Five good SEC storylines for 2010

Special to AJC

Gary Danielson is about to enter his fifth season as a TV analyst for the SEC game of the week. He provides five good story lines in the SEC.

1. Nobody in the SEC will go undefeated.

People are saying there is a gap between Florida and Alabama and everybody else. I don’t agree with that. I think the league will be a little more compact this season because the middle has gotten better. Auburn, LSU, Arkansas and Ole Miss will be better. South Carolina will be better. Nobody is going to run away from it, and everybody in the conference will lose at least one game. I think the SEC will be the only conference in the country where a one-loss team could reach the national championship.

2. Aaron Murray has a good surrounding cast.

I was critical last year when [Georgia coach Mark Richt] didn’t give Murray some reps. I know it would have burned his redshirt year, but I thought it was important to get him ready to play this season. I know he had some shoulder problems, but I just think it would have helped him to play last year.

That said, he really has a lot of weapons around him that will help him as he grows into the position. He has what may be the best wide receiver in the country [A.J. Green]. He has the best kicker [Blair Walsh] and the best punter [Drew Butler]. I think with an experienced offensive line, they can hide him enough until he gets more comfortable.

3. Can Florida stick with the spread after Tim Tebow?

I’m not the biggest fan of the spread [offense]. I know Tim Tebow’s version of the spread works in the SEC. But now you have to look at Florida with John Brantley as quarterback. The SEC is the closest thing to the NFL because of the size and speed of the defensive linemen. And Brantley’s too valuable to take 15 to 20 hits a game the way Tebow did. So how will this offense work for Brantley? The big worry I have for Florida is what they will do on third-and-three.

4. South Carolina’s Stephen Garcia is not that far away from being a good SEC quarterback.

His light flickers. I’ve seen that before. When I was doing Big Ten games, Brian Griese [of Michigan] was not that well thought of, and then all of a sudden the light went on late in his career. I’ve seen glimpses of what Stephen can do. He has the natural, raw ability, but he has to earn the trust of Steve Spurrier.

We know that Steve is not the most patient guy in the world when it comes to his quarterbacks. But if you can earn his trust, Steve also understands that quarterbacks don’t play perfectly. He understands that you’ll throw the odd pass every now and then. If he trusts you and you’re his guy, he’s a good coach to play for. But if he doesn’t trust you, Steve tends to look for the other putter in his bag.

5. Why Alabama is picked to repeat despite losing nine starters on defense.

First of all, they are loaded on offense: Heisman Trophy winner at tailback with a backup like Trent Richardson. Good offensive line. Solid quarterback. They are loaded everywhere.

Secondly, it’s a little misleading to say they lost that many starters on defense. There were a lot of role players on that defense, and a bunch of guys got playing time. [Defensive end] Marcell Dareus wasn’t considered a starter. The backup nose tackle [Josh Chapman] played a lot for Terrence Cody. [Linebacker] Dont’a Hightower comes back. They will miss the mental side of Rolando McClain, but I think Hightower will be able to replace him physically.

The real challenge for Alabama is that they have gone two straight regular seasons going undefeated. That is so hard to do in this league.


-- As told to Tony Barnhart
 for the AJC