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As part of the "College Football Live" 100 Days 'Til Kickoff countdown, we'll take a look at the top 10 players in the SEC heading into the 2012 season.

Keep in mind that these are the guys we project to be the 10 best college football players this coming season in the SEC and not necessarily the 10 best NFL draft prospects. There's a difference.

What's more, a lot can (and will) change between now and November.

So let the second-guessing begin.

1. Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia: In his first season of action in the SEC after transferring from Southern Cal, Jones didn’t need much of a refresher course. He quickly emerged as the most dynamic big-play defender in the SEC and is one of those players who can take over a game. Just ask Florida. Much more than just a pass-rusher, Jones led the league with 19.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks.

2. Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas: Wilson had shown in flashes what he was capable of while filling in for Ryan Mallett in 2010 but put an All-SEC season together last year in his first season as a starter. He passed for 3,638 yards and only threw six interceptions in 438 passing attempts. He’ll be even better his second time through the league.

3. Tyrann Mathieu, CB, LSU: The "Honey Badger” nickname caught on nationally last season, and Mathieu latched on to seemingly every football that came his way. Even though he’s not a great cover cornerback, he makes up for it with his penchant for coming up with turnovers. A Heisman Trophy finalist last season, Mathieu forced six fumbles and recovered five. He’s also one of the most dangerous punt returners in the league.

4. Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina: If not for the knee injury that cut Lattimore’s season short a year ago, he’d probably be at the top of this list. He’s one of the most complete running backs in college football and can carry a team on his shoulders. He catches the ball well out of the backfield, can grind out the tough yards and has big-play ability. All indications are that Lattimore is on course to be all the way back, which is bad news for opposing defenses.

5. Sam Montgomery, DE, LSU: It’s almost unfair to be as talented as LSU will be across the defensive front this coming season. Montgomery will be the leader of that group. He can rush the passer and play the run and is versatile enough to beat offensive linemen with his power and his speed. Montgomery finished last season with nine sacks.

6. Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU: LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis raised a few eyebrows prior to last season when he vowed that Mingo would be the premier pass-rusher in the SEC before he was done. Mingo responded with 15 tackles for loss last season, including eight sacks. He’s an absolute blur coming off the edge and has the kind of burst that gives offensive linemen nightmares.

7. Barrett Jones, C, Alabama: Jones won the Outland Trophy last season as a left tackle on the Crimson Tide’s national championship team. He started at guard the previous two seasons. A two-time All-American, Jones will move to center for his senior season. If he pulls this off, he’ll go down as one of the most versatile offensive linemen in SEC history.

8. Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina: Simply living up to the hype last season was a coup for Clowney, who was one of the most heralded freshmen to come into the league in a long time. He finished with eight sacks and forced five fumbles and wasn’t even a full-time starter. Physically, he’s as good as it gets and, with a year of experience under his belt, is destined for a huge sophomore season.

9. Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia: There were some who zeroed in on his 14 interceptions last season, but Murray also tossed a school-record 35 touchdown passes. And in his first two seasons, Murray has thrown 59 touchdown passes. He’s a great leader, tough as nails and capable of extending a play with his running ability. Look for Murray to cut down on his mistakes in 2012 and have his most consistent season yet.

10. Knile Davis, RB, Arkansas: The only reason Davis slipped this far was because of his injury-riddled past. But to his credit, he just keeps coming back. He missed all of last season with a fractured ankle but insists he’s running as fast as ever and could have played toward the end of last season. Davis led all SEC running backs with 1,322 rushing yards in 2010 and was the catalyst for that Arkansas offense. If he’s all the way back, look out.

We're once again taking an early look at the 2012 college football season and colleague Mark Schlabach yet again provides us with a few talking points. On Friday, he unleashed his Way-Too-Early To0-Early 2012 Top 25 and it has six SEC teams in it:

1. LSU
2. USC
3. Alabama
4. Oregon
5. Georgia
6. Oklahoma
7. FSU
8. West Virginia
9. Michigan
10. South Carolina
11. Michigan State
12. Stanford
13. Arkansas
14. TCU
15. Wisconsin
16. Clemson
17. Ohio State
18. Kansas State
19. Texas
20. Florida
21. Washington
22. Oklahoma State
23. Virginia Tech
24. Nebraska
25. Georgia Tech

Some thoughts:

• LSU and Alabama are ranked where I'd have them. Both look like they'll once again be two of the most talented teams in the country this fall. It seems hard to believe that LSU's offensive won't be better and more balanced with juco transfer Zach Mettenberger taking over at quarterback. LSU's defense has a couple of holes to fill, but it doesn't look like that will be too hard for the Tigers. Alabama should also see an offensive boost in the passing game with an older AJ McCarron and coach Nick Saban is making sure this year's defense doesn't go the way of the 2010 group.
• Georgia has the schedule to make it back to Atlanta and that team that Mark Richt has isn't too bad either. But suspensions to four defensive starters to begin the season is a concern, especially with a trip to Missouri coming in Week 2. Quarterback Aaron Murray said this spring that despite the distractions that have come with the suspensions, this team is still very focused on its goals, but the pressure will surely be on the Dawgs in 2012.
• South Carolina should probably be a little higher, but with Marcus Lattimore coming off of that knee injury, it's tough to know what this team will do this fall. The defense returns a handful of talent, while quarterback Connor Shaw picked up where he left off last season, which is a good thing for the Gamecocks' offense. South Carolina does face LSU and Arkansas this season, meaning the Gamecocks will have to at least split those to challenge Georgia for the East title.
• The loss of Bobby Petrino has Arkansas trending down a bit, but if players rally the way they said they would under interim coach John L. Smith, the Razorbacks will be dangerous this fall. The offense is still loaded, led by quarterback Tyler Wilson and running back Knile Davis, and new defensive coordinator Paul Haynes should help Arkansas have a more aggressive defense. There will still be questions surrounding this team with Petrino out and Smith in, but the Razorbacks are still very confident and don't anticipate taking steps back. Having Alabama and LSU at home this year will play in the Hogs' favor as well.
• The Gators saw improvements on and off the field this spring and coach Will Muschamp is much happier now than he was a year ago. I think Florida is a little high on this list, but an improved offensive line and more confidence in Gainesville could go a long way for the Gators. While Muschamp was happy with the strides made on the field, he was even more pleased with the chemistry of his team. Players are stepping up as leaders and buying into the program more. Muschamp is in charge of a tougher team this fall, but will play his first two SEC games on the road this year.

College Football Live's panel of experts preview Georgia's upcoming season.

We're putting spring behind us and looking toward the fall with our post-spring power rankings:

1. LSU: The Tigers had one of the best springs around. Things were quiet off the field, and the offense rallied behind quarterback Zach Mettenberger. Coach Les Miles was very impressed with Mettenberger's play and maturity, and expects LSU's offense to be more balanced with him under center. LSU can still use four or five running backs, as well. Defensively, the Tigers are stacked once again, especially up front with two potential first-rounders in ends Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo. Questions surround the inexperienced linebackers, but Kevin Minter had a tremendous spring in the middle. On paper, LSU is equipped with the talent to make another title run, and gets Alabama at home this year.

2. Alabama: While the defending national champs saw a lot of "new" faces on defense this spring, coach Nick Saban left happy with where his players were -- but not satisfied. There is still work to be done, especially in the secondary, where the Tide must replace three starters. Dont'a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw are gone at linebacker, but the coaches were impressed with how Nico Johnson, C.J. Mosley and Adrian Hubbard played this spring. Some think Hubbard, a redshirt sophomore, could be Bama's top pass-rusher. Offensively, quarterback AJ McCarron is back, more mature and surrounded by a very veteran line. He has a group of younger receivers to throw to, but has at least four quality running backs. Alabama's road to repeating is tougher, with games at Arkansas and LSU.

3. South Carolina: A healthy Marcus Lattimore (knee) at RB makes South Carolina an even better contender for the SEC East crown. His status is uncertain, but the pieces around him are pretty impressive. Quarterback Connor Shaw had an impressive spring, and looks ready to be the passer coach Steve Spurrier wants him to be. The defense is once again stacked, especially up front with ends Jadeveon Clowney and Devin Taylor. There are questions in the secondary, with two new, young starters in Victor Hampton (cornerback) and Brison Williams (safety), while senior Akeem Auguste returns after missing last season with a foot injury. Still, Spurrier is chirping about his SEC counterparts, so you know he thinks he's got a good team this year.

4. Georgia: The Bulldogs should be higher on this list, but when you take into account the suspensions of four defensive starters at the beginning of the season, they slide a little. Georgia returns nine defensive starters, including one of the nation's best linebackers in Jarvis Jones, and some firepower on offense, led by veteran quarterback Aaron Murray, who could get some early Heisman love. It also sounds like enigmatic running back Isaiah Crowell is slowly turning things around. Yet again, the Bulldogs have a favorable SEC schedule, with no games against Alabama, Arkansas or LSU, so their road to the SEC championship is easier than South Carolina's, but keep an eye on that inexperienced offensive line.

5. Arkansas: If not for Bobby Petrino's embarrassing dismissal, the Razorbacks might be ranked higher. Offensively, it doesn't get much better than what Arkansas has. Tyler Wilson returns as arguably the league's best quarterback, and he'll get to work with one of the most complete backs around, Knile Davis, who is returning from a devastating ankle injury. An older and more improved offensive line returns, and so does a talented receiving corps led by Cobi Hamilton. But there are questions. How effective will interim coach John L. Smith be, especially if something goes wrong? Will Marquel Wade's suspension leak into the fall after his spring arrest? And will the defense improve and be more aggressive under new coordinator Paul Haynes? The good news is that Alabama and LSU play in Fayetteville this fall.

6. Florida: The chemistry is much better in Gainesville. Florida returns 10 starters from a defense that ranked eighth nationally in 2011. Matt Elam looks like a budding star at safety, and Florida's linebacking group is solid. Buck/defensive end Ronald Powell could be out after tearing his ACL this spring, but coach Will Muschamp recently said Powell is off crutches. Stud defensive tackle Dominique Easley is also walking fine after tearing his ACL in last year's season finale. The Gators have their third offensive coordinator in three years, and unproven sophomore quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel are still battling. Florida has unproven running backs and receivers, but the offensive line toughened up tremendously.

7. Auburn: The Tigers welcomed two new coordinators, Scot Loeffler and Brian VanGorder, this spring, and by all accounts players were very receptive. Coach Gene Chizik is still dealing with a lot of youth, as close to 70 percent of his roster is made up of underclassmen. One of those underclassmen is quarterback Kiehl Frazier, who made strides as a passer this spring and seems to have the edge in the quarterback race with Clint Moseley, who missed some of the spring with a sore shoulder. The defensive line will be the team's strength, with end Dee Ford exploding this spring and Corey Lemonier returning. There is a lot of depth up front on defense, which will go a long way for the Tigers.

8. Missouri: Coach Gary Pinkel and his players have made it clear they aren't intimidated by the move to the SEC. These new Tigers return solid offensive firepower, but there has to be some concern about quarterback James Franklin, who missed most of the spring after having surgery on his throwing shoulder. Plus, Mizzou's backup QB could miss games this fall after his recent arrest, so the Tigers' offensive success will be riding on Franklin's health. The Tigers are replacing a few starters on both lines, but feel confident about both areas. Mizzou will face a Georgia team down a few defensive players in Week 2, but must travel to South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

9. Tennessee: A lot is different in Knoxville, as the Vols welcomed seven new assistant coaches. Coach Derek Dooley insists the changes were for the best, but there's still going to be some adjusting to do this fall. The good news is that Tennessee returns a lot on both sides of the ball, starting with quarterback Tyler Bray and receivers Justin Hunter and Da'Rick Rogers. A healthy trio there makes Tennessee's passing game one of the best in the league. Questions remain on the offensive line and at running back, but improvements were made this spring. New defensive coordinator Sal Sunseri would like to run more 3-4 this fall, but players aren't totally comfortable, leaving some concerns.

10. Mississippi State: Quarterback Tyler Russell finally looks ready to take over as the guy in Starkville, and he'll have a veteran receiving corps to work with. However, that group still has a lot to prove, especially senior Chad Bumphis. The running game looks solid with LaDarius Perkins and Nick Griffin, and the offensive line got help from the junior college ranks. Defensively, there are a few holes to fill up front and in the secondary, but Johnthan Banks and Corey Broomfield are a solid cornerback tandem and linebacker is set with a few vets back, including stud Cameron Lawrence. Junior college defensive end Denico Autry has to perform early to help a line with a couple of holes.

11. Texas A&M: The Aggies have some holes to fill this year, but the offensive line will be a strength. Left tackle Luke Joeckel, a future first-rounder, leads a line that returns four starters. Star wide receiver Ryan Swope is back, and running back Christine Michael should be healthy (knee) this fall, but quarterback is an issue. Sophomore Jameill Showers has the edge right now, but like all of his competitors, he lacks experience. The defense will lean on linebackers Sean Porter, Steven Jenkins, Jonathan Stewart and converted end Damontre Moore, but the secondary has depth and experience issues, and the team will still be adjusting to a new staff led by coach Kevin Sumlin.

12. Vanderbilt: There is some solid offensive talent in Nashville, starting with running back Zac Stacy and receivers Jordan Matthews and Chris Boyd, but coach James Franklin is still waiting for quarterback Jordan Rodgers to be more consistent. The offensive line is very thin and could barely get through spring. The defense must replace a handful of starters and leaders, but Franklin felt better about guys like linebacker Chase Garnham, defensive end Walker May and cornerback Trey Wilson. Vandy's schedule will be tough this fall, and if that offensive line doesn't hold up, getting back to a bowl will be tough.

13. Kentucky: Coach Joker Phillips was pleased with how spring practice ended, especially when it came to finding offensive playmakers, like receivers Demarco Robinson and Daryl Collins. Quarterback Maxwell Smith had a solid spring, but struggled during the spring game, meaning the battle with Morgan Newton and freshman Patrick Towles should go into the fall. The offensive line is still trying to get by after losing three starters, and the Wildcats must replace six starters at linebacker and in the secondary. Given the Wildcats' schedule, they will need to sweep their nonconference games to be in bowl shape.

14. Ole Miss: The arrival of coach Hugh Freeze brought a lot of positive change to Ole Miss, especially off the field, but there are still a lot of concerns. There are depth issues at just about every position, especially running back and defensive tackle. Even one of the most experienced groups, the offensive line, has struggled mightily with picking up Freeze's spread offense and is the team's biggest weakness. Academic issues are also worrying Ole Miss' staff, and top running back Jeff Scott and cornerback/receiver Nickolas Brassell are in that group. Quarterback is still up for grabs, but progress was made on defense, especially in the secondary.

With two new teams added to the mix, let’s take a look at what we learned in the SEC this spring:

1. Quarterback Central: The SEC gets a bad rap for not piling up Xbox-like passing yards, and granted, it wasn’t a great year for quarterbacks in the league last season. But did you know that an SEC quarterback has been taken in the first round of the NFL draft eight of the last 10 years? And that includes four quarterbacks taken No. 1 overall. The 2012 season has a chance to be one of the best in recent memory for SEC quarterbacks, especially if Missouri’s James Franklin returns to form after undergoing surgery in the spring to repair a torn labrum. Arkansas’ Tyler Wilson and Georgia’s Aaron Murray are the two most established quarterbacks. Wilson likely would have gone in the first round had he come out this year. Murray has thrown 59 touchdown passes in his first two seasons, and he also has one of the more talented backups in the league in sophomore Hutson Mason, who shared Offensive MVP honors with Murray in the spring. Some early mock drafts have Tennessee’s Tyler Bray going in the first round, and Bray has one of the strongest arms in the league. Alabama’s AJ McCarron demonstrated in the BCS National Championship Game what he’s capable of and is poised to have a big junior season. South Carolina’s Connor Shaw is one of the more improved quarterbacks in the league, and the new guy on the block to watch is LSU’s Zach Mettenberger.

2. Lining up at LSU: How many defenses out there could lose a pair of first-rounders and come back the next season and potentially be even better? LSU’s defense certainly had that look to it this spring despite the loss of cornerback Morris Claiborne and defensive tackle Michael Brockers, both of whom declared early for the NFL draft and were taken in the first round. It starts up front for the Tigers, who have the best pair of bookend defensive ends in the country in Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo. Both are potential top 10 picks in the 2013 NFL draft. In the middle of that LSU defensive line is tackle Bennie Logan, who also has a chance to be a first-rounder. And from a pure talent standpoint, sophomore tackle Anthony “Freak” Johnson is exactly what his nickname suggests. Kevin Minter was one of the Tigers’ most improved players this spring at middle linebacker, and in the secondary, Tyrann Mathieu, Eric Reid and Tharold Simon are all future pros. It’s obviously a defense that’s oozing with talent, but it’s also a defense that still has a chip on its shoulder with the way last season ended.

3. Fighting back: A long list of marquee players in this league missed the spring with injuries and still have to prove they’re all the way back in the fall. Franklin’s surgically repaired shoulder will be a huge key for Missouri in its first season in the SEC, and a lot of eyes will be on the two best running backs in the league. South Carolina’s Marcus Lattimore missed the second half of last season after tearing knee ligaments, while Arkansas’ Knile Davis missed the entire season after fracturing his ankle in the preseason. At Ole Miss, they’re keeping their fingers crossed that linebacker D.T. Shackelford can return after he underwent a second knee surgery in March. He missed all of last season after tearing his ACL in the spring. Texas A&M running back Christine Michael is also coming back from an ACL tear. Tennessee receiver Justin Hunter went down in the third game last season with a torn ACL, and Florida defensive tackle Dominique Easley is trying to work his way back from a torn ACL suffered in the regular-season finale against Florida State last season.

4. Hogs hanging tough: Sure, the whole Bobby Petrino scandal was embarrassing to the entire state of Arkansas. But the players and coaches on the team didn’t lose focus this spring, and the leadership really came to the forefront. Quarterback Tyler Wilson, running back Knile Davis and linebacker Tenarius Wright picked the team up and made sure that nobody was feeling sorry for themselves, and in the process, reminded everyone that all of their goals were still intact. Credit also goes to the Arkansas coaching staff for handing a very difficult matter about as well as it could be handled. There are more tests to come, but now that John L. Smith is in place as the interim head coach, the program has a clear leader for these next eight months. Nothing is more valuable than strong player leadership, though, and the Hogs proved during that turbulent month of April that they’re made of the right stuff.

5. Getting physical: It was obvious that Florida coach Will Muschamp never felt good about his team’s ability to line up and be physical last season in his first year on the job. There were times that the Gators were downright soft on their way to going 0-6 against FBS teams that finished the season with a winning record. So this spring, just about everything they did was directed at being a more physical football team, a football team committed to running the ball and a football team determined to finish games. Muschamp has repeated several times since the end of spring practice that the Gators are a better team right now than at any point last season, and a lot of that goes back to this team adopting the kind of blue-collar, hit-you-in-the-mouth approach that has defined Muschamp’s coaching career. Clearly, he’s excited about where the program is headed, and he’s equally excited that he’ll be better equipped to play the way he wants to during the 2012 season.

This summer, we'll unveil our annual preseason countdown of the top 25 players in the SEC.

That's always a tough call because projecting can be a dicey proposition. For instance, South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore was No. 3 and Arkansas' Knile Davis was No. 4 last year, and they both got hurt.

The Sporting News' Matt Hayes has come out with his post-spring ranking of the top 25 players in college football for the 2012 season. He used on-field performance and next-level potential as the basis for his list. Nine SEC players, which was more than any other conference in the country, made Hayes' list. That includes three players from LSU's defense -- cornerback Tyrann Mathieu at No. 8, defensive end Barkevious Mingo at No. 12 and defensive end Sam Montgomery at No. 23.

The top SEC player was Georgia outside linebacker Jarvis Jones at No. 5. The top player overall was USC quarterback Matt Barkley.

Here's a rundown of all nine SEC players on the list with a comment from an NFL scout:

No. 5 Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia
NFL scout says: “He's the prototypical 3-4 outside linebacker. A top five (overall) guy.”

No. 7 Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas
NFL scout says: “He would’ve been a low first-round guy had he come out. Great arm, plays in a pro system, can move up (draft boards) this year.”

No. 8 Tyrann Mathieu, CB/RS, LSU
NFL scout says: “He’ll get exposed a bit with bigger receivers, but he’s one of those guys who is always making a play when you need it.”

No. 11 Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina
NFL scout says: “You never know how guys respond to ACL surgery. It’s a big question — especially for a guy who some thought was better than (Alabama’s) Trent Richardson.”

No. 12 Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU
NFL scout says: “He has a chance to move into the top five (overall). In this league, it’s the quarterback first, and then guys that can affect the quarterback.”

No. 15 Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia
NFL scout says: “He still makes too many poor decisions, and his accuracy is a big question. But you love his moxie and intangibles.”

No. 18 Da'Rick Rogers, WR, Tennessee
NFL scout says: “Talent-wise, he’s top 15-20 pick, and maybe better. But there will definitely be some character questions he’ll have to answer.”

No. 21 D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama
NFL scout says: “He has the most potential to move up of just about anyone — if he comes to camp in shape and continues to play well.”

No. 23 Sam Montgomery, DE, LSU
NFL scout says: “With his edge (rush) ability, he can play end in a 4-3, or outside linebacker in a 3-4. He’s so long, too. His wingspan makes him very difficult to engage and block.”

ATHENS, Ga. -- Christian Robinson and his Georgia teammates were instructed to block out the noise.

Noise that began well before the 2011 season and bellowed throughout Athens immediately following Georgia’s 0-2 start. The veteran linebacker left Twitter for a week because of all the “hateful” comments he received -- mostly from overzealous Georgia fans.

Things reached a boiling point for Robinson when he saw a picture of a distraught Mark Richt with his headset on the ground during the South Carolina game taped to a professor’s door in Georgia’s Terry College of Business. On it, Robinson said someone wrote something to the effect of “This is like the beginning of the end.”

Every day after his management class, Robinson walked by that picture, taking it personally each time.

Robinson watched as part of a fan base that was supposed to be supportive had turned to its nasty side and it hurt. So Robinson and his teammates channeled that rage. The disrespect became a motivator. The noise became an advantage.

Georgia reeled off 10 straight wins and ended up in the SEC championship game sans picture.

“Ten weeks later, where are those posters and where are those hateful tweets, now?” said Robinson who appeared in 12 games last fall, making four starts, recorded 47 tackles with 6.5 for loss and recovered a fumble.

Fast-forward to the spring of 2012 and Georgia is dealing with a new type of noise -- noise of the hype machine.

Georgia returns 15 starters (nine on defense and six on offense) and 49 lettermen. Only two defenders are gone from the nation’s fifth-ranked defense and quarterback Aaron Murray could be an early Heisman contender. Georgia should enter the fall ranked in the top 10 and will have BCS aspirations strapped to its name.

As spring winds down, that sort of talk is merely a blip on the Bulldogs’ radar, but it’s something this team will have to deal with more as the season approaches. So far, Richt has shielded his players from the noise, but once his hands aren’t around them this offseason, he hopes they’ll be smart enough to ignore it.

When asked about maintaining his team’s focus, Richt was reminded of the 2008 team that entered the year No. 1. That team had star power, like Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno, Mohamed Massaquoi, A.J. Green, Rennie Curran and Geno Atkins.

Stafford and Moreno had Heisman aspirations and the entire team expected BCS fame. However, none of it came. Robinson, who was a freshman then, said selfishness and immaturity lingered throughout the team, as Georgia lost three games that season.

Richt said the 2008 team didn’t have the veteran leadership 2012 does. As many as 14 starters were underclassmen in 2008, while 2012 will be filled with vets.

“We have to understand that we have to earn it and nothing's going to be given to us,” Richt said. “We just have to wait and see.

“I hope they’re not believing the hype. I have to make sure they understand that they gotta earn everything they get and I can reference 2008.”

Robinson said this team is smarter and more mature than 2008. Their minds are clearer and their bodies are better. This team has handled adversity, going from an embarrassing 6-7 to a win away from a BCS birth. The focus is right with these Dawgs.

“This is a totally different team,” Robinson said. “You don’t read your press clippings and start believing.”

However, more adversity is on the horizon for the Bulldogs. Georgia will be short staffed to begin the season as defensive starters Bacarri Rambo, Sanders Commings, Branden Smith and Alec Ogletree were suspended for poor off-field behavior.

The distraction of having four defenders out -- three being a part of an already thin secondary -- has truly frustrated Richt and his players, but in a twisted way, Robinson said, losing those players will help the Bulldogs band together even more. Adversity brings the good teams together, he said, and Robinson sees this team working harder knowing it will be down early.

Richt said there have been private meetings to address the boneheaded decisions that have hurt Georgia and expects “many more” before the fall. Murray has also taken it upon himself to be more outspoken about these issues. In the last few weeks, he’s seen a more levelheaded group and hopes it carries over to the fall.

“Our guys understand that you can’t be doing anything too crazy right now,” Murray said. “This could be a very special season. This could be a season you remember for the rest of your life.

“If we work hard, the sky’s the limit for us.”

It’s still way too early to tell what kind of team Georgia will have this fall, but it’s hard not to make the Dawgs a preseason favorite in the SEC East. The schedule sets up nicely (no Alabama, Arkansas or LSU again), the staff is settled and just about everyone is back.

It’s a recipe for success, but then again, so was 2008.

ATHENS, Ga. -- In order for Malcolm Mitchell to pull off his quest of playing double duty for Georgia this fall, a major change must occur.

It won’t be so much changing his workout habits. Sure, he’ll work more on quick burst drills and sprints with little time for breaks, but Mitchell’s change will be much more significant to his realm of comfort.

Mitchell must significantly alter his diet if he wants to have the stamina to play both cornerback and wide receiver in the SEC this fall. He’ll have to trash the sweets.

“I always had a problem eating candy,” said Mitchell, who moved to cornerback this spring after catching 45 passes for 665 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman last fall.

Mitchell said that since he was a kid, his diet has mainly consisted of fruit-flavored candy, preferably Starburst jelly beans, and Sprite -- a catastrophic combination of sugar and carbonation.

The 6-foot-1, 184-pounder is used to consuming at least five bags of jelly beans and who knows how much Sprite a week. That’s approximately 1,160 grams of sugar and 6,000 unnecessary calories from jelly beans alone.

“I know that’s going to have to change,” Mitchell said with a laugh.

“I’m going to work for that stamina because I know I want to play both ways.”

Mitchell plans to replace some of that candy with fruits and veggies and will add more water to replace his Sprite intake. He refuses to go cold turkey, but hopes to get down to one bag of candy a week. Maybe.

If Mitchell can get his diet on track, it will make life much easier. He started the spring working primarily at corner, but offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and quarterback Aaron Murray have tried to steal him away as much as they can.

Murray still throws with him and he’ll run the occasional route here and there, but his main focus this spring is to own the cornerback spot. The Bulldogs are dealing with depth issues at corner and the suspensions of two starters -- Sanders Commings and Branden Smith -- for the beginning of the season, so Mitchell’s training has accelerated.

While Mitchell played both receiver and corner at Valdosta High in southern Georgia, he admits it took him some time to get his defensive legs back. The first practice at corner was filled with slipping and sliding and poor technique.

Mitchell only decided to play wide receiver after he saw that A.J. Green was going pro. However, he quickly realized that his heart was still on defense and after talking with his mother just before Georgia’s bowl game last season, he approached coach Mark Richt about the idea of playing some defense in 2012.

“I was never going to be satisfied with myself if I let the opportunity pass,” Mitchell said.

One thing he’ll have to do is brush up on his two-way player history. Mitchell admits he didn’t grow up watching football and has never seen film of past two-way stars, such as Deion Sanders or Georgia great Champ Bailey.

Mitchell got into football later in his younger life, after seeing all the attention his brother received from playing. Jealous of that attention, Mitchell suited up and looked to steal the limelight.

Mitchell is looking to steal it once again and is taking full advantage of his time on defense. Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham has been more than impressed with Mitchell, especially his increased knowledge of the defense.

Grantham said Mitchell can play inside and outside, has premier speed, showcases excellent ball skills and has the instincts to excel at corner.

“He’s a dynamic corner,” Grantham said. “He’s a guy that has the total skill set to be a dominant corner at this level and the next.

“He’s an NFL corner.”

Grantham said that after only a few spring practices, Mitchell is ahead of where past Georgia corners were at the same point.

Murray isn’t thrilled with facing Mitchell in practice and has already been the victim of a few “freakish” plays by the youngster.

“He’s a special athlete,” Murray said.

“He could easily be one of our best corners if he wanted to do that full time and one of our best receivers if he wanted to do that full time. It’s great to see how spectacular of an athlete he really is.”

Richt sees it too. More importantly, he sees a player who doesn’t have to worry about his knowledge of the game. Unlike Brandon Boykin and Branden Smith, who both pulled a little double duty for the Dawgs, Mitchell understands the entire offense. Plugging him in with few offensive reps won’t be an issue from a mental standpoint; so getting him more time on defense shouldn’t drastically hinder his offensive ability.

But can he hold up physically?

“He’s very capable of playing both ways,” Richt said.

“The question isn’t going to be if he knows enough of the system, it’s going to be his stamina and how much is too much.”

The new diet should help.

Mitchell understands that less sugar and more water is just the start. He’s expecting practices and film sessions to intensify and his performances will be scrutinized more.

But it’s worth it. Mitchell wants it and he wants to prove himself because he’s honored to be a member of Georgia’s defense.

“This defense is the best defense I’ve been a part of or even played against,” he said. “Me being over there to help that makes me feel like a better player. To feel like I can help something that’s already great makes me feel better than anything I did last year because how good the players are.

“Just to be a part of it and help out means a lot to me.”

ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia’s football team has the talent to have a very special fall, but the spring has come with unwanted hiccups.

Georgia has dealt with too much suspension and attrition. The most glaring issue for the Bulldogs is that they’ll be without defensive starters Sanders Commings, Alec Ogletree, Bacarri Rambo and Branden Smith to begin the season due to suspensions.

The losses of key starters, especially Commings, Rambo and Smith, who all patrol a pretty thin secondary, have Georgia players and coaches frustrated, but they’re pushing ahead as the second half of spring football bleeds into the true offseason.

“It robs some of the momentum that you’re trying to build and trying to create,” coach Mark Richt said. “It doesn’t destroy it unless you let it, but it’s just another thing that needs to be overcome.”

Georgia has had a rash of off-the-field incidents in the past calendar year, and when asked if he thought there was an invincibility complex with some of his players, Richt said he hoped not, but didn’t think that there was a discipline problem with his football team.

“The bottom line is that if there are things that need to be disciplined around here, we’ll discipline them,” he said. “We don’t treat a starter any different than a walk-on. We’ll discipline even if it hurts -- and it hurts sometimes.”

Georgia’s coaches are now having to plug more young players into first-team rotations on defense. While the Bulldogs have a handful of players to use at Ogletree’s middle linebacker spot, the same can’t be said for the secondary.

Georgia had to dip into its offense to get help at cornerback by inserting rising sophomore Malcolm Mitchell, who is coming off a solid SEC debut in 2011. Mitchell has received most of his work on defense this spring, and the consensus is that he’s taking hold of his new position, but offensive coordinator Mike Bobo isn’t ready to totally give Mitchell up to Todd Grantham and Georgia’s defense.

“I don’t plan on losing Malcolm Mitchell,” Bobo said.

In the meantime, Mitchell is looking to help a relatively young secondary in Athens. Coaches and players agreed that two youngsters currently standing out are Corey Moore and Damian Swann.

The depth in the secondary isn’t ideal, but Grantham said he isn’t concerned about numbers, or talent. He’s just looking for the development, and it’s slowly coming.

“The guys that we’ve got here are capable,” Grantham said.

Mitchell’s absence on offense also means that Bobo and quarterback Aaron Murray are both looking for more from younger wide receivers. Murray gushed about rising seniors Tavarres King and Marlon Brown, who Murray said finally looks like he’s putting things together and is actually healthy. Bobo and Murray both stated that sophomores-to-be Michael Bennett and Chris Conley should continue to be reliable targets this fall.

But one player really sticking out to Richt is redshirt freshman Justin Scott-Wesley. Though he sat out last fall and split time between track and throwing sessions before spring practice, Scott-Wesley has really impressed with his speed and athletic ability.

“He’s a track guy, but he’s a big, strong, physical guy,” Richt said. “He’s going to help out a lot this season. There’s no doubt about it.”

Where Georgia would really like to get more consistent this spring is on the offensive line. Bobo sees a lot of bodies there, but he’s still worried about depth. Right now, he likes what he’s seen from Kenarious Gates, Kolton Houston and Chris Burnette, but after that it’s a bit of a mystery.

Bobo said the second half of spring will be crucial to finding capable depth up front.

“We have three guys we feel good about,” he said. “We’re looking to find some depth. We’re actually trying to find five (linemen who can play).”

It didn’t take long for Aaron Murray's eagerness for spring practice to kick in.

Georgia’s redshirt junior quarterback turned his attention to March almost immediately after he left Raymond James Stadium on Jan. 2, following the Bulldogs’ overtime loss to Michigan State in the Outback Bowl.

He spent every night chatting with tight end -- and roommate -- Arthur Lynch about plays and routes. He took the time to drag his receivers out for extra throwing sessions three times a week -- all while going through offseason 7-on-7 sessions.

“I know I’m excited and everyone is ready to put last season behind us and get ready to go,” Murray said.

The workaholic didn’t end the season well, so he enters the spring with a bit of a chip on his shoulder and a thrust for improvement.

Even after helping to lift his team out of an 0-2 start and guiding the Bulldogs to their first SEC championship game since 2005, the criticism firing squad took aim at Georgia’s recording-breaking gunslinger.

After a freshman campaign in 2010 in which he broke the Georgia freshman record for offensive yards and tied for first for touchdown responsibility in a single season, Murray shattered the Bulldogs’ single-season passing touchdown record last fall with 35 and won 10 straight games.

Still, questions arose about Murray’s play when the stages got bigger. Murray went 0-4 as a freshman against ranked teams, and in 2011 he beat just two ranked teams. Georgia’s first two losses came to ranked opponents (Boise State and South Carolina), and its last two came in the SEC championship game against No. 1 LSU and in the Outback bowl against the 17th-ranked Spartans.

In Murray’s last four games, he threw eight touchdowns-to-six interceptions, including four picks in the last two games.

The criticism is justifiable, and Murray is the first to admit it, but he’s out to change this spring. He knows his demeanor changes in bigger games. The pressure starts to mount and he feels as though he must totally take over each game.

By doing that, Murray tries to put his entire team on his back. He wants to make that great play every play. Sometimes he loses trust in teammates because he feels as though he has to make sure he’s doing everything perfect, rather than right.

But that’s wrong, and Murray knows it. He ends up rushing plays, losing concentration and missing easy opportunities. For as talented as Murray is fundamentally, he knows he has to ax the Superman persona to take this team further in 2012.

“You’re never perfect and I know I have a lot more to do to be the best I can be,” he said. “I’m excited to have more opportunities to get better and work with [offensive coordinator Mike] Bobo and work with Coach [Mark] Richt and improve my game.”

(Read full post)

The criticism Georgia running back Isaiah Crowell received last year was deafening.

The freshman went from being proclaimed a hero to being called "soft" to actually being booed by his home fans in the SEC championship game.

In defense of his critics, Crowell's tendency to get injured had him standing on the sideline or sitting on the training table more than carrying the ball during the second half of the season. People were aware of his ankle injury, but it was hard to tell where Crowell was mentall. Plus, his off-the-field issues didn't exactly help his image.

But as much as his work ethic and character were challenged from the outside, they were praised from within, according to teammates.

Thursday, junior tight end Arthur Lynch took offense to all the criticism during Crowell's rookie season -- a season in which he rushed for 850 yards, five touchdowns and was named SEC Freshman of the Year by The Associated Press. Lynch said Crowell was "wrongly scrutinized all year."

"It's such a different game than high school," Lynch said. "Let’s face it; he had instant success and people were so demanding of him to be the savior, this idea of, 'Oh, the next Herschel [Walker].' That’s just unfairly suited to him.”

The pressure was on Crowell from the start, but things didn't exactly start well. Word spread that his preseason practice habits weren't great and he battled shape issues before and during the season. Things caught up with him in the second half, as he dealt with a one-game suspension and seemed to be more injury prone. He carried the ball just 67 times for 277 yards, had only one score in the final eight games, and missed the Georgia Tech game.

Lynch, who is Crowell's "Big Brother" in coach Mark Richt’s “Brother’s Keeper” program, said he Crowell really fought through injuries.

"Had Isaiah been a junior or senior, maybe he should grind through it," Lynch said. "I thought he grinded through it enough. He sat out one game and he tried to play in that SEC championship game when we needed him. You could just tell in practice he was hurt and it wasn't like, 'I'm gonna cop out in the game because I can't reach the level of success I've had in prior games.' I thought he was legitimately hurt and he fought through it more than anyone else could expect.

"I was just proud of him for going out there and having some carries."

Speaking of the SEC championship game, Lynch wasn't too thrilled with out the Georgia faithful treated Crowell when he was booed while limping over to the sideline in the first half.

“I thought that was one, disrespectful, and two, it’s like I don’t think anybody understands the pain that he’s going through, right now," he said.

Quarterback Aaron Murray said he saw a freshman who hadn't had to deal with practicing for two straight hours and wasn't used to the college grind. Like any freshman, it was tough to adapt. That's why Murray is thankful he redshirted his first season.

"It’s different, especially as a running back, when maybe in high school you’re just outrunning everyone and running people over, and you come to SEC football and these guys are coming at you every single play, taking you out by your knees, your ankles; it’s tough," Murray said.

Crowell promised change at the end of last season, and so far teammates see it. Running back Richard Samuel said Crowell isn't "going through the motions." Murray said he's more impressive in mat drills and Lynch said he's "finally getting it."

From what Lynch has seen, the image people thought they had of Crowell should change this fall.

"I’ve seen him mature from the day he got here and we had to drag him to workouts to now, where he’s the leader of his group during workouts,” he said. "He’s a kid that I think will make a lot of noise this year if he keeps doing what he’s doing.

"I expect nothing but good things from him."

It’s sort of like the old "chicken and the egg" debate.

Was the quarterback play in the SEC as spotty as the numbers reflected last season, or were the defenses in this league simply that good?

The answers vary wildly depending on who you ask.

But within the realm of the SEC, it’s not much of a debate at all.

“This past season, there weren’t a lot of proven guys [at quarterback],” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “But when you play great defensive football teams, it’s harder for anybody on offense to look better. The quarterback’s the guy who’s getting harassed by the defensive linemen and all those edge rushers. He’s the guy trying to throw it in a tighter window because cornerbacks are covering a little bit tighter.

“The best quarterbacks in the world don’t look quite as sporty when they’re dealing with some defenses like we do.”

It wasn’t a complete disaster at the quarterback position last season in the SEC. Georgia’s Aaron Murray threw a school-record 35 touchdown passes, and Arkansas’ Tyler Wilson passed for 3,638 yards with 24 touchdowns and only six interceptions and played well enough in his first season as a starter that he seriously contemplated turning pro.

Still, it was a league known for its defense -- something that’s not going to change any time soon --and a league also known for its pedestrian quarterback play.

The latter may be changing some in 2012, especially when you consider the caliber of quarterbacks returning in the SEC, not to mention a couple of talented newcomers.

Murray and Wilson are the top two, but Alabama’s AJ McCarron proved emphatically in the BCS National Championship Game that he’s ready to become an elite quarterback. He’s the most physically gifted quarterback the Crimson Tide have had under Nick Saban and was as good as anybody in the league last season in terms of taking care of the ball.

Tennessee’s Tyler Bray was on his way to a huge season a year ago before he broke his thumb against Georgia. He had 14 touchdown passes and only two interceptions in the first four games, and the way South Carolina’s Connor Shaw ended the season gives Gamecocks fans some hope that they’re finally going to see some real consistency at the position.

Shaw’s never going to wow anybody as a pocket passer. But in South Carolina’s new zone read package, he’s a perfect fit with his ability to run and make plays on the move.

The newcomer everybody is waiting to see is LSU’s Zach Mettenberger, a 6-foot-4 pocket passer who has a big-time arm and just may be the missing piece for the Tigers.

And if you’re looking for the best multi-purpose quarterback next season in the SEC, look no further than Missouri’s James Franklin. The rising junior passed for 2,865 yards and 21 touchdowns last season in the Big 12 and rushed for 981 yards and 15 touchdowns. The 6-2, 225-pound Franklin finished the season with 217 rushing attempts.

Even at Vanderbilt, the Commodores have a guy under center returning who immediately added some pop to that offense once he became a starter last season. Jordan Rodgers, in his first season of action after undergoing shoulder surgery, started the last seven games in 2011, and the Commodores averaged 31 points in those contests.

So while nobody is predicting that SEC quarterbacks will all of a sudden start putting up Xbox-like numbers next season similar to what you see in other conferences across college football, it does have a chance to be one of the most talented crops of quarterbacks the league has put on the field in some time.

“I think it’s just the nature of the beast. This conference is known for defense, so a lot of times the quarterbacks’ ratings aren’t going to be way up there because you’re going against the best defenses in the country,” said McCarron, who earned offensive MVP honors in the BCS National Championship Game by going 23-of-34 for 234 yards and no interceptions.

“Not degrading the other conferences, but if you look at their [quarterback] stats, their defenses just aren’t as good as ours are in this league. They’re going to put up more numbers and probably get a little more notoriety. But with our defenses, the offenses and quarterbacks in the SEC are going to be overlooked and underestimated.”

When Wilson was growing up in Arkansas, it was at a time when Steve Spurrier and his Fun ‘n’ Gun offense were wreaking havoc in the SEC. Wilson has also been around an Arkansas offense the past two seasons that has produced 62 touchdown passes.

So forgive him if he’s not ready to concede things to the defenses in this league.

Plus, he’s like anybody else and looks around at the returning quarterback talent and thinks the playing field may be leveling some in the SEC.

“I think we have a much more offensive conference than maybe some people realize,” said Wilson, who set an Arkansas school record last season with his 510-yard performance in a 42-38 comeback win over Texas A&M. “I think this is going to be a much better year for all of the quarterbacks coming up, so maybe we’ll give the defenses a little test."

Mettenberger, who started his career at Georgia, has great respect for SEC defenses, but said that should never be an excuse for why quarterbacks aren’t getting it done in this league.

“Guys in the NFL go against great defenses every Sunday and make it look easy at times,” Mettenberger said. “It’s all about preparing and getting down the mental aspect of what a defense is trying to do to you, and in any situation, what you’re going to do with the ball.

“That’s where you gain an edge. It’s not always about how hard or how far you can throw it, and the more you’re around this league, the more you realize it.”

SEC bloggers Chris Low and Edward Aschoff, who's known more commonly as The ATL Kid, will occasionally give their takes on a burning question facing the league. We'll both have strong opinions, but not necessarily the same view. We'll let you decide who's right.

Today's Take Two topic: If it's not Alabama or LSU, who has the best chance to break through and win the SEC championship in 2012 and why?

Take 1: Chris Low

If Arkansas were not in the Western Division, you could easily make a case that the Hogs would have already broken through and at least played for the SEC championship. But the fact is that they are in the West, and that’s not changing. They’re 1-5 against West kingpins Alabama and LSU the past three seasons, but the good news is that they get both teams at home in 2012. Two years ago, they beat LSU in Little Rock and had Alabama on the ropes in Fayetteville before allowing the Crimson Tide to escape in the second half.

What makes anybody think it’s going to be different in 2012? For one, I’m not so sure that Arkansas has to win both games to get to Atlanta. A split may be enough next season. And with Tyler Wilson returning at quarterback, he’s going to have a better idea of what to expect from both defenses. You can bet that Alabama will be good on defense again next season. I have a hard time believing, though, that the Crimson Tide will be as good as they were in 2011 when they’re losing the likes of Mark Barron, Courtney Upshaw, Dont’a Hightower, Josh Chapman and Dre Kirkpatrick. The trip to South Carolina won’t be easy for the Hogs, but they’ve had the Gamecocks’ number. The same goes for Texas A&M.

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino does as good a job as anybody in the conference when it comes to developing offensive talent. We’ll see if the defense can take that next step now under new coordinator Paul Haynes. The Hogs took a step backward this past season on defense. They’ll always be a threat playing the caliber of offense they have under Petrino, but he knows as well as anybody that they have to keep improving on defense if they’re going to move past just being a threat and ever win the championship in this league. This may be the year they do that.

Take 2: Edward Aschoff

I like the Arkansas pick, and I agree that if you put the Hogs in the East it's a whole different story. But I'll go in a different direction. How about Georgia? Seriously, if you just look at Georgia's schedule you'd think the Bulldogs would be able to just walk into Atlanta for the second straight year. No Alabama, Arkansas or LSU. South Carolina, Missouri and Auburn are on the road, but losing one of those probably won't cost the Bulldogs the East. Just look at last season.

The Bulldogs return just about everyone on a defense that ranked fifth nationally last season. Add a pretty solid group of offensive players and Georgia has a team with the talent to compete not just for a SEC title, but a national title. Malcolm Mitchell and Tavarres King are back at wide receiver and the staff is hoping that the addition of Keith Marshall to the backfield will help push Isaiah Crowell even more. Georgia will probably be in a real dogfight (excuse the pun) with South Carolina. The Gamecocks return a loaded defense as well and a healthy Marcus Lattimore is any defense's nightmare, but you have to give Georgia the advantage at quarterback. Connor Shaw ended 2011 on a roll, but Aaron Murray is becoming a better leader and is coming off a year in which he became just the fifth quarterback in SEC history to throw for more than 3,000 yards and 35 touchdowns in a single season.

The mental hump might be the biggest obstacle for the Bulldogs. We've seen this before and Georgia hasn't exactly lived up to high expectations in recent history. Remember 2008? There's no question that the Bulldogs have the players to compete for a SEC title, but all eyes will be on Athens this fall and the pressure definitely will be on. Coach Mark Richt did a great job of rallying this team after its 0-2 start last year, but can the Bulldogs afford another season with a slow start? Can this team survive with the target on its back? If Georgia can play with the same mentality it had in its last 10 games of the regular season, the Bulldogs could bring the SEC crown back to the Eastern Division.

Everybody loves position rankings. Well, most everybody.

We presented our preseason rankings back in June on the SEC blog, and like most preseason predictions, we wished we had a lot of those picks back by the second or third week of the season.

Now that we’ve actually played the 2011 season, we’ll do it all over again, and we’ll kick if off with the quarterbacks.

At most positions, depth will be the most important factor, and if there’s a superstar in the group, that’s going to carry a lot of weight, too.

But with the quarterbacks, we’re mostly concerned with how the main guy fared this season.

For all positions, performance in conference games is where we’ll start, and how a unit closed the season, including the bowl games, will also be a determining factor.

You can go here to see our preseason quarterback rankings.

Our focus now is how they did this season. Here goes:

1. Arkansas: In his first full season as a starter, Tyler Wilson was outstanding. He led the SEC in passing with 3,638 yards to go along with 24 touchdown passes and only six interceptions. He thought about declaring for the NFL draft, but elected to return and was rated recently by ESPN’s Mel Kiper as the No. 3 rising senior quarterback in the country. We didn't give Wilson nearly enough love in the preseason. Shame on us. He's the real deal.

2. Georgia: Aaron Murray had a record-setting season for the Bulldogs and tossed 35 touchdown passes. He was instrumental in their turnaround and had a big hand in their 10-game winning streak. He also threw 16 interceptions and had two costly picks in the bowl game that helped trigger Michigan State’s comeback. Five of Murray’s picks came in his last three games. All in all, it was still a splendid season for a second-year starter in this league.

3. Alabama: AJ McCarron gets bonus points for the way he played in the Allstate BCS National Championship Game. He earned Offensive MVP honors in leading Alabama to a 21-0 victory over LSU. It wasn't just that one game that has the Crimson Tide in the No. 3 spot. McCarron was solid all season long and didn't turn the ball over. In 234 passing attempts against SEC competition, he only threw three interceptions and averaged 207.2 passing yards.

4. South Carolina: The first half of the season belonged to Stephen Garcia, and it wasn't pretty. In retrospect, Garcia's dismissal might have been the best thing to happen to the Gamecocks. Connor Shaw took over and just got better and better as the season progressed. In his last three games, including wins over Clemson and Nebraska, Shaw completed 75 percent of his passes for 657 yards, eight touchdowns and just one interception. He also rushed for 239 yards in those three games.

5. LSU: It says something about the quarterback play in the SEC that the Tigers are ranked this high, especially with the egg Jordan Jefferson laid in the BCS National Championship Game and how poorly he played in the first half of the SEC championship game. But Jarrett Lee deserves props for stepping in there and playing the way he did in the first eight games, and Jefferson's ability to run the option made a big difference in the first Alabama game. Still, it's hard to get over that stinker in New Orleans.

6. Tennessee: The Vols were dealt a tough blow when Tyler Bray broke his thumb in the Georgia game. He had 14 touchdown passes and only two interceptions going into that game, but wound up missing the next five games. The Vols tried senior Matt Simms and then went with true freshman Justin Worley, but had trouble mustering any offense. Bray came back and played the final two games, although he was a shadow of what he was before the injury. He ended the season with a woeful performance against Kentucky.

7. Florida: When John Brantley went down with a high ankle sprain in the Alabama game, he was throwing the ball as well as he had since coming to Florida. But from that point on, the Gators were a train wreck on offense. True freshmen Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel took a beating while filling in for Brantley, and even when Brantley did come back against Georgia, he wasn't close to 100 percent. Brantley still averaged 175.8 passing yards in league play, which was fourth in the SEC.

8. Vanderbilt: We had the Commodores ranked last in the preseason, and that's because Larry Smith had come off two rocky seasons in a row. He also opened this season as the Commodores' starter, and the passing game once again never took flight. Jordan Rodgers stepped in at the midway point and immediately pumped new life into the Commodores' offense. He was able to generate a lot more big plays down the field and also made things happen with his legs. He didn't end the season on a high note and played poorly in the bowl game.

9. Mississippi State: After finishing his junior season with a bang against Michigan in the Gator Bowl, Chris Relf just didn't take the kind of step during his senior season that a lot of people in and around the program thought he would. The Bulldogs also played Tyler Russell a bunch at quarterback, and he's got a big arm. It's just that much of his damage came against weaker competition in nonconference games. The Bulldogs were one of seven SEC teams that finished with more interceptions than touchdown passes in league play.

10. Auburn: The Tigers finished dead last against SEC foes in passing offense. Their vertical passing game was non-existent, and it was a struggle to complete anything down the field. They averaged just 126.5 passing yards per game against league foes. Three different players split the quarterback duties. Barrett Trotter opened the season as the starter, and Clint Moseley finished it. The Tigers also used true freshman Kiehl Frazier in specialty situations. Despite who was in there at quarterback, nothing came easy for the Tigers this season in the passing game.

11. Kentucky: The Wildcats had high hopes for Morgan Newton entering the season, and Kentucky coach Joker Phillips was pleased with the the way Newton had taken command of the offense in the spring and preseason. It just never translated during the season, though. Newton didn't throw the ball with any confidence and was also saddled with injuries. True freshman Maxwell Smith showed some promise toward the end of the season, but was also banged up. The Wildcats found a way to beat Tennessee in the finale with receiver Matt Roark playing quarterback.

12. Ole Miss: The truth is that there were several candidates for the cellar. It's not like anybody is going to remember 2011 as the Year of the Quarterback in the SEC. In the case of the Rebels, they struggled to find a quarterback all season. Three different players started games, and Ole Miss finished with six touchdown passes and 12 interceptions against SEC foes. Randall Mackey looked like he might be starting to get it once November rolled around, but was then suspended for the last two games.

There were plenty of SEC players who made improvements in 2011. Complacency wasn't an option for these players, therefore, they made tremendous strides.

Today, we'll look at players who either improved their play, rose from the ranks of reserve to really impress or returned from injury. I'll go first with my five players who I thought made the most improvement from 2010 to 2011. Chris will follow up with his top five later today. We haven't communicated about our choices, so we could have some that overlap or we could have five completely different picks.

Regardless, this should create some pretty fun debate for readers.

Here's a look at my five most improved players in the SEC:

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Nelson Chenault/US PresswireMississippi State's Fletcher Cox is projected to be a first-round pick in April's draft.
• Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State: As a sophomore, Cox started 11 games and accumulated 29 tackles, including 6.5 for loss. But last year, he proved to be one of the top defensive tackles in the SEC. He had 56 total tackles, including 14.5 for loss and five sacks. He also blocked two kicks, recovered a fumble and forced a fumble. He's expected to be a first-round pick in April's NFL draft.
• Tyrann Mathieu, CB, LSU: As a reserve, Mathieu had a productive year in 2010, when he ranked first in the SEC and fifth nationally with five forced fumbles and tied for first in the league with three fumble recoveries. He also led LSU with seven pass breakups. He became a national star and a Heisman finalist in 2011, as he tied for the team lead with 76 tackles, tied for first nationally with five fumble recoveries, and tied for fourth with six forced fumbles. He was also fifth nationally with a 15.6 average on punt returns and took two back for touchdowns.
• Sam Montgomery, DE, LSU: Montgomery missed most of 2010 with a knee injury, but still managed two sacks. Last season, you would have never guessed that he was coming off an injury. Montgomery was one of the league's most productive players off the edge, ranking sixth in the SEC with nine sacks and had 13.5 tackles for loss.
• Zac Stacy, RB, Vanderbilt: He finished the 2010 season as Vanderbilt's second leading rusher with 331 yards and had three touchdowns. He looked like a completely different player in 2011, becoming one of the top running backs in the SEC. He was third in the SEC with 1,193 rushing yards and was second with 14 rushing touchdowns. He also averaged 5.7 yards per carry in conference play.
• Jarius Wright, WR, Arkansas: Wright left Arkansas as one of the best receivers to ever step foot in Fayetteville, but he saved his best season for last. After catching 42 passes for 788 yards and five touchdowns in 2010, Wright was the SEC's top receiver last season with 1,117 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also led the league with 93.1 yards per game.

Here are 10 more that just missed the cut:

• Antonio Allen, S, South Carolina
• Daren Bates, LB, Auburn
• Matt Elam, S, Florida
• Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama
• Jarrett Lee, QB, LSU
• Corey Lemonier, DE, Auburn
• AJ McCarron, QB, Alabama
• Aaron Murray, QB, Georiga
• Chris Rainey, RB, Florida
• Rueben Randle, WR, LSU