Rocket City Report: 2009 SEC Preview

The Favorite (East): Florida is coming off their second BCS National Championship in the past three years, but still looks as strong as ever. The defense returns all 11 starters, and Tim Tebow will be gunning for his second Heisman. Florida outscored their opponents by an average of 30 points per game last season. They aren't just the favorite to win the SEC, they're the favorite to win another national title. While I don't think they will go undefeated in the regular season, I can't find a game where I would pick against them.

The Favorite (West): Alabama ran away with the West division last season, but don't expect to see that happen again. There will be more challengers this season, but Alabama has the defense and enough offense to fend them off. The schedule works out nicely with a bye week before playing LSU at home and missing Florida and Georgia from the East.

The Challenger (East): Georgia could easily win 10 games this season even though they lost first round draft picks Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno. The rest of the division doesn't look that strong, so the Bulldogs are the only other threat to win the East. In fact, I'm predicting only Florida and Georgia in the East will win more than seven games.

The Challenger (West): LSU or Mississippi could go here. LSU will be really good if they can get consistent quarterback play all year out of Jordan Jefferson. Mississippi has to replace the best player on both lines, and might fall victim to all the preseason hype surrounding them. Both Alabama and LSU have to travel to Oxford though.

The Sleeper: Arkansas is headed back up. They lost six conference games last season, but three were by a total of six points. They finished the season with a big win over LSU in Little Rock. This season they bring in new QB Ryan Mallett, who may be the third best quarterback in the conference by the end of the season. They have four road games against the top contenders (Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, LSU.) I don't expect them to lose all of them.

The Letdown: Auburn seems like the only choice here. Everyone seems to think that Auburn will be better this season. While there is still a ton of talent, they made a major downgrade at head coach. If the Tony Franklin offense couldn't catch on in the first season, why would the Gus Malzahn offense be any different? I see another losing season for the Tigers.

Conference Player of the Year: Tim Tebow (QB Florida) is the only option here. On defense, I'll take Eric Berry (S Tennessee) and his 12 interceptions (3 returned for TDs) in two seasons.

I Wrote What?: Yes, the preview says 11-1 for Auburn's predicted record. At least I was right about Florida over Georgia, Tebow not getting his second Heisman, and Mississippi getting a couple of upsets (@Florida, @LSU.)

Non-Conference Games to Watch
* Alabama vs Virginia Tech in Atlanta, Sept 5 - This is how you kick off a season. Don't expect VT to just roll over like Clemson did last year. This should be a much tougher game.
* Georgia at Oklahoma St, Sept 5 - Two teams that are considered very good, but not at the top of their respective conferences. Whoever wins will immediately make that jump in credibility.
* Georgia at Georgia Tech, Nov 28 - If you saw last year's game, I don't need to tell you why to watch.
* South Carolina at NC State, Sept 3 - This game gets bonus points for being the first ESPN game of the season. Last year South Carlina was 7-3 before losing the last three. NC State started 2-6 before winning four straight to get to a bowl game. Who will start this season with momentum?
* UCLA at Tennessee, Sept 12 - You've done a lot of talking this offseason Lane Kiffin. Here's your first chance to back it up.

Projected Standings:
East: