SEC Predictions: How the Florida Gators and the SEC East Will Finish in 2011

The SEC East has been the weaker division of the Southeastern Conference for the past few seasons.

For a while, the Florida Gators dominated behind the play of Tim Tebow and Brandon Spikes. They made the trip to the SEC Championship Game three out of the last five years.

In 2010, South Carolina emerged as the new SEC East power with breakout performances from Marcus Lattimore and Alshon Jeffery. 

The media has wholeheartedly declared the Gamecocks as repeat SEC East champions for 2011, but both Georgia and Florida could make runs at dethroning South Carolina for a berth in the SEC Championship game.

And while we still have a full college football season to play out, here are my predictions for how the SEC East will finish up in 2011.

6. Vanderbilt Commodores (3-9)

2010 was not a kind year to the Vanderbilt Commodores. They finished up 2-10 and were last in the SEC East, let alone the entire conference.

Their offense was atrocious as they finished 112th out 120 FBS teams with 16.9 points per game. The defense wasn't much better allowing 31.2 points per game, which ranked them 94th.

Vanderbilt introduces a whole new coaching staff and new offensive system, too. Returning quarterback Larry Smith could be the one bright spot of the Commodores football team. His dual-threat ability makes him a playmaker on any down for the Commodores, but a sub-par offensive line and lack of playmakers around him will limit his ability on the field.

There won't be much to cheer about for Vanderbilt fans again this season.

With the new coaching staff, fans must allow time for them to get their players in the system, but another couple rough years is not what their fans want to hear right now.

5. Tennessee Volunteers (7-5)

The Tennessee Volunteers have a nice core of offensive players to build around heading into the 2011 season.

Quarterback Tyler Bray and running back Tauren Poole figure to be an effective tandem and the Volunteers have a group of young receivers that will be impact players sooner rather than later.

Unfortunately, the defense will face a tough task in 2011. Tennessee will face offensive powers like Alabama, South Carolina and Arkansas.

They also will go through a rough four-game stretch in which the Volunteers play Georgia, Alabama, LSU and South Carolina. And while three of those games will be at home, the Volunteers will be outmatched in the majority of those games. It will be tough for their defense to hold off those SEC powers for an entire game.

Derek Dooley has the team headed in the right direction. If he can continue to build together solid recruiting classes and have Tyler Bray progress throughout the year, the Volunteers will be a much better team in 2012 and 2013.

But for 2011, the Volunteers will have another average season, while waiting for their stars to finally rise up to their potential.

4. Kentucky Wildcats (7-5)

Joker Phillips has taken the Kentucky Wildcats football program and had fans as excited about the program as they were during the days of Andre Woodson.

Going into 2011, the Wildcats face a tough challenge of replacing two outstanding offensive players in Derrick Locke and Randall Cobb.

But quarterback Morgan Newton will reclaim his starting job and will hope to duplicate the success he showed in the latter portion of his freshman season.

The Wildcats will have to rely heavily on Newton's dual-threat capabilities, but Phillips has been an excellent coach so far for the Wildcats. He has Kentucky playing a much more physical brand of football and that has translated into higher quality play out of both the offensive and defensive units.

In 2010, the Wildcats played close games against both Georgia and Mississippi State and even upset South Carolina by three points at home.

They face tough road tests against LSU and South Carolina, but Kentucky has shown its ability to hang around during games against better opponents. They will get Mississippi State, Florida, Tennessee and Ole Miss at home.

If they can limit their mistakes and keep the scores low throughout the game, the Wildcats could be an excellent team to upset a higher-ranked opponent.

Regardless, Phillips will keep the Wildcats moving in the right direction and will have them above .500 for the first time since those days of Andre Woodson.

3. Georgia Bulldogs (8-4)

The hype surrounding the Georgia Bulldogs and their 2011 season seems to fluctuate almost daily.

Some believe Aaron Murray could be a dark-horse Heisman Trophy candidate and will lead the team to another SEC Championship appearance in December.

Others see the Bulldogs faltering to another average season, while coach Mark Richt survives more speculation of whether or not he will be fired.

Regardless, the Bulldogs have a wealth of talent again in 2011, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Murray comes into the season as my top quarterback in the SEC and will certainly make a case as a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate throughout the season. Tight end Orson Charles will also be one of Murray's most reliable targets in 2011 and is arguably the best tight end in the SEC.

However, the lack of depth at running back could make Georgia a one-dimensional team. While standout recruit Isaiah Crowell has outstanding ability, you cannot expect a true freshman to be a game-changer in just his first year of college football. With both Caleb King and Washaun Ealey not returning in 2011, Murray will have to shoulder a lot of the offensive responsibility.

And while I think Georgia will have another above average year in 2011, I think they are still another year or two away from making an immediate impact in the SEC picture.

2. South Carolina Gamecocks (9-3)

Last year's SEC East champions are the favorites to repeat as the division's 2011 champion. 

The South Carolina Gamecocks will be returning all of the key offensive pieces that made the 2010 team so explosive.

Quarterback Stephen Garcia, running back Marcus Lattimore and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery all figure to be some of the best positional players in the SEC.

Lattimore was arguably the best running back in the nation last season, and he was only a freshman. With a year of starting experience and another summer in the South Carolina weight program, it's hard to imagine that Lattimore won't be even better in 2011. 

Jeffery and Garcia should continue to strengthen their relationship on the field in 2011 and become one of the most explosive passing attacks in the conference. Simply put, Jeffery is a game-changer and will force defenses to double cover him, which will allow South Carolina's other wide receiver to expose the weaker side of the defense.

It will be the defense that determines the success of South Carolina in 2011. The offense has already proven it can score a lot of points, but if the defense proves to be one of the stingiest in the SEC, then South Carolina could be a force to be reckoned with in conference play. 

They face a tough stretch in which they go on the road to Mississippi State, Tennessee and Arkansas for three consecutive games. Not to mention an early test on the road at Georgia in the second week of the season.

All in all, South Carolina will have another fantastic season, but I believe it will all come down to that final conference game against Florida in Columbia. 

1. Florida Gators (9-3)

The Florida Gators are kind of a mystery to a lot of people right now. They have a completely new coaching staff and new playing style on both offense and defense.

John Brantley struggled last season, but many have argued that it was the spread option offense. Expectations for Brantley remain high since a pro-style offense, a system that better suits Brantley's attributes, was brought to Florida by Will Muschamp and Charlie Weis. 

A lot of the Gators' success will hinge on Brantley. If he can find a rhythm and get comfortable in the offense, he should be able to show off the passing ability fans have heard about since he came out of high school.

The defense is young, but extremely athletic. It features a lot of high potential sophomores in Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd and Dominique Easley. And also veterans like Jaye Howard and Omar Hunter will also anchor this very quick and athletic defensive line.

The big question for the Gators on defense will be their secondary play. Matt Elam will step in to replace Ahmad Black and the cornerbacks will be somewhat depleted with the dismissal of Janoris Jenkins from the team. Opponents will attack this secondary a lot, and at times they will fail. But if they can minimize the damage, it can allow the defensive line to take over the game and disrupt the quarterback.

The Gators face a tough schedule, probably the toughest in the conference. With three games in a row against Alabama, LSU and Auburn, no one can predict how the Gators will fare in this tough stretch. I think the Gators will only win one out of those three and will also falter either against Georgia or Florida State.

However, it is the key win against South Carolina on the road that gives the Gators the tiebreaker over the Gamecocks and will book their ticket to the SEC Championship Game for the fourth time in six years.