SEC Best and Worst Case Scenarios in 2008

Heading into any college football season, there are three kinds of fans: fans who think their team is going to win the national championship no matter what, the fans who wonder if they can win even a handful of games, and then the level-headed fans who are more realistic about their expectations, be it good or bad.

The SEC has the best college football fans in the country: They have the most passionate—and sometimes ridiculous and unrealistic—fans in the nation.  Here are some best and worst case scenarios for every team that should appeal to every kind of fan.

Alabama

Best Case

Nick Saban's number one recruiting class is everything it's cracked up to be: It immediately contributes to the Crimson Tide winning the Western Division title and earning an SEC championship appearance in only Saban's second year.  The Crimson Tide play in a New Year's Day bowl game.

Worst Case

The freshman class doesn't come in and contribute like Nick Saban was hoping it would, quarterback John Parker Wilson struggles in the new offense, and the Tide end up 6-6 again and in Shreveport, or worse.

Arkansas

Best Case

New head coach Bobby Petrino comes in with a new offense that is immediately picked up by quarterback Casey Dick.  The Hogs don't miss a beat without Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, and they set school passing records on the way to an eight-win season.

Worst Case

The new offense doesn't fit Casey Dick's talents, they struggle to move the ball through the air, and without McFadden and Jones, their running game falls to the middle of the pack in the SEC.  The Hogs have a losing record in the SEC and finish last in the Western Division.

Auburn

Best Case

Tony Franklin's new spread offense is a perfect fit for the Tigers, the rotating quarterback system of Kodi Burns and Chris Todd lead one of the SEC's best offenses, Paul Rhoads doesn't miss a beat on defense, and the Tigers win the Western Division title and the SEC championship.

Worst Case

The new offense doesn't take off like head coach Tommy Tuberville hopes, the two-quarterback system causes controversy, and neither QB is able to get in a rhythm to lead the team.  The defense is good, but it doesn't match up to last year's unit with the loss of Will Muschamp.  The Tigers lose four games for the second straight year, the new spread offense is called into question, and Auburn loses to Alabama for the first time since 2001.

LSU

Best Case

Ryan who?  Les Miles and the Tigers find a diamond in the rough in Harvard quarterback transfer Andrew Hatch.  Hatch takes LSU back to Atlanta, where they defend their SEC title and play in yet another BCS bowl game.  Les Miles takes yet another shot at Nick Saban, and Alabama and LSU fans give him another raise.

Worst Case

The loss of Ryan Perrilloux turns out to be a big loss: LSU flips between Hatch and Jarrett Lee at quarterback, and neither becomes the leader the Tigers are looking for.  The loss of Bo Pelini hurts the defense, and LSU ends up third in the division and hoping for a Chick-fil-A bowl bid.  Les Miles runs out of insults for Alabama as his fans watch their former coach Nick Saban play in the SEC title game and wish he was still in Baton Rouge.

Ole Miss

Best Case

New quarterback transfer Jevan Snead lights up SEC defenses and finishes as the top rated passer in the league, Houston Nutt's running game takes off, and the Rebels win eight games after going winless in the SEC a year ago.

Worst Case

Snead doesn't live up to expectations in Oxford, the running game isn't what Houston Nutt is used to with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones at Arkansas, and the defense is a total disaster and finishes as one of the worst in the league.

Mississippi State

Best Case

Head coach Sylvester Croom follows up his surprise bowl bid last season with another winning season.  They improve on last season's record and make a second straight bowl game.  The Bulldogs find a consistent quarterback and also beat Alabama, Auburn, and Ole Miss for the second straight year.

Worst Case

Last year was a fluke: The Bulldogs can't find a quarterback to be consistent, running back Anthony Dixon gets injured, and State loses to in-state rival Ole Miss and endures yet another losing season.

Florida

Best Case

Tim Tebow repeats as the Heisman trophy winner, wins his first SEC title, and saves a bus full of schoolchildren all in one year.  Percy Harvin and Chris Rainey are the best two offensive players in the league (while they aren't beating each other up, of course), and the Gators go to the national championship game.

Worst Case

Tebow not only doesn't repeat as the Heisman winner, he throws double-digit interceptions, the Gators have another four-loss season, and Urban Meyer loses his second straight game to the rival Georgia Bulldogs.

Georgia

Best Case

Mark Richt keeps expectations and egos in check and leads his Bulldog team to an SEC title and an appearance in the BCS title game for their first time under Richt.  Stafford and Moreno finish in the top 10 in the Heisman voting, and the Bulldogs make it two in a row over rival Florida, and three in a row over rival Auburn.

Worst Case

All the offseason issues and the pressure of being the favorite are too much for the Bulldogs to handle.  Georgia loses three games, two of those to Florida and Auburn, and Richt is hammered in the offseason.  The Bulldogs end up in a New Year's Day bowl game, lose the bowl game, and Soulja Boy bans the Bulldogs from doing his dance.

Kentucky

Best Case

Losing Andre Woodson at quarterback hurts, but the Wildcats find a new quarterback to fit into the system and put up solid numbers.  Running back Derrick Locke makes people forget about Rafael Little, the defense under Rich Brooks is one of the better defenses in Kentucky history, and the 'Cats have a second straight winning season and play in another bowl game.

Worst Case

The loss of Andre Woodson is too much to overcome.  The 'Cats struggle on offense with the losses of Woodson, Little, and Keenan Burton.  The defense doesn't live up to expectations and can’t carry the team the way it needs to.  Kentucky finishes last in the division with only four wins, half of what they won last year.

South Carolina

Best Case

Steve Spurrier finds a quarterback to run his system to perfection, whether it's Tommy Beecher, Stephen Garcia, or Chris Smelley.  The Gamecocks defense is one of the best in the SEC, and Carolina finally gets over the hump, wins the Eastern Division, and plays in the SEC title game.

Worst Case

Spurrier still doesn't find a quarterback to run his system and wishes Jesse Palmer was still around (that's bad).  The Gamecock defense doesn't do its job under new defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson and Spurrier, the Gamecocks repeat last year's performance of six wins, and Spurrier seriously considers retiring.

Tennessee

Best Case

The Vols fly under the radar and repeat as Eastern Division champions, even with a new quarterback.  Jonathan Crompton doesn't miss a beat taking over from Erik Ainge, and Arian Foster leads the league in rushing.

Worst Case

New quarterback Jonathan Crompton struggles in his first season under center.  Arian Foster is forced to carry the offense and can't.  Fulmer can't dodge this bullet as he finishes fourth in the division, and fans and administration wonder why they just gave him a raise.

Vanderbilt

Best Case

Wow, oftentimes the best case for Vanderbilt involves winning just one game.  So let's say the best case is that Vanderbilt finds a quarterback to follow in the footsteps of Jay Cutler.  They are hoping that Chris Nickson steps up to the plate this year.  Vanderbilt manages to win six games and find their way to the PapaJohn's.com Bowl, which really feels like a BCS bowl game to the Commodores.

Worst Case

Bobby Johnson endures yet another losing season, but this time they only win two games, and Johnson finally runs his course and gets fired.  Vanderbilt has to find another coach, and the process starts all over again.