Staggering Vols visit South Carolina still in search of itself

Last Saturday was the first Tennessee game I attended in person this year, and the trip confirmed two things: the Vols offense is as bad as advertised and Alabama is really good.

Heading into the season's ninth game, Tennessee's offense simply stinks. No improvement is being shown against elite teams. No running game, costly penalties at the worst time and general inefficiency rule the day.

This week, the Volunteers visit South Carolina, and the Gamecocks have one of the best defenses in the Southeastern Conference. Plus, Carolina has Steve Spurrier who has been Phillip Fulmer's personal tormentor for years (though Fulmer has done better against Spurrier since he went to Carolina.)

Week after week, I have been waiting for improvement from Tennessee's offense. However, at this point, I've decided to stop holding my breath. To use a popular cliché: they are what they are.

Tennessee is no longer an elite team, and teams are licking their chops at being able to even the score against them. Last week, it was Alabama. This week, it will be South Carolina.

A whole new era of Tennessee football has begun.

The pick: South Carolina 21 Tennessee 13

Other picks: Florida over Georgia, Mississippi State over Kentucky, LSU over Tulane, Ole Miss over Auburn, Alabama over Arkansas State, Tulsa over Arkansas

Last week: 5-2 (.714), Overall: 50-15 (.769)

Top of SEC's Eastern Division will be a jumble this year

Too many, Georgia is the clear-cut team to beat in the SEC East this year, but I don't think so. I think the Bulldogs have the potential to win it, but we all know the SEC is a conference of parity.

I don't see any team winning the SEC East outright this year. The divisional winner will have at least two conference losses, which means all of us will have to brush up on the conference's tiebreaker rules when it comes to determining which team will play in the SEC title game.

Frankly, I think this will be a season of surprises. Here is how I think it will shake out.

1. Florida Gators – While most of the talk surrounds quarterback Tim Tebow, the Gators will take a step forward this year because of its improved defense. The defense was inexperienced last year and was flat-out awful at times. It won't be great this year, but it will be good enough because the Gators should score a ton of points. Expecting Tebow to match his output of last year would be unfair, but he is the main reason the Gators will continue to score a lot of points.

2. Tennessee Volunteers – Even though the Volunteers return 16 starters from last year's divisional winning team, there isn't much talk about them repeating as champion. If the Vols develop depth on their defensive line and new quarterback Jonathan Crompton continues to progress, Tennessee will be right in the mix. A lot of people appear to be down on Coach Phillip Fulmer these days, but his career record is 147-45 (that's 102 games above .500 folks). I think some in the Vol Nation need to appreciate what they have.

3. Georgia Bulldogs – I know, I know. All the hype this year says Georgia should be a national championship contender, so how can I have them picked third in their own division? Just look at the schedule. The Bulldogs play six teams that have head coaches who have won national championships. The Bulldogs have the talent, but sometimes the schedule is just too tough. Prove me wrong, Georgia.

4. South Carolina Gamecocks – What is the state of the South Carolina program? Are they as good as they were when they started last season 6-1? Or, are they as bad as they were when they lost their last five games? Actually, they are somewhere in between. This year's team will be like many Carolina teams over the last five years. The Gamecocks will win seven games and go to a minor bowl. There is something bland about South Carolina football. I never thought I would say that about a Steve Spurrier coached team.

5. Kentucky Wildcats – Quarterback Andre Woodson carried Kentucky to eight wins last year, but he is gone, leaving a huge void on the team. Until a playmaker of his caliber steps forward, Kentucky will struggle. The Wildcats have a solid defense and a weak non-conference schedule, which means they will go bowling. However, 7-5 may be the best they can hope for.

6. Vanderbilt Commodores – Vandy lost a ton of talent from last year. Coach Bobby Johnson has done an excellent job improving the Commodores overall talent level, but this is clearly a transition year. Johnson is a good coach. Let’s hope Vanderbilt's administration continues to show patience with him.

Is Steve Spurrier's window of opportunity closing at South Carolina?

When Steve Spurrier took over as head coach at South Carolina, it looked like the program was ready to go to the next level. Lou Holtz had rebuilt the program, and as he stepped down, most thought Spurrier was the right choice to turn the Gamecocks into a national power. However, that hasn't happened.

Until the mid-point of last season, it looked like Spurrier had the team on the brink of something special. In his second season in 2006, the team won eight games, and last year, the team started 6-1 and was ranked in the top 10. At that point everything fell apart. The Gamecocks finished with a 6-6 record and didn't even go to a bowl game.

Spurrier's trademark when he coached Florida was his ability to develop quarterbacks within his offensive system. As he enters his fourth season at Carolina, that position remains in a state of flux. Tommy Beecher and Chris Smelley both struggled during spring practice.

Carolina's early schedule this year is interesting. Most will point to the September 13 match up against Georgia as their first big test, but the opening game against North Carolina State is just as important. While N.C. State is only a middle-tier ACC team, it is critical for the Gamecocks to win that game. Last year left a bad taste in everybody's mouth, and Carolina needs to win early and win big.

Looking at Carolina's schedule in its entirety, this is a team that has 7-5 written all over it. Of course, that would be a slight step forward compared to last year, but with Spurrier as coach, the fans of the program have really high expectations. A 7-5 record would be considered a disappointment to many of them.

Because of this, it will be interesting to see how they treat Spurrier. Will he start feeling heat?

Considering the resources of the school, South Carolina has been the most underachieving program in the SEC since joining the conference in 1992. The team really hasn't made a serious run at the SEC Eastern Division title during this time.

They remain the mystery program of the SEC.