Alabama and LSU have already established themselves as the two best teams in the SEC.

Don’t be surprised to see their success continue in the upcoming years.

Alabama’s 2012 class, which currently holds 24 commitments, is ranked No. 1 in the nation by 247Sports.com. The Crimson Tide has commitments from three five-star prospects, which also leads the nation.

Barton Simmons of 247Sports spoke on WNML Radio in Knoxville, TN, on Tuesday and gave credit to Alabama coach Nick Saban for the Crimson Tide’s recruiting success.

“It’s phenomenal what Nick Saban has been able to do,” Simmons said. “Their linebacker class this year is the best group of linebackers that I’ve ever seen in one class. The rich are getting richer in a big way there.”

That class of linebackers includes Reggie Ragland of Madison, Ala., Tyler Hayes of Thomasville, Ala., and Dillon Lee from Buford, Ga.

It’s worth pointing out Alabama has a commitment from junior linebacker Reuben Foster, who’s already regarded as one of the nation’s top overall prospects for the 2013 class.

LSU’s 2012 class, which has 22 commitments, is ranked fourth nationally by 247Sports. That’s second to only Alabama in the SEC. But Simmons believes the Tigers’ class could turn out to be even better than its ranking indicates.

“They recruit what they have found success in and that’s size and raw athleticism and speed,” Simmons said of LSU. “They’re maybe not guys that everyone knows about nationally but they’re guys in that state of Louisiana that are fast and run and can hit. So I think that’s a class that’s going to be even better than maybe it looks on paper to some folks.”

And that will only make it harder on the rest of the SEC as it tries to catch up to Alabama and LSU.

Start the countdown clocks, the SEC has announced via Twitter that the league will release its 2012 football schedule tomorrow at 10am ET.

And that means by 10:01am ET, Twitter will be filled with conspiracy theories, “they’re out to get us” rants, and “so-and-so got an easier schedule than us” whines.

Can’t wait.

1. Here’s the latest on the recruitment of defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard from Shelby, N.C.

2. Vanderbilt’s recruiting is affecting Tennessee’s recruiting, writes John Adams of the Knoxville News Sentinel.

3. Could Florida’s appearance in the Gator Bowl help its recruiting in Jacksonville?

4. South Carolina is still in the picture for Ole Miss running back commit I’Tavius Mathers.

5. Georgia Tech is pursuing a few players targeted by SEC schools.

6. See which SEC classes are “moving and shaking” according to Bryan Fischer of CBSSports.com.

7. Illinois is a new suitor for athlete David Perkins from South Bend, Ind.

8. Will Missouri be able to recruit in the SEC?

So what were SEC fans talking about in January of 2011?  In March?  In May and beyond?  We’ve gone back through our records and tallied up the most-read and linked-to stories from our site from each month of the year.  Below is the first half our year-in-review recap.  We’ll follow up with July through December tomorrow.  Until then, here are the most read stories from January through June:

January 

1.  Final SEC Coaching Grades — Post-Bowl Edition

2.  Did Saban Break Rules By Visiting Recruit?

3.  Sex Sells — Or Doesn’t — At MSU

4.  UT’s Celebrations Drew Attention From NFL’ers

5.  Kanter Ruling Expected Today

February

1.  There Are Three Reasons Why The SEC Dominates In Football And They’re Not Going To Change

2.  Did AU’s Taylor Use Ex-Vol Wideout To Recruit For Auburn?

3.  Slive Didn’t Like Bama’s Fax-Cam Girl

4.  Radio Host Says Newton Tapes Are The Real Deal (and this one… It’s Time For Bond And Moore To Put Up Or Shut Up On The Newton Saga)

5.  Signing Day 2011 — The Final Rankings

March

1.  Pearl Didn’t Tell UT About Bump Rule Violation; School’s Support Wavering

2.  SEC Tournament Bracket Set

3.  Oregon Investigation Could Lead Back To The SEC

4.  Arkansas Search Expected To Start With Anderson, But…

5.  Under Pressure: The 15 SEC Figures With The Most To Worry About In 2011-12

April

1.  Auburn Writer Accuses Bama Of Paying Signee Calloway

2.  Calipari-NBA Rumors The Hot Topic In Kentucky (Again)

3.  Report: Auburn And Alabama Players Have Used Controversial Patches

4.  Want To Win An SEC Football Game?  Take Care Of The Football

5.  SEC Stat Analysis — Slow Grind (Defensive Efficiency)

May

1.  SEC Brag-O-Meter: The Best Programs Of The Past 8 Years

2.  Some AU Fans Are Angry Someone Wrote Something Nice About Bama

3.  Did Bin Laden Cost Florida A National Title?

4.  New Gator WR Story Likes Katy Perry, Doodoo

5.  SEC Brag-O-Meter: Football Over The 2000s (and this one… SEC Brag-O-Meter: Basketball Over The 2000s)

June

1.  Tide QB McCarron Has A Heckuva Tattoo On His Back

2.  LSU’s Jefferson Confuses Thomas Jefferson With George Jefferson

3.  Big 12 Applies More Duct Tape, But A&M To The SEC Will Still Happen.  Someday.

4.  UT Has An Opportunity To End A 20-Year Feud

5.  Kentucky Writer Notices That Bama’s Counting Saban’s Vacated Wins

Highly-touted quarterback Gunner Kiel will announce his college decision today, according to a report from Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports.com.

Kiel, who’s considered the nation’s No. 1 pro-style quarterback by 247Sports, is considering LSU, Vanderbilt and Notre Dame.

Recent speculation has led Kiel to LSU, but the Columbus, Ind., native has been linked to all three schools.

A time hasn’t been announced for Kiel’s decision. Stay connected to MrSEC for the latest with Kiel’s decision.

1.  Here are this week’s SEC basketball Players of the Week.

2.  If Florida hires Jeff Dillman — as expected — as its new strength coach, the way the Gators lift weights will change.

3.  All Georgia’s football players are present and accounted for as bowl week preps kick off in Tampa today.

4.  As for next year, this writer says it’s all but certain the Bulldogs won’t face Alabama.

5.  UGA forward Marcus Thornton — the Dawgs’ leading rebounder — is undergoing exploratory knee surgery today.

6.  Joker Phillips wants Kentucky to build next year on its “strong finish” in 2011 (meaning a nine-point loss to Georgia and a win over 5-7 Tennessee).

7.  This writer believes South Carolina’s best possible move might be to promote Lorenzo Ward to replace Ellis Johnson.

8.  Folks in the Volunteer State are looking forward to the mid-season arrival of true freshman hoopster Jarnell Stokes.

9.  This scribe says Tennessee fans should also be paying attention to Vanderbilt’s recruiting class.

10.  Vanderbilt moved its Liberty Bowl practice indoors as rain fell on Memphis.

Nothing’s more important than spending time with his wife and kids.  He never wanted to coach anywhere else after wearing the orange and blue.  He wasn’t going to raid Florida’s football program for staffers.

By now, it’s become pretty clear that what Urban Meyer says and what Urban Meyer does can be two completely different things.  So prepare for the coach’s latest canard:


“I’m sure I’ll watch some (of the Gator Bowl between Florida and Ohio State).  It’s hard or me to sit and watch a whole game.  I think people are making more of it than I would.  At some point, that story is going to go away.”


Uh, yeah.  As soon as the fourth quarter ends on January 2nd in Jacksonville.  Until then, the 2012 Gator Bowl is in reality the Urban Meyer Bowl.

And if you think the head coach at Ohio State won’t be watching his new squad battle his old squad — if for no other reason than to simply gauge his new troops’ abilities against athletes he’s familiar with — then you’ve probably believed every other fabrication Meyer has spun in the past 24 months.

“I want to form my opinions after we coach them,” Meyer said of his new Buckeye players.  “It’s a great opportunity for these players to push restart.  I’m not going to develop an opinion based on this game.”

Maybe not, but the idea that he won’t be watching the game from start to finish is downright laughable.

1.  With the Chick-fil-A Bowl scheduled for later this week, things sure have changed since the last time Auburn visited the Georgia Dome.

2.  Tiger receiver Quan Bray might just be the “surprise” third running back on Saturday night.

3.  Alabama is ready to start implementing its gameplan for Game of the Century II.

4.  If Tide defensive back Robert Lester has a big game against LSU, he might leave early for the NFL.

5.  New Arkansas defensive tackles coach Kevin Peoples is fired up to be back on the field.

6.  This writer says the Razorbacks need a bowl win in the worst way.

7.  Christmas break behind them, LSU’s football players are back at work on the Bayou.

8.  By now, the Tigers are used to prepping for big games.

9.  A new football coach in place, Mississippi has turned its full attention to finding a new AD to replace Pete Boone.

10.  MSU has arrived in damp, dreary Nashville to “win a championship,” according to Dan Mullen.

11.  With Tyler Russell suffering from an MCL sprain, Chris Relf will get the start at quarterback for the Bulldogs in the Music City Bowl.

Saturday’s Chick-fil-A Bowl against Virginia will feature Gus Malzahn’s departure from Auburn and Gene Chizik’s return to his defensive coordinator roots.  Both men are already making plans.

According to tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen, his offensive coordinator has big things in store for the Cavaliers.  “He’s going to throw the book at them,” he said of Malzahn’s gameplan.  Malzahn will take over as Arkansas State’s head coach after the bowl.

Chizik, meanwhile, is filling in for departed D-coordinator Ted Roof.  And he always coached from the pressbox as a coordinator in the past.  Any chance he coaches from on high Saturday?  Uh, no.

“Really and truly, my plan is to be on the sideline,” Chizik said.  “I’d give it 90-10.”

“That’s going to be the challenge for me, obviously.  Even when I was a defensive coordinator before all those years I never called a game before from on the field.  Obviously, I’m going to have to be involved in the total aspect of the game — third downs, fourth downs, ‘are we going to go for it?’  I feel like we’ve got a pretty good plan in place, but when everything starts flying fast out there, sometimes it gets pretty hairy out there.  But that’s going to be my plan right now.”

In case you didn’t notice — and with an afternoon kickoff from Shreveport you probably didn’t — the SEC sorta/kinda got off to a 1-0 start for the bowl season yesterday.  Newest league member Missouri ran up 31 first-half points en route to a 41-24 victory over North Carolina, presumably the school’s last victory as a Big 12 member.

For those who missed it, you failed to catch an impressive performance from Tiger quarterback James Franklin.  He was 15 of 23 in the passing game for 132 yards and a touchdown and he also led Mizzou in rushing with 142 yards and two TDs on 18 carries.  When the SEC finally announces next year’s schedule and you find the Tigers on your favorite team’s schedule, know that Franklin is the guy that your defensive coordinator will be focused on next fall.

Head coach Gary Pinkel said after the game that he gave his sophomore quarterback a hug and a “congratulations.”  “Then I went back and asked, ‘What happens when you get really good?’ … He kind of gave me a look, but that’s a huge compliment.”

Franklin earned the MVP award in the game and the respect of UNC interim coach Everett Withers (who’s now headed to Ohio State to join Urban Meyer’s staff).  “(Franklin) is just such a dynamic guy running and throwing that you have to respect both.  I always count the quarterback as an extra running back in the spread and that’s exactly what he was.”

Traditionally, Pinkel has been a pass-first guy, so the better Franklin gets in the passing game, the more dangerous his coach’s offense will become.

Here endeth the advanced scouting report.  Welcome to the SEC, Mizzou.