PROJECTED RECORD: 10-2
WHY: Offensive balance is the whole key. Highly regarded QB Matthew Stafford's passing rating trailed only Tim Tebow in the SEC. And then there is RB Knowshon Moreno who burst on to the scene last fall as a freshman while rushing for 1,332 yards and 14 TDs, evoking big time comparisons to some of the best ball carriers Athens has ever fielded. Defense is what is going to separate the Bulldogs from the pack. The presence of two All-SEC candidates on the DL will carry over the aggressive play of a year ago. Six starters return to the back seven making this one of the nation's most feared defenses.

WHY NOT: One of the best kickers in SEC history, Brandon Coutu, is gone. The receivers do not have an established deep threat. Many of the preseason polls have tagged the Bulldogs as the No. 1 team in the country heading into 2008. That equals a ton of pressure for coaches and players that are extremely unfamiliar with this type of role. Getting through the SEC is never easy and the non-conference schedule has a trip to Arizona State early while West Division heavy hitters Auburn, Alabama and LSU dot the list.

PROJECTED RECORD: 10-2
WHY: The Gators lost just two starters from an offense that led the SEC and finished third in the nation in scoring a season ago. Heisman Trophy Winner Tim Tebow and receiver Percy Harvin are still the stars. TE Cornelius Ingram returned for his senior year and is one of the better pass catching TEs in the country (led the team with seven TDs in '07). The LB unit is one of the better groups in the SEC led Preseason All-American Brandon Spikes. Coach Urban Meyer's superior recruiting classes should pay huge dividends.

WHY NOT: The Gators need better secondary coverage (98th nationally) and a better pass rush. This will put a great deal of pressure on new assistant coaches Dan McCarney (defensive line) and Vance Bedford (cornerbacks). The DL is a big question mark especially on the inside at tackle. DE Jermaine Cunningham is the only returning starter up front. The safety positions are wide open and projected starter Dorian Munroe has been lost for the season with a torn ACL. The RB committee is extremely deep and talented but has yet to show as much in terms of production. The defense in Gainesville is the whole key. Recruiting has to play a big role now on this side of the ball.

PROJECTED RECORD: 8-4
WHY: Senior tailback Arian Foster is within reach of becoming the schools all time leading rusher. The line returns four starters and last season yielded a nation’s best four sacks, a remarkable stat considering this offense attempted 534 passes. OG Anthony Parker is a first round NFL talent. On defense, the secondary is well stocked after being forced to play three true freshmen a year ago. Safety Eric Berry wound up earning All-SEC honors in the process and the CBs are rich in talent. Playing in the shadows this season affords coach Phil Fulmer the luxury of sneaking up on a few conference foes. While they are not likely to earn another 10-win season, they are capable of beating anyone on any given Saturday.

WHY NOT: The big problem will be replacing four-year starter Erik Ainge at QB and offensive coordinator/legendary QB coach David Cutcliffe. The front seven on defense is short on depth. Not helping matters was the fact their best player, LB Jerod Mayo, bolted early for the pros. The receivers are all veterans but have to show more in terms of avoiding the dropped passes, especially with a new QB. A rough early start could diminish confidence with a September slate that includes games against UCLA, Florida and Auburn.

PROJECTED RECORD: 8-4
WHY: Ten starters return to the defense. CB Captain Munnerlyn, safety Emanuel Cook and DE Eric Norwood were All-SEC choices. Norwood set a school record with 19.5 tackles for loss last season from his DE position and has been moved to linebacker based on the wealth of depth up front. Big time LB Jasper Brinkly also returns from a 2007 season ending injury that earned him another year of eligibility. So this Gamecock LB scheme boasts Norwood at 270 pounds and Brinkley at 275 pounds. That's big! Preseason All-American WR Kenny McKinley and TE Jared Cook make for some big time targets.

WHY NOT: The defense has to improve by leaps and bounds to correct the 99 points and 1,188 yards they surrendered in big losses to Florida and Arkansas last November. Spurrier's QBs thus far have come nowhere close to matching the production level expected out of the "Ole Ball Coach". Blake Mitchell is gone which meant redshirt frosh Stephen Garcia figured to be the star in the making until off-the-field issues put him on suspension until mid-August. The experienced, underachieving OL has not been a cohesive unit since Spurrier took over and it has hurt this offense. A five game losing streak to close 2007 that left the Gamecocks home for the holiday bowl season does not help the momentum.

PROJECTED RECORD: 6-6
WHY: The defense, after years of getting pounded, is actually on the verge of respectability with eight starters returning. The depth chart on this side of the ball looks like the best of the six-year Rich Brooks coaching era. DE Jeremy Jarmon and CB Trevard Lindley are legitimate All-SEC candidates. Former prep All-American Micah Johnson fills the loss of leader Wesley Woodyard at middle linebacker. The secondary also returns the jest of the nation's 24th ranked pass defense of a year ago. Rafael Little is gone at RB, but the committee behind him is deep. Senior Tony Dixon is battle tested and Derrick Locke has blazing speed.

WHY NOT: All of the offensive firepower is gone. The battle to replace Andre Woodson at QB won't likely be decided until late August. The incumbents Curtis Pulley and Mike Hartline have not proven to be consistent passers and were rather unimpressive in spring camp. This could be a run-first one-dimensional approach with the huge question marks at QB and at receiver where TE Keenan Burton and Jacob Tamme have moved on to the NFL. The OL also has a few holes to fill. So if the running game struggles, the Cats could be in for a difficult season.

PROJECTED RECORD: 3-9
WHY: Last fall the defense allowed its fewest points in a decade and will maintain a secondary that has the potential to be one of the leagues best. The rising stars are at CB where D.J. Moore (SEC best six interceptions in '07) and Myron Lewis are back in the mix. Potential standouts exist at DE with Steven Stone and the super fast Broderick Stewart, who racked up six sacks a year ago while playing a reserve role. Three of the non-conference opponents are beatable (Miami OH, Rice and Duke), which means duplicating another five win season may not be out of the question. This is a feat that would bode well for the future with so many youngsters making 2008 a rebuilding process.

WHY NOT: Poor QB play haunted this team last fall as the oft injured Chris Nickson struggled after a solid 2006 campaign. Mackenzi Adams, who started six games last fall, could wind up being the starter again. Both are good runners without a game-changing arm. Two huge holes have to be filled as the SEC's All-Time leading receiver Earl Bennett and OT Chris Williams bolted off to the NFL. The OL has to replace the entire lineup with five new starters. The defensive front seven lost all but one starter and depth is a big issue, especially at tackle. It's not impossible to believe the Commodores may be looking at a two-win campaign with the player turnover, which means this program will have to take a few steps back before trying to regain some of the positives earned the past three seasons.

PROJECTED RECORD: 10-2
WHY: Despite losing the bruising Jacob Hester, no team boasts as many ball carriers as does LSU. Upwards of five guys will see the field while sharing carries and they are all worthy of starting at just about any other school. Enhancing the rushing attack will be a top quality OL made up of two NFL-worthy players in Herman Johnson and Ciron Black. LSU is used to plugging holes with fresh talent and the DL rotation will continue the make use of this concept. Both sides of the line of scrimmage are stacked. With far superior athletes across the board, the Bayou Bengals are still the favorite to win the West Division.

WHY NOT: The athletic QB Ryan Perrilloux could have made this offense special but finally saw his future taking snaps in Baton Rouge come to an end when he was dismissed this spring. Now a two-man battle is taking place between Jarrett Lee and Andrew Hatch, the Nevada native who was the third team QB for Harvard just a few seasons ago. Defensive coordinator Bo Pelini left to take the head-coaching job at Nebraska. Also gone on this side of the ball are six starters including star DT Glenn Dorsey. The secondary got raked this past season in terms of departures and will have to start out with few if any household names, as is the case with the entire defense. One of the best defenses nationally a year ago is not going to equal the same type of numbers through the reloading process.

PROJECTED RECORD: 9-3
WHY: New offensive coordinator Tony Franklin will run a spread, no-huddle system looking for a run-pass balance. The coaches installed this offense prior to the bowl game and managed to rack up 423 yards against a stingy Clemson team. The OL returns five starters to block for a bevy of RBs that are lacking star power but are still legitimate enough to keep defenses honest. On defense, speed is what caught the eye of new coordinator Paul Rhoads in the spring. The leader and best overall player may be Sen'Derrick Marks, who moves from end to playing tackle. Winning the West is a realistic goal since the race on this side of the conference appears wide open.

WHY NOT: This is not an All-Star bunch but more of a blue-collar team. Not one single current player earned an All-SEC honor last fall. Kodi Burns and JUCO transfer Chris Todd emerged from four QB candidates this spring with Burns being the better runner and Todd being the more polished passer. A two-QB system may have to be the plan. While the receivers look descent on paper, none have helped the stagnant passing attack the past few years. A secondary that had a stellar season in 2007 (6th nationally in pass defense) lost three of its main parts and will have to rely on immediate help from freshmen.

PROJECTED RECORD: 8-4
WHY: The offense has nine returning starters to work with including third-year starter John Parker Wilson at QB. The OL will be expected to carry the Tide, which includes a pair of Outland Trophy candidates in OT Andre Smith and center Antoine Caldwell. RB Terry Grant set school freshman records last fall. His smallish size continues to keep this offense from being a punishing rushing attack but the position is much deeper than in the past. The rebuilding process for second year head coach Nick Saban is in full swing despite the late season meltdown of a year ago that saw The Tide drop their last four regular season games. The nation's No. 1 rated recruiting class last February according to some of the media outlets that rank such a thing will play a big role immediately.

WHY NOT: A new offensive coordinator (for the third straight year) will take over for Major Applewhite. That duty goes to Jim McElwain, the former Fresno State coordinator whose offense last year averaged 419.5 yards per game. Gone are big play receivers Keith Brown and DJ Hall but there are several veterans still on board. They just have to prove they can make plays with the game on the line. Depth is the big question mark with the defensive front seven. The 3-4 alignment will have to operate with Rolando McClain being the only LB with true game experience as Prince Hall is still serving a spring suspension. The secondary is bolstered by All-American safety Rashad Johnson but the CBs remain a mystery.

PROJECTED RECORD: 8-4
WHY: Last year's eight win season and bowl victory was exactly what head coach Sylvester Croom needed. The school that gave him his historical chance extended the contract through 2011 and relieves some of the pressure off of the coaching staff. The defense has carried the load since Croom arrived and this season is likely to be much the same despite hiring a new coordinator. The LBs are solid led by Jamar Chaney in the middle. The nation's seventh rated pass defense returns an experienced nucleus of players including senior free safety Derek Pegues who is easily the best player/leader on this side of the ball. He projects as a top rated DB at the next level. The 240-pound RB Anthony Dixon has the power to keep this rushing attack formidable.

WHY NOT: Injuries and a lack of depth continue to make this the worst offense in the league. The West Coast offense has yet to be established in Starkville to the point where it can outscore opponents. QB Wesley Carroll showed promise while starting as a true freshman a year ago but the depth behind him is non-existent so his health has to be a major factor. The nation's 113th ranked passing attack of 2007 still has a long way to go. Getting big play ability out of the RBs has to become part of the formula as the Bulldogs have become no threat to go the distance. The OL is sketchy since All-SEC guard Mike Brown was dismissed this spring, leaving only one returning starter lining up with the first team.

PROJECTED RECORD: 5-7
WHY: Hog fans are enthused about the coaching change as Bobby Petrino gave up his NFL position to take over in Fayetteville. The promise of more passing has to be a positive sign. The extremely quick Michael Smith will line up in the RB spot and has the potential to be a star. The OL is anchored by two-time All-SEC selection Jonathan Luigs at center. Both lines of scrimmage will continue to be solid, as the DL will return three starters. This is a speedy group that can cause problems for opposing blockers. The first two opponents (Western Illinois and UL-Monroe) will give these players a better shot at grasping the new system before the brutal conference slate begins.

WHY NOT: Coaches are convinced the new offense can throw the ball, but it will have to be done with a shortage of experienced receivers and a QB in senior Casey Dick that is mostly accustomed to handing the ball off. It would be impossible for any SEC team to replace the stars that carried so much of this offense the past three years in Felix Jones and Darren McFadden. The LBs will operate with new faces. It did not help matters that their best player Freddie Fairchild was dismissed from the team while Wendel Davis continues to recover from spring knee surgery. The secondary is in rebuilding phase as well, which means coach Petrino will have to operate his first season teaching new tricks to many young and unproven players on both sides of the ball.

PROJECTED RECORD: 5-7
WHY: New QB Jevan Snead, the highly regarded transfer from Texas who takes over after redshirting last fall, plays a role in the excitement that is building. All three receivers are back. WR Mike Wallace has big play ability and Dexter McCluster is versatile enough to take snaps behind center much like McFadden did when Nutt was coaching the Razorbacks. The OL has four starters back and includes All-American senior tackle Michael Oher. The strength of the defense is on the line of scrimmage where senior DT Peria Jerry racked up 58 tackles last season. DE Greg Hardy earned a few post-season accolades last fall and is a sack machine.

WHY NOT: New head coach Houston Nutt will have to adjust his longtime offensive philosophy to a more passing approach in order to take advantage of Snead's arm. The question marks at RB appear glaring after losing two-time 1,000 yard rusher BenJarvus Green-Ellis. One of the nation's top prep recruits, Enrique Davis, will have to be ready. While the defense returns eight starters, depth is extremely thin with the back seven. Ole Miss has some remarkable individual players, but it's questionable if the roster has enough overall talent to reach a bowl game for the first time since 2003.