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The parallels between the East and the West in the SEC are remarkable. Just like in the West, in the East you have three teams that can win most any year and three relative have nots that will have a difficult time ever competing for the East title. In any given year Florida, Tennessee and Georgia can win the East while South Carolina, Kentucky and Vanderbilt are perennial longshots.
Its not that the lower tier SEC east teams are not good, they can sneak up on anyone as Kentucky proved by beating LSU. Its just that the talent level is much higher at Tennessee, Florida and Georgia. Indeed the separation between the lower tier and upper tier SEC East teams might be greater than it is in the West where Arkansas has won the west a few times(but never the SEC championship game. Since the league split into two divisions in 1992 no team other than Florida, Georgia or Tennessee has won the East.
The reason for that is the same as in the West. Florida, Georgia and Tennessee enjoy big recruiting advantages. There is not as much high school talent in South Carolina or Kentucky as there is in the talent rich states of Florida and Georgia. Tennessee dominates recruiting in Tennessee and does well nationally. Vanderbilt is at a disadvantage to all the other SEC schhools in recruiting because of more stringent academic requirements. Student athletes at Vanderbilt are required to be able to read and do long division, skills many athletes at the other SEC schools lack.
Just like in the SEC West, the lower tier teams have improved a good bit and while they are unlikely to win the East, they can help determine the outcome with upsets. Spurrier is recruiting well at South Carolina and they can be dangerous. Vanderbilt and Kentucky both played some great games last year. Vanderbilt lost a heartbreaker to Tennessee and should have beaten them while, as I previously mentioned, Kentucky beat my LSU national champion tigers(I hate writing that).
In 2008 I think Georgia and Florida are the teams to beat. What often determines the outcome of the SEC divisions is who has the easier home schedule, easier being a relative term since all SEC schedules are brutal. This year I think Georgia has the harder schedule playing LSU and Auburn on the road and Florida in Jacksonville. Florida gets LSU at home in 2008. Just as the odd yeard favor LSU with their home schedule, the even yeard favor Florida. I do not think Tennessee is as good as Georgia or Florida right now and think their 2008 schedule is really tough.
My predictions for the SEC East in 2008:
1. Florida
2. Georgia
3. South Carolina
4. Tennessee
5. Vanderbilt
6. Kentucky
Just like in the West it will be very difficult to finish with one or no losses in the East. You might very well see the East and West champions finishing with 6-2 conference records. If you can make it through an SEC schedule with only two losses, you have a very good team. Tennessee could easily be in the mix for the title, I dropped them down figuring South Carolina might sneak up on them and because Tennessee has a really difficult schedule this year.
Its not that the lower tier SEC east teams are not good, they can sneak up on anyone as Kentucky proved by beating LSU. Its just that the talent level is much higher at Tennessee, Florida and Georgia. Indeed the separation between the lower tier and upper tier SEC East teams might be greater than it is in the West where Arkansas has won the west a few times(but never the SEC championship game. Since the league split into two divisions in 1992 no team other than Florida, Georgia or Tennessee has won the East.
The reason for that is the same as in the West. Florida, Georgia and Tennessee enjoy big recruiting advantages. There is not as much high school talent in South Carolina or Kentucky as there is in the talent rich states of Florida and Georgia. Tennessee dominates recruiting in Tennessee and does well nationally. Vanderbilt is at a disadvantage to all the other SEC schhools in recruiting because of more stringent academic requirements. Student athletes at Vanderbilt are required to be able to read and do long division, skills many athletes at the other SEC schools lack.
Just like in the SEC West, the lower tier teams have improved a good bit and while they are unlikely to win the East, they can help determine the outcome with upsets. Spurrier is recruiting well at South Carolina and they can be dangerous. Vanderbilt and Kentucky both played some great games last year. Vanderbilt lost a heartbreaker to Tennessee and should have beaten them while, as I previously mentioned, Kentucky beat my LSU national champion tigers(I hate writing that).
In 2008 I think Georgia and Florida are the teams to beat. What often determines the outcome of the SEC divisions is who has the easier home schedule, easier being a relative term since all SEC schedules are brutal. This year I think Georgia has the harder schedule playing LSU and Auburn on the road and Florida in Jacksonville. Florida gets LSU at home in 2008. Just as the odd yeard favor LSU with their home schedule, the even yeard favor Florida. I do not think Tennessee is as good as Georgia or Florida right now and think their 2008 schedule is really tough.
My predictions for the SEC East in 2008:
1. Florida
2. Georgia
3. South Carolina
4. Tennessee
5. Vanderbilt
6. Kentucky
Just like in the West it will be very difficult to finish with one or no losses in the East. You might very well see the East and West champions finishing with 6-2 conference records. If you can make it through an SEC schedule with only two losses, you have a very good team. Tennessee could easily be in the mix for the title, I dropped them down figuring South Carolina might sneak up on them and because Tennessee has a really difficult schedule this year.