Like Brian Cook and his Wolverines, my Gators are the team that makes my heart pound wildly, my mouth fill with cottonballs and my legs tremble like a 'cisco aftershock. Keep a close eye on me, here; I'm an SEC first guy here at FanHouse and today, the Gators are just another team in the conference.
Just. Another. Team. Repeat. Just. Another. Team. *Cough* Okay, let's light this candle.
The FanHouse SEC blogger contingent believes that Florida is one of our four "contenders" in 2007. The other vaunted teams in that list include LSU, Tennessee, and Auburn. Speaking for Mr. Ferguson only, I think the Gators are either #2 or #3 in terms of "rank" in that list.
WHY THEY'LL WIN
Wide receiver:I'm not exaggerating when I say that the Gators might have the sickest wide receiver corps ever to suit up in Gainesville. It's no stretch to imagine that at least three of the Gators' WRs might be first round NFL draft picks: Percy Harvin, who now wears the #1 jersey, Cornelius Ingram, a TE/WR who became a possession receiver for Chris Leak in 2006, and Andre Caldwell, who runs a blistering 4.3 and can catch anything thrown near him. He's also great running out of the backfield on the reverse.
On top of that you have Louis Murphy, who had an outstanding spring game as Tim Tebow's favorite target, sophomore Jarred Fayson, who according to practice reports has made a huge forward leap and is as good a receiver as anyone else on the roster, Riley Cooper, who stood out on special teams last year, and hyped freshman recruit Deonte Thompson, who will probably see playing time in '07.
They all catch, they all run, they all block. Fayson even took snaps at QB in '06. Yeah, Urban Meyer likes to mix it up.
Prediction: every one of those guys will be playing in the NFL someday. Sure, Percy Harvin is a star among stars, but with such a deep and talented group of wide receivers, it'd be criminal if the ball didn't get distributed to all of them. And I expect it will.
Now we're cooking with gas. We've finally gotten through the unpleasantness of the Mississippi teams, Vanderbilt's automatic NoBowl4U, and the mild discomfort of assigning the mediocre label to Kentucky and South Carolina. Now we move onto the contenders. And man-oh-man, do we have some kick-ass teams ready to explode in the SEC. Our first contender, and undoubtedly the best team overall, is LSU.
WHY THEY'LL WIN
Matt Flynn. Jacob Hester. Early Doucet. Glenn Dorsey. That covers the running, throwing, catching, and defending part. Those are this year's impact players. Despite losing 9 starters, including #1 overall draft pick Jamarcus Russell, two O-linemen, two WRs and both safeties, LSU is poised to be the most talented team in the conference for the second year running.
Yeah, they're talented, all right. LSU is so freakin' talented it's positively stunning. Best in the SEC? Shoot, this might be the deepest, most athletic and most talented team in the nation, except for top-ranked USC, and even that's debatable.
If the SEC could be won by talent alone, we could forego the 2007 season and hand the conference title trophy to the Tigers and not bother playing any games. However, LSU bore that mantle last year, and not only did they fail to win the SEC, they finished third in their division.
The message? It takes more than talent; but talent will get you a long way.
In the SEC, the "Dregs" are programs which historically haven't been able to compete with the conference superpowers. Things don't change much in this category -- except, perhaps, for South Carolina, a team which under Steve Spurrier has become increasingly competitive. There won't be too many surprises in this preview.
Ole Miss Rebels
Last year: 4-8 overall, 2-6 SEC
WHY THEY'LL WIN: Let's give Coach "O", now in his third year as head coach at Ole Miss, a chance to work with his recruits, which now make up the majority of the team. Let's also give Brent Schaeffer a chance to become the SEC's most improved quarterback. With a year of SEC starts under his belt, Schaeffer's performance in '07 might be a complete 180 from his last outing. Of course, since Ole Miss ranked 110th nationally in passing efficiency last season, it'd be disturbing if they didn't improve significantly in this department. Schaeffer will have the advantage of four returning starters on the offensive line and a good running back in BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who should make the pre-season All-SEC "Best Name" team.
WHY THEY WON'T: Mississippi suffers from one of the poorest athletic budgets in the SEC as well as a yearly conference slate which includes Alabama, LSU, Auburn, and Arkansas. In '07 they also pick up a road game in Athens against Georgia and have defending national champion Florida visiting the Rebs in Oxford. Out of eight conference opponents, six will be ranked in the Top 20, and two start the season in the Top 5. Ole Miss won't win any of those games, but could still win five games this year if they take care of their OOC line-up, plus beat Vanderbilt and Mississippi State.
PROGNOSIS: Some are calling for Ed Orgeron's Rebels to make a bowl game in 2007. I'm not sharing their optimism. This is a team which should hope to become more competitive against top-flight competition, and grit out some close wins against lower-tier SEC teams. Winning six games seems extremely unlikely but it should be set as a goal for the Rebs. Look for 3-5 wins in 2007.
Now we look at the best, worst, and weirdest aspects of the 2007 SEC schedule.
Best schedule: LSU
What's the "best" schedule look like? Is it the most exciting? It is the hardest? Actually, we're going to go with "most favorable." And there's no question LSU wins in this department. With their out-of-conference matchup against Virginia Tech in the second week of the season -- played at night in Baton Rouge -- the Tigers have an opportunity for a fast start. Knocking off Virginia Tech would be an early feather in the cap for LSU. (Actually, let's avoid that metaphor -- Les Miles' baseball cap is already huge.)
LSU gets South Carolina, Florida, Auburn and Arkansas at home in 2007, and they're all scheduled to start at 8:00PM (note: the Arky kickoff is still TBA). Night games in Death Valley are about as fun as pulling fingernails with pliers for opponents unlucky enough to get this draw. Barring early losses, LSU will be favored to win every one of those games.
Their toughest away matchup will be @ Alabama where they face their new arch-nemesis and former head coach, Nick Saban. They'll also play @ Kentucky, @ Mississippi State, and @ Tulane -- and that's it.
This is a far cry from an easy schedule. LSU will be facing a minimum of five Top 20 teams, possibly as many as seven, and the road to the BCS National Championship game will be long, hard, and require luck as well as talent, skill, and hard work. But in the SEC, this is as good as it gets. Tiger fans will be disappointed with anything less than appearance in the title game.
Wide receiver: I'm not exaggerating when I say that the Gators might have the sickest wide receiver corps ever to suit up in Gainesville. It's no stretch to imagine that at least three of the Gators' WRs might be first round NFL draft picks: Percy Harvin, who now wears the #1 jersey, Cornelius Ingram, a TE/WR who became a possession receiver for Chris Leak in 2006, and Andre Caldwell, who runs a blistering 4.3 and can catch anything thrown near him. He's also great running out of the backfield on the reverse.
Last year: 4-8 overall, 2-6 SEC
What's the "best" schedule look like? Is it the most exciting? It is the hardest? Actually, we're going to go with "most favorable." And there's no question LSU wins in this department. With their out-of-conference matchup against Virginia Tech in the second week of the season -- played at night in Baton Rouge -- the Tigers have an opportunity for a fast start. Knocking off Virginia Tech would be an early feather in the cap for LSU. (Actually, let's avoid that metaphor -- Les Miles' baseball cap is already huge.)
