10 Things To Watch In The SEC

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As I gear up for the drive home from Atlanta — thanks to Bob Neal and the “SportsNite” crew at CSS for hosting me last night, by the way — I thought I’d give you some things to think about.

Below are 10 SEC-related issues that I will be keeping a close eye on over the next three seasons.

Here’s goes:

1.  South Carolina in 2010 — It appears to be a now or never season for Steve Spurrier and the Cocks.  The big dogs in the East don’t look to be quite so big next year and the Gamecocks will have an edge with an experienced quarterback.

2.  Arkansas in 2010 — Folks here in Atlanta keep waiting for Bobby Petrino to skip town again.  If the Razorbacks can’t make progress with their defense this year, Petrino might start getting the itch to find an easier gig somewhere else.

3.  Tennessee vs Georgia — In the 1990s, two teams from the East won SEC titles (Florida and Tennessee).  In the 2000s, two teams from the East won SEC titles (Florida and Georgia).  History shows that the East usually has two dominant programs at a time.  There’s some uneasiness in both Athens and Knoxville these days.  Over the next three years we should get a clearer picture of which program will best compete with Florida over the long haul.

4.  Ole Miss vs Mississippi State — Houston Nutt and Dan Mullen are already firing small barbs at one another.  Both schools are trying to win the battle for in-state recruits.  Whichever school best takes control of the Magnolia State will be primed to potentially climb into the upper half of the SEC West on a regular basis.

5.  Kentucky vs Vanderbilt — Someone has to be at the bottom of the East.  The Vandy-UK rivalry is a lot closer historically than most folks realize.  And Bobby Johnson just put together his best recruiting class.  Can Vandy climb over the Wildcats long term?  They’ll have to start beating them on the field again to do so.

6.  LSU vs Auburn — Auburn appears to be on the rise while LSU has dropped nine games in the last two seasons.  One of these teams will be Alabama’s stiffest competition in the years ahead.  Which will it be?

7.  Florida vs Alabama — Florida was the SEC’s best in 2008.  Alabama was tops in 2009.  Let’s see which team does what in the next three seasons.  That’ll make it a “best-out-of-five” to claim “flagship program” status in the SEC.

8.  Les Miles vs Mark Richt — Richt is the dean of SEC coaches and that’s never a good place to be.  Miles is the guy who will always be compared to Nick Saban… and that’s not a good situation, either.  Which man will be the last standing?

9.  Which school will be the next first-timer to reach Atlanta — Ole Miss, South Carolina, Kentucky and Vanderbilt have never made it to an SEC Championship Game.  Which program will be the first to make it?

10.  Nick Saban vs Urban Meyer — Like Richt and Miles, there’s a battle here to see who survives the longest.  Will Meyer give in to stress and health concerns and walk away at some point in the next three years?  Will Saban pull a Pete Carroll and head back to the NFL to prove himself at that level?  Which great coach will outlast the other in the SEC?