SECond to none.  That’s what they say in this part of the country, and it’s hard to argue.  LSU’s National Championship last year marked the fourth time in the seven-year BCS history that a team from the SEC claimed the crown.  The SEC has led the nation in attendance 27 years in a row and, since 2000, have had more teams in the final USA TODAY Coaches Poll than any conference in the land.  Indeed, they are second to none. 

Here is the take on the SEC CONFERENCE for 2008 from Marc Lawrence of Playbook.com. Returning starters are listed alongside each team’s name (returning QB’s designated with an *). Coming up next: the SUN BELT CONFERENCE.  Enjoy…

SEC

ALABAMA - *9 / 6
Team Theme – LIEN ON ME 
By our calculations, Nick Saban, the Tide’s 4-million-dollar-a-year man, should be paying a steep capital gains tax from the monies he milked from the haughty houndstooth society in Tuscaloosa last year. Look up the definition of over-hyped and overpaid and you’ll likely find Saban’s mug shot contained in each. Despite a 7-6 record last season, Alabama outstatted only five of its 13 opponents. Along with the nation’s top recruiting class, SR QB John Parker Wilson returns, having started all 26 games the past two seasons (13-13).  Wilson, however, is just 1-7 ATS when favored against .400 or better opposition.  While Saban has his detractors, the fact of the matter is he has never suffered a losing season as a college head coach.   He’s also much better against the number in conference games (51-38-1) than outside (21-20).  That makes our decision easy.
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Arkansas St (11/1)

ARKANSAS – 5 / 5
Team Theme – READ MY LIPS
Bobby Petrino’s return to the college football ranks is a move generally frowned upon by anyone with a heart.  Yes, BP may have helped take Louisville to the next level, but we have a problem warming up to people that speak out of both sides of their mouth. After telling the Arkansas faithful what they wanted hear, the ‘disingenous drifter’ (as labled by ESPN’s Pat Forde) bolted out of Atlanta before season’s end. Thus, it would be no surprise to see him fielding new offers before the final gun has sounded on the 2008 season.  This year, however, he’ll hand the keys of his high-powered offense over to SR QB Casey Dick (26/38, 309 yards, 3 TD’s in Spring Game).  While Petrino may indeed be Larry Brown in a Maserati, Dick will forever be a quarterback in training wheels.   
PLAY AGAINST: as favorite vs. Mississippi State (11/22)

AUBURN – 8 / 7
Team Theme – SPREAD YOUR WINGS
Tommy Tuberville has never been one to sit back and wait for things to happen.  Not satisfied with 28 wins in his last 34 SEC games, he signed former Troy OC, and ex-Hal Mumme assistant, Tony Franklin and handed him the keys to the offense.  Franklin’s new no-huddle spread offense was implemented for the first time last year in the Chik-Fil-A bowl game, an impressive upset win over Clemson.  He also brought in former Pittsburgh DC Paul Rhoads to tighten things up on the defensive front.  The QB battle in spring proved that both SO Kodi Burns and big-arm transfer Chris Todd are ready to lead the charges.  They will certainly benefit playing behind what may be the best offensive line in the nation (all five starters return).  Coupled with the best red-zone defense in the SEC it appears the Tigers are ready to broaden their horizons.     
PLAY ON: vs. Mississippi St (9/13) - *Key as dog

FLORIDA - *7 / 8
Team Theme – THE HUNTERS
Let’s play who had a worse season: Florida or Michigan? The defending National Champion Gators lost four games last year, including back-to-back defeats for the first time ever under Urban Meyer.  Heck, they even lost to Michigan as DOUBLE DIGIT FAVORITES in the Capital One Bowl game. At least Meyer, unlike Lloyd Carr, is still gainfully employed.  He’s directing a wealth of talent, including QB Tim Tebow, the first sophomore ever to win the Heisman Trophy.  His bowshots were on the money last year. They directed his team to touchdowns on 47.3% of their offensive drives, establishing a SEC record.  Along with star WR Percy Harvin, Florida wll rely on a bevy (60) of underclassmen in 2008, including FR RB Chris Rainey – the star of the spring game - and USC transfer Emanuel Moody. No longer the hunted, it’s hard to envision this team not hitting the target with great frequency in ’08.
PLAY ON: vs. LSU - *KEY if dog

GEORGIA - *7 / 9
Team Theme – DAWG GONE GOOD
Many wise guys feel the Bulldogs have what it takes to win a national championship this season and it would be difficult to dispute their contention.  Winners of seven straight to conclude the 2007 campaign, Georgia welcomes back 16 starters, including JR QB Mathew Stafford, arguably the best signal caller on the scene this season, and RB Knowshon Moreno, the SEC freshman of the year.  Stafford will employ a play action scheme to go with a new two-back set with, what is arguably, the deepest squad in the Mark Richt era.  Yes, they take on a tough schedule but that’s what good teams do.  The Dawgs own the best record in the SEC the last ten years and are a mind-boggling 25-4 in an opponent’s stadium with Richt.       
PLAY ON: vs. South Carolina (9/13)

KENTUCKY – 5 / 8
Team Theme – UNBRIDLED OPTIMISM
Off back-to-back 8-5 seasons, including a pair of Music City Bowl wins, its understandable 66-year old head coach Rich Brooks is concerned over the departure of QB Andre Woodson. That’s because the Wildcats have led the SEC in passing offense the past two seasons.  Despite heavy graduation losses, Brooks remains optimistic.  “One thing that is totally clear is that this is the best group we have ever red-shirted since I’ve been here,” he says.  He’s especially excited about the defense.  “I don’t think there is any doubt we were a much better defense last season… it put us into position to have success,” Brooks contends.  With eight starters back from a stop-unit that improved 56 YPG, we understand his elation.  Now, if he can maneuver his way through a schedule featuring only two losing opponents his words just may prove prophetic.     
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Arkansas (10/18)

LSU – 7 / 5
Team Theme – LES FORTUNATE
Like him or not, Bengal boss Les Miles walked the walk after talking the talk last year.  Three 11-win seasons in a row have catapulted the riverboat gambler to the top of the college coaches’ ladder, making him a very fortunate (read: $$$) individual these days. His team was the only Division 1-A school to go 12-0 in regulation play last season.  In fact, the Tigers were one of four teams in NCAA history to lose twice in the same season as a No. 1 ranked team.  They beat six ranked opponents during the regular season before disposing of a solid Ohio State squad to become the only team to win two BCS championships.  However, success always comes with a price tag.  It’s called being a target, or the top-game, on every opponent’s schedule the next season. Sometimes getting what you wished for isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.     
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Mississippi (11/22)

MISSISSIPPI – 7 / 9
Team Theme – SOMETIMES YOU FEEL LIKE A NUTT  
It’s an economic fact of life.  When you sign a contract double ($1.85M per year) that of the coach (Ed Orgeron) you replaced you are automatically on the hot seat. Not that Houston Nutt is unaccustomed to the heat.  Despite innuendo and accusations galore, he left an Arkansas program (76-48 in ten years) in a lot better shape than it was before he arrived (40-49-2 previous eight years).  Thanks to Orgeron, he inherits three strong recruiting classes and welcomes back OT Michal Oher, 34 consecutive starts, and DE Greg Hardy, 10 sacks in 10 games - both all-SEC 1st team performers.  New QB Javan Sneed, a transfer from Texas, was 20 of 26 in the spring game.  With Nutt on board, and after going winless in conference play for the first time in 25 years last season, look for the Rebels to come up salty this season.    
PLAY ON: vs. Arkansas (10/25)

MISSISSIPPI STATE - *7 / 8
Team Theme – CROOMED FOR SUCCESS
The most improved team in the SEC last season, Mississippi State finally broke on through to the other side by recording its first winning season since 2000.  It’s a tribute to the terrific job done by Sylvester Croom who, after three straight three-win seasons, won eight games.  They also managed to win a game decided by three or less points for the first time ever under Croom after having gone 0-6 in previous tries.  On paper he welcomes 15 starters back, but a closer look finds 15 players on offense that have started at least one game.  SO QB Wesley Carroll, who played in all 13 games last year (9 starts), had a solid spring and appears ready to move to the next level.  They might not catch teams by surprise this season but Sly will leave no stone unturned when it comes to preparing his team for battle.  
PLAY ON: vs. LSU (9/27)

SOUTH CAROLINA – 6 / 10
Team Theme – FREE FALLING
Have you ever tried jumping out of an airplane without a parachute?  It’s probably the same feeling the Gamecocks endured last season when, after beginning the year 6-1, they finished 0-5 and were body-slammed out of a bowl game (four of the six losses were against ranked teams).  This year, at least 10 starters are back on defense, the same defense that ranked No. 4 in the nation in pass defense in 2007. Here’s hoping the Cocks learned their lesson and stand tall early on again this year because all six of their final games are against teams that were bowlers last year. The bottom line is USC's QB difficulites - Fix them and fly first class. Leave them as they are and stay in the exit row. PLAY ON: vs. as a dog vs. Vanderbilt (9/4)

TENNESSEE – 8  / 6
Team Theme – PHIL ER UP
Don’t count the old man out just yet.  For all the heat Phil Fulmer has taken lately (14 losses last three seasons) his teams still own the best road record in the SEC since 1992 (48-18) and he is No. 1 in career win percentage among active coaches (.766) with 100 or more victories.  What makes Fulmer the happiest, though, is that his NCAA record setting offensive line, the same unit that allowed only four sacks last year, returns virtually intact in 2008. Better yet, QB Jonathon Crompton (replaces Erik Ainge) picked up new OC Dave Clawson’s schemes really well in spring camp.  Along with RB Adrian Foster, who needs 684 yards to become UT’s all-time leading rusher, the Bluetick Coonhound just keeps adding to its laurels under Fulmer’s tutelage.     
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Kentucky - *KEY if Wildcats > .500

VANDERBILT - *3 / 6
Team Theme – GRAY SKIES
For a football team that was top-heavy with returning starters the past four seasons and still failed to produce a winning year (one winning season in 32 years – 1982), the prospect of just nine starters back on this year’s team might seem discomforting.  “We have some work to do… we lost some excellent players,” says head coach Bobby Johnson.  The defense will have to step up to the table to protect an offense that was hit hard by graduation and player defections. The entire OL is gone, in addition to star WR Earl Bennett, the SEC’s all-time receptions leader, who left early to enter the NFL draft.  Despite rain clouds in the forecast, Johnson remains sunny. When he finally removes his rose-colored glasses he’ll see another losing team in Vanderbilt.
PLAY AGAINST: as a favorite vs. Rice (9/13)