recruits was rated in the top 100. Compare that to Florida, who had six, LSU, who had eight, and Georgia, who had seven.

Chizik is going to have a hard time competing with recruiting masters like Nick Saban, Les Miles, and Urban Meyer.

Auburn won't be the bottom feeder of the SEC under Chizik, but I doubt they ever win more than eight game in his tenure.

Arkansas Will Be a Pushover

Arkansas is going to be a seven- or eight-win team this year. Perhaps they can reach nine wins if they really play well and get some favorable breaks.

Bobby Petrino is a proven college head coach who had Louisville in National Championship contention just a few years ago.

Ryan Mallett, former quarterback of Michigan, will be the starter this year. D.J. Williams is a threat, being one of the best tight ends in the country. Let's not forgot Michael Smith, who rushed for over 1,000 yards last year in just 10 games.

If Arkansas can win their three cupcakes this year and go 4-4 in the conference, then they will finish a very respectable 7-5 or 8-4.

Ole Miss Is a National Title Contender

Houston Nutt's Ole Miss Rebels were the surprise of the 2008 College Football season. After winning the Cotton Bowl and being the only team to beat National Champions Florida, the expectations are sky high for Ole Miss.

However, they will disappoint this season, to an extent.

Nutt has never been able to get his team over the hump in the SEC. He is an innovative coach who can turn a program around, but he just can't seem to take that next step to SEC Champion or National Title contender.

Unlike last year, they will have a bull's-eye on their back, and teams will not take them so lightly.

My guess is 9-3, and that may or may not win the West.

Steve Spurrier Is Still an Elite Coach

There was a time when Steve Spurrier was considered not only the best coach in the SEC, but arguably the best coach in the whole country.

While at Florida, he won six SEC Championships in 12 seasons, which included a National Championship in 1996. He averaged 10 wins per season and finished in the top 10 nine times.

Those days are long gone.

After a failed stint in the NFL with the Washington Redskins, Spurrier took the South Carolina job.

In his four seasons at South Carolina, he is a mere 28-22. In the last two years he's been even worse, with a record of 13-12. He is also 1-2 in bowl games.

The low point of his career came when he lost 56-6 to Florida last season.

He's had four years to turn South Carolina around, and he hasn't been able to do it. Four years is plenty of time when you consider what Saban, Meyer, and Nutt did at their respective schools.