I keep writing that the SEC is the best football conference in the country. And I keep picking someone else to win the national championship.
As if that's not bad enough, I actually regard that as a logical process.
I assume that the league is so difficult, the teams will beat one another right out of the national championship game. And I assume wrong.
After watching SEC teams win three consecutive national titles, it's past time for subscribing to a new theory, which is - trumpets, please - that the No. 1 league will produce the No. 1 team.
I'll stick with that until Oklahoma, Texas, Southern California or Ohio State (just kidding) proves me wrong.
You don't need a deep-seeded faith in the SEC to pick Florida No. 1. This team could be superior to the last three national champions from the SEC.
How good does Florida look in preseason? See Lindy's 2009 SEC preview.
Lindy's ranked the Gators' defensive line and secondary as the best in the country. Its linebacking corps was No. 2.
With that much defense, how much offense do you need? A few rib-jarring, fourth-down runs and a couple of jump passes from Tim Tebow should do it.
1. Florida - The Gators' second team would qualify for a bowl game.
2. Alabama - Never mind all the losses on offense. The defense will more than make up for it.
3. Oklahoma - The Big 12's version of Florida: A Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback and a stout defense.
4. Texas - Coach Mack Brown keeps recruiting top-five talent. So why wouldn't he have another top-five team?
5. Southern Cal - Another recruiting powerhouse that draws NFL scouts in droves.
6. Ohio State - The Buckeyes should return to the top of the Big Ten, which means they will lose twice to USC - once in the regular season and again in the Rose Bowl.
7. Oklahoma State - Quarterback Zac Robinson gets lost in a conference that has Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy, but he's good enough to lead the Cowboys into the top 10.
8. Ole Miss - Quarterback Jevan Snead looked so good last season, Rebels fans must assume he's related to the Mannings.
9. LSU - The Tigers defense should bounce back under former Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis.
10. Georgia - The Bulldogs can't replace quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno, but there's enough overall talent to deal with one of the nation's toughest schedules.
11. Georgia Tech - It didn't take coach Paul Johnson long to prove his triple-option offense could flourish against BCS competition.
12. Penn State - The non-conference schedule is a breeze, and the Nittany Lions will get both Ohio State and Iowa at home.
13. Iowa - The Hawkeyes return eight starters on defense from a team that lost four games by a total of 12 points.
14. North Carolina - The Tar Heels return 15 starters, and coach Butch Davis has landed another outstanding recruiting class.
15. Virginia Tech - A tough defense and an experienced offense will give the Hokies a shot at another ACC title.
16. Florida State - How's this for a switch: The Seminoles might have more questions on defense than offense?
17. California - Quarterback Kevin Riley has been a disappointment but running back Jahvid Best can be spectacular.
18. Oregon - New coach Chip Kelly can build his offense around versatile quarterback Jeremiah Masoli.
19. Notre Dame - An easier schedule and 17 returning starters should make the Irish one of the nation's most improved teams.
20. Pittsburgh - Somebody has to win the Big East.
21. N.C. State - The Wolfpack returns 14 starters from a team that won its last four regular-season games.
22. Boise State - The Broncos return quarterback Kellen Moore, and four of five starters from an offensive line that only gave up 11 sacks in 2008.
23. Michigan State - The Spartans don't play Big Ten favorite Ohio State and get both Iowa and Penn State at home.
24. Kansas - Despite all the Jayhawks' defensive deficiencies, they can score their way to the Big 12 North championship.
25. Utah - There are plenty of holes on offense, but seven defensive starters return from the team that jolted Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
JOHN ADAMS' SEC PREDICTIONS
East
1. Florida: A deep, talented defense could make the Gators unbeatable.
2. Georgia: Overrated last season, underrated this season.
3. Tennessee: New leadership has the Vols headed in the right direction.
4. South Carolina: If quarterback Stephen Garcia falters, the Gamecocks could drop below Kentucky and Vanderbilt.
5. Kentucky: The offense looks shaky, but a fourth consecutive winning season isn't out of the question.
6. Vanderbilt: The Commodores will return nine starters from a defense that didn't give up more than 24 points to anyone but Florida last season.
West
1. Alabama: Don't even think about running the ball on this defense.
2. Ole Miss: The schedule is favorable and the offense is loaded.
3. LSU: Not only do the Tigers have to play Georgia and Florida from the East, they have to play them back-to-back.
4. Arkansas: The Hogs will continue to improve under Bobby Petrino, but you might not can tell it against a schedule that includes road trips to Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss and LSU.
5. Auburn: Once you get past the Hummer limo, the Tigers have no offense.
6. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs don't even have a Hummer.
Offense
First Team
QB: Tim Tebow, Florida
RB: Michael Smith, Arkansas
RB: Charles Scott, LSU
FB: Shaun Chapas, Georgia
WR: Julio Jones, Alabama
WR: A.J. Green, Georgia
WR: Brandon LaFell, LSU
TE: Aaron Hernandez, Florida
T: John Jerry, Ole Miss
T: Ciron Black, LSU
G: Mike Johnson, Alabama
G: Michael Pouncey, Florida
C: Maurkice Pouncey, Florida
Second Team
QB: Jevan Snead, Ole Miss
RB: Jeffrey Demps, Florida
RB: Bryce Brown, Tennessee
FB: John Conner, Kentucky
WR: Dexter McCluster, Ole Miss
WR: Shay Hodge, Ole Miss
WR: Gerald Jones, Tennessee
TE: D.J. Williams, Arkansas
T: Trinton Sturdivant, Georgia
T: Jarriel King, South Carolina
G: Cordy Glenn, Georgia
G: Mitch Petrus, Arkansas
C: Ben Jones, Georgia
Third Team
QB: Ryan Mallett, Arkansas
RB: Brandon Bolden, Ole Miss
RB: Mark Ingram, Alabama
FB: Kevin Cooper, Tennessee
WR: Randall Cobb, Kentucky
WR: Jarius Wright, Arkansas
WR: Deonte Thompson, Florida
TE: Richard Dickson, LSU
T: Chris Scott, Tennessee
T: Clint Boling, Georgia
G: Vladimir Richard, Tennessee
G: Lyle Hitt, LSU
C: Ryan Pugh, Auburn
Defense
First Team
E: Greg Hardy, Ole Miss
E: Antonio Coleman, Auburn
T: Geno Atkins, Georgia
T: Terrence Cody, Alabama
LB: Brandon Spikes, Florida
LB: Rolando McClain, Alabama
LB: Eric Norwood, South Carolina
CB: Joe Haden, Florida
CB: Trevard Lindley, Kentucky
S: Eric Berry, Tennessee
S: Ahmad Black, Florida
Second Team
E: Jermaine Cunningham, Florida
E: Carlos Dunlap, Florida
T: Malcolm Sheppard, Arkansas
T: Jeff Owens, Georgia
LB: Dont'a Hightower, Alabama
LB: Rennie Curran, Georgia
LB: Micah Johnson, Kentucky
CB: Javier Arenas, Alabama
CB: Janoris Jenkins, Florida
S: Will Hill, Florida
S: Reshad Jones, Georgia
Third Team
E: Rahim Alem, LSU
E: Chris Walker, Tennessee
T: Ted Laurent, Ole Miss
T: Lawrence Marsh, Florida
LB: Josh Bynes, Auburn
LB: Patrick Benoist, Vanderbilt
LB: Patrick Trahan, Ole Miss
CB: Patrick Peterson, LSU
CB: Myron Lewis, Vanderbilt
S: Chad Jones, LSU
S: Major Wright, Florida
Special teams
First Team
PK: Joshua Shene, Ole Miss
P: Chas Henry, Florida
PR: Brandon James, Florida
KR: Javier Arenas, Alabama
Second Team
PK: Leigh Tiffin, Alabama
P: Clinton Durst, Auburn
PR: Javier Arenas, Alabama
KR: Trindon Holliday, LSU
Third Team
PK: Jonathan Phillips, Florida
P: Spencer Lanning, South Carolina
PR: Trindon Holliday, LSU
KR: Brandon James, Florida
Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.
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Comments » 8
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Interesting and thoughtful piece.
nicksjuzunk#646117 writes:
I wonder where he sees Hardesty fitting in. I probably would have placed him at 3rd team SEC but I guess you can't have two Vols there and it is too early to put bryce as 2nd team as a true freshman.
bspurlingcac#225603 writes:
Wow at the start of the artical it sounded like JA said he had been wrong about something. Now he has changed his mind. How about that!
BigOrangeJeff writes:
Did the Sports Editor actually use the phrase, "but you might not can tell it"?
Jeez
johnlg00#206211 writes:
For any psychological researchers out there who might like to update Pavlov's studies of conditioned reflexes, I have a subject for you: the reactions of a certain sub-set of Vol fans to any mention of the name "Adams" in any sports context. They make Pavlov's reflexively-salivating dogs look like masters of improvisational jazz.
leedsvol2007 writes:
In general I agree with what Adams says but one team which does not seem to get respect is LSU.
Last year they started the season with 2 unproven quarterbacks and 4 new starters in their secondary and were torched by some of the better teams in the league.
After their loss to Ole Miss they found a quarterback and appeared to improve. Just like last year when no one thought Alabama would contend they appear to be running under the radar albeit with a lot of talent.
If you believe recruiting rankings they have about as much talent as Florida.
I would not be surprised if they win the West.
vtvol#210290 writes:
2nd team ALL-SEC--Adams thinks a lot of Bryce Brown.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
You would only say that because you obviously don't know what our PREVIOUS intra-squad games looked like. By all accounts, we practiced sloppy, we were sloppy in our off-field conduct, and we were sloppy in our workouts. This bunch is NOT sloppy in ANY of those respects. Given that we were only about five plays away from going at least 8-4 last year, how can this year's improvement in those areas mentioned above NOT lead to better performance on the field this year?
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