By Gary Brown

Yes, it is really early and through fall practices things can change as injuries occur and we get a glimpse of which new players will make an impact, but for right now here is one look at how the SEC will play out this year.

Send your opinions on this topic to: gary.brown@pearsonbroadcasting.com

SEC East

1. Georgia 10-2 overall, 7-1 SEC: Again the Dawgs avoid the best of the West (see below) and a win over Steve Spurrier gives the edge.

2. South Carolina 11-1 overall, 7-1 SEC: At least the Gamecocks will be 5-0 over Clemson. Surely this will replace the heartache of losing to Georgia and being locked out of SEC title game.

3. Florida 9-3 overall, 6-2 SEC: It is a loss to Florida State out of conference that really takes a bite out of Florida. Losing to Georgia and South Carolina have the Gator nation on edge.

4. Tennessee 6-6 overall, 3-5 SEC: A bowl game in year one with Butch Jones. Future looks bright as Lane Kiffin is further and further in the rearview mirror.

5.  Missouri 6-6 overall, 2-6 SEC: The Tigers still don’t play “Big Boy” football and Gary Pinkel is looking for a new job.

6.  Vanderbilt 5-7 overall, 1-7 SEC: James Franklin is still a miracle worker in Nashville, just not in SEC play.

7.  Kentucky 3-9 overall, 0-8 SEC: There is a reason they needed a new head coach and this is the place where coaching careers go to die. When is Big Blue Madness?

SEC West

1.  Alabama 12-0 overall, 8-0 SEC: More offensive weapons than ever. Like in Alabama football history. Nick Saban and Kirby Smart will create a great defense. The beat goes on.

2.  Texas A&M 11-1 overall, 7-1 SEC: Enjoy Johnny Football. That is how much one player is worth to this program. Buy the hype now.

3.  LSU 8-4 overall, 5-3 SEC: Even Les Miles can’t overcome the big losses this defense took to the NFL draft.

4.   Ole Miss 9-3 overall, 5-3 SEC: The first draft had the rebels going 10-2 and beating LSU. Changing this one game was the hardest call there was when making the picks. Keep a close eye on what Hugh Freeze is doing in Oxford.

5.  Auburn 7-5 overall, 3-5 SEC: Gus Malzahn rekindles the passion in Auburn. He has a roster of players who were by and large recruited to play his style of football.

6.  Arkansas 5-7 overall, 1-7 SEC: Don’t panic after year one Razorback faithful. Bret Bielema is putting in a whole new offensive system with players designed to play in Bobby Petrino’s passing offense. Year two will show BIG improvements.

7.  Mississippi State 4-8 overall, 1-7 SEC: We can all stop wondering about it any longer. Dan Mullen is a pretender. Before the Bulldogs face Ole Miss we will be thinking about who is next in Starkville.

This outcome will give us a rematch of last year’s epic SEC Championship Game between Alabama and Georgia. Look for another slugfest that will be decided by a deeper Alabama team late once again.

Will the SEC make it eight in a row in BCS titles? That will be considered later. 

By Gary Brown

There is only one ring I have ever given to anyone. It was to my wife when I asked her to marry me. In my life, it was a championship event because there is no way I was good enough for her to say yes to when I popped the question.

Then there are head coaches in college football. If you receive a ring from one, don’t assume it is in celebration of a special event. These guys are quick to give away rings for almost any old reason…championship or not.

Consider Mack Brown and Texas first. Longhorn players were awarded their prize for a glorious 9-4 season and bowl victory that created “momentum” for the program. Is this really what Texas football has become?

Then there is the list of guys who ALMOST won their conference title.

North Carolina players received their rings for landing in a three way tie for the ACC’s Coastal Division title. What was the record at Chapel Hill in football last season? 8-4. Rings all around! Oh, by the way, the Tar Heels were not even eligible for postseason play because of those sticky academic fraud and agent issues.

Ohio State posted a great 12-0 record and Urban Meyer also popped out the rings for his players. They did win their division of the Big Ten, although there is not a person outside the Big Ten, who can tell you if that was Legends or leaders. Though they may have won their division it is hard to celebrate these Buckeye’s as well. After all, like NC, they were not eligible to really play for anything in the way of an actual title because a prior coaching staff had cheated along the way.  

Then there is Georgia. Georgia shared the divisional title with Florida, but at least they had no limitations on their ability to play for something more than pride. But really, is a Georgia season that ended in the SEC title game (and yes, that is when it really ended) with a loss to Alabama and a trip to the Capital One Bowl to play Nebraska reason to hand out jewelry?

Do schools that really believe they have a championship caliber programs pass out jewelry for minor successes?

If so, we need to give Vanderbilt players from last year rings. It is, historically, a whole lot bigger deal to be 9-4 as a Commodore than a Longhorn.

SMU should be measuring players’ hands for their 43-10 win over Fresno State in the Hawaii Bowl. Any bowl after the NCAA death penalty is significant for these guys. Think about it, Ohio State and North Carolina were never dealt that hand.

There should be a rule…no. I don’t like rules. There should be common sense applied by schools that dictates they will only give out rings on two occasions. When they actually win their conference title and when they win a national championship.

The last conference title ring that was really respectable was give to the LSU Tiger team that won the SEC title in 2011, but lost in the BCS Championship game to the Crimson Tide. The conference title was recognized, but a big number two was on one side reflecting the less than satisfactory finish to the season.  

By Gary Brown

Coming soon to an NFL stadium near you, louder and louder chants of “SEC…SEC…SEC.”

With the leagues recent domination of the NFL draft, haters of the conferences incredible success, no wait, domination of college football will only have to put up with even more swagger from the Deep South.

Just how strong was the SEC in this draft?

Twelve picks in the first round. Twelve picks in round two.

Five picks in the final round, including Mr. Irrelevant (the final pick), South Carolina tight end Justice Cunningham

Sixty-three total picks in all rounds. More than any other conference. The ACC was second with thirty players taken.

Twenty-Five percent of all draft picks came from the SEC.

This is the seventh straight time the SEC has led the way in the NFL draft.

One is the loneliest number as Arkansas QB was the only player taken from his position from the league. Florida kicker Caleb Sturgis was the specialist taken from the SEC.

Atlanta, Carolina and New England were the only teams not to draft an SEC player.

Surprise. It was not Alabama or LSU that had the most players taken in the draft, with nine each. That honor goes to the eleven taken from Florida State of the ACC.

Looking ahead….

Next year promises to produce another bumper crop of NFL players with SEC roots.

South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney will have to work hard to not be the first overall pick in 2014.

Expect more SEC QB’s to be taken with Aaron Murray(GA), A.J. McCarron(AL) and Johnny Manziel(Tex A&M) all being possible draft entries.

Sports Illustrated is projecting ten first round picks for the SEC in 2014.

The rest of college football may be growing weary of hearing it, but for now the SEC chants don’t look to be going away anytime soon.  

Alabama could not finish against the Florida Gators and Ole Miss continues to stand after taking down the Vanderbilt Commodores who were looking to make a stand in their hometown. That gives us an Ole Miss championship game against Florida today for the SEC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

By the way, what is a confidence pick? I is simple the percentage each team has of winning, in my humble opinion.

Before the picks though, here is a Nashville dining tip for the day if you are one of the fans heading to Music City for the games. Today is Sunday and a good time to try something a little dressier. Our restaurant selection is Burger Up. They offer several variations on the American classic.

Now…on to the confidence picks.

Sunday’s Game (March 17)

Today’s game will be at noon central time and televised on ABC

Florida vs. Ole Miss

• Gators-61%
• Rebels-39%

Saturday’s Games (March 16)

Both games will be played on ABC. Times are central.

Florida vs. Alabama-Noon

·         Gators-65%

·         Crimson Tide-35%

Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt-2:30 p.m.

·         Rebels-54%

·         Commodores-46%

Friday’s Games (March 15)

All games are on the SEC network and ESPN 3. All times are central.

Florida vs. LSU-Noon

·         Gators-59%

·         LSU-41%

Alabama vs. Tennessee-2:30 p.m.

·         Crimson Tide-49%

·         Volunteers-51%

Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt-6:30 p.m.

·         Wildcats-58%

·         Commodores-42%

Ole Miss vs. Missouri-9:00 p.m.

·         Rebels-38%

·         Tigers-62%

Thursday’s Games (March 14)

Georgia vs. LSU-Noon central time on the SEC Network and ESPN 3

·         Bulldogs-55%

·         Tigers-45%

Tennessee vs. Mississippi State-2:30 central time on SEC Network and ESPN 3

·         Volunteers-85%

·         Bulldogs-15%

Vanderbilt vs. Arkansas-6:30 central time on SEC Network and ESPN 3

·         Commodores-47%

·         Razorbacks-53%

Missouri vs. Texas A&M-9:00 central time on SEC Network and ESPN 3

·         Tigers-75%

·         Aggies-25%

Wednesday’s Games (March 13)

Mississippi State vs. South Carolina-6:30 central time on the SEC Network and ESPN 3

• Bulldogs-35%
• Gamecocks-65%

Auburn vs. Texas A&M-9:00 p.m. central time on the SEC Network and ESPN 3

• Tigers-20%
• Aggies-80%

Check back tomorrow for Thursday’s confidence picks.

Day three saw the possibility of Tennessee and Kentucky having their NCAA bubble burst and Missouri trying to play their way onto it by losing to Ole Miss. The question: did Alabama and Ole Miss get back into the mix for the big dance.

Today we have two games that can keep hope alive for all the teams playing.

By the way, what is a confidence pick? I is simple the percentage each team has of winning, in my humble opinion.

Before the picks though, here is a Nashville dining tip for the day if you are one of the fans heading to Music City for the games. Today is Saturday and a good chance to spice things up. Our restaurant selection is Bros Cajun Cuisine. You may not be in New Orleans, but a little spice is good thing.

Now…on to the confidence picks.

Saturday’s Games (March 16)

Both games will be played on ABC. Times are central.

Florida vs. Alabama-Noon

·         Gators-65%

·         Crimson Tide-35%

Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt-2:30 p.m.

·         Rebels-54%

·         Commodores-46%

Friday’s Games (March 15)

All games are on the SEC network and ESPN 3. All times are central.

Florida vs. LSU-Noon

·         Gators-59%

·         LSU-41%

Alabama vs. Tennessee-2:30 p.m.

·         Crimson Tide-49%

·         Volunteers-51%

Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt-6:30 p.m.

·         Wildcats-58%

·         Commodores-42%

Ole Miss vs. Missouri-9:00 p.m.

·         Rebels-38%

·         Tigers-62%

Thursday’s Games (March 14)

Georgia vs. LSU-Noon central time on the SEC Network and ESPN 3

·         Bulldogs-55%

·         Tigers-45%

Tennessee vs. Mississippi State-2:30 central time on SEC Network and ESPN 3

·         Volunteers-85%

·         Bulldogs-15%

Vanderbilt vs. Arkansas-6:30 central time on SEC Network and ESPN 3

·         Commodores-47%

·         Razorbacks-53%

Missouri vs. Texas A&M-9:00 central time on SEC Network and ESPN 3

·         Tigers-75%

·         Aggies-25%

Wednesday’s Games (March 13)

Mississippi State vs. South Carolina-6:30 central time on the SEC Network and ESPN 3

• Bulldogs-35%
• Gamecocks-65%

Auburn vs. Texas A&M-9:00 p.m. central time on the SEC Network and ESPN 3

• Tigers-20%
• Aggies-80%

Check back tomorrow for Thursday’s confidence picks.

After day two in the SEC play and going 2-2 with our picks we may start calling them the “lack of confidence” picks, however, it is tournament time and that means everyone is living like Cinderella.

Today is bubble day with Alabama, Ole Miss, Kentucky and Tennessee all taking to the court. It should make for an interesting day of games.

By the way, what is a confidence pick? I is simple the percentage each team has of winning, in my humble opinion.

Before the picks though, here is a Nashville dining tip for the day if you are one of the fans heading to Music City for the games. You have to eat breakfast and since 1961 the Pancake Pantry has been serving up great pancakes and eggs. Don’t even think it is the same as IHOP.

Now…on to the confidence picks.

Friday’s Games (March 15)

All games are on the SEC network and ESPN 3. All times are central.

Florida vs. LSU-Noon

·         Gators-59%

·         LSU-41%

Alabama vs. Tennessee-2:30 p.m.

·         Crimson Tide-49%

·         Volunteers-51%

Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt-6:30 p.m.

·         Wildcats-58%

·         Commodores-42%

Ole Miss vs. Missouri-9:00 p.m.

·         Rebels-38%

·         Tigers-62%

Thursday’s Games (March 14)

Georgia vs. LSU-Noon central time on the SEC Network and ESPN 3

·         Bulldogs-55%

·         Tigers-45%

Tennessee vs. Mississippi State-2:30 central time on SEC Network and ESPN 3

·         Volunteers-85%

·         Bulldogs-15%

Vanderbilt vs. Arkansas-6:30 central time on SEC Network and ESPN 3

·         Commodores-47%

·         Razorbacks-53%

Missouri vs. Texas A&M-9:00 central time on SEC Network and ESPN 3

·         Tigers-75%

·         Aggies-25%

Wednesday’s Games (March 13)

Mississippi State vs. South Carolina-6:30 central time on the SEC Network and ESPN 3

• Bulldogs-35%
• Gamecocks-65%

Auburn vs. Texas A&M-9:00 p.m. central time on the SEC Network and ESPN 3

• Tigers-20%
• Aggies-80%

Check back tomorrow for Thursday’s confidence picks.