The SEC East – The class of college football

The SEC East is the best division in the best conference in college football. So without further delay, here’s how I think things will shake out. This post will cover the bottom four teams in the division in reverse order.

6. Vanderbilt (1-7, 0-5 division) After two recent flirtations with bowl eligibility, Vandy resumes its place in the natural order with an oh-fer in the East. I gave them one conference win mainly out of kindness. I’m actually not even sure if they can give one of the Mississippi schools a scare. This being the SEC, however, opponents will need to take the Commodores seriously. For as many losses as this team will have (and, oh, there will be many), they still are capable of an “Any Given Saturday” upset. I think Vandy could be a three or four win team in, say, the ACC but they are just too far behind in talent to beat the big boys on a consistent basis.

5. Kentucky (2-6, 1-4 division) I was tempted to just cut and paste most of the Vanderbilt preview, change a few words around and – presto! – Kentucky preview. But I actually think the ‘Cats have a little more reason to be optimistic. A win against Louisville in the opener could put Kentucky in a position to go to a bowl at 6-6. But that might be the ceiling, with crossover road games at Alabama and Mississippi State (please, don’t laugh) and the aforementioned brutality of the east. Losing Andre Woodson – who last year passed for 40 touchdowns – is just too big an obstacle to overcome, even though some talent remains on offense.

4. Tennessee (5-3, 3-2 division) It’s hard to peg a team as talented as Tennessee as a barely-above-.500 squad, but it’s going to be a tough road for the Vols, who open conference play at home against Florida and then must travel to Auburn and Georgia. Going 1-2 in that stretch could probably be considered a small triumph. I have picked Tennessee to upset the Gators (no one is going 8-0 in the SEC – just five have since expansion, two since 1996) but I actually can see that game going either way, which is more than I can say about the Vols’ chances at in Auburn and Athens. In a final cruel twist, Tennessee must hit the road to play the East’s fourth top team – South Carolina. Against that slate, three conference losses seems to be a reasonable expectation. Somehow, I don’t think Vols fans are going to see it that way.

3. South Carolina (5-3, 3-2 division) Thanks mainly to a rugged defense, this is the year that South Carolina turns the corner under Steve Spurrier. Wait, we’ve heard that before, but where? Oh, that’s right 2007. This year I think it’s true – to an extent. The Gamecocks welcome back 10 (ten!) returning starters on defense, including stars like the beautifully named Captain Munnerlyn at corner and linebacker Jasper Brinkley, who returns after missing much of last season due to injury. Even with attrition and uncertainty at quarterback, this should be the best SC (just don’t call them USC) squad under Spurrier. But in the East this year, that only gets you so far. The Gamecocks will have a hard time against Florida and Georgia, and LSU also pays a visit Columbia. Overall, South Carolina’s season will likely come down to the finale against Clemson, whom the Gamecocks must beat to have a chance at an Outback-ish type bowl and 10 wins. Otherwise, it could be another disappointing year.

Predictions for the top two teams in the SEC East (see if you can guess who they are!) are forthcoming this afternoon.