How Many National Championships does Auburn Have?

In this day of the MNC (Mythical National Championship) Lets look at how many National Championships the Auburn Football program can claim. Would it shock you if I said eight!!!! Now before we get excited Auburn only claims 1957 as a official National Championship. The rest are just classified as championship seasons. The reason we don't claim them is that most of them were declared years later. In the early years there was no established National Championship. In 1983, 1993 and 2004 we just got victimized and had our championships declared by someone other than the AP, UPI, or the BCS.

Now, let the record state that many schools count the MNC as a real national championship. Our UAT friends claim 12 National Championships. If you look at the data they could be credited with as few as 5. This is tricky business because the NCAA does not establish a College Football National Championship. One thing is for sure, neither Alabama or many other schools would have as many National Championships on their scoreboard if they used the same puritan approach as Auburn.

• 1910 -- 6-1-0 -- Loren Maxwell
• 1913 -- 8-0-0 -- 1st-N-Goal,Billingsley Report,James Howell
• 1914 -- 8-0-1 -- James Howell,
• 1957 -- 10-0 -- Associated Press, Billingsley, Fleming, Football Research, Helms, James Howell, Massey Ratings, National Championship Foundation
• 1958 -- 9-0-1 -- Montgomery Full Season Championship
• 1983 -- 11-1-0 -- 1st-N-Goal,Angelo Louisa,ARGH Power Ratings,Billingsley Report,College Football Researchers Association,David Wilson,DKC Ratings,Foundation for the Analysis of Competitions and Tournaments,James Howell, Jeff Self,Massy Ratings, New York Times,Nutshell Sports Football Ratings,Soren Sorensen,Sparks Achievement Ratings, Steve Eck,The Fleming System,Thomas Jech
• 1993 -- 11-0-0 -- David Wilson,Harry Frye,National Championship Foundation,Nutshell Sports Football Ratings, Sparks Achievement Ratings
• 2004 -- 13-0-0 -- Darryl W. Perry,GBE College Football Ratings, Peoples National Champions

(NEWS FLASH) This Just in!!!!! The War Eagle Times has just announced the 2008 Auburn Tiger Football Team as its 2008 National Champion!!! Congratulations tigers fans. 9 and counting!!!!!

Is Auburn in decline?

What do Auburn and the Republican party have in common? For one thing they are both conservative institutions. For another, both the GOP and the Tigers are the scorn of the media. In the state of Alabama the media has a undeniable slant to the tide. I live in Iraq right now and it is impossible not to see this bias even from here. Honestly Auburn fans need to stop buying it. Lets look at a few lies that are being force fed to the Auburn family.

Recruiting - Auburn is not behind on recruiting! In fact look for the tigers to bring in some top names in the nation. Auburn will not out recruit Alabama in the first full year of Chizik and his staff. It is impossible. Alabama had a great 2008 and tons of press. Auburn has not even completed a single pass under the new administration. This will make it impossible for the AU staff to out recruit a staff that is in place and getting lots of free press. I will tell you this, the AU staff is innovative and willing to go after the big fish. (ie: Tiger Prowl, Big Cat Weekend and Billboards) Hear me now and believe me later..... Auburn will end up with a top 10 recruiting class in Februrary!!!! Not bad at all for a new coaching staff that has been in butt of jokes by the Alabama media for months.

Tuberville was forced out by the evil Jacobs - The truth is out there for any Auburn Fan. It was right under our nose but we never wanted to believe it. Tuberville is a laid back cat, with a great smile and a infectious personality. The man is a calming influence and I have the utmost respect for him. He is the kind of guy that you really can't dislike. CTT did a lot for the Auburn family, but the truth is he could never get us to the next level. Tuberville also had gotten both jaded and a little lazy. From day one, it would drive me nuts to see him squatted down on the sideline. No headset, no expression, no worries. Finally after so many complaints he started wearing a headset for appearances. In 10 years I only really saw him use it once. As a former football player I can tell you that a team takes on the personality of a coach. The last thing you want when your chasing a championship is to see a team laid back and squatting on the sideline. What about off the field. I went to many Auburn practices to see the same thing from Tommy. What about assistant coaches???? This was the biggest problem. Auburn did not have SEC quality coaches. Of last years staff one is a MTSU, one works for a trucking company, and one is now a assistant hight school coach. Sorry, but Auburn had a group of assistant coaches that didn't deserve to be at one of the top football schools in the nation. Ok, recruiting.... Auburn always did well with the 3 star athletes with a lot of heart. But, talent wise???? Tommy has really not recruited any star athletes since Cadillac and Ronnie were on the plains. He was lazy in recruiting. He thought this is Auburn and they will just walk in the door if they want to come here. Even when Auburn was in the midst of 6 straight win over Bama, we just concided the state of Alabama. Not only that but year in and year out I was frustrated that we never went after the big name athletes. Auburn was right to go looking for a new coach in 2003. One stellar season does not make up for the fact that Auburn always lost games that should have been easily won. Yes.. we had a great record against the top ten under Tuberville, but we always lost the ones that were impossible to lose. Need some reminders, here is a list of horrible teams that we have lost to:

2000 – MSU

2001 – Syracuse, Arkansas 42-17!, Alabama at home 31-7!! and North Carolina yes UNC!!!!!!!

2002 – Arkansas ( yes the same Arkansas team that lost to Minnesota.)

2003 - Ga Tech, (We were preseason #1in the nation and lost 6 games)

2005 - Ga Tech (Again this time at home)

2006 – Arkansas, UGA (37-15 The biggest Upset in the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry)

2007 - South Florida, MSU

2008 – Vandy (hard to even type that), Arkansas (See a pattern with Ark?) Ole Miss

(mind you these are just the games that we couldn't have lost even if I was the Quarterback and you were the running back. The list does not include losses to credible teams and medium teams.) Every school will be upset a few times in 10 years, but 15 major upsets???? You don't win championships if you can't win the easy ones. These upsets cost Auburn 6 trips to the SEC Championship.

For everyone that jumped on the fire Jacobs bandwagon.... You were duped by the Alabama media. Auburn is the 6^th place revenue school in college football. We deserve more than one Conference championship in 10 years!!!

Bobby Lowder is the devil incarnate – Ok here are the sats, This man comes from a line of Auburn Men. He has given an estimated 25 million dollars to Auburn. He brought Pat Dye and Tommy Tuberville to Auburn and has led the trustees to build Auburn athletics to a elite program. He was instrumental in bringing UAT back to Auburn. His wrap sheet is that he ran off Terry Bowden, gave his corporate jet to fly to Louisville and he helped usher out Tommy Tuberville. I think history will prove that Lowder was a visionary at Auburn that had the guts to make the tough decisions. Auburn will not be the same after April 2011, when Lowder is gone. If I was a Bama minion, I would try to convince the Auburn family that Bobby is the devil as well. All I am saying is don't believe all you read and hear. Without Lowder, Auburn would have never tasted the success we have had both Academically and Athletically.

Auburn Family – Let others attack if they want. Just remember you don't get attacked if your not at the top. Our school is fine!!! In fact we are great and we are constantly reaching higher. Don't let the other side make you nervous. Believe you own eyes. Walk across our campus on game day, and see what we have at Auburn.

The WAR EAGLE TIMES 2009 PROGNOSTICATION

Ok, I know its a big word... but if you are a UAT fan it just means predictions. Speaking of prognostication, this will be the hardest year to pick games in recent history. Last years edition of the Auburn Tigers was predicted by most sources to win the SEC west and to battle for the conference

championship. Instead it turned out to be a lack luster team that had maybe the worst SEC offense in history. The team did sport one heck of a defense, but it withered late in the season with no offense support and mounting injuries.

The 2009 Tigers will be piloted by Gene Chizik who I predict right now, will be a huge success on the Plains. He might not have won at Iowa State, but this is Auburn and he has the desire to win, and the coaching staff to do it. He has already out recruited the Tuberville gang and dared to go after the best. Isn't that what Auburn deserves, the best? Tuberville had lost his fire and his willpower to do what it takes to be a SEC coach. Don't get me wrong, I love him as a person and for the great things he has done at Auburn, but It was time for a change. I believe that the change will prove to be good. Gene Chizik reminds me a lot of Pat Dye. A head coaches attitude will spread to a team. Gene has an attitude of hard work and winning!!!!

What are the keys to start that winning tradition in 2009? Its simple, we need luck with injuries and for the receivers to step up their play. With Franklin gone, we will see a upbeat on offense. Our biggest challenge is not QB, but receivers. Burns is talented enough to drive defenses crazy with his running. He just needs to hit a few short passes. To do that we have to have receivers that can get open and then catch the rock when its thrown to them. Honestly we have not seen that since Courtney Taylor left the loveliest village. Injuries are also key. We are very thin at linebacker, secondary, and offensive line.......... need I say more? With all that in mind, here are my 2009 predictions.

Sept. 5 – Louisiana Tech – Derek Dooley will bring his surprizingly good bulldogs to Auburn. They are so good that we almost gave Dooley the keys to our program. This will be a tough game, but the new Chiziks tigers will be to pumped to fall in this one. Auburn 31, Louisiana Tech 14

Sept. 12 – Mississippi State – Will Dan Mullin pull of a 4 to 3 win in Auburn? Probably not. A still heathy Auburn defense will win the day. But, don't expect States defense to roll over. Auburn 17, Mississippi State 10

Sept. 19 – West Virginia – Can RB Noel Devine run all over the Tigers at home. Expect the home crowd to be a difference in this one. If Auburn builds a lead this year, there will be no turning back. Auburn 24, WVA 21

Sept. 26 – Ball State (Auburn) – The Cardinals went 12-2 last year and this is another coach that wanted to come to Auburn. This is a scary game because Ball State can play and we dont wont to be 2009s version of Michigan - App State!!!! The Auburn D will respond. Auburn 31, Ball State 14

Oct. 3 – @Tennessee – Auburn faces another first year coach in Lane Kiffin. THis Game will be close and will also be the Tigers first road game. UT is not the place to play your first road game!!! Tennessee 17, Auburn 14

Oct. 10 – @Arkansas – This will be a close one. The two offenses will be on track and Auburn's defense will start to show how thin it is. This will be a pivotal game for both teams and their bowl dreams. In the end the running of Ben Tate gets it done! Auburn 28, Arkansas 21

Oct. 17 – Kentucky – This game will take place as the nation is taking notice at Auburn. The nations best team when under estimated! The Tigers will be a surprising 5-1 and looking forward to LSU!!! Auburn will have the better team, but better be ready for a cat fight. This is the must win game you can mark on your schedule. Auburn 17, Kentucky 14

Oct. 24 – @LSU – The orange and blue tigers will be very beat up by the time we roll into Baton Rouge. This Game will be a national highlight with two one loss teams fighting it out. LSU you hard to beat when your healthy and this game will be a reality check for all of us. LSU 31, Auburn 10

Oct. 31 – Ole Miss – A very strong Ole Miss Offense rolls into Jordan Hare against a now even more banged up Auburn Defense. The Tigers will play strong at home, but this is a tough Nutt to crack at this point on the schedule. Ole Miss 24, Auburn 14

Nov. 7 – Furman – Auburn finally gets to rest some players against the Paladins. This will be a very needed break for the now 6-3 Tigers. Auburn 42, Furman 14

Nov. 14 – @Georgia – After the poundings that UGA has given Auburn the last few years, the Auburn faithful will be ready for revenge. Auburn should play well in Athens against a rebuilding Bulldog squad. This will be a close one! If the Tigers are healthy it might be Tiger Time, but the chances are slim because of how thin we are at so many positions. Georgia 28, Auburn 21

Nov. 21 – Need Rest Before the Bammers come to town

Nov. 27 – Alabama – No coach in this series wins his first Iron Bowl. This game will be at home and Gene Chizk will have a chance to be immortalized forever. In an amazing Auburn atmosphere Auburn will shock the tide in a classic for the ages. Auburn 14, Alabama 10

Best SEC Stadiums!!!!!!!

My favorite stadiums in the SEC July 1, 2009 2:30 PM Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low Jeremy Hillman of SouthernPigskin.com has ranked the SEC stadiums using his own formula. I agree with him that Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is the toughest place to play for an opponent. The noise in the Swamp is deafening, and the heat is even worse. But if I were ranking my 12 stadiums in terms of the places I most look forward to attending a football game in the fall, my order would differ a bit. Here's my top 12: 1. LSU: There's no other experience in college football quite like a Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. 2. Alabama: You still get to hear Bear Bryant's voice on the JumboTron just before the Tide come racing onto the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. 3. Tennessee: Neyland Stadium is getting a facelift on the banks of the Tennessee River. 4. Georgia: What a setting for a football game. Sanford Stadium has it all. 5. Florida: Take your earplugs. No stadium holds noise like the Swamp. 6. South Carolina: One of the most underrated game-day experiences in college football. Gotta love the Cockabooses. 7. Ole Miss: The Grove won't be the only attraction this season. The Rebels will start the season ranked in the top 10, which will only make the Grove that much more festive. 8. Auburn: Watching the eagle come soaring in and make his landing just prior to the game never gets old. 9. Arkansas: Razorback Stadium is getting new synthetic turf for this coming season. 10. Mississippi State: Hope you like the sound of clanging cowbells. 11. Vanderbilt: Part of Vanderbilt's commitment to Bobby Johnson was to spruce up the stadium, particularly how it looks outside. 12. Kentucky: Come November, Commonwealth Stadium can turn bitterly cold. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WAR EAGLE TIMES RETORT Ok....... Interesting list. Here is the War Eagle Times top ten stadiums to visit. This is a real list made by a person who sits in the stadium and enjoys the tailgating, not a person in the broadcast booth.... Give us your comments!!!! 1. OLE MISS - YOU CANT BEAT THE OLE MISS ATMOSPHERE. THE GROOVE IS AWESOME. I REMIND YOU THIS IS A LIST OF FUN PLACES TO GO. NOT THE HARDEST TO PLAY IN. 2. AUBURN - ASK ANYONE IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL, AUBURN IS THE FRIENDLIST STOP ON THE SCHEDULE. THE STADIUM IS COMFORTABLE AND THE EAGLE FLYING FREELY OVER THE PLAYING FIELD IS HARD TO BEAT. IT WAS HARD NOT TO PUT AUBURN NUMBER ONE. 3. SOUTH CAROLINA - TAILGATING ON THE TRAIN CARS!!! A LARGE STADIUM AND LOTS OF CO-EDS. THE ONLY DOWNSIDE TO USC IS THE LARGE CITY TRAFFIC AND THE ROUGH SIDE OF TOWN BEING SO CLOSE. 4. GEORGIA - THIS IS A FUN PLACE TO GO FOR A GAME. WOULD RANK HIGHER IF THE FAN NASE WAS NOT SO OBNOXIOUS AFTER THEY GET DRUNK. PRE GAME MIGHT RANK HIGHER, BUT LEAVING ATHENS IS DANGEROUS IF YOUR NOT WEARING READ AND BLACK. 5. MSU - IF YOU HAVENT BEEN THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO ENJOY COLLEGE FOOTBALL. IT'S NOT A BIG PLACE BUT IT IS A NICE PLACE TO COOK OUT AND ENJOY THE GAME. SMALLER CROUDS ARE A PLUS. 6. ARKANSAS - YOU GOTTA LOVE A GAME WHERE THEY CALL THE HOGS. THIS IS A FUN PLACE TO VISIT AS LONG AS ITS NOT WINTER. 7. TENNESSEE - IF YOU CAN GET PAST THE BIG CITY TRAFFIC AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT, THIS IS AN AMAZING PLACE TO TAKE IN THE PAGEANTRY OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL. 8. VANDY - A NICE CHANGE OF PACE, BECAUSE WHEN YOU GO TO VANDY ITS REALLY A HOME GAME. YOU WILL HAVE MORE FANS IN THE STANDS AND ITS FUN TO HAVE A HOME CROUD ON THE ROAD. 9. KENTUCKY - MORE PEOPLE AT RUMP ARENA WATCHING THE CLEANING CREW THAN AT THE STADIUM. ENOUGH SAID. 10. ALABAMA - HONESTLY A BORING PLACE TO WATCH A GAME. UAT IS NOT A VERY LOUD CROWD AND IT GETS OLD LISTENING TO THE (INSERT YOUR SCHOOL HERE) GO TO HELL CHEER. ITS VERY TACKY. 11. FLORIDA - THE SECOND MOST HORRIBLE PLACE IN AMERICA TO WATCH A FOOTBALL GAME. RUDE AND OBNOXIOUS. I NEVER GO TO GAINESVILLE ANYMORE. ITS TO EASY TO GET INTO A FIGHT. 12. LSU - THE NUMBER ONE WORST PLACE TO GO TO A GAME AND THIS INCLUDES EUROPEAN SOCCER. DONT GO UNLESS YOU HAVE GOOD INSURANCE. THEY WILL ATTACK YOU AND YOUR CAR IF IT HAS YOUR SCHOOL EMBLEM ON IT. NEVER GO AT NIGHT!!!!!!!! OK AND HERE ARE THE HARDEST PLACES TO PLAY, BECAUSE THIER CROUD IS THE ELEVENTH MAN ON THE FIELD. 1. LSU, 2. FLORIDA, 3. AUBURN/GEORGIA(TIE) 5. TENNESSEE, 6. ALABAMA, 7. ARKANSAS, 8. USC, 9. MSU, 10. OLE MISS, 11. KENTUCKY, 12. VANDY.............................

This story originally published on CollegeFootballNews.com

Harbach Blog...The 2009 SEC Preview
Love him or hate him, he's back		By Brian Harbach Collegefootballnews.com Posted Jun 29, 2009 My Pre-Season review of the SEC is back and after all the feedback that was sent in last season there wasn’t a reason to change the format. Taking a look at the SEC’s 2009 Contenders, Pretenders and Pushovers should fire up your emotions and fill up my inbox. Where does your team stack up? Read on to find out.
By Brian Harbach The State of the SEC What better way to start a preview of the Southeastern Conference than to discuss where the league stands compared to the rest of the country. After three straight National Championships, the SEC has solidified itself as thePremiere Conference in College Football and is running towards the 2009 season with the best team, player and coach in the nation. The defending National Champion Florida Gators bring back their Heisman winning Quarterback Tim Tebow, the best coach in college football Urban Meyer and nearly their entire team. Love him or hate him, Tim Tebow is going to be the biggest story line this college football season because another Gator National Championship will make him the greatest quarterback in college football history. If you think you were sick of ESPN pieces on Tebow, just wait because there will be no end to the Tebow love fest in 2009. Regardless of how you feel about the SEC’s Superman, he deserves every bit of the praise he is going to get because he is a great kid and a great football player. The SEC boasts a number of other important returnees to the league such as its best defensive player Tennessee Safety Eric Berry, breakout QB Jevan Snead from Ole Miss, the freshmen sensations at Wide Receiver Georgia’s AJ Greene and Alabama’s Julio Jones and former Michigan Wolverine, now Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett. All of these players should put up numbers that will give them at the very least All SEC 1st team votes and this is just scratching the surface of the leagues talent. The league has plenty of veterans making triumphant returns, but this season there will be new faces on the field and on the sidelines. Three new coaches make their SEC debuts this September at Tennessee, Auburn and Mississippi State who will coached respectively by Lane Kiffin, Gene Chizik and Dan Mullen. Chizik and Mullen have experience in the SEC as coordinators while Kiffin comes in from time spent in California with Southern Cal and the Oakland Raiders. Like every year the SEC dominated in recruiting taking top recruits from all over the country, some of the guys you can expect to see early and often this year would be Georgia WR Marlon Brown, LSU WR Rueben Randle, Tennessee RB Bryce Brown, Florida LB Jelani Jenkins and Arkansas DB Darius Winston. There are too many top flight recruits to mention, but these young men plus a lot more will be on the field early this season if they make it on campus. The SEC once again is looking strong from the stands to the sidelines and from the returning starters to the incoming freshmen. The league should start the season with 3 or 4 teams in the top 10 and the overall favorite to win the National Championship which would be 4 straight for the SEC. The top is obvious, but there is a lot of discussion after the Florida Gators. Team Breakdown Just like last year the SEC teams will be broken into three separate groups…the Contenders, the Pretenders and the Pushovers. Each group is listed byalphabetical order only; it is not listed by any ranking within each group. Keep that in mind when you get ready to fire off those emails about why your team is behind some one you think is worse. There is going to be plenty of reason for angry emails, but they should be based on the content, not the order. The Contenders Alabama What to Like : The defense is going to be strong this season, especially at the linebacker position. Alabama might have two of the top three linebackers in the league with Rolando McClain and Donta Hightower in the middle of their defense. The skill position players are very good with Julio Jones at WR, Mark Ingram at RB and they can rotate a number of good tight ends into the game that can catch the ball very well. What to Dislike: The offensive line lost a lot and while everyone will point to first round pick Andre Smith, the loss of Antoine Caldwell will be an even bigger loss to the team. Smith was the player everyone knows about, but Caldwell was the foundation of that line and his leadership and experience will be missed. With first year starting QB Greg McElroy needing confidence early, the offensive line will have to protect him and that starts with new Center William Vlachos. Florida What to Like: What there is to like could take up all the space in this column, but to start with the senior leadership on this team is not matched by any team in the country. Tim Tebow and Brandon Spikes are talented, experienced and they know what it takes to win championships. With those two leading this team it is like having two additional coaches on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The Gators speed is extremely impressive from Cornerback to Running back. Joe Haden, Jeffrey Demps, Brandon James and Chris Rainey can flat out fly. Florida is the class of the SEC going in and while the rest of the league is good, they are not in the Gators league. What to Dislike: There is really nothing to dislike about the Gators this year. Putting Tebow under center could end up causing problems for Florida depending on how much they use it and when they use it, but that is really nitpicking. If they stay focused all season, there won’t be much to complain about this year if you are a Florida fan. LSU What to Like: Two things stand out when looking at LSU on paper, the first is the secondary which is scary with talent and the second is the ridiculous amount of skill players on offense. New Defensive Coordinator John Chavis has never had a problem coaching elite talent in the secondary and guys like Chad Jones, Patrick Peterson and Jai Eugene are going to benefit greatly from his coaching. The receivers once again should be formidable with returning senior Brandon Lafell, Terrence Tolliver and Rueben Randle all with the size and speed the NFL covets. What to Dislike: The quarterback position is still not the strongest part of the team and that killed LSU last season. Jordan Jefferson played very well at the end of last season, but he is still young and inexperienced. He has a ton of athletic ability and talent to succeed in the SEC, but with just a couple of starts under his belt it is impossible to know if he will be great or start strong and then fade like Jarrett Lee. Ole Miss What to Like: It is impossible not to like Ole Miss’ returning quarterback Jevan Snead, he is the second best QB in the league, but he may be the best pro prospect in the SEC. The passing game should be good, but the running game may be even better with young guys like Brandon Bolder and Enrique Davis ready to break out. Defensive End Greg Hardy’s return for his senior season was a pleasant surprise and he should anchor a very good defensive line. What to Dislike: The Ole Miss pass defense was last in the SEC last year and that was with Jamarca Sanford in the secondary. This year’s secondary is young and undersized, so it is hard to expect them to improve that much from last year in terms of pass defense. Most likely to move down a group: Alabama Greg McElroy has looked good in fill in duty last season and he had a very good spring practice, but his situation is not as solid as the other 3 QB’s ranked in the contenders group. The offensive line for the Crimson Tide is still unknown and he has yet to start a game in his young career. The Alabama defense is good enough to carry this team if the QB doesn’t make mistakes, but what young quarterback doesn’t make mistakes? The Pretenders Arkansas What to Like: Successful offense comes from a smart offensive game-planning and a quarterback who is able to execute the offensive. Bobby Petrino should have his offense running at full speed this year due to Michigan QB transfer, Ryan Mallett. Mallett is the perfect QB to run this offense because he has a cannon for an arm and is so tall that he can see the field very well. A young defense from last year returns 8 starters and it should help the Razorbacks get back to a bowl game. What to Dislike: The schedule is just plain nasty this season with road games at Florida, Alabama, Ole Miss and LSU. Add home games against UGA, Auburn, South Carolina and a neutral site game against Texas A&M and Arkansas may have the toughest path to the SECCG. If it weren’t for the schedule this team would be fighting for the SEC West this year, but because of the tough slate a good bowl game is more likely. Auburn What to Like: Defense has never been a problem for Auburn and while there is not a lot of depth anywhere on the team, the defense should be very good this season. Ted Roof is a great defensive coordinator and while Gene Chizik may not impress as a head coach yet, he knows defense and he knows how to coach defensive backs. The leader of the Tigers D will be 5th year senior Antonio Coleman who should have a break out year and could work his way onto the All American list. What to Dislike: Auburn’s offense has struggled for years with the passing game and this year the Tigers don’t have an SEC player at the QB position and the receivers are unproven and severely lacking depth. Gus Malzahn will improve this horrid offense a little just because of the upgrade he is in coaching, but outside of running backs Ben Tate and Mario Fannin, no Auburn skill player has shown they can make plays in the SEC. Georgia What to Like: The Georgia Bulldogs do not lack playmakers at any position on the field, especially on offense. The Wide Receiver depth chart is stacked with talent from super sophomore AJ Greene to senior WR Mike Moore and with stud freshmen Marlon Brown on his way Joe Cox should be salivating at his targets. Running back is another strong area for UGA with highly recruited Caleb King in the starting spot, but not running away with the job and change of pace scat-back, Carlton Thomas, ready to take carries away from the bigger backs with his versatility. What to Dislike: The offensive line is once again extremely young, but they are a little more experienced this year after being all freshmen and sophomores a year ago. What is so amazing is with the talent UGA brings in each year, they are severely lacking depth at every position on the offensive line. There were a lot of injuries on the O-line last year and it hurt them, it will be the same thing this year if the injury bug returns. Georgia could be relying on true freshmen once again if players start going down. South Carolina What to Like: South Carolina fans have to love that for the first time Steve Spurrier is going into the season with no quarterback controversy. Stephen Garcia is the starter and he should get all the important snaps this summer and he won’t be looking over his shoulder at the QB standing next to Spurrier on the sidelines. On the defensive side senior Eric Norwood decided not to enter the draft this past spring and will be smacking opposing quarterbacks for one final year. What to Dislike: What was a positive for Stephen Garcia could turn into a negative for the Gamecocks if he is to get hurt. He won’t be looking over his shoulder, mostly because there is no one else there. In the past South Carolina has had a quarterback carousel, but this year that ride stops if Garcia falls off. No team in the SEC is more reliant on one player than South Carolina and one injury could move them from New Year’s Day bowl to home for the New Year. Most likely to move up a group: Georgia Joe Cox is an unknown, but the last time Georgia started a 5th year senior at QB it was DJ Shockley and that team won an SEC Championship. Richt seems to do well when his teams are under the radar; both of his SEC Championships came in seasons where they were not expected to be great. UGA is always one of the most talented teams in the country and solid QB play could push a likely modest year into something special. Most likely to move down a group: Auburn The offense might be better this year, it is almost impossible for it not to be, but the QB situation is a mess, the team has very little depth and the October schedule will be brutal. October was the start of the Auburn downfall last year and this year is no better. With games at Tennessee, at Arkansas, home with Kentucky, at LSU and home against Ole Miss it is possible they could lose all of those games. September isn’t overly difficult and they could get some positive momentum, but unless a player steps up at QB 2009 may remind Auburn fans a lot of 2008. The Pushovers Kentucky What to Like: The Kentucky defense has two of the SEC’s best defensive players in LB Micah Johnson and CB Trevard Lindley. These two senior leaders should be huge for the Wildcats but this defense would have been even better if it still had Jeremy Jarmon on the team. Lindley is the best cornerback in the league and Johnson is a physical force at almost 260 pounds. It will be interesting to see if Johnson spends any time at defensive end with the off-season losses Kentucky has had at that position. No matter where he plays, he should end up as an All SEC performer this season along with Lindley. What to Dislike: Moving Randall Cobb to wide receiver was the worst decision Rich Brooks has made while at Kentucky. College Football has moved into a time when teams want their best player to touch the ball every play at QB or just more often. Cobb at receiver means he will catch maybe 5 balls a game and maybe another 7-8 times on a reverse or in a Wildcat formation. This makes no sense when your current QB, Mike Hartline, has not proven to be any better than Cobb. Put money down in Vegas that Cobb will be the starting QB come October and Brooks will take serious heat for this decision. Mississippi State What to Like: Dan Mullen seems to be a pretty smart guy, he looked at his team and during spring practice he tried to emphasize their strengths or more like strength. The best thing MSU has going for them is Anthony Dixon and Dixon is not even close to a spread running back. He is 100% power I back, but Mullen will use him often in his offense because he is the best option they have. That is smart coaching and that is something that should encourage Bulldog fans about Dan Mullen. What to Dislike: Outside of Dixon there are zero offensive playmakers and the offensive players they have do not yet fit the spread that Mullen is going to try and run. The offensive line is not great and mostly inexperienced while the quarterback situation is among the SEC’s worst. There is no player on the team that can currently run the spread and Mullen may have to bring out his entire bag of tricks to keep this team competitive. Tennessee What to Like: This should be a very good Volunteer defense with all the players returning and the coaches Lane Kiffin brought in. Ed Orgeron is a great defensive line coach and Monte Kiffin is a NFL defensive guru that should have quick success in the college ranks. Junior Eric Berry is the best defensive player in the country and he might be Tennessee’s biggest threat on offense. The Tennessee defense is very experience with 10 of the 11 starters in their junior or senior years. What to Dislike: Schedule and quarterback might be the two most important factors for college football teams and Tennessee has it bad in both of these. The QB situation rivals Auburn’s and Mississippi State for the leagues worst and the first eight games include only two sure wins. Tennessee’s schedule is always soft at the end of the year, but their September and October is just plain mean. The first two months of the season gives the Vols games against UCLA, Florida, Auburn, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. Vanderbilt What to Like: Would it surprise you that Vanderbilt may have the best quarterback situation in the SEC outside of Florida. Both Mackenzie Adams and Larry Smith are big time offensive threats at the QB position and they both should play a lot this year. Expect to see a lot of the running QB Adams and the passer Smith in games because they are both dynamic players and it will cause SEC defenses problems all year long. Last year defense was the reason Vandy made it to a bowl game, but with all the losses on that side of the ball, the offense should be the reason they make it back to the postseason in 2009. What to Dislike: The receiving core is shaky and they were hit by a couple injuries this spring that devastated the WR depth charts. The offense will be better due to the great QB play, but it will not be pretty at times. Starting wide receivers Terence Jeffers, Alex Washington and John Cole have a combined 13 receptions and every one of those receptions belongs to Alex Washington. Most likely to move up a group: Tennessee: Lane Kiffin is a relative unknown to the SEC so it wouldn’t shock anyone to see the Vols start out great or fall apart. If Kiffin can get through to any of his quarterbacks the offense could be better and the defense will not be put in as many terrible spots as they were last season. The Tennessee defense will be really good, maybe great and if the Vols can sustain drives, stop turning the ball over and complete more than 50% of their passes this team is talented enough to make it to a good bowl game.

This story originally published on CollegeFootballNews.com