FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Say what you want about the SEC. You can say it's overrated. You can say it's underrated. You can say it's the best defensive conference in the nation. You can say it's the best offensive conference in the nation.

No matter what you say, there's no doubting the talent in the SEC. From top to bottom, the conference is loaded on both sides of the football.

And speaking of loaded, the East could be the toughest division in all of college football.

Florida is the defending national champions, but lost some key ingredients from that squad. However, Urban Meyer has reloaded, which is no surprise, and while they may not be a national contender this season, they will still be poised to make a run towards the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. The biggest question mark will be whether Tim Tebow can carry this team, and it should be interesting to see what happens with the Gators.

Tennessee rebounded last year from an abysmal season two years ago, and now look to be a sleeper pick to win the East. I think Tennessee's schedule will benefit them if they can find a way to get past Cal in week one. That will be easier said than done though. The Vols also visit The Swamp, it what is always a pivotal point in the season for both teams.

Georgia was solid last year, but losses to Vanderbilt and Kentucky didn't help matters. The quarterback situation was quite confusing last year, but it looks like Matthew Stafford will and should be the main man this year for the Bulldogs. If he can be consistent, and the Georgia defense can make plays to take some pressure off him, the Bulldogs have as good a chance as anybody to come out of the East.

South Carolina could very well be the most improved team this season. While I personally don't believe they have all the talent in place to win the conference, they could still play spoiler, and take out any of the top three teams mentioned thus far. The Gamecocks have a tough conference road schedule though, with games at Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, and Arkansas. The ol' ball coach seems to have his best team yet, and we'll see exactly how they match up with the top teams in the league.

Kentucky could very well have the best quarterback in the league in Andre Woodson, according to most publications out there, with Eric Ainge in second place. While Kentucky has improved, they have a very tough schedule. They open with easy games against Eastern Kentucky and Kent State, but then have a tough task ahead. Their tougher games are at home (Louisville, LSU, Florida, Tennessee), but they also have road games that aren't exactly givens (Arkansas, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Georgia). If the Wildcats make it back to a bowl game, it will be a very successful season.

Vanderbilt will be the team that could pull some upsets this season. Yes, I am a Vanderbilt fan, but they will still be a solid football team this year. They haven't been to a bowl game in 20+ years, but the streak should end this year. With a whopping 8 home games, if the Dores don't make it this year, it could be another 20 years before they get there. They have the best receiver in the conference (and one of the top 3 in the nation) in Earl Bennett. If quarterback Chris Nickson can control his turnovers, and the defense can be forcing turnovers, the Commodores could be the surprise story of the 2007 season.

At this point, it's hard to predict who comes out of the East. After these teams finish beating up on each other, I just can't see any team coming out of the East undefeated. While it's obvious Florida, UT, and Georgia are the front-runners, it's hard to choose which one will come out on top, due to the fact that South Carolina, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt can beat any of them on any given day.

If I had to choose right now, here's how it would look:

1. Florida

2. Georgia

3. Tennessee

4. South Carolina

5. Vanderbilt

6. Kentucky

Let me hear your feedback on who you think is going to represent the East this year.