August 10, 2003

2003 SEC East Preview

Florida: (7-5 / 5-3 SEC)
Ron Zook's second season of trying to prove himself might not turn out as fruitful as Gator Fans would like. He's recruited two impressive classes worth of talent, but the inexperience will kill Florida this year. Settling the current Quarterback drama would certainly help, but it won't be enough. You can expect two-way player Keiwan Ratliff to step up to the plate and have a great season and if O-lineman Shannon Snell can keep healthy, he'll be a force to run behind.

The best they can hope for is a run at the SEC title, and that will be a tough sell. The Gators host Tennessee in their Southeastern Conference opener, and a loss there could ruin their shot. As always, the games with Miami and Florida State will be huge. Losses will be to Miami, Ole Miss, LSU, Georgia, and Florida State.

Georgia: (10-2 / 6-2 SEC)
The big talking point for Georgia detractors is the loss of their offensive line from last year. Fear not, Georgia fans, the new crew has huge shoes to fill, but they'll do a fine job at it. They have a very difficult schedule, and it will eventually get to them, but the Dawgs will make another run at the conference title, and there's a bright future ahead of them. Returning defensive end David Pollack will anchor their defense, and the dynamic quarterbacking duo of Greene and Shockley will keep opponents guessing. (And let's not forget about Fred Gibson or Decory Bryant)

The Bulldogs will over-look a surprising LSU team, and drop the game at Auburn as well, en route to another trip to the Georgia Dome for the SEC Championship.

Kentucky: (5-7 / 1-7 SEC)
You can expect it to be another long football season for the Wildcats. Coach Rich Brooks has his work cut out for him, but he'll have a seasoned Quarterback in Jared Lorenzen to try to break even this season. A conference wins against Vanderbilt and a handful of non-conference wins will get Kentucky close to 6-6 but it'll take a surprise win over a team like Mississippi State or South Carolina reach .500.

South Carolina: (6-6 / 3-5 SEC)
Lou Holtz only has a few more seasons left with the Gamecocks and while he's certainly helped the program, they're still treading water in the SEC. Nevertheless, they're a better team than their 2002 record shows, and if they can keep their relatively unknown players healthy they might pull off a few upsets and end up with a winning record.

Snatching up SEC wins against Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and an upset at Arkansas will keep them ahead of Kentucky. The Clemson rivalry game will come down to who wants it more and you can expect an unexpected close game (but a loss) against Tennessee.

Tennessee: (8-5 / SEC 5-3)
Most schools would be happy with an 8-5 record, but Fulmer's Volunteers (and their fans) expect better. Unfortunately for them, they're not going to get it this year, but what do you expect? They have a grueling schedule, facing Florida, Auburn, Miami, and Alabama all on the road. To win this year, Cedric Houston will have to step up and take some pressure off of Quarterback Casey Clausen and the Vols will need strong performances out of Junior Linebacker Kevin Burnett and Senior defensive end Constantin Ritzmann.

Expect the Vols to drop heartbreakers to Auburn and Florida, while getting beat handily at home by Georgia. The losses to Auburn and Georgia will pave the way for the third saturday in October when Tennessee will exact a bit of revenge against the Tide in Tuscaloosa, but it'll be a nail-biter.

Vanderbilt: (3-9 / 1-7 SEC)
We should all hope that the SEC has a finished basement for as long as Vandy has been living in it. The stricter academic standards seem to keep the Commodores clawing for respect in one of the toughest conferences in College Football. They won't earn it this year, but they will get on the right side of the score-sheet against UT-Chattanooga and Navy as well as picking up a conference win against Mississippi State.

Projected Final Divisional Standings for 2003
Georgia: 6-2
Florida: 5-3
Tennessee: 5-3
South Carolina: 3-5
Kentucky: 1-7
Vanderbilt: 1-7

(See the 2003 SEC East Preview)

Posted by Pete Holiday

 

Trackback

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.fanblogs.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/100

You can use this specified URL in a weblogging program that supports pinging, such as Movable Type. If your blog software does not support Trackback, click here to send a manual ping.

Comments & Trackbacks

1. Kevin says:

   posted on August 11, 2003 11:44 PM — link

   I'm gonna be looking forward to that Auburn at Georgia. And you're picking the Vols over 'Bama...hmmm. Finally, if Florida does go 7-5, what do you think the future holds for Zook?

2. Pete Holiday says:

   posted on August 12, 2003 12:18 AM — link

   As much as I'd love to state confidently that the Tide is going to be at 100% from Day 1, it has the potential to be a relatively rough year. If Fran were still here, Tennessee would come to Tuscaloosa to have their posteriors handed to them, and the only team to beat 'Bama would be Oklahoma.

   The future holds some very bright things for Shula and the Tide, but history or no history, they've gotta have their growing pains just like everyone else.

   As for Zook... losing to Miami and Florida State is horrible for his rep at Floriday, but next season should be spectacular... if he makes it that far, which I think he will.