SEC coaches don't need a team in the game to get excited about Saturday's SEC championship match-up between Florida and Alabama. For them, it's a goodbye game.
Goodbye and good riddance.
Florida and Alabama will lose many of their best and most experienced players. Although they still will have plenty of talent, it's the combination of talent and experience that has separated them from the SEC field.
Their losses surely will extend beyond their senior classes. Florida's most likely juniors to depart are defensive end Carlos Dunlap and cornerback Joe Haden.
Dunlap is an NFL scout's fantasy come true. He's 6-foot-6, 290 pounds and was fast enough to return kicks in high school. No wonder he has been one of the SEC's sack leaders the last two seasons and was the defensive star of last year's national championship game.
Haden also will be attractive to NFL-types. A high school quarterback, he switched effortlessly to cornerback, where he started as a true freshman and became an all-conference player the last two years. He's not just a great cover guy; he's one of the surest tacklers in the league.
Interior offensive linemen don't have the same appeal in the draft as cover corners and 290-pound pass rushers. But in a best-case scenario for the rest of the conference, center Maurkice Pouncey (6-5, 310) and offensive guard Mike Pouncey (6-5, 315) won't return for their senior seasons.
Tight end Aaron Hernandez also could be tempted to turn pro early. He's 6-foot-2, 250 pounds and has surprisingly good moves in the open field, as well as an imposing stiff-arm for close encounters.
Even if the Gators lose only Dunlap and Haden among their juniors, they can't replace them with more talented and experienced players.
And how about those seniors?
Quarterback Tim Tebow name comes up anytime you want to discuss "greatest college players of all-time." Linebacker Brandon Spikes will be a two-time All-American. Riley Cooper is as good of a blocker at wide receiver as you will ever see, and that ability shouldn't be minimized in an offense as reliant on running backs busting big plays. And it seems as though punt/kick returner Brandon James has been terrifying the SEC for a decade.
Alabama doesn't have a Tebow, but junior middle linebacker Rolando McClain is every bit the pro prospect as Spikes, and I can't imagine him returning for a senior season.
Senior Javier Arenas might be as difficult to replace. He has been a James-like threat on special teams and has lined up all over the field on behalf of Nick Saban's defense (How many other cornerbacks rank in the top four in their conference in tackles for loss?)
The Tide also will lose 354-pound All-SEC nose tackle Terrence Cody, who saved its bid for an unbeaten season with two blocked field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter of a 12-10 victory over Tennessee.
Alabama will lose four other starters from its dominant defense, including underrated safety Justin Woodall.
Florida and Alabama won't just lose good players after this season. They will lose great players, who could lift their teams on an off-day as Tebow has for much of his career, or as Cody did on those two season-altering blocks against UT.
Players like that should help give the SEC a game worthy of a national championship Saturday. And while the rest of the conference coaches might enjoy it, they will appreciate the departures even more.
Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.
© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 24
pridebone writes:
First...comment ever.
Voltose writes:
And the worst is they have to come to Neyland and a sea of orange
asleep#212036 writes:
Even teams as good (and deep) as Florida and Alabama can't look down their benches and effortlessly replace that many game-changers at once. If they think they can, have them call Pete Carroll - I'm quite sure he can straighten them out on that. Next year should be a catch up year for a lot of the up and coming teams, including our Vols.
DannyVol writes:
Maybe one of these days you will "go pro" too, Adams. BTW, that slob Cody didn't block those kicks, his lard got struck by two missed kicks.
Mr_Brownstone writes:
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20...
what will "little softie" do? i say suspension will be for first series.
lol - Gators
TommyJack writes:
He will be held out for the first half of next year's blue & orange game.
nocleats writes:
I still have not figured out why Saban is not listed as a possible candidate at Notre Dame.
He coached at Mich.ST. which is 70 miles from South Bend and Toledo which is like 100 miles away, so he knows the lay of the land so to speak and has many contacts in the midwest.
He spent years in Louisiana which is full of catholic schools. His style of play is dead on what Notre Dame traditionally is. He seems like the ultimate candidate to me for ND. Also, he has no buyout in his contract with UA>
CrankE writes:
...And if you thought money was no object to Alabama, then consider Notre Dame who have mostly blundered around in darkness since Holtz left. ND has the money to make that jaw-dropping $4M/yr deal that Alabama gave Saban in 2006 look merely average. And as we all know, Saban wouldn't ever leave LSU or Miami for "greener" pastures. Just sayin...
murrayvol writes:
McClain is better than Spikes and will prove it on Sundays.
And John, please stop calling the 2 kicks that hit Cody in the armpit and gut blocks. They would've missed even if he had been flat on his considerable can.
murrayvol writes:
There may be a conflict with the NFL Combine.
murrayvol writes:
Many key contributors for Bama could not qualify at ND.
That said, ND is a challenge and Saban has proven to be up to several of those in his career.
1974Vol writes:
So tired of hearing about Cody's two blocked kicks. They weren't true blocks! The dang kicks were so low that one hit him in the arm pit. Lincoln just couldn't get any elevation on his kicks because of his quad and that's why he's sittin' while we got a walk-on playin'. The fat boys a nose tackle and kicks go up the middle so anyone playing the position that day for the Tide would have gotten credit for the blocks if they were taller than 4'6".
metalhead223 writes:
amen
jmorri30 writes:
T. Cody isn't a real player. He is just a fat piece of lard with legs. Dan Williams is a much better and talented player. I would be surprised to see Cody contribute much on Sundays.
illinoisvolfan writes:
Adams is right, believe it or not. The playing field levels out after this year, just as Tennessee's talent level rises. Looks good from the cheap seats...
One potential TV problem, however. Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson on CBS won't know what to do with no Tebow to gush over after Saturday. Don't get me wrong, Tebow is a great player and an even better person off the field, but jeeez, those two are ready to have him elected president, knight him for sainthood, award him the next Nobel Peace Prize, and be Jesus Christ's successor. I really can't see them being nearly that complementary about any or all of Tennessee's players. Oh well, guess they'll just have to deal with it.
As always, Go Big Orange!!
utkell65 writes:
Rogan and Stocker won't be going into the draft this year. Neither is ready and I'm sure both of them know it. The only JR that leaves this year will be EB.
As for us finishing 3-9 or 4-8 next year...yeah I need some of what you must be smoking. This team will most likely finish 7-5 or 8-4 next year. We will be a more talented team next, but a lot younger.
mtoms1272#210656 writes:
2010 Vols Football Schedule
9/4 UT Martin
9/11 Oregon
9/18 Florida
9/25 UAB
10/2 @LSU
10/9 @Georgia
10/23 Alabama
10/30 @South Carolina
11/6 @Memphis
11/13 Mississippi
11/20 @Vanderbilt
11/27 Kentucky
I agree. Brutal schedule next year. 6-6 would be a HUGE accomplishment. Here's to 2011. Go Vols!
Hardrocknox writes:
well Einstein , the weak SEC has 11 out of 12 schools going to a bowl game , TN played 8 teams going to a bowl , including 2 #1 teams in the nation , so get get a clue and get over yourself! Imbecile
orangepridenation writes:
Sorry for those of you who think we're going backwards next year in the W-L column. I looked at that schedule and i saw 8 wins. plus i believe we'll beat either florida or alabama. i have this team at 9-3 next season with losses at LSU, one loss to either/or FL/AL, and one other conference loss. I never said we'd be competing for national championship next year, but i do believe we'll be competing for the east and maybe the conference. Keep in mind, thanks to the injuries, our freshmen and sophomores got plenty of experience this season on the defensive side of the ball, and despite common belief, we most likely will not be starting a freshman qb next year, it'll probably be Nick Stephens, who will be a senior and has some experience, and he does have himself a laser arm. Top that off with the development of bryce brown and david oku in the backfield, plus tauren poole still here, our three leading receivers coming back(Jones,Moore,Stocker), and a young developing talented WR Marsalis Teague. Our offense will be pretty good next year. Say what you want about the offensive line, it was supposed to suck this year too, well it did pretty dang good with two walkons. I imagine with the job that CLK did with this group of mediocre talent, that he probably won't have much trouble with these younger guys.
tennezz writes:
True...You have to be able to spell your own name and buy your own text books at Notre Dame!
10volunteers98 writes:
Thank you for your compliments,and for your optomistic outlook for the Vols` future.Us Vol fans are also excited.We know that with a couple more Kiffin recruiting classes,the Vols will be kicking a lot of arse in the SEC.GO,VOLS!!!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
An excellent summary of the optimistic perspective on next year. I am one who predicts continued struggle for next year, mostly because of doubts about the O-line; however, as you said, this year's was better than most predicted. You also didn't mention the likely upgrade in the kicking game with the arrival of Palardy.
On the other hand, you seem to assume a win over Oregon--a LARGE assumption at best--and discount the possible effect of injuries on a team that will still be thin in several critical positions. What if the WRs, for example, suffer the way the LBs did this year? A 9-3 record would be a tremendous achievement, perhaps attainable but requiring a great deal of luck as well as near-flawless execution.
I hope you are right. I just hope that if we don't reach such a level, the fan base will stay behind the team and staff. I do believe that it WILL happen for this staff, but we MAY be in for another fairly tough year before it happens.
ColeTrickle writes:
T Cody is still trying to dig the football out of his belly button from the Tennessee game
tennesseebee writes:
Are you kidding me? With his nasty mouth, Touchdown Jesus would strike him dead the first play of the first quarter of his first game!
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