The surprise of the SEC preseason: Florida coach Urban Meyer actually has complimented his running backs.

The second-year coach ripped his runners for most of his first year on the job. He even wondered aloud to the media if the Gators might be better off not using a running back.

I think he was kidding.

Now, he's saying how the running backs could make positive contributions to his football team. And I think he's serious.

"Our tailback position is going to be a lot better," Meyer told the Gainesville Sun on Saturday. "There was no big-play opportunities at tailback (last season). There could be a giant hole, and we weren't going to get a big play out of that position.

"I think that's going to change this year."

Nonetheless, don't expect to see a Heisman Trophy campaign for fifth-year senior tailback DeShawn Wynn, Florida's talented but underachieving running back. One of the knocks on Wynn is that he doesn't handle praise well.

Wynn, a 230-pounder with speed, flashed his potential as a freshman when he ran 65 yards for a touchdown against Miami. Also as a freshman, he scored four touchdowns in a game.

But his career has been more about potential than production. When you think about the best running backs in the conference, he no longer comes to mind. When you think about the most puzzling running backs in the conference, he tops the list.

Wynn and sophomore Kestahn Moore, who rushed for 88 yards on 13 carries against Iowa in the Outback Bowl, are expected to carry most of Florida's running load.

No Average Smith: Don't bother telling Alabama's Andre Smith how difficult it is for a true freshman to start in the offensive line. He was running with Alabama's first team after 10 practices.

Smith, who is 6-foot-4, 330 pounds, will open the season as Alabama's starting left tackle. And it's not even a surprise. As soon as the Tide signed the high school All-American from Birmingham, he was projected as a possible starter.

Smith won't be the only young starter in Alabama's offense, which also will start four sophomores, including quarterback John Parker Wilson. Alabama will start only two seniors on offense.

Fine Line: Mississippi State is only a 6A 1/2-point underdog for its Thursday night opener against South Carolina. That's not many points for a program that has lost 34 SEC games by an average of 23 points in the last five years.

But there's another track record to consider. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier seems to have trouble with the Starkville mystique.

In 1992, Spurrier's Florida team lost 30-6 at Starkville. In 2000, Spurrier's Gators lost 47-35 at Starkville.

If the Bulldogs pull off an upset, it will have to be with defense. Their offense reportedly has looked just as bad as last season when it scored 10 or fewer points in seven of its eight conference games.

Po' Rebels: Maybe next year, Ole Miss can sign offensive lineman Jerrell Powe for the third time.

Ole Miss first signed the Parade All-American from Wayne County (Miss.) High School in 2005. When he failed to qualify academically, he enrolled in Hargrave Military Academy, which has saved the careers of so many academically challenged student-athletes.

After Powe finished up at Hargrave, Ole Miss signed him again this year. He made it through military school, but not the NCAA Clearinghouse, which on Saturday ruled him academically ineligible for the 2006 season.

Next likely stop: Junior college.

45 Points Better?: Some oddsmakers have Arkansas as only an eight-point underdog to Southern Cal. If they're right, that would make for a 45-point turnaround.

USC routed Arkansas 70-17 last year.

Dawg, Where's My Car?: Quentin Moses, Georgia's preseason All-American defensive end, is relying on teammate Ramarcus Brown for a ride these days. Moses' 1995 Chevy was stolen.

Extra Points: Former University of Tennessee athletic director Doug Dickey was one of about 150 former Florida players who attended Saturday's practice. ... Three true freshmen -- Percy Harvins, Jarred Fayson and Riley Cooper -- figure in Florida's wide receiver rotation. ... LSU went 5-for-5 with the NCAA Clearinghouse, which flagged the academic records of five signees but cleared all five, including All-American running back Keiland Williams, who attended Hargrave.