JessN: 2009 PREVIEWS: SEC and National Top 25

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2009 PREVIEWS:
SEC AND TOP 25 RANKINGS
by Jess Nicholas
August 18, 2009

SEC EAST			SEC WEST
Team	W-L	Conf	Team	W-L	Conf
1. Florida	12-1	8-1	1. (tie) LSU	11-1	6-1
2. Georgia	8-4	6-2	Alabama	10-2	6-1
3. (tie) South Carolina	7-5	3-5	3. Ole Miss	10-2	5-2
Tennessee	6-6	3-5	4. Arkansas	7-5	2-5
5. Vanderbilt	5-7	2-6	5. Auburn	5-7	1-6
6. Kentucky	4-8	1-7	6. Mississippi State	2-10	0-8

SEC Champion: Florida over LSU

RANK	TEAM	ANALYSIS
1	Florida	Too much talent, too much experience. SEC dominance continues.
2	USC	Lots of holes to replace, but so what? The PAC-10 can’t touch them.
3	Texas	Red River Shootout may again determine who faces Florida if USC slips up.
4	Ohio State	Buckeyes are the class of an especially weak Big Ten.
5	Oklahoma	All the pieces are there, but this team needs to stop stalling in the postseason.
6	LSU	Bayou Bengals are sleeper team amongst the big boys.
7	Penn State	Nittany Lions’ title hopes hinge on just two games in otherwise soft schedule.
8	Virginia Tech	Hokies’ defense should allow them to mow down most of a soft ACC.
9	Alabama	Crimson Tide will sneak up on no one. Season depends on offense’s execution.
10	Oklahoma State	Quietly one of the most well stocked teams in the country.
11	California	Golden Bears have little competition for second place behind USC.
12	Ole Miss	Ten wins should equal Rebels’ highest ranking in years.
13	Florida State	Could be underrated given Seminoles’ experience. Bowden’s last hurrah?
14	Nebraska	Cornhuskers’ return to respectability makes Big 12 a loaded conference.
15	North Carolina	It’s not going to take Butch Davis long to make the Tarheels a feared power.
16	Michigan State	Blue-collar Spartans are poised for breakout year, and schedule helps.
17	Georgia Tech	Most of the offense returns, and few opponents know how to handle it.
18	Utah	Offense must be rebuilt, and schedule toughens.
19	Boise State	Laughable schedule should help overcome the fact team is rebuilding.
20	TCU	Horned Frogs seem perpetually unfazed by effects of graduation on roster.
21	Oregon	Crucial transition year for Ducks as Chip Kelly takes over as head coach.
22	Georgia	Blasé offense, concerns about team psyche mean tough year for Bulldogs.
23	Kansas	Could be the surprise team of the Big 12, but the road is tough.
24	West Virginia	Offense is rebuilding, but Mountaineers have little competition in Big East.
25	Miami	Hurricanes are just now seeing fruits of purge and rebuilding efforts.

And five others that might get into the discussion …

TEAM	ANALYSIS
Iowa	Hawkeyes are an upset or two away from nine or 10 wins.
Notre Dame	Charlie Weis is fighting for his job, and schedule is favorable.
Oregon State	Offense will score points, but defense is porous.
BYU	Cougars are fast getting back to reloading rather than rebuilding years.
Arkansas	Hogs need a few bounces, and if they do, a national ranking awaits.