SEC Betting Preview – Same SEC Championship, Same Results
Florida beat Alabama for the 2008 SEC title. Bama returned the favor and felled Florida in 2009. Will we get a third straight SEC Championship Game between the league’s two reigning powers? It sure looks like it. NCAA football betting analysts would be hard-pressed to disagree.
Team On The Rise:
It would not be a surprise if Arkansas finishes second in the SEC West – a lot of online betting commentators expect the Hogs to take the next step under head coach Bobby Petrino and offer, at the very least, a strong challenge to division favorite Alabama. Arkansas is going to be a lot better in large part because Petrino – a quarterback-molding guru at the collegiate level who got the most out of Louisville quarterbacks Stefan LeFors and Brian Brohm – now has another year to teach Ryan Mallett, a strong-armed gunslinger who will likely go very high in the 2011 NFL Draft. Arkansas’ offense will be loaded in 2010, and since Auburn’s quarterback situation isn’t as solid, it’s wise to tab the Razorbacks as the up-and-coming team in the SEC.
Team On The Decline:
While Arkansas sees its stock rise, the team whose SEC power ranking is slip-sliding down the drain is LSU. The Bayou Bengals are a shell of their former selves, as the memories of the 2007 national championship seem a lifetime ago. Three quarterbacks have tried to make magic for coach Les Miles’ offense, and all three of them have failed. Jarrett Lee, Jordan Jefferson, and Russell Shepard have largely fallen flat on their faces, as offensive coordinator Gary Crowton has struck out in his attempt to mentor a quarterback worthy of the Matt Mauck-Matt Flynn mantle in Baton Rouge. Unless or until LSU gets inspired play once again from the quarterback position, it’s going to struggle to a considerable extent. This sentence would have been shocking three years ago, but in 2010, it’s the conventional wisdom among sports betting junkies: LSU will finish fourth in the SEC West.
Best Player In The Conference:
Alabama receiver Julio Jones. In his freshman season (2008), Jones was seen regularly shaking off defenders and getting open in all sorts of ways against cornerbacks who were older than he was. Jones is clearly a muscular and chiseled young man, but what’s underrated is how he’s able to get open and run solid routes. It’s true that his 2009 season represented an appreciable drop-off from 2008 form, but with a big 2010, Jones will definitely put himself in the top 10 of the 2011 NFL Draft. There’s not much debate on this score if Jones delivers a fabulous junior season.
Who Will Win The SEC:
John Brantley will be a very worthy successor to the legendary Tim Tebow as Florida’s quarterback, but he’ll have his hands full against the defending national champions of college football. Alabama will get tested more in the SEC West, so if these two clear divisional favorites meet in Atlanta for the SEC crown, expect the Crimson Tide to have the edge.
