A typical SEC street fight

No clear-cut favorite in college football's toughest conference

COLUMBIA — As if you needed more evidence of how tough the Southeastern Conference is, here comes another illustration. And it's a doozy.

You've seen by now that Georgia is every big national publication's No. 1 entering the year.

But the Bulldogs aren't even favored in their own division.

No, it's Florida that received the nod. And by a fairly sizeable margin.

Even though Georgia beat Florida head-to-head last year. Even though Florida finished with four losses, including a defensive meltdown against Michigan in the bowl game.

But even if the media's high on the Gators, it's still Georgia receiving the August buzz around the country.

The Bulldogs return 17 starters, including nine on defense. And it also includes Heisman hopeful Knowshon Moreno at running back.

Coach Mark Richt saw this sort of attention when he was an assistant at Florida State. Georgia was picked No. 3 to start the 2004 season, but, still, this is a new plateau of buildup.

"I told the players that this preseason hype could be a blessing or a curse," Richt said. "It's a curse if you think it gives you a sense of entitlement to where you think you don't have to prepare. It could be a blessing if you look at it as one of the greatest opportunities of your life and you put the work in to even be in position to have a chance."

Georgia will have to survive a brutal schedule that includes road games at South Carolina, Arizona State, Louisiana State and Auburn. Oh, and that Cocktail Party against Florida in Jacksonville.

The Gators return the Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Tim Tebow, and a guy in Percy Harvin who might take it away from him this year with his versatility as a receiver and running back.

Florida is sweating its ability to stop the pass, with at least two sophomores and likely a true freshman (Will Hill) in the secondary. But the Gators could prove to be more athletic there than most think.

South Carolina returns a division-high 18 players, but that's from a 6-6 team that forgot how to win down the stretch.

Steve Spurrier has backed off his public claims the Gamecocks are ready to compete for a title. But he's said this year's team is his most talented team at USC.

It's about effort, he says. And if a new defensive coordinator (Ellis Johnson) and special teams coordinator (Ray Rychleski) can help.

Tennessee brought in a new offensive coaching staff and will break in a new quarterback, Jonathan Crompton. The Vols and Gamecocks might settle third in the division with their Nov. 1 meeting in Columbia.

Kentucky lost a ton of offensive talent, including quarterback Andre Woodson. The distance between fourth and fifth in the East is vast.

Vanderbilt brings back only 12 starters. This will be coach Bobby Johnson's biggest challenge.

And in all this discussion of the East, don't lose sight that the defending national champion is in the other division.

For that matter, LSU isn't favored in its division. That would be Auburn.

Auburn returns 17 starters, including nine on an offense that people on the Plains of Arkansas are excited about.

Tony Franklin was hired from nearby Troy just before the Auburn's bowl win against Clemson, and his spread system will change how Auburn operates offensively.

LSU lost a load of talent all over the field, but Les Miles still has a team that could wind up in Atlanta.

Settling on a quarterback has been trying, though, after Ryan Perrilloux was kicked out of school. Harvard transfer Andrew Hatch, redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee and freshman Jordan Jefferson have been vying for the spot.

The talent around whoever is in there will certainly help.

A couple of potential surprise teams will nip on the West favorites' heels.

Ole Miss could stun folks, with a lot of holdover talent and new coach Houston Nutt. The Rebels bring back a league-high 19 starters. And quarterback Jevan Snead, a transfer from Texas, is supposedly a Vince Young clone.

Alabama might be a year away, but if the freshman class gets going right away, Nick Saban could do some damage in his second season with the Tide.

Folks should keep an eye on receiver Julio Jones, who's earning rare preseason praise from Saban.

"We're going to play the best players," Saban said, "and if they're freshmen and the freshmen can go out there and play with consistency and performance and do their job better than someone else, we have no issue with those guys being the performers that will give us the best opportunity to be successful as a team."

Mississippi State won eight games a year ago, but it'll miss defensive coordinator — South Carolina's Johnson — more than a lot of people realize.

The Bulldogs won several games last season by virtue of their defense.

Bobby Petrino might make Arkansas into a winner, but he'll have his work cut out for him trying to fill the gargantuan voids left by running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.

Petrino's passing offense could take off next year when Michigan transfer Ryan Mallett becomes eligible.

So, it's going to be your typical SEC street fight. What would you expect?

When Florida coach Urban Meyer walked into a meeting this spring with his peers, he took note that pretty much everyone in the room was a contender.

"Any given nine think they're going to play in a conference championship," Meyer said. "I don't know if I feel you see that anywhere else in America."

Reach Travis Haney at thaney@postandcourier.com and check out the new South Carolina blog at www.charleston.net/blogs/gamecocks/>