College Football Preview – Part 1/7, SEC

In the world of America’s big four professional sports, there are only two days when no games are played; the day before and after MLB’s all star game. Summer time belongs to baseball fans, but in the three day baseball all star hiatus, my attention turns toward my number one passion, COLLEGE FOOTBALL.

One of the happiest days for me every year is when the different sports magazines come out with their College Football Previews. It is no different this year. Although I have been a die-hard Sporting News guy since 2001, I have shifted toward Phil Steele last year due to the massive amount of information it provides. In previous summers, I’m either reading preview magazines in a cubicle or in the summer school classroom. A little change this year, I’ll be reading in my bedroom. The reason I am writing a preview is not only because I love college football, but also because I believe writing the preview will help me understand the teams better. I’ve already done my homework on teams I love in Tennessee, Texas, and USC, but this way, I’ll be up to date on the rest of the field.

Let’s get to the point. I will break down the 5 main BCS conferences in the following order: SEC, Big12, PAC10, Big Ten, and ACC. Forgive me Big East fans, but other than Louisville, no other teams pose a threat to win the national title. I will also rank the top 15 teams going into the season and the top 15 teams at the end of the season. Finally, I will present my first annual All American Team.

SEC

I grew up in SEC country in Knoxville, Tennessee, so I have always believed that SEC is to college football as Athens is to ancient Greece. For the better part of the 90s, the SEC East dominated the conference with championship-caliber teams such as Tennessee and Florida with a recent resurgence of Georgia back to powerhouse status and the newly Steve Spurrier-led Gamecock crew of South Carolina. Despite weak links in Vanderbuilt and Kentucky, there is no doubt the East has been the better division for the 90s.

The West can boast about Alabama’s title run in 1992, but ever since, probations for Auburn and Alabama has weakened the division. Nick Saban managed to turn LSU into national prominence in 2003 as co-champions, but with his departure, LSU might fall back to mediocrity within 3 years which is when players he recruited are due to graduate. Les Miles is a formidable replacement, but doesn’t have the track record as a recruiter at Oklahoma State; however, LSU practically recruits with its name alone, being in the football hotbed of Louisiana. Regardless, LSU is in a transitional phase. Auburn turned in probably the most disappointing season in the last ten years with their 7-5 2003 season despite being picked as the national champion favorites in several publications. They erased the bitter taste with a 13-0 2004, but still wasn’t good enough to play for the national title. I feel it was a real injustice for the Tigers since SEC is a premier conference with 7 teams averaging attendance better than 80,000 last year. To go undefeated in a conference where so many people cares and so many powerhouses play is just unbearable.

The format I am going to use is that I will write a few paragraphs about each team in the league. Then, at the end, I will rank the teams twice, once for the beginning of the season and again for how I think they will finish, which means I will factor in their schedules.

ALABAMA

Offense
Brody Croyle is back for his 15th season at quarterback. Ok, seriously, the once-highly touted (#2QB in 2001) quarterback comes back after being knocked out for the season in the 3rd game of 2004 for his senior season (5th year). Croyle should enjoy a fine senior season, but his health should be a concern after missing significant time in 2003 and 2004. Leading passer Spencer Pennington is gone to pursue a baseball career, so Croyle will be backed by Marc Guillon. Kenneth Darby looks to build on a good sophomore season in which he rushed for 1101 yards and 8 TDs. All the top receivers from 2004 are back so improved production is expected especially with Croyle pulling the trigger. The biggest concern is the OL where 3 projected starters are redshirt freshmen; however, the Tide are used to replacing the OL in the past few years and has one of the best guards in the nation in JB Closner, 1 of only 2 seniors starters on offense (Croyle).

Defense
The starting defense returns 7 seniors and 9 starters from 2004. Wallace Gilberry led the team with 6.5 sacks last year and is only a sophomore this year on the DL. He will be joined by three returning starters. The linebacking crew is solid with DeMeco Ryans and Freddie Roach. The defensive backs are all returning starters. In the mix is Simeon Castille, a highly recruited CB with good size (6-1, 187). He had an interception in his first game as a true freshman last year. This is a defense that practically returns everyone from a 2004 team that held 10 of 12 opponents under 135 yards passing, and 6 of 12 teams under 100 yards rushing. There should be no concerns here.

Prediction
Despite the 6-5 2004 regular season, Alabama was a better team than their record indicates. Without starting QB Brody Croyle, the Tide were able to stay in the game at Tennessee (lost 13-17) and vs. Auburn (lost 13-21). The 2005 season hinges on the health of Croyle. With a favorable schedule, the Tide has a chance to win the SEC West. Alabama gets Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee, and LSU at home with only 4 road games; the toughest being the last game of the season at Auburn. LSU and Auburn on back-to-back weekends at the end of the season will be a major test. I believe head coach Mike Shula will enjoy his best year in his 3rd season.

ARKANSAS

Offense
Gone is the human gazelle, Matt Jones. In comes a bunch of inexperienced QBs in speedy sophomore Robert Johnson (4.5 in the 40), redshirt freshman Alex Mortensen (Chris Mortensen’s son), Landon Leach, and Cole Barthel (baseball player). I expect Robert Johnson to win the job provided he fully recovers from hernia repair operations. The receiving corps is young as well, although loaded with speed (Chris Baker 4.27, Cedric Washington 4.3, Cedric Logan 4.37, Michael Coe 4.48, and Marcus Monk 4.5). Among them, Marcus Monk is the man with an unbelievable combination of size and speed (6-6, 224lb, 4.5 speed). He played basketball and football in high school and was the valedictorian of his high school class. While only a sophomore, he’s already a terrific pro prospect but need to prove he’s more than just an athlete. The Hogs will have to rely predominantly on their ground attack this year with De’Arrius Howard and Peyton Hillis. You’ve probably heard of the phrase “Thunder and Lightning” before used to describe a combination of a power back and a speed back such as USC’s Lendale White and Reggie Bush, but here at Arkansas, they have “Thunder and More Thunder” with Howard and Hillis. Howard is a bruiser at 6-0, 228lb, with 4.4 speed, while Hillis is the fullback at 6-2, 238lb. Both are top 10 prospects at their positions coming out of high school (Howard #7 at RB, Hillis #9 at RB) and had amazing numbers (Howard rushed for 2746yds his senior year while Hillis ran for 2631yds!). Although an underachiever, Howard could pull a Cedric Cobbs in 2005 and redeem himself. Hillis is still a youngster looking to further develop. Darren McFadden is a hot prospect (#9RB) who might beat out both Howard and Hillis, but if I were coaching the Hogs, I would redshirt him. The OL features 4 returning starters and 3 seniors and should once again be a strong unit under OL coach Mike Markuson.

Defense
The Hogs like to convert WRs to the DL (Jamaal Anderson, Anthony Brown, and Desmon Sims). Sims and Brown are the projected starters despite weighing 228lbs and 223lbs respectively. The defensive scheme is moving from 4-2-5 to 4-3, so seniors Sam Olajubutu and Pierre Brown will start as the OLB with their tremendous speed. The secondary had a year to mature and should be more experienced with senior SS Vickiel Vaughn as the anchor to the unit.

Prediction
The offense has the talent and potential to be great, but hasn’t yet performed on the field. I believe Houston Nutt, one of the better coaches in the nation, will have his team play well in the SEC West. The defense should be better against the run this year after wearing out last year, giving up 295 rushing yards to LSU in the season finale. The schedule doesn’t have Florida or Tennessee, but is still a handful. Back-to-back weekends on the road against defending champion USC and Alabama will either break or make this team. After a home game against defending SEC champ Auburn, the Hogs will still have to face Georgia and LSU on the road. I like Arkansas’ offense, but I believe they’ll have to wait until next year for the young quarterback and receivers to develop and for the schedule to become more favorable. Hats off to Arkansas for scheduling powerhouse teams (Texas in ’03 and 04, USC in ’05 and ’06).

AUBURN

Offense
The Tiger offensive backfield is completely depleted after their 13-0 2004 campaign. QB Jason Campbell (#25 WAS), Carnell “Cadillac” Williams (#5 TB), and Ronnie Brown (#2 MIA) were all first round NFL draft picks. Going into 2005, the QB battle is among a sophomore and two redshirt freshman in Brandon Cox, Calvin Booker, and Blake Field. Cox is the early favorite since he backed up Jason Campbell last year. Cox was an extremely accurate passer in high school setting an Alabama state 6A career record for completion percentage at 68.7%. He completed 70.8% of his passes in his senior year of high school. The RB situation is not as green as the Tiger QBs, but still very inexperienced. Tre Smith, a junior, will have first stabs at the starting tailback position after missing 2004 due to medical reasons. He was a backup to Brown and Williams and also returned punts in 2003. With heavy losses in the backfield, Auburn is going 3-wide this season, a justifiable move. Wide receivers Courtney Taylor (Jr.), Devin Aromashodu (Sr.), Ben Obomanu (Sr.), Anthony Mix (Sr.), and tight end Cooper Wallace (Sr.) are all back with tons of experience. Their presence indicates a change of pace from two years of ground game with Cadillac and Ronnie Brown. This corps will also feature youngsters in James Swinton and highly touted frosh Montez Billings (#20WR). The inexperience of the backfield will be aided by a veteran and talented front line. Sr. tackle Marcus McNeill, a possible All-American will anchor a line that also features Troy Reddick (tackle).

Defense
Everyone will remember the trio of Tigers who were drafted in the 1st round of the 2005 NFL on the offensive side of the ball, but DB Carlos Rogers was also taken (#9 WAS). Also gone for 2005 is 13 game starter in 2004, CB Junior Rosegreen. The defensive backfield looks like a sieve at this time. The DL isn’t much better, only returning 1 starter; however, Stanley McClover, nicknamed “The Predator” by Tommy Tuberville, is a budding star. Despite a strong linebacking crew in Kevin Sears, Antarrious and Travis Williams (no relation…Travis is the cousin of Duce Staley), The Tigers defense has their work cut out for them. Along with a bunch of inexperienced players, they have to adjust to new defensive coordinator David Gibbs after Gene Chizik left to fill the position at Texas vacated by DC Greg Robinson.

Prediction
Auburn’s young team is blessed with a forgiving schedule for 2005. Although The Citadel, UL Monroe, and LA Tech are off the schedule, the Tigers don’t play an away team until mid October. Still, it will be a challenge provided season opener foe Georgia Tech features All-American WR Calvin Johnson and formidable QB Reggie Ball who could have a field day over the green Auburn secondary and defensive line. Auburn fans, get ready for the Tigers to give up some ugly numbers on defense this year.

FLORIDA

Offense
This is a terrific offense, one of the best in the country. One knock is the running game as the SEC leader in rushing, Ciatric Fason, departed after 2004. His position will be fought out by some blue-chippers in DeSahwn Wynn (experienced), Skyler Thornton (all-around back), and Markus Manson (speedster who can break long ones). Although first year head coach Urban Meyer has proven he can win without a star running back, the SEC is a completely different from the Mountain West and Mid Atlantic Conference. You have to be balanced to win. At quarterback is savvy junior Chris Leak who should put up All American numbers. Don’t worry about the wide receiver position as talented upper-classmen (Andre Caldwell Jr., Chad Jackson Jr., and Dallas Baker Sr.) fill the starting roles and are backed by a plethora of highly-touted recruits (Nyantakyi Boateng #8WR and David Nelson #19WR). The line returns 3 starting seniors and should be solid. Adjustment to Urban Meyer’s system might prevent Florida from winning the SEC East, but the offense is composed of juniors and seniors as well as top talents out of high school.

Defense
The top 2 tacklers from last years team returns in linebackers Brandon Siler (So.) and Earl Everett (Jr.). Siler was amazing last year to lead the team in tackles (77) as a true freshman. Todd McCullough is the favorite to replace 3rd round draft pick Channing Crowder, but true frosh Jon Demps (#17LB) will challenge for playing time. There’s a gem in the secondary in junior CB Demetrice Webb who is so good he might leave for the NFL after this year. The safety spots are held by senior returning starter Jarvis Herring and high school prospect Kyle Jackson (#5SS) who is a sophomore. True freshman Avery Atkins (#14DB) and junior college transfer Reggie Nelson are also going to contribute to the secondary. The defensive line will be solid, returning every starter from a squad that gave up only 3.7 yards per carry last year.

Prediction
Urban Meyer’s quarterbacks are all running, dual-threat QBs from Josh Harris at Bowling Green in 2001-2002, to Alex Smith at Utah in 2003-2004. Now he has Chris Leak at Florida who is no different from the other two in their style of play except Leak has a much bigger arm than both Harris and Smith. This is a good sign for Florida to avoid a 5-loss season for the first time since 2001. I like both the Gator offense and defense in that there are talent and experience. The schedule is not bad for an SEC school. With 2 “warm-up” games at home before taking on Tennessee in the Swamp, the Gators should be favorites for that matchup. The hardest game should be October 15 at LSU. Georgia and Florida State are both big games but the Gators get off weeks before each game. Will Florida challenge for the championship? Yes. Will they win it? No. It’s hard for a coach to win the national title in his first year at a school even if it is Urban Meyer and even if his team is oozing with talent. Maybe his second year, like what Jim Tressel of Ohio State and Bob Stoops of Oklahoma, but few will pull a Larry Coker at Miami. Even for Coker who won the national championship in his first year as head coach, it was actually his 7th season at Miami. This means Coker was already very familiar with the school, the athletes, the program, the local media, and the fans, which is what Urban Meyer needs to do before he can win the championship.

GEORGIA

Offense
Remember the David Greene/DJ Shockley controversy a few years back? Now that Greene is gone, Shockley gets 1 year to prove himself. He won’t get much help from receivers Reggie Brown and Fred Gibson because they’re gone as well, but a running back corps composed of Thomas Brown (#3RB), Kregg Lumpkin (#3RB), Danny Ware (724 yds as true freshman), Tyson Browning, Tony Milton, and Michael Cooper will be one of the best in the country. An assortment of injuries to these running backs in the previous few years means that each one had their time to shine and they did just that. Brown and Lumpkin are blue chip prospects out of high school while Ware, Browning, and Cooper all proved that they can handle the load if asked. The receivers are very weak with the departure of Brown and Gibson (both NFL draft picks), but the key might be short passes to the talented tight end Leonard Pope as deep routes aren’t Shockley’s bread and butter. Recruit Mohamed Massaquoi (#5WR), Sean Bailey (#6WR), AJ Bryant (#10QB, converted WR), and Mario Raley (#18WR) will haul in the passes. The offensive line is good and massive, averaging 6-5, 314lb. There might be a few NFL prospects here, headlined by guard Max Jean-Gilles.

Defense
The Bulldogs lost key players in the DL unit (David Pollack, Defensive Player of the Year), the LB unit (Odell Thurman, 2nd round NFL pick), and the DB unit (Thomas Davis, 14th overall NFL pick). There are a bunch of highly-touted players on the squad, but few have lived up to their expectations. Sr. DT Kendric Golston (#3DL) for example, started as a true freshman, but has yet to live up to his potentials due to injury and disciplinary issues. The DL returns 3 senior starters, and could be the key to this defense. Due to injuries last year, the linebacking crew does have some experience, but someone needs to step up early. Odds are that sophomore Brandon Miller (#10DL) and redshirt freshman Josh Johnson (#17) will be starters by the end of the year.FS Greg Blue wasn’t a highly sought after athlete coming out of high school, but no doubt, he is the leader of the team. He will anchor the secondary as well as the entire defense.


Prediction
I’m guessing the play calling for this years Bulldogs is run, run, and more run. The massive OL, an option quarterback DJ Shockley, and a handful of running backs led me to my conclusion, but if you look at Georgia’s big-game opponents Florida, Tennessee, and Auburn, they all have tremendous front-7s and good safety support. I just don’t see Georgia making much noise after losing their leaders on offense (David Greene) and defense (David Pollack). It is not out of the question for Georgia to start the season with 2 home losses versus Boise State and South Carolina. It doesn’t get much easier after that with visits to Tennessee and Georgia Tech plus matchups against Arkansas, Florida, and Auburn. I don’t think Georgia will win the SEC East due to the loss of players and their schedule.

KENTUCKY

Offense
Andre Woodson (#25 QB) starts as a sophomore quarterback for the Wildcats. He is big (6-5, 230), not quite Jared Lorenzen big, but big as in tall. Despite being a sophomore, Woodson had some playing time last year and did pretty well. He is also impressive in spring ball. Another sophomore starts at tailback in Rafael Little, who was the 2nd leading rusher last year. Sophomores Jacob Tamme and Keenan Burton will start at TE and WR respectively, as well as fellow classmen Aaron Miller and Micah Jones on the O-line. You guessed it; there are a lot of youth on the squad, and little talent due to probation.

Defense
The defensive scheme switched from 4-2-5 to 3-4 to a 4-3 in just 2 years. Wanting to stop the run, DC Mike Archer made the change from his 3-4 style. They lose valuable linebackers in Chad Anderson who quit the team and Jon Sumrall due to injuries. With Durrell white moving to the line, this unit looks very weak. Both the D-line and secondary returns 3 starters so they should be better off. Muhammad Abdullah is a seasoned senior who has been productive in the past 2 seasons.

Prediction
I don’t see Rich Brooks improving in his 3rd season with the loss of scholarships due to probation and a nasty schedule. Not only does Kentucky have to face Florida, Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee, they have in-state rival Louisville to worry about in the opener. For a program like Kentucky, all you can ask for is to finish the season strong so you can build on something next year. Even this looks like a daunting task as the Wildcats finish with UGA and UT, 2 teams who combined for 1195 yards of total offense and 99 points against UK last year.

LSU

Offense
Thanks to Nick Saban, it’s hard to find a player on LSU’s roster ranked outside of the top ten at their position coming out of high school. Let’s take a look: JaMarcus Russell (#4QB), Alley Broussard (#8RB), Justin Vincent (#9RB), David Jones (#4TE), Early Doucet (#1WR), Xavier Carter (#2WR), Andrew Whitworth (#8OL), and Herman Johnson (#9OL). Russell or Randall, Randall or Russell? That was what fans tried to figure out the entire season. Then in the bowl, it became Russell or Flynn! New coach Les Miles doesn’t have a history of quarterback controversies because he never had really good prospects to begin with. Now, he will have to face the question of the three headed monster, Russell, Flynn, or Perrilloux. The other three-headed monster occurs at the running back position, with Broussard, Vincent, and Addai all deserving of the starting nod. And yet another hairy situation is who starts at wide receiver?! Craig Davis and Dwayne Bowe are upperclassmen returning starters who led the team in receiving last year, but Doucet, Carter, and Amp Hill (#12WR) are all phenoms. The line returns 4 starters to ensure the safety of the position players. Andrew Whitworth is a returning All-Conference 1st Team player. Welcome to a powerhouse school, Les Miles, where you have to make the hard decision of which blue chipper to start.

Defense
The defensive line loses Marcus Spears (#20 overall NFL pick), but returns 3 senior starters in Kyle Williams, Claude Wroten, and Melvin Oliver. Their backup consists of another throng of blue chippers in Glen Dorsey (So. #7DL), Tim Washington (redshirt Fr. #16DL), Marlon Favorite (rFr. #19DL), Ricky Jean-Francois (Fr. #14DL), and Al Jones (Fr. #16DL). The linebacking corps makes up for the lack of pure talent with experience. 3 seniors will start off the year with Luke Sanders and Darry Beckwith as possible torch bearers. The safeties are strong in LaRon Dandry and Jessie Daniels, but both starting cornerbacks depart. Replacing the CB position is one of the most difficult things in college football, but LSU has blue chippers doing that in Sammy Joseph, Ronnie Prude, and Mario Stevenson. At LSU, not only does one wave of blue-chip players replace another wave of blue-chip players, even coaches come with credentials. Nick Saban was a defensive minded coach and will be replaced by the new defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, the former DC at Oklahoma and interim head coach at Nebraska in 2003.

Prediction
At first glance, LSU wasn’t too appealing of a choice for national title contention, but just looking at their roster made me start to change my mind. There are so many NFL-caliber players at LSU with tons of potential. Just as I start to jump on the bandwagon, I came back to earth for several reasons. First, like Urban Meyer, this is Les’ first year at LSU in an unfamiliar conference. The fact that he coached with success in a major conference before and has retained the offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, from the previous staff might make him more successful than Meyer, however, I don’t think he can win a title in his first year. Second, all the uncertainties on offense will cost them a chance to beat Tennessee, which is only their 3rd game of the season. I don’t believe their CBs would adapt that early in the season either. The schedule is very friendly with the three big games (Tennessee, Florida, and Auburn) all at home, but wait, did I see that correctly? Appalachian State? APPALACHIAN STATE is on their schedule??? Come on, the LSU practice squad can beat App. St.! It is a homecoming game, so maybe it’s like a fan appreciation gesture, schedule an easy opponent so the fans can get wasted by the 1st quarter and not miss any football. It’s also a good way of burning redshirts and practice running up the score. If this years Rose Bowl invitation comes down to the wire again like last year, voters could look at Appalachian State on LSU’s schedule to turn them into 2005’s version of Auburn.

MISSISSIPPI

Offense
Along with Eli Manning, gone are the wins, and also the head coach, David Cutcliffe (after 2004). Much of the maligned season was due to the departure of the leading quarterback (Eli Manning), running back (Tremaine Turner), and wide receiver (Chris Collins) from 2003. However, Cutcliffe took the blame and got the axe, despite being one of the better coaches in the nation in my opinion. This year’s squad should be much more experienced with all 3 quarterbacks returning, including super sophomore prospect Robert Lane (#5 QB), senior Vashon Pearson, 827 rushing yards on 5.1 average, and 3 senior WRs in Mario Hill, Taye Biddle and Mike Espy. A pair of bookend tackles return to aid the offense, but the center and both guards have to be replaced.

Defense
Much like the offense, the defense suffered from losing 5 of the top 7 tacklers from the 2003 team. Last year’s defense only held opponents under 100 yards rushing in 1 game. Head coach Ed Orgeron should improve the run defense since he has been one of the best defensive line coaches while at USC. 3 starters return to the D-line, which is likely to be starting 4 seniors this year. Hot prospect Jerrell Powe (#2 DL) is a talent recruited by Orgeron this year. Patrick Willis might have a break out year at the MLB position as a junior starter. He had 70 tackles and 5 sacks in 2004. The secondary is spearheaded by FS Charles Clark who led the team with 76 tackles last year, although he had no interceptions. In fact, the entire defense only had 8 interceptions last year, an area that needs to be addressed.

Prediction
I expect new coach Orgeron’s presence to be felt on the defensive side of the ball. After all, he should have learned a thing or two in his 4 years under Pete Carroll, who was both HC and DC at USC. His offensive coordinator is one of Tommy Tuberville’s protégé, Noel Mazzone. These two men combined for a 26-0 record last year! If nothing else, their winning attitudes should give a boost to this team. The Orgeron defense will be tested right away as Ole Miss opens the season at Memphis, who features one of the nation’s best running backs in DeAngelo Williams (1948 yds, 22 tds last year). Although the road games against Tennessee and Auburn will be tough, the Rebels get both Vandy and Kentucky from the east. You can expect a near .500 record for the year.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

Offense
The offense returns 8 starters for 2005. Omarr Conner (#20 QB) is a mobile QB who should do well in this offense which doesn’t require him to pass the ball too much. Besides, he will be handing off the football most of the time to senior Jerious Norwood (#6 RB). Norwood had a solid junior campaign and could be even more spectacular in his 2nd season under head coach Sylvester Croom and offensive coordinator Woody McCorvey, both of whom were running back coaches (Croom for the Packers and McCorvey for Tennessee). The only thing to worry about on offense is the line, where 3 starters need to be replaced.

Defense
The defense also returns 8 starters, featuring defensive end Willie Evans who is one of the best in the SEC with 67 tackles (2nd on team), 5.5 sacks, and 9 tfl last year. Former cornerback Quinton Culberson converted to middle linebacker late last year and will start this season. The secondary should be fairly strong since they only gave up one 300-yard passing game last year, however, 5 foes rushed for over 200 against the Bulldogs including Vanderbilt who doesn’t even have a 500-yard rusher for the season. I expect the run defense to improve with 3 starters returning on the line.
Prediction
Croom’s stint at MSU started with a boom in a victory against Tulane, but then lost 5 in a row, including a humiliating loss to Maine. It seems like Croom is doomed, but he mustered out a miraculous upset of Florida in Starkville, which brought him immediate immunity. The loss to Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl was hard to swallow, so I look forward to an improved season. Looking at the schedule, it looks like Miss. St. could once again be 1-5 to start (the schedule includes Auburn, Georgia, LSU, and Florida in the 1st 6 weeks). Despite that, they have a chance to win out the last 5 games of their season, which would be a tremendous job regardless of how the 1st 6 games go. This is only Croom’s 2nd year, so be patient. Croom is getting some pretty good prospects so the future looks good.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Offense
Spurrier is back. Spurrier is back. Spurrier is back. That’s all you need to know for offense. Ok, ok, here’s a little more about the Gamecocks. As a college football fan, it is sad knowing Demetris Summers won’t be back this season after being kicked off the team for undisclosed reasons. Summers was the #1 running back prospect in the class of 2003. Cory Boyd, the 2nd leading rusher last year, will start at RB if his off-field problems subside, or else, either senior RB Daccus Turman or freshmen Mike Davis (#31 RB), Taylor Rank (#54 RB), and Bobby Wallace (#78 RB) will have their shot at the tailback position. We all know Spurrier doesn’t need a prospect at QB to succeed, so whoever takes over should do fine. The wide receiver corps loses Troy Williamson (#7 overall pick by MIN), so they will be down a notch. Look for Spurrier’s recruits, OJ Murdock (#16WR) and Carlos Thomas (#22 WR), to play a factor this year. The O-line returns 2 starting tackles in Na’Shan Goddard and Jabari Levey and a good youngster in sophomore guard James Thompson; however, it will be difficult converting the blocking scheme from Lou Holtz’s option offense to Spurrier’s “Fun ’N Gun”. South Carolina will struggle early offensively getting used to a new offense as well as finding the right personnel.

Defense
The D-line loses 5 players from 2004, including all 4 starters. Despite the greenness on the line, this could eventually be a solid unit by year’s end. Senior De’Adrian Coley doesn’t have much experience but has linebacker speed (4.58) at the end position. A very highly touted DT in Marque Hall (#10 DL) could be a dominating player in the middle. Ricardo Hurley (#3 LB) is a senior returning starter who should make a run at All-Conference. Flanking him will be JUCO star Mike West and senior Lance Laury who had 90 tackles as a freshman. The secondary returns 3 starters headed by SEC freshman of the year Ko Simpson at FS. Simpson is the returning leader in both tackles (61) and interceptions (6).

Prediction
Right off the bat, Spurrier gets Georgia in Athens and Alabama at home in the 2nd and 3rd games of the season. The Gamecocks don’t get an off week until after their 6th game. If the offense looks sharp after the October 15th matchup against Vandy, then Tennessee and Florida should start worrying, but unless the offense pans everything out by then, South Carolina will be looking at a 6-loss season.

TENNESSEE

Offense
The long line of quarterback excellence came to an end last season, or was it just a pause? Dating way back to Andy Kelly (1988-91) who left as UT’s all time leading passer, Heath Shuler (1992-93) who was 2nd in the 1993 Heisman voting and #3 overall pick in the 1994 NFL draft, Peyton Manning (1994-97) who will be idolized in East Tennessee for decades, Tee Martin (1998-99) who led UT to their national title in 1998, and finally Casey Clausen (2000-03) who was a four-year starter and a second coming of Peyton Manning. Freshmen QB Brent Schaeffer and Erik Ainge took over last season as true freshmen, but Rick Clausen finished the season after both were injured. This year’s quarterback Erik Ainge comes back from his injury, and could become the next Manning or Clausen. Schaeffer transferred and Clausen could challenge for the starting job not to mention Jonathan Crompton (#3QB) will also be on campus (likely will redshirt). The running attack is led by heralded senior Gerald Riggs who finally fulfilled his #3RB ranking out of high school last year by leading the team in rushing with 1130 yds and 5.7 ypc. Some say this is Tennessee’s best WR corps in history, which is saying quite a lot. I don’t agree, but simply because they haven’t performed on the field. In terms of potential, the UT receivers are definitely a top tier group with Jayson Swain (Jr.), Chris Hannon (Sr.), Robert Meachem (So.), CJ Fayton (Sr.), Bret Smith (Jr.), and Slick Shelley (Fr. #9WR). The OL was injury plagued last year, which means this year’s group has a lot of starting experience. The star of the O-line is senior tackle Arron Sears.

Defense
I am really high on the DL with All-American caliber seniors in Jesse Mahelona and Parys Haralson. The 2 combined for 12 sacks and 21 tackles for loss last year. Demonte Bolden, a terrific prospect (#6DL) will play a backup role. Three seniors will start at linebacker in Omar Gaither, Kevin Simon, and Jason Mitchell. Simon was a starter and a great prospect out of high school (#2LB), but was injured last season after just 2 games. If he avoids the injury bug, Simon could be All Conference. The secondary returns all 4 starters including Jason Allen who could have gone pro. Allen will be moved back to CB. Blue-chipper Demetrice Morley (#7DB) was a five-star recruit out of Miami (how Phillip Fulmer pried him away from the trio of Florida schools is beyond me) and should lock up one of the safety spots by midseason. The Volunteer defense has a lot of talented players. Along with defensive coordinator John Chavis, one of the best in college football, this could be a scary defense in 2005.

Prediction
Great offense, loaded defense, good depth everywhere, great coaching staff, too bad the schedule is a killer. I would love to see the Vols go undefeated this year, but at Florida and at LSU in late September looks very scary right now. Even if Tennessee goes into October undefeated, games against Georgia and at Alabama are toss-ups. Oh and don’t slight their season opener opponents UAB, which is no cupcake of a team. I am also worried about disciplinary issues and injury issues. It seems like a constant theme that the program revolves around players getting into trouble. I also wonder if the training staff should get a make-over due to massive injuries to the players in the past 5 years. It just seems like Tennessee catches the plague every other year, which brings up the question of the athletes’ conditioning. For the Vols to make it to this years Rose Bowl (national championship game), they’ll need at least two Clint Stoerners from their opponents.

VANDERBILT

Offense
One name comes up when you talk about the 2005 Vanderbilt Commodores football team, JAY CUTLER. A lot of writers and scouts are saying Cutler might be one of the good NFL prospects you never heard of. He has excellent speed and has a prototypical quarterback body (6-4, 225). He also raised his completion percentage from 48.6% as a freshman to 61% as a junior last season. Those might be things scouts look at, but I don’t expect that to turn into performance this year…not on this team. Cutler might go on to make millions in the NFL, but he is getting no help from the rest of the offense. Both leading running backs from last season are gone. Norval McKenzie graduated and Kwane Doster is dead. The line returns some seniors but Cutler’s blind side is composed of 2 players with 2 starts combined in guard Josh Eames (So.) and tackle Ryan King (Sr.). The receivers situation is better since they return 2 of the top 3 from last year. Erik Davis has proven himself over the last 2 years as a dependable target. This offense comes down to Cutler and his leadership abilities. If he acts and plays like the senior leader he is, the offense will gel and overachieve. I guess we, as well as the NFL scouts, will see if that quality is within him.

Defense
Another name comes up for the Vandy Commodores, MOSES OSEMWEGIE. Just like Cutler is the leader of the offense, Osemwegie is an all-conference caliber linebacker on defense. MLB Jonathan Goff is only a sophomore but started the last 4 games as a freshman. If his growth continues, he could be a valuable sidekick to Osemwegie. The question is, “can the D-line be effective enough for the linebackers shine?” The DE position is filled by Chris Booker, who missed the entire 2004 due to injury, and Herdley Harrison, a converted LB. Booker can be a good speed-rusher if he fully recovers from the ACL injury. The secondary is very weak.

Prediction
Every BCS conference has one. The Big Ten has Northwestern, the Big XII has Baylor, the ACC has Duke, the Big East has Rutgers, and for the SEC, it is Vanderbilt. No, we’re not talking about highest average GPA on the football team; we’re talking about the cellar dwellers (although the GPA and losing records might be related). Vandy has 1 winning season in the SEC in 44 years and 22 consecutive losing seasons. It’s hard to expect much from those kind of numbers, but I believe HC Bobby Johnson might turn things around in his 4th season. Johnson was a winner at the Division I-AA level with Furman, and I think he has Vandy geared up for a surprisingly good season. By good, I mean a 5-6 record. Although their record is 2-9 last year, many of those losses were winnable games. I expect luck to shift to Vandy’s side this year. It’s been done before, Gary Barnett at Northwestern and Steve Spurrier at Duke.