SEC preseason conference outlook

By J.R. Hopwood  |   Tuesday, July 26, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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The SEC will be a tough place to play this year as usual. The talent level should be very high, especially in the East.

SEC East
1. The Tennessee Volunteers have one of the best offenses in the nation this year. Whoever wins the QB job will be more than capable and RB Gerald Riggs should produce some solid numbers.

2. The Florida Gators return a truly talented player in QB Chris Leak, and as long as he adapts well to Urban Meyer's offense look for big numbers. The defense once again should be good, anchored by big LB Brandon Siler.

3. The Georgia Bulldogs have some replacing to do, but very talented players will fill the holes that were left by the NFL draft. QB DJ Shockley now solely controls the offense and the running back corps is among the best in the nation.

4. The South Carolina Gamecocks are a few years away from contending in the SEC East, but Spurrier will nab an upset or two this year.

5. The Vanderbilt Commodores have one of the better QBs in the nation in Jay Cutler. Too bad his supporting cast is well below par.

6. The Kentucky Wildcats lost their top rusher and passer, who is the same Shane Boyd. They will start an underclassman at QB and should stay in the SEC cellar.

SEC West
1. The LSU Tigers have an extremely talented group of rushers and a solid QB in JaMarcus Russell. The team returns 16 starters overall and should be very productive.

2. The Alabama Crimson Tide needs to stay healthy. If QB Brodie Croyle has time to throw or Kenneth Darby has some lanes to run through, watch out. This team could grab some surprise wins.

3. The Auburn Tigers have simply lost too much talent to stay at the top this year. Although capable players return, it's just hard to lose your top 2 RBs and top passer and still be competitive in the SEC.

4. The Arkansas Razorbacks return Senior RB De'Arrius Howard and will look to put up some decent numbers. But losing QB Matt Jones will hurt this team immensely.

5. The Mississippi Rebels will struggle this year with the run. Losing Vashon Pearson before the season and a weak O-Line does not help a team fighting in the SEC West.

6. The Mississippi State Bulldogs return 16 starters from last year and could pull off another upset or two, but the talent just isn't there to win the close ones.
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