Sure the national champion will probably come out of the SEC once again, but from top to bottom the SEC is weak this year. The majority of the teams are reloading (Alabama, Florida) and the rest of the teams are rebuilding (Ole Miss, Kentucky, Tennessee).
Alabama will be the favorite. They return a talented offense with the reigning Heisman winner Mark Ingram returning along with quarterback Mark McElroy and receiver Julio Jones. Alabama will have to replace two starters on their line, but that shouldn't be a big problem. The Crimson Tide though has to replace the majority of the defense. Mount Cody and Javier Arenas are both gone. Nick Saban though is such a good recruiter and the defense should be loaded with talent.
Florida faces the same problem as Alabama except on offense. Not only is Tim Tebow gone, Florida also lost two receivers, tight end, and a right guard. All talented players that need to be replaced. Florida does though return a strong defense with veteran defensive lineman and secondary players returning. Florida is realistically still a year away from contention for a national title, but they should once again play in the SEC Championship game.
LSU, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Georgia, and Auburn are just not good enough this season to contend for a national title. They're all talented teams who will probably beat up on each other and come away from the season with three or four loses.
What will be interesting to see if a SEC has one loss or two loses and will still be chosen over an undefeated team from the ACC or Big East or Boise State. We had this problem four years ago when Florida won the SEC Championship but had two losses on the season. There was debate at whether or not Michigan should get a re-match with Ohio State in the national championship. Well we all remember how that turned out. Florida went to the national championship game, destroying Ohio State, while Michigan went to the Rose Bowl and was promptly destroyed by USC. We could see a situation like the 06 situation this season.
Team That Will Surprise, Georgia: The Bulldogs head into the season with a new quarterback and a new defensive scheme, but return veteran players at receiver, offensive line, and the secondary. The Bulldogs also play in the week SEC East where their toughest opponent will once again be Florida. The talent is there for Georgia it all depends on how well Aaron Murray plays at quarterback.
Team That Will Disappoint, Arkansas: Arkansas is the SEC patented team that receives a ton of hype in the preseason. A couple of years ago it was Georgia. Last year it was Ole Miss. It's Arkansas' turn this year. The Hogs may return an explosive offense lead by Ryan Mallett, but their defense is unspectacular.
Player of the Year, Mark Ingram: The reigning Heisman winner returns to a loaded offense with a veteran offensive line. Ingram will be backed up by Trent Richardson so his body won't be beat up on every game leaving him fresh for the entire season.
Game of the Year, Florida at Alabama, October 2: The rubber match between Florida and Alabama is set for the first Saturday of October. Both teams have faced off in the previous two SEC championship game with each team winning the game and then the national championship. This re-match could be a precursor for the season.
Auburn is also overrated this season.
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