If SEC football were available on the stock market, I hope you bought Alabama and Ole Miss big last summer.
If you gambled the 401K on Tennessee, LSU or Auburn, well, ouch. Sorry about that.
Another SEC regular season is in the books after yet another wild weekend. The lay of the land on the first day of December reveals surprises. Which, of course, is hardly surprising.
Back in July when the tribe convened in Hoover, Ala., for SEC Media Days, the folks who cover Georgia were asking a lot of questions with national championship implications. To their surprise, the media anointed Florida to win the league.
The Gators will win the league - it says here - but they have one slight obstacle remaining: No. 1-ranked, undefeated Alabama.
A projected Western Division duel between LSU and Auburn fizzled fast. Alabama stomped everybody on the way to Atlanta for Saturday's championship game.
The Crimson Tide, however, doesn't win the prize for most improvement in the SEC standings.
Nick Saban took Alabama from 4-4 to 8-0, a four-game swing. Houston Nutt resurrected Ole Miss from 0-8 to 5-3.
At the other end of the spectrum, LSU and Tennessee, last year's championship combatants, both skidded from 6-2 to 3-5.
Auburn also had a three-win swoon, from 5-3 in 2007 to 2-6.
At least Les Miles and Tommy Tuberville have their names on the office door. So far.
By Sunday afternoon, Lane Kiffin's photo had replaced Phillip Fulmer's on Tennessee's official Web site. That seemed unthinkable in July. Of course, so did Wyoming winning in Neyland Stadium.
The other newly unemployed coach is 2007's SEC coach of the year, Sylvester Croom. Mississippi State turned back into a pumpkin at 4-8.
Vanderbilt's Bobby Johnson was the early favorite for 2008 coach of the year. Alas, after a 5-0 start, the Commodores gasped to the finish line 6-6. At least they're going bowling for the first time since any current players were born.
Most seasons, Houston Nutt would be coach-of-the-year material for the turn-around at Ole Miss. But what Saban has done at Alabama trumps all.
From 7-6 to 12-0. From the Independence Bowl to a BCS bowl. Maybe even to the BCS national championship game.
To play for a national title, the Tide has to first beat the team playing better than anyone from Hoboken to Honolulu. Sorry Oklahoma, that would be Florida.
That home-field loss to Ole Miss on Sept. 27 is unaccountable. Since then, no one has come within 30 points of the Gators.
As for Georgia, the red-hot team at the end of 2007, the Bulldogs are only mildly warm at the end of 2008. At 9-3, Georgia is one game off last year's pace going into bowl season.
The SEC offensive player of the year ought to be the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. Tim Tebow, in fact, ought to win the Heisman again.
I'll take Tebow over any of the big-stat quarterbacks from the Big XII. He's still the most valuable player in college football.
The only guy who could make a case to take the SEC offensive player honor away from Tebow is his multi-threat teammate, Percy Harvin.
The defensive player of the year should come from one of the worst teams. There's no justice if Eric Berry is denied because of UT's nosedive.
As expected, Georgia's Knowshon Moreno was the best running back in the league.
The best freshmen played on the best teams. Georgia receiver A.J. Green slightly overshadowed Alabama receiver Julio Jones. Jeff Demps added juice to Florida.
On defense, Will Hill and Javoris Jenkins at Florida and Don'ta Hightower at Alabama made important contributions.
Finally, a prediction for 2009. That Alabama-Florida match coming up Saturday in Atlanta? You'll see a rematch next year.
Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strangem@knoxnews.com.
© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 13
1stBaseHelton writes:
U R AN IDIOT!
txsvol#372416 writes:
I pull for Tennessee every game, and for who ever is playing Florida and Alabama. Now that they are playing each other next week, is there any way both can lose! SAVol
ctownvol writes:
Pull for an earthquake. That's what I'm doin'.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
10 point spread, huh. Could be a shocker, if so we'll miss the Gator fans.
Surely Urbie won't pull a Michigan or Ole Mess, will he?
TJ says he's going to the Mother Church adder this season, anywho. Zooker back to Fla????
TommyJack writes:
PD: The word is, terry bowden has his feelers out in Gainspatch. He has experienced feelers, you know.
blitzshoot writes:
Losing Percy Harvin hurt the Gators, but it should be a good game.
CrankE writes:
I'll believe the hype on Alabama if they can beat Florida. The signature wins for Ala. are over Clemson and UGA. Two of the biggest underachievers of the season. Don't get me wrong, they've done great and have put the points onto just about everybody. But Florida has absolutely unloaded the points on some of those same teams like LSU and UGA. I think the Gators will take this one. If Alabama does get the win, they'll win it all.
The good news for the SEC is that it looks like they'll be represented again at the BCS national championship. From an upside, in the last 4 years, if you could win the SEC Championship, you can probably win the national title. The downside is that if you're a team trying to get back uphill like Tennessee, it's almost required that you be good enough to win a national title simply to win the SEC.
I believe Houston Nutt deserves the Coach of the Year award. Ole Miss was on life support when he showed up. I remember wondering what in the world he could do there that would justify the salary. Saban's great 2008 happened after a 6-6 campaign last year which mirrored his predecessor's in 2006. Nutt turned the corner with Ole Miss in his first year. He gets my vote.
99gator writes:
IMO....
SEC player of the year....tim tebow
sec defensive player of the year....terrance cody
SEC coach of the year.....nick saban
sec freshman of the year...a.j. green
players who should be first team all-sec without much of an argument
tim tebow
percy harvin
knowshon moreno
andre smith
brandon spikes
terrance cody
eric berry
jasper brinkley
eric norwood
other spots on the all-sec team are up for debate, but again (IMO) if these guys are not on it, something is wrong.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Just curious, should Tebow get blindsided by Bama's Man Mountain Dean's 367 lbs, does Fla have a 2nd string QB?
Or is he at circumcision school? LOL
99gator writes:
hard to be blindisded coming from up the middle.
but, what will be interesting in this game is (for me) is florida isn't a finesse football team, despite the stereotype that has been placed on them.
the florida offensive line is not a bunch of light weights and is highly underated.
will be interested to see the florida "o" take on the bama "d" and vice versa. florida is the only team in the sec that has great skill players, a qb, and an offensive line.
Tenn_Dawg writes:
This should be a great game. The possibility of not having Harvin certainly hurts UF's chances. I don't really care so much about who wins the SECCG, I just hope the winner keeps the NC trophy in the SEC family. Congrats to both teams on fantastic years.
Tenn_Dawg writes:
99gator...hard to argue with your all SEC coaches and players. Pretty solid list.
TommyJack writes:
Don't know. Already been Galen Hall and Terry Bowden sightings in Gainespatch.
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