SEC Talk

Carol Ross came back to turn around the Ole Miss Women’s program and in four years she did just that. In her own words mission accomplished. Ross is resigning and assistant coach Renee Ladner will be named the next head coach of Ole Miss. Ladner will continue to build on what has made the program successful and hopefully take the team to the next level winning championships. Landner has a tough road to get them as the SEC is tough and defending National Champion Tennessee is in the conference also.

The SEC had a banner day with 11 first round selections including the number one pick JaMarcus Russell who the Raiders took to take their franchise to the next level. LSU had four players taken in the first round while Tennessee and Florida each had two who went in the first round. This just goes to show you the SEC is loaded with NFL talent from top to bottom.

Many people worry that this could hurt the SEC and I always tell them more talent funnels into the SEC every year and that will be the case again this year. Look for the talent level to be just as good as last year.

This morning I was looking over the College baseball rankings and what did we find at the top of the poll the Vanderbilt baseball team ranked number one. That wasn’t the only thing I really noticed it was that the SEC had only one other team iin the Top 25 poll and that was Arkansas. I found that odd considering that the SEC has some really good baseball teams.

Than as I sat back and thought about it, thing became alot clearer to me. THe SEC conference is very good in baseball and the teams beat up on each other so your not going to see alot of teams in the top 25. Every week one team knocks off another. College baseball draws well throughout the south and especially in the SEC. Maybe that’s why the SEC is considered the cream of the crop when you talkm about conferences no matter what the sport is.

It’s been a few years since the Tennessee Vols were the kings in football and they are poised for another run. The Vols have slowing been rebuilding their team back up and they looked poised to make a run at the SEC title. The Vols will need a fast start if they hope to have any chance at the SEC title this year.

I look for the Vols to be real competitive this year and could surprise alot of people with how well they do this year. This is a team to watch out for.

It’s been a long time since fans of the Georgia Bulldogs had something to cheer about. This year’s Bulldogs team could put alot of smiling faces on their fans this year. The Bulldogs bring back some really good talent and they seem to be headed in the right direction. After the big Bowl game win they should be able to build on it and move up in the standings. The bulldogs biggest problem is their in the toughest conference in the country.

Look for the Bulldogs to play hard every week and move upin the standings, but they don’t have enough just yet to over take Auburn or Florida. They are getting closer though.

Chris Lofton is a smart guy and is returning to Tennessee for his senior year. Lofton is a talented young man who knows that another year won’t hurt him and with all the people coming out this year he may get lost in the shuffle. Staying one more year let’s him improve his game and help his stock to soar even more.

Many guys don’t realize that coming out early isn’t always the best thing. They see the money and listen to the wrong people and in a few years are out of the NBA. Lofton is doing the right thing and i commend him on it.

Matthew Mitchell takes over a lady Wildcat program that is on the upswing right now and he looks to lead it to even higher heights. Mitchell a former assistant coach at kentucky,Tennessee, and Florida, also ran the Morehead State program. When he took over Morehead State they weren’t doing well at all and he turned that program around in no time.

Mitchell is known for his recuriting ability which is crucial when you talk about SEC Women’s college basketball. You need to have the players to win and getting to your school is half the battle. Kentucky got a good man in Mitchell and I look for great things from him and the Wildcat women’s program in the future.

The Auburn Tigers at times look unstoppable and at times they look just horrible. Defensively they are one of the better teams in the SEC and that should be the case again this year. I also look for the offensive to be good. So, what’s stopping the Tigers from the title besides Florida?

It’s pretty simple against the poor teams on their schedule they play like they don’t care or the can win the game anytime they want. In the College Football is just doesn’t work that way anymore. I guess we will see if the Tigers come out like they want it or will they just walk through the season at times.

That’s probably the million dollar question in Florida when you talk college football. The gators are loaded again with talent and will win the SEC again this year their main competition will be Auburn. Going undefeated in the SEC will be very tough so that could factor into it.

Another factor is what other teams do in the country will also determine if the Gators can defend their title. of course if the Gators run the table that’s a mute question, but I really don’t see that happening in college football. Going undefeated is very hard to do these days in college football. It will be interesting to watch and see if the gators can make it two in a row.

The LSU Tigers are losing their big horse in JaMarcus Russell to the NFL, but that doesn’t mean they will have a down year. The Tigers have plenty of talent to challenge for the SEC title again. The Tigers are deep almost at every position and should challenged for the SEC title.

This should be an interesting year for the Tigers as they will learn to play without JaMarcus Russell and in the long run that should help them out alot. Other players will step up and the Tigers could be better than last year. Sometimes when you lose a player the caliber of Russell it pulls the team together and they play even better. Only time will tell if this happens.

Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund

April 16, 2007, will be remembered as one of the darkest days in the history of the Virginia Tech community and the world beyond.

To remember and honor the victims of those tragic events, the university has established the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund to aid in the healing process and generate financial support.

The fund will be used to cover expenses including but not limited to:

• Grief counseling
• Memorials
• Communication expenses
• Comfort expenses
• Incidental needs

If you plan to give, please click the link below:

The South Carolina Gamecokcks are a very interesting team for a number of reasons. First and foremost with Steve Spurrier coaching them you know they will compete against you in every game. The Gamecocks have had some off the field situations which haven’t helped them going into this season,but Spurrier has dealt with that before.

The Gamecocks to me are a sleeper team for a number of reasons. They can come up and surprise anyone in the SEC and than lose to the worse team in the SEC. With Steve Spurrier leading them this could be the year they get it together for a banner season.

One thing Alabama loves is their football and by hiring Nick Saban they will have a very passionate man behind the wheel for the Crimson Tide. Alabama biggest problem lies in the talent level it’s just not up to the elite in the SEC. I’m sure Saban will change that soon as he is a very good recuriter.

The one thing that Saban does very well is get the most out of his players and put them in situations where they will excel. That’s the key he never asks more than they can do. Saban and Alabama will have a good year this year, but no SEC title just yet.

Houston Nutt knew something special was happening this spring at Arkansas football sprong practice this year. many more media members attended and wanted to know about his team which might have surprised alot of people with their play last year. The razorbacks took some very good teams to the limit and beat some that many people didn’t expect them to beat.

Razorback fans should have another exciting season coming up as alot of guys are returning and some of the younger guys are ready to step up and prove they can help the Razorbacks. it will be intersting to see how everything works out for them.

Ole Miss has a great football fan base and lately they haven’t had alot to cheer about and hopefully head coach Ed Orgeron will be able to turn the corner this year and see some more psoitive results. The hiring of John Thompson as defensive coordinator was a very good move. Ole Miss is in a very tough conference and defense is something you must play and play well if you want to succeed. Hopefully this year will see some more wins for Ole Miss fans and maybe even a upset. You never know when you talk college football.