[Chance Harper]

Florida Gators best bets in deep SEC

No conference in the nation is as deep as the SEC which boasts half of the Top 6 teams in the preseason polls and with 10 of the 12 members owning realistic shots at heading to postseason bowls. The Georgia Bulldogs are the talk of the nation currently as Mark Richt's squad enters the season ranked No. 1 in the coaches poll. Urban Meyer's Florida Gators already have their Nov. 1 date with the Dawgs circled.


The premier conference in college football is threatening to get even better in 2008. The defending champion LSU Tigers may have a difficult time getting back to the BCS Championship Game, but two of the top five clubs in the preseason rankings are from the SEC, and the Tigers are just one spot back in No. 6. No other conference can boast this level of football talent.

Not that all 12 Southeastern teams are going to have a happy 2008 campaign. But nearly everyone in the conference has a reasonable chance to go bowling this season. Here are the over/under victory numbers for each SEC club.

Florida Gators (10)
Ranked No. 5 in the preseason polls, the Gators are the SEC’s best chance for another national title. The defense is a little thin, but it’s hard not to see Florida winning at least 10 games this year.

Georgia Bulldogs (9)
Absolutely overvalued at No. 1 in the preseason polls; however, the public appears to be aware of this. Georgia has fallen behind the Gators in the betting odds and will probably be the underdog when they meet Nov. 1. But the rest of the schedule is forgiving enough for 10 wins.

Auburn Tigers (9)
Auburn overcame a weak offense to go 9-4 (7-5 against the spread) last year. That offense should improve with a stronger line and new offensive co-ordinator Tony Franklin coming over from Troy to run a no-huddle spread. The Tigers could win the SEC; beating Mississippi State on the road might be enough to get to double digits.

LSU Tigers (9)
This won’t be that much of a down year despite QB Ryan Perrilloux’ dismissal and the loss of talent like DT Glenn Dorsey. But a tough road schedule will make it difficult to climb the mountain again.

Tennessee Volunteers (8½)
Vols supporters have relatively low expectations in this ridiculously deep conference. Like LSU, having a new starting QB to replace Erik Ainge won’t slow down the club as much as the betting public expects.

South Carolina Gamecocks (8)
This team lost its last five games to finish 6-6 in 2007, despite a competitive No. 30 ranking in Fremeau efficiency. A rebound is expected in the betting public – this is a Steve Spurrier program, after all. It’s too tough of a schedule to ask for nine wins, though.

Alabama Crimson Tide (7½)
Here’s a team that’s poised to take it to the next level. The Tide have a strong recruiting class, enough to improve on last year’s 7-6 record, even though their 3-9 ATS mark is a bit ominous. A fairly forgiving schedule should get Alabama to eight wins.

Mississippi State Bulldogs (6½)
Not much happening here. The Bulldogs overachieved last year at 8-5 (6-6 ATS) despite getting outscored 301-279 by the opposition. The MSU offense is not good enough to pull that off again.

Kentucky Wildcats (6½)
It’s possible the Wildcats will put together yet another 8-5 campaign, but QB Curtis Pulley is going to miss some starting time after a string of traffic violations. There’s a lot of downside here.

Arkansas Razorbacks (6)
Having Bobby Petrino on board gives the Razorbacks great promise for the future. Getting to a bowl game in his first season will be tough; coaxing QB Ryan Mallett to defect from Michigan was a good start.

Mississippi Rebels (5½)
Ole Miss arguably has a better chance than the Hawgs of going bowling with Houston Nutt coming over from Arkansas. The public anticipates a big improvement on last year’s 3-9 finish. I like them to beat the Gamecocks at home on Oct. 4 to reach six victories.

Vanderbilt Commodores (3)
Someone has to be the doormat in the SEC. However, three non-con wins over Rice, Duke and Miami-Ohio are practically in the bag. Taking the over has lower risk for the ‘Dores than any other team in the conference.

[Deuce]

UGA will win the SEC

[bigboydan]

UGA will win the SEC

I don't think they will Deuce. They seem to be having some real off the field issues with some of there players.

[Brock Landers]

So the 1st day of the season, we have a "virtual" lock of Vandy wininng on the road at miami ohio..as a dog too.

[LT Profits]

I actually this this analysis a lot Chance. Nicely done!

[pavyracer]

I don't think they will Deuce. They seem to be having some real off the field issues with some of there players.

BBD, The media overblows everything. Everyone here in Athens encourage the players to party before the season to let the steam out. This team is for real. They will steamroll the SEC to a national championship. Best QB and RB tandem along with best defense and best coach.