ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

It's time for another edition of the SEC mailbag:

Casey in Camp Lejeune, N.C., writes: With an experienced offensive line and defensive line coming back, do you think that's a good foundation for success? Also, if Garcia finds himself and lives up to his hype and with new stars like Giles and Gilmore, does South Carolina have a shot in the East?

Chris Low: I do think the Gamecocks will be improved on the offensive line. Steve Spurrier has been impressed by what he's seen out of new offensive line coach Eric Wolford, who will also head up South Carolina's running game. This much we know: The offensive line can't get much worse. The Gamecocks didn't run the ball very well last season, nor did they protect the passer. The defensive line, especially with the return of tackle Ladi Ajiboye from suspension, will again be strong. My biggest concern with the Gamecocks is all the young players they will be playing. They have no depth in the secondary and nobody behind Garcia should he get hurt. I like the Gamecocks' chances to make it back to a bowl game, but I honestly don't give them any shot in the Eastern Division race. Their schedule is one of the toughest in the league.

Nate in Port Saint Lucie, Fla., writes: Chris, I really think the Gators are at more of a disadvantage this year against LSU than people realize. They haven't played a real tough road game since 2007 at Death Valley, and we all know how that turned out. All their road games this past year were against opponents that they completely outmatched. And in their three neutral site games, half to 3/4 of the crowd were Gators. How are they going to fare when there's no crowd behind them and they're playing a good team? Even if they go undefeated and get to the BCS National Championship, they'll be all the way out West playing Texas, Oklahoma or USC. Their fans will be totally outnumbered. I haven't seen anything from this team that tells me they can handle a real gut-check when there aren't at least 50,000 in blue and orange cheering for them. What's your take?

Chris Low: My take is that Florida is the best team in the country, the most talented team in the country and the team with the best player in the country. I like the Gators' chances against anybody they play and anywhere they play. They're a veteran team with great leadership, and Urban Meyer has proven that he's pretty good any time he's on a big stage. That said, your point about Florida not facing a really tough game in a hostile environment is a fair one. I agree that LSU in 2007 is probably the last time, and the Gators lost that game. We'll see what they're made of this Oct. 10, because Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night is about as hostile as it gets. For what it's worth, Meyer is 9-5 at Florida in true SEC road games.

Mike in Knoxville, Tenn., writes: It is my understanding that football coaches are prohibited from voting for a team on probation in the Top 25 poll. Is this true, and if so, does probation for Alabama virtually exclude them from any chance at a BCS championship if current sanctions withstand appeal?

Chris Low: Nice try, but no. There's no rule preventing coaches from voting for teams on probation. I think the rule you're referring to stipulates that a team serving an NCAA postseason ban is ineligible to receive votes in the coaches' poll, which makes up one-third of the BCS standings.

Luke in Lexington, Ky., writes: If the NCAA and college football really wanted to improve nonconference scheduling, why don't they simply add a stipulation to the 12th game? Something like "Teams may schedule 12 regular-season games provided they play at least five games on the road or at neutral sites?"

Chris Low: You might be on to something. The SEC teams are getting better at scheduling at least one marquee nonconference game a year, but that's way past due for some teams. Georgia has really stepped up to the plate in recent years. Alabama has Virginia Tech this year and Penn State the next two years, and Tennessee has Oregon, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Ohio State all coming up on future schedules. I realize the SEC conference schedule is grueling, but two "buy games" a year are more than enough. I like the concept of more neutral site games. Arkansas signed a 10-year deal to play Texas A&M in the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium, and the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff is a great idea. The game's played in the Georgia Dome, which is a super environment for college football, and typically brings together an SEC and ACC team to open the season. Maybe we could get an SEC vs. Pac-10 deal going, too.

Randy in Nashville, Tenn., writes: Hey Chris, with the vacated 21 wins, some debate has been raised about which team now actually leads the SEC in all-time wins and winning percentage. Some say Alabama is ahead by a few, and some say Tennessee now has six more victories. Perhaps you could help us out with the true records of each program.

Chris Low: Nothing is final yet, because Alabama is appealing the penalties handed down by the NCAA. But if the 21 vacated wins stick, that would leave Alabama with 778 all-time wins, which would still be two ahead of Tennessee, which has 776 all-time wins. Rounding out the Top 5 in the SEC, Georgia is third with 723 wins. LSU is fourth with 700, and Auburn is fifth with 681. Before anybody asks, these records all came straight out of the schools' respective media guides. It's worth noting that everybody in the SEC has better than a .500 winning percentage all-time with the exception of South Carolina and Mississippi State. The Gamecocks are 528-529-44 (.499), while the Bulldogs are 485-527-39 (.480).