Arkansas Sports 360.com - July 2008 - (Page 18) CONFERENCE Southeastern WAnt some surprises? We wouldn’t be shocked to see these happenings in the SEC in 2008: Georgia on Many Minds, But Not Ours We Like Florida From the East, But the West Is Wide Open By Jim harris m How about Georgia QB Matt Stafford outperforming Florida’s Tim Tebow this year? m How about Arkansas losing two 1,000-yard rushers and finding yet another in Michael Smith? m Alabama and Nick Saban still struggle, at least for half the season, to live up to the Tide fans’ expectations (Tuscaloosa News picked Bama No. 6 IN THE NATION). m Bama finally beats Tuberville and Auburn. Tiger fans hang their coach in effigy. He says “what the heck” and goes deer hunting in Arkansas. m LSU and Les Miles finally lose THREE games in one season. m Vanderbilt finally wins six games in a season under Bobby Johnson and makes it to a bowl. And you-knowwhat freezes over. m Tennessee underperforms the national expectations, and Phil Fulmer takes a coaching sabbatical. m Ole Miss and Houston Nutt set the world afire for two months, then fold up like a cheap pup tent in November and end season with a onepoint loss to Mississippi State. m SEC West ends in a three-way tie for first and a three-way tie for last. m SEC East ends in a two-way tie for first, and a four-way tie for last. m Florida beats LSU in SEC title game. m The loser of the Phil FulmerSteve Spurrier coaching matchup on Nov. 1 calls it a day at saeson’s end. GEoRGIA HAS BECoME NEARLY every prognosticator’s choice for 2008 Southeastern Conference champion, and certainly the talent is on hand for a run at the title. But before anyone bets the house on the Bulldogs to take the crown, let’s examine how they became the popular pick to begin with. Pretty much out of the SEC East race in october with two division losses, the Bulldogs finished 2007 with a flourish. Enough to attempt to make a case that it was worthy of a spot not just in a BCS bowl, but in the BCS Championship Game. Georgia argued it belonged in place of LSu, another two-loss team that at least won its way there as SEC champion. Late in the season, Georgia impressively blew out Auburn in the second half at home. The Dawgs took apart Georgia Tech and lame-duck coach Chan Gailey. But this is also the same Georgia team that cannot seem to get over its bow-downand-worship of South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier, who outcoached Georgia’s Mark Richt in a 16-12 game last year. Tennessee also ran roughshod over the Dawgs for the second straight year. Alabama, which a week before had pulled out a last-second win over Arkansas, let Georgia escape with an overtime win. Even Vanderbilt had the Dawgs on the ropes. Then came the Sugar Bowl when the Bulldogs started 22 players better than Hawaii, including at quarterback. They easily won, leading many more to wonder if Georgia was just as good as anyone at season’s end. The Dawgs have the SEC’s top returning rusher in Knowshon Moreno and a wondrous receiver with an equally wondrous name, Muhammad Massaquoi. Quarterback Matt Stafford was penciled in for college football greatness back when he was leading Highland Park in Dallas to a Texas state title, so if you believe Stafford finally got his feet in place as a college signal caller the last half of the season, then Georgia should have a banner year. But Georgia also has one of the strangest schedules we’ve seen for a contender, including a dangerous road trip to Arizona State that could knock the Bulldogs down the polls, should they lose. They should clean up on Georgia Southern and Central Michigan to start the season, but the Grace riley staYiNG iN praCtiCe: head coach Bobby Petrino keeps an eye on his hogs’ summer performance. enjoyed two years ago. It will help having six other starters back on offense. ESPN might even dictate Tebow repeat all season, as long as the Gators win, and plug his candidacy all fall. But we doubt the trophy’s going back to the Gators’ athletic department unless this time it has Percy Harvin’s name on it. Harvin, Florida’s do-it-all receiver/ sprinter, can only make Tebow and Co. better than anyone with his tremendous skills. Meanwhile, linebacker Brandon Spikes, defensive end Jermaine Cunningham, cornerback Joe Haden and safety Major Wright are back to provide the defensive plays for assistant Predicted coach Charlie Strong (uCA ’82), who oversees a defense The Rest of the East Order of Finish with eight starters back. We’re considering, instead, West Florida gets LSu at home, Florida for a return to the 1. LSU which is good news for the top of the SEC. Certainly 2. Ole Miss Gators, and Auburn has 9-4 in 2007 didn’t sit well 3. Auburn rotated off the schedule, with coach urban Meyer, 4. Alabama also a good sign. Spurrier’s or with the Florida fans 5. Arkansas Gamecocks journey into The (think this, if 10-4 didn’t sit 6. Mississippi State Swamp as well, but Florida has well with Arkansas fans in to play Tennessee at Knoxville. 2006, then absolutely 9-4 East Having Hawaii and Miami steamed a bunch of Gators 1. Florida (Fla.) as nonconference foes at fans during the off-season). 2. Georgia home shouldn’t be a problem, Now that Tim Tebow 3. Tennessee and the finale against Florida has the Heisman Trophy 4. South Carolina State hasn’t bothered Meyer pressure out of the way after 5. Kentucky and the Gators in a while. winning as a sophomore, he 6. Vanderbilt It’s hard to imagine now, can concentrate merely on but Tennessee may have been playing for returning the Gators to the summit they Bulldogs then have to prove at Columbia, S.C., that they don’t fear Steve Spurrier. The Dawgs have Alabama, Tennessee and Vandy in a row between the hedges in Athens, then comes a road run at LSu, Florida at Jacksonville, Kentucky and Auburn before wrapping up with Georgia Tech. If Georgia survives these games and a likely rematch with LSu, Auburn or Alabama, or maybe even ole Miss in the SEC Championship Game to make the BCS title match, then by all means, consider the Dawgs as good as they come. 18 ArkansasSports360.com July 2008 http://ArkansasSports360.com
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