SEC Football: Preseason Power Ranking the Conference

The most difficult task for any journalist is to accurately portray the preseason power rankings objectively. My heart is with the South Carolina Gamecocks, but that doesn't mean that I put them in first place. Time will tell if they could be deserving of it. The answer could be as early as week three if they are finally going to win enough to keep coach Steve Spurrier beyond 2012.

With the turmoil surrounding the LSU program, my crystal ball sees an early exit of the top 10 in the AP and Coaches' poll.  

With the recent loss of their safety at Tennessee their defense went from bad to terrible. Their offense will likely score a ton of points, but they will be fighting an uphill battle all season.  

I also am getting tired of all the hype surrounding Alabama this year, but again, that doesn't mean they are undeserving of the top spot in the preseason power ranking. 

Teams 9 Through 12

This group will probably swap a few positions here and there throughout the season, but if any of these teams become bowl-eligible I will be surprised.  

12. Ole Miss

This program has been under achieving for quite some time, and that trend will likely continue this year. I think their best option would be to fire all of their assistant coaches and start from scratch if they just want to keep Houston Nutt around.  

11. Vandy

This team does have talent sprinkled throughout their depth chart, and they have two defenders who could go in the first day of next year's draft, including LB Chris Marve and CB Casey Hayward.

10. Kentucky

The loss of Mr. Everything, Randall Cobb, will hurt Kentucky probably more so than the loss Alabama had with Julio Jones or Georgia lost in AJ Green, because of Cobb's versatility.  

9. Tennessee

Despite the loss of Janzen Jackson to their secondary, I am still not sold on Tyler Bray or the talent on the other side of the ball. Dooley is going to have a tough year and don't be surprised when Tennessee wiggles itself into the bottom of this list by year's end.

Teams 5 Through 8

Out of this group I don't expect any to contend for their division crown but will certainly be bowling come December and January.

8. Auburn

They just lost too much talent on both sides of the ball to be considered a threat in the Western Division. They have a brutal schedule this year, but I am a big fan of Coach Gus Malzahn, and seven or eight wins is not out of the question.

7. Florida

This team is basically comprised of the ESPNU 150, but they have never been able to put it together at the next level. In Muschamp's first year, they could be in the hunt for the SEC East crown all the way up to their trip to Columbia.  

6. Georgia

Georgia continues to intrigue me when I read ESPN or any other sports outlet, because they think they could compete for the SEC East just like Florida. Frankly, I don't buy it.  The Bulldogs lost AJ Green, Chris Durham and just about every scholarship running back during the offseason. Mark my words that this is CMR's last season between the Hedges.  

5. Miss State

The Bulldogs will not be sneaking up on anyone this year, but don't expect them to them to go undefeated either. I like Dan Mullen and Chris Relf to make some noise in the Western Division, but they are just missing a few pieces to bring it all together.

Teams 3 and 4

You can call me a homer if you want, but I think the Gamecocks will undoubtedly deserve this spot after their Week 3 matchup with Navy. A re-match that will not be pretty because of the bad blood from the early eighties.  

4. LSU

For the fans who think that the loss of their starting quarterback and wide receiver will mean nothing are living in denial. Their backups are suitable, and I would take Jordan Lee on my team, but only if he was prepared for the action. Just think about the thousands of snaps that were wasted with the first team, and tell me it won't matter.

3. South Carolina

I want to address one item that I see on all of the blogs that say that South Carolina never lives up to all the hype. South Carolina has never been ranked this high entering the season. This year it's not hype: they are a great team. They could be fighting for a spot in the National Championship or the Sugar Bowl, but either way, this will be the second 10-plus-win season in the history of the program.

The Best of the Best Are Tied at the Top

This may be an unconventional pick for the top spot, but following last year's epic loss to South Carolina in Columbia, I don't trust all the actual hype that Alabama is riddled with.

1. Arkansas

Despite the loss of Knile Davis the depth chart is still pretty decent in the running back department. Speaking of depth, the Detroit Lions would pick all four of the receivers in next year's draft if they could (they would probably produce better as well), and all complimented by a capable QB throwing to them. Their defense is improving as well, and might be good enough to get them to Atlanta for a re-match of their regular season loss to South Carolina.  

1. Alabama

So what, they return just about everyone on defense, but they also lost a Heisman running back, a great game manager at quarterback and a lights out receiver. They also finished near the bottom of the Western Division last year in case anyone forgot. Yet they were prognosticated last preseason to be the national champions. I don't think they will go unscathed this year, and will probably be fighting with LSU for a bid in the Sugar or Capital One Bowl at the end of the year.