SEC Preview: Still plenty of questions to answer

SEC 2011 Conference Report Can South Carolina handle the pressure? Is Florida poised to return to elite status? Will the SEC win its sixth consecutive national title? Andy Staples tackles that and much more in his SEC preview. �How They'll Finish�

� Conference Championship: Alabama def. South Carolina

�Offensive MVP�

WR Alshon Jeffery 2010 stats: 88 catches, 1,517 receiving yards, 9 TDs 2011 projection: 90 catches, 1,550 receiving yards, 12 TDs At 6-foot-4 and 229 pounds, Jeffery is the toughest individual matchup for an SEC defensive back. Unfortunately for most defenses, the threat of Marcus Lattimore on the ground makes it impossible to focus too much on Jeffery. Plus, Jeffery's size gives South Carolina room for error. "We tell our quarterbacks," coach Steve Spurrier said, "to just get it up where he can just get his hands on it ... because those are good odds." Jeffery headlines SI.com's preseason All-SEC Team

�Defensive MVP�

LB Courtney Upshaw 2010 stats: 52 tackles, 14.5 TFL, 7 sacks, 1 FR, 4 FF 2011 projection: 60 tackles, 18 TFL, 12 sacks, 2 FR, 3 FF When mulling Upshaw's 2010 stats, bear in mind that he was hampered all season by a nagging ankle sprain suffered in the opener. That injury slowed Upshaw's first step in pass-rushing situations, yet he still wound up leading the Crimson Tide with 14.5 tackles for loss. This season, Upshaw is healthy. Given the fact that coach Nick Saban and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart love to move Upshaw around to surprise offenses, Upshaw could be the most disruptive defensive player in the SEC.

�Impact Freshman�

DE Jadeveon Clowney 2010 stats (high school): 162 tackles, 29.5 sacks, 6 FR, 11 FF, 5 DEF TDs 2011 projection: 55 tackles, 14 TFL, 8 sacks, 3 FF Clowney's high school stats are superhuman, which explains why he was the nation's most coveted recruit. He won't get near those numbers in college, but he should make his presence felt quickly. Clowney will benefit from fellow defensive end Devin Taylor, another lightning-quick pass rusher. If offenses worry too much about slowing Taylor, Clowney will reap the benefits. Debate: Which team will emerge as SEC champ?

�Coach On The Hot Seat� �Three Key Nonconference Games � � � �Three Key Conference Games � � � �Five Key Questions�

Who won the schedule competition? I'm sure some of you looked at the predicted records above and then referred to the delightfully musical Power Rankings I penned last week before determining that I am not only an idiot but also a hypocrite. If Auburn is the No. 18 team in the country, then how can the Tigers go 4-4 in conference play? And why would Mississippi State -- ranked four spots below Auburn -- have a better record? When I rank teams, I try to determine who would win if they met on a neutral field. Most games aren't played on a neutral field, as the past two national champs can attest. Would Alabama have won the 2009 national title if the Crimson Tide had played LSU in Baton Rouge? Maybe. Maybe not. Would Auburn have won the 2010 title if the Tigers had played LSU and Arkansas on the road? Maybe. Maybe not. This year Alabama, which suffered through a brutal schedule last year, gets LSU and Arkansas at home. Auburn, meanwhile, must go to Arkansas, LSU and South Carolina. In the SEC, schedule matters. Which is why if my prediction about Georgia's record is wrong, it probably will be astoundingly wrong. The Bulldogs play only three true road games in conference play (Ole Miss, Tennessee and Vanderbilt). Their other two games away from Sanford Stadium (Boise State and Georgia Tech) will be in Atlanta, 67 miles from Athens. If Richt does turn things around, the schedule could help the Bulldogs come back in a big way. Top 25 scouting reports: Alabama | LSU | South Carolina | Arkansas | Auburn | Miss. State How will Arkansas handle the loss of Knile Davis? The loss of their best rusher is a serious blow for the Razorbacks, but coach Bobby Petrino's offense might be able to weather it. Remember, Davis emerged last year after the Hogs lost Dennis Johnson to injury. Johnson has returned, and Ronnie Wingo also will help carry the load. No matter who runs the ball, defenses will have to concern themselves with the nation's best trio of receivers (Greg Childs, Jarius Wright and Joe Adams). The healthy backs won't have to carry the offense by themselves, and they should find more room to run because opponents will show so much respect for Arkansas' passing game. Can South Carolina handle the weight of expectations? The Chicken Curse has taken a few hits in the past two years. South Carolina's baseball team has won consecutive national titles, and the football team finally broke through last year with its first SEC East title. Now, South Carolina will enter the season ranked high and expected to win the East again. Coach Steve Spurrier should be familiar with that position; his Florida teams were annually expected to finish atop the division. But will the Gamecocks be able to handle those expectations? They'll find out quickly when they step between the hedges at Georgia in Week 2. Still, South Carolina fans are understandably leery. They had to cringe when they looked at the 2011 schedule and saw Navy. In 1984, the Gamecocks were 9-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation when they went to Annapolis and got crushed. But there is no such thing as a Chicken Curse, right? Will Florida return to elite status? The Gators might have a better shot if their West draw didn't include a visit from Alabama and games at LSU and Auburn. Coach Will Muschamp has played things so close to the vest that it's difficult to predict what the Gators will do. Under first-year coordinator Charlie Weis, quarterback John Brantley will get to play in an offense that suits his skill set. Of course, the rest of the Gators are better suited to the spread. Meanwhile, Florida should field a fast, athletic defense with very little experience. If good coaching can overcome the greenness of the players, scoring on the Gators could be quite difficult. Will the SEC win its sixth consecutive national title? It certainly seems as if the league has enough quality teams to send its champ to the BCS title game for a sixth consecutive year. After that, anything can happen in one game. But three of the SEC's elite (Alabama, LSU and South Carolina) have excellent defensive lines, and that unit has made all the difference in the past five BCS title games.

�SEC Video Preview

Top SEC contenders

Source:SI

SI.com breaks down why Alabama, LSU and South Carolina look like the top SEC contenders.

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