The raging debate in college football, other than the fact that there is no college football playoff, is what’s the best conference? For SEC fans, that’s an easy answer. For anyone that doesn’t root for a team in the Southeastern Conference then it can be a bitter pill to swallow. Rather than admitting it’s the SEC, fans will shout Pac 10, Big 12, etc. But the truth of the matter is that the SEC is the top conference in college football.
This season, the SEC had the best bowl record (7-2) of all the conferences. LSU won the national championship and Georgia finished No. 2. Five SEC teams finished in the top 15.
Bowl Scoreboard
ACC (2-6)
Big East (3-2)
Big 10 (3-5)
Big 12 (5-3)
Conference USA (2-4)
Independents (0-1)
MAC (0-3)
Mountain West (4-1)
Pac 10 (4-2)
SEC (7-2)
Sun Belt (1-0)
WAC (1-3)
Since 1992, four different SEC teams have won the national championship; Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and LSU. The Gators have won two while the Tigers have won twice this decade. A few seasons ago Auburn would have been the fifth SEC to win at least a share of the national title (’04). Despite the Tigers going 13-0, USC finished No. 1 that season and didn’t win anything but the SEC Championship. I find it extraordinary that four teams from one conference have won the title and a fifth (Auburn) should have at least won a share in 15 years.
There are many different ways you can breakdown conferences and who has the top one. I look at depth and what you have at the top. This season, it’s the SEC.
There have now been ten BCS National Champions and the SEC has produced four (LSU twice, Florida and Tennessee), including the past two. Can they make it three in a row with three different teams? Certainly the University of Georgia will make a run in ’08, as could Florida (that is if their defense improves).
With that said, here’s an early look at my top 20 going into next season.
1) USC
Whether it’s Mark Sanchez or Mitch Mustain at quarterback this Trojan team is loaded everywhere. Mustain will push Sanchez but Sanchez should win out based on experience with this offense. USC is losing some key players like linebacker Keith Rivers but it won’t matter. They are still the most talented team out West and arguably the country. Running back Joe McKnight should have a break out season and Pete Carroll hopes one of his receivers will break out as well. Like Georgia, they have a tough schedule, especially early. The Trojans open up at Virginia and then host Ohio State in week two. The biggest obstacle for USC will be USC as they narrowly edge out Georgia for the top spot.
2) Georgia
The Dawgs return 17 starters from a team that finished this season red hot. That includes quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno. Moreno should be on the Heisman short list for ’08. UGA has a young and talented OL and the defense played very well down the stretch of ’07. Can Georgia get through a brutal schedule that includes early games at South Carolina and Arizona State, back to back home contests against Tennessee and Alabama and then four consecutive games away from home at LSU, Jacksonville (vs. Florida), Auburn and Kentucky before finishing the season against arch rival Georgia Tech? Then, if the Bulldogs do win the East, they will get a ticket to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game. Win that and they should end up in Miami to play for the national title.
3) Florida
Let’s see, Tim Tebow is back. Percy Harvin is back. The Gators finally have a running back in transfer Emmanuel Moody. They are deep and have playmakers everywhere on offense. The question is defense. If the defense plays well, the Gators will be tough to beat. But that’s a big if based on how they played in ’07, especially against Michigan. When Florida plays Georgia in Jacksonville at the end October, the SEC East will be on the line with national title implications.
4) Ohio State
The biggest thing Ohio State will have to overcome in ’08 is self confidence. They need to forget about what happened against Florida and LSU. 19 starters return to Columbus and they have to get through game three with a win, no matter what. That week they face USC on the road. A win against the Trojans will restore their faith. Running back Chris Wells will make a run at the Heisman and the Buckeyes look loaded across the board. Their biggest challenge in conference will be Wisconsin and Illinois and they travel to Madison in October and Champaign in November.
5) Missouri
Missouri should be loaded on offense with quarterback Chase Daniel and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. How good will they be if running back Tony Temple returns next year? They could have the nation’s top offense next season. The defense will be better and the Tigers return nine starters off that unit. They open up with Illinois in St. Louis and face Texas in Austin in October. Missouri’s season could hinge on the outcome of those two games.
6) Clemson
2008 will be the year of the Clemson Tigers. They return nine starters on a good defensive unit. More importantly quarterback Cullen Harper and running back C.J. Spiller will be back. The Tigers must replace three OL starters lost to graduation. Spiller could make a serious run at ACC Player of the Year honors now that it’s his show with James Davis going to the NFL. Clemson finally breaks through and wins the ACC in ’08. If not, will they ever?
7) West Virginia
How do you lose to Pittsburgh and a chance to play for the national title to end the regular season, then lose your head coach to another school, and then go out and beat a team like Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl? So goes the Mountaineers. They are up and down and need to figure out consistency. Quarterback Pat White comes back for his senior season and new head coach Bill Stewart will hope to do what Rodriguez couldn’t, get the Mountaineers to the title game.
8) Texas
It was a disappointing ’07 campaign for Mack Brown and Texas as the bar is set high in Austin. The Longhorns finished with a big Holiday Bowl win against a good Arizona State team. That victory should give UT some good momentum going into the off-season. Colt McCoy should be poised for a big season and he should help put the Longhorns in contention for the Big 12 and beyond. Don’t underestimate how good of a pick up Will Muschamp will be for that defense.
9) Oklahoma
Will the real Oklahoma Sooners please stand up? How disappointing was the end of their season, winning the Big 12 title then getting crushed by West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl? Can quarterback Sam Bradford avoid the sophomore jinx? If he does he should lead the Sooners to a ton of points. Running back Demarco Murray should have a monster season and show the college football world that he’s one of the games most dangerous and versatile talents.
10) LSU
The Tigers are losing a ton of talent off this Championship team like quarterback Matt Flynn, wide receiver Early Doucet, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and safety Craig Steltz. That’s a lot to overcome, especially in a league like the SEC. But they have recruited so well that LSU will just reload. Their success will hinge on how well quarterback Ryan Perrilloux plays.
11) Virginia Tech
The Hokies finally found their offensive groove the second half of ’07 with both quarterbacks playing their role well in Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon. Will one emerge in ’08 or will it be quarterback by committee once again. Virginia Tech must get running back Brandon Ore back on track and find replacements for linebackers Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi.
12) South Florida
The Bulls were a hot team and then finished cold in 2007. This is a very young team that should learn from their mistakes and take those learned lessons into next year. Quarterback Matt Grothe will only be a junior and he has some very talented players around him. The defense is sound but will have replace two outstanding corners in Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams and linebacker Ben Moffit.
13) Illinois
It’s a crying shame running back Reshard Mendenhall decided to opt for the NFL draft rather then come back for his senior year. If he’s back then Illinois is a top ten club with a great shot at winning the Big 10. Now they have to find a running game to support quarterback Juice Williams. If he improves next season the way he did this season then the Illini should be in good shape. Arrelious Benn could emerge as a superstar in the college game at receiver. The defense took some hits to graduation but should be in good shape.
14) Arizona State
The Sun Devils exceeded expectations in year one under Dennis Erickson. Quarterback Rudy Carpenter will be a senior next year and one of the nation’s top signal callers. Most of the offense (skilled players) is back and Erickson’s players will feel more comfortable in that system. They lost three OLs to graduation and must replace five senior starters on defense including their leading tackler.
15) South Carolina
The Gamecocks are my surprise team next year. Why? Brian Van Gorder. He is now the new South Carolina defensive coordinator and he’s one of the best in the business. Van Gorder has plenty of talent to play with in Columbia and this unit is expected to be vastly improved. Quarterback Chris Smelley should do well in Steve Spurrier’s system next season. Kenny McKinley is one of the SEC’s top receivers.
16) Kansas
Quarterback Todd Reesing is back after throwing for almost 3,500 yards and 33 scores. He leads a potent offense but they did lose tackle Anthony Collins. Losing corner Aqib Talib hurts their defense but it should still be a strong unit. This is a program on the rise that gained a lot of confidence this past season, especially after an Orange Bowl win over Virginia Tech. The schedule toughens up next season with away games at South Florida, Oklahoma, and Missouri (in Kansas City) and home games against Texas Tech and Texas.
17) Texas Tech
Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree both return to Lubbock, as this is the top pitch and catch duo in the nation. They put up video games numbers in ’07; Graham threw for over 5,700 yards and 48 scores, while Crabtree caught 134 passes for 1,962 yards and 22 touchdowns. The Red Raiders have more talent on their offense other than these two. They will challenge once again in the Big 12.
18) Wake Forest
Winning nine games this past season proved 2006 was no fluke. Demon Deacon Head Coach Jim Grobe is one of the game’s top coaches and he has a wonderful staff. This is a program that just gets better each year. Next season they should challenge for the conference title once again with quarterback Riley Skinner leading the way.
19) Auburn
The Tigers will face a few issues next season. First they are changing offenses under new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin. He is a spread guy and they need to find a quarterback and receivers. Junior College transfer Chris Todd could be their QB or perhaps Kodi Burns. Defensively, they lost another defensive coordinator to Texas, as Will Muschamp left for Austin. Regardless, the Tigers have some serious talent on that side of the ball. If the Tigers pick up Franklin’s system, watch out for them in ’08.
20) Oregon
The Ducks will lose three starters on offense but none bigger than quarterback Dennis Dixon. So Oregon Head Coach Mike Belloti must decide on a quarterback. Will it be Justin Roper after his four touchdown performance in the Sun Bowl against USF. Running back Jonathan Stewart will return as one of the nation’s top players. If the Ducks get consistent quarterback play that can do some serious damage in the Pac 10 next season.
Two teams to watch out for that I think will make some noise that not too many people are expecting much from;
Pittsburgh
2008 will be their breakout season. It’s time for the Panthers to turn the corner. They will contend with West Virginia and South Florida for the Big East title. If not, they could be looking for a new coach.
Ole Miss
I really believe Houton Nutt inherited a team with talent. Watch quarterback Jevan Snead for the Rebels. He could have as great an impact as anyone on any team this season. Don’t expect Ole Miss to win the SEC West but they will certainly win their share this season and have a great chance to go bowling in the post-season.
Over the last six months I always get asked the question, where is Julio Jones going to sign? What about Terrelle Pryor and Darrell Scott? Who will T.J. Bryant visit? With that in mind, here are the top ten uncommitted prospects and what’s going on with their recruitment.
Julio Jones (WR)
Foley (Ala.)
6-4/212/4.4
Finalists – Alabama, Florida, FSU, Oklahoma
Nothing much has changed with Jones, at least publicly. It is expected that he will visit Florida State this weekend and Florida the next. He visited Alabama officially in December. The Crimson Tide is certainly the team to beat but I really believe the Seminoles are a close second. In fact, I think they are a lot closer than people realize. The Sooners will be in the hunt too, as he will visit Norman on January 25th. The Gators are believed to be on the outside looking in and this is shaping up to be a three horse race between Alabama, FSU and Oklahoma. Jones says he will let everyone know on National Signing Day.
Terrelle Pryor (QB)
Jeannette (Pa.)
6-6/210/4.45
Finalists – Florida, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Michigan, Duke
Pryor has already visited Ohio State and will likely try and visit Michigan, Duke and Florida over the next four weeks. Then again, he’s in the middle of basketball season and it will be tough for him to make any trips at all.
What will he do? No one knows.
Why is Duke a consideration? The Blue Devils are in the running for two reasons. First, remember he’s one of the nation’s most sought after hoops players and Duke basketball is one of the premier programs. Second, he loves the fact that new Duke Head Coach David Cutcliffe groomed both Peyton and Eli Manning. Will he end up going to Duke? Likely not.
I think both Oregon and Florida are on the fence.
Again, no one knows what Pryor is thinking. He also loves new Michigan Coach Rich Rodriguez. This could be your classic Buckeye/Wolverine battle to the bitter end.
Darrell Scott (RB)
Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure
6-2/215/4.45
Finalists – Colorado, Florida, LSU, Texas
Scott has pretty much been all over the place but insiders believe it’s a two team race right now between Texas and Colorado. With running back Jamaal Charles headed to the NFL it appears that the Longhorns could be his front runner. But I wouldn’t discount the Buffaloes out of this one just yet. Scott could visit LSU this month. A team to watch for could be Tennessee. Former Florida running back coach Stan Drayton is now the Volunteer running back coach and he was recruiting Scott for the Gators. Keep an eye on Tennessee. The Gators went from his frontrunner, to back to the pack, to frontrunner and now appear to be out of it.
DeAndre Brown (WR)
Ocean Springs (Miss.)
6-6.5/222/4.5
Finalists – Southern Miss, LSU, Ole Miss
Early on LSU was the team to beat for Brown but the Rebels made a big push during the summer and early fall. Brown even gave a silent commitment to former Ole Miss Head Coach Ed Orgeron. All bets are off now. In situations like this I always go back to the early favorites – the Tigers and Rebels but you never know if someone else could sneak in in the end.
T.J. Bryant (CB)
Tallahassee (Fla.) Lincoln
6-0/185/4.5
Finalists – Alabama, Florida, FSU, LSU, Miami, USC
Things have been very quiet in the T.J. Bryant camp and that was by design, as he has not done any interviews in a few months. He is down to the six listed above.
Prior to the end of the college football regular season it was believed that Alabama, LSU and USC were his frontrunners. But LSU lost defensive coordinator Bo Pellini to Nebraska (as head coach). Could that hurt the Tigers? Well, had Pellini stayed this one would be done and Bryant would be a Tiger.
Remember this, most of the elite prospects from Lincoln High School sign with FSU but the ‘Noles have been trying to play catch up since the spring. I think they have made up huge ground by naming Jimbo Fisher as Bobby Bowden’s successor. He has family in Miami and likes the ‘Canes. Bryant has a very good relationship with Pete Carroll and has a great respect for Nick Saban. Despite the defensive back commitments for Florida the Gators are making a push. This will be another interesting soap opera of a recruiting affair that should get more intriguing by the day in January.
Bryant will make all five of his official visits and unofficial visit next month and announce his college destination on Signing Day between the six schools. He is not saying when he is visiting each school.
Omar Hunter (DT)
Buford, Ga.
6-2/300
Finalists – Florida, USC, Auburn
One of the most asked questions I got all season long was who would de-commit from Notre Dame. Up until recently the answer was no one and that’s amazing considering the Irish looked horrible this season going 3-9. Then defensive tackle Omar Hunter reneged on his Notre Dame pledge, citing distance as the factor why. He now lists three schools in the running for his signature, Florida, Auburn and USC. Well, Los Angeles is further away from home than South Bend so Southern Cal is a long shot. Auburn just lost their defensive coordinator, Will Muschamp, to Texas. So the Tigers needs to make a move fast. Florida appears to be the heavy favorite at this time. He will make his official visit to Gainesville (1-18) later this month.
Josh Jenkins (OG)
Parkersburg (W.V.)
6-3.5/303
Finalists – West Virginia, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Florida State, Penn State
Jenkins was a long time West Virginia commitment, although he was always kind of looking around, especially with Ohio State. Now that Rich Rodriguez has left for Michigan, Jenkins has opened things back up. The new player is Pittsburgh (1-18) and I think the dark horse could be FSU (1-11). He has had a long time relationship with Florida State OL coach Rick Trickett (who used to be at West Virginia). Don’t discount the Mountaineers, as they are in the thick of this one and so are the Buckeyes. This one could go many different ways.
Brandon Harris (CB)
Miami (Fla.) Booker T. Washington
5-10/175/4.4
Finalists – Miami, Florida, LSU, Ohio State and Central Florida
Harris help led his team to a state championship and he had a very good senior season. He has said all along that it’s a four team race between Miami, Florida, LSU and Ohio State. Logic says he will stay home and become a ‘Cane. His dad is a high school coach in Miami and he older brother runs track at Miami. The Gators are making a big push and he loves the Buckeye coaching staff. Harris also had a great visit to LSU and the Tigers are certainly in the thick of it. In the end Miami is going to be tough to beat. Watch out for the Buckeyes with this one. He has already visited Florida and LSU. Harris will visit Ohio State (1-11), UCF (1-18) and Miami (1-25) this month.
Jamie Harper (RB)
Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian Academy
6-0/222/4.45
Finalists – Clemson, Florida State, Florida, Miami, Illinois
I have thought since the spring that Clemson was the team to beat here. At times between now and then we have seen FSU, Florida and Miami make a huge push for this running back. Once again, they will have a shot in January because Harper will visit Clemson (1-11), Florida (1-18) and Miami (1-25) and possibly sneak in a visit to Tallahassee. He took a trip to Illinois last month and I think Ron Zook and the Illini are the dark horse here. Today, I am still beating on Clemson to land another one from Jacksonville in Harper.
Jerrell Harris (LB)
Gadsden (Ala.) Gadsden City
6-3/215
Finalists – Alabama, Clemson, Auburn, USC, Tennessee
Alabama got a visit from Harris last month while Clemson (1-11), Auburn, USC and Tennessee all look like they will get visits from Harris between now and Signing Day. I think if USC were closer he would have already become a Trojan. Distance will hurt their chances. Alabama and Auburn will likely battle it out for this one. He wants to announce on Signing Day.
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