The conference that has won the past five national championships in college football has quite a lot to live up to every season.
But this season, the SEC, like usual, does have a lot of intrigue as well as some dynamic new faces from Will Muschamp to Tyler Wilson, and LSU offensive coordinator Steve Kragthorpe to Jadeveon Clowney.
Without question the deepest conference in the country will be a very entertaining war during the 2011 season.
But who will emerge as kings of the southeast once again? Will they hoist the crystal football in the Louisiana Superdome on January 9, 2012 for a sixth straight season?
Let's find out as we predict where the 12 teams of the SEC will finish in their division as we wind down SEC Media Day.
The growth of returning QB Larry Smith will be the biggest thing standing between a bowl appearance and the SEC East basement for Vanderbilt.
Former Maryland OC James Franklin is the new head man of the Commodores, and he has his work cut out for him with a team that finished 2-10 in 2010.
They do return 10 offensive starters from last season including the offensive line, but they do need to make big improvements from a unit that finished dead last in total offense and scoring.
The Commodores defense also finished dead last in total defense and rush defense, but they should have a solid secondary led by Casey Heyward and Sean Richardson.
It might be another long year for the Commodores, but if Franklin continues to pull recruiting upsets, they could pull themselves out of the cellar very quickly.
Joker Phillips' first season as a head coach was a solid year, as he led Kentucky to a 6-7 record despite a loss in the BBVA Compass Bowl over Pittsburgh.
The Wildcats do have some offensive retooling to do after the departure of Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke.
This year will be the chance for Cam Newton's younger brother Morgan to see what he can do as a full-time starter in the SEC.
Kentucky's defense should be much improved as they return 10 starters, including stud OLB Danny Trevathan who was a tackling machine last season.
The Wildcats should be better this season, but road games against LSU, Georgia and South Carolina could prove to be too much for Kentucky this season.
Derek Dooley's first season in Tennessee ended on a high note, as the Vols won their last four games before a controversial loss double-overtime to North Carolina in the Music City Bowl.
This season, the Vols have an intriguing schedule with a lot of their toughest opponents, LSU, Georgia and South Carolina all coming to Knoxville.
Dooley's biggest concern is who is his starting QB. But the best choice seems to be sophomore Tyler Bray, who threw for over 300 yards in four of his last five starts and had 18 passing TDs as a true freshman.
Bray, along with senior Matt Simms who also is fighting for the job, will need to find a new favorite target after the departures of TE Luke Stocker and WR Denarius Moore.
The defense will get a massive boost with the return of FS Janzen Jackson, who returned in July after leaving school in February for personal reasons.
They will need Jackson back if they want to compete and be an SEC East darkhorse this season. The tailend of the season sets up well for the Vols just like last season, with a road trip to Arkansas being the only tough contest in November.
The differences between what the Florida offense looked like underUrban Meyerand what it will look like under Will Muschamp couldn't be more night and day.
While the Meyer offense was predicated on misdirection and pure speed, the Muschamp offense, ran byCharlie Weis, will be a basic pro-style offense similar to what USC and Georgia run.
The million-dollar question in this transition year will be the fate of John Brantley. The backup of Tim Tebow for the past few seasons did not show the potential people thought he had, as he threw for only 9 TDs and 10 INTs last season.
The offensive line is another big question, as the Gators must replace three starters up front including Mike Pouncey.
The defense could be fun to watch as that loaded freshman class of 2010 is ready to contribute, especially in the front four where Shariff Floyd, Dominique Easley and Ronald Powell could be fun to watch in Muschamp's defense.
This could be a tough season for Florida as most transition years are. It doesn't help with a back-to-back sequence of games at LSU and defending national champion Auburn.
Third-year sophomore Aaron Murray has the makings of a superstar QB, at least as long as he builds off an incredible first season as a starter.
Murray was spectacular as a redshirt freshman in 2010, throwing for over 3,000 yards and 24 TDs to only 8 INTs.
However, he will have to carry his team more this season with the departure of A.J. Green to the NFL and both Caleb King and Washaun Ealey off the team.
The Georgia defense will need to fill the gaps left behind by pass-rushing extraordinaire Justin Houston and LB Akeem Dent, but they do have eight starters returning on that side of the ball.
The thing to watch for the Dawgs will be Mark Richt's Dream Team recruiting class of 2011 which included blue-chippers DE Ray Drew, RB Isaiah Crowell and TE Jay Rome.
Richt's job is in jeopardy, but a Week One win over Boise State would go a long way to continuing his strong tenure in Athens going for another season or two at least.
The biggest thing to keep an eye on with the defending SEC East champions will be how they handle the role of being favorites for the first time.
Steve Spurrier's building job in Columbia was a resounding success as the Gamecocks, powered by all-world freshman RB Marcus Lattimore, played in their first-ever SEC Championship Game.
A chance at a repeat will rest on the status of Stephen Garcia, who now seems likely to return to preseason camp in August.
Lattimore and WR Alshon Jeffery will combine to be the best set of skill players in the SEC East, and possibly the whole country.
On defense, coordinator Ellis Johnson already had a good unit returning headlined by DE Devin Taylor and CB Stephon Gilmore. Add in consensus No. 1 recruit DE Jadeveon Clowney and that defense becomes a terrifying force.
South Carolina's biggest obstacles to returning to Atlanta are road trips to Georgia, Mississippi State and Arkansas, but they have enough talent to get back there as they seem to be the class of the SEC East right now.
Unless Houston Nutt works some magic in Oxford, his time as coach of the Rebels may be coming to an end after this season.
The one-year experiment with Jeremiah Masoli did not go well as Ole Miss won only one SEC game in 2010.
They do have a very talented RB returning in Brandon Bolden, and eight other offensive starters are back as well.
But the Rebels have only five starters returning on defense, which could turn out to be a huge problem for Ole Miss next season.
The Rebels will host Alabama, LSU and Arkansas this season, but even that might not help Ole Miss get out of the SEC West cellar.
Unfortunately even though the SEC West is by far the most competitive division in the country, someone has to finish fifth.
Sadly, that team could be Mississippi State, although they would likely finish in the top four in every other BCS conference.
QB Chris Relf and RB Vick Ballard are back from a team that shocked a lot of people in the college football world, going 9-4 in 2010 including a 52-14 blowout win over Michigan in the Gator Bowl.
The stingy Bulldogs defense returns seven starters, including the entire starting secondary led by CB Corey Broomfield and Jonathan Banks.
Dan Mullen has done quite a job in just two seasons in Starkville, and this team with 17 starters returning could be even better. The problem is just that the teams in front of them are that much better.
It's almost impossible to lose a dominant Heisman Trophy QB in Cam Newton and an equally dominant first-round defensive stud in Nick Fairley and be at the same level as the year before.
That's the dilemma facing Auburn going into 2011 is how do they possibly replace two incredible difference-makers that helped lead them to the national title last season.
Stud RB Michael Dyer returns for his sophomore season as questions loom over who will start at QB in Gus Malzahn's offense, either Barrett Trotter, Clint Moseley or the wild-card in the freshman Kiehl Frazier.
Defensively, the Tigers have seven starters to replace as well, but a player to keep an eye on is former blue-chip recruit DE Corey Lemonier.
The Tigers season will be tough to navigate with road games at LSU, South Carolina, Georgia and Arkansas, all of whom will be seeking revenge for tough losses in Auburn last season.
Against Ohio State in the recently-vacated Sugar Bowl, Arkansas showed they can hang with some of the best teams in the country after having a spectacular 2010 season under Bobby Petrino.
Gone is stud QB Ryan Mallett, but if likely starter Tyler Wilson is anywhere near as good as he showed in the offensive shootout against Auburn, Arkansas fans should see little dropoff in offensive production.
He has quite an arsenal of skill players to help him out, including Heisman sleeper Knile Davis who rushed for 1,322 yards and 13 TDs, and a talented receiving corps which will return Jarius Wright and star Greg Childs who missed the end of the 2010 season.
The Razorback defense returns seven starters including a full slate of all-SEC players, DE Jake Bequette, LB Jerry Franklin and S Tramain Thomas.
While the Razorbacks are unlikely to return to the BCS in 2011, they are certainly as talented a team as anyone in the SEC. But road trips to Alabama and LSU make a return BCS appearance very tough to pull off.
Whether you feel endeared to Les Miles' aggressive tactics or if your heart can't take too many more close moments, LSU is certainly a team never devoid of drama.
The Tigers certainly look like a major factor in the national championship race due to the starpower on both sides of the ball, especially from WR Rueben Randle and DB Morris Claiborne.
LSU's offense, under new defensive coordinator and former Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe, will have to help Jordan Jefferson or Zach Mettenberger be more consistent on a game-to-game basis.
But they do have a pair of talented young horses in the backfield, with powerful Spencer Ware and explosive Michael Ford each capable of starting. The two combined for just under 500 yards rushing in their first years last season and five TDs with Stevan Ridley getting the bulk of the carries.
John Chavis' defense should be very fun to watch especially if Claiborne can play the role of shutdown corner that Patrick Peterson had last season. Keep an eye for blue-chip freshman recruit Anthony Johnson to get a large amount of snaps in the interior of the defensive line.
A win over Oregon in Cowboys Stadium on September 3 would be a great start to a chance to once again play for the national title in their home state as they did in the 2008 BCS National Championship Game against Ohio State. But a road trip to Alabama is potentially a massive roadblock to a return to New Orleans in January.
The statue ofNick Sabanthat stands in front of Bryant-Denny Stadium could be a sign that the national championship has a chance to stay in the state of Alabama for a third straight season.
And with ten returning starters on a talented defense, the Crimson Tide could roll on down to New Orleans and deliver Saban his third national championship, the most in the BCS era.
They must replace their first-team starters at QB, RB and WR as Greg McElroy, Mark Ingram and Julio Jones are all gone, the latter two of whom were first round picks, and ironically, Julio will play in Atlanta where the SEC Championship Game is played, and Ingram is a Saint, where the national title game will be played this year.
Whether or not this is a sign of destiny is anyone's guess. But regardless, it still is a funny coincidence.
Alabama's entire starting offensive line returns, anchored by C William Vlachos and OG Barrett Jones. Trent Richardson will also be the main guy running the football, as he will get a chance to show his full set of skills this season.
On defense, the return on LB Dont'a Hightower, LB Courtney Upshaw and S Mark Barron only help make this defense just as good as the one from 2009 led by Rolando McClain at ILB.
The emergence of DB Dre' Kirkpatrick gives the Tide a talented shutdown corner as well.
A road trip to an improving Penn State team may be a little more interesting than people think with Alabama starting a new QB, either Philip Sims or A.J. McCarron.
But they get Arkansas and LSU at home, who are easily their two toughest challengers to an SEC West title.
SEC Championship Game Prediction: Alabama 31, South Carolina 24
This could be one of those seasons that there may not be an undefeated SEC team, but Alabama should be able to make a return trip to the national championship game as long as they take care of business against LSU and South Carolina in the SEC Championship Game.
Spurrier's gang will go back to the Georgia Dome and should do better than their first trip, but their defense doesn't compare to Alabama's in a matchup of two of the best backs in the country.
The Tide will be rolling on to the national championship game once again, but it won't be an easy trip for them let alone anyone who goes through the SEC gauntlet.
But whoever does will have earned the right to be the champion when all is said and done.
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