SEC 2009: Who, What, When, Where, and Why

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On another note, since the arrival of Lane Kiffin in Knoxville, Miles hasn't had to deal with the press printing any of his off the cuff comments. I still see LSU losing up to three games this year as Miles' team starts to take on his persona.

(5) Georgia

Georgia could have been heading toward another banner year in 2009 if it weren't for Mark Richt not being able to convince two Bulldog superstars to return for one more year.

Without Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford, 2009 may end up being one of Georgia's most difficult in years.

Starting with Oklahoma State and ending with Georgia Tech, Mark Richt and Georgia may have the hardest schedule in the nation. In fact, the only time Georgia will get to come up for air will be Nov. 7, when the Dogs play Tennessee Tech.

It may be a very long season.

(6) South Carolina

Steve Spurrier has to be frustrated. After having so much success in Gainesville, FL, having to watch from a distance as Meyer takes his beloved Gators to heights they have seen before while he is stuck in Columbia, SC must hurt. 

I predict that if the Gamecocks do not make some headway soon or at least land a decent bowl game, then Spurrier may throw in the towel and just play golf. He may hang around long enough to see if Momma will call him home—if and when Meyer leaves.

(7) Arkansas

Bobby Petrino had a rough start in his first year in the SEC, but the Razorbacks showed some improvement toward the end of the season by beating a reeling LSU team.

Only winning five games in your first year in the SEC is par for the course for most new coaches, but Arkansas fans are accustomed to better results.

I predict that Petrino's Razorbacks will be the most improved team in the SEC, but I do not expect any miracles.

(8) Auburn

Gene Chizik will lead the Auburn Tigers into 2009 with a team that doesn't have an established quarterback or an established identity. It is a new everything for the Tigers, and most experts are expecting the worst.

The War Eagles need to get off to a good start in order for things not to get so ugly that "you know who" gets involved. That should be doable with a favorable schedule.

Auburn's first real test is on Sept. 19 against West Virginia, and that game will determine if Chizik may be over his head as a head coach playing in the SEC. Their first SEC Road Game will be in Knoxville against the Vols on Oct 3, that should tell us "The Rest Of The Story".

A .500 season should be the realistic goal with an upset of some kind to hopefully quiet the critics.

(9) Tennessee

Kiffin has really placed the Volunteers behind the eight ball in 2009. He has managed to insult almost half the coaches on Tennessee's 2009 schedule and will most likely have more intelligent things to say after the season starts. 

The only problem is he doesn't have the coaching credentials or the talent to back up his own talent for saying the wrong thing.

Somehow, I have the feeling that he will never have enough talent to back up all the wrong things he feels he must say.

(10) Vanderbilt

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