With the high school jamborees set for Aug. 25-26 and college football beginning that following week, I am ready for football season to begin.
Over the next several weeks I will break down the SEC teams and how I feel they will do in the 2011 season.
An SEC team has won the past five football national championships.
And the streak could extend to six.
Since 1998, the Southeastern Conference has had five different schools win BCS titles: Tennessee (1998), LSU (2003, 2007), Florida (2006, 2008), Alabama (2009) and Auburn (2010).
Remove those who have no chance to win the title this year – Florida, Tennessee and Auburn –and that leaves LSU and Alabama as the top two choices to be awarded another crystal football.
About 18 years ago, I took a break from the newspaper business to be a Sports Information Director for a small Christian college.
When I got back into the newspaper business three years later, I had a greater appreciation for those who send their collegiate athletic information to the media.
Recently, it was great to see my friend Dan McDonald inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame honors go to SIDs who have made outstanding contributions in the field of college sports information.
McDonald worked as an SID on the Division I level for 23 years — the last 19 at UL Lafayette from 1980-99.
Sorry for chasing a rabbit - back to the subject.
Every year in most every conference, the SIDs from the member schools vote on how each team will finish in the rankings.
The 12 football information directors in the SEC gave Alabama 10 votes to win the conference, while LSU received two votes for the top spot.
South Carolina, Arkansas and Florida close the top five.
Georgia, Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Kentucky fiinish the top 10.
Missisippi and Vanderbilt will fight for the cellar according to the sports information group.
South Carolina received five of the six votes to win the SEC East with the Gators grabbing one vote for the top.
Alabama received four votes to win the SEC West, while LSU garnered two votes to win the title.
In the West, Arkansas was predicted to edge national champion Auburn for fourth place.
MSU and Ole Miss were voted to finish at the bottom of the SEC West.
After the Gamecocks and Gators in the East, the SIDs decided Georgia and Tennessee will finish third and fourth, repectively.
As usual, Kentucky and Vanderbilt were voted to battle for the East basement.
I will break down each team’s schedule, strengths and weaknesses as we explore the SEC over the next month.
But for LSU to win the SEC and earn a berth in the BCS title game - two dates loom large on the Tigers’ schedule.
LSU opens the season on Sept. 3 against national runners-up Oregon at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium.
The Tigers visit Bryant-Denny Stadium on Nov. 5 for a showdown with the Crimson Tide.
Only time will tell if the SEC can extend the streak to six years, but I am more than ready to watch some football.
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