SEC East: Does Georgia Have What It Takes To Beat Florida?

The SEC East is gearing up for a football season without having to deal with Tim Tebow knocking them on their backs, but can any team in the SEC East take advantage of Florida in a perceived down year?

The SEC East is the weaker half of the SEC. Tennessee is recovering from their Lane Kiffin disaster and Kentucky and Vanderbilt are expected to be the cellar dwellers, which makes Georgia the early favorite to unseat Florida and Urban Meyer .

The following is the predicted order of finish for the six SEC East teams with a brief synopsis of their best players and their possible record in the SEC and overall.

Florida: SEC 6-2, Overall 9-4, SEC East Champs

Florida is in a down year, but in the SEC East Florida won't face much competition. Florida will lose an early out of conference game in a surprise (South Florida) and they will lose two SEC regular season games to Georgia and Alabama. In the SEC Title game Florida will lose to either Arkansas or Alabama, and it won't be close.

Quarterback John Brantley will be a solid quarterback, but it will take a year for Florida to get in sync. They still have enough talented players and they should hold their own on offense.

On the the defensive side of the ball there are plenty of issues to be addressed. The main area of concern is defensive line. Can Florida replace Carlos Dunlop and Jermaine Cunningham and keep their high pressure pass rush of years passed? Florida will be in tighter games against the less talented bottom half of the SEC.

Georgia Bulldogs: SEC 6-2, Overall 8-4, SEC East Runner-Up

Georgia was a preseason favorite to win the SEC East or at least contend in 2009 and they crashed and burned. This year will be tougher for Georgia to gain traction as they are most likely bringing in a red shirt freshman, Aaron Murray . Murray is not a guarantee at the QB position, but is the leader heading into the season.

On defense it is a complete overhaul, with a new defensive staff led by Todd Grantham coming from the Dallas Cowboys. Grantham has already begun implementation of a new scheme changing from a 4-3 alignment to a 3-4.

Using one less down lineman should be an easy transition for the Georgia defense and should lead to more aggressive play in the middle of the field.

Tennessee Volunteers: SEC 4-4, Overall 7-5

New head coach Derek Dooley has his work cut out for him in his first SEC East season at Tennessee , and not just because he is replacing Lane Kiffin . Dooley has to rebuild Tennessee's damaged image in the aftermath of the Kiffin debacle.

Dooley's father once dominated the SEC while at Georgia and the Tennessee administration is hoping his pedigree is true. Look for Tennessee to beat Oregon in the second week, which will surprise many experts.

South Carolina Gamecocks: SEC 4-4, Overall 7-5

South Carolina and Steve Spurrier have languished in the SEC East for years and although the SEC East is the weaker side of the SEC, Spurrier has not been able to get over the top.

Spurrier's quarterback Protégé, Stephen Garcia , is not living up to the Ol' Ball Coaches expectations. South Carolina could surprise some big powers late in the season and sneak into second place in the SEC East.

Kentucky Wildcats: SEC 1-7, Overall 5-7

Kentucky has gone to four straight bowl games, but now with new coach Joker Phillips, Kentucky is looking to regroup in 2010. Kentucky's only possible win in 2010 is against the SEC East doormat, Vanderbilt, and that win is no guarantee.

Vanderbilt Commodores: SEC 0-8, Overall 1-11

Vanderbilt is in a hopeless free fall and they will fulfill their calling in life in the SEC East in 2010, providing a virtual bye week for the better teams in the SEC.

Final Breakdown of SEC East

It is obvious Florida , while in a down year, still has the most talent in a very weak SEC East. Georgia has a shot at Florida if their red shirt freshman, Aaron Murray, can acclimate to the quarterback position and their new defensive 3-4 scheme is effective. These are the only two teams that will contend for the right to play for the SEC Championship.

Todd Jacobs is featured on many websites you may contact him through Suite 101 , Associated Content or view his handicapping picks on www.lasvegasinsideinfo.com .