SEC Preview

Three Best Teams:

Florida: Tim Tebow’s return was obviously huge for the Gators, but it’s their defense – which returns all 11 starters – that will have just as big an impact on Florida’s chances of repeating, if not more.

Ole Miss: Expectations haven’t been this high in Oxford for 40 years and there is no doubt Ole Miss possesses the weapons to finally make the pilgrimage to Atlanta for the SEC championship game. But will the pressure of a BCS-worthy season be too much for the Rebels?

Alabama: This is the year Alabama was truly supposed to blast off under Nick Saban’s leadership, not 2008. If quarterback Greg McElroy – who has only attempted 20 passes in his career – can effectively manage the Tide’s offense (read: hand off to Glen Coffey and get the ball to Julio Jones), the defense should be good enough to keep most opposing offenses under 20 points.

Three Must-See Games:

Tennessee at Florida (September 19): When Lane Kiffin falsely accused Urban Meyer of cheating last winter after only two months in Knoxville, this rivalry got ratcheted-up another notch, if that’s possible. The Gators will be looking forward to this game (and looking to pile up the points) even more than usual.

Alabama at Ole Miss (October 10): The winner automatically becomes the front-runner in the SEC West race, unless…

Florida at LSU (October 10):…LSU can knock off Florida in Death Valley on the same day. From past experience, it’s clear Les Miles has balls of steel and will go all out to knock off the Gators.

5 Player-makers You Should Know:

Dexter McCluster (Ole Miss, wide receiver): The senior, who until Houston Nutt arrived was an undetected and underutilized weapon, is extremely versatile and will line up in multiple positions in the “Wild-Rebel” formation, running, passing, and recieving.

Ryan Mallett (Arkansas, quarterback): The sophomore transfer from Michigan is a perfect fit for Bobby Petrino’s high flying offense; with the body of a power forward (6-7, 238) and an absolute canon for an arm, he could lead the Razorbacks to more than a few surprise upsets this season.

Eric Norwood (South Carolina, linebacker): The do-it-all senior lines up all over the field for the Gamecocks, initiating a constant guessing game with opposing offensive coordinators who are sometimes stuck gambling on what position he’ll attack from; he has a legitimate chance to become the all-time sack leader at USC by the end of the season.

Florida’s Two-Headed Monster at Tailback: Sophomores Chris Rainey and Jeffrey Demps will split time at tailback for the Gators, a scary proposition for opposing defenses. Both are blazing fast and combined, racked up over 1,200 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns in 2008 – all while sharing a large number of snaps with Percy Harvin.

Eric Berry (Tennessee, safety): Along with Taylor Mays, Berry, a junior, is the other premier safety of 2009. The two-time All-American is only 15 yards away from setting the NCAA record for interception return yards, with 487.

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