By Jeremy Hillman
SouthernPigskin.com

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With just two weeks until college football kicks off for the 2011 season, I am dragging out my crystal ball and ready to make some SEC predictions

 I am not sure that I can remember a season that I have looked forward to much more than this one. From the upcoming battle to win the wild-wild Western division, to the fight to gain supremacy in the East, it should be a season long skirmish for the Southeastern Conference Championship.

The question marks associated with this year’s crop of SEC quarterbacks, specifically the uncertainty of the first time starters and even some of the returning starters (Mr. Garcia, for example), has made this seasons predictions a bit more difficult on prognosticators. However, here is how I see the season unfolding:

SEC West

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

Bowl Game: BCS, Sugar Bowl (Alabama Vs Nebraska)
MVP: LB Courtney Upshaw
Biggest Strength: Defense (should be one of the best defenses in the country)
Biggest Question Mark: Passing game (talented young group of quarterbacks lack experience; and who will step up to help replace stud receiver Julio Jones?)
Circle This Game: September 7th Arkansas (if the Tide has Championship aspirations, they will need to win this early season SEC west showdown at home)

2. LSU Tigers

Bowl Game: BCS, Fiesta Bowl (LSU Vs Boise State)
MVP: RB Spencer Ware
Biggest Strength: Defensive end (Sam Montgomery is athletic and talented and he is joined by Barkevious Mingo, Lavar Edwards and Ken Adams to form a dangerous group on the outside of the DL)
Biggest Question Mark: Quarterback (still questions at QB for LSU, will Jordan Jefferson improve or will transfer Zach Mettenberger have to come in and lead the offense?)
Circle This Game: September 3rd Oregon (the tone of the season could be set the very first week, as LSU faces a dynamic Oregon team that made the BCS National Title Game last season and is ranked #3 in the preseason coaches’ poll. We could learn a lot about the Tigers in this one.)

3. Arkansas Razorbacks

Bowl Game: Cotton Bowl (Arkansas Vs. Oklahoma State)
MVP: WR Greg Childs
Biggest Strengths: Wide Receiver (could be one of the best wide receiving corps in the country; Greg Childs, Joe Adams and Jarius Wright are all big play receivers)
Question Marks: Running back depth (after losing Broderick Green in the Spring and all-star running back Knile Davis for the season just a week ago, Arkansas has to hope that a capable Ronnie Wingo Jr can fill those shoes quickly)
Circle This Game: Nov. 25th at LSU (this tough road game to end the regular season could be for a spot in Atlanta and/or a spot in a BCS bowl)

4. Auburn Tigers

Bowl Game: Gator Bowl (Auburn Vs Penn State)
MVP: RB Michael Dyer
Biggest Strengths: running backs (the Tigers have three explosive backs in Michael Dyer, Onterio McCalleb and freshman Tre Mason. Dyer and McCalleb combined for over 1900 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns last season)
Question Marks: offensive line, quarterback (it is next to impossible to replace a player like Cam Newton, but the Tigers hope either capable quarterbacks Barrett Trotter, Clint Moseley or highly rated true freshman Kiehl Frazier can step in and provide leadership at the position)

5. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Bowl Game: Music City Bowl (Mississippi State Vs NC State)
MVP: RB Vick Ballard
Biggest Strength: Rushing offense (Ballard, back-up running back Ladarious Perkins and QB Chris Relf rushed for over 2,000 yards combined last season, look for more of the same quality production in 2011)
Biggest Question Mark: Linebacker (three linebacker spots, three new starters for the Bulldogs. It will be very difficult to replace star linebackers K.J. Wright and Chris White)
Circle This Game: September 10th at Auburn (for this to be a special season for the Bulldogs, they probably must start with a win in this huge early-season SEC road game)

6. Ole Miss Rebels

Bowl Game: None
MVP: RB Brandon Bolden
Biggest Strength: Running Game (Brandon Bolden lead the Rebels in rushing and receiving last season with over 1,300 yards and 17 total touchdowns. He and back-up RB Enrique Davis will make a solid tandem again in 2011)
Biggest Question Mark: Quarterback (will it be the starter at the end of Spring, Randall Mackey, or the talented transfer from West Virginia, Barry Brunetti?)
Circle This Game: November 26th at Mississippi State (in a season where expectations are tempered, a rivalry game win at Mississippi State could mean the world to the Rebels)

SEC East

1. South Carolina Gamecocks

Bowl Game: Capital One Bowl (South Carolina Vs Ohio State)
MVP: RB Marcus Lattimore
Biggest Strength: Offense (with ultra-talented running back Marcus Lattimore running the ball, senior Stephen Garcia throwing it, and All-World wide receiver Alshon Jeffery catching it, defenses could have a hard time slowing down this yardage machine)
Biggest Question Mark: Safeties (will D.J. Swearinger step up and lead the secondary? The strong safety spot must be filled by inexperience like sophomore Corey Addison. The Gamecock secondary was more-than shaky at times last season, so this will be a key area for Carolina this season)
Circle This Game: September 10th at Georgia (in just the second week of the season, South Carolina could be playing for the SEC Eastern Division title, in a difficult road game in Athens. Doesn’t get much bigger than this)

2. Georgia Bulldogs

Bowl Game: Outback Bowl (Georgia Vs. Michigan State)
MVP: QB Aaron Murray
Biggest Strength: Quarterback (Aaron Murray is, by most accounts, the best quarterback in the conference)
Biggest Question Mark: Running back (after losing Washaun Ealey and Caleb King from the roster, Georgia will rely on highly touted true freshman Isaiah Crowell to carry the load)
Circle This Game: September 10th South Carolina (Athens will be buzzing the second week of the season, as the Gamecocks visit for a huge inter-divisional matchup. Win this one, and the Bulldogs could be playing in Atlanta)

3. Florida Gators

Bowl Game: Chic-fil-a Bowl (Florida Vs Virginia Tech)
MVP: RB Chris Rainey
Biggest Strength: Defensive line (Sharrif Floyd, Dominique Easley, William Green and Ronald Powell lead a dangerous defensive line riddled with athleticism, size and speed)
Biggest Question Mark: Quarterback (Can new OC Charlie Weis help QB Jonathan Brantley rebound from a poor season in 2010 where he threw more interceptions than touchdowns? If not, when do they turn to talented freshman Jeff Driskel?)
Circle This Game: October 1st Alabama (this home game against #2 Alabama, in the first week of October, may be a chance for new Head Coach Will Muschamp to grab a signature win…or it may display how much Florida may have slipped since 2009?)

4. Tennessee Volunteers

Bowl Game: Liberty Bowl (Tennessee Vs Southern Miss)
MVP: RB Tyron Poole
Biggest Strength: Running back (Tauren Poole quietly ran for over 1,000 yards last season and found the endzone 11 times. He is backed up by speedy sophomore Rajion Neal. Behind a solid O-line, look for big things from these two in 2011)
Biggest Question Mark: Linebacker (with only one starter returning in Herman Lathers, who is coming back from shoulder surgery, the Volunteer linebacker corps is littered with inexperience and has a lot to prove this season)
Circle This Game: October 8th Georgia (this could be a must-win home game, against divisional rival Georgia, if the Vols want to make a top tier bowl game)

5. Kentucky Wildcats

Bowl Game: Compass Bowl (Kentucky Vs Cincinnati)
MVP: LB Danny Trevathan
Biggest Strength: Defensive secondary (all 4 starters return to an experienced and dynamic defensive backfield)
Biggest Question Mark: Wide receiver (losing irreplaceable WR/QB/Athlete Randall Cobb early to the NFL and the graduation of WR Chris Mathews have left the Wildcats searching for answers at receiver. Coaches hope Brian Adams and La’Rod King can step up and play big)
Circle This Game: November 5th Ole Miss (a late season SEC home game, against Ole Miss, could be Kentucky’s ticket to 6 straight bowl game appearances)

6. Vanderbilt Commodores

Bowl Game: None
MVP: SS Sean Richardson
Biggest Strength: Running back (Warren Norman and Zac Stacey are talented runners and should surpass the 790 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns they combined for last season)
Biggest Question Mark: Quarterback (Larry Smith looked capable at times last season, and he looked lost others. Which one will show up most-often this season?)
Circle This Game: November 12th Kentucky (if Vanderbilt wants to avoid finishing in the bottom of the SEC Eastern Division-which is likely, this is a must win game at home)

I have a feeling that this is going to be a crazy fun SEC football season. In just days, we will start to find out who has what it takes to be the Champion of the best conference in college football.

Agree or disagree with Jeremy? Share your thoughts below.