Bleacher Report - Articles by SECSportsHub.com

Recent Trends Suggest LSU Vs. Georgia SEC Championship Game

SECSportsHub.com — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:23:02 -0400

This article is brought to you by the SEC Sports Hub Blog. It is a member contributed piece and its opinion does not necessarily reflect that of SEC Sports Hub.

With the entire national media projecting the Florida Gators football team to play for the National Championship during the 2009 football season, it seems almost a foregone conclusion that the Gators will play in the SEC Championship Game.

However, looking at some recent and historical trends there are more than a few reasons to think the Gators may falter. In addition, the predominant two favorites from the West also have some of the same trends weighing against them.

My prediction is this year's conference final will be played between the LSU Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs.

First off, no SEC team has even been to the SEC Championship Game in back-to-back years since the Gators themselves did it during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

This trend is a combination of a few factors, first and foremost among these, increased parity in the league.

Never before has that parity been more clear than during the 2008 season, when no team went unbeaten in league play, including National Champion Florida.

Additionally, the defending National Champion LSU Tigers struggled to a 3-5 conference finish, while perennial cellar-dwellers Vanderbilt won their second bowl game in history, and Kentucky won their school record third straight bowl game.

While Florida may be the best equipped team to repeat as Divisional Champs of any of the teams that failed before, there are a few reasons that they may not. Perhaps the most important of these is a trend that has developed in their series against their main SEC rival, the Georgia Bulldogs.

Despite having only three wins over Florida in the past 19 years, the Bulldogs managed to secure one of those wins following a bye week before the game, during the 2007 season. The Bulldogs once again have a bye before they play the Gators this year, greatly increasing their chances of winning this crucial SEC East contest.

Another interesting statistic: in the three years that Georgia won the Eastern Division this decade, the Bulldogs averaged a preseason ranking of 11th nationally. This year they are 13 according to the USA Today Coaches' Poll.

Now, given the parity and the inability of teams to repeat, it's very possible that Georgia could be the surprise team to represent the SEC East in the Championship Game.

On to the SEC West. Let's take a look at the most obvious trend that would suggest LSU will win the SEC West during the 2009 season. The Tigers have won the division every other year since 2001, including National Championships in 2003 and 2007.

Secondly, let's take a look at LSU's major contenders for the SEC West title, Alabama and Ole Miss. Ole Miss has never made it to the SEC Championship Game, so history would indicate they will likely not represent the division in the title game.

As far as Alabama is concerned, the Crimson Tide have not participated in back-to-back SEC Championship Games since the 1993 and 1994 seasons. In addition, head coach Nick Saban has some starting numbers as a head coach that indicate Alabama likely won't repeat this year.

During his tenure as an SEC head coach, Saban has twice followed up 10 or more win seasons with at least three losses. With Alabama winning 12 games last season, Saban's history of inconsistency indicates the Crimson Tide will likely struggle a bit this season.

Another interesting factor that seems to support the claim that LSU will win the SEC West is their schedule. The Tigers have not lost a road game at Alabama or Ole Miss this decade. The Tigers play both on the road this season.

These are just some interesting facts that I thought I would share to suggest an LSU vs. Georgia SEC Championship Game.

By no means am I trying to state that this will absolutely and indisputably be the SEC Championship Game matchup. Just a topic for conversation with just a few more weeks leading up to the season.

The article can be found in its original format at SEC Sports Hub.You can find more stories like this and the latest SEC Football News on our site, as well as participate in interactive discussions with fans from around the SEC on our SEC Message Board.

Bigger and Stronger, Jordan Jefferson Looks to Revamp LSU's Offense

SECSportsHub.com — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:48:41 -0400

Article brought to you courtesy of SEC Sports Hub.

The LSU Tigers football team had plenty of cause for optimism heading into the offseason, after demolishing Georgia Tech in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl to end the 2008 season.

Jordan Jefferson looked every bit the role of a competent starting quarterback and showed some serious upside for the Tigers with his physical tools from under center.

The Tigers have even more cause for optimism, as summer workouts come to a close and fall practice starts up this week. Jefferson has added some size and weight and figures to be an even bigger force during the 2009 season.

"He's bigger and stronger than he's been," head coach Les Miles said at the SEC Media Days. "In my opinion, the experience that he had in his true freshman year will benefit him tremendously."

Read full LSU Tigers story...

Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt Football Ready to Re-Write School History

SECSportsHub.com — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:47:30 -0400

This article is brought to you courtesy of SEC Sports Hub's Vanderbilt Commodores' Football page.

The Vanderbilt football team made no bones about it at the SEC Media Days: The Commodores are here to stay.

Head coach Bobby Johnson emphatically reinforced that he expects his team to eventually compete at a championship level in the SEC, and he insists that the Commodores were not just a flash in the pan during the 2008 season.

"I think the sky's the limit for Vanderbilt," Johnson said. "We expect to compete for championships. We can continue to make those kind of leaps and bounds."

Recruits certainly seem to be noticing Vanderbilt, as Johnson and the Commodores landed four commitments from three-star prospects over the past two weeks. Those commitments gave the Commodores 14 three-star or better prospects in the 2010 class, exceeding their previous best of 13 in the 2009 class.

The next-best years for Vanderbilt in the modern recruiting era were 2006 and 2007, when the Commodores landed only six players with a three-star ranking or better.

The recruiting numbers for the past two years nearly double the amount of three-star prospects Vanderbilt has had since the recruiting services began releasing rankings back in 2002. What this means for Johnson and the Commodores is that they're beginning to get some talent that can keep up with some of the elite schools in the SEC East.

"We think we've recruited well the last two or three years," Johnson said. "Like I said, I think every year I've been here, we have a fantastic product to go out and recruit with. We're a top 20 rated university. We play football in the SEC. We're in a great city in Nashville. Now you throw in the fact that we've had a winning season, and we know what it takes to go to a bowl game and win it. I think it's an outstanding product to sell."

Read full Vanderbilt Commodores football story...

Sell it he has, not only to the players he's recruiting, but to the players he's coaching. For the first time ever, Vanderbilt seems to go into marquee SEC matchups expecting to win.

"It's more competitive than it's ever been," center Brad Vierling says. "We've been conditioning really hard this offseason. We're in the best shape this team has ever been in."

Johnson may just be one of the most underrated coaches in the country. While some analysts seem to think Vanderbilt can't be a consistent competitor in the SEC, Johnson has no such belief.

"The key thing is to maintain our momentum and make sure that we're doing everything we can to give our guys a chance to win game," he said.

Vanderbilt will look to do just that starting on Aug. 7, when the Commodores hit the field to begin fall practice. Johnson won't be content to let his team be satisfied with their accomplishments from a year ago.

The Commodores will be looking to accomplish a feat in the 2009 season that has never been done in school history: win back-to-back bowl games.

With Johnson at the helm and the returning talent the Commodores have, they're in great shape to do just that.

Find other quality articles like this about every Southeastern Conference team at SEC Sports Hub.

Late July Tour Around The Southeastern Conference

SECSportsHub.com — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:23:04 -0400

With the 2009 SEC Media Days over, and fall practices just over a week away for most SEC football teams, SEC Sports Hub takes a look at what's going on around the SEC.

Today, we have a bit of everything, including some recruiting news for the Tennessee Volunteers.

Star WR Markeith Ambles commits to Tennessee Volunteers after attending the Florida Gators' Friday Night Lights camp and coming away without an offer from Florida.
There have been multiple reports around the Internet of LSU OT Ciron Black's motivation to help the Tiger's perform better this year than they did last season. After we reported on it yesterday, this report surfaced on ESPN's SEC Blog.
The SEC announced the arrival of a Digital SEC Network this morning. The network will begin sometime in August, and will allow fans and bloggers everywhere to use SEC widgets on their websites. This is great news for us, and promises to bring some big upgrades to the site!
Georgia Bulldogs coach Mark Richt recently stated that every single one of his skill players, except quarterbacks, will not redshirt during the 2009 season.
If you missed it, yesterday we released our Florida Gators preview. We'll have the Georgia Bulldogs preview for you tomorrow, so stay tuned.

This report is brought to you by SEC Sports Hub's SEC Football page.

Highlights from SEC Media Days

SECSportsHub.com — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:37:31 -0400

After three days packed full of all kinds of scintillating information in Birmingham, at the 2009 SEC Media Days, SEC Sports Hub is here to take a look at some of the highlights of the hectic event.

We brought you full coverage of the event, complete with highlights from every team's press conference. Below, you can find the links to all of our coverage for each team:

So, after taking the weekend to regroup and rewatch some of the press conferences, SEC Sports Hub has put together a list of the top moments, most bold statements, and most interesting tidbits from an eventful 2009 SEC Media Days event.

Biggest Buzz

The biggest buzz of the three day event was undoubtedly man hunt that took place following the release of the 2009 Preseason All-SEC teams. The controversy was over two time National Champion and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow not being named a unanimous selection to the All-SEC first team by the coaches.

Every coach was faced with the question of who they voted for, and it wasn't until the final day of the event that we finally learned the culprit. South Carolina Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier mistakenly voted against Tebow, and issued a heartfelt apology to Tebow and the Gators at the beginning of his press conference.

Read full article...

Boldest Statement

The boldest statement came from Vanderbilt Commodores' head coach Bobby Johnson, on the very first session of the event. Johnson was asked about his expectations for Vanderbilt following the program's second bowl win in history last season, and Johnson responded with gusto.

"You know, I think the sky's the limit for Vanderbilt, to tell you the truth. When we prove that we can win consistently, I think recruiting will pick up and we're going to have the same quality team that the top tier teams have in our conference. We expect to compete for championships," Johnson said.

For a program that recorded its first winning season in the past 25 years, Johnson certainly has brought a new level of energy and excitement to the Commodores.

Best Moment

The best moment of the 2009 SEC Media Days came at what could have been an extremely awkward moment for some of the 900+ members of the media who were present when Tim Tebow came to the stage. Blogger Clay Travis asked Tebow if he was "saving himself for marriage."

Rather than stumble over a question that crossed well over the boundary of professional journalism etiquette, Tebow responded with an unequivocal yes. His graceful and smooth answer, accompanied by a few hearty laughs from the superstar, averted a potentially awkward situation and turned it into yet another chapter in the legacy of one of college football's greatest players.

Most Interesting Tidbit

Certainly one of the most interesting tidbits of information from the week was the fact that Tim Tebow's prophetic speech after the loss to Ole Miss has been used for motivation by more people than just the Gators.

In fact, Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt actually read Tebow's speech to his team once and keeps a copy of it on his desk as inspiration.

"What you love about Tim Tebow, not only does he make the promise, he carries it out, and he puts his team on his back. I have those words, after our game, the words he spoke to the media, I have that on my desk. I read it to my team once. I have an awesome respect for that," Nutt said.

Biggest Surprise

The biggest surprise this year probably wasn't quite as big as in years past. There were no subpoenas issued at this year's SEC Media Days, and no coaches decided not to show.

Instead, Florida All-American linebacker Brandon Spikes came down with a case of the butterflies and opted out of speaking at the event. Spikes was replaced by fellow linebacker Ryan Stamper. For a man that almost single-handedly resurrected the Gator defense, it sure seemed odd that a few hundred reporters could scare Spikes.

Best Statement of SEC Dominance:

The annual questions about the SEC's dominance as a conference were certainly not lacking at the 2009 SEC Media Days, after the Florida Gators helped the conference capture its third consecutive BCS National Championship.

Auburn coach Gene Chizik put together perhaps the most impressive statement about the conference's strength, fresh off a stint in arguably the nation's second best conference, the Big 12.

"I think I can speak a little bit intelligently about it because I've freshly been in both. The SEC, when you travel stadium to stadium, the passion, the pride, all of the things that go with, you know, what make college football great, there's no greater league, in my opinion, than the SEC. Do I think this is the best conference in the country? I do."

Alabama Football: RB Corey Grant to Play for Nick Saban

SECSportsHub.com — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:37:00 -0400

The Alabama Crimson Tide football team continues to stock its arsenal of incredible athletes under tireless recruiter Nick Saban.

On Thursday afternoon, the Crimson Tide landed yet another big weapon when running back Corey Grant gave Saban a verbal commitment.

His commitment came just one day after the Crimson Tide landed a commitment from TE Brian Vogler.

Grant is a talented running back prospect who has a four star ranking on the Rivals recruiting service. He also ranks No. 10 as the best running back nationally.

At 5'10", and 186 pounds, Grant brings an explosive mix of power, speed and cutting ability. He was highly sought after by the Florida Gators, which tells you everything you need to know about his speed and play-making ability.

Four-Star WR Antonio Goodwin to Play for Auburn Tigers

SECSportsHub.com — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:41:00 -0400

The Auburn Tigers football team continued to put together an impressive recruiting class, as head coach Gene Chizik landed the commitment of one of Auburn's top prospects Thursday morning, wide receiver Antonio Goodwin.

Goodwin is one of the most highly sought after receivers in the state of Georgia. The Atlanta native has collected offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Tennessee, along with a host of others from other top Division I programs.

According to the Rivals recruiting service, Goodwin ranks as a four-star wide receiver prospect and the 37th-best wide receiver nationally.

At 6'2, 170 pounds, and with a 4.48-second 40-yard dash, Goodwin will have a chance to become an elite playmaker at Auburn.

Scouts rave about his ability to get downfield and win the deep ball, as he is an excellent player in the air with his lanky frame. He should help to add the deep-ball element to Auburn's new offense under Gene Chizik.

His commitment comes on the heels of a big recruiting weekend and the commitment of three other players. You can visit our Auburn Tigers football page for information on the other three prospects.

Bleacher Report - Articles by SECSportsHub.com

Recent Trends Suggest LSU Vs. Georgia SEC Championship Game

Bigger and Stronger, Jordan Jefferson Looks to Revamp LSU's Offense

Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt Football Ready to Re-Write School History

Late July Tour Around The Southeastern Conference

Highlights from SEC Media Days

Alabama Football: RB Corey Grant to Play for Nick Saban

Four-Star WR Antonio Goodwin to Play for Auburn Tigers

SEC Media Days Underway in Birmingham

T.J. Stripling Commits to Georgia Bulldogs

RB D.J. Howard Snagged by Auburn Tigers

Mississippi State RB Anthony Dixon Arrested for DUI

Alonzo Lawrence Looking To Transfer

Ole Miss Rebels: 2009 Preview

Alabama LB Brandon Fanney to transfer to North Alabama

Florida Gators Land Four-Star WR James Louis

Tennessee WR Denarious Moore to Miss 8-12 Weeks with Broken Bone

Fight Between Kentucky and Tennessee Players Leaves Questions for Both

LSU Tigers Add Four Star Offensive Tackle Evan Washington

Georgia Bulldogs land DE Dexter Morant

Four-Star OG Wes Rea Commits to Mississippi State

Top recruit Darius Winston cleared to play for Arkansas

Austin Rogers Likely To Miss 2009 Season with Torn ACL

Urban Meyer Slams Door Shut on Notre Dame Talk

LSU Tigers - 2009 Preview

Auburn Lands Fullerton DE Joel Bonomolo

Jakar Hamilton Commits to Georgia As Safety

Arkansas Razorbacks Football: 2009 Preview

Tyson Lee Ready To Post Big Senior Season in Dan Mullen's Offense

Bulldogs' Tyson Lee ready to post big senior season in Dan Mullen's offense

Georgia's Cox Ready To Take Reigns at QB As Spring Practice Approaches

Kentucky Ready To Take the Next Step Behind Determined Defense