Homers Aside, Is There a True Favorite To Win The SEC In 2010?

During this dead period, we tend to be bombarded with articles of "homerism". It seems we are all still fixated on the 2009 season and not focusing on the 2010 season. In this article I will challenge fans with some questions that must be answered for 2010 in the SEC.

Alabama Crimson Tide

What players will replace the 9 defensive starters that will not be on the team for 2010?

Will all of these players be able to perform to the levels of the players they replace?

What players will replace the loss of the only two experienced offensive linemen in 2010?

What player will replace the superbly productive tight end in 2010?

What player will emerge as the defensive leader for 2010?

Alabama will have the least experienced defensive secondary and offensive line in the SEC western division for 2010. They have lost more defensive starters than Florida. Alabama is extremely strong at running back, receiver, quarterback and little else.

Alabama had the 42nd ranked offense in the NCAA for 2009. This was despite having the Heisman trophy winning running back. There were two SEC western division opponents that had better offenses in 2009. These teams return the vast majority of their offenses and defenses for 2010.

Florida Gators

Will John Brantley have the supporting cast to be successful?

Will the linebackers be able to keep up the heat after losing their heart and soul?

Will the young secondary provide adequate coverage?

Will the new defensive ends put pressure on opposing quarterbacks?

Florida actually loses less starters than Alabama. They are extremely strong at running back and defensive tackle. Their Offensive line has to replace some holes, but there is experience there. There is little doubt that John Brantley will do well replacing Tim Tebow.

The question remains, will the receiving corps step up and produce in 2010? Will the inconsistency in the coaching staff have a negative effect?

LSU Tigers

Will LSU get good quarterback play in 2010?

Will a new generation of LSU wide receivers rise up and produce?

Will the new LSU defensive line be a strength or weakness? 

Will a productive running back emerge in 2010?

LSU will have one of the strongest defensive backfields in the SEC for 2010. They have an experienced quarterback returning. After losing a boatload of talent to the 2010 NFL draft the line play will be a question. There are talented players to step into these vacated positions.

The question remains, will they produce?

LSU is extremely young at running back, receiver. Will the move of Russell Shepard to wide receiver get him involved in the offense? Will the freshmen running backs be productive behind the new offensive line?

Arkansas Razorbacks

Will the defensive secondary improve in 2010?

Will the defensive line be more effective at stopping the rush in 2010?

Will the offensive line improve in 2010?

Arkansas returns almost every important player for 2010. They are strong at every offensive position and had the 20th ranked offense in the nation for 2009 and that only looks to improve. They had the 89th ranked offense in 2009. This unit will certainly improve, but will it improve enough?

South Carolina

Will the South Carolina offensive line finally live up to expectations?

Can the South Carolina offense become dependable in 2010?

Will South Carolina actually utilize the running game in 2010?

The South Carolina defense looks to be strong again for 2010. They did lose a few players, but have shown the ability to replace them without loss of production.

While South Carolina is loaded with talented offensive play makers, the offense was ranked 82nd nationally in 2009. The rushing offense was not productive in any way. This was largely due to the lack of its use. Will South Carolina continue to be a one dimensional offense in 2010? Can the South Carolina coaching staff put together a successful rushing offense?

Georgia

Will the quarterback be productive in 2010?

Will the new defensive line hold in the SEC?

Will the new defense be effective?

Will the defensive secondary be productive?

Georgia will be starting a fresh quarterback for the second year in a row. This is likely to be a good thing for 2010. While the old defensive line will largely not be returning in 2010, this is of little concern as the defensive scheme has changed. The Georgia defense will be running the 3-4 for 2010 and this requires a larger more physical defensive tackle, as well as over sized defensive ends.

All of the necessary pieces are on the roster. How they come together, only time will tell. Georgia returns one of the top two offensive lines in the SEC. They are also deep at running back and receiver. Georgia was ranked 75th in total offense in 2009 and 38th in total defense.

Auburn Tigers

Will the defense improve in 2010?

Who will be the quarterback?

Will injuries again decimate the defense in 2010?

They are deep at quarterback and have three SEC ready starters on the roster. If one of these is established as the starting quarterback early, there will be exceptional performance from that position. The Offensive line is one of the two best in the SEC. They are deep at every offensive position.

The defense returns several players from injury. They will be deep at defensive secondary with three of the projected starters having received all conference accolades during their careers. The line backing corps will be the fastest in the SEC with three starters returning.

This looks to convert from a weakness in 2009 to a strength in 2010. The defensive line looks to be one of the best in the SEC for 2010 as several players have physically matured. Auburn was ranked 16th nationally in total offense for 2009 and 68th in total defense.

The Rest

There are simply to many unknowns for Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky to even ask an educated question at this point. While there is tremendous potential on all of these teams, the changes will be too severe to predict at this point.

Given all of these questions, what is the team to watch in the SEC for 2010?

I challenge all readers to give their educated input. I know it is easy to simply write in Alabama and Florida. The truth is these two teams will have some catching up to do in spring and fall practice if they want to compete. Is there any of these teams one can actually project as a favorite at this point?