Last year's rankings are in parentheses).
1. Georgia (4): No team has been as successful in the last four years.
Georgia has played in three of the four
SEC title games, winning two of them. Mark Richt has built a powerful program — even with a lack of success against Florida — and is doing it the right way. Athletic director Damon Evans has settled into the job, the facilities are excellent and the fan base is as good as any. The Bulldogs aren't going away.
2. Auburn (5): Now that it seems as if Tommy Tuberville is entrenched after the bizarre situation a couple of years ago,
Auburn is moving forward with strength and unity. The stadium is my favorite in the conference so it's a good thing to see Florida heading back there this season. Solid recruiting and a string of excellent seasons make the Tigers one of the South's most powerful programs.
3. LSU (1): It's not that
LSU has slipped as much as the other two have pushed past the Tigers. Les Miles is in his second year and his recruiting has picked up right where Nick Saban's left off. The newly refurbished stadium was delayed by Hurricane Katrina and the storm also made life hectic in Baton Rouge. But this year, things will be as close to normal as they can be.
4. Florida (2): Florida certainly has a fan base that is awesome, a stadium that is amazing and a coach in
Urban Meyer who has a year of experience in the
SEC under his belt. But the Gators haven't been to a BCS bowl game since 2001 and haven't played for the conference title since 2000. We all know what Meyer has done as a recruiter, but he's still fighting to get attitudes where he wants them.
5. Alabama (7): Just a year ago, Mike Shula was on the hotseat. Now he's getting asked for autographs in church. Nobody can match the Tide's tradition and the stadium expansion will only add to the religious experience that is Alabama football.
6. Tennessee (3): Last year was a nightmare for the Vols and coach Phil Fulmer, but he brought a lot of the headaches on himself with some of the players he recruited. David Cutcliffe should return some stability to the coaching staff and the stadium is the biggest the league has to offer.
7. South Carolina (7): The head coach knows what he is doing, but he's still struggling to get his players on the same page.
Steve Spurrier has an excellent stadium and a rabid bunch of fans, but he'll be the first to tell you the facilities aren't what they should be.
8. Arkansas (6): The Razorbacks have been a major disappointment the last two years, but recruiting has picked up drastically. We'll have to wait and see if that was only because there was so much talent in the homestate. Facilities are solid, but Houston Nutt has to change the culture of losing.
9. Mississippi (10): Ed Orgeron surprised a lot of people with a strong recruiting season so the talent is improving. But it's still not where it needs to be and neither are the facilities.
10. Vanderbilt (11): Jay Cutler is gone and it will be a struggle for Bobby Johnson to get the Commodores into the top four in the
SEC East. Being an afterthought in your own town doesn't help matters. Neither does a high school stadium.
11. Mississippi State (9): Sylvester Croom still has a long way to go to get this program back on track.
12. Kentucky (12): The coach probably only has a year to get things headed in the right direction, but now that the baseball team hosted a regional and won the
SEC East, the football team may be the third most popular team on campus.
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