Indiana vs. Oklahoma State 

For the first time in my life, I have a horse in the proverbial bowl season race. For the first time since 1993, my Indiana Hoosiers are going bowling. I think, nationally, college football fans know very little about this Indiana team (and probably won’t this season given that the game is only being televised on the dreaded NFL Network) but Indiana has one of the most exciting offenses in America. Sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis is one of the nation’s most complete offensive players, ahead of Dennis Dixon, Matt Grothe and Kansas’ Todd Reesing, Pat White and Andre Woodson in total offense and ranks ahead of John David Booty, Matt Ryan and Matthew Stafford in passing efficiency. On the outside, the Hoosiers have 6′7″ James Hardy, one of the nation’s most exciting receivers playing in what is sure to be his last game in an Indiana uniform and Marcus Thigpen, an electrifying returner/receiver/running back. The Hoosiers will look to Lewis, Hardy and Thigpen to exploit an atrociously bad Oklahoma State pass defense that finished 116th of 119 teams in all of college football against the pass. Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, Oklahoma State (and their screaming moron of a coach, Mike Gundy) has a sensational receiver in Adarius Bowman, who is averaging just under 100 yards a game in receiving. Indiana must use defensive end, Greg Middleton, who leads the nation with 14 solo sacks to pressure quarterback Zac Robinson into incompletions and turnovers and corner Tracey Porter must defend his reputation as one of the Big Ten’s best cover corners (Porter finished second in the Big Ten with 6 interceptions) and stick to Bowman like glue all day long. I’m going with my heart and the Hoosiers‘ pass attack in a shootout.

Tuesday, Jan. 1 - Chick Fil-A Bowl 

Clemson vs. Auburn 

It’s a matchup between two coaches that nearly went to Arkansas when Clemson and Auburn square off in Atlanta. Both Tommy Tuberville and Tommy Bowden were reportedly interviewed for the Arkansas head coaching job before pulling their names for consideration and staying where they were. Auburn comes into this one with another great defense and a slumping, boring offense led by senior quarterback Brandon Cox. Clemson is a little more well-rounded with a great offense, passing and rushing and one of the ACC’s top defenses.  Clemson’s three losses came on the road to Georgia Tech, at home to a Virginia Tech team that would go on to win the conference and a nail-biter to BC thanks to Matt Ryan’s heroics. To win this game, which is being played less than 2 hours from the Auburn campus, the Tigers must find a way to generate some type of offense. Auburn didn’t have a rusher in the SEC’s top 10 rushers and Cox finished the year averaging 155 yards a game passing and that isn’t going to cut it against a Clemson defense that finished in the top 15 in the country against the pass and 20th in the country against the run, not to mention the weapons they have on the other side of the ball in quarterback Cullen Harper and running backs James Davis and C.J. Spiller. Losing offensive coordinator Al Borges this week isn’t going to help Auburn put points on the board despite their defense. Clemson’s defense will force the Auburn offense to go three and out for much of the game and Clemson’s rushing attack will wear down the Auburn defensive front. I’m going with Tommy Bowden and Clemson.

Jan. 1 - Outback Bowl

Wisconsin vs. Tennessee 

One of three bowls that pits the SEC and the Big Ten, the Outback Bowl returns Tennessee to the scene of a pounding last year at the hands of the Nittany Lions. The key for Tennessee will be moving the ball up and down the field and being able to execute David Cutcliffe’s offense against a Wisconsin defense that finished 4th in the conference in total defense. Defensively, the Vols have struggled in spectacular fashion against the run, giving up more than 162 yards a game. That statistic is particularly troubling given who’s lining up in the backfield for the Badgers: The Wisconsin Winnebago, P.J. Hill.  I’d look for Wisconsin to pound the ball and leave few chances for the ball-hawking Tennessee secondary chances to make plays off banged-up quarterback Tyler Donovan. This is a difficult game to pick because both teams have struggled at various points during the year but I will take Wisconsin and P.J. Hill in a close contest.

Tuesday, Jan. 1 - AT&T Cotton Bowl 

Missouri vs. Arkansas 

Playing in this game must be a tough pill to swallow for Gary Pinkel, Chase Daniel and Missouri. The loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game propelled the Tigers out of the BCS picture, to the benefit of the Kansas Jayhawks, a one-loss team that the Tigers had handled the week before. Still, the Tigers need to remain focus and not focus on their BCS snub as they prepare to square off against a dangerous Arkansas team. The trouble with Arkansas is that beyond Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, they don’t have much of an offense. Stuffing the run will be huge for Missouri, something they’ve done well this year limiting opponents to 118 yards per game on the ground. On offense, Missouri will look to do what they’ve done all year: Let Chase Daniel run around make plays and find Jeremy Maclin, Chase Coffman and Martin Rucker for big plays. It helps that Missouri has running back Tony Temple in the lineup but Temple played in the Big 12 Championship and was a nonfactor. Look for Missouri to exploit mismatches in the secondary, particularly on Coffman and Rucker. Given how bad Arkansas’ secondary has been all year, I’d look for Chase Daniel to have a big day and Missouri to win big.

I think it’s time for Razorback fans to step up and take some responsibility for what this program has become. After the way Houston Nutt was treated in the wake of the Mitch Mustain fiasco, coaches are hesitant to take a job where they will be subjected to that level of scrutiny, held to absurdly high expectations and have their phone records FOIA’d by an overzealous fan base. What coach wants that for themselves or his family? I’m not sure who they think they’re going to be able to get know after three coaches have entertained the notion before turning it down.

The Amateur Gourmet has a great Q&A with Michael Ruhlman on his new book, The Elements of Cooking.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Mark Bradley has a fantastic lead in his column today about the Georgia-Auburn series.

The James Beard Foundation has released its list of the 20 essential cookbooks.

The New York Times’ Grub Street blog wonders if white truffles have jumped the shark after today’s announcement that the restaurant at Times Square’s Westin Hotel will be offering a $1,000 white truffle bagel.

A nice article by SI.com’s Cory McCartney on IU being bowl eligible for the first time. It’s a nice article if you haven’t been reading these kinds of stories in the Indianapolis Star or other places who do a much more thorough job, as they should, of covering IU football.  McCartney’s article does, in my opinion, give a little too much credit to interim coach Bill Lynch for the job he’s done. Given their schedule, a schedule that doesn’t include Michigan or Ohio State, it would have been tough for them not to get to six wins this year. I don’t think he should be hired back at the program’s permanent leader but I’ll have more on that tomorrow.

I don’t like….

The Writers’ strike may bump the new season of Lost back to Fall 2008 or — February 2009! The LA Times has a great grid showing, by network, how many episodes popular TV shows had in the can before going dark this week.

Why are priests stalking Conan O’Brien?

Either way you cut it, Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville is about to get paid handsomely.

Rumor has it, Tuberville is one of the leading candidates for the Texas A&M job, which will soon be vacated after the Aggies buyout the contract of current head coach Dennis Franchione.

First things first, the reason that Franchione is being ousted at A&M has very little to do with the scandal over his newsletter, where boosters paid thousands of dollars to receive inside information about the team, including injury reports and the like. It has everything in the world to do with the team’s dismal record against rivals Texas and Oklahoma on his watch.

Being mentioned as a candidate, let alone the leading candidate, for a job like this is a perfect scenario for Tuberville. Either way, he’s getting paid. If Texas A&M comes in with an offer that ole Tubby can’t refuse, he’s off to coach the Aggies in the weaker Big 12 where the only games he will be pressured to win are the games against Texas and Oklahoma. He may also be able to leverage an offer from Texas A&M against Auburn to get more money to stay as the head coach of the Tigers. It’s worked in the past, just ask Steve Spurrier, who got a fat new deal when his name was even mentioned in connection to the Alabama job.

While the A&M job is nowhere near as presitigious as his current gig, Tuberville has a much higher chance of BCS success in College Station. No longer will he find himself fighting with Nick Saban for recruits in Alabama, fighting with Phil Fulmer for recruits in Tennessee or fighting the entire nation for the best of the best in the state of Florida. He will be recruiting in Texas, one of the nation’s richest recruiting pipelines and coaching in the Big 12, a conference that, aside from the monoliths that are Texas and Oklahoma, has been far from the schedule of landmines Auburn has been playing annually in the SEC.

If the money is right, I’d suggest Tuberville hit the road and gig ‘em.

_________

Tony Barnhart of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said he thinks that if Texas A&M comes calling, Tuberville will listen.

Game of the Week - Tennessee at Florida

No big plays. When I think about this game and why Tennessee lost, in deciding fashion, to the Gators in 2007, those three words will ultimately come to mind. I’ve watched the Vols play twice this year and twice they’ve lost for the same reason. Against a team with superior speed and athleticism on defense, they’ve tried to quick slant, bubble screen and 5-yard comeback route their way to victory. And twice they’ve gotten absolutely destroyed. In the first half Tennessee was plagued by a chronic inability to finish drives and put points on the board. On one such drive with 10 minutes to go in the second quarter, Florida countered with two touchdown drives of their own. Finally, the UT offense showed a sense of urgency, like they emerged from their coma and realized that they were down 28-6 and were able to punch in a score at the end of the first half. The second half began promising enough for the Vols after true freshman Eric Berry picked off a pass and took it to the house for six. I’ll say this about Tim Tebow, he’s a heck of an athlete but a terrible open field tackler. He just totally whiffed on Berry. And then there was the fumble. I wonder at what point you have to sit Erik Ainge because he can’t make the exchange to the team’s tailbacks. You can’t have a quarterback that can’t hand the ball off. It’s really that simple. To have Ainge backhanding exchanges is unacceptable and in this case, costs Tennessee the game. I think there is a growing fissure on the Volunteers between the offense and the defense. After Ainge throws that ball into Arian Foster’s chest, the defense appeared to be just demoralized and realized that no matter what they did unless Eric Berry picked the ball off and took it the distance four more times, there was nothing they could if the offense wasn’t going to put up points. But the story of the game for me was Florida’s ability to make big plays. Just to paint the picture for you, Florida was average more than 8 yards per offensive play and more than 21 yards per reception. I am not yet ready to put Florida in the top 3 with Oklahoma, LSU and USC but the Oct. 3 matchup between the Gators and Tigers in Baton Rouge promises to be epic but I think the development of Riley Cooper and Louis Murphy as legitimate scoring threats alongside Tebow and Percy Harvin is a scary proposition for the SEC and the rest of college football. For Tennessee, there were just too many blown opportunities and missed chances. The real low point in an otherwise pretty entertaining game for me was the mind-numbing interview with that balding midget Kenny Chesney and his cheesy, fratty faded Red Sox hat. A die hard Red Sox fan from Tennessee? Take a trip to Southie and see how that works out. And while we’re on the subject, can we vote to do away, once and for all, with the celebrity fan interview and cameo and the girlfriend/father/mother/brother/cousin cam?

Overrated win of the week: Alabama

For the true Alabama football fan, not the starved-for-recognition-and-for-God’s-sake-a-win-against-Auburn Alabama football fan, you have to know that you didn’t deserve that one. If you need two questionable pass interference calls on the final drive at the end of a game at home to win, that win has to feel a little hollow. Let’s be honest for a second Tide fans. Well if we’re really being honest, those Houndstooth baseball caps are just horrifyingly tacky and secondly, if this game were being played in Fayetteville instead of Tuscaloosa, you probably don’t get one or both of those calls. At the beginning of that game, there was a lot to feel good about if you’re an Alabama fan. The defense created turnovers, the normally deer-in-headlights John Parker Wilson looked good in the pocket and picked apart a ghastly Arkansas secondary. But then there’s that second half. You know, the whole blowing a 21-point-lead in the second half at home thing. Against a better team, a team who’s best player (who also happens to be a Heisman Trophy candidate) isn’t on the sideline cramping, you get beat and beat soundly when you give up that kind of a lead. No doubt the win against Arkansas is the first significant win of the Saban-era Tide but this isn’t the signature win this program needs to return to its former glory. My hats off to Houston Nutt and the Razorbacks for not giving up when everyone, myself included, thought they were destined for a blowout.

Best Win of the Week: Kentucky

This upset really wasn’t a surprise to anyone who knows anything about college football. Rich Brooks has this program on the way up and given that Andre Woodson, the SEC’s best quarterback, has an array of weapons including Jacob Tamme, Rafael Little and Keenan Burton to throw to, you knew the Cardinals were in for it at Commonwealth Stadium Saturday night in Lexington. In addition to proving that last year’s 8-4 record wasn’t a fluke for Brooks and Kentucky, the win against the number 9-ranked Cards proves that the Big East really is a laughably weak football conference. When your best (or second best, let’s not split hairs) team is getting beat by the 6th or 7th best team in the SEC, you have no claim to the national championship as a conference. The Big East is continuing its tradition as a second-rate Thursday night football conference.

Win of Affirmation: USC

Saturday night confirmed what many of us already knew: USC is a pretty good football team. There were moments during Saturday’s game in Lincoln against the Huskers that USC looked a little sloppy, played a little undisciplined and John David Booty proved that he is not the Heisman trophy winner, playing more like a game manager than a game changer. But USC is still really good. Nothing that Nebraska tried on offense was the least bit successful and there was nothing the Blackshirts could do to prevent Stefon Johnson (who looked like LenDale White only skinnier and faster) and C.J. Gable from running all over them. You’re not going to beat too many Div. 1-A teams giving up 313 yards on the ground and over 8 yards a carry. Nebraska, meanwhile, will likely win the Big 12 North by default but will get absolutely annihilated by Oklahoma, who has one of college football’s most exciting young tailbacks in Demarco Murray, in the Big 12 Championship. I will say that Sam Keller’s demeanor during the game was impressive to me. He never seemed to get too up or too down but I don’t think he ever recovered from the first interception he threw. I am not convinced that during the course of a game Keller can keep things from going from bad to worse. Many across the country, particularly in the South, were looking for a reason to vault LSU up to that top spot but the Trojans proved that they were worthy of all the preseason hype by beating Nebraska in convincing fashion.

Team I will never pick against for the rest of the season: Boston College

Make that three ACC wins in three consecutive weeks to open the season for Boston College. Matt Ryan, to put it simply, is the truth. Ryan carved up the much-hyped Georgia Tech defense to the tune of 435 yards on 30 of 44 completions for a touchdown and no interceptions in Atlanta. He seems to be right at home in new head coach Jeff Jagodzinski’s offense and any Heisman conversation that doesn’t include Matt Ryan isn’t a serious one. The Eagle defense stepped up Saturday night as well and held Georgia Tech running back Tashard Choice, who ran all over Notre Dame and Samford, to just 31 yards on 15 carries. Though the game finished 24-10, BC had a 21-0 lead going into the fourth quarter. At this point in the year, Jagodzinski is my pick for coach of the year and his Eagles have to be the favorite to win the watered-down ACC. The rest of the Eagles schedule reads like a Who’s Who of teams that were supposed to be great but for one reason or another are just average after three weeks of play. The Eagles still have to travel to Virginia Tech, to Maryland and to Clemson and must host the Miami and Florida State. I don’t think this time will run the table and go undefeated, there is at least one landmine in there somewhere but winning Saturday in Atlanta against Georgia Tech is a big win for this football team.

Most Disappointing: Auburn

Everyone knew how good USF was and anyone who was surprised that Matt Grothe, Jim Leavitt and the Bulls traveled up to Auburn and beat the Tigers hasn’t been paying attention to the recent rise of that program. But to get beat by the Fighting Crooms the following week at home is unbelievable. Lest we forget that this was a Mississippi State team that tallied a grand total of 41 yards through the air and just over 170 on the ground. How did this happen? Well quarterback play. Or in the case of Auburn bad quarterback play. Brandon Cox got the hook after his first two passes were picked off and his replacement, freshman Kodi Burns, didn’t fair much better and threw an interception of his own. Many believed that this team would only go as far as Brandon Cox could take them and we have found out just how far that is. You can’t turn the ball over 5 times and expect to beat anyone in college football and if Auburn doesn’t learn how to take care of the ball, they could easily fall short of six wins and be home come December. One could argue that this is a Auburn team that could still feasibly upset someone later on in the year but given their turnover problem and now there are issues at quarterback, I just don’t see that happening. This could be the year that Alabama finally bests Auburn.

1. Glenn Dorsey - DT - LSU

This is a no-brainer. There isn’t a defensive tackle,  or a defensive lineman, in the SEC or in the nation right now than Glenn Dorsey. Had he left last year, the 299-pound senior would have been a late first-round, early second round pick in May’s NFL draft and decided to stick around, a decision that could make Dorsey a very wealthy man in 2008. Dorsey will be featured in a rotation of interior lineman that is arguably the best in the SEC. Dorsey will likely be double teamed every down, which will generate opportunities for his teammates to step up and make plays. Dorsey’s presence in the middle makes LSU a very difficult team to run against and control the line of scrimmage.

2. Jasper Brinkley - MLB - South Carolina

There isn’t a better linebacker in the SEC than Jasper Brinkley. A pre-season All-SEC selection, expect to see Brinkley follow up on an ‘06 campaign where he finished 4th in the conference in solo tackles and 9th in tackles for loss. A quick, instinctive linebacker with good size and speed, Brinkley could find himself on the Butkus finalist list at season’s end and will certainly have a place on the All-SEC first team for the second consecutive year.

3. Quentin Groves - DE/OLB - Auburn

After deciding to stick around for his senior campaign, Quentin Groves will have to prove in ‘07 that he can do more than rush the quarterback. He will certainly get that opportunity to show off his versatility as he lines up as defensive end in Auburn’s 4-3 packages but will also play standup end/outside linebacker when the defensive coordinator Will Muschamp lines up in the 3-4. Fast off the edge, Groves is most dangerous as a pass rusher and will need to develop into an outside linebacker that is function in pass coverage to improve his draft stock. Still, opposing coordinators will always have to know where Groves is on the field at any one time. He’s very, very dangerous off the edge and shows great closing speed when rushing the passer, having finished last year with 13 sacks, good for 2nd best in the conference.

4. Jerod Mayo - OLB - Tennessee

I don’t know if I saw a more exciting defensive player last season than Tennessee outside linebacker Jerod Mayo. The big question this year for Mayo is whether or not he can stay healthy as he was hobbled by injuries towards the end of last season and into the spring this year. If he can stay healthy, he’s as good of an open-field tackler as any in the conference. Having finished 2006 with 83 tackles, 12.5 for loss, Mayo was dubbed 2nd team All-America by rivals and a strong year in ‘07 could put him on the first team. Still the junior linebacker is the anchor of the entire Tennessee defense and as the cornerstone of that unit, he needs to stay on the field and off the injury report.

5. Simeon Castille - CB - Alabama

SEC quarterbacks would be wise not to throw in Simeon Castille’s direction. The ball-hawking cornerback out of Birmingham proved to be one of the most dangerous defensive backs in coverage last season, racking up 6 picks (tops among returning SEC) and will look to do the same in ‘07. With Lionel Mitchell lining up on the other side, Castille gives Alabama the best pair of corners in the conference. Look for Castille on the list of finalists for the Thorpe award. Even if quarterbacks don’t throw in his direction, Castille will find a way to get to the ball and at 6′1″ has the size to match-up against any receiver in the conference.

1. Andre Woodson - Kentucky

Woodson’s play last season was really the catalyst of the Wildcats’ Cinderella 8-4 season. It seems like every college football writer in America has drank the Kool-Aid on Woodson and it might be possible to say that the senior quarterback is overrated by no fault of his own. Simply put, there wasn’t a better quarterback in the country, perhaps in the nation, last year than Andre Woodson. The numbers really speak for themselves — 31 TDs, 7 INTs, a 63 percent completion percentage and more than 3,500 yards passing. There’s a reason everyone is drinking the Kool-Aid — Woodson’s the real deal.

2. Erik Ainge - Tennessee

What a difference a year makes. After deciding it might be wise to listen to much-heralded quarterback guru David Cutcliffe, Ainge exploded in ‘06 with 2,989 yards, 19 TDs to 9 INTs and a 67 completion percentage. Ainge will have to rely on his relatively inexperienced receivers to step up and become go-to options given the departure of Jayson Swain and Robert Meachem. I think given the system he plays in, Ainge will emerge as one of the most consistent and accurate, though unspectacular, passers in the conference.

3. Matt Flynn - LSU

Some would claim Flynn’s appearance at the 3 spot is a little high for a quarterback that didn’t play a whole lot in 2006. It’s important to remember that going into 2006, there was a quarterback competition in Baton Rouge between Flynn and Jamarcus Russell highlighted after the way Flynn lit up Miami in the ‘05 Peach Bowl en route to becoming the game’s offensive MVP. LSU is now Matt Flynn’s team and he has to find a way to step out of Russell’s shadow. And he will. While Flynn may not have the cannon arm and effortless throwing motion that the big fella from Mobile had, he does have a mobility and a presense in the pocket that will give the Tigers the ability to run packages and plays that they were not able to given Russell’s limited mobility. When you factor in the weapons LSU has on offense (especially Early Doucet), you have to figure Flynn is poised for a breakout year.

4. Brandon Cox - Auburn

When it’s all said and done, the senior from Trussville, Ala. might be the most underrated passer in the SEC. This year, all eyes are on Cox and the Tigers offense is only going to go as far as their quarterback can take them. However, Cox’s health will be a big piece in that puzzle. Having been sacked 34 times last year, the Tigers’ offensive line will have to do a better job of protecting their quarterback and Cox will have to learn to be a more accurate and efficient passer coming off a season where he completed just 60 percent of his passes. I put Cox in the same category as Ainge: consistent but unspectacular.

5. Matthew Stafford - Georgia

The first true freshman to start at Georgia since Eric Zeier certainly took him lumps last year. Having played in all 13 games in ‘06, Stafford comes into ‘07 with a tremendous upside that has Bulldog fans eying a return to glory (and hopefully a win against those pesky Gators). One thing Stafford must improve is letting the game come to him and not forcing the ball into tight spaces. Too many times last season, the true freshman forced a pass that led to a turnover though those instances became fewer as the season wore on. Still Stafford must improve from an ‘06 season in which he threw 13 interceptions and just 7 touchdowns and completed only 52 percent of his passes. There’s a lot riding on Matthew Stafford this season, I just wonder if he’s ready.

6.Tim Tebow - Florida

With Chris Leak gone, Tim Tebow will have to prove that he’s an actual quarterback in 2007 and not a weird H-back/quarterback hybrid. Tebow appears this low on the list because I don’t feel like anyone saw enough of him as a true quarterback to make an accurate assessment of his ability to consistently run an offense every down and he may not do it this year either. Meyer said he would like to have an offense that features two quarterbacks as he did last year (which I think is insane). Still, all Tebow needs to do is get the ball in the hands of Percy Harvin and let him “do what he do.” Tebow could very well appear at the top of this list next year but first he must prove that he is a quarterback and not a novelty.

7. John Parker Wilson - Alabama

The measure of a good quarterback is how he performs under pressure. John Parker Wilson wasn’t very good under pressure last season. Wilson didn’t show up in the big games and played like a middle-of-the-pack quarterback in ‘06, throwing 17 TDs on way to 10 INTs. Frankly, I’m not expecting much more in ‘07. Though he spent much of last season running for his life, Wilson did show that though he wasn’t great with the game on the line, he did hold up to punishment and was an effective scrambler. Returning all five starters from last year’s line, he may have to do the same this year. Parker must improve and quickly or I believe Nick Saban will begin looking around his sideline for a replacement.

8. Chris Nickson - Vanderbilt

Whether or not this is the year that Vanderbilt breaks its bowl-less drought will rest heavily on the shoulders of junior quarterback Chris Nickson.  Nickson had a little bit of a breakout year in his first year as a starter, throwing for more than 2,000 yards but his accuracy was spotty (52 percent completion percentage) and he struggled to hit open receivers. Still Nickson is an exciting quarterback to watch, very elusive, a threat to run every time he drops back (accounted for 694 rushing yards last season) and he’s got one of the SEC’s best receivers in Earl Bennett lining up wide. Nickson could, and needs, to take a big step forward this year.

9. Blake Mitchell - South Carolina

I’ve gotta be honest. It’s really difficult for me to get over the fact that Blake Mitchell wears that goofy facemask and has a tribal armband tattoo but that not withstanding he’s a decent enough quarterback. Last year, he had a lot of ups and downs. Played very well at times, played horribly at times. Got arrested at times. You know, the usual. Still one can’t help but wonder if Mitchell is just keeping the seat warm for true freshman Stephen Garcia, if he can stay out of handcuffs long enough to buckle his chinstrap. For the time being though, it appears the job is Mitchell’s to lose. He will have to improve his decision making and accuracy and will have to do so behind a relatively inexperience offensive line that is struggling to find cohesion.

10. Casey Dick - Arkansas

Arkansas fans should get very used to this image. With the best pair of running backs, arguably, in the country lining up behind him, Arkansas QB Casey Dick will be handing the ball off — a lot. Consider this, Dick threw the ball just 132 times despite the fact that he played in all but 4 of the Razorbacks’ games last season. Dick will be the Arkansas version of Trent Dilfer, if and when he is asked to throw the ball, he needs to make the most of his opportunities and be an efficient and accurate passer. No one is asking  him to be Vince Young and win games on his own. Thankfully.
11. Seth Adams - Ole Miss

I firmly believe that Adams, a former walkon, will beat out last year’s starter Brent Schaeffer for the starting job at some point in this season. Though not as athletic as his counterpart Schaeffer, Adams has exponentially better decision making and accuracy. The Rebels offense will miss Schaeffer’s athleticism but not his erratic play in the pocket. Adams will not be asked to do much, mostly hand the ball to BenJarvus Green-Ellis but must show that he does not have the penchant for throwing poor interceptions that Schaeffer has.

12. Michael Henig - Miss. State

Given that he had the build of a place kicker, it’s not surprising that Mississippi State quarterback Michael Henig missed time in 2006 after breaking his collarbone. Well Henig has beefed up some and is ready for his junior year. Henig will need to become a little better at eluding the run and not taking rushers head on. In other words, get down. Accuracy is, of course, a concern for any quarterback but especially for a quarterback who completed just 43 percent of his passes last year (as Henig did). Let’s be honest though, this team is going to be putrid and will be lucky to win one conference game.

Arkansas and Georgia.

Those were the two sole home losses suffered by an 11- 2 Auburn team that knocked off Sugar Bowl champ LSU and national champion Florida.

Still, this year’s Auburn team is something of a mystery. If the pieces come together, Brandon Cox stays healthy (which will rely heavily on how fast the four new starters on the O-line can mature) and the defense is clicking, Auburn could be a real spoiler in the SEC east. If none or just some of those things happen, Tiger fans could be easily be looking at an 8-4 season and a fourth place finish in the East.

Auburn offensive coordinator Al Borges can rest easy knowing that he has a proven quarterback to run his offense with the return of senior Brandon Cox. The 6′2″ senior never recovered from the injuries he suffered last year and his play reflected that. Keeping Cox off the injury report is an absolute necessity this year, given the lack of a solid number 2 quarterback with Blake Field, Neil Caudle and Steven Ensminger all fighting for the back-up job.

Gone is senior Kenny Irons but the Tigers return junior Brad Lester and sophomore Ben Tate, both of whom gained some valuable PT last year when filling in for Irons. Perhaps the most intriguing tailback in the mix for playing time this season is redshirt freshman Mario Fannin. Of Fannin, Borges said, “He’s probably the best complete package we have at tailback” and “…his potential is unlimited.” Rod Smith, Robert Dunn and Precahe Rodriquez all saw time at wideout last year and will need to continue to develop into well-rounded scoring threats for this offense to be effective. Auburn returns what is, hands-down, the best trio of tight ends in Cole Bennet, Tommy Trott and Gabe McKenzie, who will know doubt be some of Cox’s primary targets.  The offensive line is a huge question mark for this team as it returns only one starter as senior left tackle King Dunlap returns. Look for the staff to fiddle with different groupings and combinations this summer before finally settling on a first team.

Defensively, the Tigers return their best player in linebacker/defensive end Quentin Groves and defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will rely on a rotation of seven-to-eight players upfront to mix up the packages in which Groves is featured. Look for the 6′4″ senior to line up as defensive end in the 4-3 and then move out to outside linebacker when Muschamp utilizes his 3-4 package with Groves coming off the edge. Given their lack of depth at both linebacker and defensive back, much of this unit’s production will have to come from the line pressuring the quarterback and stuffing the run until the d-backs and linebackers can get their legs under them. The linebacking corps can fill a huge gap if sophomore Tray Blackmon can earn his way back on to the team after missing the spring and six games last year after being suspended twice.

Between the vacancies on the offensive line and the lack of proven playmakers in the linebacking corps and secondary, Auburn fans can’t be feeling too great about their teams chances of going to Florida, to Arkansas, to LSU and to Georgia and coming out with a win.

Bottom Line Prediction - 8-4. Auburn’s is a schedule riddled with potential landmines. Forget that they open the season against Kansas State and an up-and-coming South Florida team that could give the Tigers all they can handle, the Tigers have a murderous road schedule but play a relative soft schedule at home. I think the best Tiger fans can hope for with this young and inexperienced team, is a 9-3 record.