An early line on the SEC in 2011, and UGA is … well, not No. 1
With the SEC having generated the BCS titlist five years running, the moral of our story — if indeed morals apply in this cutthroat conference — is this: Win the league, win it all. But that mightn’t be the case come Jan. 9, 2102. (Though the championship game will be played in New Orleans, smack in the heart of SEC country.)
Oklahoma figures to start next season ranked No. 1, and that would be a departure. The past three preseason No. 1’s have hailed from guess where: Georgia in 2008, Florida in 2009, Alabama in 2010. (As we know, none finished No. 1.) Eyeballing it from this distance, the SEC would appear slightly lessened in 2011, but is the Tiffany League ever truly down?
Herewith we offer a look-ahead, the 12 programs ranked in ascending order:
12. Vanderbilt: The Commodores have a new coach. So they’ve got that going for them.
11. Kentucky: The Wildcats seemed onto something when they played Auburn close and beat South Carolina, but they lost four of their final six games. They’ll have a new quarterback in 2011, and Morgan Newton — who started the BBVA Compass Bowl because senior Mike Hartline was suspended — appears a cut below his predecessor.
10. Ole Miss: Wasn’t it only yesterday — actually, it was 2009 — that this team was hailed as a national contender? Nothing has gone right since. Gambling on quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, the defrocked Oregon Duck, enabled the Rebels to win only one SEC game, that against Kentucky. Houston Nutt’s nutty program again appears the least of the SEC West.
9. Tennessee: The Vols have found a quarterback in Tyler Bray, and his emergence enabled them to become bowl-eligible. Now the bad news: Tennessee finished 6-7 and didn’t beat anyone of consequence. Heck, it lost big to …
8. Georgia: Going on returning talent, this ranking is too low. Going on the tenuous state of the program, this ranking might be too high. Some Bulldog fans see Isaiah Crowell, the recruit from Columbus who has yet to commit, as The Next Herschel Walker. I ask: Have we learned nothing in 30 years? There was but one Herschel Walker.
7. Florida: Will Muschamp, the new head coach, is also a rookie head coach. Hiring Charlie Weis as his offensive coordinator will help, but Weis hasn’t seemed half as clever since being separated from Tom Brady. John Brantley, the quarterback of whom much was expected in 2010, is considering transferring — and even Gator backers don’t know if that would be good or bad.
Zach Mettenberger, new to LSU. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
6. Auburn: The national champs will surely lose quarterback Cam Newton and defensive destroyer Nick Fairley to the NFL, and they weren’t just the two best players on their team — they were the two best players in the country. And that’s how it works in the better half of this conference: You can go from No. 1 in the land to No. 5 in the SEC West in the wink of an eye.
5. Mississippi State: The temptation is to put the Bulldogs a notch higher, but two factors mitigate: State lost defensive Manny Diaz to Texas, and the sneak-up factor from 2010 will be gone. Still, if the Bulldogs can win at Auburn on Sept. 10, they’ll face LSU in Starkville on a Thursday night in a cowbell-clamorous game that could propel them into the Top 10.
4. Arkansas: The Razorbacks will take a slight step backward — they reached the Sugar Bowl in Year 3 under Bobby Petrino — only because they’re losing quarterback Ryan Mallett to the NFL draft. But Tyler Wilson seems an able replacement, and Petrino can coach quarterbacks. The downside: Hogs must face Alabama and LSU on the road.
3. South Carolina: The Gamecocks achieved their forever-awaited breakthrough by winning the SEC East. They then lost twice in the Georgia Dome by an aggregate 48 points. The key offensive players return, and Carolina hopes Jadeveon Clowney, the in-state product considered the nation’s No. 1 recruit, will take his talents to Columbia and do for the defense as tailback Marcus Lattimore did for the offense.
2. Alabama: Talent-wise, this is the SEC’s deepest program. But losing three key offensive players — quarterback Greg McElroy, tailback Mark Ingram and wideout Julio Jones — has to have some effect. Doesn’t it?
1. LSU: The SEC West will hinge the Tigers’ Nov. 5 game against Alabama, which will be staged in Tuscaloosa. But LSU, which has struggled for three seasons to find a quarterback, might have two: Jordan Jefferson has begun to settle, and Zach Mettenberger, dismissed from Georgia’s program after his arrest, might wind up starting. And there’s precedent for an SEC champion being quarterbacked by a Georgia native who began at one league program but flourished at another: Cam Newton of Atlanta did it in 2010; might it Mettenberger of Watkinsville in 2011?
By Mark Bradley
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332 comments Add your comment
Monkey Says
January 12th, 2011
2:54 pm
Has anyone seen Schlabach’s and Lowe’s early Preseason 2011 rankings on ESPN.com today ?
Interesting comments.
dawgster
January 12th, 2011
2:57 pm
@Mark Bradley…have to agree with some other comments…why don’t you answer “Go Braves” question regarding the signing of players dismisses or asked to leave other schools but other SEC teams signing them. I think alot of us would love to hear your answer…i mean its fine to give the dawgs and Coach Richt negative comments regarding the issues we had off the field, but why not address what the other schools are doing by signing these guys…Go Braves, i think would like an answer,..
Paul "The Genius" Johnson
January 12th, 2011
2:57 pm
Mark — I don’t want to push my luck too much, but if it is not too much to ask, I could use another column from you extolling my pure genius. You know, with recruting and NSD right around the corner, I need all the help I can get in selling the virtues of an offensive attack that was created by Emory Bellard 40 years ago. Come on, can you help a brother out? Toodles!!
p.s. Thanks again for sweeping my many failures under the rug and focusing on the guy you beat me again this year. Only in America!!
Furman Bishop
January 12th, 2011
2:57 pm
2011 will be Richt’s last year as Head Coach at UGA. At best he will go 7-5 and could easily go 6-6. The 6 possible defeats could be: 1) Boise S. 2) Carolina 3) Ole Miss—play at Oxford. Ga has lost numerous times there with the better team. The Right Reverend Houston Nutt will be on the hot seat and trying his best to win as many as he can, and UGA will be winnable. 4) MS. State— has better coaching and greater desire to win. 5) Tennessee— Dooley has things on a pretty good foundation and the level of play will be much better for UT then last year. 6) They will lose 1 more from one of the following by simply having a lousy game…fumbles,penalties,interceptions: Vanderbilt, Auburn, KY, GA.Institute of Technology. Richt will be fired at year’s end if he does not choose to resign. My prediction for 2011. Could be wrong. Been wrong before.
Gator Mike
January 12th, 2011
2:57 pm
my humble take is that UGA and UT will be vastloy improved next season. USCe will not sneak up on anyone next season. In fact, teams will probably try to pound Lattimore (who is an exceptional player) because Garcia has shown that he tends to implode if Lattimore is a tad off. The Gators are an unknown which makes them a potential dark horse. The talent is still in Gainesville, and we now have a coaching staff who will be enegized. It should be interesting.
In the West, I see either BAMA or LSU winning that division – and the West winner being the eventual SEC Champ.
Looks like we are getting ready early this year which makes all of our predictions fun. Heck, I have never been right in my predictions except for 2008.
Hsappy New Year to all.
aubie#1
January 12th, 2011
3:01 pm
Who said Isaiah Crowell is going to Georgia? He’s looking at Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, and FSU. My guess is that he will go either to Alabama or Auburn…….and boy is he good. If Auburn got him…WOW!
Mountain Dawg
January 12th, 2011
3:05 pm
New Orleans is NOT “Smack in the middle of SEC Territory”.
dawgster
January 12th, 2011
3:07 pm
@aubie#1….good try but its down to two teams…Bama and Dawgs…you just got Bray and the depth you already have at RB is in pretty good shape…Even Crowell’s coach says its a two team race between the dawgs and bama…of course with the way recruiting goes i guess anything could happen before NSD…but at least you got a response out of it…go dawgs
Pitbull
January 12th, 2011
3:09 pm
Mark Bradley is a one trick poney (the anti Richt columns) but he truns that trick so well.
Pitbull
January 12th, 2011
3:11 pm
And why are we reading about football from Mark Bradley when the UGA basketball team just beat mighty Kentucky and is nationally ranked?
Mark is too lazy to write about anythiung except ripping Richt.
shankit
January 12th, 2011
3:18 pm
Auburn Guy
The last time Georgia went undefeated, 1980.
That was the year we were accused of buying
Herschel. He did enroll with Georgia and gave
us three good years. Cam??? Just sayin’.
Oh, and by the way, what bank in Alabamy
are ya’ll using for your ATM cards? Heard
ya’ll bought a shuttle bus, makes daily trips
from your campus to Biloxi.
JB
January 12th, 2011
3:20 pm
Boy, the Tech fans on here are gone underground. Hewitt, Football team in full meltdown, recruiting bland as usual. Bee’s may not swarm in snow…LOL
Mama Says:
January 12th, 2011
3:22 pm
Just Released The NCAA Is putting ” * ” in the record books for the Auburn
dawgster
January 12th, 2011
3:23 pm
Interesting article and picture from the Columbus Ledger about Cam Newton’s father having a mutual agreement with Au per the AD that he would not be at the game or around the program…Its sad that this is where this incident has gone to..Doesn’t appear that Mr. Newton followed thru on what he agreed upon…Of course if it were my son, i probably would have been there also, but then again i would have never, ever put my son in that predictment in the first place…
dawgster
January 12th, 2011
3:33 pm
Ok…this should stir things up…and guys i don’t make this stuff up…someone on 247 sports is trying to confirm supposedly per a radio station, and i have no idea what station or where., but they are saying they heard that Crowell had committed to the dawgs…I don’t put too much validity into it, but someone is asking the question and trying to get it confirmed…I would doubt as the commentor says that he would do this with the visits he has left….but it did get me doing some research and still am…go dawgs
JB
January 12th, 2011
3:40 pm
dawgster………..To make that rumor sweeter, the one about OL Coach Searles going to Bama would make it a red letter day.
Mama Says:
January 12th, 2011
3:44 pm
I want to elaborate on a comment someone made earlier about the SEC programs.
The elite teams in the conference are loaded with talent, loaded with athletes and big strong players who at any moment could play as well as the guy in front of them. There are positions like quarterback where that rule does not apply as often, but for the guys who do not touch the ball like your linemen( both sides of the ball) linebackers, etc that is pretty much the rule.
If you any of you guys attended a College football game this past year and saw an LSU, an Alabama, even a Florida team you saw so many players running on and off the field each play or each series that were just as big and just as fast and just as strong as the guy he replace. That is what good programs that recruit not only for the best players but the need of the program do.
At UGA we see all of the STARS and think oh we have to get him, no you do not, want and need are two different things. How many stars did Mark Ingram have out of high school? He was a 3 star player by one service and the other service gave him a fourth star after his high school playoffs. How many stars did Caleb King have, 4 or 5 and what has he done. My point is that if you are going to run a spread offense recruit players to run it, if you are going to run a pro style offense recruit the players to run it, but you recruit for STARS you are going to find yourself in the same situation over and over as we are now currently in at Georgia.
Big Backs, Blocking Tight Ends, Big DT’s with long arms, True Corners not running backs turned into corners, Linebackers who are linebackers, not some former big runnning back or tight end you moved over to defense because of lack of depth.
You know what lack of DEPTH is? The inefficient levels of recruiting. Coaches know during the season if they have a stud sophomore linebacker or wideout , or any player that the chances of leaving early for the NFL are greater and that is an area for recruiting, but no not at Georgia, we go out and recruit the AJC top 50 hoping to land 10 of them , but what if the ten we land are alll skill folks, where does that leave our offensive line or defensive line? Short on depth.
TONE
January 12th, 2011
3:46 pm
Auburn is still in play for crowell (que son of a preacher man playing in the background)
Mama Says:
January 12th, 2011
3:49 pm
And who says The State of Alabama does not have a Professional Football Franchise?
It is located 40 odd miles west of the Georgia State line just north of I-85 between Valley, Alabama and Shorter, Alabama.
Stewart Mandel: SEC’s postseason dominance killing cyclical theory of sport … – SI.com – BIGJUNCTION.INFO
January 12th, 2011
3:49 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
bigdsel
January 12th, 2011
3:50 pm
IF Joe T is the man, And gets our football team in shape, Then we should have a hell of a year. Especially if we get all of our recruits we want( Crowell, Drew, mitchell, Jenkins, etc)
Buc Blue
January 12th, 2011
3:58 pm
Is Auburn still allowed to pay players this year or was that a one year deal type of thing?
Dawg in Malta
January 12th, 2011
3:59 pm
As much as I have supported CMR….It’s time for a coaching change in Athens!!
We do not need a preacher as the head football coach…we need somebody that will scare the HELL out of our kids!! I appreciate CMR’s faith but it’s time to get a coach that will coach big time SEC football on Saturday and redeem himself on Sunday!
The church I attend every Sunday passes the offering plate…offer instead of receiving!!
dawgster
January 12th, 2011
4:00 pm
I can’t find anything on Crowell and no one else knows eitherr…i would tend to believe that some misinformation got put out there at this point..
TerryG
January 12th, 2011
4:11 pm
My prediction, AJC subcriptions fall in 2011. Bradley is a Finebaum wannabe. Always looking for a negative spin with UGA football. Work on your own problems at the AJC, then worry about UGA.
Bradley Is A Georgia Homer
January 12th, 2011
4:12 pm
You Thuga Humpers have been whining ever since November 13th. Georgia shouldn’t be rated higher than Vandy. Fran Tarkenton even thinks that.
Still in Jail
January 12th, 2011
4:15 pm
Could someone from the Bulldog Nation please come to the Auburn jail and bail me out? I’ve been in jail since I set fire to Toomer’s after my Dawgs got their butt kicked by Auburn on November 13, 2010. I missed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years at the Athens trailer park, and now I have had to listen to all the noise outside the jail from the Auburn fans celebrating their National Championship. I don’t even know if by beloved Dawgs won against mighty Central Florida. And these red panties I have been wearing are really getting nasty. Woof woof and go Dawgs!
dawgster
January 12th, 2011
4:22 pm
Thomas Brown and V. Haynes are coming on board to help with the S&C programs…They are two of the strongest dawgs in many years…So its not just Joe T and Coach K….in my opinion this is going to be very good for our S&C program…go dawgs
wxwax
January 12th, 2011
4:33 pm
Who had Auburn at #1 this time last year?
Enough said.
blue
January 12th, 2011
4:39 pm
“good players” do not win SEC or national championships, Mark my man!
Andy In Blairsville
January 12th, 2011
4:41 pm
Hell, even Vandy could beat UCF.
Andy In Blairsville
January 12th, 2011
4:44 pm
Lay off Bradley!
He’s not the reason UGA Football is the butt of every SEC joke! Back in August 2010 it was BRADLEY who said UGA would go 9-3.
UGA Football is back to its old self as a mediocre regional program and it’s not Bradley’s fault.
blue
January 12th, 2011
4:44 pm
Wilder’s dad REALLY wants him to play RB, not LB…so dont get your hopes up for him to be stopping up the middle. I personally think at his size, he should play LB. Most BIG running backs (with some exceptions like Eddie George) don’t last all that long when they get to the NFL (IF they get to the NFL). He’s 6′ 2″ and 225 now and they will pack another 20 lbs of muscle onto him in college (although looking at him, God knows where it will go!).
kerryb
January 12th, 2011
4:46 pm
What is it with you and Schultz? You guys only write condescending and negative columns about UGA constantly. If UGA happened to win the NC next year you will still find something negative to write about UGA or Mark Richt. How about some equal treatment for Tech and Paul Johnson. They finished with a losing record and lost their bowl game to a team that wasn’t even a conference champion. Do you not write anything like that about them because that is something we are normally use to?
Mike
January 12th, 2011
4:51 pm
Bradley, You’re so friggin’ smart and know everything (at least in your mind), why don’t you tell us, even better, why not tell Coach Richt what we need to do to bring UGA back to the top? I guess there is a reason your’re a blow-hard journalist and not a coach, huh?
Cobb Dawg
January 12th, 2011
4:51 pm
Pathetic but, unfortunately, fairly accurate. This program has fallen farther, faster, than Niagra. I only with someone could tell me why.
The Hedge
January 12th, 2011
4:52 pm
Bradley – I know that must have torn you to pieces to rank UGA 8th….I am sure you wanted to put them 12th…your hatred of that program shows…
beaufortdawg
January 12th, 2011
4:52 pm
Terence is that you?
bamaguy
January 12th, 2011
4:57 pm
In regard to the previous postings regarding the number of NFL players each school has in the NFL; doesn’t it say something negative about the quality of the coaching at those schools if they never contended for or won a National Championship with NFL quality players?
Whisky Breath
January 12th, 2011
5:01 pm
You guys think Mark Bradley is a Ga hater? Damn fools. He is the only reporter in Ga that dares to question the state school. Most of these reporters think telling you what you want to hear is job security. Mark doesn’t particularly love any school or coach. I am not crazy about him, but he is the best the AJC has to offer by a mile. Mark actually has talent.
bamaguy
January 12th, 2011
5:01 pm
UGA football has been on a downward spiral both on and off the football field since the “blackout” in Athens. But when a sports writer simply points that out he “hates” or is “prejudiced against” UGA. I personally think the AJC sports staff have been a lot kinder to CMR and UGA than is deserved.
danny
January 12th, 2011
5:02 pm
What kind of name is Marion for a man? Fran or Marion? Go figure!
Mama Says:
January 12th, 2011
5:13 pm
One point the Auburn fans have yet to realize is:
That under the re-instatement agreement that Auburn had with the NCAA was that Cecil Newton would have no contact at Auburn, any activities, games, or NCAA sponsored events. Jay Jacobs announced prior to the game that Cecil Newton would not be in attendance. But sure enough on more than 4 occassions one Cameron Newton could be seen looking up in a section of the stadium during the game. So that lets you know several things, that Cecil knowingly thumbed his nose at Auburn and the NCAA and that Cameron Newton was aware of it.
Do not give me that crap about it being his son, he agreed along with his attorney to stay away and not to attend anything related to Auburn to regain his son’s eligibility status. Just another case of lies on top of lies from both Cecil and Cameron Newton.
Just to make my point, the Rogers character also signed the same agreement with Mississippi St, and his is to be reviewed for re-instatement in 10 years.
NoFKNdog
January 12th, 2011
5:15 pm
The dogs not number one? There must be some mistake. We all know you dog fans, et al, are number one in SUCKING.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!
Wearing My New Orange NationalChampionship T-shirt
January 12th, 2011
5:24 pm
bamaguy I agree. Since the blackout in Athens – UGA has never been the same. They got their butts kicked on national television by Bama and have never recovered from it. The UGA folks on here are so jealous of AU for losing to Bama but getting back up and ultimately winning it all.
Dandy Don
January 12th, 2011
5:26 pm
I look for Tennessee to compete in the East. Dooley is doing a good job and they are getting some big-time recruits. Plus all the freshmen that played in 2010 will have that year of experience under their belts. Tyler Bray is the man at QB. Vols will take the Doggies in KnoxVegas next October.
Whopper Dawg
January 12th, 2011
5:28 pm
Swap UGA and TN and you got it right. Those two programs are heading in different directions. No way we beat TN in 2011.
Monkey Says
January 12th, 2011
5:28 pm
For all you people beating up Mark Bradley,
You do not need sportswriter who is going pacify the fan base. You need Mark, Jeff, Junkyard Blawg Dawg, Tim Tucker and everyother writer to put everything out there on the table.
No. 1 The AJC pays these writers, blogger and whomever to write articles that draw readership in either print or online. That is how the advertisers set their rates and buy ad space.
No. 2 A good reporter reports facts, opinions, quotes, and anything that will provide better insight into what the article is being written about.
No. 3 A negative or inquisitive article provides the opportunity for readership responses. I know if I were a paid writer or reporter( which as you can tell I am not close to being) I would write articles that peaked the interest of a full range of fans and the largest fan base in my readership. Guess what, UGA is the biggest fan base in Atlanta and across Georgia. It comes with the territory.
We need Mark Bradley, we want Mark Bradley, thank you Mark Bradley.
Monkey Says
January 12th, 2011
5:30 pm
I might have to disagree Orange T shirt and bamaguy, The original downfall began when Mark Richt had his players run on the field during the Florida Game, the Blackout was just another stepping off point for the program.
Monkey Says
January 12th, 2011
5:38 pm
LSU Commit/Recruit JEREMY HILL arrested for sexual assault….will not give the details but google it, not too funny as it involves a 14 year old.
By the way Auburn has been recruiting him very hard the past few weeks.