ESPN College Football

Well, we knew it was coming. We had a feeling some folks would be upset with a few of our selections for our re-rankings and our All-SEC team.

We weren’t surprised and we welcomed the feedback. You can’t please everyone, but it started a nice, fun debate.

But our quarterback selection really struck a nerve with one particular fan base.

We’ll get into that in our mailbag, so on to your questions:

Steve in West Monroe, La., writes: I think your mid-season all SEC pick for QB was wrong. Bray is good, but Tyler Wilson is the better QB. Let's see what Bray does against some real defense this weekend vs LSU? Wilson has done well the last three weekends against better defenses than Bray has faced. Wilson's toughness & willingness to lead by example will take Arkansas to a better bowl this year, and he's had a negligible run game.

Edward Aschoff: Chris and I knew we’d catch a bunch of grief for this, but we felt Bray was the better selection at this point. In fewer games this season, Bray averaged 315 yards a game and had 14 touchdown passes to just two interceptions. He lost his best receiver in Justin Hunter against Florida and still passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns. His only interceptions of the year came in that game. Even without Hunter, Bray performed well. Wilson has been good. We certainly aren’t saying that he hasn’t been. He leads the SEC in passing 1,779 and has 12 touchdowns. Oh, and he had a monster day against Texas A&M when he threw for a school-record 510 yard. I always hear about how Wilson is better because he’s played better competition. He started the season against Missouri State, New Mexico and Troy and threw for his career day against Texas A&M and it’s defense that ranks 99th nationally. He then threw for 262 against Auburn’s 105th-ranked defense. You can put Florida and Georgia’s defenses up against those any day. Against Alabama, Wilson threw for 185 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. Both quarterbacks have been tremendous this year, but we felt Bray had been better up to this point.

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Richard in Ann Arbor, Mich., writes: LSU's clock management has, thus far, been excellent this season, repeatedly draining the play clock to make their long, sustained rushing drives even longer, and keep the Oregon's and West Virginia's of the world off the field as much as possible. Few instances of a delay of game or a frantic timeout to avoid one. Les Miles said all the right things in sticking up for his personnel, but do you think that maybe, just maybe, Gary Crowton had more to do with the clock gaffes than even most "experts" were willing to admit?

Edward Aschoff: I’m not ready to blame Crowton for past clock issues, but I am ready to say that Miles and his crew has done a much better job on the field this season. The mistakes that had been part of LSU’s offense aren’t there this season. The Tigers have turned the ball over just three times and while they haven’t had to worry about games coming down to the final minute, this team is much more efficient and doesn’t look like it would have the same late-game issues from the past. Now, the Mad Hatter is still in charge, so anything that happens with this team wouldn’t really surprise me, but I’d like to think that this team is ready for such situations … right?

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Lem in Concord, Ga., writes: Is the SEC East going to come down to Jacksonville on Oct. 29th?

Edward Aschoff: It could if Florida wins this weekend. I think that if the Gators can get by Auburn, then Florida’s game with Georgia will be a big event in the SEC. Georgia still has to get past Vanderbilt this weekend, but I think the Bulldogs take care of business Saturday. But South Carolina still has to lose a game or Oct. 29 won’t mean as much. Plus, Florida still has to beat South Carolina later in the season, and depending on the quarterback situation, I’m not sure that will happen. Florida and Georgia need help for Oct. 29 to determine the SEC East.

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James in Greensboro, N.C., writes: With all this nonsense about Mizzou joining the SEC, what's wrong with Clemson or FSU. Good programs, good geographic locations and preserves natural rivalries (Clemson/USC or FSU/Florida). Why drag a relatively irrelevant team like Mizzou into the SEC and shove Auburn into the East. That will goof up rivalries like Alabama/TN (unless the SEC changes the rule and allow TN and Auburn to have permanent West rivalries with Alabama, b/c you know they're not going to disallow the Iron Bowl). From what I've seen Clemson has never been mentioned. Further still, I've read where Mizzou has been invited to the Big Whatever they are this week, so it may be a non-issue. I'd vote Clemson 1st, FSU 2nd and VT 3rd (though Blacksburg is a long hike for A&M and LSU fans). Go Vols! (God please help us tomorrow)

Edward Aschoff: You have to realize that SEC expansion doesn’t just have to do with football. Clemson might be one of the hottest teams in the country right now, but that isn’t going to be a major factor for Mike Slive and the SEC. Besides, Clemson has been a team with all the attention before and has fallen off before, so let’s wait for this team to get through the season first. Missouri is an AAU school and brings in new viewing markets (St. Louis and Kansas City), which means more butts in front of TV sets. And that helps with revenue. Plus, Slive has already said that the SEC won’t reach out into occupied states if it expands further. South Carolina and Clemson reside in the same state, as do Florida and Florida State. As for Virginia Tech, I would personally like to see it come on down, but with the hassle it would be to leave the ACC, I’m not sure it would happen.

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Ross in Fayetteville, Ark., writes: I’ve been a Hog fan for a long time. After our break though year last season, people thought Arkansas would be down. Well, they've shown that it could be a very similar season. Do you think the Hogs have a decent shot of going to Atlanta? Very good schedule ahead, plus going to LSU in a DAYTIME game. Also, the battle of the Golden Boot has been extremely close recently. Arkansas won last year in Little Rock and the players still hear will be looking for 2 straight against the Tigers. Don't forget the Hogs only lost in OT at Death Valley 2 years ago. Thoughts?

Edward Aschoff: First, Alabama has to lose two more games and Arkansas can’t lose another game. Without that, the Hogs won’t make it. Now, this team definitely is talented enough to win out before the LSU game, and it’s not like Arkansas can’t win that game either. This is the SEC, and no game is a guarantee. With that said, I’d go with LSU right now because of the Tigers’ defense. When Arkansas played a suffocating defense like Alabama’s it didn’t do much. The Hogs only put up 226 yards and 14 points against the Tide. LSU’s defense isn’t far off from Alabama’s and might be more athletic.

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David in South Carolina writes: Hey guys, just looking at the stats alone, is Antonio Allen statistically better than Tyrann Mathieu? Now I give Tyrann credit because he does mean a lot to his team, but punt returns aside, defensively Antonio Allen is doing MORE in this spur position but gets half the credit. I'm wondering how much of Mathieu's grandiose is inflated by the fact that LSU's defense as a whole is so good. This was just bugging me because I feel like individually/statistically Allen is doing more. Although I was glad to see you had him at #11 in SEC! What are your thoughts?

Edward Aschoff: Allen has had a great first half of the season. No one is arguing that in the blog. But to have him over Mathieu was never considered. Mathieu has played on another level in LSU’s secondary. For a player that shouldn’t be around the ball as much as maybe a defensive lineman or a linebacker, Mathieu has found a way to get to the ball as much as possible. He leads the Tigers in tackles and has forced six turnovers this year, with two touchdowns. Yes, Allen has sexier numbers, and we applaud him for that, but Mathieu has had a bigger impact for LSU’s team. And you can thank me, not Chris, for putting Allen at 11. Chris is the hater.

Making the SEC rounds on a Friday:

• With Gary Crowton leaving for Maryland, LSU's Les Miles is now in the market for a new offensive coordinator.
• Randall Cobb's many talents will be difficult for Kentucky to replace, writes Mark Story of The Lexington Herald-Leader.
• Charlie Weis is on the job recruiting for Florida.
• Mark McCarter of The Huntsville Times takes a look at who might be the SEC's next national champion.
• Vanderbilt coach James Franklin likes the enthusiasm of his staff.
• Tennessee coach Derek Dooley's pay raise remains unclear.

LSU's offense will have some new leadership next season, as Gary Crowton has accepted an offer to be Maryland's offensive coordinator.

Crowton talked with LSU coach Les Miles on Thursday morning, but told The Baton Rouge Advocate that he wasn't fired. Either way, it was obvious that Miles was looking to make some changes on offense. The Tigers finished 11th in the SEC this season in total offense and were last in 2009.

Miles had been consistently evasive about whether or not there would be any staff changes, so the reality is that this probably worked out best for both sides.

The priority for Miles in selecting the Tigers' next offensive coordinator is bringing in somebody who can help jump-start the passing game, and in particular, can develop a quarterback.

Zach Mettenberger, who started his career at Georgia before being dismissed, is expected to battle Jordan Jefferson for the starting job in the spring.

Let's make no mistake here. Les Miles is an LSU man.

He might have gone to Michigan, played for the Wolverines and still have some maize and blue running through his veins, but home for him now is LSU.

After this latest flirtation with Michigan, it's obvious that the only way Miles is leaving LSU is if he's pushed out the door. There have been times the fans on the Bayou have wanted to do just that the last two seasons. And, yes, it's always an adventure with Miles any time he's in front of a camera or those final seconds of the clock are ticking down.

But there's no way to interpret his record at LSU any other way than to conclude that the guy's a winner. He's won 62 games, five bowl games, a national championship and has guided the Tigers to four 11-win seasons or better in his six seasons in Baton Rouge.

With a new contract at LSU that will take him through the 2017 season, Miles now turns his attention to bringing another SEC and/or national title to LSU. The Tigers return an impressive nucleus of young talent and have recruited like gangbusters.

The big question is on offense, which has floundered each of the past two seasons. The Tigers were 11th in the SEC in total offense this season after finishing last in 2009.

There have been reports that LSU offensive coordinator Gary Crowton won't be back next season and is looking for another job. However, he told The Baton Rouge Advocate on Wednesday that he hasn't been fired and plans on being a part of the LSU staff next season. Crowton did say he spoke with Maryland's Randy Edsall about the Terps' offensive coordinator job.

Until Miles comes out and says that Crowton is definitely going to return as his offensive coordinator next season, you have to wonder.

Miles was again evasive Wednesday about any potential staff changes.

"I really don't know exactly what to tell you," Miles said. "I know we'll have a staff meeting on Thursday morning. I'm not ready to say that there won't be some changes on the staff. I don't know that I necessarily am going to be the factor there as opposed to other great opportunities, so we'll have to see how that goes."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- LSU knew what it wanted to do, or needed to do, rather.

Texas A&M finished its season as the Big 12's best rush defense, reclaiming the "Wrecking Crew" nickname in the process.

"We had to mix it up," said Tigers offensive coordinator Gary Crowton. "We felt like if we could loosen them up with some big passes, we'd be able to run the football."

Few figured the Tigers would have the kind of success they did doing both, but they did. Quarterback Jordan Jefferson had thrown four touchdown passes in 12 games entering Friday's Cotton Bowl, including just two in his past 11 games.

He threw three on Friday, and two were longer than 40 yards, softening up the Aggies defense exactly as planned to help beat Texas A&M 41-24 in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic in front of 83,514 fans at Cowboys Stadium.

"I thought he threw the ball about as good as I've seen him throw on tape," Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman said. "He was decisive, aggressive and accurate."

With Jefferson keeping the Aggies honest, LSU rolled over the Wrecking Crew for 288 rushing yards. Running backs Stevan Ridley and Spencer Ware both topped 100 yards, and Jefferson made a handful of plays with his legs, extending drives on third down on plenty of occasions and finishing with 67 yards on 12 carries.

"For our run game, I thought we were doing a really good job of dominating the line of scrimmage," Crowton said.

Early on, the Aggies were up 10-0, but with one torque of a knee they were down a leader. Senior linebacker Michael Hodges suffered a sprained ACL in the first quarter, and Texas A&M's leading tackler never returned.

"He is the heart and soul of our defense in many ways," Sherman said. "At the same time, you can't use that as a reason why we didn't perform the way we should have been capable of performing. ... One guy gets hurt, another guy has to step in and make the play."

His replacement, Kyle Mangan, managed just four tackles, the same amount Hodges had already accumulated in the first quarter.

"I think Kyle, put in the situation he was in, he played well," defensive end Lucas Patterson said. "You can't replace a player like Hodges."

With Jefferson having one of his best games of the year, and the Aggies patching together a run defense that often looked out of character, there was little expectation after Texas A&M's 10-0 lead had evaporated that chants of "Wrecking Crew" would make an encore in Cowboys Stadium.

Early on, it might have. Jefferson's first deep pass -- and the Tigers first attempt to soften the defense -- was interecepted with one hand by Coryell Judie. But Jefferson's first of three connections in the end zone with senior receiver Terrence Toliver assured an end to the Aggies' six-game winning streak.

"I came back with the next deep ball call when we got in the right situation," Crowton said. "Jordan stood in there, took a big hit, but got the touchdown. I knew we'd be alright from that point on because we were going to run the ball. We pound it in there."

The Aggies had no answer for the majority of the night. Gaps went unfilled and runners sliced through wide lanes. The Tigers ran the ball 55 times, and averaged 5.2 yards per carry.

"Our offensive line came to play," LSU coach Les Miles said. "Our offensive line said this is a challenge they wanted. I think they played to that challenge."

The bowl smorgasbord is about to kick off for the SEC.

Starting Thursday with Tennessee against North Carolina in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, there will be 10 bowl games involving SEC teams over the next 12 days.

Who has the most to prove this bowl season in the SEC (players, coaches and teams)? Here’s our top 10 list:

1. Florida coach Urban Meyer: His overall career at Florida may be unmatched with the two national championships and three BCS bowl victories in six seasons. But it all unraveled for the Gators this season, particularly on offense. Here’s a chance for Meyer to get that bad taste out of his mouth and go out a winner over the iconic Joe Paterno and Penn State Nittany Lions in the Outback Bowl.

2. South Carolina: The Gamecocks are just 4-11 all-time in bowl games and have generally been pretty lousy in the postseason, and that goes back way before Steve Spurrier showed up in Columbia. Still, the Gamecocks’ last two performances in bowl games were beyond embarrassing. It’s time they showed up for a bowl game and played well, especially coming off such a breakthrough season and getting to the SEC championship game for the first time in school history.

3. LSU offensive coordinator Gary Crowton: The Tigers have been subpar on offense each of the last two seasons. They were 11^th in the SEC in total offense this season after finishing last a year ago. Crowton would seem to be hanging by a thread. He needs to come up with a good game plan against Texas A&M in the AT&T Cotton Bowl and will have to do it without the Tigers’ leading rusher, Stevan Ridley, who’s been ruled ineligible pending an appeal.

4. South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia: Garcia has been the poster boy for the Gamecocks’ struggles in bowl games the last two years. He was much more consistent this season, and the Head Ball Coach would like to see that same consistency from him against Florida State in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. In his last two bowl outings, Garcia is a combined 25-of-56 for 208 yards, four interceptions and no touchdowns.

5. Georgia coach Mark Richt: The truth is that Richt has a lot to prove -- period. There’s no debating that the program has slipped the last couple of years. The question is: Can he get it back to where the Bulldogs are winning SEC championships again? Richt deserves the chance to right the ship. But a loss to UCF in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and the program’s first losing season since 1996 would almost certainly set up one of those win-or-else seasons for Richt next year.

6. Alabama: It’s not often that one of Nick Saban’s teams underachieves, but the Crimson Tide did just that this season when you consider how many future first- and second-round draft choices are on this team. Not only that, but Alabama completely imploded in the second half against Auburn, blowing a 24-0 lead. Here’s one last chance for the Crimson Tide to play a 60-minute game.

7. Florida quarterback John Brantley: There’s still a chance Brantley may transfer. He said he will talk it over with his parents after the bowl game. As quarterbacks go this season in the SEC, Brantley was probably the most disappointing when you consider the steep expectations. In his defense, the Gators’ spread offense was a terrible fit for him. It would still be nice to see him throw the ball with some confidence in the Outback Bowl.

8. Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof: Disregard the numbers when you analyze Auburn’s defense. The Tigers’ defenders will tell you they’re not about numbers. They’re about making clutch plays, and they’re about winning. Roof’s challenge is to at least slow down Oregon’s fast-break offense in the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game. And to do that, the Tigers will have to keep the big plays to a minimum. They gave up 23 touchdown passes this season, which was the second most in the SEC.

9. Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray: The true freshman from California was one of the main reasons the Vols came charging back from the dead in November with four straight wins. He threw 12 touchdown passes in those four wins, albeit against weaker defenses. North Carolina has one of the better defensive backfields Bray has seen this season. He can really put a nice bow on this season, both for himself and the Vols, by lighting up the Tar Heels in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl.

10. Alabama running back Mark Ingram: We’ll never know for sure how much Ingram was bothered by the torn meniscus in his knee that required surgery and caused him to miss the first two games. The fact is that Ingram doesn’t make excuses. That said, he wasn’t the same player this season. Some of that may have been his injury. Some of it was the way defenses loaded up on Alabama’s running game, and the Crimson Tide also had some injuries in their offensive line down the stretch. Either way, Ingram will be primed for what will likely be his final game in an Alabama uniform.

For as limited as LSU was offensively for most of this season, it’s amazing that the Tigers finished up as well as they did.

That tells you a little something about how good they were on defense and special teams, although their defensive production waned those last couple of games.

The Tigers (10-2) struggled to throw the football for a second year in a row. They’re ranked 107^th in passing offense, and junior quarterback Jordan Jefferson threw just four touchdown passes and nine interceptions in 12 starts.

For the second half of the season, Jarrett Lee also rotated in at quarterback. He threw just two touchdown passes, but they both came in the 33-29 win at Florida, including Lee’s 3-yard scoring pass to Terrence Toliver.

In vintage Les Miles fashion, the Tigers kept finding different ways to win despite their shortcomings on offense, and in fairness, junior running back Stevan Ridley had a very good season running the football. He’s one of four SEC players to rush for 1,000 yards and enters the bowl game with 1,042 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.

John Chavis’ defense was one of the best in the country and still ranks eighth nationally going into the bowl game, but the Tigers showed some wear on that side of the ball in those last two games.

Offensive MVP: Running back Stevan Ridley. He showed flashes a year ago when he received some opportunities after Charles Scott was injured. But as the centerpiece of the Tigers’ running game, Ridley flourished with 1,042 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s one of the more physical runners in the league.

Defensive MVP: Cornerback Patrick Peterson. Defensive tackle Drake Nevis and linebacker Kelvin Sheppard deserve some serious consideration, too, but Peterson is the best cornerback in college football. He had four interceptions and forces teams to go to the other side of the field because they don't want to throw in his direction.

Turning point: The 24-21 win over Alabama set the Tigers up nicely for a BCS bowl and was easily their most complete game of the season. All they had to do was win out, but Arkansas stole their BCS bid away the final week of the regular season.

What’s next: LSU will face Texas A&M in the AT&T Cotton Bowl, hoping to cap the season with 11 wins. Miles still has a decision to make about offensive coordinator Gary Crowton, who has come under considerable fire with the Tigers finishing 11^th in the SEC in total offense this season and last a year ago. Miles was non-committal last week about any changes he might make on his staff.

LSU offensive coordinator Gary Crowton has said he expects to be back next season, but the guy who makes that decision isn't really saying.

LSU coach Les Miles told reporters Wednesday that he didn't want to talk about Crowton's status.

"Endorsement, no endorsement ... all those things are really without relevance at this point to me," Miles said. "This is about preparing a team for a bowl game, period. I think our offense has gotten better, and I think that our team is maturing."

Reading between the lines, it sounds like Miles hasn't decided what he's going to do with Crowton, who's entering the last year of his contract. The Tigers are 11th in total offense this season after finishing last a year ago.

They did play better offensively down the stretch this season, but that's after going a stretch of seven games where the passing game was virtually non-existent. LSU finished with just seven touchdown passes all season. The only FBS school to have fewer was Army with five.

"I think our offensive line is maturing," Miles said. "I think our quarterbacks are maturing. I like our receiving corps. I think that this bowl game will be an opportunity for us to play our best."

LSU offensive coordinator Gary Crowton, under fire for much of this season, said Wednesday he expects to be back next season as the Tigers' offensive coordinator.

Crowton also told Glenn Guilbeau of Gannett Louisiana Newspapers that he's not a candidate for the Louisiana-Lafayette head-coaching job.

"I'm not looking right now," Crowton said. "My interest is here. I have another year on my contract here, and it's a good contract with the best year of the contract next year. This is where I want to be."

More importantly, Crowton said LSU coach Les Miles wants him back.

It was a struggle offensively for most of this season for the Tigers, although their productivity improved these last four games, particularly in the passing game.

Nonetheless, LSU still finished the regular season 11th in the SEC in total offense, last in passing offense and ninth in scoring offense.

It wasn't just this season, either. The Tigers finished last in the SEC a year ago in total offense.

Checking on what all's out there in the SEC:

• Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy suffered a head injury in the win over Florida.
• South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier implores fans to be on their best behavior with ESPN's "College GameDay" coming to town.
• Arkansas prepares for a parade of mobile quarterbacks this month starting with Texas A&M's Jerrod Johnson on Saturday.
• Freshman Justin Hunter has become a true deep threat for Tennessee.
• The Gator Nation is grumbling, but it could be worse, writes Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun.
• Ole Miss' Jerrell Powe is seeing a steady stream of double-teams this season.
• Offensive coordinator Les Koenning and Mississippi State's offense are finding a rhythm.
• Auburn coach Gene Chizik hasn't kicked Mario Fannin to the curb despite his fumbles.
• LSU coach Les Miles is considering moving offensive coordinator Gary Crowton to the field for Saturday's game against Florida.
• Vanderbilt coach Robbie Caldwell is hitting the weight room along with his players.
• Kentucky's Randall Cobb is not a happy camper, and that's putting it mildly. He's "sick of losing."

The bell is ringing, which means it’s stock report time in the SEC:

Stock up

1. LSU’s defense: Yes, the Tigers are hard to watch on offense. But they’re hard to play against on defense. John Chavis’ unit is ranked sixth nationally in total defense and leads the SEC in that category.

2. Steve Spurrier’s wit: The Head Ball Coach isn’t winning as many championships as he once did, but he hasn’t lost that sharp wit. His “sometimes you can win and still be a dummy” comment Tuesday rates up there with “you can’t spell Citrus without a ‘U’ and a ‘T.’ ”

3. A.J. Green: We’ve only seen him for one game this season, but one game was enough to re-establish the Georgia junior as the best receiver in the SEC. He made his one-handed touchdown catch last week against Colorado look easy.

4. Vick Ballard: Don’t look now, but Ballard has an SEC-leading nine touchdowns and has been Mississippi State’s go-to guy around the goal line. He’s also averaging 6.5 yards per rush.

Stock down

1. Les Miles: For a guy whose team has yet to lose a football game this season, Miles is catching more heat than any coach in recent SEC history. Of course, there is that little clock thing he might want to wrap his hands around.

2. Gary Crowton: He’s LSU’s offensive coordinator and certainly doesn’t get a free pass in the Tigers’ continued mismanagement of end-of-game situations.

3. Mark Richt: He’s the dean of SEC coaches, and right now, his seat has never been hotter. Georgia has lost four straight games, and even a coach as successful as Richt may not be able to survive a losing season.

4. Tennessee’s unlucky 13: Amid all LSU’s confusion last week, Tennessee got caught up in the act and had 13 men on the field there at the end, wiping out what would have been a huge win for the Vols.

Player of the Year race: Offense

1. Cameron Newton, QB, Auburn: Catching Newton won’t be easy. He’s accounted for 17 touchdowns (12 passing and five running) and just keeps making big plays.

2. Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama: He didn’t put up big rushing numbers against Florida, but still leads the SEC with 118.3 rushing yards per game and has also scored six touchdowns in three games.

3. Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas: After a week off, Mallett gets a chance against Texas A&M to make amends for his three interceptions against Alabama. He’s still on track for another huge season.

4. Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina: He’s averaging 124.5 receiving yards per game, which leads the SEC, and is terrific after the catch.

5. Derrick Locke, RB, Kentucky: Randall Cobb gets a lot of the pub at Kentucky and deservedly so. But Locke leads the SEC in all-purpose yardage, is second in rushing and has also scored seven touchdowns.

Player of the Year race: Defense

1. Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn: The Tigers’ enforcer inside remains the SEC leader in sacks (5) and tackles for loss (11.5).

2. Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU: Not many teams throw his way, which underscores his value. He typically takes away one whole side of the field.

3. Janoris Jenkins, CB, Florida: The Gators have one of the best defensive backfields in the country, and Jenkins’ ability to cover and tackle is a big reason why.

4. Mark Barron, S, Alabama: He’s the veteran back there for the Crimson Tide in the secondary and is playing like one. He had 11 tackles last week against the Gators.

5. Drake Nevis, DT, LSU: He’s been a disrupter up front all season for the Tigers and leads all SEC interior defensive linemen with 26 total tackles.

With Florida, Georgia and Mississippi State all looking for defensive coordinators and Arkansas recently promoting Garrick McGee to offensive coordinator to replace Paul Petrino, I thought it would be interesting to see what the offensive and defensive coordinators (the guys who call the plays) made this year in the SEC.

These numbers are according to a recent USA Today study on coaching salaries in college football.

It’s worth noting that Petrino will make $475,000 as offensive coordinator at Illinois. The only assistant coaches in the SEC who made more than that this year were Tennessee defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and Tennessee assistant head coach/recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron.

Vanderbilt’s salary figures weren’t available. Also, South Carolina doesn’t have an offensive coordinator, but passing game coordinator Steve Spurrier Jr. called a lot of the plays, so he’s listed.

OFFENSE

Gary Crowton, LSU: $469,917

Jim Chaney, Tennessee: $380,000

Jim McElwain, Alabama: $360,150

Gus Malzahn, Auburn: $350,000

Mike Bobo, Georgia: $325,600

Joker Phillips, Kentucky: $323,460

Paul Petrino, Arkansas: $308,000

Kent Austin, Ole Miss: $300,000

Les Koenning, Mississippi State: $250,000

Steve Addazio, Florida: $210,000

Steve Spurrier Jr., South Carolina: $209,000

DEFENSE

Monte Kiffin, Tennessee: $1.2 million

John Chavis, LSU: $450,000

Willy Robinson, Arkansas: $378,238

Ted Roof, Auburn: $370,000

Kirby Smart, Alabama: $369,350

Tyrone Nix, Ole Miss: $365,500

Ellis Johnson, South Carolina: $359,300

Willie Martinez, Georgia: $327,415

Steve Brown, Kentucky: $315,100

Charlie Strong, Florida: $310,000

Carl Torbush, Mississippi State: $260,000

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

A stroll around the league to see what's making headlines:

• Asked by fans on his weekly radio show about making changes, Georgia's Mark Richt stands by his staff and says the Bulldogs aren't bailing out on this season.
• There's a lot of blame to go around on the missed call last week in the Houston-Mississippi State game, writes Rick Cleveland of The Jackson Clarion-Ledger.
• With Alabama's Jerrell Harris set to return this week from his suspension, he and Nico Johnson will battle for the starting part at "Will" linebacker.
• Ellis Johnson, South Carolina's assistant head coach for the defense, looks forward to his return to Alabama, where he won a national championship in 1992 as a member of Gene Stallings' staff.
• With Mike Hartline out, Kentucky coach Rich Brooks will make a choice between junior Will Fidler and true freshman Morgan Newton this week as his starting quarterback.
• Auburn senior defensive end Antonio Coleman has been next to invisible the last two games on the stat sheet.
• Vanderbilt running back Jermaine Doster has been suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules.
• Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt hasn't lost his confidence in Jevan Snead, but says backups Nathan Stanley or Billy Tapp could see action this week against UAB.
• LSU picks a bad time to announce its offensive coaches' raises, writes Glenn Guilbeau of Gannett Louisiana Newspapers.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

On further review, LSU made out as well as anybody in the SEC when it came to holding onto top underclassmen.

Imagine the smile on offensive coordinator Gary Crowton's face when he got the news Sunday that receiver Brandon LaFell was returning to school after he initially declared for the NFL draft. LaFell took advantage of the 72-hour rule that's in place for juniors to change their minds as long as they don't sign with an agent.

Earlier, running back Charles Scott and offensive tackle Ciron Black had already announced that they were coming back. With LaFell joining them and signing on for another year, that means the Tigers will return their three top offensive players next season.

LaFell led the Tigers in catches (63), receiving yards (929) and receiving touchdowns (8). Scott was among the SEC's rushing leaders with 1,174 rushing yards and an SEC-leading 18 touchdowns. Black will be the top returning left tackle in the league next season.

LSU also returns dependable tight end Richard Dickson. So the pieces are in place for the Tigers to make a run in the Western Division if they can solidify the quarterback position. Jordan Jefferson will be the favorite to win that job, but count on incoming true freshman Russell Shepard being a factor at some point next season. He's on campus and will go through spring practice.

The Tigers did lose tackle Ricky Jean-Francois to the draft on defense, but Jean-Francois had a disappointing junior season. There's still plenty of talent on defense for first-year coordinator John Chavis to work with, as LSU's defense tries to shake off what was a forgettable 2008 season.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

The sudden firing of Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin on Wednesday is a reminder of how tenuous the coaching profession can be.

It also drives home the point of how vital a good staff is to any head coach. Good assistants make a good head coach. Great assistants make a great head coach and don't usually stay assistants for very long.

Having taken the pulse of several around the league, here's my list of the 10 best offensive or defensive coordinators in the SEC. This list can change every year, every few weeks in this conference. They're listed alphabetically. I'll come back later with my list of the best position coaches in the league. Let me know who I've left off and why:

• Kent Austin, Ole Miss, offensive coordinator
• John Chavis, Tennessee, defensive coordinator
• Gary Crowton, LSU, offensive coordinato
• Bruce Fowler, Vanderbilt, defensive coordinator
• Ellis Johnson, South Carolina, defensive coordinator
• Willie Martinez, Georgia, defensive coordinator
• Jim McElwain, Alabama, offensive coordinator
• Dan Mullen, Florida, offensive coordinator
• Joker Phillips, Kentucky, offensive coordinator
• Paul Rhoads, Auburn, defensive coordinator