SEC Media Days....DAY ONE

by Jay Holgate
SEC Sports Report


ATLANTA, GA-- The 2007 SEC football season is near. In Birmingham, Alabama at the Wynfrey Hotel, there are 12 Super Coaches and 800 registered football folks waiting to hear what the head coaches are going to say about football in 2007.

SEC Coaches Highlights- Only 1 new coach to the group, and he isn't all that new. It's Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide. The former LSU national champion is now wearing crimson.

Big Picture--As we approach the season, no coach is on the hot seat. That's not to say that somebody won't get fired at the end of the season. But as we approach 2007, it is a general consensus that all of the current coaches are doing a good job or building a program for a positive future. But the reality is somebody has to place 4th, 5th and 6th it makes for a long season when it's your team.

Let's break it down by the interview schedule in place by the SEC.

Day One:

Arkansas Razorbacks- Coach Houston Nutt was the 2006 SEC Coach of the Year as voted on by his SEC coaching peers. Arkansas was the SEC west champs in 06. The Razorbacks had a 10-2 regular season, lost to Florida for the SEC championship, and lost the bowl game to Wisconsin. Could have been better season but overall a great year for Arkansas in such a tough conference. In 07, Arkansas returns Heisman trophy candidate Darren McFadden and a total of 12 All-SEC players. Lot of talent, lot of controversy. With so many off the field theatrics, most pre-season polls put Arkansas at #3 or #4 in the West.

South Carolina Gamecocks-- Coach Steve Spurrier is in his 3rd year of building a program. The Gamecocks were 3rd in the East in 05 but moved down to 5th in the East after losing every SEC home game. The home schedule included Georgia, Auburn, Tennessee and Arkansas. The positives for the season included finishing strong including a bowl win and beating in-state rival Clemson. Spurrier has high hopes for 07 and has said his team could compete for the SEC east championship. The Gamecocks are returning a lot of starters and the defense has been beefed up with some playmakers. Most polls have the Gamecocks finishing at #4 but Phil Steele thinks they could win the East. It's Spurrier. Anything can happen.

Auburn Tigers--Tommy Tuberville begins his 9th season with Auburn. Auburn has lost only three SEC games in the last three years. In 2006, Auburn had a great season except for two games, Arkansas and Georgia. The Auburn-LSU game was one of the hardest hitting games in college football history with Auburn winning 7-3. Auburn was the only team to beat national champion Florida Gators by a score of 27-17 in Auburn. Tuberville beating Alabama five times in a row weighed in on Mike Shula's losing his job. In 07, Brandon Cox returns as a senior quarterback and offensive coordinator Al Borges has said they will open up the offense this year. Most polls pick Auburn at the #2 spot in the SEC West.

Kentucky Wildcats--Rich Brooks is in his 5th year with the Wildcats. His 2006 record was 8-5 placing Kentucky in the #3 spot in the SEC East. Two big games included Kentucky beating Georgia in Lexington and beating Clemson in the Music City Bowl. Kentucky finished the season at 4-4 in the SEC, winning 3 of 4 home games. In 2007, Andre Woodson is the highest rated quarterback in the SEC. Kentucky has seven returning starters on offense including all star running back Rafael Little and wide receiver Keenan Burton. The defense has eight returning starters including the top five tacklers. As always, Kentucky has a brutal schedule including LSU, Florida and Tennessee at home. Most polls have Kentucky finishing in the 5th position in the east. With all the returning skill players, don't be surprised when Kentucky has some upsets in 07.

Jay Holgate is an analyst and sports writer for http://www.secsportsreport.com
Just SEC Sports!