2010 USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll: Is Big 12 Better Than The SEC?

Now that the USA Today College Football Poll has come out we get to start the debates early.

Though most of the names look familiar, one name is missing: USC.

(Because of the NCAA bowl ban, Southern California isn't eligible to receive votes)

Other than that we have most of the usual suspects.

The first question after checking out the list has to be what is the strongest conference in the country?

For most of the past few years, this was an easy answer: the SEC.

But has there been a changing of the guard?

Yes, Alabama is the defending national champion and the are also ranked by USA Today as the preseason number one.

But has the Big 12 finally caught up and surpassed the Southeastern Conference as the best in all the land?

Let's explore...

Which Conference Is Stronger at The Very Top?

Just by looking at the new poll we see that the SEC has two of the top three teams in the poll, in Alabama and Florida.

But will they be able to stay there with so many new players at key positions?

Which teams have flaws that can be overcome and which teams should be worried?

At The Top: Alabama Crimson Tide

The Crimson Tide start the year where they ended the last one, on top. But there are places where the team is vulnerable.

On defense, safety Mark Barron will look around and not see any familiar faces, as he is the only every game starter back.

Does that mean the team might take a while to gel on defense? Will that be the opening some team needs to upset the champs?

It seems as if whatever shortcomings they have on defense can be made up on the other side of the ball where Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram is back.

The team is so strong offensively that even Ingram's backfield mate, Trent Richardson, made the preseason All-SEC team.

The one thing that might actually work against the Tide's chances of repeating is the SEC itself.

Alabama plays seven straight conference games, with four of them on the road. Two of which are at Tennessee and at LSU.

At The Top: Florida Gators

The biggest  obstacle for several powerhouse programs this year is trying to replace superstar quarterbacks.

You could find quite a few people who would tell you that Tim Tebow was the greatest college football player of all time.

But to paraphrase Rick Pitino, he's not walking into that huddle.

It's John Brantley's team now and he has to win games without his top wide receiver or his top tight end from last year.

Deon Thompson might end up being their most explosive offensive player and Jelani Jenkins might be the man on defense, but the SEC schedule and an out of conference game with South Florida early might tell everyone if there is life after Tebow.

At The Top: Texas Longhorns

Texas will also be one of those teams trying to replace an icon as they try to fill Colt McCoy's shoes.

It helps that starter Garrett Gilbert was forced into action in the National Championship game when McCoy was injured.

Gilbert comes in with the confidence that he can play on the big stage and he is going to need it since he will be leading the Longhorns into extremely hostile territory: away games at both Oklahoma (neutral site) and Nebraska, in back to back games.

If Texas comes out of those two games unscathed they will be well on their way to returning to the national title game.

Stronger In The Top 10?

Though two of the top three are from the SEC, the Big 12 can argue that they actually have more teams in the top 10 this time around.

Does that mean that traditional powerhouses like Nebraska and Oklahoma actually tip the scales in the Big 12's favor?

Top 10 Teams: Oklahoma Sooners

Although Sam Bradford was the starter on paper and ended up being the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, Landry Jones played in every game last year.

Even though he's also filling big shoes, he has more practice at it than both the incoming starters at Texas and Florida.

With Jermaine Gresham off to the NFL, Landry's targets aren't household names yet, but Jones has proven that he can get the ball around, by throwing 26 touchdowns while only starting 10 games.

The schedule plays out really well for them with only three road games. The Sooners title chances are also aided by the fact that they miss Nebraska during regular conference play and get Texas at a neutral site.

Top 10 Teams: Nebraska

Nebraska is finally back to where they are being mentioned as possible National champions and they have also had a return of the "Blackshirts," their vaunted defensive tradition.

The only problem they have now is figuring out who is playing quarterback.

Senior quarterback Zach Lee played with injuries throughout last year and most of this spring. His absence allowed two underclassmen to jump into the picture and make Coach Bo Pelini's job of naming a starter that much harder.

After going 10-4 last year most prognosticators have them winning the Big 12 North. And by skipping a date with Oklahoma and getting Texas at home, they might be in line to do much more damage than that.

If they can pick someone to lead the huddle.

Overall Conference Depth?

This is where the argument can and still be made that the strongest overall conference title still resides in the SEC.

LSU—came in at No. 16 in the USA TODAY poll and it could rise even higher with only four road games (though three of them are against preseason ranked opponents). Senior wide receiver Terrence Toliver could be its key playmaker.

Arkansas—shows up three spots after it's conference mate, at No. 19. If Ryan Mallett can lead the Razorbacks to wins over Auburn and Alabama who they get at home, he could be on his way to winning the Heisman.

Georgia—AJ Green will get a chance to prove that he is the best receiver in the country as he will lead the No. 21 Bulldogs through a very manageable schedule. The game against the Florida Gators near the end of the season could determine which bowl game Georgia will be playing in.

Auburn rounds out the ranked SEC with its  No. 23 slot. The Tigers have a new quarterback in Cameron Newton who they hope can lead them to a bowl game.

The Winner: The SEC

With six teams in the USA Today's top 25 and two in the top three, there is a good chance that one of the BCS Title game participants will be representing the Southeastern Conference.

Again.