College Football Predictions: Power Ranking the SEC East and West in 2011
The Auburn Tigers ruled the South Eastern Conference in 2010. Can they repeat in 2011?
The SEC Championship has been won by a team from the West the last two years. However, the East has a total of 11 wins while the West only has eight.
The SEC lost several key players to the NFL Draft. We will no longer be blessed to see such play-makers as A.J. Green, Mark Ingram, Julio Jones, Patrick Peterson, and oh yeah some guy named Cam Newton.
The top teams of the SEC will have to find new players to step up and lead their team to victory. Which team will come out on top?
From worst to first, starting with the East then moving West, here are the early 2011 power rankings for the SEC.
No. 6 SEC East: Vanderbilt Commodores
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Vanderbilt continues their streak of awfulness. New head coach James Franklin will have his hands full trying to turn the worst SEC school around. Although, Vandy did beat Ole Miss last year.
The Commodores were 2-10 last season. Franklin must figure out his quarterback, which will most likely be Larry Smith. He then has to figure out who is going to be the playmaker for this team.
What's that you say? Oh, Vandy hardly ever has anyone of that caliber. Well, here's to last place in the SEC once again. At least they're good in basketball.
Anybody think in three to five years when the SEC decides to shake up the conference they part ways with the Commodores? I mean they don't even have an athletic director. 2
No. 5 SEC East: Kentucky Wildcats
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Joker Phillips has his work cut out for him in his second season as the Wildcats head coach. 2011 is going to be very challenging.
He must find replacements for Randall Cobb, Derrick Locke, and Mike Hartline. His top three offensive stars are gone.
Morgan Newton and Ryan Mossakowski will compete for the starting quarterback position. The big question is who will move the ball for the Wildcats? Cobb was their go to guy and he left for the NFL.
It's up to Donald Russell and Raymond Sanders to carry the load for the Wildcats. At least they know they can beat Vanderbilt, but as anyone else in the SEC is going to be a big challenge.
No. 4 SEC East: Tennessee Volunteers
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Derek Dooley returns for year number two as head coach of the Volunteers. He did surprisingly well with what he had last season. Dooley won his last four games of the regular season to become bowl eligible with a 6-6 record. They then got their throat slashed by North Carolina in the Music City Bowl.
The expectations are far greater for Tennessee in 2011. An offensive line that had three true freshman starting by season's end will be much more mature. The Vols don't have to face Oregon this year in their major out of conference game. Instead they will be hosting Cincinnati.
Dooley will have to settle on a quarterback. Will it be Tyler Bray the throat slasher, or Matt Simms son of Phil? Bray showed more upside and finished the season strong, so I think Dooley will stick with him. He just needs to teach the kid some sportsmanship. Karma sucks doesn't Tyler?
Let me know what you think Tennessee fans. Who will be your quarterback in 2011?
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 3 SEC East: Florida Gators
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Will Muschamp returns to the SEC in 2011. However this time around he's a head coach. Muschamp knows his Gators are loaded with talent, but he's changing their offensive scheme to a pro-style.
Muschamp made a smart decision in hiring Charlie Weis. He knows how to run an offensive just not an entire program. Maybe Weis is here to learn some things and try his hand at head coaching a college program again in a few years.
The Gators have tons of talent, the switch to a pro-style offense could hurt them. They could experience a set back. Lucky for them John Brantley decided to stay. The Gators were all kinds of confused about who should be quarterback last year. 2011 will all rest on how well Brantley can play.
How well can this offensive line play in a pro-style? They've been trained for years how to block for the spread. Now we're going to see a Florida QB under center. Do they even know how to do that?
I kid I kid. The Gators will be a good team in 2011 but with all these changes around them they'll fall short in a few games.
No. 2 SEC East: Georgia Bulldogs
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They may have lost their best offensive weapon in A.J. Green but Georgia brings in one heck of a recruiting class that can instantly help. The Bulldogs will surely miss Green, but not having to set a game plan around one guy could help Georgia but opening things up.
They'll be lead by Aaron Murray who had an outstanding freshman season. New kid on the block Isaiah Crowell will see action right away. Other recruits that will contribute next season are tight end Jay Rome, defensive end Ray Drew, and JUCO nose tackle John Jenkins.
Mark Richt got turned the dream team into a reality. Now he just has to win with them. Lucky for him outside of the season opener against Boise State, Georgia's schedule is not that difficult. They'll host Mississippi State, and will no doubt be looking for revenge. Their toughest away game will be Florida, and that's not technically away since it's on a neutral field.
The chance to be the leaders of the SEC East is there for the taking. September 10th will be the biggest test when they host South Carolina. The outcome of the Boise State game will greatly impact how the Bulldogs play against the Gamecocks.
No. 1 SEC East: South Carolina Gamecocks
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Steve Spurrier got a taste of the SEC Championship game before being crushed by Cam Newton and company. However the 'Ol Ball Coach brings back his star players in 2011 looking to take home the title.
Spurrier will have to decide on a quarterback for next season. He showed in 2010 that he's not all that fond of Stephen Garcia. It will be an open race this offseason between Garcia and Connor Shaw. Garcia may make bad decisions at times but he has much better experience than Shaw, and I believe he'll win the job.
Also returning for the Gamecocks will be top play-makers Marcus Lattimore and Alshon Jeffery. Both should be the top at their position in the SEC. Jeffery might just end up as one of the best receivers in all of college football.
We should also get to see how well No. 1 recruit Jadeveon Clowney will impact the team. Will he dominate like some believe he can or will he be a bust?
The Gamecocks won't have it easy in the SEC. They'll have to travel to Georgia, Mississippi State, and Arkansas. They do get to host Florida and Auburn.
No. 6: SEC West: Mississippi Rebels
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You knew 2010 was going to be bad Ole Miss when they lost their season opener to Jacksonville State. Ole Miss should improve their 4-8 record from last year, but it won't be by that much.
Houston Nutt made a terrible mistake last season by bringing in Jeremiah Masoli. All he knew about Masoli was that he played pretty decent at Oregon, lost to a Big 10 school, and then was kicked off the team. Nutt believe Masoli had excellent talent and would save them in 2010. Boy was that a smart move.
They went into last year's offseason believing Nathan Stanley would be their quarterback. The same is true for this offseason, only this time he actually will be their starter. At 6'5" 216 pounds Stanley has great size to lead this team to victory.
Unfortunately for Stanley this team doesn't have a ton of talent. Oh yeah, they also play in the SEC West which is a very strong division. Nutt faces a big challenge in 2010, winning with inexperienced players.
No. 5 SEC West: Arkansas Razorbacks
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If Bobby Petrino's defense can improve from last year then Arkansas has a strong chance at taking the SEC West. He did however lose his star quarterback Ryan Mallett to the NFL Draft, which will slow them down offensively.
Tyler Wilson showed last season that he can hang in there and play. Wilson stepped in for an injured Mallett against Auburn and gave his team a chance for a little while. If Wilson can play like that all season then Arkansas will be in good hands.
They're loaded with talent on the offensive side of the ball. Knile Davis emerged as a strong SEC running back last season. Davis didn't really pick up his game until the middle of the season and he still finished with over 1,300 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Wilson will have veteran receivers in Greg Childs, Joe Adams, and Jarius Wright to throw to. The Razorbacks season depends on how well Wilson plays, and if the defense can make any stops.
No. 4 SEC West: Auburn Tigers
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Gene Chizik road the Cam Newton train all the way to the National Championship in 2010. Newton and Fairley, his best two players, left for the NFL Draft and they will be very difficult to replace.
Chizik must decide on a quarterback. Does he go with one of the guys who's been around the team awhile? Or does he toss in highly recruited Kiehl Frazier to run his offense? Frazier is said to be the next Cam Newton.
The Tigers will rely heavily on the legs of Michael Dyer and Onterio McCalebb. Auburn is known for having great tandems of running backs, and 2011 will be the start of a new one. The Tigers will go as far as Dyer and McCalebb carry them. Unfortunately for those two, Auburn has to replace it's entire offensive line.
Replace Newton and Fairley will not be easy. Chizik has recruited well but it's tough to know how well the new kids can contribute. The Tigers have a tough schedule traveling to Clemson, South Carolina, Arkansas, LSU, and Georgia. They could potentially lose all of those games.
No. 3 SEC West: Mississippi State Bulldogs
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Dan Mullen is a genius. 2010 was one of the best seasons in Mississippi State history because of Mullen. He has turned this program around and they will continue to get better as long as he's around.
The loss of Manny Diaz will hurt the defense a little, but Chris Wilson will do a fine job. Mullen has shaped Chris Relf into a true SEC quarterback. 2011 will be Relf's senior season and you know he will want to go out on top.
The Bulldogs have a ton of momentum heading into the 2011 season. Nobody believe in them last year and not many believe in them this year, and they're okay with that. Mullen has this team believing they can beat anybody.
The only west team they beat last season was Mississippi State. They'll need to improve on that in 2011 and I believe they certainly will.
No. 2 SEC West: LSU Tigers
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Les Miles is one heck of a coach. The man just knows how to win. The Mad Hatter brings a strong team into the 2011 season looking to rule the SEC.
Many believe the Tigers can make it six in a row for the SEC in the BCS Championship game. To get there they will first have to win the SEC West, which will not be easy. The Tiger's toughest test comes November 5th when the travel to Tuscaloosa to face Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.
The Tigers will also face the Oregon Ducks in the season opener on September 3rd, and travel to West Virginia to take on the Mountaineers. Not an easy schedule for the Tigers but many believe they can do it.
New recruit Zach Mettenberger will heat things up in the quarterback competition. This may mean bad things for Jordan Jefferson, but that's only if he doesn't play well. Miles isn't afraid to take the kid out if his performance is lacking. With Mettenberger around it should improve Jefferson's game because he will have to work harder be to become the starter.
The Tigers lost Patrick Peterson but return the majority of their starters on defense. They ranked 11th in the nation in points scored against them last season. The Tigers only allowed 18 points a game. That is trend that must continue for the Tigers if they hope to win the SEC West.
No. 1 SEC West: Alabama Crimson Tide
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The third ranked defense in the country last season returns most of it's starters. Nick Saban is not worried about how his defense will preform. He knows they will be the anchor of his 2011 team.
Saban faces the difficult challenge in finding replacements for Mark Ingram, Julio Jones, and Greg McElroy. We know Trent Richardson will be the go to running back but which receiver will step up when needed? Marquis Maze will be their top wide-out, but can he preform at a high level? Alabama needs him to be a strong play-maker.
We also know that A.J. McCarron will take over as the quarterback, but we don't know how well he will play. If he can keep control of the ball and manage the clock then Alabama will be just fine. However if he makes bad decisions and constantly turns the ball over, then it could be a rough year for the Crimson Tide.
The defense can only save you so many times. We will know in Week 2 what this team is made of when they travel to Penn State to take on Joe Pa and the Nittany Lions.
SEC Championship: South Carolina Vs. Alabama
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My way too early pick for the SEC Championship game it two great coaches in a head-to-head match up.
Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier have the best teams in their division. With a little luck, something every team needs, these two will meet on December 3rd in the Georgia Dome.
This game will be a battle of the best two running backs in the SEC. The 2011 season will be a great year for both Trent Richardson and Marcus Lattimore. Do not expect any type of sophomore slump from Lattimore. Nor should you even think that Richardson can't handle being the feature back.
I wish I could be a homer and put Georgia in this game, but they always find a way to let me down, so I have to be realistic. Once Spurrier figures out who his quarterback will be they shouldn't have a hard time in the SEC East.
However they will once again have a tough time in the SEC Championship game. The Crimson Tide will make it three in a row for the SEC West.
I've got Alabama 31, South Carolina 17 in my way too early SEC Preview. What about you?
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
