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Florida's Steve Addazio has been named the national recruiter of the year by JC Shurburtt of ESPN's Scouts Inc.

Addazio has been a steadying force for the Gators the last two months during the whole Urban Meyer ordeal and a number of assistant coaches leaving the program.

Despite the turmoil, the Gators put together the most talented class of the Meyer era, and Addazio had a direct hand in a lot of those players signing with Florida.

If you didn't know better, you'd swear Florida's football program was in shambles right now.

Assistant coaches are coming and going. The head coach is stepping down to take care of his health problems. Check that, he's just taking a leave of absence. Juniors are fleeing the program early to turn pro, and now the new defensive coordinator is bolting a day after signing day to coach in the NFL.

Blink and you're sure to miss something these days at Florida.

George Edwards, who's been on the job less than a month at Florida, was named Thursday as the Buffalo Bills' defensive coordinator. Of course, Thursday was the same day that Florida coach Urban Meyer was supposed to take his extended "leave of absence."

Through it all, the Gators managed to put together one of the most talented and highly touted signing classes ... maybe ever.

So much for continuity, huh? And who needs stability?

The last two months in Gator Land have been as weird as it gets, starting with Carlos Dunlap's DUI arrest the week of the SEC championship game and stretching through Thursday's announcement that Edwards was bolting after barely having a cup of coffee in Gainesville.

Wonder if he even had time to learn the Gator chomp?

It sounds like interim head coach Steve Addazio will head up the search for Edwards' replacement, but you know that Meyer will be involved.

Remember that Meyer had already promoted safeties coach Chuck Heater to co-defensive coordinator. So maybe Heater takes over as sole defensive coordinator and the Gators hire another position coach.

Judging by what's happened the last couple of months, it's probably not going to matter.

This is a program that's been elevated to a level of prominence nationally (and Meyer gets the credit) that it sells itself no matter what's going on inside the program or what's going on outside the program.

It will be interesting to see how much the Gators drop off next season or if they drop off at all. The rest of the Eastern Division is certainly counting on it after seeing Third-and-Tebow become the surest thing in college football over the last four seasons and the Gators go 29-6 against SEC competition during that span.

However it shakes out, here's some free advice for the rest of the league: If you're ever going to get the Gators, you better do it next season.

As we've seen, this is a program that just keeps motoring along no matter what gets in its way.

And it's a program that's attracting and breeding great football players at a dizzying pace.

Florida Gators

The class

Recruits: 28 (27 high school seniors, 11 enrolled early, and one prep school player).

Top prospects: The Gators led the country with 17 ESPNU 150 prospects, including the No. 1 and No. 3 overall players in defensive end Ronald Powell and defensive tackle Dominique Easley. Jonathan Dowling is the No. 1 safety prospect in the country, while Mack Brown is the No. 4 running back prospect nationally.

Sleepers: Linebacker Darrin Kitchens has great speed and is certainly one to watch at a couple of different positions. Michael McFarland played quarterback in high school, but is ticketed as a tight end at Florida.

Needs met: You name it, and the Gators got it. This has to be one of the best defensive line classes in the country when consider that Leon Orr, Sharrif Floyd, Easley and Powell were all ranked in the top 10 at their positions. The Gators needed a running back and got one of the best ones in the country in Brown. They lost Joe Haden and Major Wright early to the NFL, but added the likes of Matt Elam, Joshua Shaw, Jaylen Watkins and Dowling in this class.

Analysis: In short, the rich get richer. Moreover, maybe Urban Meyer should take a leave of absence every year. This is one of the most talented signing classes that anybody can remember going all the way back to the time they started ranking players. Already, the Gators have 11 players enrolled in school, which means they get to go through spring practice and should be more prepared to play in the fall. The Gators have lost some great players in recent years (Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, Carlos Dunlap and Haden), but Florida fans can rest assured that a new shipment of great players is on the way.

Scouts Inc. grade: A+

What Urban Meyer said:

"I’ve gotten myself in trouble in the past by hyping up players who were not yet deserving of it. But I’m not sure I’ve seen a defensive front as good as this one. When you look at Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, Leon Orr, Dominique Easley and Lynden Trail, those are some serious guys. I just think in certain areas, it’s the best we’ve ever done."

"We lost five juniors to the draft and obviously lost some talented players on offense and defense. I don’t know if there’s ever a rebuilding year, but if there was, this would be one for us. If you look at the receivers we have had here in the last few years starting with Dallas Baker, Bubba Caldwell, Chad Jackson and then you go to Louis Murphy and Percy Harvin and then this year we lost Riley Cooper, David Nelson and Brandon James. We have to start replacing them with real guys."

Urban Meyer talks about the amazing recruiting class Florida pulled in on Signing Day.

Florida waited until later in the day Wednesday to announce its 2010 signing class, but the wait was well worth it for Gators fans.

It's easily the consensus No. 1 class in the country. One of the last players to make his announcement Wednesday was coveted offensive line prospect Chaz Green, who chose Florida over Ohio State, Southern California, Georgia and Tennessee.

The school's official site has a list of all of the signees with bios. The Gators already had 11 players enroll in January. And on Wednesday, they signed 17 more to letters of intent.

This class includes nine players from the South Florida area, and Urban Meyer and his staff were also able to go out and get 12 players from out of state.

The Gators signed 11 of the top 50 players on the ESPNU 150 list and signed 17 ESPNU 150 players overall.

The competition on the Florida practice field the next two years ought to be something to see.

A check of what's making headlines in the SEC:

• Ole Miss offensive coordinator Kent Austin is one of the top candidates for the Cornell head coaching job, reports David Brandt of The Jackson Clarion-Ledger.
• Defensive end Carlos Thompson, one of the top two or three prospects in the state of Mississippi, will chose this week between Mississippi State and Ole Miss.
• Ray Melick of The Birmingham News wonders if Nicki Meyer will ever get her daddy back.
• A national coalition of women's groups is urging CBS to scrap an advertisement featuring Tim Tebow during the Super Bowl which is likely to include an anti-abortion message.
• Nick Reveiz, who lost most of last season to a knee injury, is on his way back to Tennessee's lineup, writes Austin Ward of The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Holding onto a pair of key commitments will be what's important for Vanderbilt on signing day, writes Jeff Lockridge of The Tennessean.
• LSU's picking up the pace on Louisiana commitments, writes Scott Hotard of The Baton Rouge Advocate.

I’ve hesitated to offer any advice to Florida’s Urban Meyer up until this point.

But as I’ve watched his sudden retirement reduced to a leave of absence and now to nothing more than a longer lunch hour, one suggestion would jokingly be: Maybe he ought to do something like this every year.

After all, the Gators are recruiting like gangbusters. So well in fact that ESPN’s Tom Luginbill has said this might end up being one of the best signing classes ever.

Clearly, some of the top college football players out there are convinced Meyer plans to be coaching for a while longer.

Then again, maybe Florida has a national brand that sells no matter what the circumstances are surrounding the head coach.

I’d probably lean toward the latter, and I’d also give Meyer a lot of the credit for elevating the program to that level. The Gators aren't just getting great players out of Florida. They're getting them out of Virginia, California, South Carolina, Maryland and New York.

Meyer has poured every waking second into this football program and admittedly ignored his own well-being in the process, that is the reason he found himself at the emergency room with severe chest pains the morning after Florida’s loss to Alabama in the SEC championship game.

I still don’t understand how we got from Meyer stepping away from coaching full time in order to put his family first and take care of his own health, to this latest audible: Meyer plans to be there for spring practice and really doesn’t plan on taking much of a leave of absence at all.

What Meyer promised his family a month ago is his own business. None of us are privy to how that really played out, so I’m not going to call him out on that one.

What I will call him out on is this whole notion that he could ever walk away from coaching for an extended period of time, take it easy for a while, and then come back.

Guys like Meyer don’t just walk away. They’re too driven, too consumed, too passionate about what they do.

In many ways, it’s like a drug.

The more success you have, the stronger the addiction becomes.

Deep down, I think Meyer understands this, which is why I don’t think he’ll still be coaching football 10 years from now. Maybe not even five years from now.

When you’re wired the way he is, either you get away completely, or you don’t get away at all.

It’s encouraging to hear that he’s feeling better and generally healthier than he was last month when his wife, Shelley, made that 911 call for emergency personnel to come get her husband, who was in the floor and wasn’t responding.

You hear something like that, the concern in her voice and the fear she must have felt, and it’s something that hits home for any of us with loved ones.

The SEC is a better conference with Meyer a part of it. It’s a more competitive conference, and he’s already proven himself as one of the best college football coaches in the country at both Utah and Florida.

I hope he also proves that he knows when it’s time to walk away . . . for good.

We’ve spent so much time looking back this week. Why not look ahead?

The SEC won five national championships last decade. Any reason to believe that dominance won’t continue?

One thing we’ve come to know about the SEC is that change is inevitable. And when the winds of change blow through this conference, they blow fast and often times without warning.

Here are 10 things to watch for next decade in the SEC:

1. At least two more national titles for Alabama: Repeating might be tough, but Nick Saban will add to Alabama’s already crowded trophy case next decade. You can count on that. Saban’s as close as it gets to a guarantee in college football. He recruits like a madman. He’s just as good at developing players. He runs his program like a Fortune 500 company, and the only thing he thinks about is the next challenge and what it takes to get there.

2. Crowds at Saban’s statue: Alabama athletic director Mal Moore has already said they plan to construct a statue of Saban to go along with the Crimson Tide’s other national championship-winning coaches at the Walk of Champions. Bear Bryant’s statue will continue to draw the largest crowds. But as the titles mount next decade at the Capstone, look for the crowds gathered around Saban’s statue to give the Bear’s statue a run for its money.

3. Another title for Meyer: The Gators might slip some next season, but they’re not going far. Check out their commitment list for the 2010 class. Urban Meyer will take most of his leave of absence following signing day. Look for him to coach a maximum of four more seasons and then break away for good. But in those four seasons, the Gators will win a third national title on his watch.

4. The Six Million Dollar Man: Saban and Meyer are already raking in $4 million per year, but somebody next decade will hit the $6 million plateau. Maybe it’s the guy that replaces Meyer. Maybe it’s Meyer. Maybe it’s Saban. Maybe it’s a coach at another school in the league. If you haven’t noticed, there’s an arms race going on in college football, and there’s no end in sight.

5. Coaching change at LSU: Either Les Miles is going to get out while he can, or he’s going to be forced out sometime in the next two or three years. Miles’ first three seasons on the Bayou set the bar so high that he won’t be able to get away with too many more four- and five-loss seasons. The 2010 season is critical for him if he’s going to get back into good graces with the LSU faithful. He lost a lot of support this season, especially with how poorly the offense performed.

6. NCAA violations to follow Kiffin: He left an NCAA cloud hovering over Tennessee’s program before bolting for Southern California, which has its own NCAA issues. Don’t be surprised if the NCAA finds a few things “Lane Violation” didn’t do exactly by the book during his 14-month pillage at Tennessee that follow him to the West Coast.

7. Kentucky ends drought against Tennessee: The Wildcats have come oh so close the last few seasons to ending their drought against the Vols, which is now at 25 games and counting. Tennessee survived in overtime this season in Lexington and needed four overtimes in 2007 to prevail. All things come to an end. Mercifully for Kentucky, that includes a losing streak that goes all the way back before anybody on its current roster was even born.

8. The Gamecocks break out: If any group of fans deserve a breakout season, it’s the long-suffering South Carolina fans. They’ve put up with mediocrity for 100-plus years. And, yet, they’re always there in force supporting their Gamecocks. Somewhere in this next decade, there’s a nine- or 10-win season hovering. Perhaps it’s next season. The Eastern Division race will be as wide open as ever. Wouldn’t that be something? The Head Ball Coach giving South Carolina its first ever East title and then jettisoning to the golf course full time.

9. Phillip Fulmer returning as Tennessee’s athletic director: Don’t laugh. It could happen … and maybe sooner than anybody thinks. Current athletic director Mike Hamilton, who fired Fulmer, lost a lot of his footing thanks to the whole Lane Kiffin debacle. New coach Derek Dooley faces a pretty major rebuilding project in more ways than one. Many times when things like this happen at a football-crazed school, athletic directors don’t survive. See Steve Pederson at Nebraska.

10. Vanderbilt to have another winning season: It’s hard to have a lot of confidence after the way this past season went for Vanderbilt, which ended up going winless in the SEC. But the Commodores will have another winning season under Bobby Johnson. The offense will improve. Of course, it can’t get any worse, and the Commodores will have another one of those seasons where they don’t have the crippling injuries that plagued them this season. Johnson is too good a coach, and he’s surrounded by an excellent staff. The work they did in 2008 in getting the Commodores to seven wins wasn’t a mirage. They’ll do it again.

Making the rounds in the SEC:

• Gentry Estes of The Mobile Press-Register breaks down the projected 2010 depth chart for defending national champion Alabama.

• The Derek Dooley system boils down to going with what works, writes Austin Ward of The Knoxville News-Sentinel.

• Former Alabama coach Mike Shula is a lead candidate for the East Carolina head coaching job, reports Nathan Summers of The Greenville (N.C.) Daily Reflector.

• Florida is trying to hold onto top safety commitment Demar Dorsey, who still plans to visit Florida State and Southern California.

• Auburn picks up a big commitment from South Carolina offensive lineman Eric Mack, who chose the Tigers after previously committing to the Gamecocks.

• The new $700,000 deal for LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis is up for approval by the LSU Board of Supervisors.

• Andy Bitter of The Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer lets the fans weigh in on some of the key questions facing Auburn next season.

• Lane Kiffin is apparently not done with needling Florida coach Urban Meyer.

How’s this for balance?

Alabama recently won the SEC’s fifth national championship of the last decade, but the Crimson Tide weren’t able to crack the top 4 programs of the decade.

That’s because Alabama did most of its damage at the end of the decade.

Florida edged out LSU as the program of the decade, mostly because the Tigers fell off the last two years.

There were some tough calls after that.

Here’s what we came up with as far as ranking the SEC programs 1-12 over the last decade:

1. Florida: The Gators won three SEC titles, including one at the beginning of the decade under Steve Spurrier and two more toward the end of the decade under Urban Meyer. The two national titles were the same number as LSU, but the Gators finished in the Top 25 all 10 seasons and had more SEC wins (64) and more wins against Top 25 opponents (36) than anybody else in the league.

2. LSU: Nick Saban won a national title at LSU in 2003, and Les Miles won one in 2007. It was truly a memorable decade on the Bayou, and the Tigers could have made a strong case as the team of the decade had they not gone 17-9 over the last two seasons. They won three SEC titles and had five top-10 finishes. Miles had also won four straight bowl games until the loss to Penn State last month in the Capital One Bowl.

3. Georgia: Even though Alabama had such a strong close to the decade, Georgia was a pretty easy choice for the No. 3 spot. The Bulldogs won SEC titles in 2002 and 2005 and recorded six top-10 finishes, which was more than any other team in the league. They also finished the decade with a 30-22 record against nationally ranked foes.

4. Auburn: The Tigers were unlucky in 2004 in that they never got a chance to play for the national title despite finishing 13-0. They were also a game over .500 (22-21) against nationally ranked teams for the decade and had six more SEC wins than Alabama. Equally important, Auburn was 7-3 against Alabama head-to-head, which is the reason the Tigers beat out the Crimson Tide for the No. 4 spot.

5. Alabama: The Crimson Tide made the biggest move thanks to the last two years of the decade. They won the 2009 national title and have now gone two straight years where they haven’t lost an SEC regular-season game. Three top-10 finishes also helped push them past Tennessee and overcome four non-winning seasons during the decade.

6. Tennessee: The 1990s were so prosperous for Tennessee that this last decade really looks barren by comparison. The Vols failed to win an SEC title, although they got there three different times. Their record against nationally ranked foes really declined. They were just 18-29 and haven’t been to a BCS bowl since 1999. Losing seasons in 2005 and 2008 led to Phillip Fulmer’s ouster.

7. Arkansas: It really gets difficult to separate the teams in the bottom half of the league. The Hogs check in at No. 7 thanks to their two trips to the SEC championship game under Houston Nutt in 2002 and 2006. Winning the bowl game this season under Bobby Petrino also helps.

8. Ole Miss: The Rebels closed the decade by winning nine games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in nearly 50 years. They also won the Cotton Bowl each of the past two years. The other thing that pushed Ole Miss past South Carolina was the 2003 season when Eli Manning and Co. tied for the Western Division crown. Naturally, Ole Miss fans try to forget the Ed Orgeron years (3-21 in the SEC).

9. South Carolina: The reality is that South Carolina has been consistently average during its entire history, and that held true last decade. The Gamecocks were able to beat Florida, Georgia and Tennessee under Steve Spurrier and had a couple of Outback Bowl wins under Lou Holtz. That’s about where it ends. In eight of the 10 seasons last decade, the Gamecocks finished with five or more losses.

10. Kentucky: After going back and forth between Kentucky and Mississippi State for the No. 10 spot, I went with the Wildcats based on their 6-4 head-to-head record against the Bulldogs. There wasn’t a lot of difference otherwise. Rich Brooks getting Kentucky to four straight bowls played a role, not to mention the fact that the Wildcats won three in a row in the postseason.

11. Mississippi State: It seems like forever ago that Jackie Sherrill was running the show in Starkville, but the Bulldogs did record a Top 25 finish on his watch in 2000. Sylvester Croom brought them a Liberty Bowl victory in 2007, and Dan Mullen spanked Ole Miss in the regular-season finale this past season. That was about the extent of the highlights, although Mississippi State fans are genuinely excited about the future under Mullen.

12. Vanderbilt: The program has certainly made strides under Bobby Johnson and his staff, but not enough strides to climb out of the No. 12 spot. This past season was a step back. It’s the first time the Commodores had gone winless in the league since Johnson’s first season as coach in 2002. The highlight of the decade was the seven-win season in 2008 and Music City Bowl victory over Boston College. The Commodores also beat Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee last decade.

There’s only one coach in college football in the AP poll era (since 1936) who’s won national championships at two different schools.

And he did it in the SEC.

It’s safe to say that coach -- Nick Saban -- is our coach of the decade. Here’s how the top 10 came out:

1. Nick Saban, Alabama/LSU: He’s rebuilt two proud programs in the SEC into national championship teams. He did it at LSU in 2003 and Alabama in 2009. Saban also won a third SEC title in 2001 during his second season at LSU. He’s an easy choice to top this list and is really just getting started at Alabama.

2. Urban Meyer, Florida: Meyer looked a like a cinch to top this list until Saban ran the table this season and won the national title. Still, Meyer has won two national titles in his five seasons with the Gators, who reeled off a 22-game winning streak over the last two seasons. He also revolutionized the league to a degree with his spread offense.

3. Mark Richt, Georgia: Despite some of the grumbling this past season in Athens, Richt’s consistency has been what sets him apart. He won SEC titles in 2002 and 2005 and has finished in the top 10 in the final polls in six of his nine seasons. He’s also won 10 or more games in six of his nine seasons.

4. Les Miles, LSU: The last two seasons are what dropped Miles to fourth. His three-year run from 2005-07 was spectacular. He won 34 games, including the 2007 national championship and the Sugar Bowl at the end of the 2006 season. But to be fair, he was playing predominantly with players Nick Saban recruited those first three years. Miles has lost nine games the last two seasons.

5. Tommy Tuberville, Auburn: Recently hired as Texas Tech’s coach, Tuberville was pushed out at Auburn following a 5-7 season in 2008. That was the exception, though. He was a stellar big-game coach and led the Tigers to a 13-0 season and SEC championship in 2004, although they were squeezed out of the BCS equation. Tuberville also beat Alabama six straight times during his time on the Plains.

6. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina/Florida: The Head Ball Coach has been average at best during his time at South Carolina. The Gamecocks are just 18-22 against SEC foes on his watch, but he has beaten Florida, Georgia and Tennessee during his five seasons in Columbia. And we can’t forget about his final two seasons at Florida. The 2000 Gators won the SEC title.

7. Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee: The dean of SEC coaches when he was fired following the 2008 season, Fulmer enjoyed his greatest success in the 1990s when he won a national title. He still managed to get to the SEC championship game three times last decade, but the Vols never won. What got him were too many lopsided losses to Alabama and Florida and losing seasons in 2005 and 2008.

8. Houston Nutt, Ole Miss/Arkansas: Nutt’s divorce from Arkansas was a messy one. The fans were over him, and he was over some of the unrealistic expectations. He did take the Hogs to two SEC championship games, and he’s won nine games -- including a pair of Cotton Bowls -- each of the past two years at Ole Miss. His challenge now will be winning with his own players.

9. Rich Brooks, Kentucky: There’s nothing real impressive about Brooks’ SEC record, but he took over a program reeling from NCAA sanctions and restored it to respectability before retiring following last season. The Wildcats went to four straight bowls last decade and won three in a row. He also upgraded their talent and depth significantly, which has shown up in recent seasons.

10. Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt: There may be a few eyebrows raised to see Johnson’s name on this list, but he belongs. Despite the disappointing season this past year, Johnson has dramatically improved the program across the board. The Commodores won their first bowl game in 53 years in 2008 when they defeated Boston College in the Music City Bowl. No longer are they an easy out for anybody.

Considering that five of the national championships last decade were won by SEC teams, picking the top teams of the decade within the conference shouldn’t be too hard, right?

The hard part is holding it to 10, and even harder is ranking the 10.

Here’s what we came up with based on the overall strength of the team, the overall talent on the team, what the team accomplished that particular season (quality wins, overall record, road wins) and how impressive the team was during the season:

1. Alabama 2009: The Crimson Tide were the last BCS national champion of the decade, not to mention one of the most impressive. They beat four top-10 teams on their way to becoming the first 14-0 national champion in SEC history. They also produced six first-team All-Americans, including the Heisman Trophy winner and Butkus Award winner. They finished second nationally in total defense and scoring defense. Bottom line: It's hard to find many flaws with the 2009 Crimson Tide.

2. Florida 2008: The Gators (13-1) weren’t unblemished in their sprint to the 2008 national championship. But after losing to Ole Miss by a point in September, they were pretty close to perfect the rest of the way. They won their last 10 games by an average margin of 33.8 points, and the closest anybody came to them was 10 points. The combo of Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin on offense was virtually unstoppable, and Charlie Strong’s defense shut down Oklahoma’s record-setting offense in the BCS National Championship Game.

3. Auburn 2004: Some might be surprised to see the Tigers ranked ahead of three of the SEC national champions from last decade. But that Auburn team was one of the most talented of the last two decades, producing four first-round NFL draft picks. The Carnell Williams-Ronnie Brown backfield tandem was as good as it gets, and the Tigers (13-0) wound up beating five top-15 teams. They were squeezed out of the BCS National Championship Game and had to settle for the Sugar Bowl instead, where they beat Virginia Tech to finish No. 2 in both polls.

4. LSU 2003: It was Nick Saban’s first national championship, and not surprisingly, it was an LSU team built on defense. Marcus Spears and Chad Lavalais were the anchors of a dominant defensive front. The Tigers (13-1) lost at home to Florida in October, but battled back to get themselves in position. The key win was beating No. 15 Ole Miss on the road, and they then took care of No. 5 Georgia and No. 3 Oklahoma in the SEC and BCS national championship games to earn the BCS national title. Southern California was voted the national champion in the Associated Press poll. Seven players from that LSU team were taken in the 2004 NFL draft.

5. Florida 2006: In only his second season at Florida, Urban Meyer led the Gators (13-1) to their first of two national championships last decade. They were the picture of resiliency. Time and time again, they escaped with clutch plays or narrow victories and then played their best football when it counted -- blowing out Arkansas in the SEC championship game and then Ohio State in the BCS National Championship Game. Jarvis Moss’ blocked field goal saved the Gators against South Carolina, and they also escaped at Tennessee by a point. Their only loss that season was on the road at Auburn.

6. LSU 2007: There’s no question that the 2007 LSU team had some good fortune fall its way and the right teams lost at the end of the season, enabling the Tigers (12-2) to get into the BCS National Championship Game. Nonetheless, they were an immensely talented team and fielded one of the fiercest defenses the league saw last decade, led by Outland Trophy winner and Lombardi Award winner Glenn Dorsey. LSU pummeled Ohio State 38-24 in the BCS National Championship game. Both of the Tigers’ losses came in triple overtime, including a 50-48 loss to unranked Arkansas at home on the final weekend of the regular season.

7. Georgia 2002: The Bulldogs (13-1) broke a 20-year drought with their first SEC championship since the Vince Dooley days. A 20-13 loss to Florida kept them out of the national championship race, but they rebounded to win their next five games, capped by a 26-13 victory over No. 16 Florida State in the Sugar Bowl. Two linemen on that team -- Johnathan Sullivan and George Foster -- were first-round draft picks in the 2003 draft. The Bulldogs finished third in the polls.

8. Tennessee 2001: It was easily Tennessee’s most talented team of the decade, and the Vols appeared to be on their way to playing for a second national championship in four years in the Rose Bowl. But they were upset by LSU in the SEC championship game. That’s after taking down No. 2 Florida at the Swamp a week earlier to clinch the Eastern Division title. The Vols (11-2) went on to crush Michigan in the Florida Citrus Bowl after falling to LSU. The following April, three players from that team were taken in the first round of the NFL draft. Tennessee finished fourth in the polls.

9. Florida 2001: Steve Spurrier has called it the best team he coached at Florida that didn’t win an SEC championship. The Gators (10-2) lost two heart-breakers to Auburn and Tennessee. Florida was ranked No. 2 when it lost at home to the Vols and was in great shape to play in the BCS National Championship game. That Tennessee game was pushed back to the end of the season because of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Eight players from that Florida team were drafted in April. The Gators’ 56-23 blowout of No. 6 Maryland in the Orange Bowl was Spurrier’s last game at Florida. He left for the NFL to coach the Washington Redskins.

10. LSU 2006: You want talent? Go back and check out that 2006 LSU team. The Tigers (11-2) had four players selected in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft, including two of the top six picks. Their only losses that season were on the road at No. 3 Auburn and No. 5 Florida, but they rebounded to win their last seven games and took apart No. 11 Notre Dame 41-14 in the Sugar Bowl. The Tigers finished third in the polls and would end up winning the national title the next season.

We next turn our attention to the most memorable moments of the last decade in the SEC.

Granted, what’s memorable for Florida fans isn’t necessarily memorable for Georgia fans. And something tells me Auburn fans weren’t basking in Alabama’s national championship this season.

But we’ve done our best to capture the 10 moments that defined SEC football over the last decade.

Here they are:

1. Alabama’s 2009 national championship: The Crimson Tide became the first 14-0 national champion in league history with a 37-21 victory over Texas in Pasadena, signifying once and for all that the league’s biggest name and most storied program was indeed back. It also punctuated the league’s dominance over the last decade. Five of the 10 BCS national titles were won by SEC teams.

2. Alabama vs. Florida I: It was the most anticipated SEC game since expansion when Alabama and Florida collided for the SEC championship in 2008. The Crimson Tide were No. 1 in the polls and the Gators No. 2. The game was essentially a play-in for the right to play for a national title. The Gators dominated the fourth quarter to win 31-20 and went on to win their second national title in the last three years with a victory over Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship Game. The two teams did it all over again in 2009.

3. Saban’s return: In a move that sent shockwaves throughout the league, particularly Louisiana, Nick Saban returned to the SEC in 2007 -- but not to LSU. After initially saying he wasn’t going to be the Alabama coach, Saban reconsidered and left the Miami Dolphins for an eight-year, $32 million deal. His challenge was to restore the Crimson Tide to national prominence. It’s taken him all of three years to do that.

4. Dawning of the spread: Urban Meyer arrived in 2005 at Florida with his spread option offense. Initially, there were rumblings that it wouldn't work in the SEC given the caliber of defenses in this league. The truth is that Meyer's spread has changed the way defenses play in this league, and it's an offense that's being run in some form all over college football now. It's also an offense that's been pretty good to the Gators. They've won two national titles on Meyer's watch.

5. Tebow’s speech: It’s already been immortalized on a plaque that sits just outside the front entrance to Florida’s football facility. Tim Tebow made an emotional promise to fans following the 31-30 home loss to Ole Miss in 2008 that nobody would outwork him or his teammates the rest of the way. The Gators responded by winning their next 22 games, including the 2008 national championship.

6. LSU’s Bluegrass Miracle: It was easily the wildest ending of the decade. Kentucky had just kicked a field goal to take a 30-27 lead (and seemingly) the win over LSU with 11 seconds left. Kentucky coach Guy Morriss had already been doused with Gatorade. But on the game’s last play, LSU’s Marcus Randall uncorked a ball down the field that Michael Clayton tipped and somehow hit teammate Devery Henderson in stride. As Henderson crossed the goal line with his improbable 75-yard touchdown catch, Kentucky fans on the other end of the field were already tearing down the goal post in celebration.

7. Croom’s hiring: Sylvester Croom became the first black head football coach in SEC history in 2004 when Mississippi State hired him to replace Jackie Sherrill. Croom played in the SEC at Alabama under Bear Bryant and had been interviewed for the Alabama head job the year before, although he didn’t get it. Croom’s Bulldogs won the Liberty Bowl in 2007, but he was ousted following the next season when Mississippi State dipped to 4-8.

8. Prothro’s catch: If you’re looking for the catch of the decade, look no further than Tyrone Prothro’s acrobatic catch in Alabama’s 30-21 win over Southern Miss in 2005. On the dead run, Prothro reached around the defender’s neck to pull in the ball and held on despite everyone crashing to the turf. Tragically, three games later, Prothro’s football career came to an end when he snapped his lower leg against Florida.

9. Johnson’s catch: Michael Johnson’s leaping 19-yard touchdown catch from David Greene on a fourth-and-15 play with 1:25 to play sent Georgia to a thrilling 24-21 win over Auburn, clinching the first Eastern Division title for the Bulldogs. They went on to win the SEC championship in 2002, their first in two decades.

10. Spurrier's return: Steve Spurrier won six SEC championships at Florida, but left to take his shot at the NFL following the 2001 season. The Head Ball Coach lasted just two seasons with the Washington Redskins. Itching to get back into college football, he shocked everybody when he agreed to take over at South Carolina in 2005. It’s been an uphill battle for him ever since, as the Gamecocks have lost at least five games every season he’s been there.

Well, here we are -- the final SEC power rankings of the 2009 season.

For the fourth straight year, picking the No. 1 team was pretty simple. It’s the same team that took home the BCS national championship trophy. For the record, I’ve had Alabama at the top since the middle of November:

1. Alabama: The first 14-0 national champion in the history of the SEC pretty much says it all. The Crimson Tide took down previously unbeaten Florida in the SEC championship game and then knocked off previously unbeaten Texas a month later in the Citi BCS National Championship Game. The best part for Tide fans is that they have enough returning talent to do it all over again next season.

2. Florida: You want bizarre? Go back and look at the last month of Florida’s season. The Carlos Dunlap DUI arrest seemed to trigger everything. Then came the resounding loss to Alabama in the SEC championship game followed by the whole Urban Meyer saga. Through it all, the Gators (13-1) persevered and blasted Cincinnati in the Allstate Sugar Bowl to finish No. 3 in the final polls.

3. Ole Miss: The truth is that there wasn’t a clear-cut No. 3 team this season. Everybody had their warts after Alabama and Florida. But the Rebels (9-4) get the nod based on their head-to-head victory over LSU and second straight win in the AT&T Cotton Bowl. Yes, their schedule was soft. And, yes, it would have been nice to see what they could have done with Dexter McCluster at running back the entire season. But top 3 in the SEC is never shabby.

4. LSU: All four of LSU’s losses went down to the final minutes, so the Tigers (9-4) weren’t that far off from being a 10- or 11-win team. Still, the offensive woes and some of the clock management issues were difficult to ignore. The 19-17 loss to Penn State in the Capital One Bowl was another painful reminder for LSU fans of just how bad this offense was this season. John Chavis came in and solidified the defense. But when you’re scoring in the teens, it’s hard to beat anybody that counts.

5. Georgia: The Bulldogs’ finish to the season was what separated them from some of the teams beneath them. They upset a top-10 team to end the regular season, Georgia Tech, and then spanked Texas A&M in the bowl game. The next hurdle for Georgia (8-5) is finding a defensive coordinator who can get the Bulldogs up to speed on that side of the ball. Turnovers were also a killer this season.

6. Arkansas: The Hogs (8-5) also finished strong, and when you look at the difficulty of their schedule this season, to squeeze out eight wins was mighty impressive. Had it not been for close losses to LSU and Florida, it could have been even better. Arkansas secured its most important recruit soon after the 20-17 overtime victory against East Carolina in the bowl game. Quarterback Ryan Mallett announced that he's returning to school. Now, if only the Hogs can improve on defense.

7. Auburn: It was a solid start to the Gene Chizik era, as Auburn racked up eight wins in his first season despite a serious lack of depth. The Tigers (8-5) put a nice bow on the season in finding a way to win in a wild Outback Bowl. It was a struggle down the stretch, though, for this team. Auburn lost five of its last six SEC games, which is why the Tigers aren’t ranked a little higher.

8. Tennessee: Lane Kiffin, we hardly knew you. After 14 months of stirring it up, running his mouth and accumulating secondary violations, he’s off to Southern California. The Vols (7-6) had their moments in their one and only season under Kiffin, but most of the highlights came in “quality” losses. They ended the season with a blowout loss to Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Not even two weeks later, they also lost their coach to USC.

9. South Carolina: Just when you thought the Gamecocks (7-6) might be on the verge of breaking through and really finishing up the season with a bang, they go out and play one of their worst games of the season in a listless 20-7 loss to Connecticut in the Papajohns.com Bowl. If Steve Spurrier doesn’t break away from the five- and six-loss rut he’s been stuck in at South Carolina, next season may well be his final one in Columbia. Somehow, the Gamecocks have to find a way to run the ball.

10. Kentucky: In what turned out to be Rich Brooks’ final season at Kentucky, the Wildcats (7-6) failed in their bid to win a fourth straight bowl game. They lost 21-13 to Clemson in the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl. The Wildcats had some historic road wins at Auburn and at Georgia, but disappointing home losses to Mississippi State and Tennessee were what kept this from being a season to remember in the Bluegrass.

11. Mississippi State: Of the teams around the country that didn’t go to a bowl game, Mississippi State (5-7) finished up as strongly as anybody. First-year coach Dan Mullen fired a shot across the bow, too, after soundly defeating rival Ole Miss in the regular-season finale. In short, he said everybody knew which program in the state was headed in the right direction. We’re going to find out over the next couple of seasons.

12. Vanderbilt: Other than freshman Warren Norman’s record-setting performance, there wasn’t a lot to get excited about at Vanderbilt this season. The Commodores (2-10) went winless in the SEC, lost at Army and saw several key players go down with injuries. The defense played respectably most of the season, but Vanderbilt never scored more than 16 points in an SEC game. The Commodores have to find a way to improve their passing game.

With Urban Meyer officially on leave, the revolving door continues on Florida's coaching staff.

Cornerbacks coach Vance Bedford and running backs coach Kenny Carter are following former Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong to Louisville.

In the meantime, Florida announced two new assistants Tuesday. Former Stanford assistant D.J. Durkin will coach linebackers at Florida and possibly special teams, which Meyer had previously handled. Former Syracuse assistant Stan Drayton will coach running backs.

Both Durkin and Drayton have ties to Meyer. Durkin was a graduate assistant under Meyer at Bowling Green, while Drayton was Florida's running backs coach under Meyer up through the 2007 season before leaving for the same job at Tennessee.

Interestingly enough, it wasn't the smoothest of partings.

Drayton said at the time, "There was some frustration there. I am not going to lie. But at the same time, you are in a community where they are very supportive of Florida. Florida has been good for me. It was a very comfortable situation there, so I wasn't necessarily looking to leave until I had a couple of my mentors at various levels of football talk to me and they made me evaluate what my career goals were. If I was going to reach my long term goals by way of being a running back coach, they made it pretty clear to me what I needed to do and what system I need to be a part of."

There's still one staff opening at Florida to fill on defense, and former Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez could replace Bedford as the cornerbacks coach.

Chuck Heater coached safeties and also served as co-defensive coordinator this season, and it looks like he will take over Strong's role as defensive coordinator.

Counting receivers coach Billy Gonzales, who took a job on the LSU staff, the Gators have had four assistants leave since the SEC championship game.