Five things to expect in the SEC
By Tony Barnhart | Saturday, July 28, 2007, 10:41 PM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The SEC preseason meetings are over, which means it’s time to start getting serious about the 2007 season. The meetings were pretty uneventful, but I did learn a few new things — or at least I think I did. Here are five things I think I know as the SEC begins preseason practice:

1. I don’t know how many games Alabama is going to win, but this season is really about one thing: Using the star power of Nick Saban to remind people that the Crimson Tide has one of the most tradition-rich programs in the history of college football. Granted, Saban may rub some folks the wrong way. But I believe this is all very calculated. The Alabama people believe, with some justification, that their program should have an aura around it like Notre Dame, Michigan and Southern Cal. Having a rock star coach is a big part of creating such an aura.

2. If Houston Nutt has another good year, he’s out of Arkansas — and it will be his choice. If he has a bad year, he may be asked to leave. Nutt continues to circle the wagons after portions of his fan base got up in arms over the departure of blue-chip quarterback Mitch Mustain. Athletics director Frank Broyles, Nutt’s safety net, will retire at the end of this year. There is a lot of talent on this team and it could, with a couple of breaks, win the SEC West again. (Although winning at LSU seems unlikely). Still, if the right offer comes along, I think Nutt walks away from all the silliness in Fayetteville.

3. Brent Schaeffer will not be the starting quarterback at Ole Miss. The word we hear out of Ole Miss is that Schaeffer, the one-time Tennessee signal caller, just doesn’t understand the level of commitment necessary to play quarterback at this level. He was the best Ole Miss had last year and so coach Ed Orgeron went with him. Seth Adams doesn’t have half the talent, but he’s a Mississippi kid who grew up dreaming about playing for Ole Miss. He knows how to manage a game and won’t make a lot of mistakes. Ole Miss will go with Adams but that could change once the Rebels get behind. Then the Rebels may have to go with Schaeffer. When it comes to the quarterback position, Ole Miss is just holding the fort this season until next spring when Jevan Snead, the transfer from Texas, becomes eligible.

4. Neither Vanderbilt nor Kentucky will win the SEC East. But each of them will upset somebody and those games will have a major impact on the race. If you’re looking for an early upset, the smart money appears to be on the Sept. 8 game between Vanderbilt and Alabama in Nashville. It will be Alabama’s first road game under Saban. Vanderbilt, which opens with Richmond, should be relatively healthy. Tennessee had better be careful when it goes to Kentucky on Nov. 24, the last game of the regular season.

5. Georgia’s offensive line is going to be OK. When a team has six freshmen or redshirt freshman among the top 10 linemen, that would appear to be a recipe for disaster. But here’s the reality of the situation: This group is young, but it is very, very talented. Stacy Searels, Georgia’s new offensive line coach, will make this a tough bunch. “I feel much better now about this group than I did going into spring practice,” coach Mark Richt says. If Georgia’s offensive line jells sooner rather than later, the Bulldogs could be pretty good come October.