The Top Ten Reasons Why The SEC Will Be Even Tougher Next Year

Overall, many of the SEC teams were down this year, and while the SEC did look good in some bowl games, it looked bad in others.

Let's take a look forward and see why the SEC may be a stronger conference next year top to bottom:

1. Return of Sanity to the SEC East

Anybody who thought South Carolina played in the SEC Championship Game because they were a great team only needs to watch that game.

South Carolina simply took advantage of the fact that Georgia is simply not the Georgia team it used to be and that Florida's coach Urban Meyer didn't call a physician when his Teboner didn't go away.

Meyer still insisted on running a "Tebow" type offense and John Brantley is a pure passer and Burton is simply "Tebow Light" and couldn't do what Tim did.

The offense was simply stale, without the talent to run the plays they were used to running.

Enter Will Muschamp and Charlie Weis, who will have the defense and offense humming again this year. Brantley will flourish under Weis and be the QB every Florida fan knew he could be.

2. Richt Finally Hears the Critics

As for Georgia, one can only hope that getting rid of Mike Bobo, the offensive coordinator and the disgruntled fans and media are finally getting Mark Richt to see that the "coach on the hot seat" talk is serious will re-invigorate the Dogs.

They have to improve, simply because they can't get much worse. This is Georgia, not Vanderbilt and they just get too much talent there to be this bad this often.

3. South Carolina Stays Stable

As for South Carolina, they've hit the high water mark, but with Marcus Lattimore, they will continue to be a quality team.

They may not get another 10-win season, but they'll continue to be solid. Everyone said they're just a quarterback away from being a great team. Maybe with Stephen Garcia gone, they'll find one.

4. Tennessee Gets Up Off the Mat

Tennessee showed they could compete with anyone last year and were actually better than their record.

Players and fans are beginning to warm up to Derek Dooley, and now that recruits see that he's going to stay a while, he may start signing some better recruits. Tennessee ended the year looking like a team on the way up.

This year shouldn't have any distractions that hurt last year, like who would stay and who would go. This team can get "solid" again and when they do, they could be a force again.

They proved they have QBs that can do well and showed much improvement. The defense started coming around and all the vital signs seemed strong at the end.

5. Nobody Dog Napped Dan Mullen

The fact that Dan Mullen didn't get dog napped is sort of shocking given the level of increase of play by Mississippi State this year. With him staying, expect recruiting to pick up and continued better play from the Dogs.

Another strong finish by the Dogs may have someone thinking about a Dog thief next year, but until that happens, look for MSU to just keep getting better.

6. Les Miles Stays At LSU

And why wouldn't he? He's got the salary and a recruiting base he won't have anywhere else. There may be a lot of three-legged rabbits limping around Baton Rouge given the luck he's had over the years, but there's no denying he brings in the talent that helps hide, at least for the most part, his poor coaching abilities.

7. Ole Miss Starts Rebuilding

Someone sent Houston Nutt a "Life Alert" for Christmas because it appeared he's fallen and he can't get up. Let's just be honest here. The Rebels and Nutt both sucked last year.

The Jeremiah Masoli experiment was a bust and the players resented it. You won no more with him than you would have without him but at least, you would have had a young experienced QB this year.

Nutt sold his soul for a shot at a great year with Masoli, and it couldn't have been a worse decision.

The good news is, like Georgia, there's nowhere to go but up. Despite Dan Mullen's rise, there will still be enough talent in the area for Nutt to start building a team for the future.

8. Vanderbilt Gets a Real Coach

Not that we didn't enjoy Robbie Caldwell; he had some great one-liners and you felt that's better than nothing. But now they have a real coach who will raise the overall level of play and provide stability.

Whether he can return them to a bowl remains to be seen, but the quality of play should go up from here for the Commodores.

9. Arkansas Will Prove to be More Than Ryan Mallett

They won't nose dive without Mallet perhaps like Auburn will with Cam Newton. They are a far more solid team top to bottom with fewer seniors being lost.

For those who expect the Hogs to just stop being a good team, you are just dead wrong.

10. Alabama Comes Back

The players on Alabama's team are simply embarrassed after losing three games last year to teams they know they could have and should have beaten.

As someone who knows the players and interviews them, you can see the determined look on their faces when they talk about next year. They return a great group and some of the young recruits who Nick Saban brings in each year will finally get a chance to showcase their talent.

The weak link for Alabama last year was the defensive secondary and with Mark Barron and Robby Green back together again at safety and Dre Kirkpatrick and Robert Lester both having a good year to learn the system, they should be fine there now.

For those who think the offense won't be the same without Greg McElroy, you've forgotten he won his national championship in his rookie season, as people were saying he couldn't walk in and replace John Parker Wilson. A.J. McCarron and Phillip Sims both have the talent to fill that spot.

Losing Ingram to the NFL may be a blow, but Trent Richardson has almost identical yards per carry averages, and Eddie Lacy was actually the Capital One Bowl Game's leading rusher. They won't miss a step in running back productivity.